Although there has been plenty going on in October, this month’s bulletin will be short. There are some other things I need to do.

So there will be some excerpts from my blog, of course you could just go to the blog. But there is extra here!

The Waves

Let’s start at the end. The last weekend in October was graced with a solid swell and offshore winds. I set about capturing the waves at Fistral Beach and Cribbar, a reef off the headland at the north end of Fistral Beach.

waves, reef, Cribbar, Newquay, Cornwall — *Cribbar, taken from the Pentire Headland to the south.*

Fistral Beach, Newquay, carpark — *Taken from the same angle, but further down towards Fistral Beach.*

Cribbar, surf, lifeboat house, coast — *Taken from the road to Huer’s Hut, looking over Little Fistral and the Lifeboat House.*

Fistral Beach, Newquay, Cornwall, surf — *North Fistral.*

New Photos for Surf & Surfboards

A few more photos for the Surf & Surfboards page.

Fistral Beach, waves, offshore wind — *Fistral.*

waves, surfer, alone, ocean — *Set arrives on a big day at Fistral.*

wave, surfer, surfing, Porthleven — *Porthleven.*

New Additions

As well as new photos being put on the Surf & Surfboards page, there are now new additions on a couple of other pages. The first four can be found on the Seaside town page.

Candy Floss vendor, tattoos, — *1) Candy Floss street vendor.*
*2) A sunny day in Torquay.*

fish and chip shop, barber shop, shop fronts — *1) Fish & Chip shop, Torquay.*
*2) Barber Shop, Teignmouth.*

The next four are from the Beside the Seaside page.

*1) Porthcurno Beach.*
*2) Fistral Beach.*

Newquay Town

Excerpt from a recent blog post (3rd November):

As I have mentioned, there have been less dedicated outings with my camera in 2023, I go to the beach when the surf is good, or head to the harbour, but don't spend hours walking from home to town in that wonderful, almost hypnotised state of mind, seeing and framing pictures.

I am not alarmed as there is plenty of interest and my camera is still by my side at all times, so I get to poach a few shots along the way.

Newquay Harbour

Excerpt from a blog post (17th October):

It had been some time, in fact, way too long! It was essential that I went to Newquay harbour with my camera on this morning.

I actually took two cameras, both light and small enough to be brought along comfortably. My trusty Fujifilm X-pro 3, and the newly acquired Canon 6D with one lens on each camera. There is a saying 'one camera, one lens'.

Fujifilm X-pro 3: XF 27mm f/2.8 R RW
Canon 6D: EF 40mm f/2.8 STM Pancake

As the Fujifilm X-pro 3 has an APS-C crop sensor, the 27mm lens is equivalent to 41mm.

The Canon 6D is a full frame camera so uses all of the 40mm lens.

So between the two cameras and chosen lenses, I had only one focal length to work with, but that is what I wanted. This way I got to practise with the 6D and learn its strengths, while at the same time take similar framed shots with the X-pro 3, so I could review, print, and pay attention to the different look and feel of each of the camera's photographs.

All that aside, it was so good to get down there. It was low tide so I made my way down onto the sand among the fishing boats. I had no real vision of what I wished to capture, I was just enjoying the freedom found with no limits or restrictions.

I had forgotten why I like it down there so much, it is alive, even when quiet. There is the forever ebb and flow of the tide, plus the changing conditions of the North Atlantic – of course all moving within the framework of the seasons. The brutal storms of winter, when many boats are up on the quay for repairs, the summer crowds with tourist tours, fishing charters and water sports, while the local fishermen carry on bringing in the daily catch through it all.

Surfboards & Flames

Another busy month of spraying surfboards. They keep on coming!

A few interesting one’s this month, most noticeably a couple of boards with flames. Not that remarkable in itself, it’s just there haven’t been any for some time now. A bit like buses, there are none and then a few arrive at once.

The 1st surfboard with flames on its journey through the factory was a Pyzel.

Excerpt from blog (20th October):

This is another (flames) spray that has had its moments of being extremely popular, although it has been a while since I have done any, and there are now 2 going through the factory.

The late 80's and into the 90's was a prime time for the flame spray, boosted by the radical surfing and 1989 world champ, Martin 'Pottz' Potter. He had a few distinguishable sprays throughout his career, one being the flame spray, a graphic still available on his surfboards today. No surprise really, they do fit onto boards well, and look fast!

Individuals aside, the flame spray swept through the surfboard industry and every surf shop rack had their share, with all the surfboard labels getting in on the trend.

They do still get asked for, as this week shows. Maybe not swamping the racks, but not forgotten, could almost be considered retro, poised for another sweep.

The 2nd surfboard was with black flames on a NS board.

Another surfboard from last month was a spray that is often asked for, usually in blue and just on the deck. This custom order was in pink and top and bottom.