Harlyn surf, and my new boat

I took my new Surf kayak out this morning for it's maiden voyage. Due to a strong wind from the south west I opted to head to Harlyn, to try and get some shelter. To get the best of the tide, and to avoid the worst of the crowds I set off while it was still dark, and hit the water before eight and at about mid tide. There were only 4 other guys in the water, and the surf was a good, 2-3ft.

The view from my cockpit

A boardie slots into a clean one

As the tide continued to push, the waves got busier, and the swell got bigger. What had started as a comfortable couple of feet soon turned into a 3-4ft, with the occasional bigger outside set that would race in at about the six foot mark and close out most of the bay! It kept me on my toes! Somehow I manged to get away with only the one working, possibly a new Harlyn record for me!

Classic Harlyn

A bigger set wave gives a boardie a good ride

As the tide hit the High mark I called it quits. My new Valley Rush 7/2 had acquitted itself well. I really noticed the extra stiffness and the speed it helped to generate, and the light weight meant that snapping off the top hadn't completely torn my stomach muscles to pieces! After a good session it now needs a bit more padding and more footrests. I also stopped to take a few pictures of the surfers ripping in the now quite sizeable waves. Harlyn gets a bit odd at high tide, but with a solid swell pumping it was going well.