Sun and Surf

The sun is out, the sky is blue .... sweet as! Just about as good as it gets - nice 3ft clean wave kissing our shores. We've had a few good days of it now - long may it continue. And the water's warming up - we're looking at summer suits now, which is a blessing. The water temp gets down to 8 degrees in the winter if it's really bad - this past winter it got down to 6.5!! Yes, your read it right, six and a half degrees which is unheard of. So it's taken a while to get back up to where it should be, you'll be pleased to hear that the corner has been well and truly turned.

What's to report? We had a few team riders over in Portugal for the Europeans. I've heard that Max and Gabi did really well. A big up to them.

We held our Combat Attack last weekend for the Boardriders - they have to get across the estuary from Rock over to Tregirls Beach (top tip on a busy summers day) without being seen. And then wait for the signal to attack the camp. Simple enough only this year we set up two camps! Confusion ensued when the attack flag was raised. Big thanks to all the BR mums and Dads for their help and especially Kit and Alan who helped bring the day together.

I fell through the ceiling in the lounge; Billy's team won the footie league and Bill came second in the St. Minver fun run - he came first in the school but was beaten by a 20 yr old from the Royal Engineers! A really impressive run. Fin came 16th overall and 2nd in his sprint - a pretty amazing achievement considering he'd spent the night before on his death bed and played a footie match just prior to the run. A 3 miler is not insignificant at the age of 7! I think he was shattered by the end of it all.

What else do we have to report. Oh yes, a luck out. I've been concerned that over the past few years our e-mail newsletters had been getting less and less effective. And then, only a couple of days ago I discovered that what should be an automatic e-mail capturing system had been failing. It meant that all our 'special offers' hadn't been getting through to our most recent clients. So we've tracked back 3 years and have now created a new bang up to date database - absolutely crucial in this day and age.

Which reminds me of our Facebook Surf's Up! page - we created one a couple of years ago but what we didn't realise at the time was that a young lad had created one for us and was using it as a Surf's Up! fan site. As delighted as we were, he'd used our name in complete innocence! No big deal but it's taken us ages to get it switched over. It will be back on line asap but for the moment it's a private site while we get it to where we want it.

The on-line shop selling all the latest Billabong, Quiksilver, Animal stuff is going really well - I'm hoping now that we've got the database updated we'll generate a lot of traffic. It is the way forward - and I'm sure others will follow. Makes sense for small operations to do business in this way - no risk, no costs, no P&P, no returns to deal with - genius. I guess shops will eventually just be seen as changing rooms where you go and try stuff on and then order on-line where you'll get the best prices, particularly in the current climate.

Okay, I'm off to go and get some plaster board to repair this hole!

ps gutted - trained all winter for this bike ride last Sunday only to wake up on the day with what can only be described as a humungous headache. Now if you factor in that I haven't taken a day off work through sickness since we started back in 1995, and this was something that I really wanted to do - then you'll understand that it was a big bad one. Getting on board a bike was not an option! As a say, gutted. Oh well I said to Janey, at least I've got the event coming up in Wales on the 6th June, the Dragon Ride (very hard to get into) - at least that's all booked and my accommodation sorted. What date was that? she asked. The 6th? That's the day of the boys football party! Ho hum.

Colours

I'm sure it hasn't gone unnoticed where you live, but aren't the flowers on the trees this year spectacular? Beautiful. The Apple Blossom and the Magnolias just seem to be alive. And the trees themselves seem so full of leaves and healthy. Some amazing shades of colour. Signs of a hot summer?

Bought the bargain of the year today. One of those big trampolines with a net, £100 from Asda. Boys can't get enough of it. Only took a couple of hours to put it up! Even got it the right way up!

Centre of Excellence

Celebrate good times, come on! Well it's taken a while, but finally after 16 years we get the recognition that is surely deserved. We've been awarded the exclusive BSA Centre of Excellence standard, a standard that many aspire to but only a handful achieve. 

This seal of approval is something that we're very proud of! Having pioneered so much in the industry, it's been a long time coming. Much of what we've pioneered since 1995 is taken for granted now. But we've changed surfing in this country, no question. 

We've been waiting for the approval for a short while, now we can press the button on our marketing drive. At the same time, I'm putting my name forward for the Exec Committee of the BSA as head of Strategy. Certainly we've noticed in more recent years that our opinion carries more weight. As it should - we run the largest surf school this country has ever seen (possibly the world), have written training programmes for the governing body since 1996; and have developed a surf club for local kids that is unprecedented. You have to be voted in ... I'm hoping to go one better than David Cameron and get a clear majority!

