Sunday 26th June and I'm up reasonably early for a Sunday and out of house about 7.45 am. The wind is northerly and I'm thinking I'll try the West Coast and head towards Fairhaven. The sky is pretty clear and although the wind seems pretty strong I'm thinking it looks like a ripper day. I'm going by myself today and am thinking about whether I can double up, but that may be tough as I've got to be back for Sam's footy in the afternoon.
I make pretty good time and am heading past Bell's Beach about 9.00 am. I keep going and as I head through Anglesea I think I will stop at Guvvos and check that out. Guvvos is about 4 kms out of Anglesea, and is I think the third beach car park on Point Roadknight. Guvvos is a beach break and as I look out from the beach lookout there are around 6 or 7 blokes in the water and whilst it looks small, it's very clean with a strong off-shore wind blowing. I get changed quickly and I reckon it's only about 7 or 8 degrees with the wind chill biting a bit too.
I'm quickly in the water and out the back in no time. The waves are probably mostly 1/2 a meter with the odd 1 meter rolling through. The waves are holding up in the strong off shore and this is a bit frustrating. After about 10 mins I get onto a great little wave but I probably take off a bit straight and deep as when I look to go left and back up the bank the wave has already broken - I just turn out, but it was a nice little ride. I paddle around for the next 15 mins keeping warm and actually with the sun out it's really pretty nice, it's just the wind on your face that bites a bit. A set comes through and I let two others I'm out with get the first wave and then I get onto the second. It's a nice wave, about 2 foot or so and I'm up quickly and go right down the face and then turn right again to coast down the line very briefly before it breaks and dribbles out. Another nice ride.
I get onto a couple of other rides over the next twenty minutes or so and also make a clown of myself on another couple of waves by either getting under one or falling off another. After being out about 50 mins. I head in and must say I've enjoyed Guvvos and would come back again, the banks look good and one of the guys out tells me he reckons it's one of the most reliable breaks around - he tells me lives in Anglesea and so that's a great recommendation.
After the surf I head into Torquay and check out the shops, buying a few tee shirts on sale and grabbing some breakfast. I go into Patagonia and I love their stuff but wish they would have a sale, so I could afford to buy something! 40 breaks down and 10 to go - it will be touch and go but what the hell it's the journey you need to enjoy, not the goal isn't it!!
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Monday, June 20, 2011
Break 39 - Flynn's Reef, Phillip Island
Sunday 20th June and its overcast and windy but Sam and I decide to head to Phillip Island with Flynn's Reef the destination. We leave about 11.30 and arrive at Flynn's about 1.15 pm and its windy and also just a real inconsistent, swirly wind. Flynn's Reef is just before the Penguin Parade at Phillip Island and on the way to Cat Bay. We get out of the car and check the beach and its pretty ordinary, in fact the only reason you would surf Flynn's today would be because you had set yourself a ridiculous challenge to surf 50 different breaks in one year.
I head down the beach and it's that windy I'm having trouble holding my McTavish 9' Mal. I get out the back and I'm wondering what the hell I'm doing. A couple of waves comes through and they just blow out and then reform to dump just before the beach. I try and get a couple of waves but it is pretty hopeless and the wind is just getting stronger. I get onto a wave and get up and just hang on the lip and then bang the wave dumps and down I go. I go flat into the water and then over and get washed into the shore. I head back out, but after 10 minutes I think this is ridiculous and head back to the car where Sam is warm and happily listeningto the radio.
Sam and I do our usual stop at Smiths and again I get a great wrap and Sam has his version of a mixed grill - 3 nuggets, 3 calamari rings and chips. It is very good as usual as is the coffee. We check YCW and Smiths and there are waves but the wind is so off-shore and strong it is just holding up the waves and high tide is not helping. We head home and whilst the surf was rubbish and I feel satisfied that I have another break down and believe I'm still on track.
I head down the beach and it's that windy I'm having trouble holding my McTavish 9' Mal. I get out the back and I'm wondering what the hell I'm doing. A couple of waves comes through and they just blow out and then reform to dump just before the beach. I try and get a couple of waves but it is pretty hopeless and the wind is just getting stronger. I get onto a wave and get up and just hang on the lip and then bang the wave dumps and down I go. I go flat into the water and then over and get washed into the shore. I head back out, but after 10 minutes I think this is ridiculous and head back to the car where Sam is warm and happily listeningto the radio.
Sam and I do our usual stop at Smiths and again I get a great wrap and Sam has his version of a mixed grill - 3 nuggets, 3 calamari rings and chips. It is very good as usual as is the coffee. We check YCW and Smiths and there are waves but the wind is so off-shore and strong it is just holding up the waves and high tide is not helping. We head home and whilst the surf was rubbish and I feel satisfied that I have another break down and believe I'm still on track.
Monday, June 13, 2011
Break 38 - Kilcunda
Monday 12th June and we are heading home from two great days in Cape Paterson. We leave after breakfast in Inverloch about 11.00 and get to Kilcunda about midday. The day is again tremendous - blue sky and light wind. We park at the first car park out of Kilcunda and wander down to beach along the creek, under the railway bridge and enter the beach near the rocks. The surf is good and clean but with long wait between sets. The waves are two to three foot and there are some good waves to be have.
I head out with Sam and tell him to be careful as the rip is legendary. We get out easily and sit out the back over very dark water - I find Kilcunda creepy to surf because of the dark colour of the water. We have been out about 5 mins when I get onto a great right hander and go right down the face and turn out as the wave breaks into whitewater - it was a good 3ft and I am feeling very pumped when I get out to sam and ask him if he saw it. I then call Sam onto a wave and up he goes and then down he goes just as quickly. He is dumped and the board crashes over - he goes into shore and then paddles back out. However Sam doesn't have much luck and is dumped again about 5 mins later and he heads into shore.
