Still Stoked Longboard Skates For Surfers

Mar 08, 2008 :: Tidal surge predicted Severn Bore 10 February 2008

A Big westerley gale forecast in the Bristol Channel Sunday night 9th of February should impact on the head of the spring tides to produce a large Severn bore for Monday morning, 10th February.
If wind speeds reach an average blow of 70mph and build to 80mph plus we will have the perfect conditions to add significant height to the Severn bore Monday morning. The forecast wind is due to be a powerful westerly equinoctial gale which comes with perfect timimg for the peak of the spring tides. If the blow continues throughout the flowing tide the Severn bore could be very big.
The mitigating factors against an all time day are an unexceptional tide 0f 9.4 metres rather than 10.5 and low fresh water state in the river Severn, resulting from the recent dry spell. Nature being as she is it is incredibly rare to get the coincidence of conditions talked about in the Longwave Extra "The Making of Longwave", where I talk of the day to come.
An intense low pressure system, plus 100 mph winds, plus 10.5 metre tide, plus high fresh water levels all conspire to produce a Severn bore in excess of 3 metres or 10 feet as average heights. For this we must wait on, but in the meantime there will be plenty of spots in the river Severn where Monday's bore could be spectacular. Depending on the sandbanks my bet is on Boatyards, for Sabrina to show that A frame peak that a few of us have been privileged to both see and catch.

This entry relates to: [ Surfing ] [ Travel ]

Posted on Mar 08, 2008 at 15:26:07

Nov 01, 2007 :: Interesting Lifes

Surfers tend to lead interesting lifes. Outside making longboard skates and surfing films I am a river keeper on my salmon fishery on the beautiful Wye near the Welsh border. This autumn since returning from our summer surf camp the river Wye has been stunningly beautiful. Salmon were showing often until the end of the fishing season in mid October, fishermen did pretty well as did the barbel fishermen.

Right now I have been doing bank repairs and making a start on my hurdle making for which I am cutting willow rods from my pollards. Also with the typical low October river levels work has been in hand repairing the summer flood damage to the salmon cribs, which create and maintain the salmon pools. One of the most thrilling experiences must be to see a double figure salmon break the surface and leap in a perfect flowing curve of silvery white. It is a sight which stays with me for years and makes me realise what a lucky guy I am to be able to move between the wonderful worlds of river and sea. As each year rolls by I find myself becoming more engrossed in the world of nature and more stoked by the sensations of the countryside.
Katie often joins me on the riverbank and both here and in the sacred grove of Sabren at LittleDean she will spend many happy moments at this beautiful time of year practising Tai Chi. She has found that the TaiChi helps her balance for surfing and skating and likewise those skills help her Tai Chi thus balancing the Yin Yang of life. Katie's interesting life is taken to a logical end whereby she teaches Tai Chi as an instructor from her own Lotus Leaf Tai Chi. One day soon she will be teaching in the woodland camp of Sabren's Grove, site of the Celtic shrine of Sabrina overlooking the wonderful horseshoe bend of the river Severn, and also on the exquisite beach of Porth Neigwl on North Wales'Lleyn peninsula.

This entry relates to: [ Skating ] [ Surfing ] [ Travel ]

Posted on Nov 01, 2007 at 16:35:26

Oct 17, 2007 :: Severn Bore threatened

By midsummer the age old proposals, running for something like half a century, to build a Severn Barrage seemed once again dead. The central issue in development terms is always profitibility and viability. Build an effectual dam across the Severn estuary below the Severn Bridges and the first effect will be to create a vast silt trap allowing the whole upriver lake to accumulate mud sufficient to build a swamp before our very eyes within years. No longer would the barrage be capable of generating energy, no longer would the sea even be able to flow up the Severn, no longer would the largest discharge of freshwater in the British Isles be able to flow to the sea down the Severn estuary. Instead it would spill over the banks and find its way to the sea via previously dry land.

The summer floods of 2007 at Gloucester, Tewkesbury, Upton and elsewhere will pale into insignificance against this causal effect of a Severn Barrage. Every hydrologist knows this so why do politicians and developers keep demanding it should be built? Any right minded person knows the reason.

Due to politicians ever trying to promote their parties it seems that again, now summer is over the Barrage is back on the soap boxes.What I can't understand is why the Green Energy Groups keep proposing it when they know it will destroy every part of a unique ecological habitat of undoubted world importance. I have heard that one latest viewpoint is that the ecological disaster can be traded off by relocating the habitat.

