29th December

Weighed myself this morning - 13st dead!! Could I possibly have cracked the magic barrier? Am I getting a little too obsessed?! Don't worry it's all under control. You see there is method to my madness. I reasoned at the end of last season that in the past 12 years everyone's surfing has come on except mine and Janeys - well that's just the price you pay for committing to creating something long standing. So this coming year is my big push. Every year we take on a new goal and okay the new surf lodge in Polzy will be a big one - but the physical challenge is to get myself in the best condition possible for the new season and to then try and maintain it throughout.

So therefore there have been two main goals - shift some weight and get super stretchy with the Yoga. The combo should put me in a good place. Surfing well is then just about committing the time - probably the hardest thing to find. But hopefully with the new staff training measures we'll both be able to free up some time during the day.

Anyway. feel great. Smoothies still main source of breakfast and lunch and manage to fit in 2hrs most days for some training. Then comes the Yoga once the kids and Janey have headed for bed. And still haven't had any chocolate for what seven weeks now - will become much harder as the Cadbury mini egg season nears. God I love them!! And oh for the cash and carry account that allows me to by them by the big box. But no - I will resist! Got some waves to catch afterall!!

28th December

Well yesterday was a good day - my Mum always treats us to the Truro panto and this year we tootled off to see Dick Whittington. Not the strongest panto ever - but the kids loved it!

Mountain biked from Polzeath to the top of Roughtor today with Nick. The boys all joined us for a walk up to the top, once I'd got back to the bottom! It was an end of season treat to buy the mountain bike and cost far more than I'd bargained for when I went into the shop! A Specialised something or other with front suspension and disc brakes (mean anything?) - goes really well. In fact it was a bit of test today to see how far my training had taken me. The last ride I did was the St. Minver circuit at the end of the season and I was knackered. Today felt great though as we cracked on at a fair pace.

Oh dear oh dear oh dear. That's all I'm going to say about the cricket!

25th December

Well that's that for another year - and a good one it was too. All the kids had a cracking day, the Christrmas dinner was superb and Dr. Who was a triumph. The only down side today? Too many chocolate puddings - really tough when you're abstaining! in fact the chocolate was everywhere - but I got through. I think it was the chocolate orange pudding that nearly weakened me. Got to do a bit of training so that was a bonus and recorded my fastest row so far last night. I've also started doing Yoga in the evenings - it's the surf DVD one. Well worth getting. But two days in and I feel like I've been run over by a big chocolate orange. Another session to do tonight - should get easier with practice.

Off to watch the local footie tomorrow. Can't wait for our holiday in a weeks time.

25th December

HAPPY CHRISTMAS EVERYBODY!!

Unbelievably Billy and Fin slept in this morning - well 8am anyway, which is an hour later the usual. They awoke to find that as predicted the reindeers had eaten the apples and Santa had supped on a glass of sherry. Billy ripped through his sack as if it were a race whilst Fin contented himself with studying and giving each and every parcel careful consideration before moving on to the next. The fart machine was an instant hit and Essy the cat seemed to like the hamster in a ball.

Off to meet the rest of family on the beach for football at 11am and then up to the surf lodge for a big Christmas dinner and big presents!

I was sent a copy of James Cracknell and Ben Fogle's book about their row across the Atlantic. Make sure you get to read it. I'm not a great reader - except on holidays but this book was too good to put down. What an awesome adventure. They really went through the mill. They were in the middle of the Atlantic this time last year suffering with a broken down water maker - they really were losing it.

Have a great day. Hope Santa appreciated your years efforts.

20th December

Wow! Have you seen the surf forcast? Looks set to be in the 2-4ft range and offshore - great for everyone coming down on hols for Christmas. I expect it will be very busy.

We're off to Fuerteventura for a couple of weeks at the start of Jan. We've been there heaps of times so know what to expect - looking forward to that. We couldn't decide where to go so I just booked it over the internet one night. Took Janey a few days to come around to the idea, but it was a good deal. Stupot from the Cone Zone will be there for the second week. They've just opened a new waterpark which obviously needs to be checked out. All good holiday destinations need a good waterpark.

Last swim session last night. The team left a card for me with a voucher for the Waterfront. I think I should give all the kids one because I enjoy and look forward to the sessions probably more than they do!! But anyway it was a really sweet gesture and the waterfront is our favourite restaurant. Last time we went I had pan fried crab and got in one hell of a pickle. I thought it would be crab meat, wok fried but in fact it was the whole crab. I couldn't believe it when it came to the table. It was so big it needed it's own seat! I tried to dismantle it but didn't do a very good job. There's plenty of other great dishes to choose from next time though. The scallops are always a winner.

The family have all arrived today. Let chaos rein! Nick, my brother in law works in the city and looks like will enjoy the fruits of a good year with a healthy bonus. Some of us have proper jobs!!!

Letters of supports for the tender are pouring in and we're really touched by them. The efforts that have been made and time taken to draft the letters have been extraordinary - so thanks to you all. We're hoping Prince Charles is going to come on board as it's his land and we're a Prince's Trust business. The Prince's Trust seem positive that he will.

Following a discussion with a number of our senior instructors - next year here's few new things for our clients. High level surfaris from Polzeath beach; hot showers; changing facilities; video and training room on the beach; booking office and administration direct from the beach. Lots to do !

19th December

Here's a few photos of the skate crew. Our last session of the year. They've all come on amazingly this last term. Went to Macdonalds on the way back.

So Christmas is now nearly upon us. My duites at this time are minimal - I think Janey thinks it's probably easiest if she just cracks on. I get to pack the odd pressie and write the odd card. Apart from that, I'm best out the way! Kier, one of the Boardrider dads dropped off a load of fish which was really nice. He's a fisherman from Looe. we got a huge bag of Scallops, smoked salmon and a big pot of crabmeat. Nice. Not sure if it was meant for Christmas but I did raid the fridge last night for a plate of salmon. Kier is one of the team set for Portugal. We booked a couple more on the trip yesterday which takes the final numbers to 22. Can't wait.

A few weeks ago the council put our beach trading licence up for tender. It came as no surprise. We've only ever had a one year rolling licence so to have the opportunity to get a 5 year is great news. Of course it could mean that one of the big boys puts in a bid. But I think that's unlikely. The criteria is very specific and it would be very hard for anyone to fullfil it. We're leaving nothing to chance though and are in the process of compiling a compelling tender. The bottom line is that we're going to be there anyway. The majority of our business is prebooked (80%) so we could just operate as normal and there are real issues with the proposed new site alongside the stream. We'd rather not move.

There's also the possibility that we may not tender. The council have already indicated maximum numbers that they'd like to see on Polzeath beach, so if we're there anyway how could any new surf school possibly justify through their risk assessment or even the council justify selling to allow a third new surf school. Lots of questions to be asked and answered. Clearly the council have a duty to raise money through licence fees, however, this tender is not that simple. We have the full backing of the BSA should we decide that independance is better for us. Of course the other issue is that with the council licence we can't sell the business on - therefore it has limited value. In the long term if we did decide now to operate from private land the business would have a value from day one. Maybe it's time to make that step.

Needless to say nothing will change from a client point of view. We'll continue to offer the highest standards and with Kelly coming back to start with us from Mid March we'll also enjoy a few shifts in coaching focus and approach this coming year. Kelly was understudy to Martin Dunn in New Zealand, recognised by the BSA as the number one coach in the world. So to have Kelly and get the opportunity to hear and see what's come down from the very top is truly enlightening and puts us in a priviledged position.

Last swim session tonight and then squash with the Billyman.

17th December

Working on something now that will be awesome for next year. Really excited about it as it will mean improved facilities for all our clients and maybe a bit of independence!? It's an ongoing project that needs careful planning but has the full support of those in the know. So it's heads down as we enter a phase of graft (again) but hey, do you live to work or work to live?

The family's back from Bristol - they went up to stay with jane's mum for the weekend. Meant I could train and watch the football - oh yes and the cricket. Come on boys, hang in there. You can do it.

Played in a comp at St. Enodoc yesterday - sometimes that course makes you happy to be alive. The views up the estuary are very special.

16th December

it's booked - 16 Boardriders and a team of staff are off to Peniche in Portugal for a week over the Feb half term. Can't wait should be great fun. Looks like an amazing spot.

Organised a trp to the Mount Hawke skate park last night for the Port Issac kids. They want to raise some money for a skate park and I agreed to head it up. However, no one turned up!! Guess there's two ways of thinking about that - either they can't be bothered to make the effort. Or alternatively, they've been let down so many times before that they struggle to get motivated. I'll give them another try in the new year - but they need to make the effort if we're to get something going.

Played tennis last night at the Bodmin club. I used to play a good ganme but rely on one annual appearance to make an impression. The serve is still there but singles shows my inability to rally. The ball either fizzes out or fizzes in.

14th December

Gutted - as you know I've been training really hard - lots of rowing and cross stepping in an attempt to lose some weight and get in top shape for the Boardriders Portugal trip (need to show those kids a thing or two) - and also eating very little. No chocolate and no milk, which for those of you who know me will understand the mental effort to overcome those two! Anyway, to assist my endeavours I purchased some scales through Amazon - which arrived yesterday. So last night I set them up (they do body fat etc) and stripped down to my undies and mounted the scales. My goal has been to lose a stone, from 13st 12lbs. But clearly as you get fitter you also replace fat with lean muscle and muscle is heavier than fat. So the first week is easy peazy -and then it gets a bit tougher.

