SURF ACTION: SUPPORTING COMBAT VETERANS...

WHILE IN CORNWALL JORDIE AND I WERE INTRODUCED TO AND GOT TO SPEND A LOT OF TIME WITH A REALLY INTERESTING CHARACTER, RICH EMERSON. NOT ONLY IS HE AN EXPERT PIGEON SHOOTER BUT HE IS ALSO THE CO-FOUNDER AND OPERATIONAL MANAGER OF A UK CHARITY CALLED SURF ACTION. THIS CHARITY HELPS RETURNING COMBAT VETERANS WITH PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL DIFFICULTIES THROUGH SURFING. RICH, A VETERAN HIMSELF FROM THE FIRST GULF WAR, FOUND THAT AFTER MOVING DOWN TO THE COAST AND TAKING UP SURFING A FEW YEARS BACK REALLY HELPED WITH DEALING WITH HIS POST TRAUMATIC STRESS, SO HE WENT ABOUT TRYING TO FIND IF THEIR WAS A WAY HE COULD HELP OTHERS THAT WERE IN HIS SITUATION OR WORSE.  

JORDIE AND AND I BOTH RELATED  TO WHAT RICH WAS DOING AS BOTH OUR FATHERS HAD BEEN EX SERVICEMAN, AND WANTED TO KNOW MORE ABOUT THE CHARITY SO WE WENT OUT SURFING WITH A SURF ACTION GROUP ONE AFTERNOON, JORDIE LENDING A HAND WITH THE LESSONS. WE BOTH HEARD A LOT OF FIRSTHAND ACCOUNTS OF VETERANS DIFFICULTIES AND COULD SEE WHAT GOOD THE CHARITY RICH HAD DEVELOPED HAD DONE FOR NOT ONLY THE LOCAL VETERAN COMMUNITY AND THEIR FAMILIES BUT RICH WORKS DIRECTLY WITH MILITARY REHABILITATION PROGRAMMES TO ENSURE A LONGER REACH ACROSS THE UK. GO RICH!!!

 PHOTO COURTESY TIPHXXX

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 PHOTO COURTESY SURF ACTION

  PHOTO COURTESY SURF ACTION

  PHOTO COURTESY SURF ACTION

 PHOTO COURTESY TIPHXXX

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 PHOTO COURTESY SURF ACTION

DON'T STOP WIGGLE WIGGLE...

JAMES PARRY IS THE MOST LAID BACK GUY YOU WILL EVER MEET. SO IT WAS FUN FOR JORDIE AND I TO SEE HOW A SURF COMP ORGANISED BY THIS FELLA WOULD PAN OUT. TURNS OUT IT WAS ONE OF THE BEST SURF COMPS JORDS HAD EVER ENTERED. LAST YEAR THE 2ND ANNUAL HIP WIGGLERS INVITATIONAL - SINGLE FIN GALA HELD AT GWITHIAN BEACH- CORNWALL WAS LIKE JAMES, A VERY LAID BACK  FUN AFFAIR WHERE EVERYONE CHIPPED IN AND EVERY COMPETITIOR CHEERED FOR EACH OTHER. THERE WAS A REALLY A WONDERFUL SENSE OF COMMUNITY AND COMARADERIE. EVEN THE BRITISH WEATHER WAS ON HIS SIDE THAT DAY, WHAT A SCORCHER! JAMES HELD THE 3RD ANNUAL HIP WIGGLERS COMPETITION IN JERSEY THIS YEAR AND WE HOPE IT WAS AS MUCH A SUCCESS A LAST YEAR!

HIPWIGGLERS SOCIETY

PHOTO COURTESY DAVE MUIR

THE BOYS GETTING SOME LAST MINUTE ADMIN DONE

PHOTO COURTESY TIPHXXX

 JUDGING BY ANYONE WHO HAS FINISHED THEIR SURF

PHOTO COURTESY TIPHXXX

 PHOTO COURTESY DAVE MUIR

 PHOTO COURTESY DAVE MUIR

 PRIZES WERE GIVEN FOR THE BEST PARTY WAVE!

PHOTO COURTESY DAVE MUIR

JORDIE KICKIN IT 5

PHOTO COURTESY DAVE MUIR

 PHOTO COURTESY DAVE MUIR

PHOTO COURTESY DAVE MUIR

 PHOTO COURTESY DAVE MUIR

 FRYING IN THE MIDDAY SUN

PHOTO COURTESY TIPHXXX

THE MAN OF THE DAY WITH HIS JUDGING HAT ON

PHOTO COURTESY TIPHXXX

THE PARTY WAVES JUST KEEP ON COMING

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THINGS WINDING DOWN AS THE WINNERS ARE DECIDED

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 JUST SOME TROPHIES I WHIPPED UP FOR THE OCCASION!