What an absolute lie and disgraceful suggestion. How will these people relocate the Severn Bore?

The unique nature of the Severn estuary is caused by one single elemental fact. That fact is the diurnal tide which flows up the river Severn and the moving cycle between Neap and Spring tides, culminating in the fortnightly Severn Bores.

Oh did you think the bore only happened a few times a year and in springtime? It happens twice a month for upto five days, twice a day. In the lower estuary the Severn bore appears to some degree virtually every day.

Check out Longwave

The life histories of every creature and every part of the natural world of the Severn estuary is driven by the diurnal tide and the effects of the Severn bore. Stop this nonsence and sign the petition

This entry relates to: [ Surfing ] [ Travel ] [ Videos ]

Posted on Oct 17, 2007 at 11:50:54

May 26, 2007 :: I woke up today

I saw the beach on Hawaii Isle; Tom Wright had told me, today I saw it. Still Stoked is a lifestyle all about living life to the full and getting your fix on a thing well done, whether its surfing, skating, working or loving. It has got to be done well. So where does all the sh*t go, in the river, in the sea, in the air and we're all having fun?
I pride myself on being old skool, always against the Corporation, always for Nature, always for the cheaper way. What a load of cr*p. Every single one of us is killing this world of ours in one way or another. From today Still Stoked my underground persona, the Wrights' way, is going to change.
Skating or surfing is about skills not expensive tools.
Still Stoked starts here, reduce, reuse, recycle. We're proud in that self satisfied way about all the boards we've been making, the films we've been creating but from here on in the last 10 years was the comma in the first sentence, the rest will be the test and I promise you Still Stoked will do something that matters.

This entry relates to: [ Skating ] [ Surfing ] [ Travel ]

Posted on May 26, 2007 at 17:58:12

Nov 22, 2006 :: A New Wave Rising on DVD

Well it's taken us a while, but finally A New Wave Rising; Longboarding UK2K is out on DVD. It's such a atmospheric film which brings back good memories of summer and being out on the road. With Old Red now in the great scrapheap in the sky (although he may very well be reincarnated in the not too distant future) it's almost a tearjerker!! Donny will continue to cruise on in Mole, and who knows with Still Stoked's 10 year Anniversary coming up next year and 6 years on from making UK2K maybe we'll see a newer New Wave Rising on the horizon!
Meanwhile we've got some fab offers on with almost 25% off Uk2K and Longwave and a fantastic double pack of DVD's, so we hope they will keep you amused this Christmas time!
Stay Stoked.

This entry relates to: [ Skating ] [ Surfing ] [ Travel ] [ Videos ]

Posted on Nov 22, 2006 at 12:07:47

Apr 26, 2006 :: Severn bore record

There has been much interest generated world wide in the recent March 30th to April 1st 2006 Severn bore surfing achievements.
The original documentation and all subsequent chronologies of world long distance surfing records have been made first at Still Stoked and almost immediately thereafter and comprehensively since at the sister site Boreriders. Both these sites were developed and are maintained by Tom Wright at Severnsolutions.

As a point of future interest and as a focus of fact the following information may provide a current source of distances for potential record breakers seeking the ultimate Severn bore record.
1. The potential maximum distance in the upper river between a point approximating to the lower pylons downstream from Windmill Hill and Maisemore Weir is approx 6.5 miles. Steve King is the only person so far to have surfed this distance, who believes it is probably the upper surfing limit possible.
2.The distance of ride in the horseshoe bend between Newnham and Bollow Pool is at a maximum from Newnham car park to halfway along the Bollow Straight 7.5 miles.
3. The distance from Newnham car park to the Noards aka "Donnys" is at a maximum 8.51 miles.
4. The distance from "Boatyards" ("Submarines") to "Donnys" is at a maximum 9.56 miles.
5. The distance from "Boatyards" to above Denny reef is approximately a maximum of 10.46 miles.
5. At the present time there is no evidence to suggest a record distance exists in isolation downstream and between Sharpness and Bullo a distance of 8.4 miles out of the "Wellhouse Bay" to the Bullo Dock.
6. There is anecdotal evidence for huge Severn bores throughout the historical period, particularly January 1606/7, as a result of a huge gale and storm estimated somewhere off the western approach to the Celtic Sea. Also more recent anecdotal traditions from visual reports and fishermens tales gives a possible argument for 10 foot bores below and through Hock cliff.
I conclude from an ongoing study of the Severn bore, from historical, literary and mythical sources that a bore can travel unhindered and constantly breaking from the Wellhouse Bay off Sharpness,to above Denny. If that event occurred it follows that the immense energy then generating would probably hold a wave up all the way through and beyond Maisemore weir. My argument for this stems from the fact that on the events we have witnessed there are relatively short sections where the wave disappears. As Tom points out in his blog distance and speed is a function of size. From a point of view of the Longwave surfer/record seeker I also believe the hydrology and topography, as in form of the river bed being in places unforgiving and immovable reef, mitigates against a surfable wave and upholds a mythic understanding that the Severn bore becomes a killer wave Longwave myth and legend.

