Big Wednesday at the Boardmasters

Boardmasters 2008 Blog
Emma Vardy
BBC Cornwall

Everyone was amazed at just how spectacular the waves were on Wednesday.

Sometimes we go months in Cornwall without a day like that! It's very lucky that a perfect swell arrived in time for the event. The surf got steadily bigger all afternoon.

I met some interesting characters including the oldest and youngest on the tour and one of two German surfers competing. They tell me the only surf in Germany is on a river! Both have spent a lot of time abroad.

All the professional competitors have plenty of stories to tell from their travels around the world.

They all assure me it's a tough life living out of a suitcase on tour. But with contest destinations in Fiji, Hawaii and Australia, I'm still not convinced!

The international panel of judges keep a fairly low profile and spend most of the day at their vantage point, which is a two-storey portable building up on the headland.

Like televised sports they've even got a TV replay system to make sure they don't miss anything.

It's unfortunate that all the British riders have been knocked out now, but the competition at this level is ruthless.

RELATED INTERNET LINKS:
BBC Cornwall's Boardmasters pages
Boardmasters 2008 Official Website
ASP World Tour
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