Still Stoked Longboard Skates For Surfers

Severn bores January 2009

This entry relates to: [ Surfing ]

Thursday, Jan 15, 2009

I had a bit of fun on the Severn bore Tuesday 13th and Wednesday 14th January. the December tides had produced some good bores so I was fairly confident that there should be some rideable waves this month. However the dry and cold spell of the past month had resulted in the Severn catchment draining down and the estuary through the horseshoe bend was very low for the time of year.
The big low which hit in Sunday night with gales and torrents of rain did nothing for the bore however. Normally this would be something of a winner to push up the tide, when blowing full on from the west. Without the braking effect of a good downstream flow the tide just slipped by in the half light with no more than a little surge and not a sound to be heard.
Tuesday was better as it dawned clear and bright and the 8.15am tide predicted at 9.6 metres threw up a tiny clean glassy wave along the Newnham channel which gave me a cruisy ride until it petered away.
Wednesday was a different story. The floodwaters were making their way down the estuary from Sunday night and the level was up sufficiently to create a strong downstream current. After the rain, gloom and wind of Monday morning and the clear reasonably mild air of Tuesday. Wednesday was frosty with sheets of ice over the car park at the Hart and absolutely a pea souper with visibility over the river no more than 30 yards. As I paddled across the river towards the far sands the foggy blanket shut out all points of reference. Glancing over my shoulder I could see what appeared to be the near bank from which I had launched myself and board. It should'nt have been in sight at all. By the time I had traversed the strong flow I reckon I was well down towards Newnham. I could hear the bore coming so was pretty sure it had some size. Sure enough after 5 minutes of continuous sounds of breaking water the wave appeared out of the gloom around waist high at its shoulder. Solo surfing the bore in these conditions depends on quite a bit of local knowledge. The ride was good and solid until the wave diminished into the sandbank upstream from the pub, where the river starts its turn into the upper sweep of the great horseshoe bend, some quarter mile or so from where I caught it.
The stoke from this ride was needed to see me safely ashore, a paddle which took me many minutes with some anxiety along the way. After some minutes of paddling I met with a large willow tree which I could'nt cross its bow in time so decided to paddle astern of it. A short while after I put my foot down for some instinctive reason or other, only to find to my dismay that I was in less than a foot of water. What spooked me most was that the tree was now back downstream of me! I guess I had been caught in one of the huge eddies that can form hereabouts. So I waded into deeper water and then started paddling hard until I was well into the mounting waves and troughs that occur after the bore has gone through. With the flow hitting my left side I knew I was at last on coarse for the west bank and hopefully safety. In a while I saw the trees looming darkly in the fog and the shape of a familiar house. It still seemed an unnecessarily long time before I succeeded in crossing the tide race which was now building with each passing minute, until I made landfall. All that was left was to get along the low bank to the jetty before the tide rose too much. Negotiating the railway crossing and all the field gates with the 11ft 6inch board seemed a bit of a doddle after that foggy experience. Ten minutes or so later I was safely back at the van just before the adrenalin ran out and the cold started to kick in. A radical morning and a safe homecoming to Katie, who was anxiously waiting in the van, was enjoyed due to a great ride in exceptional conditions. The knowledge that quiet confidence in my surroundings got me through a tricky situation, which for some without the benefit of experience may not have been so easily achieved, produced that essence of stoke from a job well done

Posted on Thursday, Jan 15, 2009 at 20:42:14