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Rhossness was already looking pretty wild before the naughtiest of student windsurfers had taken the first sip of their £1 north Wales pints (that might have been a little less than actual pints).

With Met Office wind warnings for Saturday and Sunday, the advanced sailors were super excited about putting their smallest sails to good use and the intermediates and beginners were looking forward to putting their only sail to some sort of use.

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Once everyone arrived on Friday evening, an hour and a half after their optimistic ETA, the Bangor committee marched us down to Cove Bar where a fun night commenced of drinking, dancing, beer pong and only the briefest moment of nudity.

Everyone was committed to keeping it very chill so that the most could be made of Saturday's forecast.

Which is why when the call went out to head home due to Cove closing, all of the students went straight to Academi and straight to the bar...


Saturday dawned and most people had made it back to their respective host houses.

Brekkie was served by the wonderful hosts and before noon a decent portion of the windy surfers had made it to the beautiful Rhosneigr beach ready for action.

The wind was already building and the waves were a comfortable 2ft (chest height) and perfect for intermediate and beginner wave sailors alike to get out and practice before the comp got going.

 

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Once the liability of a Wave Rep in charge of the SWA wave series had made it to the beach and got the flagpole erect and flying the right way round, it was time for the competition to get underway.

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The standard of competition was high but throughout the heats and final, the one Shaun Ashmore continued to show his prowess in the waves and with Rhosneigr being his 'local' spot from Manchester Uni it became clear this was his competition to lose!

He didn't though and with 1st place at Rhossy and a 2nd and 1st at the previous 2 events, he has confirmed his status as SWA Wave Champion for 2018-19.

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Once the competition had been wrapped up and the prize giving completed most people retreated to the shelter of the cafe.

A couple ventured back out into now 50+ knot gusts, and anyone who wanted their ankles exfoliated just had to walk barefoot along the beach such was the speed of the sand whipped up by the wind.

 

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Half an hour later and the ever increasing wind (now gusting over 100km/h) meant even those on the smallest sails couldn't hold on and walking up the beach was becoming extremely difficult

Three people were seen trying to manage one rig, so we decided to call it a day and head to back to Bangor to celebrate.

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The Saturday evening then kicked off with Bangor putting on dinner at the famous Belle Vue, followed soon after by costume making and predrinks.

Everyone then made their way into town for two bar stops on the way to back to Academi for round two (Apart from a certain committee member who succumbed to the night early and had to go home, and another two who tried to make a quick and subtle getaway but were caught by the police, thankfully still decent.

They were let off with a 'get a room' warning).

 

Sunday dawned and there were some mixed feelings as the windsurfers stirred.

Some felt great, some felt terrible and some wanted to find the nearest spot of quicksand and disappear without a trace.

Unfortunately, everyone had to put their differences aside and make the best of the day.

Some vegan cinnamon rolls helped and then a quick trip back down the A55 to Rhossy revealed a very calm and windless bay much to the relief of a few queasy stomachs.

A couple of brave souls enjoyed a very chilly, small, surf before it was time to squeeze everyone back into their respective cars for the journeys home.

 

Thanks Bangor for the very well organised hosting.

Thanks Storm Freya for providing storm chase worthy winds.

Thanks Puravida for the continued support in Student Wavesailing.


The Wave Series is proudly supported by Puravida Boardriders, who run most of the competition as well as providing invaluable logisitcs support. If you ever need some wave-related windsurf kit, whether that's wetsuits, sails or even just some harness lines, head to their website and they'll deliver it free to the next event! (Many of us have done that in the past and can attest to both the helpfulness of Jim in advising us, and the quality of the equipment he provides!)

Also supporting the event (and providing some EPIC prizes) are K4 FinsDuotone Sails and ION Action Sports.

 

 

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