a magazine for surfing females

FROM DAWN TIL DUSK / TEN BOARD CHALLENGE / ALTERNATIVE ANTICS / THE ENDLESS SUMMER: THE EVOLUTION OF SURFING EXHIBITION / Enjoy...!

PERRAN DAWNY, JUNE 1013, Photo: Ellie Woodward.

#9July

FROM DAWN TIL DUSK / TEN BOARD CHALLENGE / ALTERNATIVE ANTICS / THE ENDLESS SUMMER: THE EVOLUTION OF SURFING EXHIBITION / Enjoy...!

From dawn til dusk

Pho

to: G

emm

a C

halm

ers

Sometimes, everything just comes together. For a week in early June the sun finally decided to show us its summer potential, coming out of its wintery hiding and casting its rays on our pale, vitamin-D starved skin.

The most vital pieces in the jigsaw of perfection were the surf and light offshore winds that graced our shores. Proper long period swell rolling its way over the Atlantic and giving all us waveriders something to spring out of our pits at the crack of dawn for, skive off work, and eke out every ounce of daylight.

Light at 4:30am and dark at 10pm allows those working folk to get their fill of the waves and earn an honest living. Racing to work after a dawnie with salty hair and sandy feet, leaving your wetsuit on the car wing mirror to dry out while you sit at your desk sneaking glances at the wave buoys, webcams, and texting your mates about an after work session. This was one of those weeks.... the workforce of the southwest could be mainly be found in the sea.

After a couple of days of pumping surf and several sessions, it dropped off to a mellow chest high wave and Perranporth saw a bunch of girls out in the line up getting some long rides. I saw Slideshow editor Gemma take off on a set wave on the peak turning into a peeling lefthander. She disappeared out of sight and when pad-dled back out all we could see was the grin on her face from ear to ear.

We surfed until our arms could paddle no more. The sun had begun its slink down to the horizon, leaving its dusky hues on a supremely marvellous few days of waves and sun. These rare moments are ones we all long and hope for and certainly make the most of. If only it would last a bit longer…

Ellie Woodward

Pho

to: G

emm

a C

halm

ers

TEN BOARD CHALLENGE

Alexa Poppe and Sarah Bentley’s Ten Board Challenge at Godrevy had a commendable turn-out despite the weather Saturday morning, 16th June. A fun competition for ladies of all ages with ‘an emphasis on style and stoke’. Entrants had a chance to ride from a pool of 10 boards of various shapes and sizes, picking numbers out of a hat to randomly select a board to ride in their heat.

TEN BOARD CHALLENGE

Alexa Poppe and Sarah Bentley’s Ten Board Challenge at Godrevy had a commendable turn-out despite the weather Saturday morning, 16th June. A fun competition for ladies of all ages with ‘an emphasis on style and stoke’. Entrants had a chance to ride from a pool of 10 boards of various shapes and sizes, picking numbers out of a hat to randomly select a board to ride in their heat. P

hoto

: Gem

ma

Cha

lmer

s

The Ten Board Challenge seems

to be one of those contests

blessed with good surf. Last year

it was held in the most solid clean

surf of the year, and this year’s

conditions were just as epic with

some decent overhead sets on

the high tide banks in the morn-

ing, groomed by the stiff offshore

wind. The grey conditions cer-

tainly didn’t put anyone off, as the

contest was full!

Photos: Gemma Chalmers

Competitors nervously all eyed up

the various wavecraft, from long-

boards, retro fish and mals, to some

more unusual mini-simmons style

boards, there was certainly some-

thing there for everyone! The 10

boards were all given a number and

the idea was that a number was

picked out of a hat. This correspond-

ed with the board you had to surf in

your heat.

The first heat hit the water, with lots

of hoots and cheers from the beach.

The girls set a high bar from the

word go. Everyone enjoyed watch-

ing as longboarders changed their

style riding shorter boards, and the

shortboarders were slowing down

the pace on the longer lengths, with

the girls having to pick up and ride a

different board for each heat.

The waves dropped throughout the

day but the lower tide meant there

were still some great waves for the

final, with Charlotte Bayliss tak-

ing a well deserved first place, Jen

Pendlebury in 2nd, Nicola Bunt 3rd

and Megan Chapman taking 4th

place.

