However, unlike years gone by, none of us were here for Muff, we were here to score classic wind and waves, so we bypassed any tourist distractions and headed straight for Benone Strand which was the beach on the north coast most suitable to the W/NW swell and freshening west winds. On arrival it looked a pretty good size for Benone as the extra bit of north in the swell direction meant that the waves were touching logo/mast high, which is punchy at Benone as the sandbars can produce some pretty hollow bowls which looked particularly meaty today!
The only issue was the wind, there wasn’t as much on the water as there was showing on the beach. In general on the north coast low tide is best for clean cross to cross-off wind as the dunes on all the beaches can sometimes act as a shelter and knock down the wind strength on the water, especially at high tide where the waves break closer to the dune’s wind shadow. However, Adam and I were well equipped gear wise for any wind and wave eventuality so we both rigged big! I opted for my trusty Severne Mako 91 litre Quad and 5.6 whilst Adam was on his Fanatic Stubby and 5.3.