Surfladle

 

You know, I could be sounding slightly cynical (as if..) but I do hope you all enjoyed the shortest Heatwave ever to hit the UK!  Mid-day Monday to Wednesday evening, not bad eh, and although it didn’t really get to what most would call Hot, it was a few days of Summer Living and what a difference a little heat makes. It really was a joy to see Beach Life return, as it has been missing this year like no other year before!

(Note. This is not a fact, just a ‘as far as I can remember’ and only since the Summer of 76, as prior to that it may well have been ‘on par’ ). 

People seem much happier and brighter when the sun is nicely heating up our little corner of the World (no one wants the excesses that large areas of Europe has suffered) but I guess that three days was obviously deemed to be more than enough for the South Coast, so the weather reverted back to the 2023 norm on Wednesday evening.. and what a soggy old day yesterday became. Today’s brisk wind has meant that the beach is again looking un-occupied, apart from the wind addicts of course, who are having a very good time. Ok, it has been a great summer for the wind sports, as we’ve had as many days as we could have wished for (allowing for Wings etc) but the paddle sports, which do entice the most people into water sports, have had very few perfect days ... We really did need a slightly longer heatwave!

So, what of the weekend to come? Well, not wishing to be even more cynical, I think we may be looking at the typical Bank Holiday scenario of  ‘Do we organise a BBQ or not’? It’s definitely a question for the Saturday and Sunday at the moment, with Monday currently being your best bet. In the words of a person who still has hope, “Things can only get…”. 

 

Better? Yes, better if you are looking for a very reasonably priced SUP, as 

TWF -Sola have just dropped the price of their iSUP boards to that of cheap boards on Amazon or in the supermarkets (there was one that was OK but they are out of stock now). Their range consists of a TWF 10’6” Double Layer board with a max carrying capacity of 120kg,  RRP £345.00 and then the uprated SOLA Triple Layer construction boards in 10’6” , RRP £475.00 and  a 11’0” tourer with an RRP of £495.00. Both of which have a max. carrying capacity of 170kg. The TWF boards are now only £199.00 (thankfully we only have one in stock) and the SOLA boards are now £240.00 and £260.00 respectively. That’s the price you will pay for the package, which is a steal, as we paid a lot more than that! So why are they that cheap? Well, the testers in the West Country decided that 30” was plenty wide enough, as it gave the boards better speed and after narrow surf boards, 30” was stupidly stable to them. They were not wrong but the trend said 32” wide is what people need and so customers could not accept 30” as being wide enough. Simples. These boards could be a great 2nd purchase for the youngsters, as being 30” wide it helps when the rider is shorter (paddle angle etc.) but perfectly good for adults who have reasonable balance.. we have a demo 30” board if you are not 100% sure. They are on the new website should you wish to take a looksee..  https://www.surfladle.com/inflatable-boards/twf-sola

But if they don’t float your boat, talk to us, as we have plenty of options in stock!

 

As the winds are currently forecast to be about for the Saturday, Sunday and possibly the Monday, those of you who have been contemplating Wing foiling all summer long should perhaps consider Opting In now, before the clearance lines disappear and the New Pricing for 2024 makes your wallet look a lot less full. The trick here is that you are getting a bargain.. and not like a supermarket bargain either. The one where ‘The price has been held’ but when you look closer you are still a loser. As an example, toilet paper, you originally had 200 sheets to a roll for your money and now, you only get 155..that’s a quarter less product for you to use (maybe that was not the best example)! These foil packages are not 2nd quality etc.. it’s a Real Deal!  It’s not a hard sell but just saying that the mix of over production and recessional lack of purchasing is not likely to occur again, with most companies and retailors taking a very hard hit, we won’t want to lose on this scale AGAIN. We carry the popular Fanatic and Naish packages (both of which are on the new site

https://www.surfladle.com/board-and-foil-packages ) and will price match as and when necessary, so you still get the best deal with the shop service. We can also make up packages from Ensis, F-One and STX (inflatable boards are great to learn on and a cheaper way in) so do Ask if you are looking for something different and we will see what we can come up with. Hmmm.. what is the weekend coming up with? Time for the Weather Outlook and those written in stone Tide Times…

 

Saturday, a sunny start with the wind at 8-10kt from the West (will be good for the Boot Sale on the Rec..) but by early afternoon we expect then to turn to Sou’West and increase to 18-20kt and stay there until dusk (which is around 20.15hrs). 

There is a chance of rain.. and thunder.. between 11.00 & 12.00hrs (not so good for the Boot Sale..) and perhaps again during the whole of the afternoon, but that all depends upon which forecast you look at. If the Sea Breeze kicks in we may end up with a dry afternoon on the coast and a wet one on the other side of the Downs but we won’t know until that sky clears on the coastal strip. Fingers crossed! As for the Tide, well it’s High at 06.35hrs, so Low at 12.55hrs but it is a Tiny Neap 4.7m, so the tide will hardly move and a channel will be cut. This means you walk into a ‘ditch’ when you launch or find your self in the ditch when coming ashore. Either way any shore break can catch you out and be destructive, not that we should have much tomorrow (could be an OK day Alan..). Dog walkers and Horse riders will be disappointed, as not a lot of sand to play on. Not much water in the river either.

 

Sunday kicks off with a Nor’West wind 9-13kt which is the best direction for the Sea Breeze to occur, so don’t be surprised if we d have a West 15-20kt wind in the afternoon (not forecast, just saying). The Met forecast shows no rain (the farmer at the Flyover Boot Sale will be happy if that is true..)  but Windguru have (or rather had as now gone..) a 4mm in an hour downpour shown at 17.00hrs, which would not surprise me, as that is when we will be closing up! Tide is High at 08.25hrs on a 4.8m, so low is at 14.25hrs.

 

Monday, is a way off in forecasting terms and I will take a look again tomorrow but currently they say 7-14kt Nor’West, all day. Once again, the Sea Breeze could change that, so do watch the live wind stations.

Rain is shown as nil at the moment so could be ‘The Day’ for firing up the Barbie!

Tide hits High at 09.40hrs on a 5.3m , so more sand and more water in the river.

 

All the forecasts and live wind stations can be found via links on the website..

 

And that is that.. we are Open Saturday 9.30 -5.30pm, Sunday and Bank Hol Monday, it’s 10.00 – 4.00pm.

I promise to enjoy whatever the weather throws at us and I hope you can all make the most of the three days of freedom. Have a Good’un!