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In the summer of 1965 surfing in Britain was a fun filled pursuit, loaded with crazy characters, good times, heavy single fins and no leashes. Rodney Sumpter's beautiful flowing style personified the Golden Longboard Era. British born, Rodney's family emigrated to Australia when he was four years old, but by 1963 he was considered one of the hottest grommets on the planet, winning the Aussie Junior titles and starring in The Endless Summer with Nat Young. Fresh from victory at the 1965 US Open in Huntington Beach, Rodney decided to move back to Britain.
Sumpter instantly became an inspiration to the Sixties generation. With ultra cool finesse, effortless nose-riding and a perfect soul arch, Rodney dominated the growing UK contest scene. Since 1960 a regular flow of Aussie lifeguards filled the summertime beaches in Britain, bringing with them tales of foreign waves, drop-knee cutbacks and new equipment. There was a growing passion for surfing and Bill Bailey and Bob Head emerged from working class roots to form Bilbo Surfboards in Newquay, spreading expertise and enterprise and a lifestyle which blossomed throughout Cornwall, Devon and Wales.
Fuelled by iconic images from Californian magazines and films of Lance Carson at Malibu and awe-inspiring Hawaii, an idea was developing that France was the Promised Land. A short trip across the English Channel meant crystal blue tubes cracking close to the beach and exotic girls lying around in bikinis. Europe quickly became a regular sojourn for Britain's finest talents; an escape from the cold waters and a chance to surf with the international superstars like Miki "Da Cat" Dora who were frequenting the famed left-hand river mouth at La Barre in South-West France.
By the late Sixties "counter culture" was at its zenith and as society moulded a belief in personal freedom, lifestyles were pushed into experimental places. Minds expanded and boards contracted. Between 1968 and 1970 the Shortboard Revolution saw surfboards decrease from 11 foot logs to 6 foot rocket pockets, leaving nose riding in the dust and exploding into a whole new era of vertical expression: A movement that British surfers Pete "PJ" Jones, Roger Mansfield, Alan McBride and Chris Jones could experience first-hand when Wayne Lynch and Nat Young toured throughout Europe in 1968, performing for John Witzig's groundbreaking documentation Evolution.
While British surfers continued to dominate the European contest scene, revolution became evolution and by the late Eighties design had gone full circle. Longboards were back. Rodney Sumpter re-emerged to claim the national title in 1988 and throughout the early Nineties the old guard still clung to the Longboard throne. But with modern lightweight material combined with the traditional longboard aesthetic that radiated from the Joel Tudor-inspired revival in the USA, a whole new generation of youthful loggers like Chris "Guts" Griffiths from Swansea and Lee Ryan from Newquay emerged. Thanks to the magnificent work of Cornish surfer Minnow Green there was an admirable contest forum, enabling a pool of talent to express themselves. Style was back.
What sets longboarding apart from other forms of wave riding is the nose ride and tip time will always be the staple diet of loggers worldwide. Thankfully the British beach breaks are perfectly suited for nose-ride styling. With consistent two to four feet conditions, it became clear to many that the longboard was the ultimate tool for good times in the ocean.
By 1996 Chris "Guts" Griffiths from Wales had became the UK powerhouse, dominating competition and taking his charge all the way to a 5th place finish in 10-15 foot Guethary, France at the Oxbow World Championships and two EPSA Longboard tour titles. By 2001 Sam Bleakley had two consecutive European titles under his belt and youngsters like Ben Skinner were charging through the ranks. This season four Brits are placed in the top 38 of the Word Tour (WLT). 19 year old Elliot Dudley currently lies in 20th position and, like close rival Ben Skinner, is blessed with a magic style. Both teenagers have explosive careers ahead of them.
In 1778 when Captain James Cook and his ship Discovery became the first Westerners to witness surfing at Kealakekua Bay, Hawaii, who would have thought that the frigid British waters would become home to Europe's biggest surf sceneand the world longest surfboard. Shaped by Newquay master craftsman Tim Mellors, the 36 foot "Custard Point" currently holds the Guinness World Record for 13 surfers on one board. The trouble is, every time Tim wants to take to beast for a session, he has to have a police escort just to get to the beach, and sixteen blocks of wax.
The British Longboard scene radiates with vigour and energy and we all look forward to a bright future. Toes Over. |
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Jerseys Joe Davies won the final contest in the BLU series at sennen cove last weekend. |
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Guts Surfboards team rider Nick Dowrick is riding high after winning the Red Stripe British Junior Longboard ChampionshipsÂ… |
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- A Numerical account of a surf trip to Scotlands North coast |
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In the summer of 1965 surfing in Britain was a fun filled pursuit, loaded with crazy characters, good times, heavy single fins and no leashes..... |
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In October I was fortunate to be given the opportunity to go on a road trip down the pacific coast of Mainland Mexico with the Bear team..... |
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