Once upon a time, in a grand old mansion, there lived a m... Once upon a time, in a grand old mansion, there lived a maiden named Amelia. She was a diligent and hardworking young woman who served as the head maid in the household. Amelia took great pride in her work and was highly regarded by her employers for her efficiency and attention to detail.
We opened up our Instagram for questions and it was awesome! Part 1.
We did one of those ‘Ask us anything’ things on our Instagram and it was great, there were so many awesome questions and responses. I though it would be a great blog post to summarise or expand on some of the points raised. I’ll split it over two blog posts to make it more manageable. Thanks for the questions and I hope the answers offer some insights and honesty.
Favourite place to surf?
We are extremely proud to be longstanding members of the east coast surf community. Starting out in Scarborough nearly 15 years ago now and moving to the north east (Tynemouth) eight years ago. Our regular haunts span about a two hour range from the front door and although its fickle and at times frustrating, we love our home breaks. We have put years and years into learning every inch of the coastline and the conditions each break works best on. We travel to surf lots too and have surfed lots of places, from France, Morocco, Chile, Peru, Ecuador, lots of Central America, Mexico, California and Indonesia.
Home sweet home. It’s the best on its day.
Somewhere on the East Coast rearing it’s rare and ugly head.
Longboarding or Shortboarding?
Each job has a tool that is right for it. Sitting out on knee to waist high days on a high performance shortboard is no fun. Similarly, taking a 9’6 log out in overhead heavy waves isn’t really the tool for the job either. Both can be done but with some compromise. I love longboarding; the dance, the subtlety in the movements, the challenge of riding the nose and the way it turns small, clean days into the most fun session you can imagine.
Similarly, I love bigger more powerful, steeper waves and a shortboard is the tool for that job. I have never aspired to be an aggressive shortboarder so I tend to surf slightly alternative shapes that are more suited to smoother, more cruisey surfing than big whacks and hacks.
Ultimately, as cheesey as this sounds; I feel that I am an eternal student of the waves and feel lucky that I have come at surfing with a holistic approach that has inspired me to try to master all types of surfing and surfboards. My ever evolving quiver has thrusters, singlefins, twinnies, foamies, logs, eggs and everything in between. Selecting the correct tool for the job is the hard bit at times.
No fun on a shortboard, lots of fun on a 9’6 singlefin log.
All things forecasting.
Surf forecasting, particularly in the east coast of the UK is really really important. I cant stress that enough. It’s equally as important as learning to pop-up and trim down a wave. Understanding the environment is the first step in taming it. That is what we are trying to do, step off the land and into an untamable beast and try to do our best to overcome it. The ocean is huge and so powerful, we are nothing compared to it. For centuries sailors and fisherfolk used whatever resources they could to get what they wanted from the sea safely and successfully.
Become a student of the weather systems, learn the patterns, write them down, master all the resources available to us in this modern age. Use Magic Seaweed, Windguru, Windy, Wavenet Bouy, Surfline and anything else that might give you insights. We will host more surf forecasting nights soon.
Key factors - Low pressure systems, swell direction, swell period, wind direction, wind speed, tides.
No hard sell, but our Surf Journal is a book we wrote to give insights into this stuff!
Forcasting Marginal Swells
I have one policy when I run surf lessons. I don’t run them when it’s flat. This makes my job a lot more difficult and stressful. I’m writing this after a sleepless night hitting refresh on the wave bouy data website which wasn’t giving the readings I was hoping for last night.
I was hoping, from cross-referencing surf forecast sights that we would be looking at around a foot of swell today coming directly from the north with around a 9 second period. This wouldn’t be huge, but perfect for a beginners session. Combine that with a quieter surfing beach and it could have been a really great day to learn to surf.
Just over a foot of swell forecast from the North East last Autumn, not another soul about…
These marginal swells can be difficult to forecast though as they aren’t generated by such powerful low pressure systems as the bigger 3-4ft ‘ground swells’. There have been so many days that have been forecast as flat with a foot of perfect surf rolling in. It’s rarer that a small swell just never appears - but it occasionally happens unfortunately.
On my personal journey in surfing; as I got braver surfing and heading out in different conditions, surfing different boards, learning to read waves, turn and generate speed the other half of learning to surf happens in the house, on a laptop. Well…that and driving to spots and comparing the research with the reality.
Surf forecasting is as important as the act of surfing itself.
The North East coast gets plenty of swell in the winter months. I was equal parts nervous and excited about this day a couple of months ago.
I thought it would be useful to share a couple of links with you that I use to forecast the surf.
Not always 100% correct but probably the most widely used site for the NE coast. Handy with its direct links to live streamed web-cams. I try to keep an eye on the chart as well as just the forecast to cross-reference the source of a forecast swell.
Not as widely used in the UK, but the biggest forecasting site in California many other parts of the world. Useful data and worth a check against MSW to see if they are both forecasting the same thing.
