The First Swell

The locals talked it up...big, hollow, powerful and shallow lava reefs. If your a little confused on what i am talking about, please resume ebaying or pornsurfing.

Yes, the first swell of the surfing season has hit Lanzarote. Although it was a little windy, it wetted the appetite for more. The wave wasn't exactly what the locals described, but it was definetly pretty big and powerful. Given a offshore wind and a lower tide, i think they would be pretty much spot on.

As shown by the pictures, there was a bit of surface chop which made the
chunky left handers a bit difficult. The surfing fitness wasn't quite there either and honestly, i should of put on goggles and a swimming cap because i caught only a handful of waves.

Just when i was getting a bit of confidence up, what should happend? My leg rope broke. Having one of my better rides, the wave sectioned off so as usual i jumped off my board only to feel the horrible feeling of having a sudden release in pull from my legrope, similar to fishing when reeling in the catch of the day only to loose it at the last second. Surfacing, all i could see was white water with no board in view. After a few minutes paddling and scrambling up the rocks, a local fisherman very kindly retrieved my board off the rocks and returned it to me. Some how the board was not damaged and i called it a day.

Upon returning home, the wind had kicked in and i got my first sail in 2.5 weeks.

Stoked!

The Drought has Ended

Fristly, apologies to the fans out there for the lack of news from abroad. The main reason is there has been sweet F.A to report on!

For the first 3 weeks in Lanzarote, the wind was relentless and did not stop. Having windsurfed 15 times in 17 days, in a post beer sail I asked my boss does the wind ever stop here is i was really looking forward to a few windless days for the body to recover. As Murphy's Law would have it, the wind stopped, not just for 1 or 2 days, but for 2.5 weeks! Shit!

What does one do in Lanzarote when there is no wind or swell, well pretty much sod all except for a few more drinks and listening to all the locals crap on about how good the surfing gets here in winter. So to bring the wind back, i visited a local Australian surfboard shaper who is set up here in Lanzarote to buy a second hand surfboard. Surely this will be the wind back!

I bought a 6'5'' hot buttered thruster in good condition for 160 euro's


Now we wait!

The Batch Pad

If you recall, i was pretty much squatting in a half built apartment. Well i have finally moved in to my new pad with a english dj/peanut seller/sunglass dealer "Oggy". The pad is situated right on the beach and looks straight over the bay where everyone windsurfs. Oggy is a 40 year old guy who has recently split up his missus and is looking forward to single life again. When i first moved in i was a little shell shocked as it was rather messy, even by my standards and when inquiring if the lights work oggy replied, yeah mate, i just need to change the globes!

Heres the living room and oggy dressing his two little boys zane and toby. The boys are over on the weekends and a couple of days during the week. In true oggy style, they just run around naked picking everything up at eye level. Reminder...have to remember to store everything out of little peoples reach.

My room with ensuite

The view from the front porch. Not very windy here, 15 to 20 knots. Good freestyle conditions.

The pad also has sky television, internet access, a shat load of music and a washing machine! Lets just say i did my first wash in a month.

Only in Lanzarote

Well they party in style in Lanzarote. In Greee they have wet t-shirt parties and in Lanzarote they have foam parties. How? Well they have a huge machine that spits out a shit load of foam. Here are the pictures to prove the craziness.
Shorts are a must!

The girls also get into it as well

The english youngsters love a bit pole practise. I thought it was Hoises at first!

It might look like fun and games, but extreme caution on the dance floor was needed as it was supper slippery and once on the floor one could be lost in the foam. One of the pole girls night ended poorly by slipping off and splitting her chin open on the bench! Needless to say there were many guys to her rescue.