Goodbye Old Friend, Church Big Festival is Go, Spotted Storks and didn't Shoreham do Well!
Summer.. and the living is a bit up.. and then down. Yes, we had a very wet and windy Wednesday which normally during the month of May would be ‘busy’ but when I left the shop there were only a couple of kites and three wings out on the water. I did wonder if an air temp of 12°C and a day of dismal rainfall may have been the cause. Thursday was a little better and it did look as though a sea breeze may have accelerated the wind speed during the afternoon. By all accounts it was a much nicer time out on the water and I’m glad that we’ve finally had a ‘summer style’ session in 2024. Whatever the weather , everyone must be happy that the week is now done and it’s time for a wonderful three-day Bank Holiday Weekend!
But before the excitement grows, we have to have to mark the passing of something that has been around for many a year. Not sure how to break this bit of news but www.surfladle.co.uk has deceased, it’s now gawn.. it’s no more.. it took its last kb last Wednesday and it’s now pushing up the daisies in cyber oblivion. We would have proffered to have made this announcement prior to the site being removed, just in case someone might have liked to take a last look, perhaps at the Gallery pics or the News section, as there was a lot of Shoreham Beach history, some of which went back to 1994 when we took on the shop but we have been struggling with dear Google not listing the current .com website in the search results and it had been brought to James’s attention that having two sites can create a conflict with the search engines, so after 16 years of service it was bye’bye .co.uk. There will now be a moment’s pause, out of respect…
A BIG than you to Dave Kimmer of Groupbrand, who created .co.uk . For version 1, which served us well from 1998 to 2008 and then version 2, that hung in there from 2008 until last Wednesday. Dave did a great job and it was a pleasure working with him on the construction. Another big Thank You goes to Matt Buzza, author and owner of the infamous Windhut website, that was a favourite of many windsurfers from all over the World for many years, for his kindly manner and invaluable assistance in putting dear .co.uk down. A sad day but it’s loss will hopefully be .com’s gain, which should now become more visible and be happily spread all over the net, by all search engines! Just as a final note, our email address however is staying the same, mail@surfladle.co.uk , so in one respect .co.uk will live on! Now, all we have to do is get the shop signs changed .. it never ends.
As that ‘bite’ of news has extended the ramble, its’ a fairly long one tonight, but you do have 3 days to read it in . So, now, Storks.. not something you expect to read in this blog but I am ‘briefly’ going to mention that last Monday evening, on a quick 29 mile mountain bike loop with Mr Keene (an old friend who keeps Littlehampton beach Happy) we passed by a recently harvested field on the Partridge Green to Henfield stretch of the old railway line (the Downs Link) and were a little surprised to see six Storks, which are similar to Herons but bigger and have wider bills (to hold the blankets which they deliver the babies in..). They were obviously on a trip out from the Knepp Estate where they reside (or maybe they've moved..) but just thought I would mention it, should you wish to keep an eye out for them! Talking of estates, The Wiston Estate has been the home to the Big Church Day Out, which once again takes place this weekend and we are so glad that it’s not coincided with a close the A27 weekend, as traffic to the event can be ‘busy’. It’s become more festively over the last few years (they have altered the name to reflect this) so it may now be of interest to those who are not involved with the Church but fancy a day at Wiston. More info on this at https://www.bigchurchfestival.com/
Shoreham Outrigger Canoe Club put in a good show at the Dorney Lake National event, which took place last week, with the Open Mens and Mixed crews gaining three Silver Podiums, Seniors gaining a third place Bronze and the Ladies and Masters both working hard to come in fourth in the 1000m event. That is an admirable achievement and they deserve our gratitude for keeping Shoreham on the Outrigger map (I noticed that we now also have a GB Outrigger at the Yacht Club.. did Jon nick it?)
And lastly, loads of offers on the iSUP packages available for this weekend from stock in the shop and it looks as though our Red Paddle 10’8” Ride complete Package Price is the cheapest ‘online’ at the current time (anything cheaper is board only or no paddle etc.).
It was just a thought, in case you fancy ‘doing something’ for your half term break. Ok, now it’s time for the Bank Holiday Weekend Weather outlook….
Saturday, we have a light breeze coming in from the South at 6-11kts, so it’s going to be more of a beach day, as too light and onshore for most wind sports. It may produce a small wave for a SUP to play on. No rain, sun in the morning with cloud in the afternoon but that might not occur on the coastal strip, if we are lucky. Top temp given as 17°C and todays water temp is up to 14.2°C! Tide is High at 13.10hrs on a 5.9m, so the estuary and river is good for paddling and possibly Wings’ depending upon the wind strength and if there is any East in it.
Sunday, we have 10-18kt Sou’ West in the morning and then increasing to 16-26kts during the afternoon. Temp is 17°C and.. we have rain early morning via Wind Guru and the Met, but the Met have just added thunderstorms and rain possible between 1.00pm and 4.00pm, which of course could mess the wind up and lightning does not bode well for Kite Fliers, Carbon Pole or Paddle operatives or anyone out on the water. Let’s hope it clears up for the low tide period! Tide is High at 13.48hrs on a 5.9m.
Monday, the wind is said to continue at 13-24kts Sou’West for the whole day (is it Christmas?) with light to moderate cloud and a top temp of 16°C and.. no rain until the evening (that’s hard to believe on a Bank Holiday Monday). Tide’s High at 14.30hrs on a 5.8m. All in all, it should be a good fun weekend for everyone.
And that’s it for this week. We are open for the duration, so three days of fun await and without wishing to put the mockers on your half term break.. due to a huge mistake, I’m off for a week from Monday, so I do hope you’ve not booked a camping holiday, as rain seems to be a must whenever I holiday. Have a great Weekend everyone!