PHOTO COURTESY TIPHXXX

THE WINNERS!

 PHOTO COURTESY DAVE MUIR

A BOARD ABROAD...

JORDIE HAS ALWAYS WANTED TO SEE IF HE COULD SHAPE A BOARD WHILE TRAVELLING. HE HAD GIVEN IT A TRY ON HIS LAST TRAVELS AROUND ASIA BUT HAD HIT A WLL WHEN TRYING TO GET HIS HANDS ON MATERIALS. SO WHILE STAYING IN CORNWALL  NOT 30 MINS FROM THE ENGLISH SURF CAPITOL NEWQUAY, JORDIE DECIDED THIS WOULD BE THE TIME TO TRY AGAIN. JORDIE GOT A FEW HELPFUL HINTS ABOUT MATERIALS FROM HIS MATE JAMES PARRY WHO'S HOUSE WE WERE CAMPED OUT THE BACK OFF, ALSO JAMES GOT JORDIE AN AWESOME HOOK UP WITH LOCAL SHAPER RICH 'BUTCH' HAWKINS FROM HAWKINS SURFBOARDS FOR JORDIE TO USE HIS BAY FOR A COUPLE OF DAYS.

IT WAS INCREDIBLY GENEROUS OF BUTCH TO LET A COUPLE OF STRANGERS TAKE OVER HIS HOME AND BAY FOR A COUPLE DAYS AND JORDIE DIDN'T QUITE BELIEVE IT WAS GONNA HAPPEN UNTIL HE WAS ACTUALLY IN THE BAY SHAPING.SO STARTING AT THE BEGINNING THIS IS HOW JORDIE SHAPED A BOARD ABROAD. 

STEP 1: FIND BUTCH'S HOUSE. YEAH SO THAT TOOK A WHILE. CORNWALL IS A LABYRINTH OF UNMARKED LANEWAYS AND TINY FARMING HAMLETS AND WITHOUT GPS WE HAD TO DO IT THE OLD WAY I.E. ASKING ANYONE IN SIGHT IF THEY KNEW BUTCH AND WHERE HIS HOUSE WAS PLEASE. EVENTUALLY WE CAME UPON THE MOST IDYLLIC GROUP OF FARMSTEADS AND AFTER KNOCKING ON 2 OR 3 DOORS AND STEPPING OVER A FEW CHICKENS WE GOT TO BUTCH'S. INSTANTLY WE COULD TELL WE WERE IN THE RIGHT SPOT BECAUSE WE HAD BEEN TOLD THAT BUTCH ACTUALLY USED A LARGE STATIC CARAVAN AS HIS GLASSING BAY AND THERE ON THE ROLLING HILLS WAS THE BEAST.

STEP 2: DAY 1 - GETTING INTO THE BAY. JORDIE AND BUTCH GOT ON LIKE A HOUSE ON FIRE AND WERE SOON EXCHANGING TIPS AND STORIES. AFTER A COUPLE ROUNDS OF TEA AND BISCUITS SITTING OUTSIDE IN THE BEAUTIFUL ENGLISH SUMMER SUNSHINE, BUTCH SHOWED JORDIE AROUND THE WORKSHOPS A BIT AND THEN LEFT HIM TO IT.

STEP 3: FIN PANELS. JORDIE DECIDES HE WANTS TO USE GLASS ON FINS FOR THIS BOARD SO HE SPENDS THE REST OF DAY 1 LAYING OUT SOME FIN PANELS AND CUTTING AND SANDING IT INTO SHAPE.

STEP 4: DAY 2 - INTO THE  CARAVAN. ANOTHER GLORIOUS SUNNY DAY AND JORDIES STRIPPED DOWN TO HIS JOCKS AGAIN. SPACE IS A BIT TIGHT IN THE CARAVAN BECUASE BOTH JORDIE AND BUTCH ARE USING THE CARAVAN THAT DAY. BUTCH HAS SOME ORDERS TO FINISH BEFORE HE HEADS OFF ON A SURF TRIP TO THE SOUTH OF FRANCE. LUCKY. BUT THE GUYS WORK WELL TOGETHER ON BOTH SIDES OF THE PARTITION. JORDIE DEMOS RESIN SWIRLS TO BUTCH WHO'S MORE OF A CLASSIC WHITE SHORTBOARD MAN HIMSELF BUT IT GOES DOWN WELL. WITH THE SANDING DONE JORDIE HEADS OFF FOR ANOTHER ROUND OF TEA AND BISCUITS.

