Girls with BIG BALLS !

Ha ha, well that post got your attention, though probably for the wrong reasons !

Due to a lack of wind, most of this week I have been cruising around on a SUP, and also a lot of wake-boarding which has been pretty cool. On Tuesday we got out on the sea and found nice flat water beside Lambay Island - which is a few miles offshore from Rush Beach.
Then on Wednesday and Friday, I spent the evenings wake-boarding at Camlough lake, which is in the hills beside Newry. I was invited up to do some coaching, and who was I to refuse? Camlough is a great spot for really flat water, and the water is so nice and warm that it makes the whole experience a real pleasure. It's always a strange sensation for me to crash into fresh water for a change.

On one of the evenings, the girls with big balls turned up!
Let me explain... the ball is a giant pvc see through ball with a zip. You climb in, zip it up, and then inflate the ball with a leaf-blower. Then you are kicked into the water, and attempt to make the ball move, by adopting the style of a very pissed hampster who has just finished drinking 5 pints of vodka and RedBull. Priceless!

This weekend was spent teaching wake-boarding and windsurfing (thanks DMG) to my nephew Dubhghall (who is pictured in the first wakeboard pic) Then today I joined a SUP safari around the islands at Skerries. It was really foggy at first, but the sky cleared so we could find our way back home again.

Hope we get wind soon.... I'm getting sunburned and sore from too many crashes on the wakeboard while trying to learn Tantrums and Heelside flips.

www.surfdock.ie

New Wavesailing DVD

My Danish buddy Lars Petersen has just announced the release of his latest instructional DVD: WINNER TO WAVESAILOR.

I know how much hard work Lars has put into this project over the last few years, and just like his Free your Style video, I'm sure it's going to be the best instructional movie ever made.
Have a look at the trailer, and get yourself a copy in July!

Here's what Lars has to say about the DVD:

"Dear all,

We are proud to announce that our eagerly anticipated and last film in Feed Your Soul Instructional Trilogy is finally complete! The name is WINNER TO WAVESAILOR. Our aim have been clear: To create a wave sailing instructional masterpiece!

To read more about the contents and to see the trailer please go here and help us spread the word about the movie: TRAILER

Winner to Wavesailor is the most comprehensive wavesailing instructional DVD ever produced.
It’s aim is to guide people to be the best wavesailors they can be. From first day getting out in the waves to first loops, from down the line in cross off perfection to making the most of cross on waves, this movie has it all.

Rotations are covered both backwards and forwards right up to doubles. Forward loops, back loops, push loops and more are covered in depth and from all angles, with special live coaching sections by our instructional Guru Jem Hall. The red-hot action demos are by the JP/ Pryde international team including Kauli Seadi and Jason Polakow in footage from Brazil, Chile, Maui and Europe.

The DVD will be going out to the shops around mid July."

www.surfdock.ie

So many waves, so little time

Well I hit the road west, and met up with a local Surfer-Windurfer friend of mine. He had already done the recce mission, and discovered the wind was not quite right for the spot I had driven over for, so our first session was at this beach break in Sligo (pic 1) for a couple of hours until the tide came in.
As the wind turned more to the West, we hit the North Mayo coast, and checked out a few different reef breaks, and settled on the one in pic 2 & 3. Sailed at this one for 4 hours, starting on 4.2m FLY & 68twinser, and then on 4.8m and 76. I had not sailed this one before, and I gotta say it blew my mind! Will definitely be back along this coast in the very near future. There are so many uncrowded perfect reef breaks and point breaks, you are almost spoiled for choice!
After over 20 years exploring the Irish Coastline, it's such a cool feeling to have sailed a completely new break that is firing on it's good day.
So many waves... so little time :-)
www.surfdock.ie

Sea Breeze Slippin' n slidin'

Skerries Kono from Surfdock Watersports on Vimeo.

OK, so it's not going to make Kiri Thode worried, but it's the first Kono I have on video, so I'm happy :-)

The stills pics and video were shot at Shenick Island, just off my home beach at Skerries. It's cross-shore in a SE wind, and we have been getting a good few days in the last week where this was perfect for super smooth freestyle sliding. On the sunny days, the SE sea breeze has been kicking in around lunchtime till 5 or 6, and it's usually good enough for 6.1m to 5.4m sails if we are lucky.
I love sailing here... obviously because its right outside my front door... but also because we get a huge variety of conditions. Apart from my freestyle spot, tt's good for just blasting around, and we can get fun waves here too (especially in a NE wind) - though when it is South wind they are always better in Rush.

I have loads more video from a couple of sessions over the last few days, will have a look at putting together a new video. For now though, the swell looks sweet for the West Coast tomorrow. Time to hit the road and find some real waves !

www.surfdock.ie

Speeeeeeeed-freeeeeestyler

After wavesailing all weekend at Rush and Skerries, I sailed the burrow speed strip on Monday.... and can confirm its absolutely awesome for freeeestyle!
In went in about an hour and a half after high tide, and the sandbar was just getting exposed.
Reminds me of Sotavento, without the sunshine and blue water... but the potential for sliding freestyle is amazing (with a bit of speed thrown in!)
First run down: spock (planing), one handed spock (planing), grubby (planing), finish with 1 hand clew 1st spock 540 to exit... and there's still a couple of hundred metres of flat water to slide or speedsail on. Started working on double spocks, and was trying konos, but a little too underpowered in the end to go switch properly.
The rest of the day went on much the same.. only 2 of us out, and then more kiters appeared.... but as usual they were on the downwind side doing jumps onto the sand.
One tried to race me down the strip, so I spocked right in front of him... his shorts nearly fell off he was so suprised!
Ali B got her 1st duck gybe too, so she is loving it.
See ya next time !

www.surfdock.ie

Summer is here !

Summertime really hit us last week, with a heat wave over the Bank Holiday weekend, and for most of the week. Daytime temperatures hit an all time high of 28-29 degrees C, which is practically unheard of in Ireland !
The centre of the country must have been like a ghost town, as it seemed like the entire country hit the beach, as they were in disbelief at the non stop sun for 5-6 days.

The first couple of shots show my favourite freestyle spot, where we sail at one of the islands just off the beach where I live in Skerries (you can just see my home in the background). The water is really flat in the shelter of this beach on the island.. and we have a great time here in S or SE winds when the tide is right. The colour of the water made me think it even looked a little like the canaries (in my mind anyway!!)
The sailor is Tom Lotocki, who also lives in Skerries.

In contrast, this Saturday was back to super windy conditions from the NE, over logo high waves at RUSH, and certainly NOT green water! The day started out on 4.8m sails, but I soon had to change down to down to 4.2, and finally ended up on 3.9m FLY.
The air temperature had dropped down to about 10 degrees, and it was weird, as the water was actually warmer than the air. The contrast made it feel like you were sailing in a bath.. while standing on the beach was cold. Everyone was in shock at the air temperature, but once you got into it... the jumping was really good fun, and by the end of the day, the sets were rolling on at over mast high - which is always nice to see on the East coast ! Also got my first clean Takas on this tack.. so I went home happy :)

Today, it was back to Skerries, and sailed from about 11am till 6pm. At first on 5.7 Firefly and 99 freestyle, and then on 5.1 FLY. It was fun freestyle conditions, with some small waves good for shakas and looping, and then some super flat freestyle conditions at each end of the beach for a bit of spinning sliding action.

Looks like more NE this week too... hope it's not too busy at work!

Pics:
1 & 2. Tom Lotocki at Skerries freestyle heaven.
3. Me at Rush.
4. Dave Garvey at Rush.
5. Tom Lotocki at Rush.

www.surfdock.ie