The Slideshow #6

a magazine for surfing females

Photo: Lucy Morris.

WELCOME! - TO THIS ISSUE OF THESLIDESHOW.

ENJOY IMAGES & WORDS SUPPLIED BY A VARIETY OF SLIDING CONTRIBUTORS, PLEASE KEEP SENDING YOUR IMAGES & EXPERIENCES OF WATER BASED FUN TO:[email protected]

This month:ADEN / PLANE & SIMPLE / FILMS REVIEWS / THE SLYDER CUP / FIND-ING MY FEET / BOARD ART...

I GREW UP IN ADEN ON THE POINT OF ARABIA, WHERE THE BIG WAVES COME CRASHING IN FROM THE INDI-AN OCEAN, ESPECIALLY IN FEBRUARY THE MONSOON MONTH.

ADENSue Gross, Guildford, UK

THERE ARE SO MANY SHARKS IN THIS WARM SEA THAT EVERYONE SWAM INSIDE SHARK NETS. Just outside the net people might water ski or sail boats, but no one stayed in the sea long outside the net, and the local fishermen regularly had shark attacks on bait, their catch or themselves. The shark net over at the RAF and army beach - Tarshines, was a rope net suspended from bouys. It seemed to work, we never heard of anyone bitten by a shark in there, but at least one person a year drowned from being caught in the net.

OUR BEACH GOLDMOHR, HAD A RIGID METAL NET, GIANT PANELS OF WHICH MARCHED OUT TO SEA. Everything smaller than the 8x8cm mesh could get in and out freely, and we had fish, starfish, sea-slugs and jellyfish. We had plenty of conger eels in the rocks around the little jetty in the swimming area, and always a resident octopus which came in small but grew big nestling in at the base of the jetty steps.

MY FIRST MEMORY OF THIS PLACE WAS WHEN WE HAD JUST FLOWN IN FROM ENGLAND WHEN I WAS ABOUT 3. I remember the sky and sea were dark, with the lights from the bar shining out across it. The sand was white, soft and so warm from the day’s sun and i was sitting playing in it up close to the tables with the white foam swishing up nearer and nearer as the sea came in. Bliss after Essex in February. I have loved high tide ever since.

WHEN THE SEA CAME CRASHING UP THE BEACH YOU COULD DIVE UNDER IT, LET IT TUMBLE YOU UP THE SAND OR LEARN TO SWIM THE WAVES. I can never forget the feeling when you

caught one, of being lifted and flown forward as you swam freestyle as hard as possible. I don’t remember being hurt at the waves end, even though it was definitely a shore break. I have tried swimming the waves since, but being bigger and older and not swimming every day I seem to have lost the knack, though one holiday I did succeed a few times at Hossegor.

THERE WERE NO SURF BOARDS IN ADEN AND I HAD NEVER HEARD OF SURFING, but by the time

I was 10 someone had a flat piece of plywood with a rounded front end that you could lie on. I remember borrowing the board and it was a good ride, but on the third go, the tip got caught in the sand at the end of the wave and pole-vaulted me over the top digging deep into my stomach.

I HAVE ONE OTHER MEMORY OF THESE BOARDS. One of the boys was mimicking the water skiing that happened just outside the net. He got his friends to pull a waterski tow rope along the shallows whilst he stood on the board. The problem was starting off, the board would dig in the sand unless he let it drop at the right moment. After many tries I saw him hold the rope in his teeth and hold the board up. The boys charged off with the rope and his front teeth flew out with the hand grip. There is something to be said for modern technology!

A handplane is certainly one piece of equipment that every wave rider should have in their quiver. I decided to make one for my friend’s birthday / I found an old piece of pine in my dad’s garage and set about shaping it into an epic wave sliding device / With the basic shape drawn onto paper, I transferred it onto the wood and cut it out with a jigsaw / From there I had no more power tools to assist me so rummaged around and found some old tools; a variety of planes, a convex drawer shave, an odd metal scraper thing, and an obscene amount of sandpaper / With a lot of effort, the piece of pine started to resemble the finished product. Plenty of fine tuning, tweeks here and there, and a great deal of fren-zied sanding, I finally had an awesome looking handplane, complete with bottom concave, which I was mightily proud of / I decided on a hand strap rather than a hole, so went to the chandlery and bought some foot-strap webbing, washers and screws / Hand strap attached, I rubbed copious amounts of linseed oil into the wood to give it a bit of protection and wrapped it up ready for delivery / I had such fun making it and the recipient was super stoked, enormously delighted and frothing to get it out in the waves. I too was eager to see how it would perform so we made a plan to get in the water as soon as possible / I’m definitely making more, it was tremendously fun and satisfying, and I encourage you all to give it a go…or get your orders in now for a customised handplane!

