Boscombe reef gets its first surfing competition (From Dorset Beaches)

"The contest will be a chance to silence critics who say the reef does not work and is in the wrong place."
.......
Or not.

Get drazzing low top dude, also no O B Es allowed within 2 klmls of the reef, hang 5 tootsies dude

pete furtada
Will they allow MBE's ( My Bloody Expenditure) to continue to be tortured at the Waterboarding Annual Championships?
Good Greef, I think not!

Saw the news reel on Breakfast TV this morning. Ironically they showed surfers surfing alongside the Boscombe Pier and nowhere near the reef. It makes no difference because on the day, even if it does not work which has been mostly suggested, the surfing fraternity will say it was the wrong waves, the wrong direction, too much sea weed, etc etc.

SonofKinson wrote:
Saw the news reel on Breakfast TV this morning. Ironically they showed surfers surfing alongside the Boscombe Pier and nowhere near the reef. It makes no difference because on the day, even if it does not work which has been mostly suggested, the surfing fraternity will say it was the wrong waves, the wrong direction, too much sea weed, etc etc.

And what would "the surfing fraternity" have to gain from defending a reef that doesn't work? Try engaging brain before posting!

And you saw it on a news reel? When, in 1932?

Can tell you're from Kinson with logic like that. Maybe you should stop criticising Boscombe and concentrate on the stories about all the exciting things that have happened in Kinson over the past 30 years. I hear there was talk of moving the police station once.

SonofKinson wrote:
Saw the news reel on Breakfast TV this morning. Ironically they showed surfers surfing alongside the Boscombe Pier and nowhere near the reef. It makes no difference because on the day, even if it does not work which has been mostly suggested, the surfing fraternity will say it was the wrong waves, the wrong direction, too much sea weed, etc etc.

And what would "the surfing fraternity" have to gain from defending a reef that doesn't work? Try engaging brain before posting!

And you saw it on a news reel? When, in 1932?

Can tell you're from Kinson with logic like that. Maybe you should stop criticising Boscombe and concentrate on the stories about all the exciting things that have happened in Kinson over the past 30 years. I hear there was talk of moving the police station once.

I have been a surfer for almost fifty years and I am a former member of the British Surfing Executive.
Last Saturday (6th February) I saw that the swells rolling into Bournemouth bay were as perfect as I have seen for years, 4 to 6 feet with a light offshore breeze.
I headed for Boscombe Pier in order that I might at last see what the reef was capable of. What did I see was dozens of surfers enjoying themselves in the perfect waves on either side of the pier, but not a single surfer on the £3.7 million reef.
The reef itself was a total mess and completely unrideable.
The stated intention at the outset of the project was to increase the number of surfable days at Bournemouth. Not only has it completely failed in this respect, but it is unrideable even on very good surfing days.
I don't know what ASR have got wrong in the design, but clearly something is badly wrong.
I trust that Bournemouth will be doing whatever is necessary to recover their investment, especially as I understand that funds were withheld pending a successful demonstration of the reef working correctly.
As for holding a surfing contest on the reef, well, forget it. Its not going to happen.

"The contest will be a chance to silence critics who say the reef does not work and is in the wrong place. "
-
I doubt it will succeed! (Judging by the comment on here)
-
However it is doing what it is supposed to in one way.
-
It is generating enormous publicity for Boscombe, and the intention was presumably to drive up visitor numbers, all those nice pics of the smart new seafront area must help.

Markmag wrote:

SonofKinson wrote:
Saw the news reel on Breakfast TV this morning. Ironically they showed surfers surfing alongside the Boscombe Pier and nowhere near the reef. It makes no difference because on the day, even if it does not work which has been mostly suggested, the surfing fraternity will say it was the wrong waves, the wrong direction, too much sea weed, etc etc.

And what would "the surfing fraternity" have to gain from defending a reef that doesn't work? Try engaging brain before posting!

And you saw it on a news reel? When, in 1932?

Can tell you're from Kinson with logic like that. Maybe you should stop criticising Boscombe and concentrate on the stories about all the exciting things that have happened in Kinson over the past 30 years. I hear there was talk of moving the police station once.

