Coastalsurvey

August 6, 2009: the Gloucestershire news reports on a surfer who has chalked up 500 + rides on the Severn.  There’s also a few tales of the Bore from alt.surfing:

Newsgroups: alt.surfing
Subject: Re: Severn bore record goes again
Date: 31 Aug 1996

From yesterday’s Times: “A man aged 50 has retaken the record for surfing the Severn bore. Dave Lawson, of Gloucester, surfed up river on the morning tide yesterday for 5.7 miles, a fifth of a mile longer than new record set by a friend, Steve King, earlier this year.” Nice to see the youngsters still ripping it up. I’d like to know how long his board was?

From: D.Pritchard…Bear
Newsgroups: alt.surfing
Subject: Re: Severn bore record goes again
Date: 2 Sep 1996

I rode the Severn Bore twice in the early 70′s for a distance of 4 miles. I think it was about 4 ft. The wave was green when I caught it, and then softly broke and reformed several times. As I approached Maisemore weir the wave must have felt bottom because it “dumped” hard. Where does it begin?

I assume the long ride was in a kayak. When I went there, we used to check (I forget where) a spot where a _lot_ of kayakers would often catch it together (I saw about 40 of em one time, probably a club(s) from somewhere) At this spot the waves would only be about 1-2′ of broken white (white!!???? on the Severn … OK brown) water. We used to park at a couple of places, one near an old church. Usually there was at least one guy who volunteered to drop everyone, sometimes at different spots and then cruise around picking everyone up after their ride (or miss, quite often). The best spots are where the wave either builds up (thru centrifugal force) on the river bank where there is a bend or curve in the river, or, where there is a mudbank in the center and a channel either side, so it looks like a peak. The biggest I’ve seen a walled-up portion of bore was when it rounded a bend and a guy name of Mike Conlan was on it on a 6′ Atlantic board … he carved a bottom turn and smacked off the lip .. the only time (in quite a few visits) I ever saw someone ride it just like an ocean wave — most people ride it on long boards in a very conservative way (like it was the last waves they were ever gonna see :-) )

At this point it had about a 6′ face. Two other friends of mine had been on it with him, but lost it when it slid across toward the bend. This was back in about ’72 I think. Gold Coast resident (and ex-Welshman) Ron Williams has video’d the thing a few times, the last being when he was over there late last/early this year. I haven’t seen this yet, but probably will when I see him next. It’s good to see one of us old bastards has the current record. Did he run over any dead and bloated sheep I wonder :-) Bear

[Ed: there's lots of stuff on YouTube now about surfing the Severn bore.]