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As October opens it's 2008 account, the forecast is looking too good for Surfkraft Team Riders Rich Carter & Ian Kraft to ignore .....

Update ..... right on the heels of the opener, the 4th October delivers an absolute classic .... more details added

The guys will be at Camber to make the most of the strong, cross-shore, winds and some decent waves.

Date	Time	Weather	Temp	Wind			Visibility
				Dir	Speed	Gust
Wed 1 Oct	0100		13°C	W	29 mph		Very Good
	0400		13°C	W	21 mph	34 mph	Very Good
	0700		12°C	W	23 mph	34 mph	Excellent
	1000		13°C	W	26 mph	43 mph	Very Good
	1300		15°C	W	26 mph	43 mph	Very Good
	1600		15°C	W	25 mph	41 mph	Very Good
	1900		12°C	W	22 mph		Very Good
	Night		7°C	W	20 mph		Very Good

Both Rich and Krafty are waiting for new toys, but this will not dampen their enthusiasm to get out there and make the best of the conditions. Krafty is so determined to get out there, he's 'borrowed' his wife's one and only sail, a pink 'flowery' 4.3m Hot Sails Maui 'Diva', and will be out there with a daft smile on his face regardless.

Pics are on the gallery, though not many as time on the water was order of the day. 

Krafty's quick write up :

Approx 4-5 hours of Camber classic conditions.

Still waiting for new toys (must do some nudging methinx) so made do with all that was left in the garage .... the borrowed Fanatic Freewave 95 and a choice of my wife's old Hot Sails Maui Diva 4.3m (nice pink one with flowers) and my old Hot Sails Maui Superfreak 5.8m ...... so ... I knew without even looking that it would be 5.0m weather !!!

Anyway, went for the 5.8m as I knew I'd be well undergunned on a 4.3m, and no surprises which board I used given the option of just the one.

Spent the first hour getting properly punished, with a rogue section managing to nail me pretty much every go, unless I just escaped over it and then a lull and the rip would conspire to set me up for the next wave to eat me up, and then spit me back on the beach !! JOY !!

As the tide turned, the wind lulled a bit, and then as the tide dropped the wind filled back in a bit. The wind swung a little cross-off and just when I thought I was through the maverick section, I took a jump and did the classic nose dive with the slight offshore direction, and ended up back on the beach.

With renewed determination, I re-launched and avoided flamboyant jumping to just get out the back, where I discovered bigger waves (at least logo high) were still breaking, so needed to pay attention, but they also made awesome jump ramps.

Having made it out the back, the confidence flooded back, and I was in and out for hours, eventually packing up just before 4pm. Bigger jumps each time, until I got one all wrong and had to eject the board on the downward journey, having time to kick it away twice to avoid landing on it, but still hanging onto rig as parachute, and also to avoid a long swim !! The white water was still taking no prisoners on the inside and I properly ate sh*te on one thinking I could just make it over I made an awesome backloop in the rinser before losing my kit and having a swim. Luckily I got to it on the 2nd wave, so didn't swim too far.

End of the day, I was cream crackered having hung onto the 5.8m while all around me were on 5.3m or smaller, with ideal size being ... no suprises here ... 5.0m !!!

Bloody brilliant ..... 

Rich's verdict .....

One of the best sessions at Camber, i said before i think that WNW when its honking is the best. Posted earlier on the looking ahead thread and it was 4.7 weather. Watched the gerriatric looper go out on his new toy shredding.... Wind dropped off a bit so he changed up boards, i sat and watched some more then decided to wait for just before / high tide up at little maui, f**k me what a result. A bit sh*tty on the inside, having to bob out over the white water but then once out the back over the munchers....wind, big ramps, look right, clean as f**k over head height starting to peel with "spindrift" off the tops, long lines from the harbour to the launch site. So good to see everyone going DTL, would of been awesome to watch the pro's sail there today. Still very high standard out there today which made up for it, turn after turn and big loops going off. Last 2 days have been epic...... Big your self up boys who sailed at Camber today............ You know who you are.....

And Guy's take on the day:

Camber.  One of those days when everything was pretty much perfect.  There was a lull at high tide which meant coming in for about 1/2 hour.  At that point I'd just had about 45mins of spectacular waves shared with RichC and a couple of others slightly nearer the harbour wall.

The wind came back and so I sailed until I felt lightheaded.  Just brilliant.  5m was the perfect size for me - very little bogging and small enough to be having fun.  Bright sunshine all day and the friendliest crew around.

The only downside was that I dehydrated badly.  It's too far to trek back once you're by the water, hence sailing till getting light headed.  I necked a lot of water when I finally did get back (5 hours), but too little too late.  When I got home I said 'hello wife' and then promptly threw up.  Very hardcore, but also very stupid.