The point of this blog was to demonstrate the actual surfable distances between given points, where the bore is known to break as a surfable wave from first hand and current experience.
As a footnote my understanding is that Steve's ride during the end of March tides was between the "Strand Rocks" and the entrance to the Bollow Straight. I stand to be corrected if this understanding is wrong. This is a distance of + or - 5.7 miles depending on the finishing point. A mirror of Dave Lawson's long standing record!
All distance data is calculated from OS Gloucester and Forest of Dean Sheet 162 1:50 000 Landranger Series 1987
This blog will be followed by a further discussionary blog vis a vis the reality of upper distances achievable within the existing strict rules. These do not allow for prone surfing or for the surfer to rest his knees on the deck or touch the deck in any way with his hands. Also a look at the dangers and risks of freak bores.

This entry relates to: [ Surfing ]

Posted on Apr 26, 2006 at 09:35:28

Jan 17, 2006 :: LONGWAVE Tidal Bore Surfing Film

I said on the news desk entry for this date that I'd been slotted away editing and working on the post production of LONGWAVE for eight months. Well the last weblog was about the time when the new and upgraded editing suite arrived last June!
LONGWAVE has been a long time coming and a long time making, the best part of 10 years.

Carrying on from the news desk item of this date for "LONGWAVE buy now", I've got a few things to say that I hope all who read this will take in the vein that it is intended.

It's pretty obvious that the Still Stoked Lifestyle is about living in that way which brings an inner glow of well being, as a result of having fun in ways that do no harm to others. The concept of being stoked is that feeling we all get from the satisfaction of doing something well. To me its based on the view that the best things in life are free.

It's also pretty obvious that Still Stoked is a pretty underground business. That's because I come from a time when a lot of guys despised the Corporation and I have'nt changed much.If I could duplicate LONGWAVE and get it to every surf shop in the world, I would. I'd like every surfer on the globe to watch this film and that's the line I take on thelongwave web site.

This is because every surfer comes to dream of surfing the longest wave for the longest time. Apart for the few this will always remain a dream. Many will make compromises and many will live on in ignorance, resigned to sit out in the lineup with woeful faces.

LONGWAVE demonstrates once and for all that surfing on tidal bores is the ultimate longwave surfing experience. Better bore surfing films will no doubt follow but none are likely to make the point better than the footages to be found on the LONGWAVE DVD. The reason being that no commercial film maker or the surfing industry will tolerate the film making format that I pursue at STILL STOKED PRODUCTIONS. I enjoy the privilege and indulgence of doing my thing my way. The products either float or flounder but they never drown.

The stoke of making something from an original thought and sharing it with the world in a way that brings some money back, is the circle that makes me still stoked. Danny Cartwright coined the words "still stoked" in 1997, they say it all.

I believe totally that LONGWAVE will show surfers worldwide that the ultimate longwave surfing experience is out there, always available for the intrepid, always there for the dreamers and always there for the few that live for it and do it for the rest of us. To surf a wave for as long and as far as possible, that is tidal bore surfing. I hope that surfers everywhere buy it watch it and are thrilled by it!

This entry relates to: [ Surfing ] [ Travel ] [ Videos ]

Posted on Jan 17, 2006 at 18:36:38

Apr 21, 2005 :: Keeping it going

Blogging always seems to start with the best intentions then those intentions evaporate. Or is it just me?
Anyway Spring is in the air, Rainbow has sold to Lauren who says it is the best thing she's ever bought and enthusiasm IS back in the air.
Restoration to Mole, new editing suite, new surfsk8travel plans– and I am going to be more regular!!??*******
catch you all later
donny

This entry relates to: [ Skating ] [ Surfing ] [ Travel ] [ Videos ]

Posted on Apr 21, 2005 at 18:34:27

Jan 01, 2005 :: Happy New Year!

