KITESURFING PORLOCK WEIR 9TH NOVEMBER 2010
THE FORECAST WAS FOR RAGING NE WINDS, 6 FT SWELL ON THE BEACHES WITH A 15 SECOND PERIOD. IT SEEMED TOO PERFECT NOT TO GO AND HAVE A LOOK AT LYNMOUTH SO GARY & BEV, BIG MICK AND MYSELF HEADED TO LYNMOUTH VIA ILFRACOMBE (GARYS SOUTH AFRICAN NAVIGATION!).
WHEN WE GOT TO LYNMOUTH IS WAS HORRIBLE! LARGE SW SWELL CONFLICTING WITH WIND GENERATED NE SWELL CREATING VERY CONFUSED SWELL PATTERNS WITH LITTLE TO NO CLEAN FACES. THE DECISION WAS MADE TO HEAD TO PORLOCK WEIR AS IT WAS ONLY JUST UP THE ROAD.
PORLOCK WAS A LOT SMALLER, IN FACT TOO SMALL BUT THE WIND WAS THERE SO TIME TO JUMP IN BEFORE THE WIND DIED OR IT GOT DARK! WE HAD TO DO SOMETHING. GARY? WHERES GARY GONE! IN HIS BIG COAT, IN HIS CAR..SENSIBLE CHAP...MICK WAS SO KEEN TO GET IN THE DECISION WAS MADE..GARY FOR THE PHOTOS AND LAUNCHING AND LANDING DUTYS! MYSELF AND MICK SUITED UP, PUMPED UP AND GOT READY FOR ONE ROCKY MOTHER WITH 20 MPH NE WINDS GUSTING TO 35 MPH...NICE!
WE EXPECTED ROCKS SO WE WEREN'T DISAPPOINTED! AFTER LAUNCHING ON THE GRASS BANK BY THE CARPARK IT WAS A LONG WALK OVER THE BOULDERS TO THE WATER EDGE, HOP OVER A FEW BOULDERS, BOARD ON AND GO AS FAST AS YOU CAN TO GET TO SLIGHTLY DEEPER WATER! MICK WENT FOR THE WADING OUT APPROACH FOLLOWED BY A RAMMING THE ROCKS! IT WAS A LITTLE OUT OF MICKS COMFORT ZONE BUT BALLS LIKE BUCKETS THAT GUY, IT WAS ONLY WHEN HE DROPPED HIS KITE ON GARY (BLUMMIN GOOD SHOT BY THE WAY!) THAT MICKS SESSION WAS FINISHED. HE HAD TRIED TO RIDE A SPOT THAT MOST WOULDN'T HAVE EVEN CONTEMPLATED, UNFORTUNALY IT WAS A LITTLE MORE ADVANCED THAN MICK.
ONCE IN IT WAS A CASE OF SLOWLY SURVEYING THE AREA FOR OBSTICLES, CURRENTS, WAVE BREAKS ETC. FOUND A COUPLE OF REEFS THAT WERE CREATING BREAKS BUT TO BE HONEST THE SWELL WAS ONLY 2 FOOT (SHOULDER HIGH) AT BEST SO LACKED POWER. TO THE RIGHT WAS A NICE BOWL THAT WAS FUN TO PLAY IN BUT I REALLY WANTED THE WAVES.
AFTER 30 MINS OF PLAYING ON THE TWO BREAKS I CALLED IT A DAY AS BY THEN THE WIND WAS DROPPING TO 10 MPH STILL WITH 35 MPH GUSTS...I HATE SINKING DOWN ON ROCKY BOTTOMS...GIVES ME THE EBBIE JEEBIES!
THE LANDING WAS REALLY EASY AS THERE WAS A VERY TINY SANDY STRIP, I WENT STRAIGHT UP THIS AND HOPPED ONTO A ROCK.
OVERALL A GOOD DAY OUT. KITING WAS NOT PERFECT BUT WE GOT OUT IN A NE WIND WHEN THE REST OF THE N DEVON KITESURFERS COULDN'T DUE TO TIDE AND WIND DIRECTION. WHAT A GREAT BUNCH TO GO OUT WITH THOUGH...NUTTERS!
TRYING TO GET CHANGED IN THE VAN AT THE END AND SAW MICK RUN PAST...LUCKILY I GOT SUSPICIOUS...VAN DOOR FLEW OPEN AND GARY TAKING PHOTOS INSTANTLY...LUCKY TO GET HOLD OF MY ASSETS IN TIME!
PORLOCK HAS POTENTIAL FOR THE RAGING WINTER STORMS IN A NE WIND BUT IS FOR ADVANCED RIDERS ONLY DUE TO ROCKY BOTTOM, CURRENTS AND OBSTACLES. IF YOU DROP YOUR KITE HERE AND ARE NOT LUCKY ENOUGH TO HIT GARY YOU WILL RIP THE KITE INSTANTLY.
NOTE:THIS IS NOT DESIGNED TO BE A KITESURFING GUIDE FOR PORLOCK BUT A RECORD OF TRIPS WE HAVE TAKEN. KITING HERE IS DANGEROUS AND NOT RECOMMENDED BY KITEMARE COMPANY.
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