Latest News at Polkerris Beach | Displaying news posts 1 - 8 of 46
Award wraps up the season!
On Wednesday evening, we picked up the Silver for BEST TOURISM ACTIVITY, SPORT & EXPERIENCE OF THE YEAR at the Cornwall Tourism Awards - a brilliant way to wrap up the season!
Technically, the award was for our windsurfing tasters but in practice, the judging panel assess the business as a whole. It's very nice to know that we are up there with the best, in the region that was once again voted 'Top Holiday Destination' at the British Travel Awards. We also won Silver last year, so to get it again proves that we can be consistent, too.
You can see us here: Bob, Lynn, George on the left, Hollie on the far right, plus host Sue Perkins and the gent from Brewer & Bunney who presented the award. Yes, we can scrub up nicely when required - and do own clothes other than flip flops and T shirts!
So that was it for another season. How fast it went, how many people we saw... Special thanks to all our regular customers and those familiar, cheery faces that help us make the beach a special place for all.
We re-open in March for next season but in the meantime we are busily making improvements and taking bookings.
October sun-sation!
Allegedly the hottest October days ever at the weekend. It was beautiful, warm and sunny on Saturday and Sunday - and we nearly ran out of ice cream.
Some nice gentle waves, pushed up by a few days' South Easterly breeze, made for some great paddleboarding on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Here is Saul and his mates having a paddleboarding birthday party on Saturday afternoon, while beachgoers paddle and enjoy the sunshine.
Kit sale - bargains!
We like to a have new kit here for you to use, so we are always selling off kit that's a year or two old. As we approach the end of the season, we have plenty of good windsurfing boards and sails available: there's a complete list here.
As all our Picos were brand new this year, we have none available but our ever-popular RTM sit-on kayaks will be up for grabs shortly at £440 for a double (Ocean Duo) or £320 for a single (Mambo or Loko). We are building a list of people wanting one, so get in touch soon. They were all new in May this year.
A Mini Adventure at Polkerris
Reflecting the diversity of things that happen at Polkerris, Classic Car mag came the other day to do a photoshoot of this rather fetching 1962 Mini Minor Traveller. They were looking for a way of recreating that 1960s beach holiday look, compete with windbreaks, buckets and spades etc!
Award for George and the Pirates!
George and the Polkerris Pirates (T15 junior windsurfing club) have scooped a national award, with a presentation last Saturday 13th August.
Way back in May, George challenged the team to a 'Kids versus Coach': each member windsurfed for one hour. All the hours were added togther and George then windsurfed for 25 hours straight! In so doing, he raised an incredible £2600 for the Windsurfing 4 Cancer Relief' (W4CR) charity, thanks to the generosity of all involved.
In recognition of this achievement, W4CR chairman Brian Roake and RYA T15 supremo Gillian Wright visited to present the David Tuttlebee Trophy for the best effort nationally.
We are all very proud of the achievement and the trophy: call in to see it on the shelf in the centre!
Rock Up And Sea - Thanks Fat Face!
Following a fabulously successful Barbie Tour event here in 2009, Fat Face returned to Polkerris Beach for 'Rock Up And Sea' on 30th July.
What a great day! The sun shone and around 170 people went paddleboarding and kayaking, many of them for the first time, all thanks to Fat Face. Flat sea and the beautiful rocky shoreline to the South of the beach provided an ideal introduction for a wide range of ages.
With the final group off the water at 6pm, the focus moved for the beach to the pub, where free burgers and beers went down veryt well. As the sun dipped towards the horizon, the Wishbones played three sets. A three-piece band comprising banjo, double bass and various guitars, the they played a great and unusual selection of tunes.
A large group of people leaving the beach said to me "that was amazing - do you do it every year?"
Polkerris Fun Weekend!!
BOOGIE ON THE BEACH 29th May: A terrific line up of musicians kept the crowd entertained for over five hours, with everything from solo acts to rock bands. The highlights of the evening were the amazing 15-year old Chelsea Hancock who, despite her small size, belted out some great numbers with a power and precision that took everyone by surprise. At the other end of the spectrum, Big Fish with their years of experience, knew exactly how to get everyone dancing with a terrific set skilfully delivered.
While the bands played, children played on the beach, families munched burgers cooked up by the Scouts, Even the weather turned out alright and it made for a classic beach evening at Polkerris.
All proceeds from the evening went to the Polkerris Scout Groups building appeal. Martin Starkie, organiser of the event, said "we are really grateful for the fantastic support of all the performers this evening, and for all the organisations and suppliers who have given their equipment, time and enthusiasm for free."
LIFEBOAT DAY: Several hundred people enjoyed a great day out at Polkerris Beach for Lifeboat Day on Bank Holiday Monday 30th May.
Organised by the Fowey RNLI, the event saw the arrival of the Fowey lifeboat 'Maurice & Joyce Hardy', skippered by Coxwain of the Day Nick Beard, and the inshore rescue lifeboat. Fowey lifeboatmen demonstrated their skills with a Breeches Buoy rescue from the harbour wall and recovering a 'casualty' brought down the cliff by the Coastguard cliff rescue team.
The RNLI committee organised a very well run event, with a barbeque that left everyone well-fed, a tug-o-war contested by large teams and a sandcastle competition with over 30 entrants. Judging the competition were RNLI committee member Sam Ellis and crewman Dean Pearce, selected for the difficult task as he is a master builder. They were assisted by Captain George Blackbird, a notorious pirate, who kept the children well-entertained until they chased him off the end of the harbour wall. A wry commentary from Andy Stevens meant that everyone was both informed and amused.
Photos from the events are here.
George's windsurfing marathon
After after a night and a day spent on the water, George achieved his target of 25 hours on the waters of St Austell Bay in Cornwall to raise money for cancer research.
The attempt started when he challenged the members of the Polkerris Pirates Team 15 junior windsurfing club to windsurf for one hour last Saturday. Twenty five children rose to the occasion and their total was added together to reach 25 hours. Undaunted by such a massive total, George started at 3.25 in the afternoon and kept going all night and all day to finish at 4.25 on Sunday afternoon.
A giant pizza was delivered to him at dusk to keep him going during the night, while a dedicated group of supporters kept watch from the shore, just able to make out the glow-sticks fixed to his sail. Occasionally, the sky was lit up by electric storms to the South but it was otherwise a dark, starlit and chilly night.
With only two 5 minute breaks on shore in the entire period, George windsurfed continuously, covering an estimated total of well over 100 miles. The steady Easterly breeze overnight was helpful but dawn brought a difficult windless period with choppy seas, followed by vicious squalls with winds of up to 20 knots and a thunderstorm. George said "the part from dawn until 8am was worst. The conditions were really hard, my back was killing me and I felt more alone than I did in the night. And I still had ten hours to go."
During Sunday afternoon, a large crowd of well-wishers turned up at Polkerris Beach to welcome George ashore and at 4.25pm he somersaulted off his board to end the challenge. George thanked everyone, saying "I'm so grateful to everyone who has supported my fund-raising efforts and donated to Windsurfing 4 Cancer Research, and also to the terrific support team that kept me going, especially overnight."
Windsurfing 4 Cancer Research is an active and energetic charity led by members of the windsurfing community who have been affected by the scourge of cancer. You can still add to George's total, currently standing at over £1600 at www.justgiving.com/george-surf or simply drop in at the shop.
You can see the video on YouTube, here.
