Riding the waves for first Boscombe surf festival (From Thisisdorset)
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Riding the waves for first Boscombe surf festival
10:00am Monday 22nd March 2010 in
Boscombe’S first-ever surfing festival proved a popular success, although the artificial reef only produced good enough waves to be used for a handful of stages.
All four of the surfing events were done on the waves around the pier, while the £3.6m reef was used for the final stages of the body boarding competition.
Despite terrible weather, 70 competitors took part. There were plenty of spectators mingling around the exhibition stands, and around 40 people watching from the pier.
Shaun Taylor, from the organisers Sorted Surf Shop, which overlooks the reef, said: “The event has gone as well as we could have expected and we are fairly pleased with the conditions. The reef has been used for the body boarding on occasions when it was suitable.”
A moderate wind swell from the south-west produced conditions that were not brilliant, but good enough, and all the competitions were crammed into Saturday to take advantage of the waves.
Aaron Strong, 25, a surfer from Southbourne, said: “It’s been a really good event and lucky with the weather – this is the first wave in six weeks.”
He added: “My personal opinion is that the reef never would have worked properly in the first place because of where they put it.”
Boscombe councillor Lisa Northover watched the action and said: “I am really pleased to see it so busy here, but the surfers I have spoken to said the reef is not right for them and it needs fixing.”
Competitor's views:
Csava Winter, 18, from Charminster, a body boarder, said: “The reef is for more advanced surfers but I’ve been out there before and it was good.”
Peter Green, 43, a surfer from Guildford, said: “As far as I am concerned the jury is still out on the reef. It’s brought a lot of money into Boscombe.
“People are saying it’s not performing but the body boarders like it.”
Will Storey, 31, a surfer from Boscombe, said: “It shows potential. Every place you surf has different conditions and today’s just not the day for the reef.”
Daniel Webb, 47, a surfer from Wimborne, said: “Certainly we’d like to have been able to use it today and it needs improving.”
Kevin Richards, 46, a surfer from Boscombe, said: “It’s a bad sign that it can’t be used today. The reef could be salvaged with some improvements. It was showing potential a few months ago but it hasn’t worked since then.”
Comments(41)
time nor Tide
says...
10:37am Mon 22 Mar 10
s-pb2
says...
12:06pm Mon 22 Mar 10
Also noticeable for a surf contest, that most of the people interviewed were locals, so its not really bringing in people into the Boscombe area. Its obvious the reputation of the reef amongst the surf community isnt good, something the council needs to urgently address.
reefwatching
says...
12:21pm Mon 22 Mar 10
Why should it be repaired - the council have already paid a considerable sum for it to be completed to its design & specification: it should work now.
How will it be 'repaired' - what will make it work, moving a few of the sand bags around? Whisper it quietly, but maybe the whole theory is flawed, can anybody name a surf reef that works? Didn't think so
Why do the council need to address the concerns of the surfing community? It was this community that heavily lobbied for the scheme, something that has drained £3.6m from public funds (that's a lot of playgrounds), and now the council is supposed to stump up more money for it to be 'repaired', whatever that means??
The only way the council can redeem any of its reputation is to go after ASR. Lets pray that the council required a suitable level of Professional Indemnity isurance cover in their design contract, if not then they will be chuckling in NZ.
Redgolfer
says...
1:30pm Mon 22 Mar 10
Did not the authorities take into account the fact that instead of the normal 2 tides a day, with bigger drop and rise, here we have 4 tides and that during the construction of the reef, a lot more sand was dumped on the shore meaning less depth of water whereas in Newquay there is something called the Atlantic Ocean which just might have a bearing on good waves.
Trifecta
says...
1:40pm Mon 22 Mar 10
There is £700 worth of prizes up for grabs for the best surf reef photo!
If you have a great photo of a surfer riding the reef, a wave breaking, a body boarder making some moves, an image of the underwater marine life on the reef or something completely different, send it to us for a chance to win stacks of prizes!