You pathetic person. What right do you have to contradict what I have to say, which quoted the news only this morning, not in 1932, you blundering idiot. I dare you to walk into Kinson and speak the same, which is some thing from some one who obviously frequents the Boscombe Area. Just proves how good Kinson is, we did not need the Police Station in the end, but Boscombe has one. Now I have answered your questions, if you had watched the news this morning you would have seen that the surfers most recently were surfing near to the pier and not the reef. I do hate people who cannot answer the questions thus resort to rude comments, and derogatory remarks which they really no nothing about. Idiot.

baxi22 wrote:
I have been a surfer for almost fifty years and I am a former member of the British Surfing Executive.
Last Saturday (6th February) I saw that the swells rolling into Bournemouth bay were as perfect as I have seen for years, 4 to 6 feet with a light offshore breeze.
I headed for Boscombe Pier in order that I might at last see what the reef was capable of. What did I see was dozens of surfers enjoying themselves in the perfect waves on either side of the pier, but not a single surfer on the £3.7 million reef.
The reef itself was a total mess and completely unrideable.
The stated intention at the outset of the project was to increase the number of surfable days at Bournemouth. Not only has it completely failed in this respect, but it is unrideable even on very good surfing days.
I don't know what ASR have got wrong in the design, but clearly something is badly wrong.
I trust that Bournemouth will be doing whatever is necessary to recover their investment, especially as I understand that funds were withheld pending a successful demonstration of the reef working correctly.
As for holding a surfing contest on the reef, well, forget it. Its not going to happen.

In addition Markmag, the above comments does put the icing on the cake.

"It is designed to provide a grade five wave on a day with good swell which is in the challenging range and compares to the Hawaii Pipeline which is a grade-eight.".......
....... Be interesting to know just how many days we get these waves on the reef, not the beach well away from it?. Anybody would think the Echo has been told what to say by the Council the way they keep trying to convince those of us who had the money stolen off us to pay for this.

If I can find time, I might go down and watch this event. That's of course if it isn't cancelled because the waves are wrong.

Final point. I thought this reef was made for surfers, not bodyboarders?

Can we have a surfers fun day for the over seventies like me, whos only got one leg.

baxi22 wrote:
I have been a surfer for almost fifty years and I am a former member of the British Surfing Executive.
Last Saturday (6th February) I saw that the swells rolling into Bournemouth bay were as perfect as I have seen for years, 4 to 6 feet with a light offshore breeze.
I headed for Boscombe Pier in order that I might at last see what the reef was capable of. What did I see was dozens of surfers enjoying themselves in the perfect waves on either side of the pier, but not a single surfer on the £3.7 million reef.
The reef itself was a total mess and completely unrideable.
The stated intention at the outset of the project was to increase the number of surfable days at Bournemouth. Not only has it completely failed in this respect, but it is unrideable even on very good surfing days.
I don't know what ASR have got wrong in the design, but clearly something is badly wrong.
I trust that Bournemouth will be doing whatever is necessary to recover their investment, especially as I understand that funds were withheld pending a successful demonstration of the reef working correctly.
As for holding a surfing contest on the reef, well, forget it. Its not going to happen.

Can't agree more. Been surfing in Bournemouth for 22 years, and like the above comment, I checked the reef with a surf photographer who wanted to get some pics of the reef working on Saturday 6th Feb. We chose Saturday because of the surf forecast, which gave a long 16 second period groundswell, at a height of 4 feet from a SW direction. Offshore wind. (basic surf dynamics - higher the groundwell period, better the surf, SW direction, ideal for hitting the reef as the swell comes from Mid-low Atlantic - offshore wind- holds the waves up nicely and stops them from breaking early).

Rolled up at low tide, 9.15am - swell hitting the reef, tide too low so reef not working. 40+ people surfing the naturally occurring sandbars each side of Boscombe Pier.

Check Bournemouth Pier - good waves, 3ft with the occasional 4 footer.

Surf for 3 hours despite 5 degrees water temp. Check the reef at high tide (when it breaks best). Waves closing out (wave breaking along its entire length, not rideable). Utter drivel.

The bright sparks at the leisure / tourism department (watching some clueless council moron spout on about surf conditions during the much hyped opening, clearly having no idea what he was talking about. and obviously quoting from a piece of paper he'd had thrust into his hand 3 minutes before the interview started) have switched their stance from 'it will double the number of surfing days' to 'the reef will provide surf with a combination of suitable swell with optimum wind'. Well, we had suitable swell and optimum wind (perfect conditions) on Sat 6th Feb, and trust me, it did not work.

Quite why the council engaged ASR, given their track record in New Zealand and Australia beggars belief (as a council employee I was threatened with disciplinary action if I talked about the trip to Australia heads of unit and councillors took to Australia, as none of these public employees knew diddly squat about surfing, wave dynamics or how waves react over a reef - jolly for the boys?)

