First BLUd of 2023
Porthmeor saw our first coloured rash vests of the season as Minnow Green brought the Porthmeor Longboard Classic contest to the beach to start the British Longboard Union competitive season over the weekend of April 15th and 16th. It was a busy programme with categories of Men’s Open, Womens Open, U18, U16, Masters, Grandmasters, Cadets & Single Fin to complete with barely a minute between the finish of one heat and the start of the next. That it passed without a snag is testament to the well-practised teamwork of Minnow’s crew and the enthusiasm of both competitors and officials to make it a joy and a celebration of the noble art of riding the longboard.
We had a few St. Ives locals competing, with Sam Crookshanks taking a win in the blue riband Single Fin class and making the final of the Men’s Open. Ollie Riley and Kaz Phillips made the finals of their respective junior divisions and the Men’s Open saw the competitive debut of Gary Brownsword, and ace bodyboarder Colin Stirling stepping up several board lengths to enjoy a dip along the beach from his familiar Low Tide Boiler locale. Jack Dudley also put in a creditable performance in the Single Fin event. Full results available here.
There are a few pictures from the weekend below and the BLU website has details of their forthcoming events and more to further your interest. Our thanks are due to Porthmeor Beach, St. Ives BID, Tregenna Castle Estate, CTC, 10 Over Surf Shop, Ocean and Earth, Skindog Surfboards and the RNLI Porthmeor lifeguards for their support for the event and Saints Boardriders look forward to hosting the BLU again in the near future for another extravaganza of longboarding on Porthmeor Beach.