12st 12lbs - Bingo. Well chuffed. Haven't been that weight for 20 years. That was at 9pm last night. This morning 13st 4lbs!!! What on earth is going on there? I'll keep at it - to be honest I'm challenging myself on the rower and monitoring my progress through that so I'm not too gutted.

I'm off to the funeral of our neighbours Owen and Jamie Truelove this afternoon. You may have read about their glider acccident in New Zealand a month ago. I didn't know Jamie very well but the Dad, Owen was as well as a good neighbour a golfing partner and he introduced me to St. Enodoc - of which I am hugely grateful. Owen was a classic English Gent, a high level commander in the forces, always immaculately dressed. He was someone who's opinion you'd value and listen to. Last year he flew his glider from the UK to New Zealand, a record breaking flight. He was a good man and we'll miss him.

The Carol concert went well the other night. Lots of locals, of all ages. It's good to get everyone together once in a while. Polzeath isn't the greatest place on earth for community life. With so many homes empty during the winter, there's not that many of us anyway!!

During the concert I had to make a quick exit with Julia to go to the Parish Council meeting. Celia and Ian have set about organising a student event down here next June. The plan sounds like a good one and we support it. Just a couple of issues to overcome - but I was really impressed with their credibility as event organisers. Good luck to them.

12th December

It's easy to forget how far things have come since we started back in 1995. As I sit here typing away, none of this technology was available back then. In fact we didn't get a computer until 1997. All the enquiries were answered by hand written letter, invoices the same. No website, no card machine, no mobile phones. Bookings on the beach had to be taken by walking along the road to the Valley Caravan Park. The licence put in place for us to operate and take payment on the beach was formulated in our second year of trading - following a big campaign by our supporters.

But you know - as much as things have developed and moved on, those were good days. Really soulful. Everything seems to happen so much quicker now.

Back when we started, no-one was interested in running surf schools. "it'll never work" was what we constantly heard. And yet 12 years on Surf's Up! has developed into something quite special. There were 11 schools back then, this year there were 70!! So with only the security of a council licence to trade from, we've made a huge move to secure our long term future In Polzeath. I can't say what it is just yet - but it means that Surf's Up! will be here forever! Even better and stronger with training facilities and hot showers right on the beach. Great news for all our clients.

On a project that I'm currently working on I had to work out how many hours it takes to run Boardriders. With an active membership of 220 kids it took 15,000 man hours to staff. On top of running the surf school and lodge - that's some commitment! My hours (700) and Jane, Julia and Tiny's should be added to that figure. I hope the local authorities understand the impact that this club has on the local community. They don't seem that interested at all. The second largest club is at Newquay with 70 members - I think a bit of recognition would be a positive thing.

Tonight I've got a split programme. I'm responsible for publicising the local residents carol concert - that starts at 7pm. The parish council meeting starts at 7.30pm and there's a presentation that I need to be there for. So I may have to curtail my singing for a while, hit the other meeting, then hot foot it back for mince pies and hot chestnuts. I'd rather stay at the council concert - but as I say times have changed - and it's good to keep the finger on the pulse. There's one big bully boy in Polzeath that dislikes the fact that he doesn't have a finger in our pie. Sad really considering all that he has got. You know the sort of bloke that he is ....... all smiles and waves, but you know what he's up to. (ie.doesn't have many friends!) But that's the only downside of living in a small seasonal village. The rest of it is awesome.

9th December

I was trawling through iphoto when I came across the pictures of Carlos Burle. The Brazilian big wave rider (top ten in the world) visited us back in October at the lodge and gave an inspirational talk to the Boardriders. What impressed me most about him was his modesty - no attitude, just a down to earth guy who had a real connection with the kids. Here's a couple of photos of that night.

This photo isn't great but it shows that the place was packed.

Two of our Boardriders, George and Archie - destined for Portugal in Feb, get to meet the big man.

Anyway back to more recent times. Last night I spent time at the Port Isaac school where there was an open meeting regarding the formation of a youth club. This isn't something that I have time to get involved with - but I did offer to head up a committee to get funding for skate park. The frustration for them is that they actually have a site, they just don't have any ramps! So we'll see what we can do about that. I've offered to take a bunch of them to Mount Hawk one evening to get some team bonding going and find out what they'd want - so we'll go from there.

Walked with the kids up ton Roughtor today - very windy and chilly on the top. Quite a trek for the boys - but they made it and around the back, sheltered from the wind we had a great picnic. Here's a photo taken from the very top. The off to Davidstow airfield - a disused world war 2 one - great for trying new manoeuvres in the old shogun with Billy and Fin at the wheel!!

4th December

We'll that was pretty disastrous with the cricket. I'm not a huge cricket fan but I find myself sucked into the Ashes. I watched until about 1am and then switched it back on at 7.30am. It was like being in a time warp. One minute we're certain of at least a draw - and then the next they need only 20 odd runs with 6 overs remaining. Oh dear!

I took the Boardriders to Mount Hawk last night - a huge indoor skate park near Truro. We make a weekly pilgrimage with 20 local kids - and it's the best night of the week. Billy and Fin are big skate fans, so it's no hardship to take them all and we always have great fun in the minibus on the way. Some of the boys are getting quite good. All of the younger ones can drop in on the 4ft half pipe and the older ones take on the vert which is 12ft. Briiliant cross training for surfing.

Wednesday night is swim training with the Boardriders. Loads of board races and underwater training. Great fun.

Now for my big news of the week. This past season was all about too much work and not enough play - and that makes for a fat boy. I love training and it's been great to get back into it. So anyway having been on the rower and cross trainer for the best part of 4 weeks, I've lost over 10lbs. Well chuffed with that - and feel not far off my fighting weight. A few years ago when I got super fit, I followed the Mari Wilson Pilates course - you buy the DVD off one of the SKY sales channels. I've started doing that again in the evenings. Brilliant for core strength and flexibility. I highly recommend it.

Aussie Mick from Perth has just texted about the cricket. Didn't take him long!

Still wet and windy down here. Mild, but wet and windy. Surf's been big.

28th November

I'm back!! There's a direct collelation between the last entry and the busyness of the summer period. It was in short one hell of a year. Superb weather, combined with good surf - I expect that most people went home having enjoyed a very worthwhile trip. I'm going to get back into updating this page regularly - so rather than write the whole seasons events in one go, I'll do it bit by bit.

So what's happening down on the beach right now. I've got a few priorities - we're taking the Boardriders on a trip to Portugal over the Feb half term - so that needs a lot of organising. Julia has been taken on full time now - she'll be a huge help with stuff like this. Unlike me, she's super organised!

Boardriders continues to function over the winter period. We take 20 of them to Mount Hawk, a huge indoor skate park near Truro, every Monday. And on Wednesday we put them through their paces in the pool at Roserrow. There's been 220 active members this year - a massive task to staff and manage - but well worthwhile. I always look forward to their sessions.

As for me ? I'm back on the keep fit trail. All work and no play over the past few months left a visible imprint on my belly. Big wave surfer Carlos Burle , who visited the surf lodge back in October told us about his eating regime. And I've taken it on. Basically it means downing lots of smoothies - this is the winner - 3 bananas, 3 raw eggs, bio yoghurt, honey, ginger and seeds. My own recipe includes the addition of cod liver oil - but that's an age thing!! I have that for breakfast and dinner. I have to say that three weeks in, I feel great! I combine that with a couple hours training a day - mainly on the rower and cross trainer - in the hope that next year I'll actually get the opportunity to go surfing!!

Lots happening this end business wise. I'll keep you posted. One things for sure though, our New Zealand coach who joined us at the back end of this year to train the high level boardriders is back here from march - look out for some high level courses for the more advanced surfers and a few changes at the lower end to speed up progression, from ideas from the other side of the world!

21st June

I can't believe how time has flown by over the past week! So sorry for the delay in updating this page. I've just ordered a new laptop so that I can update on the beach when I'm doing bookings - so that make it easier to keep on top of it.

There's been a lot going on - some I can talk about and some I can't. First things first - the photos for the calendar are now in the can. The last ones were taken at high tide in the evening, much to the amusement of Dr. Sainsbury and his daughter Sophie. We thought we'd been very discreet but obviously not! To be honest, there really wasn't much to see - the waters still quite cold.

Surf's Up! is set to host the World Swellboarding Championships on the 8th/9th September - a big event that should enable us to raise more funds for the Boardriders club. Check out the events page.

Billyman has been doing his thing on the race track at sportsday - I had to attend a meeting beforehand and the chap turned up 20 minutes late - I missed Billy's race by 10 minutes - gutted or what! But I did get to see his race at the fun run on the weekend. It should also be noted that I didn't get a fathers day card - which I was a bit gutted about. This is a busy time for the surf school with lots going on and sometimes the little things get forgotten - it the same wiith birthdays. Both mine and Janeys fall at busy times and you get used to them being just another day. We make up for it in the winter break.

Boardriders after school sessions are rocking and rolling with 210 active members. The after-surf Barbies are proving a hit.Here's some photos from a recent Boardriders session. Hard to believe that some of these kids only started surfing properly last year!

