Gold Coast Festival
30th June 2003The solstice weekend, did you watch ....
Surfing, Longboarding, Kite Surfing, Aussie Surf Boat Racing, Kite Surfing, Surfski-ing, Beach Football and Volleyball?
listen to ......live bands, DJ's, MC's, seagulls, the surf? see...video premieres, extreme sport demonstrations, the latest surf & skate wear and equipment? tackle....simulators, climbing walls, the surf?
get....freebies, samples, prizes, tanned, waves?
25,000 people did just that in sunny North Devon. And it was all FREE.
A whole heap of extreme and lifestyle sports surrounded by family fun in the finest setting in the UK - Croyde Bay and Woolacombe, North Devon.
So, big it up for... 'GoldCoast OceanFest' 2003.
The Red Bull Alli-oop!
RedBull reinforced their claim to 'lift the spirit' at the GoldCoast festival this weekend in front of a huge assembled audience. Having built the awesome midi-ramp, it was over to the riders led by the UKs number and Red Bulls own Ali Cairns as well as the guys from Vans, Animal and No Comply to give some astounding performances.
The Boarding House Boys from Exeter also wrote their name on the walls. Ed Leigh the hilarious MC who kept the crowd amused during the day which made the demo highly enjoyable and informative.And to cater for the 'stoked' enthusiasts who 'fancied a go', the midi half-pipe was open for use to the public with the sounds from the stage pumping up the adrenalin.
Blackburn Rovers win Beach footie Cup.
Sponsored by Island Tribe Sunblock
At first sight a football tournament starring 'Ave it! FC' and 'The Thirsty Boys' may look a bit worrying. But though the first time for the Oceanfest, it was a seriously fought out tournament between 32 teams and hugely entertaining.
The team in vivid pink vests were particularly nimble! With full FA rules applied and FA referees, there was no nonsense, just serious fun, and the eventual winners, despite a gruelling day on the sand was -Blackburn Rovers! (Well actually a team of Croyde boys upholding the local honour)
They received a cheque for £250 and are looking forward to defending their title next year....down on the beach! ...On me 'ead son!
Extraordinary board meeting
Pro Surfing Open sponsored by O'Neill
It was a straight forward proposal that was put to the board this weekend. Take 34 of the UK's finest surfers, pit them against international stars and each other, and at the finish elect 'the man' The conditions on Saturday were perfect, sunny skies, an offshore breeze and the tail-end of a recently departed low.
Result - a good sized clean wave that lasted all day. The judges made a wise call to run the event in one day in case surf dropped away, and the meeting was convened. It was a high-class gathering including John Buchorski, Richie Mullins, and recently crowned English Champion Eugene Tollemarche.
But at the end, with a disbelieving smile, it was Joss Ash who accepted the cheque for £500 in front of an appreciative crowd who'd seen much of the action on the big screen.
One size fits all
Sponsored by BicSport
It was a case of 'rounding up the usual suspects' in this established longboard contest at glorious Woolacombe. Riding the same size boards to eliminate any excuses in the pub later, the BicSport One Design World Challenge was contested by the UK's best 'loggers'.
A place in the French leg of this world tournament was what these craftsmen had in mind, as they pulled out all the classic moves on a forgiving wave. After a plethora of drop-knee turns and nose-rides, the eventual winner was Sam Bleakley, ahead of last year's winner Lee Ryan, Elliot Dudley and local boy -Ashley Braunton.
The Two Bays swept clean
Sponsored by SW Water and Croyde's Clean Sweep team
This 10km gruelling surfski race was always primed to be an epic. The sponsors are so proud of their new sewerage treatment works at the north of Croyde Bay, they made them paddle past it twice!!
The race ran the length of Woolacombe's beautiful beach, out and round Baggy Point, into and across Croyde Bay, then all the way back to Woolie for the finish. From a line-up of gargantuan talent - Glen Eldridge of the World Kayak Championships, Glen Clatworthy - former British Ironman Champ, and brothers Andrew and Peter Maycock, it was local stalwart Saunton SLSC Captain - Mark Ressel who swept the opposition away.
