Food Fest Foray

Food Fest Foray

by Nog Fundraiser General Club News Surf Club Events

The Saints Boardriders Sausage Sizzle scaled new heights of culinary excellence last weekend when Mr. Sizzle took the show on tour to the St. Ives Food Festival. Mick Smith of Porthminster Beach generously offered the club a Friday evening slot at the beach BBQ bar and this was a fund-raising opportunity not to be missed! The Food Festival is a stand-out attraction on the St. Ives calendar, a mega crowd-pleaser and a chance to put the club in the public eye. We found enthusiastic support from Tregenna Castle kitchen which offered to donate their ace sausages, rolls and a big bag of onions for Emma Jarvis to transform into her irresistible dressing. St. Ives Co-op came up with the sauces and condiments. Porthminster Beach’s resident BBQ chef, John Couch was eager to help and our regular committee swizzlers were keen to pull on the aprons. Rowena Tarplee sketched out the sign boards and in an instant we had a touring show. The evening was a great success and the club thanks Mick Smith, Porthminster Beach and all the above-mentioned for their contributions to a splendid team effort.

Mr. Sizzle and Chairman
Mick Smith samples the goods
Harris on deck
Meaty!
Tregenna Trolley load
Eat, drink and be merry
John Couch meets Mr. Sizzle
Luminaries
Check on!
VIPs
Hot Dog!

Hot Dog!

by Nog Fundraiser General Club News Groms Surf Club Events

Boy it was a hot one! A fierce August sun blazed in a blue blue sky on Sunday afternoon as the club set out it’s stall on the putting green for our first BBQ get-together. Aided by the generous support of St. Ives Co-op, St. Ives Brewery and St. Austell Brewery ( Don’t you just want to be in that number when the saints go marching in! ), and a tray full of sumptuous home-baked cakes from Diane Smith, we welcomed members and public to share our space and the hospitality of the clubhouse. We could delight in the culinary skills of several of our eager committee members who brought their kitchen aprons to the feast and twizzled and sizzled with relish. Parents and children, omnivores and vegetarians were well-fed and watered with the fine food and drink provided. The event was very well supported and earned praise from many as a local initiative, and an opportunity for the curious non-surfers to inspect the clubhouse that the surfers enjoy. It was a rewarding afternoon engaging with fellow members and earning funds for the club from the donations given. Can we do it again before the season is over? Many say we should!

Again we offer thanks to St. Ives Co-op for their gift of the bulk of the food. Both St. Ives Brewery and St. Austell Brewery were generous in their support, and Diane’s cakes and treats were an additional wow factor to the day. Thanks too to Porthmeor Beach for the use of the putting green, and to our committee members for hustling up the BBQ and kit required to make the day such a success. There are a few pics capturing a brief spell from the day below. Thanks to David Newton for those.

Di’s Cakes

Surfers Ball 2019

Surfers Ball 2019

by Nog Fundraiser General Club News Surf Club Events

Friday, October half term and the wettest day since Noah launched the ark was the date of this year’s Surfers Ball. The venue Main Ballroom, Tregenna Castle. We came together to celebrate a milestone year in the history of saints boardriders and to hopefully raise some funds toward cementing the legacy of our new clubhouse. The banner picture gathers together many of the St. Ives Surf School instructors who teach our juniors on those summer Saturdays when Kids Club is in full swing. Our gratitude for the work of Harris and his team is enormous and it was great to share the evening with this well-scrubbed crew.

The entertainment began in the lobby on arrival where guests were met with a medley of jazz classics from the piano of Tom Quirke. There was also an early chance to pose for a red carpet photo or two, courtesy of Andre Otto, before processing into the ballroom where there was a casino and a novelty photo booth to tickle your fancy.

After the welcoming speech from our chairman we enjoyed a splendid meal and then had the chance to bid for those tempting auction lots which had been generously donated by supporters of our project.

Then it was access all areas as Small Wonder took to the stage to give us a set of dancefloor fillers while the casino and the photo booth offered their attractions for those seeking less energetic thrills. DJ Chewy was on hand to keep the music bouncing when Small Wonder had completed their brilliant set and so the evening came to a contented sigh sometime in the wee small hours.