8th June

I'm struggling to come to terms with the fact that I went wakeboarding today - but didn't actually get up! In fact, I was so useless at the getting to the standing position bit - that the handle snapped in two as I held on deep beneath the Camel Estuary!! So it wasn't through a lack of trying! I'm hoping to get a dredging fee from the harbour commission!

Janey got up first time though - so that was well cool. And our instructors, Archie, Harry and Jake - all Boardriders - showed us how it was meant to be done. Thanks to Captain Mark and Able Seaman Amanda who masterfully commanded the boat and caught the offending broken handles as they flew passed the boat! Billy and Fin steered us safely back to shore.

It's not often we get to leave the beach as a family during the season - so it was a wonderful break to have during this flat spell. Big thanks to the Woodwards.

We're up early again tomorrow morning to get the last of the calendar shots done and dusted. A small wave is supposed to come in which could be perfect for our needs. No spectators though!

5th June

Surf's Up! Boardrider calendar shoot going well!

4th June

Pretty tough day one way or another. Both Gem and Tiny had the day off by mistake and that meant that all the phone calls came through to me - which is great unless you're driving around the cornish roads. No point in trying to do other jobs.

Great night tonight - tiny surf, but the Boardriders went for a paddle to the secret cave and then we had an impromptu BBQ. Harry was the chef de partie and Fee raised the food quality with some fine chicken skewers. Put our burgers and square bread to shame.

I had a meeting with The Polzeath Surf Lifesaving Club tonight and we've decided to have a joint beach bash on Saturday 24th June with races and BBQ. More news on the events page. Although our clubs both operate in the same place in the sea - we enjoy very different sports. However, it's vital that between us we look to safeguard all those who enjoy the surf. With that in mind, all Boardriders will have the opportunity in the summer to be part of the beach patrol team to assist the lifeguards.

The staff are somewhat apprehensive about the next two days as we begin the naked Surf's Up! 2007 calendar. I know it's been done a thousand times before but if we can raise some money for the Boardriders club then all to the good. I'm sure that some of our clients would buy one as well. Most people like to take something home to remind them of their time at Polzeath.

Anyway we've been running through some poses. Dress code is - one sock!! Cheryl's taking the photos!! Can't wait to see the finished product.

3rd June

1st update

Sorry - it's been so busy and and the weather so fantastic that it's been a struggle to tear myself away from the beach to update 'today's news'. I'm here now though and feeling a bit guilty for missing a few days.

Well that was the Whitsun holiday - cold at the start but Polzeath at it's very best by the end of the week. Janey's birthday was on Friday - traditionally we celebrate this with a rousing sing song. The birthday girl has to take her place in the middle of the instructor circle, whilst we belt out a few good hits such as 'happy birthday' and 'for she's a jolly good fellow.' And much to our surprise, we were in tune. Gem made a bithday card for her - this was the piccy on the front.

I managed a few hours off the beach this morning - the surf has gone very small - and took the boys to watch some banger racing. I think I enjoyed it more than they did! Got back for a quick surf and then caught up with Ben and Nigel, clients from our first year - who were passing through. Nigel's a train driver at Southampton and Ben, who's my aged, has retired and now studies for a hobby!! They were both undercover cops when we first met - that hasn't come out quite right has it?

Amanda has promised to take Janey and me wakeboarding on Thursday. Can't wait - should show those younguns a trick or too!

We're well down the line on organising the next Boardrider trips to France over the October half term - and we've come up with a wicked way to fund it! More on that at a later date. If I had my way - all the money we make from the surf school would go towards the boardriders and we'd take them all, all around the world! That's a dream - one day maybe. I'll work on it.

2nd update

I'm back on the beach again now - sat in mission control. It's normally a great view from here, but for some reason I've parked the minibus directly in line with the sea! Kelly whip is just leaving the beach, the windbreaks have all but disappeared and TJ's is just about ready to close up for the day. Dr. Sainsbury and his family are walking their boards back up the beach - they're always here. Mind you, there were lots of Boardriders on the beach today. Archie, George and Harry didn't believe that I was on the beach every morning at 7.15am - so this morning they tested me out and tried to beat me. How disappointed they must have been to have cycled all that way and yet still arrived second. Still so much to learn!

28th May

It's easy to forget during a weekend like we've just had, what it was like when we first started back in 1995. I remember pulling onto the beach in our white honda civic, a small tatty tralier with 12 boards and 25 wetsuits towing behind. In those days we used to park the trailer in long ways so that it opened up onto the grassy bank - and money for the lessons had to be taken by walking across the road to the entrance of the Valley Caravan Park. We didn't have permission to take money on the beach then - a licence for that didn't exist - that came the following year.

Myself and Janey did all the lessons - side by side - loving every minute of it. We'd close up the trailer and put a note on the car door to say that we'd be 'back at 12.30am'. There was no one to take bookings. Help didn't come for another two years.

This morning I taught a group of seven aspiring world surf champs - none of them were born when I took my first lesson at Polzeath. I reflected on that thought during the lesson. I wonder what you were doing 14 years ago when I taught my first group at Widemouth Bay? I shall never forget the first time I assisted an instructor during a surf lesson. I was working for Outdoor Adventure and Janey (who'd been there for 6 years and was an old hand at this) told me that I'd be helping her that day. "Go around the back and grab a bright coloured top and meet me in the minibus in 5 mins". It was a 2 minute drive to the beach from the centre. Janey got the group changed and to the water's edge whilst I stayed to lock up the minibus up.

I did my duties and ran down to the water's edge - really, really excited. I couldn't wait to help with my first surf lesson. Janey's face lit up as I approached the surf. "What on earth are you wearing?" she laughed. I looked down at the ripped orange oil skin jacket with the long arms (one you'd wear on an oil rig!) and then noted that Janey was modeliing an altogether different number. "On no!" I couldn't believe it. Back at the centre there were two racks of coloured jackets - one for cags for surf coaching and the other for walking or doing jobs in extreme conditions. In my excitement I'd gone for the latter.

I spent the next two hours as a left hand marker, whistling and helping the surfers stay in the channel whilst Janey did the instructing. I must have looked a right banana. But I remember that lesson as if it were today - not just because of the jacket fiasco - but because it was the most fun thing I'd ever done. I still feel the same today.

So as I taught Izzy, Katie, Laura, Max, Emma, Anna and Nick this morning I paused to reflect that I must hold a few records. I must have spent more hours than anyone in the history of Polzeath standing waist deep in the water; taught more people than anyone at Polzeath (possibly in the UK?); and spent more hours on the beach at Polzeath than anyone. Ru made me laugh the other day "I must have taught about the same number of people as you by now" - "er, Monkey Boy. I think you probably need to do another 6 years before we have this conversation!" How quickly they forget!

Colin Brim our first ever Surf's Up! client, is still a client - except he no longer comes on his own - now he comes with his kids.

I'm going to have small moan now - I get down to the beach at about 7.30am. It's without doubt the best time of the day and it's a privilege to be on the beach and enjoy the peace and quiet before the melee. I love listening to the sea and the seagulls. It's fantastic. Why or why then do people pull onto the beach with their music playing and assume that everyone else would much prefer to listen to what they've got on. We've a persistent offender on Polzy, who rocks up at about 8.30am and thinks we want to listen to his music so much that he'll even leave it on with the doors of his truck wide open whilst he goes and gets a coffee! Turn it off loser!! I may be forced to buy him an i-pod!

26th May

Another eventful day. Hoodies and DVD's all arrived and yes, it rained again! I'm off to Newquay airport to pick up my mate Adrian and his mates who're staying at the lodge. Then off to Trelights to drop off some auction prizes for the Quinnian Trust. The trust raises money for local kids projects and they're keen to support the Boardriders. James Cracknell has very kindly signed the rash vest he wore to paddle across the channel in - hopefully we'll get a few bids on that. Here's Alice - one of our pluckiest Boardriders. Nothing stops her from surfing! Good on ya, Alice.

No planes coming in tonight - too much fog!! Oh well, saved me a journey!

25th May

The sun shone - well for a while anyway - and it was great! 2-3ft surf light winds, not classic but a vast improvement on the last couple of days. A batch of new soft boards arrived for the Boardriders tonight so that's all good and a few of the Boardriders arrived for the beach footie with their own new boards. Here's Harrry below with the fish that he won at an earlier Boardrider comp. And Sam and James with theirs.

Gem has told me tonight that even with Tiny working, the two of them cannot deal with the level of bookings being taken at the moment. A nice problem to have! The lodge courses have really taken off this year and there aren't many places left. The lodge is an amazing place to stay so I'm not surprised - but as with the surf school, we like to grow through reputation. It can be a slower way to develop but it does ensure a strong, loyal clientbase.

It's that time of year when last years accounts come through. Janey will tell you that I never ever look at the figures - I couldn't tell you what the surf school income is. She understands that. My motivation is to ensure that everyone enjoys their surfing. It's probably why the surf school runs so well. I'd rather give the instructors time off to go surfing than go in myself. What a martyr!! But it gives me as much pleasure watching others progress than spending time advancing my own skills. Surf's Up! is definitely a labour of love and even on a day like yesterday when it poured all day - the beach is where I need to be.

