There it goes, another week in paradise all done and we now move into the 3^rd weekend of November. Odd weather once again this past week. The cloud cover has continued but at least we had interludes of Mr Blue Sky and the fun of daytime temperatures that yo-yo’d (T-shirt one minute, jacket the next) but at least it has been dry’ish at Sussex by the Sea,  whereas Kent received a heavy washdown on Tuesday, as reported by the local foilers who ventured over to Bewl Water for the strong Nor’Easterly wind session. Well, you can’t beat British weather for the Heinz Effect and it looks as though we will be getting another ‘variety’ arriving next week, which should be exciting for those who have been patiently waiting for usable wind and waves,  but more about that in the weekends forecast…

I came across a really good travel come surf adventure film the other day and thought it worth mentioning, even though it may be one that most of you will already know about (I rarely look for these things..) as the photography and surf sequences are, in my humble opinion, so good.  It’s also an interesting ‘trip’ to have undertaken, considering the distances and time involved for two people with very little experience. Approx. 1.5hrs long, so only suitable for those who do like ‘waves’. Perhaps something to end the day on, with a glass of something .. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hmEN57EJEm4

Black Friday is the talk of the internet and I’m really not sure what the ‘amazing offers’ are going to be on the 29th, as the Watersports industry has pretty much been in a constant SALE Mode for the last two years, due to decreasing sales in many areas of the marketplace. We price match and in many instances the prices we find and have to match are below the ‘cost’ price of the item and always well below the current cost of replacement. And it’s not just Watersports, as I’m sure you’ve noticed the continual Sales in bike shops (sad to see more bicycle and motorbike shops closing up locally) as well as the White goods stores and most of the Fashion stores on the High Street, who have also been running SALE periods pretty much all year. So, what was the cause of this? Well, I say Ewan McGregor. Yes, odd as it may sound I think he was the cause, as he did an advert for Expedia a couple of years back and ever since ‘he’ told us not to spend our money on ‘stuff’, the decline started! Check it out if you missed it.. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZMINW5g5KEY

I can’t get upset with Ewan though, as I quite like the guy and it was a great advert. It just seems odd that it did coincide with almost a ‘dead stop’ in people buying the ‘stuff’ that we sell! The power of advertising eh..

Talking of things we sell, a customer collected a quiver of the 2025 Severne Blade sails and their Blue masts today, which were pre-ordered back in the summer, otherwise I doubt he would have got the sail sizes and colours he wanted, as these were from the one and only drop of 2025 wave sails into the UK. Why? Well, there’s still deals to be had on the 23 and 24 versions (which are listed on our site) so Severne UK had to make a decision re. the amount of stock they hold. Another customer is waiting for one of the new design all round Wing Foil boards, the Duotone Skybrid SLS. These boards are slightly longer and narrower than the current short /wide freeride boards but not as long / narrow and less stable as the downwind boards tend to be.  Skybrid reduces the width ‘drag’ which enables it to plane onto the foil earlier without the loss of  rider stability, whether by wing, para wing or paddle power but still short enough to make it an all-round fun board. Once again the customer is having to wait, all be it a short wait, due to low stock. Some sizes are currently ‘OK’ but this 5’6” 70lt was the only ‘one’ arriving next week and the next won’t arrive until next year,  February 13^th to be exact.  Another customer has been waiting since August for his Quatro Power Wave 114lt  windsurf wave board and it’s now due to arrive by the end of this month (delayed a couple of weeks due to shipping..) but I’m sure will be worth the wait. All suppliers are pulling in the reins on stock levels by necessity and if you do want to have the best a person can get, still lovingly created by people for other people, it’s a case of order in advance to avoid disappointment.  

Now, what about that weather..

Saturday,  we continue with the overcast sky and a day time temp of around 11°C , which is ‘nice’  for November. The overnight Nor’West wind will switch to West 8-11kt during the morning and then increasing 13-17kt during the afternoon, which will bring fun for some. The Tide is High at 11.02hrs on a nifty 6.6m, so the estuary will be as water rich as it can be (up to the houseboats) should you decide to do a river paddle or wind willing, a wing foil session (pump, if you feel a real need to exercise..). Beach wise, the tide is going to be way out by the end of the afternoon, so if the winds are what they currently say, it’s the place to be for wind sports from around 1.30pm (sunset is at 16.50hrs) or for walking the dog on the sand! If you just fancy a swim the water temp is 13°C.

Sunday, well, at the start of the week it was going to be a WINDY Fun Sunday but that has now slithered off into Monday / Tuesday. For Monday the Met say 12kt gusting 31kt, which is quite a difference and possibly a typo. Guru say 22-32kt which sounds better. Keep an eye on it though as I would not be surprised if they change the timing again. So, for Sunday we now have sunny periods and West’Nor’West 7-18kt wind during the morning and then backing West 7-18kt during the afternoon.. it starts to ramp up for Mondays blow just as darkness arrives. The air temp will be right on that  ‘10°C or I don’t go’ limit that some people use, as 9°C.  Tide is High at 11.45hrs and again on a 6.6m Spring Biggy.  And after the Mon / Tuesday blow, another variety of weather arrives… oh joy.

And that’s it for another Friday evening in 2024… 1164 words are enough for anyone!

 I hope everyone’s week has gone well and not a minute of your time has been wasted, except for reading this of course! Back in the morning, with the Saturday Shakey Shoreham Video.

Goodnight All.