Wedge in the wind

It's been a long time coming, but this was my first weekend away from both Rowan and James since Rowan was born. James and I spent a week in Bali recently, but it was great to escape for a girls' weekend. It was classic Lancelin. Complete with flies, a crazy holiday house and all of the weather.

Flies in the Wedge Dunes

Our house was absolutely classic. We tend to stay in the same place, so we tried somewhere different this time. Right across from the beach. And everything about it was an after thought. The front lounge was a deck that had been closed in. The front bedroom was the verandah, that'd been closed in. The bathroom is kinda in the kitchen.... to get to the third bedroom you actually go outside and up some stairs. And the fourth? Back down those stairs, out the back gate, through the garage-cum-bbq-area and past the laundry. Oh, and it's tiled. So it was great. Very cosy though. It was meant to be windy aaaaall weekend. When we book these trips, months in advance so everyone is free, we don't know what the weather will be like. So the weather was naff. We stayed up super late on Friday night, except for Tania, who wakes up at 5am and is tired at 8:30... So we weren't in a hurry to leap out of bed early to race to onshore slop. As it turned out, it was pretty good fun!

Windy Wedge

The weather came in on Sunday morning, although Lancelin missed the brunt of it. It wasn't worth the 80km round trip to wedge. We were super lazy and hung out and tried to stay warm. The deck/lounge leaks. We braided each others' hair, had a spa, wandered around in our jocks, but there was no pillow fighting.

Leaving orbit

Heaving. More wind.

I had a very lovely break in Bali at the end of July/ beginning of August. Surfed every day. Ate loads. Here's a taster - there's more on my instagram or facebook feeds.

This week I will have a stall at the Night Markets as part of the Ignite the Park Festival.

Saw Mona in the airport who I hadn't seen for 14 years. I thought checking our bags in first would be a good idea, then we'd go grab a coffee. Turned out with their security that we weren't allowed to go back out again and Mona wasn't able to come in! So we chatted for about 45 minutes in the little section next to the X-ray machines. Great to hear about her life, different resorts she's worked at, crazy tourists and all of her cats!

Mona and I

At the airport - Unimpressed about the food

Unimpressed about the plane delay

Our flight got cancelled. We are still in Male. It is now midnight and we just spent 12 hours at the airport, getting on and off the plane. On our way OUT of Male airport, we see the girls from the boat who will all be on their plane before us. We manage to follow some guy, back out through immigration and onto a water taxi, to arrive at some random hotel on Male proper after midnight. We've had to lug our boards back with us. We're bummed. We're ready to come home. Oh well. Found some blokes from Tassie to hang out with. At its Ramadan, everyone is out eating even though it's late. We sit down at 1am with the three guys to enjoy the best spag Bol I've ever had and to marvel at the tartan table dressing. Most surreal dinner ever. Day 8.2 At a count, I think we went through the airport X-ray machines seven times in Male. It isn't until the sixth time that someone finds the tiny screwdriver I'd left in my carry-on after taking my fin out... We board our repaired plane and Leeann and I promptly sit down in the sits we were allocated yesterday on yesterday's flight.... Which belong to someone else. Unbelievably stoked to get to Singapore. Manage to transfer onto a slightly earlier Qantas flight for the way home and even manage to get our excess luggage on without issue. Spend the interim pushing each other around the terminal on a luggage trolley. We're experts now. On and off the train, up an elevator. The best bit is the ramps where he person pushing gets to hop a ride too.

Rad cabin onboard the Haira

The girls and Brian

We arrive home 24 hours later than expected and are very glad to finally be back. Put a bit of a downer on the end of the trip, but I've just had the most fantastic time. It has been an experience of a lifetime. The all girls charter was so much fun. Being on a boat, just magical. And the waves... well it will be a while before I get to surf such consistent, quality waves again. Time to start planning the next adventure!