I left school with few qualifications. 4 'O' levels and 2 'A's and the only thing my career advisor could recommend was journalism! Things must have been bad. However I had dreams and I caught the train up to Fort William to embark on a 3 month course to become a deep sea diver. I became the youngest qualified deep sea diver at the time. It was a tough course. There I was, a naive 18 yr old, working alongside and supporting Ex Paras and Orkney Island scallop divers. Real men with real life experience. One para got the bends whilst we decompressed in a dry chamber - just me and him in a metal tube. The deal was this - following a short dive at 165ft there were two options - hang on the end of a rope for a few hours to decompress. Or come up on the rope, hand over hand to the surface. At which point you had 30 seconds to strip off all your gear, get in the metal chamber and get zapped back down to a depth of 165ft. You couldn't be out on your timing or your body would start to do stange things. This former special services chap started shaking violently when I was with him. We spent hours in that chamber, ever so slowly decompressing until eventually the pressure equalised and the door lock released. It was difficult to tell whether he'd suffered any long term mental damage, 'cause he was nuts in the first place. On one occassion he accused me of nicking his woolly socks. I hadn't, but I quickly decided that it would be best if the 6ft 4' ex special forces man, had mine.

The oil industry collapsed on the day I quailified and all but the most experienced were laid off. I didn't have a hope of finding work despite a chap called Charlie Brown from three W's promising - "I've got a contract coming up for Kark Island in the Gulf. Give me a call next week". I gave up calling him after six months.

It was shortly after this that needing income I got work for an insurance sales company in London, and then eighteen months later got transferred to Bristol. I originally thought I'd got a job trading stocks and shares but it wasn't like that at all. Commission only and telephone driven, it was a tough way to earn a living and had it not been for the great team spirit I would have left three years earlier. I remember one day having a particularly bad day - I had a flat that's value was spiralling downwards, a mortgage rate that was spiralling out of control and a rubbish job with no guaranteed income. I was broke. But I did have a car full of petrol and a credit card with enough credit on it to fill up the car one more time. On this particularly bad day, I got in the car and just decided to drive. I drove in no particular direction with no timescale in mind. I just followed the road. Some hours later, I arrived at the end of the world - or as we now know it, Newquay!! It was cold and so misty that I couldn't see the surf. It must have been flat. But it didn't matter. I knew that this was where I wanted to be - I just had to work out a way to get there.

It would have been a year later, following a brief stint by the sea in Montrose, Scotland that I left for a course at Outdoor Adventure in Bude in 1992. Heavily into wave sailing I needed some top tips. That's where I met Janey. She was going out with my boss at the time! And here's another true story. I knew that I'd spend the rest of my life with Janey having only spoken to her on the phone about the course. We got engaged 6 months after meeting and I still remind her on a daliy basis how lucky she is!! We got married two weeks before starting the surf school on Polzeath Beach - a place where we knew no-one.

So there you go - a bit about my life. Not that anyone's interested!

Now about Shevaz (shebaz) on Big Brother. I know he may have been a different and difficult character to live with - but they were pretty horrible to him. He clearly has issues. Why didn't someone in the house stand up and stop the bullying - despite his front he's obviously fragile. I'm gutted that he's gone. He's the sort of person that could have had a really positive experience in the house - a bit of therapy. And what's his story? Why is he like he is? I reckon they let him down. I hope somewhere down the line he gets another chance.

And here's another thing. If you were in the house, wouldn't you invent some games to keep yourself busy? No wonder they're going nuts! They don't actually do anything!!

24th May

Well there's nothing much to say about today - except that it's rained pretty well non stop. Even my Finisterre jacket has been penetrated and I write this in my only dry bit of clothing. My x-large boxer shorts! X-large because that's what janey's mum buys me for Christmas. I'll leave that one with you!

Despite the rain it's been a good day - Gem has been very busy in the office. Two hundred copies of the Boardrider DVD are on the press as we speak, the hoodies are on the press as we speak and the Boardrider membership cards are about to go through the printer - well they will do once I've finished up here!

I've got an interesting meeting tomorrow morning. Can't say anymore at the moment, but I'll let you know how it goes. So in the piccy above that was my view from mission control today. And below is a wet and cold Chloe - I know how she feels.

Todays dilemma - now that Shebaz is out, are we safer in or out of the Big Brother House?

23rd May

3ft Fresh Southerly - bit messy, but good for beginners and improvers!

Boardriders tonight. I was so proud of Alice Mudd today. Alice hasn't found the surfing easy and it makes it doubly tough when all your mates do. This afternoon during her boardrider session she came out about half way through. She was trying to be brave, but I could see that there'd been a few tears between the water's edge and the trailer.

There wasn't much going on at the time and I was able to have a bit of a heart to heart. What a lovely young lady she is and I was really pleased to have the opportunity to find out a bit more about her. During our chat we hatched a plan to crack the surfing. A bit later on I had to tend to an enquiry and sat in mission control to explain to the enquiree what time our lessons were. Out of the corner of my eye I caught sight of Alice - not packing her things away, but heading back down to the beach with a surf board under her arm. Turns our when she got back into the surf she stood up on 3 waves within the 5 minutes left of the lesson. Good on you Alice - I'm really proud of you. Not only did you take it on again, but you produced your best surfing ever. You may not technically be the best surfer yet - but you've got the surfer spirit - and that's just as important.

So Groms - sometimes achieving goals can be tough. And you'll need to be tough sometimes to make the break through. Relish the challenge. And remember, whether we have a good day or bad day is often more about how we think about things rather than about what is actually happening

Here's a few snaps

Went to the Polzeath Residents association meeting tonight (I'm membership secretary!) - nearly forgot to go and arrived 20 minutes late. Got back in time to read Fin a story - I really don't get to see enough of the kids at this time of year.The winters barely make up for it. Our cat Ezzy has gone missing so off to have a look for her - might see her on way down to do the trailer.

Found Ezzy on the way to do the trailer!!

22nd May

Here's our two beautiful administrators - Gem (foreground) and Tiny (background) - who've basically got my life back together. Trying to deal with all the enquiries myself was a bad plan but now systems have been put in place and everything is working like a well oiled machine. If you need anything done - contact them, not me - I see myself as the big picture man - and detail is not my thing!! They're good surfers so they know what they're talking about. They're doing a brilliant job and working really hard. I must let the team of the beach know what a good job they're doing.

If you rang or sent an e-mail, here they are in action earlier today. That's the big green file they've put together of jobs for me to do when I get back from the beach!! Thanks girls!

We had a truly horrible day on the beach today. Too windy to run the morning lesson, but just about okay for the Boardriders this evening. Our Wadebridge crew stayed at Polzy whilst the 'A" team headed for some great surf at Harlyn. Hats off to all of them for sticking it out.

Put in a huge Boardriders hoodie order - should be with us by Friday. The DVD's should be here by Wednesday.

Check out the events page for 'World Cup Beach Soccer' on Thursday!!

21st May

Just a quickie - Charlie put up the rack in the clubhouse today - great job. He's normally used to crafting the finest grand father clocks. Following an intensive interview process, we gave him the job! Boardriders really appreciates all the help from the mums and dads and this was another example of the parents getting stuck in.

Apparently Archie's just left a greeny on the window so I'm off to sort him out.........

Boardriders doing bookings - there are some days when working on the beach is a privilege and a pleasure.

20th May

Well we had a really great time at the cinema this morning. We hired it out for a private showing of the Boardriders trip to Brittany. I'm sure those went on the trip were chuffed to see themselves on the big screen - and those who didn't make the trip were hopefully inspired to come on the next one. I was trying to calculate how long it had actually taken to transform the four and a half hours of video into a 17 minute DVD - I reckon about 80 hrs - Janey thinks longer! But it was worth it. All of the Boardriders will get their own copy on Wednesday.

We presented five of the boardriders with their own custom surfboards in recognition of competition wins or fundraising efforts.

Pat and Harry won boards but they haven't been made quite yet.

Here's Georgina and Jack with their new boards.

And here's George with his new stick.

It was a day for George's as here's our youngest Boardrider - Georgie - Oli (instructor) and Tiny (our new secretary's) new arrival. She's a gorgeous little thing and becoming quite used to the beach scene.

It was a great turn out at the cinema with over 70 boardriders there to see the film

Back on the beach it was another windy day but it was busy in the morning with a couple of groups. Much of the same tomorrow I think. James and I went for the keepy uppy record, but he needs to concentrate more if he's to be classed in the same bracket as myself and Ru (the current record holders - 142 passes without the ball touching the ground.) These younsters need to learn some respect!! I may be 40 this year but I can still play a mean keepy uppy.

Currently bidding for a projector on ebay so that we can show DVD's in the clubhouse and also look at doing some regular video analysis during the Boardrider sessions. Bidding ends tomorrow - wish me luck!

19th May, 2006

Well it's just been one of those weeks! You know the sort of week, when everything looks pretty straightforward at the start, but it all goes pear shaped and by Friday your rushing around trying to pull it altogether!

My biggest job this week has been to edit the video footage of our Boardriders trip to Brittany last February and put it onto DVD. We're showing it tomorrow at the local cinema - so the pressure's been on. I've been trawling through the four and a half hours of footage and have finally got it down to 17mins. I'm pretty pleased with that and having seen the final production at a private viewing this morning, I reckon the kids are going to love it.

My task would have been easier had my Mac Powerbook co-operated at the 'create iDVD' stage! It decided that it didn't have enough memory and ground to a halt after two hours - twice. I think Janey swapping the plug over from external hard drive power source to toaster, may have had something to do with it. But hey the kids got their breakfast and she seemed delighted that the kids made it to school on time, oblivious to my faint sobs in the corner. I guess I can't have everything.

