Croyde Farewell

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My summer in Croyde was amazing. Working at the surf school was the best job i have ever had, and in a strange way, all the nights spent working in the kitchen at the manor provided many highlights throughout the summer. Working so many hours didnt bother me much, as i knew it was providing me with the funds i required to embark on my dream surf adventure abroad.

Living in Croyde felt like i was a million miles away from my old life in Manchester. Sharing a house with 4 other surfers (and the lovely Martina) meant that if we were not out surfing or working together, then we would probably all be chilling at the house watching surf movies and talking about surfing instead. Hanging around with people who loved surfing as much as me, some probably even more, was really cool.

The house was such a great place to hang out. As we all worked at the surf school and the Manor, we all had the same circle of friends. People would just pop round, knowing there would be one of us in to chill out with. Camping at the start of the summer was great. It was sunny and a good way to meet people, but once it started to get busy at the school and the manor, it was much nicer knowing that there was a house with a nice cosey bed to go back to.

It started to really feel like the summer was over once we had the surf school go karting trip. Not long after that Lorenzo and Martina left, which certainly changed things at the house and the school, the main difference being it got much quieter. The go karting has to be one of the funniest nights of the summer. There were so many hilarious incidents, it is impossible for me to remember them all. However, i will never forget Lorenzo hurtling around the track like a man possessed, taking out anything that dare get in his way. I still havent forgiven him for shunting me into the tyre wall, costing me and my team first place.

When September arrived, work at the surf school had died down, which coincided nicely with the arrival of some nice waves. Plenty of time off during the day allowed us all to enjoy some good September sessions. There were some memorable surfs at Puttsborough. There was one session in particular that springs to mind, when everyone from the surf school was out, including Darren (Croyde must have been too big for him to paddle out that day). Will got the nicest barrel on his backhand, first wave after paddling out.

There were 3 trips made to Lynmouth. One and a half of which were a success. Myself, Andy and Issi made the first trip and scored nice waist to chest high surf. It was the first time i had ever surfed a point break, and i enjoyed the experience alot. The second road trip to Lynmouth was a bit of a non starter. Andy, Bill, Damo, Gaz, Sam and myself loaded up the cars and made the 45 minute trip keen for waves. On arrival we were greeted with 1ft low tide. Sam thought it might pick up on the push, so we waited. After i had consumed 3 ice creams, it was obvious there wasnt going to be any surf, so i washed them down with a couple of pints of Exmoor Gold before we headed back to surf Puttsborough. After making a 2hr round trip, that took most of the day, we ended up surfing the break 5 mins from our door.... a point Bill was quick make "Whos idea was it to go to Bloody Lynmouth?"

The 3rd and final pilgrimage to Lynmouth saw an even larger crew assemble. Andy, Damo, James, Will, Bill and myself. On arrival we also bumped into Laurance. The break wasnt quite working, and when we all paddled out it quickly became crowded. At least we got to surf instead of binge on ice cream before we headed back to surf Puttsborough again. By now i think Bill was hoping he never had to go to Lynmouth again.

Throughout the summer there were a few large nights out. We had a BBQ at the house for Darrens birthday. Darren eventually caved in to pier pressure and was forced to join us all in Mariscos disco. As with most nights in Mariscos, once getting through the door and having the mark of shame branded on my hand, tequilla makes my memory a bit hazey.

Some of the best nights of the summer were spent down the Thatch, watching Bill practice his second favourite leisure activity after surfing. The man is a legend at sharking women. Within a week of moving into the house, Bill had put on a display that Huge Heffner would have been proud of down at the Playboy Mansion.

The 2nd of September was my birthday and the day after was the wedding of my best mate from school, Gaz. I was to be an usher and took a flight from Exeter to Newcastle. I stayed at the castle in Durham where the wedding was to be. It was the first time i had left Croyde all summer and it was absolutely brilliant to see all my mates again. It was even better to get to spend the weekend staying with my beautifull girlfriend in the amazing surroundings of a castle. It goes without saying that lots of alcohol was consumed and a great time was had by all. I had so much to catch up on with everyone. The wedding went well, and i think i managed to fullfill my role as an usher, despite having no idea what i was actually supposed to be doing. After 3 days away from the sea, i was looking forward to surfing again. Driving round Downend Point on my return, it was a welcome sight to see 2 - 3ft waves at mid tide Croyde.

There were a couple of low points throughout the summer. One sunday morning after quite a lengthy flat spell, i went for a surf a Croyde, keen to get some time in the water. I ended up having a collision in the water with one of the locals. My board was fine, but he had a huge ding in one of his rails. In the end it all turned out ok. I wasnt sure quite what had happened, but felt obliged to pay for the damage. Luckily, that was the end of it, but it put me on a real downer for a few days.

Another low point Came right at the end oif my time in Croyde. It was a Friday morning, low tide and Croyde was looking really really good. I remember walking down the beach with Bill and Andy, watching people pull into barrells all over the place. Unfortunately one of the locals, a guy called Ralph was involved in a freak accident and broke his kneck. He was air lifted off the beach and taken to hospital. After an operation to pin the bones in his kneck he should bake a full recovery, which hopefully he is well on his way to now. Ralph was one of the best surfers in Croyde, a real joy to watch in the water. Being in the water when something like that happens to a surfer light years ahead of you in surfing ability really makes you stop and think.

That just about summs up my summer in Croyde. Now all i have to do is tell you about my adventures so far in Costa Rica.

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