I had a sleep in til 8 o'clock this morning! We went onto the island last night and watched some locals drumming. Then we were waiting for ever for a dinghy because our crew had all gone to bed. So, nice to have a little lie in. Some of the other girls went out at Cokes this morning, but we watched. Poor Tamara got hit by a set out there and cut her leg on her fin. Needed three stitches from Gobi: Steward/Chef/Medic. :( Luckily it is the last day, and she will only miss one surf or so. She's disappointed though, but will just take it steady this afternoon. Surf Session # ?? Great day today! Surfed for four and a half hours or so. Before Lunch and after lunch we surfed til about 5. I had a great noseride in my first session! Technology.... GoPro started playing up because the disk was full. Then the battery went flat. So I'm not sure if that wound up on the video or not. Nice and small, some nice waves again.  Had countless waves. Caught some set waves and shared three party waves with Mikala which were so fun. Got one of them on vid. Got a hang five on the second ride too, but battery was flat again by then. Great fun getting around the section, except when you don't get around it and then take three waves on the fase :P Happy Friday!! It's our last afternoon. It has been fabulous! Hopefully surf early in the morn, before chucking the boards in the bags and then getting our boat to the airport. Waiting around for some dinner and then we'll chill out tonight. Catching a fast boat back to the airport around midday tomorrow. A few dramas trying to sort out our transfer as most of the girls don't fly out til 8pm. We've surfed so much! We were saying we'd need a break... for at least a week or so. i won't miss the sea lice though. Been so itchy. Just like stingers, I come up in welts.

My patented move

Session #9 After lunch we had another surf at Ninjas. Saw a ninja turtle in the line up. I have so many itchy-bunkers, but it's been worth the stings. So many good waves again today. Can't wait to check the GoPro when I get home. Plus Mikala was in the water today, so some great shots to show for it.

So glad I brought the longboard for the friendlier waves.

Ladies in the line up

The size dropped off during the week.

Party wave with Alanna - until I forgot she was there and cutback :/

How clear is the water?!

We are docked at the Harbour at Cokes again tonight before blasting off somewhere new tomorrow. Very surreal experience having a surf in your cabin after a shower as the boat gets underway and takes us to a new destination. We're all checked in for our Saturday flights and will be home Sunday am. Could easily have done a 10 day trip I reckon. Staying on the boat has been so good!!

Home for tonight

Primo resort

Anchoring the Haira

Where am I: North Male Atolls Who am I with: Anna, who has joined the boat from another one, a pod of spinner dolphins and a fruit bat.

Anna and a lovely bunch of bananas

What we ate: French toast for breakfast!! Fish and chips for dinner and banana crepes for dessert. A good day! What we did: Three surfs today! Told Tamara about the baby. Funny Moments: Singing in the line up. Shakin' our tushie on the dinghy. Surf Session #6 Spot: Jailbreaks Conditions: smaller I surfed my: 5'6 Best wave: I only caught one and fell off. As it was smaller I thought that sitting on the inside a bit might have been a good idea to catch some of the smaller ones. Unfortunately, the bigger ones caught me instead. Got caught on the inside twice and got a bit panicky the second time thinking that I was also being pushed across to the peak as well as inside onto the reef. Magic Moments: Three boats full of girls all wound up here, so we had about 16 girls in the lineup. One whole boat was from Dunsborough. It was great seeing other people get stoked on this wave.

Out on the fingernail = next to the boat

We collected Tamara off the reef on the way back to the boat as her leggie had snapped! Surf Session #7 This was such a great surf. Small enough that there wasn't the fear factor but the sets still felt decent. Only about two bigger waves in a set, which was more manageable. Best wave: one of my first waves was so long! Nice and wall-y. I tried to tuck and get past this section. I wound up in line with where the Haira was anchored in the channel! So then I ended up standing around the side of the island, on the reef 'having a cuppa' for a few waves, before a lull to head back out. Took the GoPro out today. Caught loads of waves!! Tamara and I were in our element on the longboards. Leeann had some fun ones and felt much more in her comfort zone here. Much more fun when you're trying to catch the set waves instead of the ones in between! Magic Moments: 2 turtles, 2 pods of dolphins and turquoise fish. Surf Session #8 Spot: Ninjas Conditions: afternoon. Higher tide than the lunch surf. Fatter. I surfed my: longboard We had dolphins out with us for this one! It was crowded initially with quite a few learners out with two guides. I've been trying to flick off the back of the waves before they start to close out but haven't been having much luck. One of the guides saw me and told me I needed to be right on the tail to get this done. We shared a great moment of stoke when I managed to nail this on my next wave. There was fist pumping.

The Moment - Sharing the stoke

We all whooped and cheered for a lady who he was coaching. She caught this bomb and rode it to the bottom on her guts. Innocence is bliss. I wish I had that much fearlessness! We then had the place to ourselves. So awesome to have sessions where you lose count of your waves. Got a few bombs too! Leeann was on fire this session and I was lucky enough to see two or three of her waves from the front where she was getting more angle and more speed. Two were really terrific, long waves, so she was absolutely stoked. After this morning I was saying that some days you eat the bear and some days the bear eats you. It was a bit of both today, but I'm pretty sure I got roast bear this afternoon!

