Shoreline Handicap & Black Rock Surf Festival

The first competition of the season dawned as one of the best days we have had in Cornwall for a long time.  Not much wind and the sun was coming out and I hadn’t packed any sun cream! The surf was small as has been common with this competition but was reasonably nice.  After the sign in and the brief in which I found out that the heats were to be 13 minutes long. I saw that I was on the last heat so I had time to catch up with friends and to have some breakfast!  I wandered around watching the surfing for a while as well and then it was my turn to judge which gave me an idea of how things were looking.

My heat came and I was hoping to do quite well but unfortunately  I was trying out some smaller thruster fins and I wasn’t ready for the difference they made!  I lost the tail a couple of time but the difference they made when I slashed was amazing.  It started to all come together towards the end of the heat but I only managed to get a 3rd place.  Everyone were shuffled around in their heats according to where they placed in their previous heats.  I was on again about half way through the second round so I stayed in my kit and judged a heat.

The tide had come in by the time my next heat arrived and the surf had got better and I really enjoyed my heat in which I managed a large lip move but unfortunately I didn’t land it fully. I did well though and came 1st which I was really pleased about!  I stayed in that heat because I won my last one while the other people in my heat were replaced and so I had a while to wait before my next heat.  I again stayed in my kit as it was wet and I don’t like getting into wet kit!  My next heat again I did well in and came 1st.  Which was great although it wasn’t good enough to get in the mens semi final as I needed to have had two 1sts and a 2nd instead of the two 1sts and a 3rd that I got. I was pleased with my result though, a good start to the year! After the mens final and the prize giving for that and the handicap event we packed up and moved off to the campsite where we were staying the night.  We set up our tents had a shower and then headed down to the village where we had a meal booked at an inn with all the competitors.

Unfortunately the inn didn’t open the restaurant on time so we had to wait around and I was getting very hungry! At last we went in and at least there was a lot of food that we could help ourselves to! We didn’t stay long after the meal as we wanted to get an early night in preparation for the next day. We heard though that several people carried on partying till quite late as it was someone’s birthday.

Sunday dawned nice again but it was colder and cloudier than the day before.  We got down to the beach and signed in and I was on one of the earlier heats in the mens long.  I didn’t do very well although I thought the surf was quite enjoyable. It was a reasonable size but one had to be careful which wave one took as a lot of them were closing out. I got third place in that heat.  I went through to the reps because of that placing so I had another heat to look forward to towards the end of the day. Next I had the two junior finals. The junior short was first and the tide had come in a bit so the waves weren’t as dumpy as they had been earlier.  I got on the water but unfortunately had to wait several minutes as someone was late turning up which was annoying.  I had several good waves but I had no idea of how I had done compared to everyone else.

A few heats later I was in the junior long final.  Unfortunately in my first heat of the day I had broken my boat. I had tried to pan-am and had got too steep and nosed dived straight into the sand and split my boat along the seam either side of the nose. It was still surfable but it was taking in water so I didn’t do as well as I could have done but I got several good waves and I was happy with what I had done. I was getting a bit tired by the time my next heat the mens long rep came along.  I thought I might not give everything into each wave as I usually do and let someone else go through to the semi final but as soon as I was on the water competition mode switched on and I gave it everything! I had what I think were my best waves of the competition and won that heat which meant I was through to the semi final. I had a heat or twos rest and then I was on in the semi.  I had some nice waves but the tide had come in close and it was a bit messy and was closing out.  Never the less I did reasonably well coming 4th out of 5.  This wasn’t good enough to go through to the final so I was able to get changed and warm. I hung around watching the final and then they set everything up so the prize giving could commence when everyone was changed and ready. It was  an interesting prize giving, several people had already set off home.  I got a 2nd place in both Junior categories. I was happy with this but of course I would have preferred to have come 1st!  Anyway for the first competition of the season I felt I had done reasonably well and I had a good time which is always the main thing!  Next competition is the Cornish Open which is being held at Godrevy, it’s one of my local breaks so I don’t have to get up very early which is nice!  Till then, Good Bye!

 

 

JTG