Californication – Radical times in the sunshine state

Allure. That’s what it is! When gold was discovered in California in the 1800s, it resulted in a population boom that saw tens of thousands of runaways, castaways, rebels and revolutionaries leave their old lives behind and trade them it in for something wild and unpredictable. By now, most of that gold’s been dug up. But the California allure — the promise of something new, that gravity that draws you towards its mountains and waves — remains just the same.

British Longboard Union – The Stable Fistral Longboard Classic 2017

As the nights draw in and the summer winds down into the promise of long-awaited autumn swell,

the British Longboard Union finish the year with a bang as they return to Fistral Beach on 30th September - 1st October 2017. We are once again looking forward to the very warm welcome of main event sponsor - and purveyors of the finest pizza, pies and cider - 'The Stable, Fistral'. The Stable Fistral Longboard Classic has seen the rollercoaster ride of the BLU tour come to an epic conclusion in previous years, and this year looks like it's going to be another cracker. A reduced number of events has left every single division wide open, with the Women's and Men's Open divisions promising the real fireworks.

In 2016, the overall Women's tour win was shared between Emily Currie and Jen Pendlebury, with previous holder Claire Smail missing out on a three-way tie by the slimmest margin of 10 points. Emily's win at Fistral in 2016 was needed to force the tie, and with Jen leading the field into the final event it's sure to be a close affair once again as both Emily and Claire are still within range of victory.

The Men's Open and Single Fin divisions are currently in the grip of European Junior Longboard Champion Jack Unsworth, having put in a comprehensive and professional performance at Saunton earlier in the tour. Current tour and 11 time European Longboard Champion Ben Skinner is in second place in both divisions, and is unlikely to come to Fistral with anything less than all guns blazing.

The U16 Cadets, U18 Boys, U18 Girls, Masters and Grand Masters divisions are all still undecided, and it will definitely come down to performances - good or bad - on the day to finally put the issue to bed.

The contest portal is now open and entries can be made here (before Wednesday 27th September) New competitors are always welcome, please contact Minnow Green here if you have any questions.

The decision to call the contest on/off will be made at 1300hrs on Thursday 28th September.

The BLU would also like to announce their intention to run the Men's Open and Women's divisions with equal prize money and a repechage for both divisions. This will be dependent on entry levels and surf conditions, but forms part of the BLU's commitment to equality and fair representation within the sport of surfing.

 

History of The British Longboard Union

In 1994 Robert 'Minnow' Green was asked to run a Prestigious Longboard only 2 day event for Oxbow to coincide with the launch of the clothing brand in Europe to be held at Fistral beach, Newquay.
The contest attracted some important names to Britain’s shores with surfing professionals Nat Young and his son Beau from Australia plus Joel Tudor and Duane Desoto from Hawaii in attendance. Following the event a number of British longboarders felt it would be a beneficial step for the sport to have more events like it, so in 1995 we worked on how to produce a tour. In 1996 the British Longboard Union was launched with backing from Oxbow U.K. Twenty two years on, the BLU Tour continues to grow with surfers competing from the Channel Isles, Wales and Scotland alongside our English loggers.

Longboarding continues to evolve due to a large resurgence of interest & through the inclusion of progressive surfing combined with traditional nose-riding disciplines.

Swell alert Monday 11 September…

Still a little early but indications are that the North Atlantic season is kicking off as remnants of the hurricanes start working their way into the Atlantic… Next one looks interesting… Winds not that great though…

Ghana Surf Fundraiser and Premier of ‘Brilliant Corners Ghana’ – Newquay

to 8 September at 1:00 –
Whiskers
5-7 Gover Lane, TR7 1ER Newquay, Cornwall

Whiskers is super excited to bring you an evening of fundraising to help buy surf equipment for the local people of Ghana. We also have the pleasure to be showing the premier of former European longboard champion and Finisterre Ambassador Sam Bleakley’s short film ‘Brilliant Corners Ghana’.

We have some great raffle prizes donated by Rip Curl, Globe, New Era, Northshore Surf Shop, Nike, Hurley, Dragon, Poolen, Stance, Volcom and Surfing life.

Entry fee will be £5 which includes 1 raffle tickets. More raffle tickets available to purchase on the night.

The film will play around 7.30pm followed by a short Q and A session. We will then be treated to tunes spun by local legend DJ Tim Nice.

All proceeds will go towards buying surfing equipment for the local surfers of Ghana – come and support this great cause!

Stay tuned for info on how and where you can buy your ticket xx

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‘Brilliant Corners Ghana’:
Directed and presented by travel writer, former European longboard champion and Finisterre Ambassador Sam Bleakley, Brilliant Corners is a surf travel series of 52 minute long documentaries (five episodes per series) exploring emerging surf cultures, and capturing the power of surfing for social good. Through interviews, narrative and beautifully filmed surfing sequences in extreme destinations, Sam meets developing surf cultures, explores surfing as dance, and leads an adventure travelogue across a variety of physical environments, learning about the respective landscapes of art and music. Brilliant Corners is a celebration of life, travel and off-the-beaten-track places, demonstrating how surfing can offer detailed understanding of the changing relationship between cultures and coastlines.

Brilliant Corners Ghana filmed by Felix Gansicke, presented by Sam Bleakley, featuring Brett Davies, produced by The Wave Productions’