We are indebted to Tregenna Castle for once again hosting a fabulous event for us. Thanks also to Small Wonder, Tom Quirke, DJ Chewy, Andre Otto, auctioneer Paul Le Bas, the photo booth crew and our magnificent casino ladies for bringing the entertainment on the night. Thanks to those donors whose gifts brought us welcome funds through the auction, and finally our thanks to all the guests who shared the evening with us.

There is a selection of pictures from the evening below, and many many more can be seen here: https://www.photolounge.co.uk/Saints-ball-re-edit/n-jLpBBf/i-xttWmFw.

We wish you all a Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year.

  • Harris and Zoe
  • Jazzman Tom having a flutter
  • Gamblers
  • An Inner Visions board on offer
  • Small Wonder

Surfers Ball 2018

Surfers Ball 2018

by Nog Fundraiser General Club News Surf Club Events

We’re always keen to dig in the wardrobe and get the gear out in saints boardriders, just give us a reason  – the Swellboard Shootout, the Surf Instructors staff day out, or in this particular case, the Surfers Ball 2018. So it was off to Tregenna Castle in our finest rags for our principal fundraiser and big night out of the year. The blueprint was pretty much set last year with a very successful evening, and so it flowed again from a welcome in the lobby by Tom Quirke’s jazz piano, Andre Otto’s red carpet photographs and a quick flutter in the casino, to a formal welcome to members and our guests as we took our seats for a three-course feast. Some of our red carpet pics below ; many more can be found on our Facebook page!

Steve Hewlett introduced a short film by Greg Dennis which highlighted the club’s work in teaching our young members in the Saturday Club, and he brought us up to date on the clubhouse construction.

 

We were then honoured to be presented with a cheque by Sherry from Bid St. Ives in support of the construction of new public toilets incorporated in the clubhouse project. Whew!! ( See our headline photo )

As the coffee was served at the end of dinner, auctioneer Paul Le Bas got down to the nitty gritty of wringing some loose change from our assembly. On offer were some magnificent artworks from artists Iona Sanders, Dan Fox, Norm Hewlett , photographer Nick Pumphrey and ceramicist Jo Downs. We had vacations with Primrose Hotel, Sandy Acres Lodge and Tregenna Castle. There was a surfboard from Diplock, a medley of water sports activities for eight people from St. Ives Surf School, a bespoke private surf lesson and lunch at the Brewhouse with Harry De Roth, a VIP night at the Eden Session of your choice next summer with dinner and wine included from Hubbox, who also offered a valuable Christmas hamper of organic meats for auction as well. England rugby star, Jack Nowell sent a signed ball and there were also signed shirts from premiership rugby clubs in the package. And, a novelty item of Giacomo Tilli, the Italian Stallion – yours for the day – which was one of two lots which inspired some telephone bids! Business was brisk, and we offer our heartfelt gratitude to both the donors of those prizes and the winning bidders for their generosity in supporting saints boardriders.

 

And then it was faites vos jeux, or hoist up your skirt and boogie as we took to the casino or the dance floor and let it all hang out. The music was again brought to us by the incomparable Sandy Acres Seven, and when they had got everyone good and greasy DJ Chewy took over and saw us into the early hours with some more banging tunes! What a Night! Some of our gamblers can be seen in the gallery below – my apologies for the absence of the dance floor action!

 

I conclude by offering saints boardriders thanks to Tregenna Castle, Sandy Acres Seven, DJ Chewy, Tom Quirke, Paul Le Bas, Andre Otto, Greg Dennis and to all our generous benefactors who donated those auction items. Many thanks also to everyone who bought tickets and came out on the night to share in the fun. Before we do this again we should have a clubhouse home to be proud of, and you will all have helped us realise that dream! 

Swellboard Shootout 2018 – Conclusion.

Swellboard Shootout 2018 – Conclusion.

by Nog Competition news Fundraiser General Club News St. Ives Surf School events Surf Club Events

Once the judges had seen the teams in their finery, it was off round the town on the traditional parade. Through the Digey, along Fore Street, down Lifeboat Hill, along the harbour and back to Porthmeor for the surfing element to commence. With only ankle-biter waves, and few even of those, it didn’t present the spectacle that previous editions have offered, although the contestants gamely tried the reverse take-offs, switch foot manoeuvres and headstands which have become the currency of progressive teams in the Shootout story.

