Saltburn Surf

There had been one or two showers over Thursday, so it looked as though or planned session at Slenningford could go ahead with enough water. The showers stopped, and it rained in torrents for the next two days and nights! A few phone calls on Saturday night put on the standby option of surfing if there was too much water. Sunday morning, there was too much water. Fine if you fancied canoeing across fields chased by trees and assorted other rubbish, but unless you were of terminal stupidity, the sea beckoned once again.

Neil and I had a strange journey to Saltburn, there was more water on the roads than in the Swale on Charity Paddle day. Nevertheless, we met up with Clive, Anne and Francis only half an hour late.

The excitement started by a seal launch from the two foot high bank and running the flood swollen beck down into the sea. Strange to be paddling along and being overtaken by logs and fence posts.

Once in the sea, things got interesting. The surf was about 4 feet but with an additional wave pattern running diagonally through the normal sets. This gave moving pyramids of water where the waves met. The water from the beck had set up a rip along the shore so we had to be careful not to drift towards the pier.

It was hard work getting out through the breakers, but we all got several good runs in between the scary bits. Anne practised her rolling. Two waves ganged up on Clive and broke on him so hard that he was totally submerged and stuck on the bottom by the force, still sitting upright in his boat. We decided to break off for lunch, and Clive sneakily changed to his big boat.

After lunch we had another session, except for Neil, who decided that sitting in the car listening to the commentary of Monaco Grand Prix was safer. We found more regular waves further along the beach, and again we got some good runs in. Anne practised her rolling again. It was still hard work getting out through the breakers, and there were quite a few involuntary backwards runs. I practised my rolling, it worked so I had another go. At the end of one run I noticed Anne walking up the beach. "What a wimp" I thought moments before a wave knocked me over. It was like being in a washing machine, I hit my head on the bottom, failed to roll, swam then decided I'd had enough as well.

We got a few strange looks from the locals as we packed up, but we were happy, we had been brushing up our river skills!

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	Swaledale Outdoor Club

Saltburn Surf

Pete Bridgstock