a magazine for surfing females

CAN THE PAST SHAPE THE FUTURE? / WIN / SUMMER SURFS / SURFING DUO

September Sessions. The golden month is upon us here in the UK, let’s hope it brings us the goods - primo waves and continued warmth, before the nights draw in and our daily waveriding window gets a little smaller. You will find here a few stories to inspire, we are sure.

Thanks again for reading, sharing and do keep sending in your sliding ad-ventures: theslideshow.mag@gmail.com

Gemma Chalmers - Editor

Photo: My aunt Nicola going for the air drop into some frothy white water action during a family bellyboarding session on a lovely sunny summer’s evening at Chapel Porth.

Ellie Woodward, Perranporth, Cornwall.

Wooden surfboards are nothing new, it’s how the very first boards were made. But there are now a bunch of shapers making beautiful hollow wa-tercraft that are a lot lighter and offer a lot more performance than their ancient Koa wood or more re-cent Balsa wood ancestors.

Ok, so you might not see a wooden board be-

ing surfed on the world tour anytime soon,

but they are becoming a viable alterna-

tive to a standard Polyurethane board for

us mere mortals. When James Otter of Otter

Surfboards in Cornwall invited us to check

out his workshop, we jumped at the chance

to get an inside look at how wooden boards

are made.

CAN THE PAST SHAPE THE FUTURE?

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CAN THE PAST SHAPE THE FUTURE?

Walking through the Otter workshop door,

we were immediately greeted by James and

Buddy the dog. Before we knew it, the

kettle was on and my mind was busy delv-

ing through the rack of wooden boards

outside James’s office.

Otter boards are built around a hollow

wooden frame, much like the construction

of a guitar or violin, which gives you

an idea of the skill involved with making

a board like this. The frame consists of

a stringer and cross-members, which the

rails and surface skins are then attached

to. The most impressive feature has to

be the hollow rails; they’re made from

a clever arrangement of thin tongue and

groove slats that each contributes to the

cylindrical shape of the rail. This keeps

the weight down but is still a remarkably

strong structure.

James’s tools of choice are a small Japa-

nese block plane (which itself could be

mistaken for a hunk of wood) and a Japa-

nese pull saw. he described how the blade

of the Japanese plane has just the right

angle for shaping this wood, and how the

hand saw cuts as you pull it towards you,

allowing the thin flexible blade to bend

it as it cuts through the wood in order

to achieve the curved edges of the board.

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These boards are predominantly made from

Western Red Cedar which I was surprised to

learn is a fast growing, locally sourced,

sustainable timber. James assured me that

a well-built wooden board should last for a

lifetime if treated well too, so they defi-

nitely beat a standard board on the eco-

friendly front. Sure they’re not quite as

light, and they cost a few bob more than a

PU foam board, but the manufacture is way

less harmful to the shaper and to the envi-

ronment. Most of all, they look super fun to

surf, and are damn good to look at too. Check

out the full range of boards and courses at

http://www.ottersurfboards.co.uk.

Words: Kit Stokes.

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South Devon, Photo: Fern Cargill

On Saturday 28th September we, at the Lamiroy Surf Academy to-gether with Follow Me Fitness, are holding a ladies only afternoon of surf coaching and beach fitness. We have 5 guest passes for 5 lucky Slideshow readers to come and join us and our female mem-bers for this exclusive event. There are rumours of a very special guest coach from the world of ladies surfing, but you will just have to wait and see!!

At the heart of the Lamiroy Surf Academy is expert and honest surf coaching from pro surfer Sam Lamiroy combined with the very best equipment. Based on Perranporth beach, Cornwall, the academy is for surfers of all ages and ability - from people who surf regularly, to ad-vanced level surfers, to those who have never quite taken the plunge but would love to try in the best possible environment.

To find out more visit us at www.lamiroysurf.com

Oh and we do social media too, you can find us on facebook and twitter just by looking for ‘lamiroysurf’.

So, we will hand you over to The Slide-show magazine to tell you about what you need to do to be in with a chance of joining the academy for the afternoon..Remember, it’s ladies only.

WIN!

