After rocking France, Spain, and Portugal the 2007 Moskito Tour is on its way to Newquay!

With great contest waves predicted for the coming weekend, UK grommets are eagerly awaiting the arrival of the Moskito circus to blow into town and get the event underway. With many grom’s pre-registering for the event, via the Moskito Myspace page, the forthcoming weekend is looking to be packed with competitors surfing heats back to back.

The 2007 Moskito Tour kicked off at the end of April with the first event at Costa Da Caparica in Portugal and then headed straight onto Les Sable d’Olonnes in the Vendee region of France followed by a great event at La Torche in Brittany.

So far La Torche has provided the most testing conditions with strong winds, rain and stormy surf which the 34 competing grommets found challenging. However its the 4th leg of the tour that is looking set to give UK groms the best of the Moskito so far!

Considered by many the epicenter of the UK surf scene, Fistral Beach will be playing host to the UK leg of the 2007 Moskito Tour, the first time the event has come to the UK. The South West surfing fraternity and their kids are counting the days, with local Newquay grommets like Harry “The Weiner” Timson (11) amping for the arrival of the event. Talking about the event Harry said “I’m really amped! I’m aiming to win all my heats and try my hardest in all the older divisions, I can’t wait until the weekend!”

Alongside the best junior surfing in the UK the Moskito Tour will be providing the opportunity of an FCS test drive centre, to try out the latest fin designs, and a Santa Cruz surfboard demo day where US pro rider Matt “The Rat” Schrodetz is flying in from the Sates and will be on hand to explain the epoxy revolution!

The UK leg of the Moskito Tour 2007 will be taking place at Fistral Beach in Newquay on 2nd and 3rd June. The event is open to all levels of surfing with divisions of:
– Boys 12 and under
– Boys 14 and under
– Boys 16 and under
– Girls 16 and under (Girls are also eligible to enter all boys divisions)

The event will begin from 8am on Saturday morning with event inscriptions closing at 9:30.
To pre-register for the event visit the Moskito Tour 2007 Myspace page at: www.myspace.com/moskitotour2007 or email [email protected]. For more details call the British Surfing Association directly (01637 876474) or visit www.electricvisual.com.

The Moskito Tour 2007 is presented equally by – Electric, Santa Cruz, Globe and FCS

Europe’s biggest surf, skate and music Festival, the Rip Curl Boardmasters, will return for it’s 26th year to Newquay from 6th – 12th August 2007.

As a premier lifestyle and Music Festival, the Rip Curl Boardmasters has gone through massive evolution since it’s early days. Born during Britain’s pro surfing explosion in the 1980s, the Boardmasters festival has welcomed a number of surfing’s World Champions. Now spread across the whole town of Newquay in over three sites, the festival features a huge range of activities that entertain around 220,000 visitors each year, heavily boosting the tourism industry within the South West area.

The Rip Curl Boardmasters events include a $100,000 5* Men’s World Qualifying Series† (WQS) surf contest, a Women’s 3* WQS $15,000 event, Vans Summer Session Vert and Eastpak Miniramp skate contests, a huge trade village and Foster’s Beach bar. The festival’s music event, Unleashed, will also return for a 3rd year at the stunning cliff top location of Watergate Bay, arguably the country’s most unique location for a live music event and previously headlined by major music acts including Feeder, Razorlight and James Blunt.

This year’s headliner for Unleashed is rising star Paolo Nutini, confirmed for Saturday 11th August with support act The Guillemots. Further headline acts for the festival’s remaining nights are to be announced. In addition to the Unleashed rock festival, the musical offering at the Rip Curl Boardmasters continues to grow. The Foster’s Beach Bar on Fistral Beach will host seven nights of live music at the ‘Beach Sessions’ presenting a selection of artists across a plethora of musical tastes from reggae soul to rock and punk.

The Rip Curl Boardmasters is the UK’s longest running surf event held at the country’s most famous beach break. The International surf contest hosted over the week-long festival is considered the start of a series of European Events on the gruelling WQS circuit and is visited by the World’s hottest surfers.

The Vans Summer Session is the biggest vert skate comp in the UK, if not Europe and is a massive highlight of the entire Rip Curl Boardmasters Festival. Skaters are invited from around the World to challenge for the coveted Summer Session Crown and the $20,000 prize purse!

Tickets for Unleashed cost £25 each night or £45 for a weekend ticket. Tickets can be purchased online at www.ticketweb.co.uk (search for Rip Curl) or call Ticketweb’s 24-Hour charge-by-phone on 08700 600 100

For further information on the Rip Curl Boardmasters visit www.ripcurlboardmasters.com

They seem simple enough — molded rubber slip-on clog-like shoes. So what’s so special? A lot … But, first, what are Crocs? They are a mix of clogs and comfort, made of a patented closed-cell resin that is said to be warmed by your feet so they soften and mold to their shape. The molded material is extremely lightweight, cushy, has a built-in arch support, has anti-slip soles and is anti-microbial. Plus, being one molded piece of material, you can get ’em dirty, then rinse ’em off. And, being a rubbery material, you can get ’em wet, then let ’em dry without any damage. You can take the back heel strap and leave it behind your heel or pivot it so it sits on the top of the shoe, transforming it into a true clog. With slip-resistant soles, these shoes were originally designed for boaters and fishermen to wear on slippery decks. But with holes around the bottom for plenty of ventilation allowing air, sand and water to pass through, it makes them perfect for the beach!