Ellie Woodward, Perranporth.

PLANE & SIMPLE

Photo: Gemma Chalmers

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Clocks go back: after-work-surf - ON.

Walking into Finisterre HQ I couldn’t help but wish it was my office... it has a nice vibe. I was immediately handed a beer, shown to a sofa, and

told to make myself at home. The evening was a show of three new surf films;

the first, ‘The road less travelled’, was a taster of Finisterre’s new series of films that are currently in the pipeline. As should be expect-

ed from these guys it was atmospheric and invoked sensations of cold wa-

ter surfing in a remote location. Not bad for a 30-second film! An exciting

taster of what’s to come.

The second film, ‘Fathoms left to fall’, was a raw, black/white and grainy look at one of Ireland’s premier big waves – Mullaghmore. The produc-

tion style suited the wave it was depicting - big, heavy and remote.

The main feature of the night was ‘Sight|Sound’ by director Mikey De-Temple. The film is a great mixture of peeling, albeit modestly sized waves,

and high-level surfing on quirky boards. From alaia’s, to flat polystyrene

oblongs which somehow look rippable, the film definitely made me want to

grab the nearest plank like object and get in the water. The waves and surfing were exciting, with plenty of progressive/traditional

fusion going on. I liked that the waves were not back to back indo bombs as

well, but instead depicted something a bit more familiar.

FILM REVIEW

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Kit Stokes: Truro, UK

www.approachinglines.com/slydercup

The Slideshow will DEFINITLY be attending The Slyder Cup to watch the fun and support one of The Slideshow’a main contribu-tors - Ellie Woodward, who will take on the competition in the handplane class!!!! Check out next month’s issue for coverage!-

Bringing together the alternative breed of surfers. The Slyder Cup is a one-day surf competition that celebrates the art of wavesliding from a ‘finless’ perspective with an emphasis on good vibes, good rides and good times!

The competition held at Lusty Glaze, Cornwall is broken into 4 classes: body surf / handplane; paipo / bellyboard; surf mat and alaia with a winner in each. The Grand Final will see the winners go head to head in a surf-off and the 1st Slyder Cup Champion crowned. Entry is open to all, but places are limited and available online on a first come, first serve basis.

Watercraft will go though scrutineering to ensure no fins have slipped through the net. Any competitor that falls foul of the rigorous eye of the scrutineer may find their vehicle relegated to the ‘fin bin’!

Showcasing the diversity and creativity that exists in surfing, alongside we’re host-

ing a ‘Run What You Brung’ expression session where anything goes. If you’ve ever fancied showcasing your waveriding prowess on a door, a tea tray, a sled, now’s your chance! Entry at the beach on the day!

The Slyder Cup will also play host to the first edition of The Shaper’s Shield, an invitational challenge that will see a selection of the UK’s top shapers showcasing their own interpretation on the finless brief, ridden by their ‘designated drivers’.

Part competition, part social gathering the festivities will continue into the

evening with music, art, awards and an exclusive UK film premiere.

More info check out: www.approachinglines.com/slydercup

FINDING MY FEET!Rhian Ravenscroft, Camden, London.

We had a lesson with west Cornwall adventure at Portreath

beach last year. Having never surfed before we were a bit

apprehensive - well, until we got to this amazing beach to

find our smiley instructor Katy waiting for us...

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We started out on the beach

doing some exercises which

had us all in hysterics, and

then hit the water having

been worked up into a state

of excitement ready to give

our skills a go! And despite

falling in the water, getting

bonked on the head by a board

and swallowing a whole lot

of seawater we all loved it!

Katy was a fantastic teacher

and very enthusiastic, giving

us lots of encouragement.I

thought I was going to only

get up to my knees, but a couple of times i stood up, briefly! I would

definitely recommend being out in the sun, in the water and learning

to surf.

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Taking a look at the conditions one afternoon at Praia do Amado, Portugal, immediately after sealing the deal on the purchase of a brand new board, my boyfriend strategically opted to take on the fairly heavy dumping surf, using his old board.

And - was pretty relieved he had made this board choice as the result of his brief session - was the end of his board as he knew it. It cleanly snapped in two.

But after de-waxing the two halves it then be-came a smooth blank canvas for me to paint on, as he was happy to see it live on in the form of art-work for display on the newly decorated entrance hall wall of the Algarve Surf Camp in Sagres.

Acrylic paint and clear lacquer. Words and art by Gemma Chalmers.

board art