ISLE of Wight surfers made their mark in two major competitions in the UK's most popular surfing hotspots over the weekend.
Boe Howell, who is making a name for herself on the national stage, competed in the first leg of the Caravan and Motorhome Club English National Surfing Championships at Fistral Beach, Newquay, Cornwall, on Saturday and Sunday.
The teenager, of Yarmouth — recently named in the Team England Junior Squad 2023 by Surfing England — competed in the women's open section.
In the opening heat of Round 1, Boe came second, scoring 3.00 points — 4.27 points adrift of the winner, Charlotte Mulley — to qualify for the quarter-finals.
In her heat, Boe came a creditable third, scoring a much-improved 6.06 — just missing out on a semi-final spot.
With the event split over two weekends, Boe will get a second bite of the cherry at Watergate Bay, Newquay, between May 12-14.
Two other Islanders were in competitive action over the weekend too.
Joel Mew and Alan Reed were in St Ives, Cornwall, for the Porthmeor Longboard Classic, at Porthmeor Beach, which provided one of the UK's most scenic backdrops to any surfing contest.
A relative newcomer on the British Longboard Union Tour calendar, the event attracted the cream of traditional longboard style masters — serving up more 'noserides' per hour than any other event so far, and the 'proving' ground for some of the UK’s finest surfers.
Alan, a former British champion, came an excellent third in the final of the grandmasters section.
To get to the final, Alan, of Rookley, won his semi-final comfortably with a superb score of 9.44.
He also scored well in the final, achieving 8.04 points.
Alan also competed in the masters event, finishing fourth in the final.
In the single fin category, Joel, of Northwood, negotiated the first round, coming second in his heat to Arthur Randell (who went on to win bronze), with a score of 7.83.
Joel — who rode on one of his dad, Jim's boards — came fourth in his heat with a disappointing 5.03 and did not progress any further.
In the men's open, he scored a creditable 6.57 to come third in his Round 1 heat.
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