It's funny really, I'm not a certificate man! I've always felt that I can decide for myself how brilliant I am! But this is a good moment and myself and Janey would like to thank all who've been on the journey with us over the past 16 years. Clients, instructors, office staff and friends - each and ever one. We've been very fortunate to have been surrounded by some very good people. Life really has been a Beach!

In what direction do we go on now? I touched on this yesterday, but having watched Bloomberg live as the Dow crumbled, we know that basics are where we're at. Over the short term that means keeping it simple and working on the quality. 

Vote for the Beach Party

I can't be the only one who entered the polling booth still unsure who to vote for? As enjoyable as the leaders debates have been, I couldn't find a clear favourite. But, in the end, I just felt that change would be good and ticked the Tory box. 

No matter who comes in, we can expect some tough times. Over the past few weeks we've been in negotiations for a new business, one that we felt would sit very comfortably with our long term vision of Surf's Up! - but yesterday we pulled out. We couldn't reach a deal on the ingoing figure. And the thing was that actually during the negotiation period I was sure it was the right thing to do, on reflection it was exactly the right thing not to do. It would have required a good deal of investment in both money and time. Now is a good time not to be spending money, in fact we've made some serious savings on our running costs both in the office and on the beach. So rather than feeling disappointed, I actually felt some relief. I knew that Janey wasn't 100% into it, and that for me always sets the alarm bells ringing. No matter how amazing I think it's going to be, Janey is the reality check. And the reality check is that whatever is around for sale today, will most likely still be for sale in a couple of years time, and it'll probably be cheaper. And then of course, we have a very good work/ family balance right now. That's where we're at - priceless really. Talking of family - we took the boys to the go kart track down at St. Eval on the weekend. I can't help myself, as soon as the visor goes down, I'm in the zone. Can I apologise to all the mums and dads who complained about this idiot barging their kids off the track! haha - what fun!

Have you taken a look at the austerity plan for Greece? These are serious measures that could potentially come our way. It's not out of the question. So our game plan, is to keep things simple; make sure that we're efficient and avoid waste. Simple as that. And then when everything settles down, then we can emerge from our hibernation, refreshed and energised. 

Off to play squash with the Billyman... as soon as that racquet comes out of it's bag...!

Quiksilver, Rip Curl, O'Neill - all now available on-line

Great news - previously restricted to just a few brands, we're now able to offer top surfing brands such as Quiksilver, Rip Curl, O'Neill, Reef etc through our online store. Exciting times. For the moment if you go to http://www.surfsupsurfschool.com/online-shop/ and then click on any of the products in the grey area, you'll get through to the new bit! There are literally thousands of products to choose from. So whether it's the Rip Curl E-bomb, the FCS glass flex fin, or the latest pair of O'Neill flipper floppers.. it's all there. We knew this day would come, hence the layout of our beach shop - people asked why we had the four Imacs in the middle, and now you know why. It opens the door to anything you could ever want as a surfer or indeed as someone who loves the beach. I know, I know... we're visionaries!! haha

First anniversary of our new shop coming up, which has been a huge success. We tried something different and it's been received well. Yeah, pretty stoked about it all.

Myself and Janey have itchy feet! We said no new projects, but we can't help ourselves - must be in the blood. Plenty of irons in the fire! 

Argyle Blues

We were there! And far from being bitterly disappointing it turned into a fantastic night of celebration. Yep, Plymouth against Newcastle - Plymouth needing to win to avoid relegation, Newcastle needing to win to go into the Premiership as Champions. With ten mins to go the result was already clearly written on the wall. But far from going into depression, the Plymouth fans sung like they'd never sung before. Down the other end, some of the most loyal fans in footballing history, were singing their hearts out. Come the final whistle and everyone poured onto the pitch to celebrate Newcastles achievement. It was such a great occasion and to see all the fans getting on, warmed the heart.

All Puffed Out

New camera arrived today!! Yippee - a Lumix LX3! Cute little number - I take a lot of photos, wanted something small to keep on me all the time. Battery charged, sun going down, I hopped on the bike and hurried up to Pentire and then onto the Rumps to catch the moment. The bike is a fixed gear jump bike - bit of an effort getting up to the headland, but coming back..... weeeeeeee! That was fun! Not sure I'm allowed to cycle on the coast path, but hey yo, you just catch me!! No, it was a one off..... promise!

Si from Cornish Rock Tors was running out there at the same time - I got him to take this snap. Rubbish sunset in the end, so no money shot! I blame the ash! Never get bored of the view. That's Libby's tail, not mine!

Hm, boys bit overtired me thinks! A bit of rough and tumble going on in the hallway - and that's after six hours of football training today...! Their feet smell very cheesy. Off to watch Plymouth Argyle on Monday night against Newcastle. Been a few times recently. This is the big one - lose this and they're down.