My normal evening routine is to walk down to the beach at 10pmish and drive the trailer off the beach. On Wednesday, however, the Landy didn't want to go - and it wasn't until after 2am having towed her around the beach car park on the end of the RAC truck towrope to a chorus of back fires that pierced through the still night, that she eventually decided to go. Confident that she would start up last night, I left it late again. Janey wasn't too pleased when I asked her to get out of bed to assist with the rescue attempt. It didn't seem appropriate to remind her of the toaster incident the day before - not whilst her nightie was getting wet. Having taken in the technical training I'd had from the RAC man the night before, we laid down some doughnuts on the sand until the landy sprang to life once more. I put some petrol in her early this morning and she seems much better!!! Much less stuttery!

Today's been wet. The surf's been big and messy - but I have managed to complete my jobs for the week. Ru's girlfriend Gem has recently taken on the role of Surf's Up! administrator and that's taken a huge slice of work off my shoulders. With 100 e-mails and what seems like thousands of phone calls to deal with a day, there was no way I could keep on top of it. Tiny helps with all the admin for the Boardriders club - that's a great help. So I'm surrounded by three beautiful women, all keen to please - life all of a sudden just got so much better!!

Speaking of Boadriders - the usual crew turned up for the Friday session. Their cheerfulness bringing a bit of light to an otherwise dreary beach day. They're all looking forward to the film tomorrow. We're going to hand out a few custom surfboards to competition winners whilst we're all together in one room - so that should be fun.

Took the wise precaution of doing the trailer early tonight. Went like a dream.

Off for a bit of rough and tumble now with Billy and Fin on the bed. Janey loves it when I calm the kids down just before bedtime!! Still wet and windy outside - better check the forecast for the morning.

24th March

Today saw me make a trip to join the boys and Janey at Butlins in Minehead. Thank goodness she opted for the deluxe accommodation - apparently the rating system is done on flea size. What do they call non-deluxe - the trenches? Only three doors down from some mentalists, Janey had endured a long night of alcohol induced noise. I arrived to find them all in the pool and immediately set to work testing out the tube rides with Billy. The Space Bowl was great and I'm pretty sure I set the record for number of internal revolutions - 7 in total (It's a Dads duty to be the best tube rider). Had the queues moved along a bit quicker I would have had another crack, but the duty lifeguards, with a combined IQ of minus eight, were taking health and safety to another level. Not content with seeing the riders clear the pool in the monitors, it seemed like they waited until the riders had showered and towel dried themselves off as well. If there were more than two in the queue, it was best to cut your loses, go away and come back later. That gave the team time to work out how the chain worked.

I hadn't been to a Butlins for 33 years - the next gap will be longer. In fact I may die before the next opportunity comes along. There were a few things that I remembered from my previous visit - the stains on the sheets, poo in the jacuzzi. But to be honest it's great for the kids with lots to do to keep them entertained, just dirty and noisy. Having said that, I love people watching, and with 5,000 people on site, there was no shortage of that.

The reason for being there was for Billy and Fin to see Chico - what time is it? Big Pop Idol fans, they were to be treated to not only Chico but Journey South and Ben (the long haired one). The show started at 7pm in a venue similar to a huge pub, only the floor was stickier. I settled on the dance floor in front of the main stage with Billy and Fin, whilst Janey and her parents settled in for the night at the back. A chap in a red coat on speed got the show going by introducing a DJ - he then introduced a human beat box group. Now they were special. Whilst all this was going on the young guns on the dance floor in front of us were putting on a show of their own. Let's just say that we saw more grinding in half an hour than I saw in 3 years of 'O' level metalwork. We were never that advanced.

And then it was the turn of Journey South. Billy and Fin at this point had hot footed it back to Janey and so there I stood alone, a good 18 inches taller than the next tallest when the brothers came on stage. This was not good. The brothers seemed pleased to see an adult fan at the front! They looked at me, smiled and gave me the big thumbs up. "No, no, no" I mouthed and shook my head, but before I could move my lips to say, "you've got it all wrong. My kids have run to the back to see their Mum", they were off on a rendition of Angels. I'd been let down badly.

Anyway, here's the thing. Chico didn't get on stage until 10.15pm!! Most of the kids had gone back to their apartments by this time to flick the fleas off their beds. Fin was conked out at the back of the hall. But Billy was just about hanging in there. On comes Chico. "What time is it?" "It's too bloody late, that's what time it is. The kids have all gone, the clocks go forward in a few hours...... what time do you make it?". By this time I was back on the road headed for another night home alone. A night of 'Deluxe' accommodation at Butlins or a long drive through the night? It was a tough call.

24th March (the morning after the night before)

With Janey away with the kids (more on that later) a sense of peace prevailed back at home. As much as I love my family, the ocassional night in on your own can be seen as a rare treat. So what did I have in store? A ready meal for one followed by a slob in front of the telly followed by a hot deep soak in the bath. Bliss. Part one went well - a steak dish thing with a potato /cabbage thing. Not bad. This was followed by a cold Lindt chocolate bunny with thick ears. Part two of the plan, also went well. American Idol was a success and I sang heartily in just my underpants safe in the knowledge that no-one could see or hear me. At midnight, the bath was run. Deep, steamy and foamy. I removed my underpants and slowly lowered myself in. Fantastic - on the hot limit - but as Billy would say "just right on the tenticles". I sat back, closed my eyes and listened to the sweet sound of ....... Frankie the cat projectile vomitting in the bathroom doorway. Try as I might to ignore the incident, the smell and sight of the dark mound was too significant. There's only so many times you can retch before the ambience is compromised. I mopped up the offence with several 'easywipes', the lump consistency proving helpful. The smell however, kept the retching going until the internal offering was washed from my hands (Easywipe too small - bit of overspill). So much for a good plan.

23rd March

Here's the new Surf's Up! Bunkhouse - right on the beach, within touching distance of the surf school. Sleeps 14. Awesome location. Prices same as for the Lodge. In this first picture, the accommodation is above the cafe.

And here's the view from the Bunkhouse. Couldn't be handier for the beach. Anyone interested in staying should get in touch now. Renovations are about to take place, but as soon as they're done, the new brochure will be fired out. Get in their early to guarantee your spot.

This photo below is taken from behind the Bunkhouse. The room on the left will be the high tech. training room for video analysis and lectures for anyone either staying at the Bunkhouse or on a Surf's Up! Extreme course.

Just to recap - the Surf's Up! Extreme courses are the intensive training option including surfaris to other beaches on the North or South Cornish coast. Particularly focused on those who can catch unbroken waves.

22nd March

Ah yes the Piri, Piri? Well it had to reappear at some stage. It's now my arse that's in the ice bucket!! Shan't be buying that again!

Spent the whole day in front of the computer (on a doughnut cushion) - had to hit a printing deadline. Got to St. Austell just in time. We spread our work between Quill in Wadebridge and St. Austell Printers. Both do a fine job.

Janey's taking the boys up to Minehead this weekend to see Chico. How things change when you have kids. My mate Mac is sweating because his missus is just about to give birth. Think he's a bit worried about the change. The thing is the change is unimaginable - no more 'me' time. But although the 'me' time is something you may cherish, from the birth onwards life just gets better. The lack of 'Me' time is a good thing.

Some doggie keeps pooing on our front lawn. Time to get the cymbals out. If they don't scare the dog, at least it will get the owners out the front door to see what the commotion is. A little while back Fin came running back into the house covered from head to toe in dog poo - on his hands, everywhere. Not on. Need to catch the culprit in action! I know, I'll leave out the Piri Piri! Burn doggie arse, burn!

21st March (pm)

Anyone tried the Marks and Sparks Chicken Piri Piri? - man alive!! I stopped eating when my tonsils started to bleed. Far, far too hot. Too many chillies. Had to put my face in a bucket of ice cold water to cool my ears!

Good day. Four meetings turned into six - most productive, some a complete waste of time. Dunky had his first induction under the new regime - I think it's going to work well. Much clearer definition of roles and expectations.

Janey and Julia held the first interview for an additional admin post. I think we've found someone quite special. The policy to surround ourselves with people who have a much higher skill and expertise level in certain areas than us will I know reap rewards in the future. The office team is becoming quite formidible and their support wiil allow us to pursue new projects with confidence. Myself and Janey have done this for years on our own so this is a very exciting development.

Took Billy and Fin for a few holes up at Roserrow. Billy has never forgotten the time I cornered to fast and lost him out the side of the buggy. Didn't realise for a good 100 yds. He was only four at the time - he really should move on!! Mind you he whacks the ball like a good un'. Fin runs along, covering huge distances for his little legs, occasionally connecting with the ball. He wore Billy's old golf shoes tonight - very proud, but they were a tad too big.

Project with Finisterre set to rock the surfing world!! I cannot say anymore at the moment ....... except that once the 'Foundation' gets going, the impact will be huge.

Off to stick my head in the freezer. Will my throat ever be the same again?

Also off to watch my favourite TV programme of all time (apart from Top Gear) - Great Food Live (sky 259) - love Jeni Barnett - legend presenter. Still wading through The Master Strategist - great, great bathtime read.

