A Winters Tale
Winter in Croyde….You can paddle out into the line-up without taking out life insurance, driving down the road to check the surf doesn’t result in the car overheating in traffic, and you can order a drink in the pub without having to wait for the guy in a t-shirt, pealed down wetsuit and trainers to finish ordering a round of Magners; of course the summer is fun with warmer weather and lively nightlife, but when Autumn rolls round there’s not too many people complaining.
This winter started with a poor run of surf, so much so that a new sport took hold of the village. The month of November was hastily re-christened Movember and the month long competition to see who could grow the best moustache in the village kicked off. Local man Richard Read took the competition more seriously than most, adopting a Macrobiotic diet supplemented with Yakult yoghurt drinks which helped him to grow a commendable, if patchy ‘tache. Read, Andy Blake and Benn Cross all looked in contention for the crown but in the end it was local ginger Dave Colwill who took the title.
Thankfully December heralded the arrival of some decent surf, everyone had a shave and tucked in. Sheltered point breaks broke for days on end as the SW coast seemed to be battered by one storm after another. There was the odd good day at the beach and the point particularly over the Christmas season which saw many a surfer enjoying a festive pit or three. It was around this time that many locals hopped on long haul flights to escape the winter blues. A mass exodus to Indo followed, with Jon Knight, Adam Colton, Reado, Geordie and Mike Symons regularly holding break dancing classes at Kuta’s Bounty bar in between trips to Sumbawa. Piney and Nick Haynes scored some fun waves in Panama as well as brushing up on their fishing skills. This travelling lark isn’t all beer and skittles though, Nigel Cross and Rob Colwill endured a blustery time in the Philippines, narrowly avoiding a direct hit by a Cyclone!
New Years Eve was the usual drunken affair with many people enjoying a Gin and Tonic at Croydes only members’ club, the Bay Bar. Several Dry martinis later and it was onto the Manor to watch local band “The 308s” rock the mike with some classic tunes.
One man who opted to stay a little closer to home this winter was local charger Andrew Cotton. Cotton took advantage of the huge swells battering the southwest to hop over to Ireland at every possible opportunity, and scored some big sessions towing-in at Aileens. Reports that Cotton is the first “bottle blonde” to be barrelled at the right hander are unconfirmed.
It’s been a pretty good new year for surf with several days of clean and relatively uncrowded waves at the beach. The water temperature has stayed in double figures and the banks have been pretty good. Here’s to a few crisp spring sessions in the coming months.
Dan
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