5 M A J E V WAMEXICO JAM WAVEJAM 5 17 January 2009
With the last WaveJam being a distant memory from last summer, Jammers the UK over were gagging to get stuck into some epic conditions. Steve Thorp reports, with pix by Jon Parker, Marouska Fili and Joe Cockle... ur last WaveJam was way back
winter for surfing but the wind just hasn’t
in August at Rhosniegr, and it’s
been playing ball.
hard to believe that October, November and December
078 www.boards.co.uk | March ’09
The Run Up
slipped by without us making the call for an
The forecast first caught my eye on Tuesday
epic day’s windsurfing. It’s been a classic
12 January – it was giving 40ft (!) waves and
WaveJam 5
Marouska Fili
“ An epic weekend and a big experience for me. Thanks guys for the company in and out of the water - total respect!” Alex Nikoletopoulos
30mph winds in Ireland. I gave the Jammers
looking perfect – 15ft on Saturday with a
to arrive at the beach. With no signs of life
an early warning that they might need to
strengthening 20-40mph southerly wind,
at The Bluff, we headed round to check out
jump on a ferry Friday night, as this was too
then 27ft with a constant 30mph westerly
Gwithian. It was surprisingly big and windy
good to miss and might just produce some
for Sunday. We also had one eye on K-Bay
considering the forecast, but looked a little
real big wave action to rival the tow-surfers’
and Ringstead, which were looking
soft and random thanks to the high tide and
recent exploits.
promising if the wind had any north in it. But
lack of ‘off’ in the cross-shore wind. The car
By Thursday, however, the forecast had
by Friday afternoon the forecast hadn’t
park was shockingly empty for a Saturday
become too much. Ireland was going to get
budged an inch, so the call was made for
too – maybe the general forecast had scared
battered by 50mph+ storms from top to
The Bluff on Saturday, followed by Daymer
the usual weekenders away and only a
bottom for both days. Gutted! The ferries
on Sunday.
handful of locals were rigging up. We might
probably wouldn’t run, even if we were daft
have done the same, but for our official
enough to go over there and attempt to ride
Saturday
40ft walls of blown out mush.
Despite starting from Leicester at 7.00am,
Our plan for the day was to run the usual
Cornwall, on the other hand, was now
Rich Potter and I were pretty much the first
‘Power Hour’ at 2.00pm. This is where we
12-noon WaveJam meeting back at The Bluff.
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just send everyone out together to rip it up
take a closer look. I’d had a really sweet
the wind and waves had also arrived right on
for the cameras, keep an eye on each other,
session there the week before, and today
cue. It was with some relief that virtually all
then decide on an overall top 3 with sailor
looked to be the same – albeit three times
the competitors sped out with full power
votes. Nice and simple, and with the short
the size and with three times the power.
over the first few lines of white water and
days and cold temperatures, hanging around
Luckily there was still bit of a channel too, so
slipped through the gaps in the mast-high
waiting for heats isn’t really an option.
I was pretty sure that was the spot.
waves to the outside. Most impressively Dan
Back at The Bluff the first of the Jammers
The early starters came back to the beach
Linton stuck a huge push loop – the best
had arrived and were just heading out near
after 30 minutes, looking completely
jump of the day – possibly by accident after
the river mouth. Keenest of the bunch and
shattered, totally dejected and not overly
being sent round by the violent updraft, but
first on the water was our new friend from
keen on being sent back out again. My plan
holding on where others wouldn’t to spot
Greece, Alex Nikoletopoulos, who’s over
of running the Power Hour just 500yds
the landing!
here travelling and loving our wavesailing
round the corner where the waves were
The plan had truly come together. These
scene – but not our temperatures! It soon
bigger didn’t seem to go down too well! But
were some of the best waves we’d seen all
became apparent that conditions were far
I knew that the wind would be surprisingly
winter; the sets were coming through at
from ideal. The waves were long, fast,
more cross-shore and stronger. I hoped I
solid mast-high, slowly forming into vertical
logo-high walls, the wind gusty and very
was right...
walls being held up by the cross-off 30-knot
offshore, and the river / tide combination
wind, then sending spumes of spray off the
was creating a 10-knot rip. Getting planing
Jam Time!
looked tricky; getting out the back nigh on
Two o’clock was soon upon us, and in the
into mast-high barrels exploding off the sand
impossible. Punishments were being liberally
nick of time the late arrivals started to
6ft below. This was proper stuff – you didn’t
dished out.
appear from the dunes at Mexicos to hit the
need to look for a section, you had to race it.