Big Boy Scores Again
Sponsored by Billy Budds public house in Croyde
It was a grudge match this year between local Ironman Nick Thorne, and local surfboard shaper Wayne 'Waxer' Cowie, both two times winners and yet to meet head-to-head.
Nick led the sprint out to Downend Point from Saunton, through the stiff chop and held it for the long haul across Croyde Bay. Waxer fought gamely on behind, but Nick's Ironman experience had him still leading on the run up the beach to the finish, to take the title and a cheque for £250.
But let's not forget the brave boys behind. James Yeo paddled heroically into third place for the third year, and all of the other 14 entrants pushed themselves to the limit in this gruelling challenge. Where will the new contender come from? Probably 16 year old Adam Thornton, the current British Schools surfing Champ who finished a creditable 8th in a race dedicated to the memory of his father Chris, a Big Boy paddler himself, who sadly passed away in early April.
New home for fly-boys
Sponsored by Woolacombe Bay Holiday Parks
Woolacombe Beach, voted in the top ten in the world by Conde Naste Travel, has to be the perfect home for the OceanFest Kitesurfing event.
The sky above Woolacombe was punctuated by multicoloured canopies and the public were thrilled by the huge jumps and tricks as well as the spectacle itself. Heats were held in a halcyon breeze and pure sunshine on Saturday ,whereas Sunday saw a stiffer breeze and flecks of grey.
But by the evening the very best of the UK amateurs, juniors and pro's had elected their rightful winners, albeit under a canopy of rain. 1st Sam Kirby, 2nd Tom Court and 3rd Robin Snuggs.
Crowning Glory
Sponsored by Parkdean Holidays
Croyde Bay is the Jewel set in the centre of the GoldCoast, and the perfect setting for Parkdean's sponsored beach volleyball midsummer fiesta.
Here, over the course of two days, six courts, hundreds of aficionados, holidaymakers and festival goers were gripped by the tournament.
With top flight local, national and international competitors, the eventual winners richly deserved their titles- King and Queen of the Beach. This year the Honours went to John Hedlund and Jade Douglas respectively.
Row, row, row your boat
Sponsored by Walls Ice cream
Brand new for Oceanfest this year came the exciting and rapidly growing sport of Aussie Surfboat Racing. Originally used for rescuing bathers, they are now raced for fun all over the world.
Quite simply, they're rowed out through the pounding surf, then a further 300m, before rounding the buoy and a mad dash back. It's then up to the steersman or -'sweep' to catch a wave back to the shallows where one of the adrenaline filled crew runs the final 25m to the finish.
The favourites - Porthtowan Mens, are World Silver medallists and showed their class to take the title, ahead of Portreath and Perranporth. Local team Saunton in their first big race, took a respectable fifth.
Lost and Found Sessions
Presented by Vibe FM on the Corona Stage
The music kicked off with a real find. Junction 27, a schoolboy band from nearby Braunton, thrilled the early arrivals to the festival on Saturday.
The sun shone sweetly and the boys gave it large, to the delight of the more famous and slightly older bands on later in the day. This superb showcase of signed talent and warm-ups for Glastonbury, rocked the arena, whilst the big screen cut to the action in the events and back again. Jenny Lynn from Braunton, a waif with a powerful voice, got the evening tea on before C14 delivered the main meal, raw and uncompromising, bass pounding with the surf.
A superb mixture of another 15 bands from Leeds, Birmingham, Cardiff, Exeter and Bristol, were rammed into the weekend schedule before the final act on Sunday evening.
Then, despite a downpour, The Lost Girls gave a blinding set before heading off to play at Glastonbury, sending the punters home, damp, tired, but very happy.
Caged Animals
Sponsored by Animal
The anticipation of a street bike trials fronted by Martyn Ashton, former World and British Champion, was equalled only by the disappointment of fans at his withdrawal. Martyn broke his back in January and OceanFest was to be his first big demo since.