Photo courrtesy of Marta Tomasini - http://surfragette.blogspot.it/

To Enter:1. Send us a nice photo of your per-sonal favourite board/craft on which to ride waves

2. Tell us what it is, and your most memorable moment or session using it in just a couple of sentences. Email to theslideshow.mag@gmail.com Tell us your name and we’ll pick 5 lucky sliders out of a wetsuit hood to win this great prize!

Photo courrtesy of Marta Tomasini - http://surfragette.blogspot.it/

BOARD MATTERS

This morning I was up at 4.30am and after a swift cup-a-tea, I left for the beach under an already blue sky. After a deserted drive to the beach, I rounding the last corner to Saunton sands and the usual uncertainties began to surface in my mind; would the predicted forecast come to frui-tion? Had the surf in fact gone flat? Would there be anyone else out in the water? And most im-portantly, would it be worth getting up this early for?

Then, the road descended down, the sand dunes gave way and there in front of me, and only me, were set after set of 1-2ft high, right hand peel-ers, reeling consistently off down the beach. In that one sight, all my questioning doubts sweep away and I was left with one, clear thought, ‘the tide waits for no one’.

S u m m e r surfs

My summer wetsuit was flung on and zipped, board was hurriedly waxed and ready, car slammed shut and locked, and footsteps quickened to a run as I reached the cold, gold sand. Then as the water washed in over my toes, all that mattered was the ensuing repetition of paddling, waiting, catch-ing, riding, paddling and waiting. Wave after wave rolled through, undisturbed by anyone and mine for the taking.

After nearly 10 years of surfing, from Bantham, to Langland, to Saunton, the simple enjoyment of surfing come rain or shine, in summer and winter has def-initely not diminished over time. In fact, after a surf like this I am reminded why I surf and now strive through national and international competitions to con-tinue to improve and make the most of every surf.

Claire Smail, Devon, UK

Photo: Debs Elsaesser.

I love my Dad. Whenever we get the chance, Dad and I go down to Barwon Heads, (Victoria, Australia) to surf. We’ve been surfing for over 18 months now and it’s been incredible. Each and every time we’ve been down there, there has been something magical and we would like to share this with you. Recently Dad and I have purchased a GoPro. It is really fun recording and taking lots of pics, and then getting home and seeing what we’ve got. In a way it’s reliving the trip in photography. So, when we head off, we head off early. Meaning 5am. I hop into the

Surfing

DUO

car half asleep while Dad does the driving. 2 hours later were in the ocean having the time of our lives. Whatever the conditions, whether good or bad there is always something that makes it it’s own special trip every time. It all started on my 11th birthday when I got my first surfboard and a couple months later Dad got his, and since then it’s been our thing and always will be. Dad and I are a surfing duo and I reckon it would be fair to say that we’re some of the keenest surfers around. - Indi.

Surfing with Indi. I have always found re-charge in ocean pursuits. Body surfing & windsurf-ing provided early life understanding of the beauty of nature. For several decades this balanced an ur-ban lifestyle. Being at one with nature provided a grounding I needed. Until recently, I thought there was nothing better than the solitude that came with floating out the back of a large breaking swell, or windsurfing a couple of km’s off-shore in a howling wind with white caps all around. “Until recently”, in that the high I describe is multiplied manyfold when similar ocean pursuits are shared with one of the children you have brought into this world. Along with a request for a surf board for her eleventh birthday came the privilege to introduce her to a more in-depth understanding of waves.

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Staring at the wall of Mother Nature.

The deal with Indi was - I’ll swim with you until you can paddle, duck-dive through a wave, and stand up & surf. Then I’ll buy myself a board and we’ll do it together as our regular thing. What a joy!! I’d never surfed be-fore, and it proved to be a much needed new sport as my 50th birthday approached. Having a camera has added a whole star dimension to our surfing trips. It extends the pleasure we experi-ence in the water, by enabling us to bring home our adventure and share some of the joy with the rest of our family. I’m not Sunrise on The Bluff.

particularly good at surfing just yet. And that’s more than ok. Connectedness & love are all around. And that’s what it’s about for me. If one day I happen to get good, then that will be an added bonus. Aah, surfing with Indi. What BLISS! -Dad.

Words and photos - Indi & James Purnell, Victoria, Australia.

Surfing

DUO

On a wave at RAAFS. Great conditions. Winter surfing.

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