Today saw the action get underway at the O'Neill Highland Open. Brims delivered perfect A-frame surf with an offshore wind, allowing for plenty of cover-ups and some stand-out surfing. Perhaps the best waves were those had by 2000 World Surfing Champion Sunny Garcia. The Hawaiian paddled out pre-heat and blitzed three waves, leaving spectators suitably awestruck. On this form, Garcia's bid to re-qualify for the WCT looks to be well on course.
I can also report that although Garcia isn't exactly sure of the provenance of his middle name (Sennen), he is keen to paddle out at the surf break which is perhaps the furthest from Thurso in the entire country. "Sennen Cove? No, I didn't know that was a surfing beach. But I'd like to surf it," Garcia told me earlier.
Meanwhile, my personal battle with the Scottish roads continues. I whizzed swiftly off to what the water safety crew have dubbed 'Wade Hill', after my near-death experience while skating there on Tuesday (I promise to put the footage up soon). My plan was to skate the hill again, by way of a getting-back-on-the-bike-after-a-fall slice of psychology. As I drove along the deserted Scottish roads, my mobile phone rang. I answered it to tell my wife that I couldn't speak, for I was driving and had left my headset in Cornwall.
I must have been on the phone for all of three seconds, but in that time a police car appeared, as if by magic or, perhaps, a sinister force. I sped on (within the speed limit), wondering if the constables had witnessed this momentary and uncharacteristic contravention of the law. Needless to say, they had. They turned round and came up behind my VW California, blue lights flashing. I decided that attempting to outrun them would be ridiculous - the kind of decision only a fool would make - and so dutifully pulled over.
Result? Three points and a £60 fine.
After they'd gone, I drove on to Strathy, to skate the ill-fated hill. But I found that the lads had built a memorial at the side of the road, a cross to mark the spot of my 30mph impact. I took it as a sign, and returned, sans skating, to my hotel. What, at this rate, will happen if I paddle out and try Brims for myself? It doesn't bear thinking about. Fortunately, however, there is a significant international surfing event underway around here. It might be wise to sit on the reef (appropriately wrapped in cotton wool) and check it out.
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