The future is Freights - but it didn't seem that way at first light. Surfer's Point was blown out and the word was that the west coast swell had died. It struck me that the strong onshore wind would render the Soup Bowl, well, a foaming, frothing, soupy mess, and once there that's exactly how it looked. Remarkably, however, all of Russell Winter, Ben Baird and Ben Skinner didn't see much wrong with it - certainly nothing that the tide wouldn't fix later in the day. As ever, the gulf between what the pros will surf and what average Joes like me are happy to paddle out into was all too clear.
In the car with me was one of the UK's best surfing photographers, Kirstin Prisk. We followed Russ and the two Bens to Maycocks, which - to me - was perfect at around chest to shoulder high, and then to Duppies, which also looked very appetizing at a little overhead. The crew opted to surf Duppies but alas, I had no board. I watched with Kirstin - shooting this trip for a forthcoming issue of Carve - as Skindog styled on his longboard, Russell Winter cast beautiful fans of spray with just about every frontside off the top and Ben Baird showed that he's as powerful in the water as he looks on land.
It was great to see, and shooting the breeze with Kirstin was a pleasure (of our conversation, more in the near future). But watching endless right-handers breaking in a tropical paradise without a board was tough, so after a while I hit the road back to Surfer's Point, vowing to check a series of west coast spots en route and drive all the way back, with board, if there was even a hint of a wave.
Everywhere was flat but once back at Zed's Place I bumped into one of the British guys staying here, Matthew from Stoke. He was stoked from Stoke because he'd just returned, with a number of other surfers staying at Surfer's Point, from surfing nearby perfect Freights.
Harry and I made it there within half an hour and paddled out into chest high crystal-green perfection. The setting was breathtaking and the supply of easy, fun lefts and rights endless. We both had a series of great rides and know exactly what we'll be doing first thing tomorrow morning.
The Future is Freights.
With thanks to Vacation in Barbados for the image.
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