It was certainly inspiring being sur-

rounded by girls who rip harder than

TEN BOARD CHALLENGE

Pho

to: E

llie

Woo

dwar

d.

the boys, and on pretty much

every shape of board that

you can imagine! Alexa and

Sarah definitely pulled off

an awesome event based on

style and stoke rather than

competition. Bring on next

years challenge!

by Becky Hutchens.

ONE OF TEN: Freshly

finished, the 9’5 Sea-

saw, Otter board made

with Cornish western

red cedar and walnut

accent strips.

www.ottersurfboards.

co.uk

Pho

to: E

llie

Woo

dwar

d.

TEN BOARD CHALLENGE

TEN BOARD CHALLENGE. Charlotte Bayliss surfing a cracking first heat!

Pho

to: G

emm

a C

halm

ers

TEN BOARD CHALLENGE

Pho

to: E

llie

Woo

dwar

d.

Photos: Gemma ChalmersTEN BOARD CHALLENGE

Photo: Ellie Woodward.

The Endless Summer - an exhibition currently running at the Royal Cornwall pulls together a beautiful collection of historic and vintage boards, from private collections including that of ex British and European champion, Nigel Semmens. Images and vintage magazine covers from renowned surf photographer Alex Williams, showing how the sport and culture itself-has changed and developed since the early 1900s. The exhibition was developed by Plymouth City Museum & Art Gallery and shown there last year, but has some special Cornish additions, including key surf boards from local surfer and collector Al Lindsay that represent the importance of shaping, design and manufacture in Cornwall from the 1960s to the present day. ‘Endless Summer: The Evolution of Surf-ing’ will be on display at the Royal Cornwall Museum in Truro until the 7th March 2014. Museum opening hours are 10am to 4.45pm Monday to Saturday (closed Sundays and Bank Holidays). Admission is free to RIC members and anyone aged 18 or under. Adult admission is £5 for an annual pass – pay once, visit all year.

a surf photography competition will be launched, supported by the popular surf clothing brand, Finisterre and Fistral Surf School. Throughout the year there will be other special events to compliment the exhibition. Full details about the exhibi-tion are available from www.royalcornwallmuseum.org.uk/exhibitions or by calling 01872 272205.

The Endless SUMMER: tHE EVOLUTION OF SURFING

EXHIBITION

Hot Generation Surfboards at Constantine, 1982. Alex Williams.

Empty Cornish gem, Fern Cargill.

when it’sWhat do you do

like this?[6-8ft, HOWLING onshore, BLOWN OUT, WHITEWATER AS FAR AS THE EYE CAN SEE...]

Pho

to: G

emm

a C

halm

ers

Photos: Ellie Woodward.

After driving aROUND Cornwall searching for a NICE sheltered spot one Sunday morning and finding very

little to slide upon, we decided to head

back to whence we came two hours

earlier, and get amongst the grizzly

white wash sweeping the north coast.

A spot of bellyboarding was in order,

- once we managed to find a beach

that wasn’t red flagged! Perranporth it

was then. Strong winds, miles of white

water, strong surges producing punchy

Pho

to: G

emm

a C

halm

ers

little frothy double-ups on which we

flung ourselves in front of and rode

all the way in until we were scrap-

ing the sand. I have not laughed

so hard and been dragged around

in the sand by the water so much

in ages. I was washing sand out of

my hair and ears for days - THIS

is what I will be doing next time it’s

too big to surf and nowhere else

seems to be working. EPIC fun.

Gemma Chalmers.

[6-8ft, HOWLING on-shore, BLOWN OUT, WHITEWATER AS FAR AS THE EYE CAN SEE...]

Photos: Ellie Woodward/Claire Earlie.

Remember that day, at that beach, where there was that fun little wave? You’ve got a photo

of it somewhere, you know you do. That stuff is gold. It’s the kind of thing you like hearing about

when you read an issue of The Slideshow.

It’s simple stuff - dig that cool photo out, write a sentence about it, send it to The Slideshow.

It’s your chance to be part of this great new community and be published through The Slideshow

magazine!

Or even if you are just plain AMPED about the sea and want to tell the world. The Slideshow

NEEDS YOUR INPUT!

Email: theslideshow.mag@gmail.com