Good luck to Sorted Surf Shop with the reef comp, they'll need it. It's a shame, because these guys seem to have put Boscombe on the map as a surf destination before the reef started, without the councils help.

booger wrote:

baxi22 wrote:
I have been a surfer for almost fifty years and I am a former member of the British Surfing Executive.
Last Saturday (6th February) I saw that the swells rolling into Bournemouth bay were as perfect as I have seen for years, 4 to 6 feet with a light offshore breeze.
I headed for Boscombe Pier in order that I might at last see what the reef was capable of. What did I see was dozens of surfers enjoying themselves in the perfect waves on either side of the pier, but not a single surfer on the £3.7 million reef.
The reef itself was a total mess and completely unrideable.
The stated intention at the outset of the project was to increase the number of surfable days at Bournemouth. Not only has it completely failed in this respect, but it is unrideable even on very good surfing days.
I don't know what ASR have got wrong in the design, but clearly something is badly wrong.
I trust that Bournemouth will be doing whatever is necessary to recover their investment, especially as I understand that funds were withheld pending a successful demonstration of the reef working correctly.
As for holding a surfing contest on the reef, well, forget it. Its not going to happen.

Can't agree more. Been surfing in Bournemouth for 22 years, and like the above comment, I checked the reef with a surf photographer who wanted to get some pics of the reef working on Saturday 6th Feb. We chose Saturday because of the surf forecast, which gave a long 16 second period groundswell, at a height of 4 feet from a SW direction. Offshore wind. (basic surf dynamics - higher the groundwell period, better the surf, SW direction, ideal for hitting the reef as the swell comes from Mid-low Atlantic - offshore wind- holds the waves up nicely and stops them from breaking early).

Rolled up at low tide, 9.15am - swell hitting the reef, tide too low so reef not working. 40+ people surfing the naturally occurring sandbars each side of Boscombe Pier.

Check Bournemouth Pier - good waves, 3ft with the occasional 4 footer.

Surf for 3 hours despite 5 degrees water temp. Check the reef at high tide (when it breaks best). Waves closing out (wave breaking along its entire length, not rideable). Utter drivel.

The bright sparks at the leisure / tourism department (watching some clueless council moron spout on about surf conditions during the much hyped opening, clearly having no idea what he was talking about. and obviously quoting from a piece of paper he'd had thrust into his hand 3 minutes before the interview started) have switched their stance from 'it will double the number of surfing days' to 'the reef will provide surf with a combination of suitable swell with optimum wind'. Well, we had suitable swell and optimum wind (perfect conditions) on Sat 6th Feb, and trust me, it did not work.

Quite why the council engaged ASR, given their track record in New Zealand and Australia beggars belief (as a council employee I was threatened with disciplinary action if I talked about the trip to Australia heads of unit and councillors took to Australia, as none of these public employees knew diddly squat about surfing, wave dynamics or how waves react over a reef - jolly for the boys?)

Good luck to Sorted Surf Shop with the reef comp, they'll need it. It's a shame, because these guys seem to have put Boscombe on the map as a surf destination before the reef started, without the councils help.

And another Markmag that puts my theory on the right track. Sorry mate.

Hey you;..... get yourself up Poole park on a pedal duck if you want a ride,it only costa 2 quid,also got nice play area and a puffa train.

unbelieveable!

unbelieveable!
0/10 for speling

Thank you pf! unbelievable - adjective, unable to be believed; incredible or astonishing . So pf does that mean your plans for the series of reefs to turn Boscombe into another north shore have suffered a small set-back? Too bad and good luck in keeping your freedom pf!

Actually if the below promise comes true the reef will be sucessful.
"Reef 21 causes a height
reinforcement of 1.3-2.0
times (relative to the height
in front of the reef), which
is a significant height
improvement for the small
wave climate at Boscombe.
Importantly, the increased
height occurs down the full
length of the reef as there
are no significant wave
shadows."

1.So does the reef have 1.3 to 2.0 times the wave height of the waves at the piers?

2.Does this erected size wave occur down the full length of the reef as it does in the wave tank and promised by the five authors?

3.Does the reef provide useful surfing waves on twice as many occasions as happened before the reef was in place?

Then the second part of the promise to the people of Bournemouth was the model wave tank.
Here is the part of the contract made with the surfers and people of Bournemouth that shows what the reef was built for and would do. Its the wave tank test that everyone expected would be scaled up to full size for 3.6million pounds - so the existing reef can be tweeked and then signed off for final payment when its doing what this tankwave does?
http://www.youtube.c

om/watch?v=I32YYoH2I

g0
So when the reef performs like the design and wavetank promise all will be well. As to the critics above -is it possible that we all "just dont understand" as the designer and contractor has been telling us?

http://www.youtube.c
om/watch?v=AEZjzsnPh
nw
or google youtube simpsons monorail.
I somehow suspect lyall langly is real , alive and well and sells other like products to the susceptable and vulnerable amongst us. The reef has certainly put Bournemouth " on the map" . Watch the video clip to realise the meaning of being on the map?
oh i have just figured that pete futarta may in fact be Lyall Langly? Give us a few bars of the monorail "northshore is boscombe " song pete? .. surfin reef .. surfin reef ..surfin reefffff!