If your picture is included in our gallery, you will enter into the competition.
The winning photos will be judged by Steve England, editor of Carve Surfing Magazine and Rob Barber, editor of ThreeSixty Body Boarding Magazine. Top prizes include the use of an exclusive beach pod, surf lessons and meals out."
Desperate times.
Limestone
says...
2:35pm Mon 22 Mar 10
Huey
says...
2:46pm Mon 22 Mar 10
But I guess it doesn't apply to surf reefs.
If it did, I wonder how many people would be waiting outside the ASR offices clutching a (rather large) receipt?
peter beneather benifit cheater
says...
2:57pm Mon 22 Mar 10
Avengerboy
says...
3:07pm Mon 22 Mar 10
BmthNewshound
says...
3:10pm Mon 22 Mar 10
Bob49
says...
3:13pm Mon 22 Mar 10
That's not strictly true. The funds were only there because of the selling of the land. The selling only took place because the money generated was to be used to regenerate Boscombe.
The regeneration was to be led by creating a sports facility that would not only attract 10,000 (quoted council figures) surfers to the area per year but also see those same surfers buying/hiring surfpods. Likewise such would be the interest in this wonder that the flats built on the land would also sell.
The wealth from these visitors would force it's way up Sea Road in a tsunami of cash that could only transform Boscombe into a south coast Marbella or St. Tropaz, or so we were led to believe.
Sadly no one in the council had bothered to do their figures. A surf pod of £69,000 was unlikely to sell at that price when the same type of hut is for sale down the coast at Friar's Cliff for £17,000.
Families are not likely to visit when there are no affordable facilities, or even any parking for them. No fast food, no icecream, no beach paraphanalia. Even the bar/cafe next to the surf shop was barely half full at 12.30pm yesterday.
There will be people wandering along, if only to see the spectacle - much as they would a public execution, but like the 'roar on the shore' this was yet another disappointing flop.
Students and locals will turn up in their wetsuits, but they were there before. unsuprisingly there were no surfpods open with owners watching the preceedings, nor could it be seen were there in the flats.
Even had there been the 13ft high 50m width waves as previously claimed where is there any sign of regeneration in Boscombe due to this farce ?
And more importantly what will have to be cut to make up the shortfall due to the lack of surfpod sales. Even the reef with all it's chronic failings showed some movement.
The only movement in the supposed regeneration of Boscombe is one of an ebbing tide, slowly draining capital from Bournemouth council ......... and us !
Notalocal
says...
4:14pm Mon 22 Mar 10
Also, for a project that is supposed to generate (inter)national interest and income for Boscombe, I'd like to point to a serious lack of marketing and promoting of this event. I cannot find any substantial reports online regarding this event; especially from the surf community for whom the project was aimed at. A hugely wasted opportunity.
I can only hope that next months issues of the surf magazines have some content on this. However, for the reporting to be positive for the reef and this event I think it would seriously undermine the reputation of the magazine (to say the reef is a success) so cannot see it happening.
Considering the failure to sell many of the surf pods, I think members of the council should have been on hand to promote and sell some of these pods to people who came to see the contest. I take it there was no promotion of any sort for these pods for the duration of the competition? Can anyone elaborate?
bobenford
says...
5:05pm Mon 22 Mar 10
It is not good enought o settle for second best when it is the money of the town bieng played with.
The surf reef is hailed as a first in the country.
To say it is only good enough as a body boarding wave is an insult.
A reef has been paid for, so a reef is what should be there, at Boscombe. For proffesional practice of standup surfing.
All along the seven mile Bournemouth bay, there are waves to body board on. The reef should give a hansome curling wave to enjoy.
So, lets have some customer satisfaction, and get the builders to do a propper job.
Cowboy biuilders, who take 3 million for that wave are accountable.
We must take them to court or demand the suitable tweeks.
It has been an embarrassment to the council for long enough.
Glashen
says...
