July 16th: With a local northerly breeze likely to mess it up a bit, I decided to get in one more trip at least before the Cornish trip. I arrived to find it a couple of foot but messy and choppy as feared, but reckoned it was worth getting in all the same. Some early rides got me into some kind of stride but I seemed to lose my way a bit in the second hour, when it all got a bit 'close to shore' demanding a quicker /earlier take-off. Feeling OK fitness-wise though, and intrigued to make comparison with my first Atlantic waves for 10 months next w/e onwards.

July 12th: These days, a lay-off as long as this gets to me more than it ever did. Mercifully I was able to put this right today as the arriving groundswell was at last allowed to come through as the wind dropped and switched offshore for good measure. Boy was I rusty though as I struggled to find any rythmn for the first hour and a bit. The shoulders were feeling the strain too, but they eventually loosened as high tide approached and a cleaner, slightly smaller (2ft) pulse came through. This was around the 2 hour mark for me, and I enjoyed my best spell with some swift pop-ups and short rides before the heavy shorebreak did it's worst. An hour later it had dropped, the effect of the ebb taking it's toll. There is though promise of more to come for a few days yet, so I shan't go to Cornwall in a few days time totally rusted up !

June 4th: The first decent swell for perhaps 2 months, perhaps more, has arrived. True to form though, local weather conditions are playing their part in screwing it up. Yesterday morning had been good for the early birds so I was told, but by the time the tide began to flood again come afternoon it had been chopped out by an onshore breeze pretty badly. Still, with the swell running at a punchy 2-3 foot and building, I fancied my chances for a 'dawn' patrol. An overnight storm had obviously whipped things up a bit but a good offshore was tidying things up nicely as I arrived at 6.30, with some clean 3-4 foot sets thumping in with an hour and a bit before HT. It was a weird feeling going in with waves that had a bit more ummph to them, but I enjoyed a good couple of hours before it started to drop off a little as the tide turned and the offshore started to switch. The wave did though prove quite a tricky one (for me) to catch as it edged towards being quite shore-dumpy. That said, I felt a lot more comfy out there then I would have done even a short while ago.

May 30th: Brox was on 'amber' alert for a meet up to catch the end this 'swell'. Late checks with Coogee were enough to give it the nod even though we'd probably have very little to play with. I rolled up an hour before HT to find Brox already suited up and reporting that there were four or so already out in a foot or two. The onshore breeze was chopping it a bit as well, but it least the weather was clear and sunny as opposed to a few miles inland. We surfed for about an hour an half until it became worse than just scratching around for scraps. Still, if nothing else it was more valuable all round practice. And there's just the pleasure of being out there.

May 29th: Bank Holiday Monday and Skeg very often means crowds and the kind of scenario that makes me cringe. Luckily, today was a mixed bag weather wise which seemed to deter many, although the car park was full when I got there about an hour before HT. Roy at Coogee had reported a reasonable swell that had been building; the only thing liable to spoil would be a variable breeze that increased now and then. When I got there, the breeze was northerly (cross-shore) but wasn't messing it too much so I got suited and got in with the other four or five who were already out there. There was thunder in the air, but luckily it never came to anything while I was in for 1.5 - 2 hours; in fact, if anything it calmed the breeze locally and cleaned it up quite nicely at times. Caught some nice rides which rode nicely if not spectacularly down the line. A pleasing, if not classic session which further improved my confidence. Hopefully the swell will live until tomorrow at least as the weather looks quite promising. (Less breeze in other words!)

May 14th: Ceefax showed that Cayton was small and clean which if things went by the book, then Skeg would also be clean, but more likely smaller. Checked with Coogee, and yes it was. Decided to go for it if only because it was warm, sunny, and positively summer like. Arrived a couple of hours before HT to find it extremely glassy but predictably smaller than yesterday at around a foot! I went in anyway seeing as I was there and spent about an hour and a half paddling around scratching for what there was. Oh for that longboard...or maybe that should be oh for some decent swell ?

May 13th: A four week break without any swell drives me nuts these days. Long gone is the time where gaps between sessions were measured in months ! And so, with a small but messy wind driven 2 foot swell occuring down the east coast, resisting the temptation wasn't an option. To allow conditions to improve a little, I left it until an hour before high tide before getting to Skeg'. It wasn't brilliant, but there was a wave of sorts to ride, and you got the feeling it might get better by tomorrow too. Thus, I settled for a couple of hours of just getting wet and a handful of rides. Towards the end of the session, an hour or so after HT, a pulse did come through that gave further encouragement of some better fun tomorrow...

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