This is a very important tool as it feeds back real-time data from the Tyne/Tees bouy. This isn’t forecasting but what’s actually happening a couple of hours off our coastline.
It’s difficult working with nature. I want to provide lessons as often as I can but it’s important to me that I am not taking peoples money for surf lessons unless there is some surf for me to teach them in. It’s not often I get it wrong but those odd times I do, I’ll call it as soon as I can and try to avoid disappointment for my lovely students.
I hope that these links are useful; they are my daily work (and fun) tools.
I’m planning on running a swell forecasting evening over the coming weeks, keep an eye out for that if you feel it would be useful.
Amelia took great pride in her work and was highly regarded by her employers for her efficiency and attention to detail. In this magnificent mansion, there was also a wise and respectful butler named Samuel. He had served the family for many years and was considered an integral part of the household.
Samuel's calm demeanor and impeccable service made him highly esteemed by both the family and the other servants. However, the mansion had a secret. Hidden within its walls lived a mysterious and powerful witch named Morgana. Morgana was known to possess incredible magical abilities and had made a pact with the mansion's owners. In exchange for her protection, Morgana required the family to provide her with a steady supply of enchanted objects and ingredients. Amelia and Samuel were aware of Morgana's presence but kept their knowledge hidden from the rest of the staff. The two understood the importance of keeping the witch's secret in order to maintain harmony within the household. Over time, Amelia and Samuel had developed a silent understanding and deep respect for each other, as they shared the burden of protecting the mansion's inhabitants from Morgana's malevolent intentions. As the days passed, Morgana grew more demanding, and her requests became increasingly challenging to fulfill. Amelia and Samuel worked tirelessly to procure rare ingredients and objects for the witch, ensuring that their employers remained unaware of Morgana's presence. Despite their efforts, the strain of secrecy began to take its toll on them. One fateful night, as a thunderstorm raged outside, Amelia and Samuel crossed paths in the mansion's dimly lit hallway. Exhausted and overwhelmed, they decided to confront Morgana together, hoping to negotiate a better arrangement that wouldn't compromise their loyalty to the family. Their journey through the secret passages of the mansion was fraught with danger, but Amelia and Samuel relied on each other's courage and resourcefulness to navigate the treacherous path. Finally, they reached a hidden chamber where Morgana awaited their arrival. Cautiously, Amelia and Samuel explained their concerns, emphasizing the toll Morgana's demands were taking on their well-being. Surprisingly, the witch listened attentively, and her demeanor softened as she acknowledged their dedication and loyalty. She agreed to adjust her demands, recognizing that harmony within the household was essential for her own wellbeing as well. From that day forward, Amelia and Samuel continued to serve the family diligently, but with a newfound sense of balance. Morgana, too, granted them a measure of protection from her magic, ensuring their safety and offering occasional assistance when necessary. And so, the maiden, the butler, and the witch learned to coexist in the grand old mansion, their lives entwined in an intricate web of secrecy, loyalty, and shared purpose. Together, they created a delicate balance that preserved the well-being of all those who lived within those ancient walls..
Reviews for "The Mauden, the Butler, and the Witch: A Battle for Good and Evil"
1. Jane - 2 stars - I found "The Mauden the Butler and the Wiych" to be incredibly disappointing. The plot was convoluted and confusing, with too many irrelevant subplots that took away from the main story. The characters were one-dimensional and lacked depth, making it difficult to connect with any of them. The writing style was also subpar, with clunky dialogue and repetitive phrases. Overall, I was left unsatisfied and would not recommend this book.
2. Mark - 1 star - I really wanted to like "The Mauden the Butler and the Wiych," but unfortunately, it fell flat for me. The pacing was all over the place, with slow sections that dragged on and rushed sections that left me feeling disengaged. The world-building was underdeveloped, making it hard to feel fully immersed in the story. Additionally, I found the writing to be overly descriptive to the point of being distracting. Unfortunately, this book simply did not deliver what I was hoping for.
3. Lisa - 2 stars - "The Mauden the Butler and the Wiych" had an interesting concept, but it failed to live up to its potential. The writing was filled with grammatical errors and awkward phrasing, which made it difficult to read. I also found the characters to be unrelatable and forgettable, as their motivations and actions often felt forced. The plot was predictable and lacked depth, leaving me feeling bored and uninterested. Overall, this book was a disappointment and I would not recommend it to others.
4. David - 1 star - "The Mauden the Butler and the Wiych" was a complete letdown. The storyline was confusing and hard to follow, with too many unnecessary plot twists that only added to the chaos. The dialogues were uninspiring and lacked natural flow, while the characters felt flat and lacked development. I struggled to finish this book as it became a tedious chore rather than an enjoyable read. I would not recommend this book to anyone looking for a captivating and well-written story.