All part of the Journey

“What do your instructors go onto to do when they leave Surf’s Up?” is a question that we’re often asked. Well the answer is that some go off to instruct at other surf schools around the world or set up their own. South Africa and Portugal have been popular stops in the past. More recently though, South America has become ‘the’ destination. I think seven of our past instructors have worked / are working out there - consistent surf, warm water, teaching in Boardies - what’s there not to like!... and two have set up their own operations. Pioneering stuff - it’s one thing setting up on a beach in this country, it’s quite another to do it in a foreign land.

Ru, set up Innocent surf school four years ago and currently corners the market for Surf’s Up! instructors working abroad and why not. He worked with us for seven years, becoming senior instructor and our right hand man on the way. He did a fantastic job. One of the best surfers we’ve ever employed with a great work ethic, it’s been no surprise that he’s gone on to set up the most dynamic operation at Nosara. Knowing the instructors personally that are over there working in his team, I can assure you that if you pay a visit you’re guaranteed to get a very high level of instruction and a very friendly reception - they’ll look after you for sure. So if you’re heading abroad, then Ru’s Innocent Surf School in Nosara is a must. (http://www.innocentsurfschool.com). 

And then we have Evie who’s set up www.ricasurf.com - this is a new enterprise so I don’t know too much about it. Evie learned to surf with us and taught for us last year. She’s a one off - in a good way!

Dawsey set up in NZ following a Surf’s Up! New Zealand gap year tour. Although the trip was a success it worked out quite expensive so we decided that in the current economic climate we wouldn’t run another for a while. So Dawsey set about opening up his own operation on his local beach - http://www.northlandsurfnz.co.nz/ - which I think is going well. 

And then Kelly, our Elite Coach, set up his own school in last winter also in NZ on his home beach! http://www.aoteasurfschool.com/ - again, if you’re headed that way, be sure to look him up, but not until November, as he’s here until then! Long way to go to find he’s here!

That’s what some of them get up to! It’s great to watch their own journeys from afar. Now in our 16th year we understand from first hand experience that there are plenty of good days and bad days that go into making a successful operation. Just because you’re on the beach doesn’t mean that there won’t be challenges on the way. It can be tough and you have to keep the faith. Polzeath, for example, is a hot bed for beach politics. Everyone wants a slice. In the words of the wise old sage, Wetherspoons Chief Exec Tim Martin, “You got business, you got problems”. You just have to revel and thrive on the journey.

So what of Surf’s Up!? Good question! Myself and Janey have found a very happy balance between business and the family. We became the largest surf school a while ago, quite by accident - and the shop and beach house have also been part of an evolution of good fortune. There’s been no real plan! Business consultants would struggle to copy the formula - as there isn’t one. No matter - it’s worked, and with the support of strong staff, we’re able now to come and go with some freedom. To spend the amount of time we have as a family, is very, very special. It’s a privilege that few enjoy and something that we really appreciate.

Talking of freedom - I took Billy, Fin and their cousins up onto Dartmoor a few days ago! We've been up their loads this winter - you can see why, it's a special place! Always an adventure. I often worry (often would be an exaggeration) (as would worry) that my blog isn't surfy enough! But, hey, it's all about a balance. 

Let's throw some politics into the mix! Did you see the Leaders Debate last night? Interesting stuff - Clegg was alright, wasn't he? Lib Dems are big down here! Really didn't think much of the other two - early days though. No decisions made this end as yet.

hm, sun's out, lovely day but the surf's flat! Hence a decent length blog! Which reminds me - last night I cycled down to the beach to do the final trailer pack. I was wearing a head torch as it was dark. And through the beam I could see tiny white particles falling out of the sky. Must have been this ash I guess. No sign of it this morning. 

catch up

Where do I start? Masters - great to watch. Big up Mickelson, you see that's a great story right there. I couldn't have been the only one in tears as he cuddled his misses on the 18th? What a tragedy it would have been if Tiger had won. This was a much better story. Hope she makes a full recovery.

And then we have the election. It's non stop isn't it? I fancy giving it a go one day... maybe next time around.

Here's Billy on the Flowrider at Retallack, 15 mins from Polzeath. Great fun. Just opened.

Back on the beach it's been fantastic. The weather has been sensational. And everyone's down for the Easter hols. But it's a funny kind of busy. We've had extremes, one day packed, another quiet. Unlike most years, no rhythm to it and that makes it difficult to judge for staffing. Wailin and Mikey have worked hard to get it right and I think they've just about nailed it. Of course the shop wasn't open this time last year, so that's been a big bonus.

it's all in the thickness of the slice

Masterchef Final - I knew Janey's pineapple crisps were too thick! Will have to have a word!