To all surfsk8ers, explorers, vanlivers and vanlifers, happy people from this and the other side of life, nature lovers and dreamers et al.
HAPPY NEW YEAR, may 2005 bring you endless stoke!
Stay Stoked, Stay Happy, Keep Cruising the tarmac wave and gliding the blue

From all at Still Stoked and The Seedling Leaf.

This entry relates to: [ Skating ] [ Surfing ] [ Travel ] [ Videos ]

Posted on Jan 01, 2005 at 12:39:46

Nov 04, 2004 :: time flies

Autumn's going fast, summer's long gone with Hells Mouth and Llangennith passing into 2004 memories,and the Severn Bore film still is'nt done. Ah well, just hope when it's finally finished the wait will have been worth it!
Katie and I just spent Samhain on the banks of the river Wye, which was pretty rad as the last flood slowly fell and the flames from our fire and sparks from a yew branch filled the night sky. Getting out in the van in autumn is just awesome; the sensations and sounds of the natural world always fill me with the stoke of life.
We've finished the autumn acorn collection and made a nice bit of cash from a pretty unusual activity. The garden,woods and river all call for our work and attention and somewhere out there a peeling wave is reeling across a secret bay.
Tom keeps reminding me that "the Bore is due" and I keep excusing myself. We checked out an awesome place with land,stream,hill and valley and views to the sea plus a pile of stones which did have planning for a farmworkers dwelling, but it was never started and its a lot of money we dont have.
Anyway the reason this blog has been so quiet is we've been constantly doing stuff and having fun and loving life - hope to catch up a bit now the nights are getting longer.

This entry relates to: [ Skating ] [ Surfing ] [ Travel ]

Posted on Nov 04, 2004 at 18:02:18

Aug 24, 2004 :: Summer at Hells Mouth

Such a good time was had at Porth Neigwl by Katie and I this summer. We'd gone up to Hells Mouth, as we do, to sell boards, videos, Katie's artwork and our new range of jewellery. Plus, of course, always hoping for perfect peelers and calm seas, for surfing and snorkelling.

Neigwl is our secret spot, we got waves after we arrived and then the sea went flat and we had the most fabulous snorkelling which Katie introduced me to. Fortunately I didn't see the massive eel that Katie met the first time she was out, but the amazing clarity amongst the bladder wrack and maiden's hair allowed us to see shoals of fish, crabs and lobsters. Towards the end of our stay, the hurricane swell came through, clean and glassy around head high and nobody else was out!! There are still secret spots.
Every weekend and a couple of days in the week we set up stall at the Middle car park of Hells Mouth, right on the pathway. Made loads of new friends and sold a load of skates to the local guys and girls and holiday makers. The new range of jewellery went better than expected, in fact we sold out only a few days into our stay and spent the rest of the time making coconut surfboard necklaces in the evenings!!

Rainbow at the Car Park (Photo courtesy of Richard)

We've got to mention Tim(Smeg) and all his mates, who bought boards from us and Paul who absolutely raved about UK2K A New Wave Rising, thanks Guys and Girls for showing us such a welcome, which we always find at this wonderful spot.

The Blue Moon over Cilan Head

This entry relates to: [ Skating ] [ Surfing ] [ Travel ] [ Videos ]

Posted on Aug 24, 2004 at 15:10:01

Jun 29, 2004 :: Icon Art from Still Stoked and The Seedling Leaf

Katie and I were musing this morning over our usual surfsk8 lifestyle ideas and what to do new for our summer travelling stuff, for selling on the road.

Katie's been doing some real cool paintings lately on some new themes, and suddenly we thought why not icons of the good ole days, like splittys and the like, would'nt they just make the coolest cards and prints? Well I went off down the river bank and when I came back, she'd done this rad painting which she was transferring to photo card.

I reckon it's gonna be a great idea for selling up at Hell's Mouth this summer— that's in North Wales on the Lleyn peninsula, along with our longboard skates and other stuff. Oh ye, When it's on Hell's Mouth has the sweetest wave with the clearest water, and the summer peelers are just so lovely.

Icon Art number one: The Blue VW Splitty

Anyway hope you like the first in our series of Icon Art, its going to be one of many available from The Seedling Leaf, in card, print and original artwork. Katie's so stoked about it so I just had to write and tell you all!