5:21pm Mon 22 Mar 10
Redgolfer wrote:There aren't 4 tides a day, for that to happen we would have to have two moons!
It will never work because of its location, in my 63 years here many schemes have been tried to safeguard the deposits of sand on the beaches all to no avail.
Did not the authorities take into account the fact that instead of the normal 2 tides a day, with bigger drop and rise, here we have 4 tides and that during the construction of the reef, a lot more sand was dumped on the shore meaning less depth of water whereas in Newquay there is something called the Atlantic Ocean which just might have a bearing on good waves.
-
What you are talking about is the second high water, Newquay is far more exposed to Atlantic swell, nothing to do with the tide.
-
Anyway good to see Sorted Surf Shop making the best of it, and good luck to them.
-
PS: I'm beginning to think someone at the echo does have a sense of humour,
Security Word: lean-wave
peter beneather benifit cheater
says...
5:38pm Mon 22 Mar 10
...wave goodbye to millions of pounds with a tear in my eye.
whingeyminge
says...
5:39pm Mon 22 Mar 10
Maybe this year instead of barricading the parks, carparks and supermarkets we could invite them to the seafront and see if they can deliver the 'few tweaks and adjustments' some are requesting by way of a thin veneer of tarmac laid at low tide.
And just what is a 'tweak' to serveral tonnes of giant sandbags that took 2 years to put position?
colin 50
says...
6:11pm Mon 22 Mar 10
fossilmole
says...
7:03pm Mon 22 Mar 10
BH10et
says...
10:11pm Mon 22 Mar 10
peter hurt
says...
12:03am Tue 23 Mar 10
stinky
says...
1:00am Tue 23 Mar 10
bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla
bla bla bla bla bla bla
BLA
Avengerboy
says...
3:29am Tue 23 Mar 10
"Poole Harbour has four tides in every 12 hours, two high waters and two low waters".
Nothing to do with the tide? If the sea level goes up and down and the solid 'barrage' balloons are exposed, then there are no waves. Its rubbish, seemples!
ajj-dorset
says...
9:28am Tue 23 Mar 10
time nor Tide
says...
9:31pm Tue 23 Mar 10
k/2/hi/uk_news/engla
nd/dorset/8248360.st
m
"An estimated 5,000 people turned out to the Sorted Surf Festival, held on the redeveloped seafront, over the weekend. "
The event is being reported as a outstanding sucess.
Leonard Lodger
says...
1:15pm Wed 24 Mar 10
Ha ha ha ha ..... 5000 attended, morelike 500 at the most and that was over the whole day. Even ASR are using the figures with links to Alex Wade's article gleaned from The Times (which doesn't claim the reef works just ambles on about how the project has done wonders for the area with one sided soundbites).
Looks like the latest angle is to say how the area has improved because of the reef.
Improvements.
How would the area have improved if the 3.5 million was spent on other projects to serve all the residents and visitors and not those with interests on the seafront.. One wonders indeed. I've even seen a remark published claiming one couldnt walk along the prom before as it was unsafe suggesting the reef has some how improved security.
When will all this hype and spin stop... when the report comes out.... I somehow doubt it.
Surf festivals.
Now.. first ever surf festival at Boscombe...... can anyone remember the Wesex Surf Club (when someone trustworthy was in charge...such as Roger Castle). Tube News, a local rag for local surfers was published with no council help or money. Tube News covered surf contests in the area, go check it out for the first festival claim. There were lots of competitions held for the winter league at Boscombe, so the first ever surf festival comment is just another spin to justify the reef from those with most to gain.
Surf.
The sandbar at Boscombe hasn't worked for over ten years at least (thanks to the councils habit of dredging up shingle to match Brighton beach). Surf on the South Coast is fickle (thanks Alex we knew that).... The projection for the number of days swell was flawed from the start. South Coast beaches get very few ground swell days a year, what does pump up is wind driven, hence the surfers stick to the pier for shelter. Sticking the reef on in exposed water means no one wants to surf it when its blown out let alone constantly paddle to keep on the spot against the tides and wind.
