Downtime, turnt up. Leonardo Fioravanti recently hit Galicia in the northwest of Spain for the WQS event at Pantin. Wondering how he passed the time in between heats? Just press play. With a cameo by fellow Quik rider Ramzi Boukhiam, it’ll psyche you up to surf – no matter what the waves look like.
Boardmasters blues will be a distant memory as dates for 2018 have been revealed today. Following this summer’s bigger-than-ever, sold-out Boardmasters, Cornwall’s own surf and music festival will return to Fistral Beach and Watergate Bay from 8 – 13 August 2018. Tickets go on sale at 8am this Thursday 28th September via the Boardmasters website.
This year, Boardmasters welcomed 50,000 festivalgoers to enjoy world-class music from headliners Two Door Cinema Club, Jamiroquai, Alt-J and many more atop the picture-perfect setting of Watergate Bay. While the UK’s surf mecca Fistral Beach drew surf lovers in droves, with a record number of attendees watching the exhilirating international surf competition take place over five days. The Financial Times said Boardmasters is “fast becoming one of the UK’s most enticing summer music festivals”, while NME described the festival as “a perfect weekend mix of sun, surf and music in Cornwall.” The Cornish Guardian commented that this year’s festival was “a resounding success” and the Western Morning News called it “one of Cornwall’s coolest events.”
On Thursday (28 September), Early Bird tickets will go on sale to the general public. Boardmasters ticket system is tiered, with price bands for tickets changing over time. Guarantee the best price for Boardmasters 2018 by booking tickets soon. For information regarding Boardmasters tickets and prices, please visit the website.
Inspired by the freedom, adventure and creativity of surfing and music, Boardmasters was born in 1981. Expect parties that run late into the night and a beautiful beach to recuperate on during the day. The 5-day event is situated across two stunning locations in Cornwall - the surfing mecca of the UK, Fistral Beach, where world class International Surf Competitions take place, and arguably the most stunning location in the country to watch live music, Watergate Bay.
To relive this year’s epic festival, check out the epic Boardmasters 2017 After Movie below.
This past weekend has seen the awakening of the ocean that autumn so promises to bring, as the Atlantic comes to life and spawns new swells welcomed by England’s rugged coast.
A community lay in wait for these swells, a group of surfers united in representation of their surf clubs, at an event where rivalries clash in the sea, and friendships flourish on the sand.
The history books will show this as the inaugural English Interclub Surfing Championships, and the stories of it will tell of pumping surf and ever unpredictable Mother Nature.
The event drew 166 surf club surfers from around England, not just coastal power houses, but the inner city dwellers of Bristol and the armed forces of Navy, Marines and Army.
As day one began the swell filled into Fistral Beach in Newquay, known to some as the home of British surfing, the winds turned and blew out to sea, grooming the faces like the early morning piste runner and readying the waves for the surfers to embrace.
Juniors took to it first, followed by the women, followed by the open divisions, all surfers using their wave selections and wave riding skills to maximise their scoring potentials in the twenty minute heats. It’s a team effort as they know, with ten points for winning your heat and 4 point for finishing fourth, the accumulation of points was the name of the game and some played it better than others.
Come the end of day one the hosts, Newquay Boardriders, held a deserved lead over the trailing field and attention turned to the Korev Beach Flags. A hybrid of surf lifesavings beach flags event, only our favourite Cornish lager replaces the flags and surfers run in search of korev glory. Croyde’s Cory Lawson beat the field of 10 and took the win and a stack of beers for his team mates, much to their delight.
The word ‘’hype” could be used to describe the days leading to Sunday, as a new swell was tracked heading straight for Cornwall, the promise of amazing surf was real, but mother nature had some tricks up her sleeve.
The swell did arrive as planned, strong, un-sympathetic and stacked to the horizon, the swell lines met the shore and the waves feathered in the light offshore winds as 6-8ft faces broke across the bay. The Juniors were held at the beach for safety reasons and those women that wished to do so took the opportunity and dived straight in and scored near perfect waves. Next up was the open division, peppered with an array of professionals and amateurs the surfing was electric and all stepped up to the mark in the big seas. So just as the finishing line was in sight, mother nature dealt her final and defiant hand, sea fog. No predictions could account for this as the beach was consumed by the fog. Contest officials took to direct calls with the local airport to work out the extent of the fog, the message was clear ‘it’s in for a while’, damn. As the rule books were scoured and the options reviewed, the team managers made their call and all final 6 heats were equally distributed with points for the teams. Much to many delight as the sea increased its aggression and broken boards began to return to the beach.
Presentations came and went, with celebration and rejoice for those learning their finals positions, providing solace for some, disappointment for others and rejoice for Newquay B team in the juniors, Woolacmbe in the Women’s and Newquay in the Open, leading to Newquay lifting the overall interclub titles.
Attention then turned to the Northern corner of the beach, which had come to life, the huge swells hitting the reef and the break known as Cribbar began to break with the local big wave riders charging down the 15-20ft waves in front of the cliffs which held the supporting crowds. A fitting end to an incredible two days.
Thank you to the clubs, the surfers, the sponsors, the staff and the supporters for a memorable few days. We wish all a wave filled Autumn.