This entry relates to: [ Skating ] [ Surfing ] [ Travel ]

Posted on Jun 29, 2004 at 19:19:45

Jun 26, 2004 :: Still Stoked Lifestyle - What's it all about?

Have you seen the classic Michael Caine film with the iconic phrase "What's it all about?". Well, people ask me what is Still Stoked Lifestyle, what's it all about?
I reply, "It's all in the surfers' word stoke, that indescribable buzz that permeates body, mind and soul after a good session in the waves".
It's a highly individual thing, often shared in the group of friends but equally sometimes not, because as the other saying goes - "one mans meat is another mans poison".
Still Stoked Lifestyle is pretty well all embracing, as I think the website shows, and that is only a little of our own Still Stoked experience.
Although Danny Cartwright coined the phrase Still Stoked back in 1997 to capture the thrill of riding longboard skates when the surf was flat, it sums up my lifestyle ethic to perfection. It has almost, if not completely, taken on the form of The Life Quest, the search for contented fulfillment.
The Still Stoked LIfestyle, like the phrase What's It All About is the expression of the 'pink feeling' of feeling good, really good, about what you are doing. It is also the point at which the other classic phrase comes into play "variety is the spice of life". A lot of guys may think I am nothing more than a surfinskatin' hippy freak and that's the rub, because My Still Stoked Lifestyle takes the form of many guises from the obvious description above to birdwatcher, river keeper, woodland worker, food grower, walker, lover of fresh air, nature and all things intrinsically free and wonderfull.
I still get the greatest buzz from the sense of movement and sitting in the van with all those travelling emotions of "just getting up and going". In many ways this rolls the total feeling of Still Stoked Lifestyle into one great ball of feeling good, it's easy to share ideas and thoughts on lifestyle and so in my blog, I am going to elaborate on my other lifestyle loves, which all make my Still Stoked Lifestyle complete, if not indeed maybe to the challice overflowing!

This entry relates to: [ Skating ] [ Surfing ] [ Travel ]

Posted on Jun 26, 2004 at 10:39:13

Jun 05, 2004 :: GSD Surf School and Still Stoked Longboard skates

Donny met up with 'Hawaiian' Simon at the surf school on Llangennith beach over the spring bank holiday and talked longboard skates from the Still Stoked range.
The surf school is adding another venue to Caswell Bay and Llangennith, by opening a new shop and surf school at Rhossili. Also Simon and Phil's new shop at the Mumbles is looking good. Called In2Liquid, the shop is near the Bay Front and hope to be carrying Still Stoked longboard skates real soon.

This entry relates to: [ Surfing ]

Posted on Jun 05, 2004 at 20:55:42

May 17, 2004 :: Sea, sun and surf

There really is nothing to beat a hot sunny weekend in May, is there?
Saturday night we had a barbie Severnside at Newnham to celebrate Buffalo's birthday. He did loads of tricks on the balance board and skates, including a new one which we shall bring you soon. Canny sk8ing, when Matt's awesome husky towed him on the retro carve. That was pretty rad and we'll be filming it next.

Then Sunday and a quick call to PJs and Tester, me and Katie were off to Llangennith. It was great and nostalgic too, everyone has been asking after us and the word is that our caravan evaporated mysteriously one night. As you enter the campsite there is just a bare patch and Katies herb garden left!!

Anyway the surf was perfect longboard waves, waist to shoulder high. We saw all our mates, felt a great vibe and caught waves. If you have'nt been, then you should, it's the best, so hot in the sun and as Beau says, just like Byron Bay.

This entry relates to: [ Surfing ]

Posted on May 17, 2004 at 17:05:02

Apr 29, 2004 :: The Severn Bore

At Last — 8 years on from start of filming, the long awaited Severn Bore footage is in the cutting room.

No promises on release date yet but will keep you all posted with the trials and tribulations of making what I aim to be the best bore surfing film ever made (ok so its the first feature length bore film and should not be too difficult to make it the best!)

Seriously though this film is going to be awesome and will tell the story of the bore riders, the record holders, the myth, magic and history of the bore and surfing since the 1950s, with fabulous scenery great waves and an in depth at the unique sub culture of tidal bore surfing on the river Severn, Britain and Europes most powerful river.

This entry relates to: [ Surfing ] [ Videos ]

Posted on Apr 29, 2004 at 20:17:49