21st March

Did I mention that we've bought a new place at Polzeath and that we're turning it into a new surf lodge. It's above the Galleon cafe on the beach. What a location - roll out of bed and into the surf. We can sleep 14 in bunk accommodation and it will be ready for guests from the end of April. Having just been given the keys we can set about making the necessary improvements - meeting the builders there today. Just a bit of cosmetic work for the moment and then a full on make over next winter. Will be awesome.

It also means that we'll be moving the office down to the beach. There's a separate annexe for that very purpose. Much better than keeping everything in the Landy and all the admin staff will be right there on site. The instructors will have access to the kitchen for lunch and the lounge for watching their surfing DVD's. So it will be much better for them as well. Can't wait to get started.

Today is another day full of meetings - four in total and then up for swimming with Boardriders. Busy day.

Billy and Fin - Comic Relief day. Top Tip - never eat candy floss on a roller coaster.

20th March

Can I for one last time mention the paddle across the channel? These photos were sent through to me today by the Access Sport boys. Really should move on.

Nearly got done by an internet scam today!! Had an enquiry from a Rev. Vincent wanting to book his family of 6 into the surf lodge for a ten day break. All sounded fine until it came to payment. He wanted to pay us £6,000, £5,000 of which we'd the pay directly to a travel company for their flights and keep £1,000 as a deposit. Just didn't sound right so I did a quick search on the internet and found out that in 2004 The Scotsman did an article on this very scam. The wonders of the internet - or should I say the two sides of the internet. One for information, the other for fraud. Turns out that the credit card would be stolen and that the booking would be cancelled after a few days in the hope that the money would be refunded into a different account.

Good job we're one step ahead. So Rev Vincent - sorry that things are so bad for you, that you feel the need to rip off others. Tear the stolen cards up and move on, dude.

Scandal and intrigue at the BSA. Pete Urquhart has left?! No longer at surfing HQ - surely not!

Spent the day at Finisterre HQ down at St. Agnes. Those boys are doing a great job and making some unreal clothes. What I like about their brand is that they're really focused on making amazingly functional jackets and layers specifically for surfers. Stuff that you slip on after surfing. Probably the first brand to ever do that. They're not bothered about making loads of money, just driven by making quality gear. And that's a refreshing change from the big brand mentality where profit is king.

I always go down there for a pasty and a brain storming session. And you can't help but come away feeling good. I'm sure it works both ways. Tom the boss has been a mate for many years, in fact we started surf coaching at about the same time, and we have a good support network between us. Ernie, is just a nutter from Canada.

Anyway what we chatted about was the Boardriders club - and I'm certain that we'll have some news to release in the near future. The think tank was on fire today!!

18th March

Mother's Day - whoops, forgot to organise flowers for my Mum. Best put a call in. I've got a cool Mum - kind of hangs in the background, always there for support. Love her loads.

Not sure what we'll do for Janey today. Go for a nice walk somewhere I think.

17th March

Back on the beach for a lesson today. Just a dry run getting ready for the real start. Still enjoy coaching after 16 yrs.

Greylord pooped in to say hello. I really like Greylord. Last year he worked so hard for us - so hard that when it came to the peak season he went down injured. We'd never had that before and it took a bit of jiggling around to find the best compromise for all of us.

We'd really like him to come back again this year as he's the sort of guy you could pencil in for bigger and better things in the long term. He's got into Oxford Brooks starting in September to study Health, fitness and nutrition - not convinced that's what we really wants to do though. Trouble with our business is finding quality people that are happy with seasonal work. We've always been very lucky. Plans in the pipeline will lengthen the season for many of them, so we'll see where that takes us.

16th March

Had to laugh - played mixed doubles in a comic relief tennis match at Bodmin with Harriet. Despite the strength of the comp we managed to win a match, much to our surprise. After the game we said our goodbyes and headed for the car park. In the middle of the car park someone had left their car backed up right against the fence in the middle of the road. Turns out it was my car. The hand brake very occassionally slips if you don't put it fully on and the car will inch by inch move down hill! I first discovered this at Newquay during a similar incident.

Anyway the car had moved some 100 yds through the car park, past all the other cars and rested against the fence. There was no damage to either the car or fence (slightly different angle) but it must have been close to running into the other cars.

15th March

Another crazy day in the Surf's Up! world.

14th March

Our days just seem to get crazier! This morning we had a meeting with the council - the official hand over of the new 5 yr licence. And that was great. We've had a chequered history with the NCDC over the years - my passion and experience battling against their procedures and wads of paperwork. But recently I think I've learned to deal with the issues without shouting.

We had a very positive meeting and everything is in order for the new season. They even agreed to allow us to continue operating from the same site ( on the understanding that we prove that we can manage our groups away from the car park exit) - which to us was good news.

What we also found out at the meeting was who had bid for the licence. Now bear in mind that this was a licence that we put together in 1996 with the council, when enquiries were dealt with by pen and paper, money was taken across the road and myself and Janey were still to take on our first employee (that happened in 1997 - good old Emmie). It's been an amazing journey, but not always easy. Recent years have seen us with a staff of 25; managing some 20,000 people a year through the surf school without serious injury; looking after the needs of 220 Boardriders (and 440 parents!), and running a surf lodge that sleeps up to 20 and all that that entails. Since 1997 when Emmie started, we've employed many staff and enjoyed a retention rate far higher than the norm in a notoriously transient and seasonal industry - all of whom remain great friends and stay in contact on a regular basis. A lot has happened and a lot of history laid down over the years. Even our first ever client Colin Brim remains a friend to this day. So many friends made over the years, so many people who you look forward to seeing year on year. So much history.

Alongside all of this, the one philosophy that we always stand by - both myself and Janey - is that we want to create. Create opportunities - to surf, to work, to travel, to coach. And our record, I think demonstrates that passion for creation. You know I went to a BSA meeting three years ago and a guy called Tony Goode stood up and addressed all the surf school owners and instructors (those that could be bothered to turn up). He talked about the creation of a Boardrider club in Newquay - he told us what they did and how they did it. I went away, spoke to Janey and the rest is history. As for the others - I don't know of a single other surf school that went away and did the same. The BSA's own national centre caters for 70 members - we cater for nearly three times that.

Okay, so I'm going on. But my point is this. We create. Rubbish at loads of things and sadly lacking in skill in most other things but single minded enough to have a goal or dream, and then have enough determination to see it through. No magic formula. Belief, conviction, put in the hours - that's our combo. Oh yes, and the occassional need to be brave. Turning up for us at a place where we didn't know anyone and just driving onto the beach, was a tough call. It would have been easier to turn back.

And then there's others. Others who having seen what we've done think 'I could do that given the chance'. And then rather than go and create for themselves, find a new beach (there's a big wide world out there) and create new opportunities for themselves and others etc., what they covert is what we've got. So they try and take over what you've got, without any consideration of the impact that would have on others (me and Janey, our kids, our family, staff etc). So, so sad.

Chris at the Harlyn Surf School is one. Side by side we've sat at countless meetings for the past 11 years (we started one year before Chris) standing up for each other against stupid law or policy. And then out of the blue, Chris is one of two others who go chasing after our licence. All I can say is "Chris. Dude. That was very, very sly. Had it been the other way around and you'd been in the same position, you could have counted us in for support, both written and vocal.' We didn't see that one coming.

As for the other, well that's for us to know and we'll address that in the appropriate way. Clue - Billy's God Father!

Surfing needs a reality check. We promote the lifestyle as good for the soul - we have to live it too. Stabbing each other in the back is for other industries - not this one. This is the refuge from the corporate world. Or maybe I'm just a bit too naive.

I've just gone on far too much!!!

Anyway, so i come out of the meeting and head off to Saltash to give our new Land Rover Defender the once over (this is the one some of you lucky people may be jumping in on one of the new courses, to head for other beaches. Harlyn for example!). Got hopelessly lost in all the traffic works on the A30 but eventually get to Roger Youngs on time to hand over a big wad. Loved the car - although Janey is a bit sad as the Freelander has to be chopped in. Nice to drive, but rubbish boot space.

Okay, get back, computers causing Julia some grief. By the way, the council were mightily impressed with our tender bid and that was largely thanks to the efforts of Julia. She's made a huge impact on all ops. this winter.

Look, here's the puppy - 2 months of work - often working right through the night. 200 pages of risk assessments, sustainability action plans, community projects, letters of support - you name it, it's there!

And then we get the phone call that we really wanted to get. Over the past few months we've had the opportunity to look at the long term future of Surf's Up! and part of that process has been looking in depth at the staff structure. What we've done is put in a tier of management to enable myself and Janey time to concentrate on new ventures and projects, whilst offering senior staff the opportunity to grow and develop within Surf's Up! So here's the list - Julia - administration; Duncan - surf lifesaving; Al - residential; Kelly - Boardriders and technical. All important roles and one's that they can really get their teeth into. 6 day weeks have been transferred to 5 days and overall pay has increased significantly (based on performance). We want less work, but higher quality, for more pay. Each position fits the strengths of the person and we're excited to make the changes and offer the new positions.

