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Ho'okipa to London Docklands The 15th DEC: What a day! Ross Williams and I had one of the best three weeks of our lives on Maui this December. We had everything from perfect glassy surfing conditions to mast and a half high Hookipa on 4.4m to massive 50 foot Jaws! It was incredible and the action was almost non-stop. I don’t think that we had even one day out of the water for nearly a month. (We didn’t even get the chance to play golf, that was how busy we were doing the things we really love!) Ross has started doing Team MPG training with me now, so we would both go to the gym every day at 10 o’clock . After that, we would assess the conditions and then head out to do whatever looked best for the day. We weren’t even bothering getting up for the usual surfing dawn patrols because the whole days were filled with good conditions! It was awesome! One of the best days was undoubtedly the 15th		Tidy son!
December at Jaws. It was forecast to be one of the biggest days since 1999 and they weren’t far wrong! The 15th of December was forecast to be one of the biggest days since 1999. We had nearly perfect conditions all day, with waves reaching nearly 60 feet faces. There was almost no wind which made surfing Jaws as much fun as it could ever be. The waves were absolutely massive and it was so glassy that you felt that you were going as fast as you could possibly go on a surfboard. The only thing that seemed to slow you down was the drag from the fins. The board stuck to the water like glue and you could just make the best turns on the hugest waves ever. It was an amazing day and one that I hope we get to repeat in the New Year!

		The 4th JAN: What the hell was I doing in the middle of London? Well it was a lot better than last year when I couldn’t even plane down the pool. My kit was the biggest difference and also that the pool was windier. My sails were indoor Neil Pryde customs, shorter and wider, and they seemed to go a lot better. Although saying that I only used the 5.4m for all the disciplines. The board was the same as last year, a JP Pro Edition Freestyle. I did try to lose some weight for the contest and I was two kilos lighter just before Christmas but then my mother’s cooking and all those mince pies meant I was the same weight as last year.

		However, the problem for me was that I could barely stand up on some days due to the killer ‘man flu’ that was spreading through the UKWA fleet. It took down Proffitt, Baker, King and many more. Nik Baker had to pull out of all the PWA events bar slalom due to it, and then he goes and wrecks his shoulder in a slalom heat against Ben Proffitt. Doh! I decided to pull out of the PWA slalom and concentrate on the freestyle and jump. I still managed a 5th in Jumps with planing and one-handed forwards and I was really pleased with my second in the Freestyle although when you’re that close, you kind of want to win it! Oh, and I came 5th overall in the UKWA event. But the lasting memory of the Show will be that everlasting flu! It’s been a long time since I’ve been that ill and diving into a cold pool every other hour certainly didn’t help. Back to the warmth… By the time you’re reading this, I will be back in Maui training for the Hawaii Wave Pro and the start of the Super X season. Team MPG have a Super X buoy which we can use to practise the jumps, but basically we are going to practise landing spocks and loops at full speed in choppy water. I’ve got the NEW JP Super X boards and I’m trying to get used to the much faster Sabre’s after using the Expressions last year.

As for the Hawaii Pro, I know I can finish in the top 10. I want to finish in the top 5. Wish me luck! Till next time…. Robby

Robby Swift K-89 is sponsored by:





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