Yep.... it spell out P.I.S.S.
Try not to do it on my back and tell me it's raining.
Years ago there was a craze to wear T shirts with Charly don't surf, a reference to American Vets and surfing. Some years later on Bali it was the tactles phrase Obama dont surf... Maybe it;s time for an update....... Anne Filer dont surf.
Could catch on.
Leonard Lodger.
Chairman
Wessex Anne Filer Don't Surf Club.
Boscombe
Bournemouth.
reefwatching
says...
4:34pm Wed 24 Mar 10
http://www.stuff.co.
nz/taranaki-daily-ne
ws/news/3502303/Scep
tics-doubt-ASR-can-f
ix-reef
NZsurfer
says...
11:25pm Wed 24 Mar 10
The Opunake doesn't work
So why on earth did your council get sucked in!!
http://www.stuff.co.
nz/taranaki-daily-ne
ws/news/3502303/Scep
tics-doubt-ASR-can-f
ix-reef
horizon
says...
8:22pm Fri 26 Mar 10
NZsurfer wrote:Fake Academics with a **** for money that have real talent in marketing can create a BS tornado that will suck in all that come close.
The mount reef doesn't work
The Opunake doesn't work
So why on earth did your council get sucked in!!
http://www.stuff.co.
nz/taranaki-daily-ne
ws/news/3502303/Scep
tics-doubt-ASR-can-f
ix-reef
But they are in a sticky situation and by avoiding the truth and not facing reality the sticky substance could turn into pitch black bitchumen and then will come the feathers.
whingeyminge
says...
8:47pm Fri 26 Mar 10
You are but an impotent whinger who dreams of deeds you can never achieve, while those you despise take your money and spend as they wish.
But Post, Post, Post to websites that go nowhere, write and email into systems where your spam is filtered straight to the waste basket for the internet is power and you can harness it to make yourself great. Bring down the BCC, drag ASR to the courts and see them bankrupt and penniless - or just get real and keep tugging it in front of your PC.
At least the surfers are realistic abour the reef - you just seem to be a total tosspot.
Bob49
says...
11:06pm Fri 26 Mar 10
the delightful irony
horizon
says...
11:36pm Fri 26 Mar 10
time nor Tide
says...
9:06pm Sat 27 Mar 10
"Friday evening – We made our way down to Bournemouth late Friday evening hoping to get an early stab at photographing some exceptional surfing the following morning down at Boscombes “illustrious” or maybe some would say more “controversial” new surf reef. Story for another day, anyway…
Saturday Morning – Doh!! The much promised “ground swell” that was predicted had not materialized and a rather jolly voice belted down the phone (Sorted Surf Shop assistant) that it was 1 foot and sloppy but the heats were to go ahead… at least he was happy, I on the other hand was not, the wind was blowing a gale outside and so was the rain… So after wolfing down the last of a rather stale packet of Cheerios headed reluctantly down to Boscombe Pier.
The Shop assistant was not wrong it was small, certainly sloppy but the groms were making the best of a bad situation and making it look somewhat classic . I chose my weapon of choice a Canon 1DS Mark 11, 400mm 2.8 IS Lens, battled down to the waters edge against an ever increasing wind and started to shoot away. The weather had other thoughts so I hastily retreated to the car to protect the £8 K of equipment I was heaving around, anyway it “was” lunch time and I was starving. I wasn’t going to bother with the rest of the day but driving past the pier on the way to our static noticed the conditions had picked up (2-3ft of slop) ha ha. So again set up and managed to catch the last 20 minutes of the Mens final… needless to say the heavens opened up again so after the heat finished headed off with what little material I had of the day and dumped myself in a hot bath.
Sunday – Sunday was much better as far as the weather was concerned, got some shots of the paddle-board race and of some guy on a paddle-board who was making the 1ft sets look brilliant!
