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Charlie don't Surf

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People who live in Cornwall are a resilient bunch, used to a bit of heavy weather and the odd gale. We will doubtless have to foot the repair bill, currently estimated at £21 million, via council tax rises, so it was encouraging to see an international windsurfing competition, the Red Bull Storm Chase decide to run their grand final of this year's event slap bang in the middle of the biggest storms for decades, Winter Storm Charlie. Bringing with them hundreds of spectators and tourists and TV crews during the off season, broadcasting the beauty of a Cornish Storm to the rest of the world.

 
Jumping for joy

Checking the beach at Godrevy about 8am, there were some heavy head-plus size waves coming in. By nine am, the storm had fully arrived with waves hitting twenty to thirty feet. I saw the first two sailors to go out try and ride over the mountainous broken waves that were headed shoreward, but they were just crumpled under the weight of whitewater.

Rumbling rivers of whitewater
The howling wind, which hit 80mph on this day, and massive waves didn't deter these guys, they made it 'out the back', which was the best part of a mile out to sea, all the time spinning jumps and loops off twenty foot waves with apparent ease to get there. Also, seemingly, with a certain amount of joy.   Outside, two of the four safety jetskis kept them company, along with Red Bull's own media helicopter, until they rode massive double-mast-height beasts back to shore, before returning to what, for us mere mortals, was an unsurvivable sea. They did call the comp off in the afternoon and moved it to a less apocalyptic surf spot, but without a doubt these were the most dramatic scenes I have ever witnessed at Godrevy.

Porthleven
Porthleven is one of the best places to watch a storm come ashore. The quantity of media coverage from the recent storm, and this being a weekend, meant the whole town was literally grid-locked with storm watchers, emergency services and photographers. Roads were closed and extra services drafted in to keep the public from endangering themselves.

This scene was repeated all around the town

 Although the waves weren't as dramatic as previous storms, there was enough of a visual feast for photographers to go home with some classic shots, and salt encrusted cameras.

Find the people for scale
The brunt of the storm passed quickly with the high tide, which meant I could get to Sennen for the afternoon, where similar crowds of photographers and onlookers came for the spectacle. Although the great light from the brief glimpse of sun in the morning didn't re-appear, the salt laden mist cast a sullen pall as it was whipped over the top of the cliffs by a ferocious wind.  A couple of young chaps were flinging themselves upwards against it, attempting to get a selfie while flying.

Crowds flock to the coast

 Normally a storm will turn up some surf in a sheltered spot, but this one I was too busy to go and find it, so I'm afraid Charlie don't Surf , this time.

Check out some previous Storm Videos , including one where I get caught by a wave.



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Location: Gwithian, Cornwall TR27, UK

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