Star Surf Camps Open
1st Newquay Boardriders A
2nd Bude Waveriders
3rd Croyde Surf Club A
4th Isle of Wight A
5th Woolacombe Boardriders A
6th Croyde Surf Club B
7th Aggie Boardriders A
8th Newquay Boardriders B
9th Army Surfing
10th Woolacombe Boardriders B
11th Isle of Wight B
12th Bristol Surf Club A
13th RNRMSA A
14th Bristol Surf Club
Carve Visionaries Junior’s Open
1st Newquay Boardriders B
2nd Newquay Boardriders A
3rd Croyde Surf Club A
4th Croyde Surf Club B
5th Aggie Boardriders A
6th Aggie Boardriders B
5th Bude Waveriders
6th Woolacombe Boardriders A
7th Woolacombe Boardriders B
8th Isle of Wight B
9th Isle of Wight A
10th RNRMSA A
Jolly Brown Women’s Open
1st Woolacombe Boardriders A
2nd Newquay Boardriders A
3rd Croyde Surf Club A
4th Isle of Wight A
5th Isle of Wight B
6th Bude Waveriders
7th Woolacombe Boardriders B
8th Newquay Boardriders B
9th RNRMSA A
10th Bristol Surf Club A
2017 Korev Interclub Surf Champions
1st Newquay Boardriders A
2nd Croyde Surf Club A
3rd Bude Waveriders
4th Woolacombe Boardriders A
5th Newquay Boardriders B
6th Croyde Surf Club B
7th Isle of Wight A
8th Aggie Boardriders A
9th Woolacombe Boardriders B
10th Isle of Wight B
11th Army Surfing
12th Bristol Surf Club A
13th RNRMSA A
14th Aggie Boardriders B
15th Bristol Surf Club B
Bringing a unique mix of live music, surfing and cuisine to Seignosse, The Wander Landes Festival presented by VISSLA and Heads Beach Brewing Company celebrated its first year under sunshine and blue skies. Curated by Anglo-Aussie quartet Sunset Sons, the highly anticipated surf/sound experience welcomed hundreds of festival-goers to the French surf region between Thursday 21st September – Sunday 24thSeptember 2017.
Popping up at various hotspots throughout Seignosse, the four-day immersion into beach life culminated in one epic live show at the Salle des Bourdaines. Headlined by Hossegor locals Sunset Sons, The Wander Landes Festival showcased a string of musicians from across Europe including New Carnival, Nathan Ball, Lee-Ann Curren, Haunt the Woods and Consolers.
Sunset Sons commented: “We’ve had the pleasure of touring with some fantastic bands and artist over the years. Having a bunch of them join us in Seignosse has been a great experience and we have been overwhelmed by the local support. This town means a lot to us and we wanted to put on something special and it’s safe to say the debut year of The Wander Landes Festival went off more than expected. It looks like we’ll have to keep this puppy alive.”
Embracing the sands of Seignosse, Germany’s Consolerskick-started The Wander Landes Festival in style on Thursday 21st September at Heads Beach Brewing Company. Joined by a selection of local guest DJ’s including Sunset Sons frontman Rory Williams, the opening party made for a killer introduction to this grass roots music festival.
Marking the start of the water action was Friday’s official Foam Froth Surf Event courtesy of Catch Surf and Louvine. Kicking off proceedings with coffee and pastries, participants gathered to select their soft-top weapon of choice. Drawing musicians, pro surfers, industry veterans and fans, the no-rules event encouraged wave stealing and general bad surf etiquette.
Celebrating the street food craze, Friday evening of The Wander Landes Festival pulled in an 800-strong crowd as scores of food trucks set up shop for the widely anticipated street food event. Showcasing an all-star cast of local chefs and ninja home cooks, the Louvine terrace was bursting at the seams with hungry festival goers sampling the countless cuisines. Four-piece band Haunt the Woods added a music element to the culinary affair and this concluded their first performance at The Wander Landes Festival for 2017.
The stage on Saturday 23rd September saw Sunset Sons deliver a long-awaited performance on their adopted home turf. Renowned for their high-energy shows, local residents and devoted fans turned out in their masses to see the band headline festival proceedings. Performing hits such as ‘On the Road’ and ‘Remember,’ from their debut album ‘Very Rarely Say Die,’ all eyes were on the four-piece as they shared a slice of their new material with excited partygoers.
Joining Sunset Sons on stage was indie music’s rising stars New Carnival. Bringing a taste of Bristol to France, the infectious live performance energised partygoers and it was easy to see why this band always sell out headline shows. London-based singer songwriter Nathan Ball captivated the audience with an atmospheric show that swiftly became a talking point among festival guests. Checking in for round two was Hanover born band Consolers. Bringing their colourful chorus-driven sounds, the feel-good performance was the perfect fit for a beachside festival. Trading waves for the stage, Biarritz native and local surf legend Lee-Ann Curren showcased her musical flare with a solo set that impressed friends and fans. Warming up the crowd for the second time was harmonious foursome Haunt the Woods. Often found sharing the stage with Sunset Sons, the up-and-coming rock-folk band charmed The Wander Landes Festival crowd once again.
Festival Director Nicolas Dazet commented: “We really wanted to give the artists playing at the festival and our guests a true taste of Seignosse. It was a special four days and we already have ideas for next year.”
A closing party at Heads Beach Brewing Company marked the end of a successful event packed full of outstanding musical performances, fun and fearless surf sessions plus mouth-watering cuisine.
The Wander Landes Festival is proudly sponsored by VISSLA and Heads Beach Brewing Company.