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