Sigh

One week ago today in the Canary Islands:

Click here to see what we've got at home right now. Sigh indeed!

First surf of the year...

Not for me, but for these blokes. Very tiny waves at home this morning but at the low tide you could get some funny lefts at La Zurriola, especially on a mal. I walked the dog on the beach for a couple of hours instead. There'll be plenty of other opportunities to surf this year, i'm sure.

Here's wishing a Happy New Year to everyone!

Back home

Brrrrrr.... Cold, windy, rainy, grey!

The surf was going off this morning at home, but way too crowded and cold for me to be interested in after 3 weeks of surfing in Southern Portugal. This trip has been good: not epic as last year, but good. Crowds are becoming a problem during weekends and whenever surf camps decide to go for a drive and arrive at former "secret spots". Seriously, the attitude of some surf camps in the area are calling for an active boycott.

On one of the last days I had some words with an Italian surfer at Arrifana. After every wave he'd paddle back and sit on my left, getting preference for the next wave that would come our way. After the umpteenth time I politely (no euphemism) asked him not to do it anymore. He smiled, apologized and proceeded to paddle somewhere further up the beach.

Fifteen minutes later and while I was getting changed he walked to his car, which turns out was parked next to my van. He then realized that I am not Portuguese (car plates) and without looking at me he shouted something (in Italian) at no one in particular.

Whatever, dude, whatever.

Monday – hurricane swells & longboards

You might think that only east coasters (meaning from the East Coast of the USA) enjoy summer hurricane swells, but that is not the case. After Bertha we've had some swell coming from Cristobal. Once again it was coming from the WSW so most of the North Coast of Spain was sheltered while France got the best conditions. Here are some surfing photos from the last days:

A couple of photos of Soesto (Galiza) the weekend before last by Dani…

…and by Esnifa Salitre.

A nice wedge near Soesto, on Monday, by Fiz_Bertels.

Tuesday was small at home…

…and in Asturias (by Cezonillo)...

...while perfect in les Landes thanks to the very westerly swell from Cristobal (by Salerno).

And Salinas on Wednesday before the Longboarding Festival by Chuck.

This past Saturday took place the Salinas Longboarding Festival, probably the biggest meeting of longboarders worldwide. More than 300 mal riders -of which almost 200 entered the contest- met in Salinas, a very consistent beachbreak near Gijón, on the North Coast of Spain. But the Salinas Festival is much more than a contest: barbeques, live concerts, movies… everything. The local club outperforms years after year (this was the 7th year) and the atmosphere, with hundreds of people camping by the beach all weekend long, is great. Plenty of shortboarders also attend just to see friends (from all over Europe and enjoy in the activities. This year Alex Knost flew over for a quick visit (photos from his surfing during the Festival here) and you will see plenty of photos and stories in the usual blogs very soon.

One of the organizers of the Festival is Clau, the local photographer from Salinas, who has self-published a photo book. You can sneak a preview here. Meanwhile here is the traditional FOTONA from the Salinas Longboard Festival, courtesy of Clau.

Over & out.

Saturday - Bertha

Tropical storm / hurricane Bertha managed to send us a few pulses of West swell all the way from the American shores. Most of the Spanish North Coast didn't get much (as the coast faces N/NW and the swell was W/SW), but down in Portugal and on the French Atlantic central coast they managed to score a few nice summer sessions:

This is what home was like on Wednesday am before i drove to the French coast where i had a lovely surf on a brand new board at a nice little reef/point set up:

Further up in Hossegor it was all-time at certain banks... while flat at others. In the afternoon the off-shore was so stiff that it almost killed the swell (by Gecko):

Down in Galiza way they also got a few pulses. Photo of Soesto by Dani.

On Thursday there were some nice little lines still to be found on the Île d'Oléron, North of Bordeaux, a beautiful area that doesn't really get much surf in summer. Photo courtesy of Tristan Mausse.

And the circus is in town. The ASP is back in town after five years, for the Vans Pro Junior. There waves are very tiny, the ASP broadcast focuses almost exclusively on the French surfers -in spite of plenty of local and Portuguese surfers doing very good so far (this is what happens when the ASP regional offices happen to be in France)- and the weather is beautiful. At least it is helping me out heaps for my upcoming article for 3sesenta.

Over & Out

Ten days – late

Yes I know, it’s been ten days since I last updated this blog and for this I must apologize to the hordes of visitors/readers/fans that have been requesting to find out in what mood the bay was since my last entry. And so it has been because last week was one of the busiest weeks of the year: sales meeting week, and in Capbreton… which meant the opportunity to score some little waves in nearby Seignosse before, during and after work. Not bad. Shame though that the ocean was not very cooperative and we had to content ourselves with small waves, but at least we got to surf and that is always good, especially in summer.

I haven’t had much time for anything else. I know there are a couple of things going on and the Jazz Festival has started on the beach in Donosti. I remember this time last year I went down for a surf really late one evening (we’ve got light until well past ten) and the concerts on the beach were starting while I was still surfing: it was an odd combination to have hundreds of spectators a few meters from the water, dancing to the music, while so close some other surfers and myself where working hard to get the last waves of the day. The side I don’t like about the Jazz Festival on the beach is that the sand is packed with trash, bottles and other rubbish the morning after when I go for the dawny.

And in terms of waves, there hasn’t been much lately. A couple of little swells here and there. Truth is it hasn’t been totally flat, but the swells are quite weak. Here’s the crop of these last ten days:

First a couple of photos from last Tuesday in Galicia by Esnifa Salitre (nice elbow)…




…and Salinas by Clau.



Thursday was the biggest day but I’ve found no evidence on the blogs, while Salerno took the time to play in the Landes shore breaks on Saturday with what was left of the swell.



Pantín is one of the most consitent places in the whole of Europe, and that’s what it offered yesterday (by Dani).




While today I went for an early surf. The tide was very high and the swell too weak, so it wasn’t the best of the sessions, but I still managed to get some.



While according to this photo by Esnifa Salitre, Pantín was quite pleasant-looking today too.



And... over & out.

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.

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.

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.