Here’s a gallery of the day as it developed:

Somewhere in the middle of proceedings we managed to take a break while England won a World Cup football game, before running the final in the smallest, glassiest wave of the day. And then it was all round to The Balcony to wrap up the day with the prizegiving and to get our rocks off to the sweet soul sounds of our favourites, The Sandy Acres Seven. Here’s the gallery that brings the day to a conclusion.

Our thanks are due to Harris and the crew of St. Ives Surf School for another fabulous edition of the Swellboard Shootout. Thanks also to Porthmeor Beach for hosting the event and feeding the participants. Thanks to our volunteer lifeguards, our judges and Pete for bringing an element of order to the day. A big thank you to Maurice Symons of The Sloop Inn for the £200 prize for the Fancy Dress winners, and to Swell for the gift of a swellboard which was awarded to Luciana and Flavio for their selfless contribution to the running of saints boardriders. Thanks to Red Bull for their continuing support of our event, and thanks to the Sandy Acres Seven for bringing the whole day to a rocking finale! We love it!

Swellboard Shootout 2018 – part 1

Swellboard Shootout 2018 – part 1

by Nog Competition news Fundraiser General Club News St. Ives Surf School events Surf Club Events

An all-star super group of Freddie Mercury, Elton John, Iggy Pop and The Artist Formerly Known As Giacomo performed at Porthmeor Beach in the seventh edition of our annual Swellboard Shootout – but were they the stand-out act? There was glorious Sunday sunshine, but only the suggestion of a wave, as we gathered before the judges to parade the teams and process through St. Ives for the wider appreciation of the town before getting down to the semi-serious business of fancy-dress surfing. Have a look at our teams in the gallery below and choose your favourite fancy dress. You’ll learn of our judges’ decision later.

Stay tuned for the next instalment of the 2018 Swellboard Shootout extravaganza!

 

Surfers Ball 2017

Surfers Ball 2017

by Nog Fundraiser General Club News Surf Club Events

Friday 20th of October had been underlined on many calendars in St. Ives as the night of the Surfers Ball, a chance to pull on the glad rags and dress to impress as the social event of the year unfolded at Tregenna Castle. This was to be saints boardriders’ major fundraising drive of the season, and comes just days before the anticipated start of the clubhouse construction. The club committee and Tregenna Castle had worked hard to produce an event which would grab the imagination of the town and sell 250 tickets to fill the ballroom of the hotel to capacity. This is what you got for your money;  

Tom Quirke and Ross Williams

Even as you were leaving your coat in the cloakroom you were being entertained with a selection of jazz standards from Tom Quirke (piano) and Ross Williams (bass). There was then a chance to pose in your finery before the surf club backdrop for a commemorative picture by Andre Otto. The casino was open for an early flutter until we were seated at our tables to hear an introductory address by Nick Rees of Surfing England. He outlined the part they have played in helping to develop the sport, and the part saints boardriders have played in introducing so many youngsters to surfing in St. Ives.

Saints boardriders committee men

 

Towards the end of a splendid three-course dinner, auctioneer, Robin Turner went into action inviting us to bid for some very desirable lots which had been generously donated to help the cause. There was a case of a dozen bottles of wine given by Burdett Wines. Kegs of beer packaged with a golf day and tickets to a Pirates rugby game donated by St. Austell Brewery. There were paintings by renowned local artists, Michael Quirke and Peter Beeson. Premiership club rugby shirts signed by their players, and tickets to an international match. There was a weekend holiday package for four at Tregenna Castle, and a surf lesson and lunch with local pro surfer Jayce Robinson. There was a water sports activity package for eight people with St. Ives Surf School, a new resin-tint surfboard by RT donated by Boardbox in St. Ives and there was a beautiful chair from Kettles of Fowey. Bidding on all the lots was brisk, and by the end Robin had realised over £4000 for the cause. Thank you and well done to both him and our bidders!