Please don’t ask me who was in the final or who won, yes! I know, not the best journalistic approach but I blame it on the weather… hey! why not millions of Brits do daily. LOL."
I dont want to hear any hint of the author being bullied for his honest report!
After all the groms made the best of it!
time nor Tide
says...
9:20pm Sat 27 Mar 10
http://www.mangodays
.com/photocart/index
.php?vp=3&do=photoca
rt&viewGallery=1032
To keep on topic the reef can be noticed sometimes in the far background in these pictures.
Its impressive that he uses £8,000 of equipment.
poshiesymons
says...
11:12am Sun 28 Mar 10
woolamai
says...
4:34pm Sun 28 Mar 10
Reef was working really well first thing Saturday morning, as it was last Sunday morning - but you conveniently missed it again, the Sorted comp. went off well and everyone reckons Shaun did a really good job (for a 'shop assistant' - how rude and condescending is that from tide nor time) - and as the weather improves through spring I think you're going to find a lot more people enjoying the award winning pier area.
Think you boys have shown the nastier side of your character in your last couple of posts. Glad you don't like the pier - STAY AWAY.
woolamai
says...
4:34pm Sun 28 Mar 10
Reef was working really well first thing Saturday morning, as it was last Sunday morning - but you conveniently missed it again, the Sorted comp. went off well and everyone reckons Shaun did a really good job (for a 'shop assistant' - how rude and condescending is that from tide nor time) - and as the weather improves through spring I think you're going to find a lot more people enjoying the award winning pier area.
Think you boys have shown the nastier side of your character in your last couple of posts. Glad you don't like the pier - STAY AWAY.
time nor Tide
says...
7:30pm Sun 28 Mar 10
.
I thought you might have appreciated the link to the pictures - but obviously not?
.
If its actually very nice to read your reports wooli -encouraging to say the least?
reefskeptic
says...
9:18am Wed 31 Mar 10
Call me skeptical because I went looking and gee golly wizz jimminy cricket what did I find on your ASR website?
"Project Outcomes
When the BBC began to pursue their goal “to develop a reef for recreational and commercial benefit in Boscombe”, they requested the services of ASR Ltd to undertake a feasibility study. The aim was to determine if any sites were suitable for an artificial reef and, if so, to consider the relative advantages and disadvantages of the various sites. The aims of BBC were to apply surfing reef technology to enhance a recreational site which at present only provided mediocre surfing conditions by developing a better quality surfing venue that will not only benefit new generations of surfers, but also provide a focus for the region. ASR conducted extensive field studies which collected wave, tide, bathymetric and ecological data as part of the Boscombe Reef design project. The challenges of working with a small and unpredictable wave climate were overcome by creating a design with a large footprint that will magnify and make the most of even the smallest and least favorable wave conditions. Construction of the Bournemouth Reef is being undertaken by ASR Ltd and commenced in July 2008."
Niiiicky - this is from your companys website!
The outcomes stated by your company website seem at odds with
1.what the surfers are saying
2.what the public are saying
3.what you are saying
4.what plymouth university and the two others are not saying.
5. what all the observers are seeing, hearing and and making their own minds up about.
6. What BBC are at loss to say
Sorry but its all too confusing to make any sense at all .
This only leaves everyone thinking that there is something really amiss?
In my humble opinion i think its all unravelling as such inconsistancies seem to overwhelmingly suggest!
PS, were you a surfpark director as well? ~ gosh, gee gollly wizz jimminy crickets ~ I hope not!
That would not instill any confidence in anybody?
gosh , gee ,golly, whiz, jimminy cricket a new fact ~ reefs dont make waves -wind does.
Its certainly lucky that your designed and constructed reef "will magnify and make the most of even the smallest and least favorable wave conditions." as your website says is a outcome, that we are all very convinced about?
What will be even more inconsistant is your website changing from this.
That will be taken as an admission of its irrelevence to reality.
