New Year

We are well and truly into 2012 and it looks like at long last there is going to be a break in the cycle of westerly winds that blight Cornish surfing.
And hurrah for that.

A nice big high pressure is looming into view but she just needs to track north past Portugal and over our fair shores. It'll bring some cold weather thought the winds will be much lighter; definitely lighter than the 100mph gusts that have been wreaking havoc in Scotland and the North and destroying the sandbanks that had been developing on our beaches since Autumn.
Today is the first day in a week that it hasn't rained and there is nothing like getting changed in a damp car park to completely take away any enthusiasm you might have for a winter surf.
When the wind and weather is like what we have had since Christmas then all you can do is drive around hoping that you can find a sheltered cove that will make sense of the swell with cliffs high enough to take the edge off the wind. Then you've just got to steel yourself for the hellish five minute struggle into your wetsuit!

There is a cracking wave that breaks into St Ives harbour (pictured above last April) but it's rare that you get tide, swell and wind all working together for this little beauty to fire up. It almost got going on Tuesday but by the time the tide was right it was dark but at least Praa Sands has offered up a few waves during the week.
I'll keep my fingers crossed for the coming week!