This last 10 days – a bit of everything

Finally! Phew… it’s been quite a hectic week or two: waves, lots of work, a new article in the writing (not yet technically but it’s keeping my mind very busy) and some other side projects (more about that… some day!).

Anyway, before pasting the shots of some of the best waves from the Bay of the last two weeks, let me inform you that the 2nd M.I.A.C.S. is starting on July the 4rth. What is it? It’s an international surf art market, and it takes place in Biarritz, from July the 5th to August the 31st. it’s an expo but you can also buy some of the artworks exposed. There will also be some movies and a couple of concerts. The only on-line info available so far is the French press release (follow the link above).

And now let’s focus on the waves. Last week’s Thursday (from West to East) in Galiza by Dani…


…and a nice little reef by Fiz_Bertels.

In Asturias by Clau…

…and in Sopelana –near home- by Surf30.

Next day I woke at 6am in Capbreton –in the van- slightly hung over. By 6h30 there were over 30 people in the water. Here are a few pictures of Capbreton on that day.

While a few clicks north, in Seignosse, it also looked very nice (by Salerno)…

…and very empty in Galiza (by Fiz Bertels).

Last weekend the waves were small and the day a bit overcast for the Cosmic Children Festival, but I was told it was another success. Here are a couple of photo by Custom Glass.

While it was equally small and grey in Guéthary (right before the galerna hit).

It was flat on Sunday and very tiny -and crowded- on Monday at home.

Equally flat on Tuesday and a new swell filled in late on Wednesday. On Thursday I was in Capbreton again and the best thing I saw –in spite of the waves- was this cool van.

I had a very bad surf in a very shallow and sandy beachbreak. I’m still finding some sand from that session in certain parts of my body today. I’ve seen it was quite ok up at La Gravière…

…and in Galiza (Fiz_Bertels).

And this is the same swell we are still enjoying today. It’s not the nicest and the winds are not at their best, but at least we’ve got waves and the water is warm and the days are long. Can’t complain, really. Salinas on Friday by Clau.

Home on Saturday

Near Lacanau on Saturday by Yohann.

Asturias by Cezonillo on Sunday.

And Galiza by Dani on Sunday too.

On the magazines front, I’ve been reading lots this past week: Tracks, Surfer’s Path, Spanish mags, Surfer – Surfing – Transworld, some French ones… but nothing too inspiring. I specially hate it when I find the same articles in different mags, and it has happened a couple of times recently. I guess it’s my fault for reading so many surf mags.

Over & out.

Saturday – galerna!!

According to one of those language dictionaries one finds on the web, there is no word for galerna in English and it is a “violent north-west wind that blows on the North coast of Spain”. That is not entirely true, as not any violent north-west wind is a galerna. The thing that makes the galerna so phenomenal is the fact that it is so sudden, so violent and it always occurs after an intense day of extremely high temperatures. And so it was on Saturday; it was so hot that I didn’t have the strength to leave home for very long… until a change in the air mid afternoon warned me that a galerna was on its way. We drove to Guéthary and, in a matter of minutes, we had the galerna on us. Check out the dark shade in the horizon coming our way:



So yes, I missed the Cosmic Children (due to the extreme heat and the impossibility to leave our puppy anywhere but at home with me), but we had a nice little swell on Thursday & Friday. I must say, though, that I didn’t get to enjoy this swell so much as I would have wanted because of some social commitments… or rather the consequences of those commitments; but more about that in my next entry with the review of the best waves of these last few days.

Over & out.

Today – summer!!

While we were enduring muddy chocolate-like water at home yesterday, things looked much nicer further West:

Pantin (out of the bay) by Dani.

Salinas by Clau.

Today i had to go to France: Anglet first, and Capbreton later. Today summer arrived; it was about time. Normally this time of the year my pair of slaps/flip-flops/sandals/whatever you want to call them are halfway through their life cycle. This year they still are (almost) brand new. Anyway, I had a little surf in Anglet (tiny, tiny, tiny) and while in Capbreton I took this picture of the famous bunkers in what seemed a swimming pool.

I might not be able to log in until Sunday night. We have a nice swell arriving tomorrow, and tomorrow night I’m planning to sleep in the van somewhere in the French forest, to get the best of it on Friday am. And then it’s on to the Cosmic Children Festival.

Over & out.

Chocolate

This is what happens when your local beach is near a river and it hasn't stop raining in weeks:

La Zurriola, minutes ago.

Last week and weekend – phew!!