I am sorry I won't be on here for a few days ,going away I am, I got myself a new Toyota yesterday so I will be trying it out on the Autobahn,
PS;Sorry I couldn't stop.

Yes pete Fartuda,

There are many that hope your TOYOTA can't stop.

We all hope yours missed the recall!

Surfing competitions in places that don't get surf are about selling fleeces, t-shirts and lessons to numpties who've never seen a wave. They have nothing to do with surfing. In fact the less surf the better as then the event can be held over rather than going ahead and emabarassing everyone with how pitiful the location is.

Now I like the little reef. It has it's moments - albeit those moments are random and few and far between. But the idea that it could host a 2 day event is ridiculous.

Can't be long before the February report is due out.....after last weekend I suspect it might be buried somewhere.

Believe me, I was really looking forward to seeing the reef working as it should. The funding was there, plus all the facilities in the world. They have fiddled about for two whole summers (yes - I've seen them sunbathing on the pile of sand on the beach) and now it doesn't work.
Why the hell not? Were any of them surfers?
Councillors, self-aggrandised 'Cabinet Members', engineers, consultants, they are all paid a hell of a lot of money. The least they could do for us poor taxpayers is to do a good job and get it right first time.

the next thing we will hear is that the reef was actually designed and placed there to enhance the sandbanks that are working so well even today right now?

"You pathetic person. I do hate people who cannot answer the questions thus resort to rude comments, and derogatory remarks which they really no nothing about. Idiot." Absolutely classic! Wasn't this a Monty Python Sketch?

Baxi, as I said in my previous post, none of the powers, be it officers, heads of unit or councillors, knew anything about surfing. Sod taking anyone along who knew about waves, like a prominent member of the local surfing community. Jolly, jolly, jolly.

I think everyone especially the surfers were besotted with the call of Lyall Langley and whoever went just heard and saw what they wanted to or were allowed to. Ask what happend to the first project manager when he was astute enough to work out what was happening - the thrill was never with him and he knew that it was a cheap thrill that everyone was on? But the reef was just a way of getting expensive headlines and a carpark sold - not a way of getting surf. Bob49 always knew that as well -its just the reality is starting to bite and those that were thrilled are starting to wonder?
Those headlines for 3.7Mill could have been found in far betterways -but thats the power of hindsight? the resistance to selling off a carpark was negated by besotting and fooling the surfers to be allies in what BOB49 allways called a scam ? The question now is have any laws been broken or has it been the perfect "sting"? Is anyone awake at all except BOB49 and the sidelined origional project manager? If the University has any role in this it should be to create an accurate timeline of every record, conversation, email, resolution from the beginning and a have real experts comment on what, where, how, why and when to see what can be recovered from a very exploited position . (ouch!). The surfers should be outraged as proper advice may have yielded far better results especially in all tides? But what would I know as Ive only been asking the real experts not the expensive ones that pretended to have all the answers? The contracted promise must be delivered as the video and the report - the surfers must insist on this or be just tools of BOB49's scam assertion?

There are some options that are available to us.
1. The Freedom of Information Act
As a public body, the local council HAVE to provide all information requested of them within 20 working days.
2. The Local Government Ombudsman
This organisation will investigate any alleged maladministration or unjust decisions that we, the public, care to complain about.
Go to it...

