END OF SUMMER | LEWIS ARNOLD & SANDY KERR

 

"Patience is a virtue…"

"The seemingly endless flat spells that have accompanied this long hot summer of 2018 have not gone down well amongst the surfing tribes around our coast.
Since early July, throwbacks to better days have been a constant on our Instagram feeds along with shots of tranquil azure seas, sunsets, snorkelling and SUP.
We have been all over the slightest pulse of any swell and from first to last light, weak onshore waves haves been pumped for all their worth.

As our forecast checks become ever more listless, think of that old timer sitting way out the back, who always seems to somehow snag the wave of the day…wise, relaxed, serene and patient. He knows sooner or later, the bomb will arrive and all he can do is bide his time and be ready when it does.

Appreciate the anticipation. This summer lull is a time to rest and refocus after a long and brutal winter, a season that saw all-time conditions at every surf zone in the UK. So let the injuries and niggles heal and get loose and nimble in the small surf and restorative warmth of the sun. Mellow out, exercise, assess equipment, set goals, make plans, be ready for waves. The longer the wait, the sweeter the reward will be when the air turns crisp and the first real swell unfurls along a triangle of reef somewhere in Britain. 

Already there is change in the air and soon enough the flats will be gone." Lewis Arnold.

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"Summer swells on the east coast are almost always a mixed a bag but after weeks of no waves, any bump in the charts is always greeted with chatter and high hopes. This southerly was the classic summer 3ft small period swell but arrived with strong onshores so we had to play the waiting game for a chance of clean surf. 

It paid off..the evening glass off was worth the wait, with no wind along with the heatwave this was one one of the warmest North Sea sessions I can remember, a magic 15oC.

If you haven’t stood up on a surfboard in 3 weeks it’s like going back to basics and learning to surf again especially with the added pressure of Lewis looking down the lens at you. Lucky for me this session was like a training ground, with thin lipped lefts peeling along a shallow sandbank perfect for a wave-starved goofy footer.

My first few waves were mistimed with turns on the wrong sections but after better timed connection with a lip I was filled with confidence and I started to try and line up a few little airs. In the North East, we are more used to thick brown water barrels in hooded wetsuits but in a summer suit and no boots or gloves with less weight, I felt pretty sharp. Eventually the tide dropped back and this short lived summer session came to an end. A few little airs, a cheeky tiny barrel and a stunning summer sunset, it felt like I achieved a lot." Sandy Kerr.

 

All Photography by Lewis Arnold. All Surfing by Ambassador Sandy Kerr.