Bigbury weekend and Pozo!

We have had some good wind and a tiny bit of swell recently, getting a small surf at Fistral and Whitsands and a weekend windsurfing (flat water) at Bigbury. My brother-in-law Hylton is learning to windsurf and did really well getting his first waterstarts. He also became water camera man and between him and my sister Ruth, took the photos below.

Me and Stef have also booked a last minute trip to Pozo for ten days, as we couldn't resist the 4 day bank holiday weekend, taking 4.5 days leave to get 10 days on the water. Hopefully it will be ten fully windy and wavey days! Leave on Saturday, sooo excited!!

Windsurf 4 Cancer Research Video!

As promised, the windsurf for cancer research video! Don't forget to donate HERE!
More Windsurfing Videos

There has been dissapointingly no proper swell since we returned from Chile, but we have had a few bump and jump sessions and some desperate onshore surfing! Last night we had a session at Bigbury in an Easterly. Amazingly there were some knee to waist high waves to play with, and my new Flywave felt pretty good. I can imagine with a big SW swell and an Easterly wind it could be amazing, but so rare!

I am gutted I am missing BWA Rhosneigr and Ireland due to work committments. Its a shame as I will lose my British Wave Champion title this year! Instead I will hit it hard after work when there are some good conditions!

Windsurf 4 Cancer and a new board!

We have just come back from an amzing weekend in Wales, which turned out to be a multi activity weekend due to the lack of wind. On Saturday we stopped in Taunton on the way up, paddling a Canadian canoe around a large area of flooded fields and dropping our passengers off on the way on random fence posts and trees sticking up!

Sunday was windsurf for cancer at Llandeggfedd reservoir. There was a great turnout with pirates and silver windsurfers, cake sales, BBQ, SUPs and kit to use and of course dedicated Mike Walklin teaching a team of windsurfers. We arrived for 8.30, getting straight on the water for a windsurf in about 6 knots, teaching our 'zero' Doug Reid. He did well in the little wind, learning tacking, sail 360s and sail and body 360s. No planing though in that wind, so he isn't a hero yet! We will take him again when its windier. The rest of the day we decided to make full power with all the watersports we could fit in, SUPing, diving off boats and rafts, paddling our surfboards and even fishing! We finished the day running up a hill followed by an amazing roast from Mrs Hilder!

Bank holiday Monday followed with more exercise, climbing at Llangorse. I even managed to climb the indoor tree trunk all the way up!

There is a video coming soon, but if you can spare any cash for a good cause, please donate HERE!

Chile Video!

Here is a video of me and Stef in Chile. Footage was lacking a little as we only had 3 weeks and wanted to sail whenever the conditions were good, classic problem! I hope you enjoy it!


MPORA Action Sports

Windsurf 4 Cancer

Last year, Stef and I participated in the annual windsurf for cancer event at Llandegfedd reservoir, windsurfing from 8 until 8 and also setting ourselves the challenge of windsurfing the distance of the London Marathon. We raised over £300 for cancer charities and had an amazing day.

So this year, we thought we would raise money for the very important cause once again, challenging ourselves to teach a small group of non windsurfers to learn to windsurf and plane in one day! Not only is this a difficult challenge that is wind permitting, but it should also help some of our friends experience the adrenaline of planing in their first day (we hope!) and help them get hooked on windsurfing! We are raising money again for cancer charities through windsurf for cancer and hope you can support us and all the charities help through donating to: Our Just Giving Page. It is an extremely important event that is close to our hearts having lost two friends in the past year to cancer. Please help by donating or turning up and showing some support!

Back to reality with 7 second period swell...

I am now home from Chile and unfortunately regularly dissappointed with the English forecast having come from 12-20 second period swell to almost nothing here! I have still made the most of it though and went twice after work for small wave sessions at Bigbury, and surfed yesterday in onshore mush a Whitsands!

You may have seen our Chile article on Boardseeker, if not it is worth a read: HERE As the article has summarised most of our exploits I will leave you with a few photos which mostly speak for themselves!

Breakfast with a Chilean family

3 weeks have flown by and we now only have four days left, we leave on Saturday. It just isn't long enough when you are waiting for forecasts! Saying that, we have surfed or windsurfed nearly everyday, and luckily, our next three look awesome, with big waves and some wind. Hopefully we will get a good session at Topocalma, Matanzas and Pichilemu. The last few days have been ok, some wind came in the other night so we had a late windsurf at Churillos, but it wasn't quite enough with the rip. The next day we went to Topocalma for the third time, hoping to score a session this time. Well the wind died off again (I was wobbling on 58l and 4.2), and just as we were about to give up the wind built up to 3.4 weather, but really gusty and offshore, so it was really hard work. The tide was high so the waves were a little choppy, from head to logo. I could barely sail on 4.2 and got really tired quickly so I took a little footage of Stef. I was kind of frustrated with the wind but hopefully I will have a better session there tomorrow, its not the easiest place to sail.

The past couple of days we tried to surf, it has been spring tides and overhead, so I don't think it works that well here, everything was churny and rippy. We went early to Puertecillo this morning but on the way an old Chilean couple flagged us down and jumped in the car. We didn't really understand much but ended up driving them home. They then insisted we came into their wooden house with a mud built stove, sat us down and gave us bread, coffee and sweetcorn fritters. They asked if everyone in England was blonde and blue eyed and we said no, some are dark and some have orange hair-which they found hilarious! We were so full I could barely finish eating, but we had to out of poilteness. I was amazed at their kindness they showed us, giving us a lot when they seemed to have very little, even giving us bread they insisted we took for after surfing! We left and went to Puertecillo, so full and by then it was a bit rippy and onshore. We also gained a tiny cute kitten we had to return home!

The Castillo Flores family. Their house isn't actually the one in the picture, it is through the gap on the left under some fruit trees:

Matanzas rocks:

A nice swell coming in:


Puertecillo:

Navidad:

A lot of people work collecting tons of seaweed, piling really high on their trucks, wrapping it tightly and selling it to eat, I haven't tried it myself, it is a little strange!

Amazing BBQs:

Pisco Sour, the amazing local drink:

Trying to tuck into a barrel, but getting nailed by the lip as I didn't get low enough!

View of Puertecillo drive down: