Sunday 6 January 2008
...& wild surf.Coming in after an extensive session in the wild cold expanses & towering rollers beyond the sand bars toward The Eye. We went armed with all the toys we could find. Kayaks, boogie boards & surf boards. Doorsteps of Stollen cake, flasks of kickstart & yards of black tailored neoprene. All of us were numb from the head down, drained & aching with satisfaction by the time the light started to fade. I took to going up against 15-20ft waves, getting broadsided on purpose, & following the arc of current to a point of invertion. This is a rollercoaster for the soul. One swift & fluid movement of the blade & you're up, righting onto the backside of a leviathan, blocking out land as it rolls towards it's final destination. You feel yourself glide downhill into a trough & become aware of another shadow forming overhead, the rush of air & bellowing noise lifting you into the tube...roll & repeat until exhausted.
For those without a bombroof repertoire of rolls, high seas like these carry a clearly marked no entry sign. They are stuck to paddling small waves inside the forward seclusion of the sandbars. There's nothing wrong with it, I just couldn't live like that. People walking dogs, & themselves, along the beach stood & gawped & when I came ashore, they hurried over in excited chatter.
Are you totally insane?
Apparently. I replied with a lop-sided grin.
Days of peaceful rage like these certainly have their moments...
The second best thing, is that you really appreciate a hot brew & a fireside in the evening, after dancing with the mid-winter Atlantic. In the top picture, the 2 surfers are as gay as they come, together for 12 years & one is a presenter on Radio NaGael, with his own show, the other is fluent in god knows how many languages. Despite their talents, I have to say they are arguably the crappest surfers on the planet, but I love them both. Sorry boys, but that's what you get for making me paint 16 acres of harl in the middle of firking summer. :o)
Alone & breathless
When life offers great adventure, you don't refuse it.
For those without a bombroof repertoire of rolls, high seas like these carry a clearly marked no entry sign. They are stuck to paddling small waves inside the forward seclusion of the sandbars. There's nothing wrong with it, I just couldn't live like that. People walking dogs, & themselves, along the beach stood & gawped & when I came ashore, they hurried over in excited chatter.
Are you totally insane?
Apparently. I replied with a lop-sided grin.
Days of peaceful rage like these certainly have their moments...
The second best thing, is that you really appreciate a hot brew & a fireside in the evening, after dancing with the mid-winter Atlantic. In the top picture, the 2 surfers are as gay as they come, together for 12 years & one is a presenter on Radio NaGael, with his own show, the other is fluent in god knows how many languages. Despite their talents, I have to say they are arguably the crappest surfers on the planet, but I love them both. Sorry boys, but that's what you get for making me paint 16 acres of harl in the middle of firking summer. :o)
Alone & breathlessWhen life offers great adventure, you don't refuse it.
posted by •≈ Sgian Dubh at 19:54:00 | 
2 Retorts:
At 7 January 2008 at 15:47, 
•≈ Sgian Dubh
Hi Eurion,
Yes great winter days. Good to see others are mad enough to get out in the baltic surf. I liked your photo of blue fingers. I should have made an equivalent photo of my blue nose poking out the tuiliq. It was that numb I had to check in the van wing mirror to see if it was still there.
:o)
All the best.
. . .numb from the head down, drained & aching with satisfaction. . .
Snap!
What a great workout.