The one management role that remained to be filled was that of Beach Ops - you know the guy that drives the team at the water's edge. I'm passionate that every single person that comes through our doors enjoys the Surf's Up! experience and in the past to achieve that I've been a constant fixture at the water's edge. The person to fill this position needed to teach in my style, balls out, leave nothing behind - give everything to each and every client. But with the other senior staff tied up in other roles the options were few. Until I had a chat with Big Sam. Big Sam is a great surfer, great leader and highly respected both by the team and the local surfers. He's worked with us for the past 5 years but left recently to embark on a full time teaching job. He recently acompanied us on the trip to Portugal. We spoke and he's back on board, and we're stoked.

Then what happened? Ah yes, went up to the lodge to put up my dads computer table (Duncan is up there doing a fine job on the painting) and then on to Roserrow to run the Boardrider swimming session. Got back home, took the kids for a quick couple of holes on the golf course back up at Roserrow. Got back home and did a bit of homework with Billy on his PC.

And then I got an e-mail offering us something amazing for the new home of the Boardriders club right on the beach from one of our Boardrider Dads. To be discussed but hugely exciting. More on that to come.

That was my day. A few surprises, but yeah, a goodun!

Got to show you this. Last Friday - Billy's first football match Wadebridge under 7's versus Charlestown under 18's (had to be they were huge!) Score - Wadebridge 2 Charlestown 10? Billy's number 5, receiving instructions from the manager, Paul. I thought for a young side they played very well. Great fun. Billy's a midfield general and showing plenty of promise. Loves getting stuck in and putting in big tackles (fouls). Something to do with hanging around with Boardriders? Playing again this Friday - come on the Bridge!

Still the 13th...

Aaaaaaargh! The frustration!! Today Mac man Lee comes around to finally put an end to all of the computer malfunctions that we've experienced over the past 6 weeks. At the same time, our new and frankly beautiful Mac Pro desktop, the top of the range Apple, arrives by courier. What fantastic timing. So Mac man Lee gets to work and after three hours of downloading this and fiddling with that - everything, yes everything is working like an Alfa Romeo was originally intended to.

He walks out the door - crash the new comp won't fire up Imovie, Final Cut HD or connect to the internet! So, so frustrating. I'm chomping at the bit to get the Portugal footage edited, and the Mac Pro combined with the Final Cut makes for a formidible package - but it doesn't work!! The other macs work fine (we've now got 3 others!) so everything else is in fine order. I love Macs, but how I long for a period of calm.

On the whole though - a good day - a step forward. Just haven't quite got to where we want to be just yet.

13th March

How time flies!! It's been one busy time. Having been given the go ahead for the 5 year licence and having exchanged on the new beach lodge in Polzy, we now for the very first time have the luxury of planning for the long term. And that's exciting.

We exchanged contracts for the purchase of the new surf lodge on the beach yesterday and that opens up all sorts of opportunities. A training centre for surf iifesaving courses and BSA instructor courses - a base for our beach operations. Hot showers and changing rooms for clients, kitchen and telly room for the staff etc

We're working on new courses and introducing surfaris - hoping to tie up a couple of new Defenders today. (Just ordered a nice blue one about 5 mins ago!)

We've also appointed four of our long term staff as managers, in an attempt to free up my time so that myself and Janey can concentrate on new projects. The most pressing of these projects is the creation of a new surf travel company - it seems to be a no brainer when you look at the size of our database of regular clients. We've just put together a deal with a lodge in Portugal (so tha's our first one) - all I have to do now is get on some flights to visit some of our other proposed destinations.

And the other project that I'm really excited about is a new website - www.isurf.org.uk - can't give out details quite yet, but we're looking at launching in time for the summer.

Busy, busy time and yet I find myself burdened with this flu bug. On Sunday we cut down two big trees in the garden. I played the hunter gatherer with the chain saw which was great. But I went a bit crazy and forgot that every branch cut down had to be carried up 50 steps to the trailer, where we took it all away for burning. My energy levels were so low - same with Janey. Her Mum and Dad put us to shame running around like Gazelles - whilst both of us were absolutely shattered. Could hardly put one foot in front of the other by the end of the day. Mind you, the England triumph at Twickenham restored some vigour.

On Saturday, I met with some of the Boardriders to help with a digital tv channel thing. Lucked out with the weather.

Oh yes, and another ongoing project is that this website is currently undergoing a redesign. Should all be changed in next two weeks.

So much going on - all great. Can't wait for next winter and a long rest!!

4th March

Okay - so I'm a genius. Looks like having spent a few hours with the boys down at Jump Media we've rectified the photo issue. So I'l be able to update all of that later today. Yippee.

1st March

This computer business is driving me mad! Following the hard drive crash a month ago - (100% retrieved) - nothing seems quite the same. I think I'll have to take a trip out to our boys at Falmouth and get this photo issue sorted.

So don't expect anything from me today!

Think I've got the flu, bad, bad night's sleep - very heavy head. But my record of never having missed a days work in 15 yrs is holding strong.

Janey's had this bug thing ever since we boarded the plane at Lisbon - which is over a week now. I got all shivery last night, but the nurofen and copious amounts of water, seem to be holding things at bay.

Got to tell you a few things about the tender and the big party at the lodge that we're hosting for everyone that supported our bid. More news later.

This morning we have a scheduled meeting with Julia to look at staff contracts etc. A few changes this year - all for the good.

28th February

Great News - Black and White surfboards have agreed to sponsor three of our top Boardriders. Each will have boards supplied for the year.

The three chosen are - Harvey Tregidgo, Archie Woodward and Megan Burns. Well done to them. They thoroughly deserve the recognition.

A few other names were dicussed and I'm sure it won't be long before they too get their chance. We'll be looking at more sponsorship deals with brands that fit in with our philosophy over the next couple of weeks - so watch this space.

27th February

Latest news - 5 year beach licence secured on Polzeath Beach. Great news. Means that we can now plan for the long term. Despite being the largest surf school in the UK we have up until now only ever had a one year licence. So these are exciting times

24th February

Well I have absoultely no idea what went on with the diary page whilst we were in Portugal. We tried to update the site, but despite several phone calls back to the uk, had no joy.

Anyway, the Portugal trip was fantastic. Great surf, great location and great company.

The full report will be here tomorrow - once I've had some kip!

24th January

Just come back from Boardriders swim session - great fun as always.

Earlier I had my first one to one boxing lesson -and it's was brilliant. I spent the first half hour trying to hit the trainers pads with my left leg leading (thereby setting up the big finish with the right hand coming over the top) when I told him that actually I surf the other way around. Huge difference. Good jabs with the right, need to develop the punching power in the left now.

After about 20 mins of the session I couldn't help but notice a bit of blood coming from the corner of his mouth. "Are you okay?" I enquired. "yeah, yeah. You just caught me a bit earlier!" Alright, Crasky draws instructor blood. Good job he couldn't hit me back.

Got back home and invested in a punch man off e-bay (don't tell the missus) which is a kind of man substitute that you practice your moves on!! We'll see how we go but I'm pretty keen to get a match sorted by the end of the year. There's huge satisfaction whacking something really hard - it's like a release. I used to play rugby to a good level and enjoyed the physical element - so maybe this is just what I need. An hour on punch man everyday should sharpen up my game.

23rd January (just)

Of course, the great advantage of insomnia is that if you want to work late - you can. It's just gone midnight and I feel fresh as a daisy.

Today (Monday) was Blue Monday- didn't seem so bad. Had to sit next to Archie and George on the way to skateboarding, bleeting on about how they were there during my 'best surf session of the year'. Well actually boys if my memory serves me right, you got out when it was dark. And the fun only really began when you couldn't see your hand in front of your face, let alone the face of the wave. That's what separates the men from the boys! Ho, ho!

In my yearly round up there were two glaring omissions - and they were both trips away from the beach. The first was an early start to watch Tiger Woods play at Wentworth in the matchplay. I don't think it matters if you're into golf or not - it's great to see the truly greats in action.

The second was perhaps the most upsetting two days of the year. Billy is really into his skating and during the summer when he's off school , we're hard at it on the beach and consequently it's difficult to find the time to take him to the skate parks. Tony Hawk, the legendary skateboarder was in action in Birmingham over one of the August weekends. I discussed it with Janey and we arranged that I would take both Billy and Fin up to Birmingham for two nights to watch the main man in action.

We were all really excited to be going and this would be my first venture away from the beach during the summer in 15 years. We arrived as planned and looked around the NEC - there was lots going on - but the biggest downer was the volume of the music. No sooner had we entered the main area than the boys put their hands over their ears. It was so intrusive. I'd arrived with a headache and for sure it wasn't going to go away in here.

I took the boys to the quieter corner which just happened to be where the vert ramp was. There wasn't much going on - a few in line skaters were having a pre-comp warm up, so we grabbed some seats and decided to kill a bit of time away from the music mania next door. Five minutes passed when a tall chap arrived at the top of the vert and placed his board on the rail. It was the man himself - Tony Hawk - and we were about to get a personal demo. What a luck out - Billy was transfixed - Fin wanted the toilet! "No, no - not now Finy!!" Three year olds just don't understand.

Tony Hawks presence on the ramp was electrifying - I'd expected the same aura with Tiger but didn't feel it ( even though we were within touching distance) - when he stepped up to the plate everyone stepped back. There was a real pecking order, formed purely out of respect. And he gave huge encouragement to the younger ones who joined him on the main stage. By this time, word had got out and there were hundreds cramming in to watch him practice.