What a way to spend a day off   

Saturday  October 4th 2008

 Krafty's day at the beach

 Another quality session with the Camber Posse, met up at Las Dunas just before midday to take a peek on the beach before deciding between 5.8m Superfreak & my wife's 4.3m Diva to go on the Freewave 95 ..... solid 20 knots with gusts of 28knots, and forecast to be getting windier so decision made ..... 4.3m Diva was rigged and ready for action.
Suited up and made the trip over the top, past the newly installed fake pill boxes, and into the fray .... awesome .... but it all seemed a little light as a bit of a lull sat on us. Just about going but not enough power to bust out the back so did a U-turn and headed back to the beach. Got back to the shallows after losing a good 100m downwind and looked like it was filling back in so just went for it and was nicely powered up, so headed upwind and pretty soon made it right up into Little Maui.
Had a real laugh, and felt I ought to go for some loop attempts & big jumps as I was bound to be the subject of some posse p*ss taking for using the wife's pink flowery sail ... had a go at a backie, but bailed out as it felt all wrong, and landed with a nice back slapper.  Even had a half assed attempt at a forward, but ended up more of a catapult. Got some decent height on my jumps, and had to bale a couple of times as some crazy gusts blew me completely out of shape.
Waves just got bigger and bigger, wind got stronger and stronger, and in the end most were digging out 3.5-3.7m sails .... I was stacked out the back on the 4.3m, and the Freewave 95 was feeling a little on the big side too. We collectively opted for a downwinder back to Las Dunas from Little Maui after a classic jump'n'ride session as the wind absolutely nuked through.

A good opportunity to take a breather, and then time to get back out there and throw myself into the action. At one point out the back, I couldn't waterstart as it was too windy, I just got thrown straight over the front each time. Eventually I muscled my way back on board and headed back in. After a seriously good session, eventually I had to concede that I was cream crackered, and also that the 4.3m & Freewave 95 was just too big for the conditions.

A cracking session, and over 30 others absolutely 'having it' at Camber

Rich summed it up (and took the mickey out of Krafty's choice of sail) ....

This second beer isn't even touching the sides but, feel fooked......  Great day today at Camber in the SW wind, Started on the 4.7 a little under powered then finished on the 4.2 around 5 maxed but comfortable and there's only so much one eye sailing you can do when the rain hits so i binned it. I hate the rain when it's windy but, would you wear goggles...???  Many non windsurfing folk have suggested it, personally i think i'd and any one else would look a c**t in goggles.... Loads out today, having it and plenty more room for another 100 easy.... so where were was every one else at high tide...???????????? Gotta big up the tart on the pink flowery sail, she was avin it....  Plenty of ramps and a few decent rides to be had and i think i really do need a 3.7..........

And Tim shot some video after enjoying a couple of hours himself. Here it is on You Tube

Also located on You Tube is a video shot at Sea Lanes Cafe, Worthing, highlighting how different conditions can be at wave spots along our South Coast, and one looks a lot easier than the other though for sure, everyone out there enjoyed a cracking day, decide for yourselves .... check it here

Guy was much briefer is his appraisal of the day ....

And another at Camber. 4.5 and mental - some good jumping to be had and backside stuff on the way in.  4m would have been too much.  Great to be out on the water with just about everyone I know!

Jeff from Sussex Sounds is getting into the Camber Groove and rated his session ....

Camber today was good, the wind just went crazy though!! 2pm 4.2 and 85fsw maxed then super maxed!! I went back to the van and got the 3.5 out and carried on for a while on that. Great session I was really enjoying the back side aerials and making some effort to through a few forwards even though it was far from comfortable conditions. All in all a better day than expected and worth the drive (er sitting in the passenger seat of marks van!). Roll on tomorrow. Jeff

And Ed, who 'really loves this sport' offered the following words of wisdom ....

Great session at Camber. Went out 2pm on a 3.7, and was glad of such a small sail. really enjoyed myself, tripped out of every single bottom turn, got to learn to hold that rail in, but had a great jumpathon.

Chris is another intent on taking the mickey out of Krafty's sail choice ....

well what a day,arrived at the beach no wind as forcast went and had a bacon  sarni with tim bass got back to the beach all the posse was turning up and it was 5.3 weather and picking up so rigged a 4.7 session on the 78 global wave,flew off the beach then the wind died for 20 mins then it came back had an hour and a half comfertable then it blew f**k did it blow maxed right out then to much wind for the 4.7 when i came off the water guys where going out with 3.5s ,30 plus guys out and one strange thing all pink and flowerynice to see so many out and loops going off all over the placef**k the sand blowing about was a nitemare gone home knackered and happy and still a few out

Surprisingly enough, Alan also saw fit to take the mickey out of Krafty's sail

just watching Alan Carr at the Appollo on bbc2, don't know how he derigged his Hot Sails Maui Diva rig (pink) and made it their from Camber so quickly today. Trying to waterstart "out the back" last I saw him.