Nike 6.0 Air Mogans are one of the coolest looking shoes in the Nike 6.0 “nerd” lineup. You can get them in some striking sporty color combos, and corduroy. But looks aren’t everything – and Nike 6.0 Air Mogans are good for skateboarding as well. They’re double stitched and lighter weight, so they won’t last as long as some of the other heavy duty skateboarding shoes on the market, but they do reach a good balance between skatability and style. Plus, if you have the money, these Air Mogans match really well with some of the clothes available in the Nike 6.0 Nerd lineup!

We recently got some of Arnette AN 3044 sunglasses sent through. Personally, I’ve never been keen on Arnette glasses in the past, I felt they always looked just like any other random surfing style gigs. These ones are however quite different with a large, sleek shape hinting at the trend-setting styles emerging from the fashion arena. A look that fuses sport and fashion to satisfy the need for both style and function. It combines these elements with Arnette’s technical experience in wind and sun protection and extreme lightness as the full wrap frame and large eye shield lenses provide full protection from the sun and the elements and has the Arnette wings logo running down the beefy arms.

This product helps to remove trapped water in your ear after being in the water, it also kills bacteria that can cause ear infections. Swim Ear is a must for surfers that have trouble with water getting stuck in their ears after a hardcore session. We tried it out on a recent trip to the Canary Islands and it seemed to work a treat, all you need to do is add a few drops in each ear and it doesn’t take long for you blocked ears to dry out!

We’re always interested in surfing innovations and we’ve been sent another one this month with the OllyPop Surf Towel. It claims to be the only surf towel that is also a surf training device. Catering for both regular and goofy footers the OllyPop towel has an illustration of a surfboard printed on it with footprints and handprints which are supposed to train people learning to surf where to position themselves on a board when popping up. The towel itself is a bit on the thin side if you are planning to use it for drying purposes but it seems like a great gift idea if you don’t know what you want to get that wanna be surfer! Visit their website for more information at ollypopsurf.com

Lots of new surfing products pass through the office at coldswell.com and many of them are very nice but very occasionally something lands on our desk that really impresses. When we came across the new Bubbleloc thermal rash vest from Stik Up we thought that those board hanger people are now jumping on the band wagon and selling bits of surf wear. It wasn’t until we opened the package when we realised exactly why the innovators at Stik Up were sending us one of their rash vests. A rash vest that is definitely not like any other rash vest we’ve ever come across before. Stik Up’s latest innovation is a sturdy velcro sealed pocket on the back of the vest containing a thick rubber PakPak pouch attached by a leash which apparently has a water tight seal which has been tested to 50m depth to keep your car keys, immobiliser or favourite chocolate bar completely dry. The vest itself is made of thick, high quality lycra and is very comfortable to wear. To say we were impressed is an understatement. It is a truly revolutionary garment, why has nobody come up with this idea before?

Click here for more information

Now we are heading into the summer season Oakley have kindly sent us through some of their new Crosshair polarized sunglasses to test drive. They have taken the classic aviator style and refined the frame and lenses for sun protection that’s right on target. If you’re wearing a pair of these bad boys there is no doubt you’ll be making your pals green with envy, we’ve been fighting furiously with each other over the samples we’ve had through. They are incredibly comfortable and adjust perfectly when you go from bright sunlight into the shade so you can keep them permanently fixed to your face. These glasses are on the lighter side for Oakley but they are incredibly sturdy. The frame design also allows good peripheral vision. Check out their full range at oakley.com and get a “head” for the summer!

Footprint’s Surfing Europe Book is described as the definitive surf travel guide to Europe and it’s not far wrong. This book covers over 600 surf spots in Scotland, Ireland, England, Wales, France, Spain, Portugal, Morocco, and the Canary Islands. It includes tips and anecdotes from some of Europe’s top surfers such as Russell Winter, Eneko Acero and Tiaro Pires and international legends such as Dan Malloy, Pat O’Connell and Nat Young.

Broken down into 27 comprehensive regions it contains detailed surf information including high definition maps and some glorious photography. But this book goes much further than just listing comprehensive details about the best surf breaks in Europe, it is a complete surfers travel guide with details such as which boards are the best to use on different beaches, what the ideal weather charts are to suit the different areas plus local travel contact details for airports, train, bus, ferry and car hire companies. It even has a ratings guide to how accommodating the different European airlines are to travelling surfers and their boards. For each country it gives crucial information such as shop’s opening times, emergency phone numbers, local food delicacies and even highlights each country’s popular events and festivals so you can make contingency plans if the waves are small.

It is incredible that nobody has produced a guide like this before. If Stormrider is the ultimate accompaniment for your coffee table, Footprint’s Surfing Europe is the ultimate companion for the travelling surfer. This is a definite ‘must have’ for anyone serious about surfing in Europe.

For more information and details of how to purchase this book visit the Footprint books website

If you thought Stormrider was good, it is nothing compared to the attention to detail that has gone into this masterpiece. When and what conditions the breaks work under, how to get to them, are the ‘locals’ friendly, and the poor surfer’s vital info like where you can get away with free-camping without arrest and the best places for a night out. The information within this book is spot on with the sort of insider info you can only get from someone whose spent a lot of time there. Unlike some similar books like this, it was obviously written by a real surfer who knows the area, not by someone who just pestered the tourist office and wrote the answers down. It gives the real info real surfers need and even has the essential Spanish “pulling” phrases! With 240 pages, 88 colour photographs by some of the World’ leading surfing photographers, 13 maps and city guides this is a must for every surfer, planning a cool trip to Spain. For more details visit watersportsbooks.com.