Tregenna Castle hosted a great little film show last Friday night which saw the Cornish debut of Andrew Cotton’s latest feature, ‘Behind The Lines”. An enthusiastic crowd of over 80 shared the thrills, spills and terrors of Andrew’s big wave challenges in a documentary which also gave a detailed insight into the training, preparation and teamwork behind those challenges.

Saints Boardriders hit the big screen!

Before the main feature, we were entertained by a slideshow of stills from our Saturday morning Kids Club and a delightful short film about the work of The Wave Project, told beautifully through the words of some of the children who have blossomed under their scheme. We were proud to be joint beneficiaries of the evening’s fundraising with The Wave Project – who also share the Saturday morning attention of the St. Ives Surf School instructors with us!

The only way to arrive at a surf film show!

‘Behind The Lines’ was filmed principally in two big wave locations – Nazare in Portugal and Mullaghmore in Ireland. It showed the behind-the-scenes preparation  of the equipment and the jet ski teams, the study of weather charts and forecasts to predict local swells and how the team assembles from the various part of the globe they call home when “it’s on”. We also got an insight into the physical and mental training that keeps Andrew in shape while waiting for the call. The footage of the wave-riding itself was awe-inspiring – both the sight of waves the size of tower blocks being ridden, and the bravery and skills of the surfers and the safety crews in the water testing themselves in this hostile environment.

In an ironic twist of fate, Andrew had expected to be present on the evening to introduce the film and answer questions from the audience afterwards – but the weather charts came into alignment and Nazare was declared”On” the day before the show and Andrew flew out to join the crew for another big wave challenge. Fortunately, Minnow Green of the British Longboard Union, who has spent some time with Andrew’s big wave crew, was on hand throughout the evening and at the aftershow to answer any questions. I didn’t hear anyone asking where you sign up to join the crew!!

So – Many thanks to Andrew and Minnow, and to Tregenna Castle for hosting the show. Thanks also , on behalf of Saints Boardriders, for making us one of the beneficiaries of your fundraising and giving us a great evening’s entertainment!

The safety crew rescue Minnow and allow him to drive the ski home

Saturday 17th October brought us another great production from St. Ives Surf School as it hosted ‘The Morning of the Mo”, helping the Movember Foundation to raise awareness of several issues around mens’ health. The initiative focusses on prostate cancer, testicular cancer, male mental health and the benefits that regular exercise can bring, and Movember’s charity raises funds to support research and increase public understanding in these areas. Movember’s most visible campaign centres around men growing facial hair for the whole month of November as a means of raising charitable donations – and that hairy look suggested that the fancy dress theme for our fun day should be “Cowboys”.

The surf rodeo thus took shape, whereby a surf competition on a variety of water craft, chosen randomly by ‘The Wheel of Mo’, would be the principal event around which to base the day.

The wheel of mo’. Each tache represents a different water craft.

Cowpokes taking a keen interest in the spin of the wheel

Kayak, Stump, Log, Swellboard, Ironing Board, Shortboard, Finless, Bottle and others – a dozen different rides, some perhaps unrideable! The judges would take that into account along with considerations of style, gender and invention.

We were also privileged to welcome The Searchers to Porthmeor Beach. They are an Old West re-enactment society who create an authentic Wild West flavour with their chuck wagon, period dress and their fearsome firearms. The guns were soon pressed into action as the starters of each surf heat – a heavy volley of shots blowing the contestants over before they jumped back to their feet and scarpered off toward the ocean.

By the time round one of the contest was complete, there were a good few surfers out of the competition, and it was an appropriate moment to uncover the hot tubs which St. Ives Hot Tubs had brought to the beach. They proved to be an instant success – being an early loser never felt so good!

Out of the comp and into the hot tub.

Hot tub – Hot lips!

As the day progressed to the mellow sounds of the Red Bull Disco Truck, there was volleyball and horseshoe quoits to tackle. Surfers Against Sewage gave us an oversight of their work promoting clean oceans and beaches before their team led a sweep of Porthmeor on a cleaning mission.

There was another novelty for Porthmeor in the afternoon as a crew of thrill seekers constructed a Slip n’ Slide chute and commenced launching themselves in a froth of of high-speed bubbles. This proved to be an irresistible temptation for young and old alike and soon attracted a queue of downhill racers ready to revel in a headfirst splash to the bottom.

Meanwhile, reconnecting with the main theme of the day, the Good Folks hairdressing shop came down from Tregenna Hill to set up stall in the Movember tent offering shaves, trims, haircuts and coiffures to all for the price of a donation to the cause. They tackled some fierce facial hair in their efforts for Movember while providing an amusing spectacle for the clean-shaven among us!

It’s coming off!

Good Folks with prize-winner, Scrappy

Jabula’s big tent hosted Newquay’s Steampunk, bringing some beautiful acoustic melodies to the event and leading us to the mulled cider stall as the late afternoon chill began to set in. Meanwhile, the surfing action came to a head in a terrific four-man final – and each finalist had drawn a surfcraft which was at least half-suited to riding. The result, when announced, saw Jacob Down take the win narrowly over Jon Bairds, with Jayce Robinson third and Giacomo Tilli fourth. Well done guys!