Shortly afterwards , for us the show had reached it's climax. There was no way that the boys would stay seated for another three hours to watch the exhibition and no way to reserve the seats and come back. They were at a premium. So we headed back to the hotel. And this is where it all went horribly wrong! My headache had turned into a full on flu bug. As I parked the car in the car park, I opened the door and projected the most viscous flow of vomit. Now what was I to do - bear in mind that I've never missed a days work in 12 years at Surf's Up!, now I find myself with a day off with the boys, wanting to die, totally unable to look after the boys and miles from anyone I know that can help. Somehow we made it to the bedroom and I continued with the vomiting under the watchful eye of the two boys, mesmorised by how deep my head could reach into the bowl. I was gutted for them. I felt like I'd let them down and was the worst dad in the world. And I shouted at them when they jumped up and down on my tummy on the bed. That's what the weekend should have been about. I put the telly on and settled them down - they were so good. And I curled into a ball, put my head on the pillow and thought of nicer times to try and help the recovery.

As I reached a state of near unconsciousness the phone rang. "Hi Janey." I tried to sound like all was well. "Everyone's gone down with the flu and I'm needed back on the beach to cover in the morning?!" I repeated. Shit!

So that was the weekend from hell. So much promise and yet so much stress. Good to see Tony though and I'm sure the boys and I will embark on the same mission again this year.

Sweet dreams my fellow insomniacs.

22nd January

Oh the pressures of being an insomniac without a telly! I've suffered from insomnia for the best part of 20 years - don't know where it comes from. The telly is my saviour though and whilst the sky dish has been merrily swinging off the chimney for the last 4 weeks and the engineers unable to fix a time to get it secured in it's proper place, the nights have been very long!

I thought that reading or Yoga would happily fill the void left by the empty screen - but there's no substitute for that evening slump of staring at the moving picture and letting someone else do the entertaining. So celebrity BB has passed me by and so has all the sport.

In it's place I've found sanctuary on the web - checking the latest news and flicking through e-bay and Amazon to see what I can buy that I don't really need. Last night the situation became so bad that I found myself firstly watching the Arsenal Man Utd updates on the BBC sports site (updated every 2 mins!) which was actually quite exciting when Arsenal scored in the last minute. And then more disturbing the golf updates as Justin Rose came down the stretch for possibly his first victory on the tour. He lost, as I think I've probably lost my mind!

The sky engineer is coming tomorrow - one more night to go!

Bit disappointed about the article in the papers about our licence. I spoke to the reporter - she phoned me in Fuerte - but many of the facts are wrong and the confidence of winning the licence misplaced. The biggest point I made to her was that if we were unsuccessful in our bid then we'd still carry on. Having secured our new training centre on the front there, then we'd change site but not our business. Would the BSA then allow a third approved surf school on Polzy beach - in line with HSE risk assessments, the NCDC Beach management plan etc - I think that it would be impossible to justify.

Went to Boxercise yesterday and loved it - have embarked on some one to one training and will try and get the Boardriders going to Portugal involved in a few sessions.

Back to skateboarding tonight at Mount Hawke - feels like ages since we last went.

19th January

I've started reading The Master Strategist - Power, Purpose and Principle by Ketan Patel - and I have to recommend it as a brilliant read.

It's about how everything develops now at a rate so fast that we don't possess the skills to stategise for the future. And it talks about the dangers of this. It covers so much ground that it's hard to summarise it here. I can only recommend that you get a copy and then you'll understand what I mean. It makes you think hard about the future for our kids and their kids. Advances in technology present exciting challenges to the next generation but at what cost? We have the power to create more than ever before but at the same time the power to destroy more than ever before. A double edged sword that needs people to come together and change the way we live.

I like the bit about advances in information. It takes one second to find out a piece of information that would have taken over two months working around the clock to obtain back in 1800. The web is a hugely powerful tool - not only are the rich, privileged and free connected but the poorest, most under-privileged and most abused are on the verge of having access to the ideas and people that could be their saviours. However, the most overwhelming use of the web is to access porn, gambling sites or chat rooms! He argues that we stand on the brink of the Age of Communication or the age of Trivial Pursuits.

I can't wait to settle down tonight for the next installment.

18th January

We're back - sorry to hear you've been having some inclement weather whilst we've been soaking up the rays!! The holiday was a good one, despite a tricky start. Hotel not quite what we expected so we organised a move to a nice posh one and that meant meeting up with Cone Zone Stuart and Amanda for the second week (they'd booked the same hotel)! That was great for Billy and Fin as it meant lots of pool time with their two kids Chloe and Luke. Keep the kids happy and you end up having a good time yourself!

Janey surfed a few times at Cortillo - 2-4ft fast breaking shoredump. As for me, part of my fitness regime involved getting back into running which I took on in full earnest. Over the second week I covered over 72 miles, culminating in two 18 mile runs. Well chuffed with that. The second 18 miler was going to be a marathon, but at the half way stage the first 18 miler had taken quite a lot out of my legs and so I cut across to the coastpath for a shorter route. I'd left the hotel at 5.45am and it was pitch black - had to follow the white lines on the road, but as the sun came up I was treated to an awesome sunrise between the mountains. Magic!

The running left me bit sore all over but having kept up the yoga I felt much better and stronger than I would have in the past. The days the surf was any good coincided with my sore days but I'm just really pleased to be back in good shape. I weighed 12st 6lbs this morning - a loss of one and half stone since the end of October. Back on the chocolate as well - the puddings at the hotel were unbelievably chocolately and it was only after my second 18 miler that I decided to reward my efforts - and that was on the second last day!!

Back home Julia has been doing a terrific job holding it all together. It was great having her man the ship whilst we were away. We spoke a couple of times but she's more than capable at getting the job done without our interference. In our absence the Homer Park Surf lodge has gone a bit mad with bookings and we're also starting to give clients the option to book into the new lodge in Polzy. News is that the most of the staff from last year are coming back again - so that's really good - and a couple are coming back from previous years. Should be our strongest team to date. Also looks like we'll have at least one other import from the other side of the world - a few telephone interviews over the next few days should clarify this position.

Quite a lot of work to do to get the new lodge sorted before May but that's an exciting project. Apart from that - it's good to be back.

1st January

Happy New Year!!

Think I might suffer from an obsessive disorder - went ice skating at Eden Project with Billy and Fin and then went to my sisters for dinner until 10.30pm last night - didn't want to miss out on the training so got straight into it and recorded best 30 min row time of the year - well pleased with that. But when I finished at 11.45pm I did question my sanity. Anyway the Yoga should sort that out!!

Hope you had a good one - well windy last night. Felt like the roof was going to come off (again)!

Some overriding memories of the year -

Best surf - with instructors Graham and Harry. No one else out, 3ft and pitch black. Awesome - so much fun. Will remember that one forever. Really difficult to judge the waves, let alone see each other.

Proudest moment - has to be getting into the Guiness Book of World Records (page 83! with a photo!!) - childhood dream come true. Didn't think it would mean much - but it actually feels great.

Best lodge moment - Brazilian Big Wave rider Carlos Burle talking to the Boardriders. Thanks Tom. Inspirational.

New Years Resolution - to become a Yogi! Well do lots of Yoga anyway!

Best decision - to employ year round administrator Julia. Huge weight of work off our shoulders and she brings skills to the table that we don't have.

Can't wait for this year. 2007 has a good ring to it. Off on hols for a couple of weeks tomorrow - Julia will be here for any enquiries in the meantime. So business as usual. We'll be in daily contact but she can deal with pretty well everything.

When we come back, we'll be tying up a few loose ends with the new Polzeath Surf Lodge and getting ready for the trip to Portugal with the Boardriders. Can't wait for that either!

Boardriders - skating starts again on the 22nd Jan and the swimming on the 24th Jan and then proceeds in line with the term timetable through to Easter.

30th December

I can't help but feel really uneasy about the hanging of Saddam. Don't get me wrong - I'm not a fan of his nor am I a religious nut - but with so much conflict around the world caused by fanatical religious groups wouldn't this have been the ultimate gesture of forgiveness - and an opportunity to resolve current complex issues. Clearly he was a nutter (funded initially by the USA), but life imprisonment would seem a more humane response. I just feel that with him gone, Iraq's problems can only get worse. Maybe it's the pacifist inside of me - but hanging someone seems to make us the barbarians.

I think also it's that actual process of hanging that seems voyeuristic - like it's something to enjoy. Why not stick him in a room of carbon monoxide (or the like) and take his life without sensationalism and drama. I'm not sure as a world we've moved forward today.

Janey feels exactly the opposite. He was an evil man so deal with him in the appropriate way. And I'm sure most people agree with that sentiment. So I'm not advocating that I'm right and she's wrong. I just feel a bit funny about it. I was afterall supportive of going into Iraq in the first place on humanitarian grounds ie. if Tony Blair was killing hundreds of thousands of our people wouldn't we hope that someone stepped in from abroad to end that situation. But that was naive - and what a mess the place is in now.

With the world a much smaller place now due to the internet and transport there seems an ever increasing demand to get involved with external affairs. I don't have any solutions - except tollerance between religious groups. If you flick through the first four pages of any newspaper on any given day, you'll always find conflict between religions. What's that all about? As someone who has faith but not in any particular box it seems madness to profess that my beliefs are right and yours are wrong. Who knows? No-one - and isn't that the real madness of it all.

Okay so that's the poiltics and religion out of the way. Just sex to go!

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