five years
in the
breaking
in the
breaking
The wave-a fickle, open ocean monster that breaks top to bottom, usually within the depths of a frigid Irish winter, had been watched closely but not ridden for some time prior to this day. The right combination of conditions for this spot to be rideable is rare, but on this day everything came together and the surfers gorged themselves on perfect 20 foot bombs all day. The waiting had finally paid off.....
...Amongst those surfers was North Devon's Andrew Cotton, who happened to snag himself arguably the wave off the day, photos of which have graced the covers of newspapers and surf magazines alike, and in the process done little harm in solidifying his reputation as one of the U.K's best big wave surfers.
So what do you choose to ride when taking on the sort of waves that would make the average surfer run a mile? On this day Cotty put his faith in his trusty little Gulf Stream tow board shaped by Jools a few years prior. The board was a result of Jools' shaping experience and Cotty's understanding of what's needed underfoot if you're prepared to throw yourself over the ledge of a house-sized wave. Unlike the type of board you or I ride at our local beachie, it's 5'11" long, just 16" wide, and barely over 2" thick. However, the biggest difference is the sheer weight of the thing. With an extra layer of fibreglass and 4 strips of lead inside, it's as heavy as a 10' longboard, ideal says Cotty for ploughing through big lumps of chop that would otherwise flick the rider off in an instant.
Cotty and Jools are currently working together to make a new towboard for this coming winter. "It very exciting and a lot of fun shaping this type of board" says Jools. "It's great to see a local surfer riding a local board and getting recognition all over the world for his efforts".
After a brief pause "He must be bloody mad...."
So what do you choose to ride when taking on the sort of waves that would make the average surfer run a mile? On this day Cotty put his faith in his trusty little Gulf Stream tow board shaped by Jools a few years prior. The board was a result of Jools' shaping experience and Cotty's understanding of what's needed underfoot if you're prepared to throw yourself over the ledge of a house-sized wave. Unlike the type of board you or I ride at our local beachie, it's 5'11" long, just 16" wide, and barely over 2" thick. However, the biggest difference is the sheer weight of the thing. With an extra layer of fibreglass and 4 strips of lead inside, it's as heavy as a 10' longboard, ideal says Cotty for ploughing through big lumps of chop that would otherwise flick the rider off in an instant.
Cotty and Jools are currently working together to make a new towboard for this coming winter. "It very exciting and a lot of fun shaping this type of board" says Jools. "It's great to see a local surfer riding a local board and getting recognition all over the world for his efforts".
After a brief pause "He must be bloody mad...."
