One final mission.

Its was a fitting way to end the trip.

Rain smashing the windscreen, driving at snails pace around tight turns and braking for tractors, all the way to the secret beachy.
It was a nice walk in, well timed between squalls, and we found a cosy cave of bushes to light a fire beneath, toasted the wetsuits before donning them and paddled out into some heavy wedges.
Its been a fun trip back "home", definitely wouldn't class it in the epic category but there were a few diamonds in the rough.
So now, its time to pack my bags, scrape the cold water wax off my boards and hit the road for the Southern Hemisphere, Sydneys Northern Beaches will be home for the forseeable future.
Ive got a feeling I am the sacrificial lamb for the surfers who will be staying in Ireland, once I go the surf will pump. So enjoy it guys, catch you next time.
Baaaaaaaa.

The Wild Wesht...erly

Opening car doors, going for walks, fixing surfboards, hanging up wetsuits, washing the jetski, cycling down the road are some of the things I would have taken for granted two months ago but now seem like a distant memory.
The wind has been howling for so long its actually like a cruel joke at this stage. Blame it on El Nino, La Nina whatever but we've been living in the North Atlantic jetstream this season and hell Im sick of it.
Ive seen so many days of solid waves smeered by this relentless gale.
Huge seas that have travelled so far to grace our shores only to be watched by red eyed surfers through windscreens of Transits and Transporters countrywide.
Its a shame because I cant remember the last time the charts dropped below 4 meters.

Oh well, time to put another log on the fire. Another shovel of coal. Turn up the volume on the radio to drown out the rattling of the window panes. It can only get better from here!
Thanks to Richard 'Stix' Johnson for the shot.