Mikala shot photos from the boat during our afternoon session

Waiting for waves

All photos are copyright Hannah Katarski except those reproduced with the permission of Mikala Wilbow Photography. 

Day 4

Coffee and a surf check

Surf Session #4 We surfed Riptides again in the morning. Much smaller than yesterday with long waits in between. We didn't stay out for long before hopping back on the boat and motoring our way north. We passed through Male. It was fascinating seeing the built up island - all the high rise and different types of boats. 'Maldives Aggressor' was perhaps the most interestingly named. We dropped the cook off at the hospital - basically pulled the Haira up next to the hospital - as he hasn't been well.

Male

It is so so beautiful here. Being on the boat has been so magical. Beats staying at a resort. We sit and watch the world go by as we motor to the next harbour. We're always on the go. Plenty of room too. Pretty funky showering off the back of the boat after a session as we motor to harbour for the night!

Jailbreaks

Surf Session #5 Now in the North Male Atolls, we anchored near Jailbreaks. It looked really fun when I first got in but should have watched it for longer I guess. I went for one and didn't catch it, then was suddenly in the inside for about eight waves. My longboard was like a kite dragging me in. Hayley was stuck inside too. I just remember trying to make some headway and getting nowhere, but seeing Mikala with her flippers and camera covering all this ground heading back out while we were stuck. Was probably 5' on the back of the waves. This baby is going to be such an adrenalin junky - lucky - so she can keep up with Immi!

Mikala sharing some board time and getting up out of the water for a bit

Leeann, Steph and I went onto the island for a wander around. It's Ramadan at the moment so I felt a bit funny about walking around the village when all the women seemed to be inside and people are fasting. We tried to dress respectfully. When we hopped of the launch, there were a few men sitting around, enjoying the breeze near the coast, and that was it. We walked off to try and watch the break from the shore, and wound up at the jail. See, I was thinking that the break was called Jailbreaks because of the tendency to trap people on the inside. Certainly turned out this way for me! But no, there is a jail on the island, end of story. We weren't really up for shopping, but one owner talked us into visiting 'mango shop' because it was 'the most beautiful shop on the island'. He wasn't wrong! Looked like nothing from the outside, then once you stepped in, it went back for acres, complete with a pond and bridge! I got to drive the dinghy back to the boat and got us all wet surfing the swell with it. Tonight we lay on the roof enjoying the trade winds and watching the stars.

Michael in my hat

Day 3 Where I am: In the ocean. Who I met: Brian, our guide kinda reminds me of a cross between Grey and Uncle Bill. Steph has been sick for a few days so has spent a lot of time sleeping. Hayley is like my sister from another mother. Yesterday she said 'Buh bow!' and then in the line up she said 'uh oh spaghetti-o'. I wonder if her mother is a teacher too... What we did:

The Left

We slept in til about 7. We watched Brian and Alanna go out at a hollow left. She charges. We were taking photos of this fast, unrideable-looking wave, and then realised it was where they were actually surfing. We had breakfast, then went out at Riptides.

Looking hollow

Boat Jumps

Surf Session #3 Spot surfed: Riptides...it has that name for a reason. Spent the whole time paddling. It is a bit of shallower reef in between two smallish islands, so taking your bearings was a bit interesting. The guys in the line up were on a luxury boat with flat screens in each room and a masseuse on board. They were great sports and very sharing with the waves when we turned up. I surfed my: mini simmons 5'6

Riptides

Memorable Moments: After going for a drift that we didn't realise had occurred, we spent about 15 minutes paddling back to the line up. My best wave: no great waves for me today. It was hard to be in the right spot. I had about three rides, the last being ok What I learnt: Paddling for position for an entire session sucks. Needed my weight further back on my 5'6. After lunch we visited a resort for the afternoon. Hung out in the pool, walked around the island. There's a fast hollow right that breaks right in front of the surf villas here that dad would have loved.

Boat transfer to the resort - Leeann, myself, Tamara.

Nice right, right in front of the bungalows. A funny thing that happened was: We played with an inflatable croc and a li-lo thinking it belonged to the hotel. We were considering taking them out to the beach before the owner came and asked for them back...