Finalists, Jon, Jayce, Giacomo and Jacob

And so another great day at Porthmeor ended. It remains for me to thank the many contributors to the event, beginning naturally, with St. Ives Surf School and the Movember Foundation. Porthmeor Beach Services furnished participants with breakfast , lunch and the mulled cider. There was further alcoholic support from St. Ives Brewery and Spitfire Ales. Jabula Tents and St. Ives Hot Tubs gave a big hand, as did Red Bull, who supplied music, drink and the water safety crew. The Searchers brought a special Mo’ flavour to the day, and that was hugely complemented by the Good Folks Hairdressing Salon being on hand to tame some Mo’s as the day wore on! We were grateful for the presence of Surfers Against Sewage to remind all beachgoers of the blessing that our beautiful coastline brings, and to keep us mindful of how we can preserve and protect our ocean environment. Robies Robes offered prizes and a rail of robes for changing in and out of the hot tubs. And finally, we must thank the competition judges for their unsung help throughout the day. Thanks too, to the beach marshalls and all the other helpers who kept things flowing as the day progressed.The RNLI lifeguards were as accommodating as ever in allowing us a generous competition area, and finally, big thanks to Steampunk for adding their musical vibe to the afternoon.

Senara was on hand to capture the day’s action on video, and there’s a great edit here! That’s just how it went down!

And the Movember Foundation’s record of the event is here!

There was an after party at The Hub on the evening – but that’s another story!

Look out for Movember action next month, and please support their work when you can.

Saturday 12th September saw the season finale. The last session for the junior groups consisted of the usual group surf with the added incentive of a chance to win a ‘Wave of the Day’ prize in each group. There has been some impressive progress among these youngsters, and SurfingGB Junior Surfer Scheme certificates were earned by many over the course of the summer. These were awarded at the end of the session, along with the following titles in each group:

Group 1a Nemo: Surfer of the summer-Grace Harry. Most committed surfer – Scout Foreman. Most improved surfer – Lorena Dove. Wave of the day – Amelia Saint.

Group 1b Dory: Surfer of the summer – Teddy Nichols. Most committed surfer – Jack Devenny. Most improved surfer – Senara Beeson. Wave of the day – Evie Stattkus.

Group 2a Sardine: Surfer of the summer – Scarlet Thornton.Most committed surfer – Kaitlyn Borghi. Most improved surfer – Rosie Thomas. Wave of the day – Levan Murley .

Group 2b Mackerel: Surfer of the summer – Aefie Harvey. Most committed surfer – Sofia Hosking. Most improved surfer – Miles Morton. Wave of the day – Kaiyan Wilson.

Group 3. Sea Bass: Surfer of the summer – Alexander Hosking. Most committed surfer – Kaya Stattkus. Most improved surfer – Kieran Stattkus. Wave of the day – Adrian Botterell.

Group 4 Tuna: Surfer of the summer – James Marsden. Most committed surfer – Lamorna Pascoe. Most improved surfer – Tallulah Bull. Wave of the day – Molly Cross.

Group 5 Seals: Surfer of the summer – Hollie Nicholas. Most committed surfer – Piper Quick. Most improved surfer – Akhil Pulley. Wave of the day – Hollie Nicholas.

Surfers in the advanced groups took part in the more familiar contest in heats of four surfers, top two progressing to the next round. It was a new experience for most of them to pull on the coloured vest and compete under international rules – but they were quick to appreciate what was required, and some tightly fought heats ensued.

The grand final was a shoot-out among the Sharks. Twice champion, Josh Martindale found some good left-hand runners early in the final and seemed to be establishing a rhythm. Matt Burrell had a couple of promising waves which needed stronger finishes to excite the judges. Taylor Bairds challenged with some frontside hacks on a long runner but couldn’t find that slashing rail grab finish that had earned him an 8 point ride in the semis. And the fourth finalist, Dylan Cole was meanwhile quietly building house with a variety of manoeuvres – particularly one long frontside floater with an airdrop into a smooth bottom turn into a  re-entry with a clean finish. After the horn had sounded to end the final, there was some serious checking and cross-checking of scores among the judges before it was announced that Dylan had taken the title by a mere half a point over Taylor’s challenge. It was a fitting result in a close-fought final that was a pleasure to watch – and it earned Dylan the major prize of a custom-built surfboard courtesy of Laminations!

Dylan collects his prize from Laminations director Steve Hewlett

Though it was an all boys final, there had been some committed surfing by the female competitors in the previous rounds. Charley Fox won the accolade of being the highest finishing girl, followed by Eleanor Hewlett, Brigit Wells and Tara Langley in the minor positions.

RNLI Lifeguard Supervisor, Lloyd Davies was on hand to present the trophy for the club member who had done most to help the lifeguards at Porthmeor this summer – and that went to Matt Burrell again. He’s a great team player who is equally well-valued by the Surf School and the Wave Project too!

We were honoured to have Britain’s big wave surfing legend Andrew Cotton on hand throughout the event, and having enthusiastically helped the nippers into waves during their sessions, he stepped up to present the major prizes at the closing ceremony. Later that day quite a few parents had the chance to surf with him during his main Porthmeor engagement – a Surf With The Star event on behalf of his sponsors Mercedes Benz. Thanks for your help on our big day Andrew!

Our thanks are due to our hosts,  St. Ives Surf School and to Porthmeor Beach for the competitors’ snack packs. Major support in the form of event prizes came from Laminations Surf Boards, Gul Wetsuits, Robies Robes, Down The Line, West Cornwall Surf Co., Off The Beaten Track, Wind An Sea and Natural Balance. Members please be sure to support these generous businesses when you need surf gear! Thanks also to our judges, beach marshalls and check-in crew – and you nippers might want to thank your parents for getting you to the beach every Saturday morning to take part in the club.

So the summer sessions are over – but in the week that has passed since competition day we have been encouraged by the number of members showing their enthusiasm by getting down to the beach after school and getting in the sea to enjoy their surfing skills. Long may it last.

Another gallery of shots to finish: