We’ve all seen that dreaded surf report …. 0.5ft at 8 seconds… but when a flat spell hits it’s hard to stay positive and remember that it’s not forever – that the waves are always on their way; it’s just a case of being patient and finding other ways to entertain yourself!

Here’s some [...]]]>

We’ve all seen that dreaded surf report …. 0.5ft at 8 seconds… but when a flat spell hits it’s hard to stay positive and remember that it’s not forever – that the waves are always on their way; it’s just a case of being patient and finding other ways to entertain yourself!

Here’s some ideas (based on my own experience, as it’s currently been flat as a pancake for 3 days in Morocco)

Grab a partner and fly… (but please don’t try this at home!)

I’m into all types of yoga so when my friend (yoga instructor and free spirit) Gervaise told me we should partner up, I was up for the challenge!

It took a few goes, but once I had my confidence and let go of any trust issues I felt amazing!  It was like I was flying, and it really stretched out my back!

If you’re interested in finding out more check out www.acroyoga.org!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Grab your broom and start sweeping… SUPing (or sweeping as it’s affectionately known to certain Californian surfers) is a good way to maintain your surf fitness whilst getting out in the water.

If it’s flat there’s no danger of nailing yourself or anyone else in the impact zone, and it’s a good way to practice your technique before heading out into waves (check out Kerry Powell’s skills!)  It’s also pretty meditative and good for clearing the mind if Рlike me Рit starts to clog up without that daily surf release.

Get creative…

Making a collage is sooo much fun…  (Just be careful who you give it to cos you might never hear from them again!)  I like to use my old Surf Girl magazines to create new art (others might say a mess) and then give it to people who don’t really appreciate it but are still flattered by the gesture.  Still, if it takes up an afternoon of being bored…

Go green… do a beach clean

It‚Äôs funny; impromptu beach cleans always accur after a night on the razz.¬† But picking up plastic in the midday sun always makes my hangover frazzle away and knowing I’m helping the environment definately helps me feel better.¬† Check out www.surfrider.eu and join their Oceans Initiatives campaign!

Go shopping!

Leather goods, pottery, hand made jalabas… There’s nothing like satifying your material needs and spending some time spending money.  In the new Marina I have found a huge ZARA which can make a whole afternoon disappear!  However, my favourite shopping trip is to the second hand stalls at the souk where you can grab classic 80s outfits for super cheap.

Cook, Eat, drink, chill….

Then there’s just making the most of flat spells and that fact that you can relax and let the “froth” build up… I like to call it “embracing the still”!

Top snack: Avocado and marmite on freshly baked bread

Top meal: Vegetable pastia (sweet pastry filled with noodles and veggies)

Top book: Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts

Top movie: The Time Travellers Wife starring Eric Bana (the hottest time traveller since Michael J.)

Top album: Give Up by The Postal Service

Top beverage: Avocado shake with almonds and dried fruits

Top mag: Surf Girl of course!!

Yes, it was all my idea to spend the winter in London.  Yes, I am a surf coach.  Yes, there’s no surf in London.  Yes, I should really be getting waves somewhere warm or working a ski season at least.  But no!  The bright idea was to experience London, to [...]]]> Surf n the city

Yes, it was all my idea to spend the winter in London.  Yes, I am a surf coach.  Yes, there’s no surf in London.  Yes, I should really be getting waves somewhere warm or working a ski season at least.  But no!  The bright idea was to experience London, to be close to family (who I’m never normally close to as I’ve been chasing waves for many years now), to see my friends, to earn a bit of cash, to maybe miss the sea so much that I never, ever take it for granted again.

I’m also thinking about becoming a yoga instructor so I felt it was a good place to concentrate on that without getting distracted by sunset glass (which usually happens in Morocco).

I’ve managed to avoid UK winters for about 4 years so I wasn’t looking foward to re-climatising to the cold water.¬† Luckily I scored a lovely session at North Watergate; it was sunny, 2ft, with light offshore winds‚Ķ surely that was not the norm for December surfing in Cornwall!

With my fortunate conditions in mind,  I got thinking about those not so blessed and the girls that I’d met the previous year in Morocco who came from Scotland.  I began to wonder if surfing is a completely different experience entirely when you’ve got Baltic temperatures to contend with…

So girls…..

It’s January…brrrr….Are you still surfing in Scotland at this time of year or is that a silly question!?
Yes we are still splashing about in the North Sea in January…..a van for changing and a good wetsuit definitely¬†help!¬† Its getting back into a cold wet wetsuit for the second surf that’s the killer.¬† Got a snowboard, a sledge and a surf in one day!
It can be a much better vibe in winter, like there is mutual respect for braving frost bitten extremities!  Only the hardcore surf community come out so those clean crisp, cold winter days with big swell and beers  and whiskies by the fire at night make it so so worth it!

What’s the temperature of the sea up there and how do you kit yourself out to make sure you still have 10 fingers and 10 toes left working after your session?
Just now the sea is around 6 degrees Celsius….it can feel cold, however a good wetsuit, gloves and boots are essential if you are going to last any length of time in the water at this time of year.¬†¬†There are¬†a lot of products on the market to protect your skin from the sun when surfing¬†but not so much out there to protect the skin from 6 degree waters, freezing air temperature, 25 mile an hour winds,¬†and hail stones….hmmmm maybe we are onto a new product here…..?¬†¬† We discovered that vaselining your boots up help frozen and numb cold hands uninstall welded on wet suit boots but have since discovered that KY Jelly¬†is a much better option for wet suit integrity!

Did you begin surfing in cold water, and if so do you think it has made a difference to your progression?
Yes we all started in cold water….and no its definitely not helped with any progression!¬† It’s hard work paddling in a 5mm wetsuit and 7mm mits!¬† When we started, we weren’t quite sure what GREAT surf looked like so would routinely dunk ourselves into onshore massive icey mush with multiple near death annihalations (or so we would think)!¬† You definitely learn the hard way up here! But true joxies follow the policy that ‘ITS ALL TRAINING, LADIES’¬† and always took the best we can from the most dubious surf session i.e. yeah I think I really improved my paddling / duckdiving / ability to hold my breath for 15 minutes, / communicated with some dolphins / got a real nice exfoliation on my face when I got drilled into the sand / got some nice gulps of salt water to assist with my detox / swallowed some kelp – got my daily requirement for iodine etc etc….¬† Not good for progression at all but the solidarity aspect to surfing up here makes it worth it and the good thing is that there is always a beach with no-one on it so you can have loads of waves to yourself!

Tell us what attracted you to surfing and the ocean in the first place!
We all spent a lot of time playing in the sea growing up¬†so have been hooked on having fun in the ocean from an early age -¬†surfing was something that was always on the list of things to try¬†and it’s been completely addictive from day one. ¬†We all began surfing on our own but thankfully met each other at various beaches across Scotland and¬†struck up¬†really strong¬†friendships straight away -¬†a few years back there were a lot¬†less women surfing¬†so¬†I think we all¬†latched on to each other!¬† Surfing is great¬†but so is everything else that comes with it – exploring the coast, van trips, drunken singsongs, guitar playing and djembe drumming¬†round the campfire¬†- its a great way to live and hang out with friends.¬† It takes a certain type of woman to be a committed surfer in Scotland, so you know instantly that they are gonna be some top quality X chromosomes there.

You must be pretty hardcore, have you got any stories to make us southern fairies feel like fairweather pussies?
Hmmmm we were up North one New Year and it was minus 10 when we went for a surf.¬† We had to scrape the ice off the inside of the van windscreen and break the ice on a river to get across it and¬†out to the break…There was large chunks for ice drifting by on the rip past the peak.¬†¬†Our hair froze by the time we got back to the van.¬† Pre van times we suffered from¬†temporary bouts of Tourettes syndrome on the really really cold¬†days!¬† Changing in a bikini on frost in vertical hail….I’m afraid….only four letter words were exchanged…

Have you managed to get away to any warmer climates?
Yeah we’ve been out to Surf Maroc¬†as a Joxy crew a couple of times which was great.¬† We’ve divided and conquered as well though; Joxies have ‘graced’ the oceans of¬†Mexico, Baja, Bali, Portugal, Spain, Australia, West coast USA….¬† and Wales,Ireland and England which are slightly warmer!

Tell us what’s special about you local spot/area and is there anything/one you want to ‘big up’?
Hee hee what’s pretty special now is we have our own vans so there will be 3 Joxy Wagons looking for a space in the car park! There’s¬†a lof of choice of spots up here and everyone’s pretty friendly -¬†there’s a reasonable amount of round the year surfers but its a¬†close knit¬†crew so we can pull¬†up at the beach and¬†usually be met by a friendly face.¬† Joxy Girls¬†are growing in numbers¬†and its always good to paddle out next to¬†a Surf Sista but if we have to settle for one of the lads then most of them are aright…. ha ha!

Big up to our mate Skip who designed the logo for our Joxy T-shirt!
Big up to local shaper Jason at J Surfboards for shaping¬†the J Joxy longboard…check out this board and more on his¬†facebook page¬†- J Surfboards.
And to Coast to Coast Surf School for the awesome cafe to hang out in and providing work during the summer months!
Big up to all the JOXY fans on Facebook too who have supported, given lifts, fed, given cups of tea, swapped boards with, provided shoulders to cry on blah blah to all the JOXIES!

What’s next in store for the Joxy girls?!
World domination!¬†¬† We are in the middle of making our own DVD – bit of a rip off of some of the more pretentious girl surf DVD’s on the market….less beach babes with matching boards and bikinis surfing glassy tropical waters…..more¬†wind and¬†wave battered, independent fiesty women slapping each other with kelp.¬†¬†The real deal….!¬†¬†We were all disgusted at THAT dvd!¬† We have lots of ideas at the moment, but unfortunately we have been a bit disparate at the moment, so once we glue ourselves back together watch this space!¬†¬† Also we cant forget the Surfing Joxy Mums!¬† Who are watering the next generation of Joxy rippers whilst dropping them off at the nursery in wetsuits!

Wow, so there you have it!!  I definitely have way more respect for these girls, braving such insane conditions… I’m not sure if I could handle it!

As for my London experience – I lasted about 2 weeks!

I’ve discovered that if you know what makes you happy, and you‚Äôre given the opportunity to do it‚Ķ. Why do anything else!?¬† So I‚Äôm back in Morocco; running the Roxy girls surf camps at Surf Maroc once again!¬† After my city stint and hearing the Joxy girls‚Äô exploits I‚Äôm definately even more thankful for warm water and winter sunshine‚Ķ.

Check out the Surf Maroc & Roxy website and facebook page for more info on joining me!