Rockin it.

Stacks on: Me, Leeann and Tamara

Steph, myself and Leeann

Appropriate thongs for the Maldives.

All photos are copyright Hannah Katarski except those reproduced with the permission of Mikala Wilbow Photography. 

Day 1 began about 2am and became a blur of planes and terminals. We met Leeann in the airport about 5am, told her I was pregnant, and we got on a plane. We had an eight hour stopover in Singapore airport where we walked and walked, considered the two hours and the four hours' sleep Leeann and I had had respectively, and pondered the LSD-inspired carpets. There was a surprising amount of pork. Neither of us being big into shopping, we attempted this lackadaisically. We discovered the city tour, but too late to book in, eventually found the other terminal (with different carpets!) an hour before boarding and were generally overwhelmed by the orchids, butterflies and koi.

Knackered in Singapore

Orchids

Turns out the ceiling at Male airport isn't very high. Just under 9', I'd say. I will buy a coffin bag with wheels for my longboard if I take it overseas again. I couldn't stand the board bag(read: two boards in one mal bag) up on a trolley, and I couldn't carry it in one hand, so I settled for laying it across a trolley widthways and proceeding to clean up every person and bollard that got in my way. Leeann found this hysterical. I found that a sort of turning, trolley-waltz got me around the bollards, which were ALL spaced less than 9' apart. And finally at midnight, after a very, very long day, we were out in the fresh air, on the transfer boat and then onto the Haira, our home for the next week. We met the other girls, found our room belowdecks and crashed. Day 2

Bow board rack

There were only seven of us booked into the trip and seven double rooms, which worked out pretty nicely. We each had our own bathroom and more space than you would expect on a boat. The cabins were all below deck. The next level was the galley and dining room, plus our board racks outside. Next level was an indoor and outdoor lounge area. And finally a sun deck up top, which provided very nice evening wind-downs, enjoying the breeze and the stars. We got to properly meet the rest of the people on the boat this morning while eating pancakes. Brian, our surf guide, Mikala, our photographer, Hayley, Tamara, Alanna and Steph. Plus Gobi, our steward, Michael and the captain. Although we tried to look at the Male swell forecast from Singas and it looked small, it was not when we arrived. Brian decided that we would motor down to the South Male Atolls first, as they're more sheltered from the swell.

Heading south

Needless to say, I felt pretty dodgy today. Six hours sleep barely made up for the rough day beforehand. Alright. Onto the surf... Session #1: Surf spot: Quarters / Gay Bar / Anantara Conditions: Offshore winds, not glassy, but pretty nice. Deep. Shapely rights. I surfed my: 9'1 Memories: Nervous with our first surf, dropped off in the ocean. Waiting out the back trying to scope conditions. The line-up was full of girls. Little dollar fish jumping out of the water. Long trumpet fish leaping over Leeann's head. Big sets. Definitely bigger than what Leeann and I generally get to surf. Kinda head high+ waves and bigger set waves. 5-7 foot. Not what I was hoping for to ease myself into things! Best wave: My first was pretty cool, but fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants. Managed a hang 5 before I even knew what was going on. I caught two other long, long rides. It was nice to see the wall and have time to cut back. Things I Learnt: I need to work on stepping back to the tail to turn. I am brave. * * * * Day one and were already onto poo talk. Nothing bonds a group better. I think Brian found us quite amusing as the first all-girl charter he's led. We needed the talk about how you can't flush the toilet paper on the boat, which led to unending questions about the whole process. We had chicken curry for lunch before heading out for another surf. Maybe not the best stomach-settling meal you could want. The garlic spaghetti with orange chicken and chips for dinner was pretty rad. Session #2: Surf spot: Quarters / Gay Bar / Anantara Conditions were: Same day. Windy, a bit choppy. Lower tide. I surfed my: 9'1 Memorable Moments: Watching Leeann catch her first decent ride here. Turquoise fish. Mikala with camera, and Alanna almost colliding. Best Wave: a long right. Good speed. Got in about four turns. Remembered to try and step back. What I Learnt: better wave judgement and paddle angle for the waves. Nice top turn.

Our harbour for the night.

All photos are copyright Hannah Katarski except those reproduced with the permission of Mikala Wilbow Photography. 

A little bit of swell around lately and everyone has been getting their share of waves.

My little man is seven weeks old and I enjoyed a fantastic surf today, thanks to his grandma minding him.