I'm guessing that it became a strategy that was so dependent on the reef that no-one dared think that it was possible for the reef to fail. price hikes, assistance with accomadation, work visas, sand processing, relocation to india (todo nothing), reverse construction (top is the base-base is the top) and any other thing that was percieved as a threat was "panic" -just agree to what they ask . The entire thing was so dependent on promises that would not be delivered.The withholding is a sham (10% of 1.5m not 3.7m) and the hollow promises that were just meant "to keep the show on the road'. An exercise in public perception management instead of public fund protection due diligence. I can image the pressure put on anyone asking the right questions - it would have been inconcievable that the outcome could be a failure as all were in this state of euphoria of "the promised land" of surfing nirvana saving the town. Well to an extend, selling t-shirts will be beneficial -especially when they cost one tenth of what they are sold for? if the university is to do any study it should be about the reality of all the previous reef attempts and what sustainable surfing benfit they have provided. That then will give a basis on what is real and what is not - as all danced to their tune on the basis of these as being put forward as fully sucessfull and proven. If a salesperson sells you something on the basis of claims and those claims are later shown to be false what are ones rights in this instant? Maybe none as the salesperson tied you up in a contract where you agreed that the only benefit would be that everyone could feel that having a reef was a good thing -consistant real surfing on it was only to be a percieved benefit. Even assurances of that are smattered with inconsistancies and provisos written by the smartest disclaimers that ratepayers money could buy? Where are our astute and able surfers that will not tolerate this failure to deliver a promise and the real stimulas to a long term beach economy recovery? Most of the timeline is in the echos archives and mating that with councils decisions will provide a good framework to proceed? The people making recorded public comment are the ones to give sworn evidence first? They all must be feeling somewhat out of sorts now? especially the contractors with their phoney assurences and moral boosting claims? The investigations could also look at Surfrider foundations president JIm Moriarty's own blog pages on reefs found amongst his blog of oceans beaches and waves. he does the investigation that anyone can understand well and shows where all goes wrong in "lala land" of reef promises. One thing he points out is when the reefs work everywhere else works as well and it seems from the above credible posts that is sadly not even the case here. Thus the rising public revulsion because the designer /builders claim of the required conditions doesnt even seem to have substance in this instance?? was this a clever "sting"? - that's up to everyones own opinion at the moment - but Bob49's continual banging on is starting to ring true? Let the inquisitor begin? Oh the funniest claim of large gaps being ok as it was the same on all the reefs built is a guage of the lunacy of the builders claims -this being said whilst other reefs were being called failures because of large gaps? Who remembers that episode of lunacy 101 or how to pay on a contractors self assessment of performance? Actually I can see Council being intimidated by threats of legal action if they ask, say or do anything that the designer/contractor feels is contrary to their good and proper reputation as a reef promise provider?

Surfparks, ( previous clients of ASR) are actively engaged in arbitration proceedings against them(10 million)
The downfall of ASR is on the horizon,

Kery Black??.. lets hope he has a new toyota and woolami jumps out in front of him on the autobahn,

Without stopping, KB & Wooly will become one & the same,

Bloody Frutata salad anyone?

The Local Government Ombudsman is clearly the way forward.

This organisation will investigate any alleged maladministration or unjust decisions that have obviously been made.

£3.6m for something that does not work, cannot work and will not work. The people who went to NZ were told by EVERYONE it would be a White Elephant and it is.

People need to take this to the Ombudsmen, simple as that.

Start a facebook page and in unison go to the powers that be.

I have also heard that not only did they not listen to those that said it would not be sucessfull they purposely chose to not listen to anyone except the promoters. The promoters of course are the best ones to take all advice from. I have seen a time line of web site quotes where the quoted price went up from 250k to 500k and the price was mooted as being cheaper than groins. Non other than their local sales instrument was the person who said that quoting the designers. Of course the limelight moments of video online from ASR directors clearly speaks for itself. Noone even mentions why the top layer is the base layer and the base layer is now the top layer -maybe the fancy graphics were wrong? This has got the be the c**ck up of the millenia? But give it time I'm sure that the sucess of this reef will mean many others are being sold right now on the spin being compiled by those that can gain. All wish to sign a letter of support to the designers/builders? so that other communities can benefit in the same way? We might get a 0.1% "spotters fee" for helping sell reefs to others? The t-shirt industry may save many other coastal communities?

found:
:found -a local at opanake's opinion.
"It should be no surprise to the 'experts' at ASR that the sand shifts around in Opunake Bay. Shaw Mead and Kerry Black stood in front of the public meetings and said they were 'world experts' and knew all they needed to know about the beach in order to make world class waves for the town. And what the effects of the reef would be on the beach system and sand flow. The reality is these guys are full of their own spin and have zero credibility as scientists, engineers or project managers. I would not trust them and they should be held accountable for all the public money they have wasted. "
http://www.stuff.co.
nz/taranaki-daily-ne
ws/news/3332394/Sea-
floor-shift-halts-re
ef-work

OPEN! "THE CASE OF THE MISSING MONOWAVE.
.


The case of the missing MILLIONS and the MONOWAVE has now been opened by the request of the local surfers. They said its a One WAVE WONDER! Watch this space as watson and sherlock reveal what has happened to the missing millions and why the monowave is a one wave wonder. Sherlock and Watson will leave no scumbag alone untill the millions or promised and purchased wave shape is recovered.
your valiant scumbag seekers
~SH&W~