A cliche comes to mind and it starts with "what a tangled web we weave .."
mikal mhor
says...
9:41am Thu 8 Apr 10
Its constructive if we hear more than " the climates changed since it was designed -so it cant work as the waves that were designed for are not there any more".
Its also constructive if we hear more than " we have a model that we are tweaking by putting pins into it as we dance around a fire in grass skirts". Everyone can expect to see improvements by the season due to this activity.
Its also constructive if we hear more than " every day the entrails are showing that improvements to the waves are due any time now -just have patience" If you dont believe us we can give you some chicken entrails to see for yourself ( nice soup giblets for after the modelling experiment!).
Our other reefs are all performing well so give this one time and it will learn to work properly too!
Sot here we have it
1. the climates changing (ask Al Gore)
2.Our sticking pins into the lab model should see results any season now (havent you noticed it heave ?)
3. The chicken entrails are showing future seasonal improvements with a definite trend to hawaii's wave likeness becoming apparent in 2020. ( yum after the daily experiment)
4. All the other reefs built are performing so well that they are getting accolades ( any season soon waves may break suitably for surfing well there too.)
All encouraging news from the laboritory and worth sellng the ranch to invest in.
But dont blame us if the ocean floor shifts , climate changes , we get a bad lot of chickens for entrail reading and the pins are too blunt to translate into real tweaks. Go talk to the sand, Al Gore. Crnl Sanders and the pin cushion -they are the ones that determine what we say?
Now there will be Oliver Cromwell to take to task as well?
I forgot about the masters of entrail reading, pin cushion exploits and dancing around fires in grass skirts - erstwhile or wantobe politicians in an election campaign. They could be easy marks for pledges ?
There are so many other issues far less important than the whale?
Sounds like the money seeking reef harpoon is about to be launched again - the whale may survive?
Reefwatching ? I am sure your industry will completely concur on the worthyness of such expenditure over the other trivia the community faces by the minute?
Every master mariner and admiral will all say -"let it be".
ANother solution that has just came in on the wire was sacrificing a number of reef scientists into a vocanoe in Bali. The Bali locals are not to happy that their Bringin break is to be stolen and relocated to bormuf.
The only solution is "joe and the volcanoe' , I am afraid to placate the surf gods "xbox and nintendo"
Other than that the reef is a huge sucess
waxyfoot
says...
9:29pm Sat 10 Apr 10
I am still trying to figure out what his/her angle is on my (rather lame some would say, lol) attempt at trying to see the lighter side of what I found a rather foul week-end (weather wise Saturday and lack of swell)...surely it couldn't be sarcasm because you know what they say about that.
Anyway just to clear things up, I personally wouldn't cast any opinion on the reef. From what I have witnessed it looks like it has potential and if it was my comment on it being controversial...well from what I have read and heard it doesn't take a "rocket scientist" to come to that assumption. On the contrary the festival in my opinion was a great success and all credit to Shaun for his efforts.
And in fact with my 8K worth of camera equipment (and when you see the pics) you will notice I have tried to demonstrate that indeed the reef does have some sort of wedge that kicks up and throws a great shape.
In short thanks for the link "time nor Tide" to the images, any publicity is greatly appreciated and would accept an invite to come and photograph the reef when it works again.
On a slightly different note though, if anyone out there has never been to Porthleven when it is going off do yourself the favour and make the trip when the conditions are right, magical place!! I caught and photographed it at 3-4ft glass.
You can view images here....
http://www.mangodays
.com/photocart/index
.php?category=100
I will be writing a blog on the trip I made down to Cornwall last week, was really good and managed to snap Jayce Robinson on fire at Porthmeor... again images can be viewed at the above address.
Thanks
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ON BOARD: Remi Geffroy competing in the semifinals of the body boarding competition on the surf reef. Picture: Richard Crease.
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Laurie H Marsh says...
10:10am Mon 22 Mar 10
It seems like a long wait.