Sadly, in pushing himself to re-attain his incredible standards and skill, he aggravated his back. Animal Team manager Steve Kitchin took the unenviable decision to stand Martyn down. This would leave it up to Czech Red Bull rider Petr Kraus to wow the crowds.
Petr had arrived straight from the Red Bull Bike Battle in Birmingham, and in a strange twist, almost as soon as he'd dropped into the half-pipe on a warm-up, he broke his thumb. So, with the two brightest stars behind the clouds, it was decided to give the skaters full reign in the pipe...until next year, when they promise the bikers will dazzle.
Hygiene Team Winners
Sponsored by Marigold
One of the biggest beefs about festivals are the medieval state of the arena and toilets. The GoldCoast Oceanfest organisers had a multitude of compliments from girls in particular who were delighted that they could....."sit on the toilet seat !!" and that the toilets were..."as clean at the end as the start".
The arena was 'picked' of fag butts and ring-pulls before the Sunday set, to the delight of the punters wanting to 'chill-out' on the grass.
GoldCoast OceanFest attendance...in the region of 25,000
Thefts or muggings.......................................NONE
Arrests........................................................NONE
Serious accidents.........................................NONE
Cost of attending OceanFest........................FREE Results
Results
| O'Neill Gold Coast 2003 | ||||
| 21st - 22nd June | ||||
| Round 1 | Round 2 | Total | Final | |
| Joss Ash | 8.1 | 15.7 | 23.8 | 15.6 |
| Oli Adams | 12.4 | 11.3 | 23.7 | 13 |
| Daz Wright | 13.7 | 12.3 | 26 | 12.4 |
| Sam Smart | 10.6 | 15.1 | 25.7 | 8.6 |
| Danny Wells | 10.5 | 12.5 | 23 | |
| Mica Lester | 11.3 | 11.3 | 22.6 | |
| Gary Wells | 8.2 | 12.9 | 21.1 | |
| Stuart Leithead | 8.5 | 12.2 | 20.7 | |
| Eugene Tollemache | 12.3 | 8.2 | 20.5 | |
| Greg Owen | 11.6 | 7.6 | 19.2 | |
| John Buchorski | 7.3 | 11.5 | 18.8 | |
| Jonty Tucker | 12.5 | 5.8 | 18.3 | |
| Matt Jenkins | 7.2 | 11.1 | 18.3 | |
| Sam Burkett | 6.9 | 10.7 | 17.6 | |
| Johnny Fryer | 8.2 | 8.6 | 16.8 | |
| Nick Williams | 8.5 | 6.8 | 15.3 | |
| Dan Marks | 5.5 | 9.8 | 15.3 | |
| Nathaniel Hooton | 6.5 | 7.8 | 14.3 | |
| Nick Thorn | 6.3 | 7.3 | 13.6 | |
| Ossian Pleasance | 7.4 | 6.1 | 13.5 | |
| Andrew Cotton | 4.6 | 8.7 | 13.3 | |
| Borja Cantera | 4.6 | 8.7 | 13.3 | |
| Douglas Richards | 5 | 8.1 | 13.1 | |
| Oscar Diaz | 2.3 | 10.7 | 13 | |
| Anthony Bowen | 5.6 | 6.1 | 11.7 | |
| Adam Thornton | 3.2 | 5.6 | 8.8 | |
| Toby Atkins | 5.2 | 3.2 | 8.4 | |
| Juanan Eguiguren | 3.1 | 4.2 | 7.3 | |
| Stuart Campbell | 3.2 | 3.9 | 7.1 | |
| Paul Kirby | 6.5 | 6.5 | ||
| Ben Rueth | 2.3 | 3.1 | 5.4 | |
| Darren Horstmann | 5 | 5 | ||
| Richard Mullins | 4.7 | 4.7 | ||
| Joe Pritchard | 2.3 | 2 | 4.3 | |
| Chris White | 1.5 | 2 | 3.5 |