A sign on the 130-year-old pier at Saltburn-by-the-Sea warns people not to jump off it. On a big surf day surfers make their way to the end of the sturdy 206 metre structure and jump like lemmings into the cold, murky North Sea. Words: Simon Palmer Photos: Ian Forsyth

Dreamt up over 20 years ago by Renaud and Thomas Cardinal, two French brothers with a passion for board making, UWL has grown to become one of the biggest factories in Europe, while building a reputation based on performance and quality. Rui Ribeiro talks with Renaud about the past, present and future of UWL...

When the ‘Apocalypse Now’ film crew packed up and left the Philippine coastal town of Baler, they left one important item behind – a surfboard. More than 30 years on and this quiet backwater is home to a stoked crew of welcoming locals. Words: Mark Sankey Photos: Alexa Poppe

Photographer Ben Thouard joins the Oxbow team aboard the Windward as they trawl pristine Pacific atolls in search of adventure, virgin waves and new opportunities.

Jeff Divine remembers the time when surfers were akin to outlaws, and his photographs capture the days of uncrowded line-ups, good vibes and barefoot living. Words: Michael Fordham Photos: Jeff Divine

...in the age of the programmable hand. San Diego's Josh Hall explains why he has chosen to tread the well-worn path of hand-shaping, in conversation with Andy Smith. Photos: Garrett Highhouse, T. Colla, Ryan Tatar


The Saviour!

August 02, 2010 | Words By: Ed

Contrary to some mis-interpretations of my recent irony-laden post on El Salvador, it was one of the surprise highlights of my recent global trip.

Surprise because of the bad rap El Salvador receives from all and sundry, a deep-rooted prejudice I played-up with all the subtlety of a pantomime dame in ‘that’ post in the hope that readers would see both sides of the coin.

Perhaps irony and blogging are mutually exclusive, or perhaps we’re are so used to hearing El Salvador maligned that negative asssumptions were made – making an ass out of u and me.

I write this in a high-back Chesterfield chair in the heart of the astoundingly beautiful Sussex countryside as I try (and so far fail) to acclimatise to the voracious consumption-driven society of modern Britain – if you’re not spending then you’re asleep – and The Saviour’s absence makes my heart grow even fonder.

God, I’m missing those waves, those people, those avocados and the most valuable commodity of all, that delicious, engulfing, luxuriant time. Precious time. Even though this is, in essence, just the UK leg of another trip before we head back to post-monsoon India to open the Soul & Surf House in Kerala, there is something about this society that rips the hours and minutes from your grasp.

How on earth I ever managed to hold down a job as well as jumping through all of the hoops it takes to exist here I will never know.

Oh, for the simple life – simple pleasures.

Good food.
Good company.
Good health.
Good heart.
Good waves.

Now how do I integrate that into life back home?

Answers on a postcard please (or by mail to hello@edtempleton.net).


1 Comments


  1. Check out our post about El Salvador, a trip we did a couple of years back.
    http://lacasadelasalgas.wordpress.com/2010/05/29/el-tiempo-juega-a-tu-favor-time-is-on-your-side/

    1


Comment


Advertise here