I spend about 40 mins out and after that first wave don't have much luck, always seeming to find myself in the wrong spot. Sue and Sam tell me later that I was taking off to early and sitting in the wrong spot. They also tell me the old bloke out with me gets tubed twice - that's comforting!! I do get a couple of good waves and again really enjoy the surf and I do have a good shot of me "going right at killers" to remember this by - see below. 38 breaks down and twelve to go by August 9 - it will be touch and go but I remain confident.
I head out with Sam and tell him to be careful as the rip is legendary. We get out easily and sit out the back over very dark water - I find Kilcunda creepy to surf because of the dark colour of the water. We have been out about 5 mins when I get onto a great right hander and go right down the face and turn out as the wave breaks into whitewater - it was a good 3ft and I am feeling very pumped when I get out to sam and ask him if he saw it. I then call Sam onto a wave and up he goes and then down he goes just as quickly. He is dumped and the board crashes over - he goes into shore and then paddles back out. However Sam doesn't have much luck and is dumped again about 5 mins later and he heads into shore.
I spend about 40 mins out and after that first wave don't have much luck, always seeming to find myself in the wrong spot. Sue and Sam tell me later that I was taking off to early and sitting in the wrong spot. They also tell me the old bloke out with me gets tubed twice - that's comforting!! I do get a couple of good waves and again really enjoy the surf and I do have a good shot of me "going right at killers" to remember this by - see below. 38 breaks down and twelve to go by August 9 - it will be touch and go but I remain confident.
Break 37 - Inverloch surf beach
Sunday 11th June and it's another great day in Cape Paterson with blue skies and little wind. It was an icy start with it being 0.6 degrees when I went for a run down to the firstsurf beach at about 7.45 am. The Caravan Park is right above the bay beach and is about 800m from the surf beach. Cape Paterson is a great spot - the bay beach has rocks on the right and left side for rambling and a pool has been blasted out the of the rocks for kids to swim in. It's part of a national park and so there is great snorkling as well.
Having checked out first beach and seeing it is flat we decide to go into Inverloch for a surf. We drive the spectacular Bunarong Coastal Drive again and stop and check out Oaks beach but it doesn't look on today. We get to Inverloch and park in the car park behind the surf club. There are two blokes getting dressed from a surf and another just coming in, which looks like a good omen. We check the surf and it's about 1-2 foot but it is such a great day we head out anyway.
Sam and I spend about an hour and fifteen minutes in the water. We get some good small rides and it is just great fun in the water. I cannot believe with the sun out that it is June. The view today sitting out in the water is brilliant - you can see clearly down to Wilson's prom. and back up the other way to eagles nest. The beach at Inverloch is wide expanse with the river entrance down the left towards the town. While out Sam and I both get the same wave and I fell off but my Board slid out towards Sam which then made him have to swerve and he fell off - he talks about it for the next two days, exaggertaing the size of the wave and saying I spoilt his "face-time" on the wave (see photo below). Today has been just a great enjoyable surf in great weather - nothing spectactular in terms of surf but just a beautiful day in June, in Victoria. Bring on break 38. We have lunch at the Bakery in Inverloch and it's great - best sausage roll, except for Apollo Bay claims Sam.
Break 36 - Seconds, Cape Paterson
Saturday 10th June and it's the Queen's Birthday long weekend and so Sue, Sam and I are heading to Cape Paterson Caravan Park. We leave about 10.00 am and drive to Inverloch which is a bit over two hours from our place and arrive about 12.30. Inverloch is a classic beach town with a couple of pubs, supermarket, a great bakery and a smattering of cafe's and fish and chip shops. The drive between Inverloch and Cape paterson is about 30 minutes and is one of the great drives in Victoria. The road hugs the coast and the scenery is fantastic - Eagles nest is a highlight stop, being a rock outcrop with a great walk on low tide over rocks.
We check into the Caravan Park about 2.30 and then we check the two surf beaches, creatively called first and second surf beach and known as Insides and Seconds. Insides really only fires on a big tide and is flat today. We head to seconds and there are a couple of blokes out although it looks like the waves are closing out. Seconds is a very pretty beach accessed through a walk through bush scrub from the car park and then down a steepish sand path to the beach. There is a rock ledge on the left hand side of the beach and an underlying reef under a sandy bottom. Today the waves are two to three foot and mostly closing out.
Sam and I spend about 30 mins in the surf and I catch 2 waves which both close out as I get up and go left. Sam fairs even worse just getting dumped a couple of times and saves his day by catching a few whitewash waves. It is beautiful in the water and the sky is blue and so all in all it was pretty nice and I will definitely come back to try seconds again. We head back to the Park and I'm hoping to get to 38 breaks by the end of this weekend.
We check into the Caravan Park about 2.30 and then we check the two surf beaches, creatively called first and second surf beach and known as Insides and Seconds. Insides really only fires on a big tide and is flat today. We head to seconds and there are a couple of blokes out although it looks like the waves are closing out. Seconds is a very pretty beach accessed through a walk through bush scrub from the car park and then down a steepish sand path to the beach. There is a rock ledge on the left hand side of the beach and an underlying reef under a sandy bottom. Today the waves are two to three foot and mostly closing out.
Sam and I spend about 30 mins in the surf and I catch 2 waves which both close out as I get up and go left. Sam fairs even worse just getting dumped a couple of times and saves his day by catching a few whitewash waves. It is beautiful in the water and the sky is blue and so all in all it was pretty nice and I will definitely come back to try seconds again. We head back to the Park and I'm hoping to get to 38 breaks by the end of this weekend.
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