CrapSurfer

Well, I’m back from my travels, and as usual with any surf trip you just never know what’s going to happen……………..

After a night’s stay in a hotel thanks to Air Miles, we headed north to Arrifana excited at the prospect of waves – it was flat and a little windy.

We holed up in a snug in the cliff to catch some sun until we could meet friends for drinks and for them to show us where our apartment was.

It was great to be back in Portugal, the smell, the roads, the beaches and landscape….food and beer mmm beer.

Anyhow, we had drinks and then got settled in our apartment. It had been three years since I had spent time with my friends and it felt like it was only yesterday – always a good sign.

The next day we woke up early and headed up to Odiceixe, which is a truly beautiful place. Again the surf was too small but we had a jump in the estuary as the water was just too tempting.

We then trawled from there to Carrapeteira to Beliche, Tonel, and eventually Mareta where it was a windy, lumpy mess….so we had beers (are you starting to see a pattern yet?) before heading home for pizza and chips.

Wednesday we headed down to Lagos for a look around as it was still really windy. We headed up to Burgau and went to a spot just North of there. It was protected from the wind but the tide was quite full and it was a bit fat, but it was empty and I needed to get wet.

One snapped fin and damaged plug later we headed back to Sagres to get my board repaired (sorry Matt)…….so more beers were had. We then went out with Mark and Kate to a lovely (real) Italian in Aljezur.

Thursday, well would you believe it…..yup even more wind and not much sun? So now we were down to one board and Katharine hadn’t been in the water once. We headed back up to Odiceixe where the wind was bearable. After an escapade with a dog chasing a cat over a cliff, we settled down to a game of bat and ball before getting Katharine to have a paddle on a 6’6” (not ideal but thanks Mark).

I did manage to get in for some body surfing, whilst watching some German Crap Surfers attempt to get swept away in a rip and also try and surf the river mouth.

We went around to Mark and Kate’s for dinner (yum) and had a great night playing drunken balancing games on Wii fit (which is v good surfing practice ;oP)

We did conspire to get rather drunk as BA had cancelled our flight home due to the strikes so we were going to lose a day’s holiday and the chance to surf with my mate!

Whilst I’m on the subject they also charged me £35 each way so make sure you book your boards online(It’s cheaper); and if you can take a coffin with your mate’s boards in it too (as long as they’re not longboards as they don’t take em!!!!

I did also get in the water at Amado last thing but there was only one peak working and the locals were out and giving ‘stink eye’ and paddling past and deeper and deeper (when this happens it’s best to leave em to it to save hassle on the beach).

We did however watch a comedic scene of three dogs eating a dead seal on the beach. The owner had already tried to cover it with sand before going for a surf but this did not deter the determined mutts. They all got stuck in up to their elbows in the seriously stinking seal. It was when he returned to find his dogs covered in rotting seal that it became even funnier as he chastised each dog individually and smelt them before retching.

One by one they got taken into the sea scrubbed and dunked before being thrown unceremoniously into the white water. Each dog unhappily awaiting its fate…..it made my day seem quite a lot better than his – as I wouldn’t have to share his hot car or his stinking pals heh heh.

So suddenly it was Friday and we were going to have to leave without even getting one decent surf. I watched a surfer get blown from from one end of Arrifana to the other in about 30 secs so once again we headed to Monte Clerigo, and a spot nr Aljezur. There was swell but the direction was all wrong (by this time Katharine was ready to kill me). We headed South to Carrapeteira but the wave of the point was really short and not connecting up into the bay (which wasn’t working) so we headed down to Sagres as I had to pick up my board from Surf Planet (I recommend these guys), It just wasn’t working anywhere and there were about 20 people trying to catch waves at Mareta…..in the end I had to just get in or Katharine would have killed me and had already come close.

By the time I got in the crowds had thinned and I pretty much had it to myself and I managed to get some peaks sorted.

I got a couple of cracking little waves which brought the smile back to my face and I had a good two hours of searching shifting peaks and getting some fun waves (I even got slotted into a little barrel)…..and life was good.

The next day we had a 14hr journey with connecting flights and arrival at Heathrow when my car was parked at Gatwick – of and I had a 30 Euro fine from the Portuguese police for not having my licence on me (thanks guys).

So, to sum it all up; the waves weren’t up to much or the weather, but I did have my beautiful girlfriend with me who made the trip worthwhile. I also got to see my good friends and have good time and laughs (singing “You can leave your hat on” at the Pirhanha bar with Mark on Karaoke night will stay with me for a long long time; along with him singing YMCA and getting asked to sing a song with some local guys which had two English words……”Mister Gay” in. Or watching Mark and Katharine attempt the Hula on Wii.) I loved seeing people free and travelling by van, following the surf and I can’t wait to do the same again.

The waves I did get affirmed I can still surf after a year off and my shoulder held up pretty well too. So I’m glad to be able to have some good memories to take with me and confirm that yes, I’m still a Crap Surfer!

Whilst we’re on the subject, Mark and Kate can arrange places to stay in the Algarve, from cheap surf apartments to luxury Villas. They can also sort out cars too.

If you want to have an active holiday, they can arrange anything from surf trips to rock climbing, cliff jumping, canoeing, mountain bikes, trekking, sight seeing, horse riding, golf…..the list is endless!!! They’ve lived there for the last 12 yrs or so and Mark is a surfer so he and Kate know all the places to go and when to go there.

We all know how fickle the surf gods can be and instead of sitting twiddling your thumbs you can be out there doing something fun.

If you are interested, let me know and I will put you in contact with them. They are keeping this on a recommendation basis so the company grows by reputation. They sorted stuff out for us and so I’m recommending them to you.

Keep surfing!!!!

JJ (Crap Surfer)