Flippin’ Weather...21-22/11/08

It’s starting to get a bit cooler now and with the sun rising later and setting earlier time available for launching is more restricted than in the past few months. I got a heads up that the weather was going to be poor for fishing this weekend -for poor read impossible – and when I finally got around to checking I realised that it was indeed the case. However, with swells of between 10 and 16ft forecast for Lowestoft on Friday and Saturday I figured that if I cleared the decks by late afternoon Thursday I could comfortably take the following day off…

Friday morning and I was able to enjoy a more leisurely breakfast with the girls and even do the school run again at last. It was rather cold and I was quite pleased to get home into the warmth. A few hours of painting and decorating was required before I could play but with my youngest and my wife heading off to the school after lunch it was time to get changed and wander down to the beach.

As a kid I loved the film ‘Big Wednesday’ and watched it over and over. There’s always that expectation when you know a big swell is predicted and you head down to the beach hoping it’s true but sadly Magic Seaweed had suckered me in again, along with the half a dozen surfers who were out. That said, it was still looking good and there were some long, powerful swells coming in and breaking a hundred yards out, averaging about 6ft or so and the surfers were riding a few of the better ones. This was the second time I’d taken my new Yak Board out for a surf (I fished from it a couple of weeks ago too) – the demo ones gave me such fun I had to invest – and it looked like I was in for a whale of a time.

One drawback with the Yak Board compared to the fifteen footers I’m used to is that I always get the feeling I’m standing still when paddling out…the glide and speed is sacrificed for superb manoeuvrability and stability in the rough stuff…and this slow movement was to be my downfall many, many times. I got on in knee deep water and began the paddle out. Some of the waves were breaking a way ahead, others closer in and the foam was rolling under me with some spraying my face to waken me up now and again. As I got out further I started trying to judge where to cut through…he who hesitates is lost of course and I’d nearly always end up with a big old bit of water rearing up and breaking as I was almost through…it took ages before I was out far enough to chose my waves but it was comfortable here and I watched a few good rides from the surfers before going for some of my own.



The first wave I caught was superb – a nice big one came rolling in and was building to break soon after I was on it…I paddled hard and as it reared up behind me I was on the downward slope and accelerating beautifully…stern rudder right…stern rudder left…brace…paddle up…and then stern rudder on the right again to turn myself beam on and hop out in a couple of inches of water on the beach. Beautiful! A perfect run in and a great start – I just had to get back out there again…

I took a few waves in the face, got knocked off backwards a few times, flipped a few times and slid off the side too but in the hour and a half I was in the water I had seven superb rides and by the end of it I was able to run along the wave as well as just straight in front of it. An excellent afternoon’s playing.

Come Saturday and I was itching to go again. The weather was not overly conducive to spending time on the beach but needs must and the surf was supposed to be better today…sadly it wasn’t until late afternoon that I could grab the Yak Board again and go and play:



I dragged my mate along on Flo’s Yak too – she won’t play in this weather but he’s as stupid as I am. Well, more so in fact as he was in a wetsuit. I took a pic of him in his old helmet but he looked such a cock that I shan’t be so unkind as to post it. That said, he didn’t get a painful whack on the head from a yak today, unlike yours truly, and I bet I looked a cock wearing it.

We had the same issues getting out but even worse. The waves were shorter today and with the lesser intervals it was hard work getting out. Eventually we’d make it but more often than not a turn and surf-in was the order of the day. Still, Liam hadn’t had a go in proper waves before:



(I was holding the Yak in the other hand hence the movement!). And then the snow started up again. Standing in the sea during a blizzard is highly recommended for all those whose parents were unable to afford a private education as I gather it is makes one absolutely spiffing, what. It had gone dark as well.



It lightened up after the squall had passed and we’d both had a ride out of it. Then it was time to sit out back and wait for another – there were some magnificent waves rolling in and it was still snowing.



We were drifting out and try as I might I couldn’t pick up a ride on these, maybe getting on top but never dropping down onto the face. (Edit: does that sound sexual to you?)



I finally picked up a decent one and ran all the way in. Liam and I had taken off next to each other and maybe thirty yards apart and I was in a slightly better position on the face to manoeuvre and avoid the breaking top – I went all the way in and saw he’d wiped-out (surfer term) about halfway in. Not that I didn’t manage it myself quite spectacularly many, many times this weekend I hasten to add. It was starting to darken up now and warm coffee’s beckoned. Having had a whack on the head while standing in the surf on the wrong side of the yak when a wave broke in the wrong place I wandered ashore to chat to Liam. It was time to go…but one last ride was on the cards.

We both wandered out a bit and then got aboard. We paddled out next to each other and about halfway out a big wave came rolling in. I heard Liam say there was no way he would get over it so he was going to turn and surf it in, and that’s what he did. I wasn’t ready to turn and so tried to climb over it – up at a crazy angle, over the top and down with a thump! Well chuffed but surprised too as I figured I was going to be dumped. I took the next one too and then a big bugger with my name written on it came barrelling in and there was just not a hope in hell…but I wasn’t far enough out to surf it in so I gave it my best shot even though I just knew…up I went, climbing vertically up the face as it started to break… ****…then I did what felt like a full 360 degree backflip (it was an easy 180!) still on the yak and then, disengaged, did an underwater somersault revolving right around the paddle. Excellent! Came up for a breather, as you do, grabbed the yak which was amazingly right there, hopped aboard, paddled out some more, saw another that I wouldn't get over, started to turn, got halfway around so i was beam on and did a 300m surf with the yak pointing the right way and me (jammed in) sitting across the yak. I came in laughing my head off. Asking Liam if he’d seen that run in he replied that he had and it was a good one…”did you realise I was side-saddle and had absolutely no control over things whatsoever?” I enquired…



Roll on tomorrow... 8-)