Wild Gilbert

On the subject of Hurricanes I came across this photo the other day, courtesy of the National Hurricane Centre (US). Gilbert (September 1988) as I understand it, was one of the worst and most intense hurricanes ever recorded in the northern hemisphere. At its peak the winds reached 222 miles per hour as it raked the entire island of Jamaica. Looking at the tiny dot representing the eye of this behemoth, it is amazing to think that anyone or any-ting survived this, I should remember as it past right over my head. The stories of Gilbert, me and the beaches of western Jamaica are longer than I have space for in these pages, however it still makes me chuckle to remember how I ended up in the dock of the 'parish' courtroom of Savannah-la-Mar with half a dozen rastafarians courtesy of Gilbert. Needless to say I was not the one at the thick end of the wedge.

Duty first, self second

The Queen: 20 September 2006.
A cracking perfomance by Helen Mirren as the title role in this chronicle of the latter days of August 1997, as the royal family struggles to come to terms with the ramifications of a car accident in Paris. Stephen Frears' direction is not without humour, and succeeds in avoiding both schmultz snd sicophancy. More that just a biopic study of the tri-partite tensions between the monarch, the House of Wales and the Palace of Westminster, the film reveals the proximity to popular hysteria and civil unrest that was almost precipitated by this crisis. Reassuringly it is clear that the British, unlike our continental cousins with their tumbrils and guillotine, manifest their revolutionary tendancies with flowers. At the heart of the film is the evocative scene when the Queen inspects the mountain of bouquets outside the gates, the very flowers she suggests only moments previously be swept aside for the changing of the guard. A strong supporting cast led by Michael Sheen as Tony Blair 'with his cheshire cat smile', and Sylvia Sims as HRH Queen Mother only serves to further enhance the entertainment. It is interesting and somewhat ironic that Mirren, an ardent republican as I recall, should play such a role so well.

Western Autumn Swells 06: Hurricane Florence

17 September 2006: Hurricane Florence.
The extended tribe had been keeping a sharp weather eye on this particular depression swirling around the Atlantic seaboard of Amercia, and the drums had been beating well into the night. Sure enough come Saturday morning the horses were saddled and the dusty road west trodden at speed for another autumn surfari. An easy sun- soaked Saturday afternoon on the western shores bobbing about in the blue, followed by a round of the habitual boule little prepared us for the kraken to follow. Woken from my slumber under the open skies to the boom of swell on the reef I knew, before I had even opened my eyes, that this was indeed the day. We were not proved wrong. A hearty cooked breakfast courtesy of our ever-lovely support team set us up for one of the most exciting of days as can been seen above (courtesy of sunsetsurfers.co.uk), snapped at around 11am that morning. A perfect swell of well over head- high waves battered the sandy shoreline and after a surprisingly easy paddle out much time was spent paddling back in, springing up and subsequently tumbling back down into the 'heavy soil' spin cycle of the Atlantic washing machine. A day we had all been practicing for was well rewarded. Spat back on to the beach in due course we were resuscitated thanks to the kind preparations of the support team and its much appreciated argentine Mate. (Team: The Longboard, Smaug, Cousin Jim, Il Surfero).

An Afternoon at Lord's

Saturday 5th September
The summer of idle cricket gazing was set to continue with a further visit to Lord's. Eagerley anticipating a full day's play hopes were initially washed away with heavy grey skies and perpetual drizzle. To make matters worse it quickly emerged that our tickets has gone awry along with our host, last seen a few short hours before heading gaily into the nightclubs of Chinatown. Desparate phonecalls proved fruitless, however miraculously a lunchtime ressurection saw us swiftly ensconced in our seats as with impeccable timing the covers came off and play commenced. Against all odds the weather held off and the afternoon saw sparkling cricketing action along with the corresponding refreshments, albeit England losing to an emminently superior Pakistani team. Always good news to see the usual goon squad in attendance around this ground, and retire to the boozer for a few pale ales.

Western Swells Autumn 06: Hurricane Ernesto

September 7th
The autumn swells have arrived. Many thanks to hurricane Ernesto for seeing us off to a fine start, with a legendary day on the Devon north shore. Having eagerly studied the charts, a window of opportunity presented itself with optimal swell and minimal wind. The tricky part was prizing surf-legend Giles 'the longboard' Dunn away from his Mac, (and more importantly his blushing new belle). Mission accomplished a breathless day of glassy peeling head-high waves was much enjoyed under a sunny and breathless sky. Our thanks go to Vic and Perry who kindly put-up these migrant surf-gypsies offering true Hardyesque hospitality of the finest pies and ales at the inn. Such a shame that someone left the lunch in the 'fridge. (Team: The Longboard, Il surfero).