I had a feeling that Mexicos further down
water. Our photographers Joe Cockle and
I guess the size of the swell, the outgoing
the beach would be a whole different ball
Jon Parker were all set to capture the action
tide and the well-formed sandbanks were
game, and wandered round the corner to
from the water’s edge and the full force of
making these the heaviest waves I’ve ever
top as they felt the bottom and toppled over
sailed in St Ives Bay. They were really sucky – so sucky that one of the inside close-outs
“ While I was struggling to sail in a straight line, Andy King was managing goitas. Just staying attached to the water was difficult enough let alone trying to ride some fairly solid logo to mast-high sets. It was pretty extreme...” Kit Brogan
080 www.boards.co.uk | March ’09
filled my eyes with sand, and when diving under a mistimed set wave out the back you could still touch the seabed. The wind was perfect too; full power on a 4.5m and with enough ‘cross’ to get out the back and land your aerials on the way in, and sufficient ‘off’ to hold the waves up and keep the faces clean. Okay, so you’re maybe
WaveJam 5
looking at the images and thinking I’m exaggerating a little. But try as they might our photographers’ lenses just couldn’t penetrate through the walls of spray to the real beauties we were scoring out the back (and no-one was brave enough to ride the first wave of the set).
So What Went Down?
“ What a session! It was seriously savage sailing - trying to get out was a mission. Every one of us got taken out at some stage...” – Jan Sleigh
A lot! I was totally impressed by how well everyone dealt with the conditions. Sure, we all had some bailouts, trashings and lengthy swims, but generally the wave count was high and we were all over it. Our newest recruit Dan Linton was the only casualty, breaking his mast after only 10 minutes (due, perhaps, to starting out a little over-enthusiastically). A real shame, as he looked to be getting totally stuck in and enjoying himself. Jan Sleigh, Rich Potter and Nick Moffatt all ripped into some big set-waves, with Rich scoring one of the biggest of the day just after the comp, and Nick sailing so deep and upwind that most people missed his rides. (A lesson there for sailor-judged events – always sail downwind so people can see you!) Kit Brogan made his presence felt with some vertical riding and late turns under the lip. But Andy King and I were fighting for the top honours. Andy’s work-rate these days is astonishing – he never stops for a break at either end and seems to slip straight out the back without getting his hair wet – then he
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WaveJam 5
“ The wind went ballistic but I managed to get some solid rides. There were some insane sections on offer if you dared attack the wave...” Andy King puts in a full array of turns and airs on the
4.00pm, making the most of it and scoring
way in! There’s no stopping him. Andy
some superfast mast-and-a-third freight
boosted the biggest air of the day and stuck
trains. I was last out after sailing back
several goitas, and if he actually hung
upwind to The Bluff; it was pretty stormy
around out the back long enough to pick up
and desolate apart from the surfers and
But overall I think we made the right call.
a set wave he’d be even more awesome.
bodyboarders, who were somehow paddling
Reports from Brandon Bay confirmed that
I was loving the conditions and just
into a 40-knot headwind to get barrelled...
they couldn’t sail on the exposed beaches as
beaming being out there. I managed to pick
Back at base a tallying up of votes saw
the wind and waves were just too much, and
off the longest and most workable wave of
Andy and me getting almost half of the top
Sunday had been a letdown for most of
the comp (a real jammy one that walled up
spots each, but with Andy just pipping me
England. So we really had done well to score
and peeled beautifully in front of me) and
overall to take victory. I think we pretty much
such great conditions on the Saturday, and it
landed the floatiest air of my life on another.
tied for biggest wipe-out too. Andy had
just goes to show you can never be sure what
I knew I was right up there in contention.
bailed a huge jump, and I’d thrown my kit
you’ll get.
Towards the end of the Power Hour things
away after thinking better of landing an
started to get a bit out of control – the wind
aerial into an exploding logo-high bomb.
Thanks to everyone for making the long trip
decided to throw some pretty savage gusts
Third place was equally tight between Rich,
down to Cornwall, and in particular James
at us. Trying to waterstart in mast-high
Kit and Nick – so close in fact that Rich and
Cox who could only make Sunday. Gutted!
waves is one thing, not being able to
Kit finished tied on points with Nick just one
Special thanks to our photographers Jon
because the sail is shaking violently is quite
point behind. No real jumping had been
Parker, Joe Cockle, Matthew Burridge, and
5 M EJA
another, and a new one on me. On a couple
going down, so it was riding only, but looking
Marouska Fili for making the journey and
of sweet waves I had to straight-line it and
back Dan would surely have won that one.
braving the elements. Particularly Jon for
wait until the wind eased before I could
82
being there the whole weekend and standing
sheet in and crank into a bottom turn. I
Sunday
watched Nick get nuked... He was literally
Despite waking up at 6.00am to an unchanged
by 50mph winds on Saturday afternoon. An
unable to sail down the face of another mast-
forecast and the prospect of another classic
outstanding job. Thanks also to RRD / Ezzy
high lump, getting blown straight off the
day of monster wavesailing, it never happened.
importers Seasprite Sports for providing our
back. Yep, it was definitely windy at the end.
I didn’t even get wet, and day 2 of WaveJam 5
first prize of a wheelie travel bag.
Only Rich and I stayed out much after
was binned. 27ft and 30mph? My arse!
Roll on the next Jam!
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’09
up to his knees in water while being buffeted