| Jack Johns wins the Sorted Surf Festival in the Boscombe artificial reef |
| Monday, 29 March 2010 09:26 |
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The long awaited and greatly anticipated inaugural Sorted Surf Festival went ahead as planned last weekend on the 20th & 21st March at the newly completed and regenerated Boscombe Seafront, the two day festival saw well over 5,000 visitors which had two contrasting days for spectators and contestants. The surf contest was called on for Saturday and given the green light the previous Thursday by the organisers and with a diminishing swell in tricky conditions all four categories had to be completed in one day. The junior event was the first to get underway at 8.30am and was soon followed by the Mens Open, Mens Over 35 and Bodyboard contests (results below). The Bodyboard event saw the first leg of the British Bodyboard Tour take place, the first time this has been hosted on the South Coast and saw excellent conditions on the artificial reef for the Semi Finals and Final while the Mens Open was contested on a peak to the West of the Pier. All categories were completed by 4pm and was immediately followed by an award ceremony that was held in front of the new Overstrand Building where a 300 strong crowd cheered the winners and runners up as they received their prizes. After the main prize giving event a seperate ceremony of prizes was held to comemerate surfing friends that had sadly passed away over the past few years. The following day saw the best possible conditions for the festival as a gloriously sunny day without a breath of wind graced the beach at the newly completed and regenerated seafront, a stark contrast to the wind and rain of the previous day. The beach and promenade was a scene reminisant of an international sized event with show tents, flags and surfboards stretching for hundreds of yards to the East of the Pier. The promenade and beach looked and felt more like Californian boardwalk than the Bournemouth seafront with demonstration equipment including Stand Up Paddleboards and Wetsuits that were free to all that wished to try thier hand, the sea was busy all day with paddlers, surfers and kayakers while gentle rock music played from the shops and restaurant as passers by wandered through the crowds looking and trying out various surf, paddle and balance equipment. The festival was very successful and a fun weekend was had by everyone , the infrastructure, organisation and look of the event was outstanding. Those attending as competitors, suppliers and the general public were full of praise for the two days and there was a general good feeling in the air. Lets hope this weekend is the start to a long warm summer with lots more events like the Sorted Surf Festival. Surfing Contest Results Bodyboard Open 1st Jack Johns
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