And then it was a case of clear the decks as the Sandy Acres Seven got into their stride and got the house rocking, while the gamblers among us were back in the casino trying their luck at roulette and blackjack. The night went on at a pace into the small hours leaving everyone with that quiet-but-contented buzz as the cabs rolled off down Tregenna’s drive and the croupiers counted the chips back into the treasury. And Sandy Acres Seven had done us proud once again – can we call you our house band?!

 

There are many more photos from the Surfers Ball on our saints boardriders Facebook page. Take a look if you can’t see yourself in this blog!

And we end by offering our deepest gratitude to Tregenna Castle for hosting the evening, to our casino ladies, to Tom Quirke and Ross Williams, and to Sandy Acres Seven for the music. Thanks to Andre Otto for the red carpet photos and to Gavan Goulder and Matty Snelling for the reportage pics. Many thanks also to Robin Turner, auctioneer and to our generous benefactors who donated the auction lots. And finally, thank you to all those who were there on the night to support saints boardriders and help us realise our goal. We hope you enjoyed the night as much as we did – and if that’s the case then why don’t we do it again next year?

Swellboard Shootout 2017: In Conclusion

Swellboard Shootout 2017: In Conclusion

by Nog Competition news Fundraiser General Club News St. Ives Surf School events Surf Club Events

So, it only remains to thank everyone who helped make this extravaganza happen! Harris and the crew of St. Ives Surf School are both the brains and the heavy lifting behind the event. Friday evening came courtesy of Porthmeor Beach West’s fish tacos, Frankie Davies and Ben Warner. Saturday’s show was hosted by Cohort Hostel, films by Red Bull and curries by Ruby Murrays. Sunday was organised by St. Ives Surf School, lifeguarded by the RNLI, marshalled by Pete Mitchell, fed by Captain Carlos of Porthmeor Beach Takeaway, entertained by the music of the Red Bull truck and filmed by Senara of On The Beach Productions. See Here!

Proceeds raised over the weekend will go to Surfers Against Sewage, the RNLI and saints boardriders clubhouse fund.

Many many thanks to each and everyone of the above for bringing about another great edition of the Swellboard Shootout. Let’s do it again next year! Here’s a miscellany of portraits from Sunday. Cheers!

Swellboard Shootout 2017: part 4 – The After Party

Swellboard Shootout 2017: part 4 – The After Party

by Nog Competition news Fundraiser General Club News St. Ives Surf School events Surf Club Events

And so to the Balcony for the prize-giving and the partying! First up, Dom Ferris of Surfers Against Sewage gave a rallying speech reminding us of the great work his organisation does on behalf of all of us who use and value our oceans. Then The Giraffes were awarded first prize for their artfully realised costumes. The judges were impressed by the craft element and home-made endeavour in their choice – a pointer to next years entrants that store-bought is short of the mark. Next, an award for outstanding surfer of the day, taken, to popular acclaim, by Mike Lay. His longboard prowess transferred very well to the lengthy rides that a swellboard can offer and we were treated to a masterclass all day long. Finally, the St. Ives Surf School Circus Team collected the winners trophy for their success in the grand final. A strong costume element and a bag-of-tricks surfing element brought the trophy home to Porthmeor again. We were delighted to have the Sandy Acres Seven on stage to bring the evening to a climax, and the crowd had filled the dance floor to capacity before the first number was half way through! Watermelon Man, into Nothing But A Houseparty then Osibisa’s anthemic Sunshine Day and the joint was jumpin’. Great times as always to see out another Swellboard Shootout weekend.

 

Swellboard Shootout: part 3. Surfing

Swellboard Shootout: part 3. Surfing

by Nog Competition news Fundraiser General Club News St. Ives Surf School events Surf Club Events

Once it came to the surfing, each team carried its fancy dress score into every heat. The quality of surfing was variable, to say the least – there were several very game non-surfers entered into the event as well as a few with national and international recognition in the shortboard and longboard ranks! The twenty or so teams were whittled down to a four team final through the rounds, and by then it was surfing skill that would win it.

Here’s a gallery of what happened!

Still to come: the After-Party and a portrait gallery.