SAS Big Spring Beach Clean 2012
SAS needs your hands on the beach on 24th & 25th March!

The annual SAS Big Spring Beach Clean has been removing marine litter from UK beaches for many years with the help of community volunteers. SAS are today calling on the coastal communities across the UK to join them for the SAS Big Spring Beach Clean at beaches nationwide on 24th & 25th March to help make this year’s event the biggest ever.

Spring time sadly reveals the true severity of the marine litter issue. After a long winter of storms, before local council beach cleaning operations begin for the summer season, the accumulation of litter can often seem at its worst. The amount of marine litter found on UK beaches has almost doubled in the last fifteen years, with a shocking 1,969 litter items found on every kilometre of coastline*. Typical examples of marine litter include rubbish from beach users, sewage-related debris, waste from commercial shipping, nets and fish boxes from fishing vessels and medical waste.

SAS Big Spring Beach Clean events will be led by SAS Regional Reps & SAS Lead Volunteers, with confirmed locations including:

Grange Chine, Sun 25th March, Arrive 15:00
Bring you family and buddies.
Be there!

Saturday saw the first Rappanui Frostbite Event of 2012. Due to small waves, it was decide that just the Juniors should run. With a clean but small swell the groms took to the water.

Semi-final 1 saw Matt Townsend dominate the heat with a tight battle for the second spot to the final. With some great surfing and long rides Kirra Bell just edged out Jamie King and Toby Green.

Semi-final 2 was another tight affair but Dylan Hamlet styled through in first spot but it came down to a tie and a count back to determine the second place. Dom Arnold in the end just edged out Tom Francis for the final’s berth.

The final saw a dropping tide and swell but the finalist made the most of the conditions. Dom caught some great waves, Kirra contiued to find some really long rides but it in the end despite some great turns by Matt Townsend it was Dylan Hamlet with some really stylish surfing who won through. Island legend commented on how well he thought all the groms were surfing especially Kirra and Dylan.

Great to see the groms getting better all the time. With only one event down the Rapanui Frostbite series is wide open.

• 1st Dylan Hamlet

• 2nd Matt Townsend

• 3rd Kirra Bell

• 4th Dom Arnold

• =5th Tom Francis

• =5th Jamie King

• 7th Toby Green

• Massive thanks to Ollie, RDK, Mandy, Bump, Joshy and Dave Gray for his Horn!

There’ll be Country speed dating and campervan tours, but the episode comes to a climax when Ellie Harrison (presenter) gives surfing a go at our most popular West-coast beach, Compton. Not sure if they thought about the fact it is Febuary and really really cold, but to be fair they all got out there – cameraman included.

The Isle of Wight Surf Club is one of the oldest surf clubs in Europe – the Island has been surfed since the sixties – and thank’s to Paul Blackley, a local surfer, all of the Island’s surfing heritage has been recovered and collated in one place – the Wight Surf History Project.

The Isle of Wight Surf Club had been disbanded for years by the time this came along but with Surfing becoming more and more popular, island-based eco clothing company Rapanui decided to reinvest some profits in it as a community project. Now with a solid membership, a series of competitions and tournaments plus a learner-programme that took 90 beginners surfing for free last year, the Surf Club resurgence is going strong. There’s a handful of surf businesses and a dedicated bunch of  individuals involved in running the club now and we’re stoked to have been able to help get it back on it’s feet.

It was on the Wight Surf History Site that the story of Archie Trickett and his home made surf equipment that the BBC found their story. Archie was a pretty smart chap by all accounts and made himself a surfboard and wetsuit by hand – you couldnt buy them back then. With his wife, Betty, they built a wooden house and spent weekends surfing at compton, driving their by motorbike with the surfboard on the sidecar.

Archie passed away recently and Paul at Wight Surf History wrote a moving piece. Many of the younger generations of Island surfers would not have known Archie, but his story touched a lot of people. It might have been the fact that he had hand made all his boards and suits, or the fact that he’d been out braving the cold alone for the last 50 winters:

But this slice of history related to many in the beach car park and touched a part of surfing that’s buried deep beneath all the technical suits and brand-names: the freedom, peace and enjoyment spending time at a special place on our coast. His story takes us back to the origins of surfing on the Isle of Wight, and the origins of why we started surfing in the first place.

The best part is that Archie never threw his old stuff away, and Betty was enthusiastic to share his story with others. So the Isle of Wight Surfclub helped put together a day for Countryfile: The Island’s best surfers took Archie’s old board out in the waves again. It was really quite a special day to not just have some living history there, but to try it out first hand and bring it back to life.

The Episode is on this Sunday at 7PM, BBC 1 - definitely worth a watch.

Surf Club General Meeting:
Wednesday 11th January 7pm – Rapanui HQ, Sandown.

If you’re interested in getting involved with running the club you are much needed.

Check-in Saturday at Compton Car Park, Hanover Point.

CHECK IN 8am PROMPT

Running order for the weekend will only be given then.

Any questions get in touch