Finally I can sit down and update this blog. It has been a very busy week with the Surfilm Festibal (from Thursday to yesterday) and I am glad -and sad at the same time – to see the back of it. But at least this will give me some time to focus on some projects that I had to put aside for the last couple of months, like a couple of articles for 3sesenta. In a few words: yes, the Surfilm Festibal was great once again. Some movies were awesome (Musica Surfica, Sliding Liberia & Negua get cum laude mentions afaiac), the concerts at night were sold out, the weather was mainly nice and the little streets around the theatre were packed with surfing legends - local and international-, who mixed together with the unknown surfers totally undisturbed. Those of you who have been to San Sebastian know that the little, narrow streets of the old part and their bars are always full of people. Well, picture that with plenty of surfers having a beer or two after each sessions and talking bullsh*t as usual. If only we could have had some waves…

Because waves we didn’t get many. Actually this is being one of the worst period –if not the worst- for waves in ages. How many days of on-shore mush, fresh temperatures and rain can you take in a row when it’s supposed to be warm, sunny and windless in the mornings? We’ve had our share, for sure. Here is the crop of the last few days. Not very exciting I’m afraid:

Wednesday it was on-shore and rainy at home...

but nice up in Vendée (Surf-Report)...

and outside the Bay, in Galicia (Fiz_Bertels):

Thursday and Friday were mirror images of Wednesday, but with smaller waves.

We finally got some windless waves on Saturday (a different webcam). 1’ of it!

And then flat on Sunday (even the swell magnets were flat),

…and also this morning.

While this afternoon saw the arrival of a new swell –with on-shore winds- that will keep us entertained for a couple of days.

While I’m writing these lines another squall is hitting us from the West; I’ve just had a long walk in the park under the rain earlier on, and I’ve noticed that there has been so much rain that the ground is oozing water and little waterfalls are appearing everywhere. The earth can’t take any more water. At least the forecast says summer is finally arriving in a couple of days, so while the swell will also be fading we shall be able to leave the umbrellas were they belong this time of the year: at home.

And what’s in store for the next days?
Well this coming weekend it’s the International Surfing Day according to the US surf media; here in Europe surfing day is everyday you can go and get some waves. But what’s more important, this weekend it’s the Cosmic Children weekend in Liencres (2 hours west): lots of bbqs, weird surf contests and live music all wrapped in a seventies atmosphere. I’ve missed the first two editions but I’m definitely going to this one.

Over & out.

While I was away – Monsoon

Sorry, I know I promised to keep you updated yesterday but it’s the week of the Surfilm Festibal and I’m still catching up work after the week away. But anyway, better late than never, here are the photos of what happened in the Bay while I was in Italy (last week) and in Barcelona visiting the family (last weekend). I’ve only picked up a couple of photos per day if that:

Monday: This is how the water was after the big rains of the weekend in Bilbao. Putosurf.

Tuesday: Almost flat but nice in Salinas. Clau.

Wednesday: Very small and crammed with bodyboarders outside the bay. Dani.

Thursday: Nice swell pretty much everywhere.
Salinas. Clau.

Sopelana. Surf30.

Zarautz. Artbrutmag.

Home. Kukurusta.

Friday: Crap at home...

...but epic somewhere outside the bay. Fiz_Bertels.

Saturday: Little local contests at La Espasa (Asturias) by Cezonillo.

While it was crap at home again.

Sunday: We currently have a full N situation into the armpit of the Bay. So that means on-shore winds, weak swells and plenty of rain at Home while the further West you go, you get less wind, less rain, cleaner swells and higher temperatures. As seen in this photo from outside the bay by Dani.


And yesterday, Monday, there were some nice waves in Salinas again. Stylemaster Chuck by Clau...

...while it was, once again, almost flat, on-shore and pissing here at home. I’ts been like this for a while now, and the forecast doesn’t look very exciting. Popular belief is that we are in for another fresher and wetter summer than usual.

Last minute: Today outside the bay, by Dani.

And that’s it. To top it off, here you have the flyer from the photo exhibition at the Soul shop in downtown San Sebastian. Shame on me... I haven’t checked it out yet, but I’ve been told that the opening (last Saturday) was quite a success.

Reading: Finished Drift. Not bad but the editorial content was a bit… drifty?

Books: Maxnemo, a blooger from Oeste has just released a self-edited photobook on Galicia (NW of Spain) that looks very cool. Check some pages here and buy it here.

Another fun (I hope) little story re. the Surfilm Festibal here.

Over & out.