STEP 5: DECALS. AS JORDIE SUNS HIMSELF AND GETS STUCK INTO SOME LOCAL CIDER AND AS BUTCH DEMOS THE CORRECT CIDER DRINKING PROCEDURE TO JORDIE, I HAVE A GO AT RECREATING SOME HAND DRAWN TIPH STYLE HIGH TIDE DECALS WHICH WORKED OUT SO WELL I OFFICIALLY BECAME PART OF THE HIGHTIDE SWEATSHOP. ALL HIGHTIDE BOARDS NOW HAVE INDIVIDUAL PERSONALISED DECALS.

STEP 6: DAY 3 - NURSING A HANGOVER JORDIE GIVES THE BOARD ITS FINAL POLISH AND FINISHES OFF THE  ODD BITS, AND AS A THANKYOU TO BUTCH JORDIE LENDS A HAND WITH ALL THE BOARDS BUTCH HAS TO FINISH BEFORE HE AND HIS LOVELY WIFE MISH CAN HEAD OFF ON THEIR HOLS.

THE BOARD WENT REALLY GOOD IN CORNWALL FOR THE SMALL DAYS AND AS IT WAS THE PERFECT SIZE FOR OUR TINY VAN IT GOT TAKEN ON A TRIP TO IRELAND ASWELL, WHICH IT WAS PERFECT FOR. 

PHOTOS COURTESY TIPH XXX

NO LUCK OF THE IRISH...

LAST YEAR JORDIE AND I HEADED OVER TO IRELAND. HE WANTED WAVES, I WANTED GUINNESS. DEAL. AFTER CATCHING THE FERRY ACROSS THE IRISH CHANNEL ME , JORDIE AND OUR RELIABLE VAYXHALL COMBO 'TERENCE', LANDED ON THE SOUTHEAST COAST OF IRELAND. WE IMMEDIATELY HEADED OVER TO THE WEST OCAST, TO LAHINCH, WHERE ELSE SHOULD WE START OUR JOURNEY BUT THE SURF CAPITOL OF IRELAND.AFTER A FEW DAYS SEARCHING, FOLLOWING RUMOURS AND HEARSAY FROM THE LOCALS ALL THAT WAS FOUND WAS A LOT DRIBBLY WAVES. WHERE WERE AL THE GIANT WAVES THTA WE HAD HEARD ABOUT BEFORE HEADING OVER? NOT DISHEARTENED BY THE LACK OF WAVES WE CONTINUED NORTH UP THE WEST COAST. 

WE LITERALLY SEARCHED EVERY NOOK AND CRANNY IRELAND HAD TO OFFER, IN AND OUT OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL BAYS WITH HIDDEN CAVES, DERELICT CASTLES AND VAST SAND DUNES, ALL WITH SO MUCH POTENTIAL IF ONLY THE WAVES WOULD PICK UP, DAMN YOU. AT LAST A WAVE! SMALL BUT SOMETHING AND JORDIE WAS IN HIS WETSUIT AND ON IT BEFORE I HAD EVEN GOTTEN OUT OF THE CAR. IN THE MOST PICTURESQUE OF SURFSPOTS JORDIE GOT HIS WAVE.

WE CARRIED ON UP NORTH CHECKING EVERY INLET  STOPPING AT SLIGO ANOTHER MAIN SURF AREA OF IRELAND BUT STILL NOTHING. WHAT WAS GOING ON? WE DIDNT HIT WAVES AGAIN UNTIL WE CROSSED OVER TO NORTHERN IRELAND AND THERE WE GOT AN EXPLANATION FROM ANOTHER LOCAL HE SAID OCCASIONALLY OVER SUMMER IRELAND GETS 2 WEEK FLAT SPELLS, THE ATLANTIC SITS AS STILL AS A MILLPOND AND THAT WE SHOULD COME BACK IN WINTER WHEN THE WAVES GET REALLY GOOD. NOWHE TELLS US.

THE GREAT SEARCH DID HAVE AN EXCELLENT UPSIDE. WE SAW MORE OF IRELAND THAN WE THOUGHT POSSIBLE. WE SAW THE MOST BEAUTIFUL RUGGED SCENERY, THE MOST AWESOME TRADTIONAL MUSIC IN TEENYTINIEST OF LOCAL PUBS AND DRANK THE BEST GUINNESS (CIDER FOR JORDS). AND HAD SOME GREAT CRAIC.

PHOTOS COURTESY TIPHXXX

WORK EXPERIENCE...

Local Grom Luke Lalor has joined Jordie for six months doing work experience to learn a bit about making surfboards. Get ready to get dusty, Luke!