Got in for a smoking surf first thing, just made it out in the misty dawn - 4ft and offshore. Now super busy day, just having a server put in - wow - kind of big deal since the old days of a laptop in the attic. Aggityville Haunted Walk is also booked out tonight - 300 people coming through. There’s smoke machines, strobes and the original constumes from the Alien films…get busy scaring and firing on all cylinders. HAPPY HALLOWEEN… have a good one.

In Sweden they have a saying ‘There is no such thing as bad weather, only the wrong clothes’. Finisterre dealer Coll Faragher of Sand, Wadebridge, recently put this to the test on an unforgettable trip to Scandinavia on board Berge Viking, a 57’ Swan sailing yacht.

In 1981 Berge Viking represented Norway’s first ever entry into the Whitbread Round the World Race. Skippered by Peder Lunde, Berge Viking finished ahead of entries led by Peter Blake, Skip Novak, Eric Tabarly and Chay Blyth claiming eighth place with a race time of 125 days, 16 hours. It was a national symbol for Norwegian sailing at that time, with a completely Norwegian crew, and is still a much admired and well known boat in the region today.

Recently however a different crew including Coll embarked on a much shorter but very enjoyable voyage from Norway to Finland. They sailed the boat from Oslo down past Copenhagen, through the Baltic straights and around the coast of Sweden. From there they headed up far into Northern Finland; a trip of around a thousand nautical miles. They were returning Berge Viking to the place where she was built, where she will have a major refit to restore her to her full glory.

As they rounded the Swedish archipelago there were very few other sailing boats around, October is considered very late in the season to be so far north. They even received a fly by off a Swedish navy fighter Jet curious as to what they were doing up there and the captain had to explain over VHF radio that they came in peace! They arrived in Finland just in time before the Baltic winter would really start to bear down, witnessing the arrival of the first snow showers. It was Great trip and a great chance for Coll to test out his products. The latest Finisterre ranges are available to try and buy at Sand, Foundry court, Wadebridge.

Stoked Coll, hang in there, product will be with you guys soon.

Auction for the Promise Club - playing at the Monto Water Rats, Kings Cross, London!

Zoe blasting the vocals - so hot!

Groovers, we’re in a bus with Auction for the Promise Club, on our way up to London town, supporting our Zoe, brother Toby and Perran, who are playing once again at: The Monto Water Rats, Greys Inn Road, London. They’ve been asked up quite a few times now, last time was a bit of a nightmare getting tickets, so get there quick, we’ll be running around the place, with pints flowing, looking to charge all night.

They’re on at 8.45pm, Zoe as usual is looking super tidy and the rest of the band - cool as cucumbers.

So if in London, make plans to head down to the Monto Water Rats, stoked!!

Humble Book Publisher by night.

David Gray is our Graphics man, our shutter-monkey and our hero when fulfilling unrealistic design requests, with next to no time to do so. He’s been with us for over three months and it would be hard to imagine this place without him.

Among many talents, the man has a gift for publishing, for putting some personal passions into practice. Every so often, he puts together an exclusive book of personal images, with a signed limited edition print.

He’s just launched - Thunderbolts Way

It straddles the last few kilometers of the habitable interior of New South Wales, a place where soft tarmac dives for cover under the hot tundra of red dust and parched grass. Where global capital meets the Kelly gang legend, where Melbourne Cup Winners are bred and a gambler’s dream begin.

Top job Davo, not many left!

We won a ‘Highly Commendable’ RSPCA Award a couple weeks back, recognized for our Bowmont Regeneration Program. It’s always a team effort here at Finisterre, but when it comes to our Bowmont, it is the energies of Lesley and Lesley alone, who have made this program work. Once again Lesley, you’re a huge inspiration to us all - so fired up!

The latest from the farm below:

Today was crunch time for my Bowmont ewe. For the last two weeks she has been programmed with a whole series of injections then inseminated. Today was the day we collected the embryos – assuming of course things had gone well. This has been expensive, time consuming and, more important than anything else, not very comfortable for the sheep so I have been most anxious to ensure we got something out of the whole thing.

We arrived at 8am this morning at Horsepond Vet Centre in South Molton and the sheep spent a little while in a quiet pen getting settled. Fortunately she is a calm, laid back animal and had already been in this pen once when she visited for insemination, so she quietened very quickly. She was anaesthetised then placed in the “cradle” which holds sheep gently yet securely, head tilted down a bit to help breathing and circulation, then her belly was shaved and cleaned.

As this was Bowmont, all the belly wool was carefully put in a bag for me to bring home! Waste not want not!!

Cath, one of the vets, was keeping a very careful eye on sheepy’s breathing during this time and in fact all the time she was under anaesthetic, checking her heart rate etc regularly. She was very well cared for at all times.

Mike the other vet then set too and quickly had a small incision made and the uterus gently pulled up to the surface. The little embryos at this stage, (day 6) would be securely in the body of the uterus, if they were there at all.

The next stage was to flush the uterus with sterile saline solution so that the embryos would float out gently into the waiting petrie dish. Helen was there to catch the precious liquid. One cough at the wrong time or a jolted elbow and the whole lot would have ended up on the floor. It was a nervewracking few minutes.

After this, the ewe’s job was done. Helen took the dish and the embryos to the microscope to check the quality and number while Mike and Cath concentrated on stitching the incision and bringing the ewe round from the anaesthetic. I was there all the time of course and while she was coming round in her pen. She was very wobbly and coughing quite a bit but soon managed to clear her chest.

Helen was only a few feet away, looking carefully through the microscope. We all held our breath. After what seemed an age she declared: “Nine good embryos to freeze!” I was so relieved!! All the effort and the discomfort for the ewe was worth it. She had done a brilliant job.

The next task was to freeze the minute globs. These are my Bowmont insurance policy. Hope for the future in case of some devastating disease outbreak. They are for use only in extremis – at least, for the time being. The freezing might mean some of the 9 don’t make it but it’s the best way to preserve these unique sheep.

I left the vets to it as it was a slow and painstaking process. My task now was to concentrate on my sheep and get her home safely back to her stable. Mike the vet gave her a powerful painkiller to make sure she stayed comfortable and Cath gave her a final check over. Within an hour of the procedure she was ready to go home.

We said our goodbyes and set off , relieved things had gone so well. Unhappily, for some ewes, this is not the case and all the drugs and stress result in no viable embryo harvest. So far this year this has not happened at Horsepond AI centre but it is always a possibility. All that effort for nothing. We were lucky.

As I write tonight, the sheep is comfortable, back with her companion in a warm stable and has eaten some food. She has earned her place on this farm and will have an honourable retirement from now on!!

My grateful thanks to Mike, Cath, Ronnie and Fiona from Horsepond and also to Helen, the AI Senior Technician from Innovis who came down to help with the freezing. Their care for the sheep was exemplary and their care for me just as good. The coffee and croissants all round were particularly appreciated once the job was done! I shall be back for more!

You may have noticed that the majority of our merino underwear has sold out in record time. Thought we’d give those without any underwear an update - we have a second run of our new Merino underwear, longjohns, merino leggings and boxers arriving first week of November.

You can pre-order these now by calling Zoe - 01872 554 481 or hang on in commando until they arrive.

Enjoying that familiar time of year again with all the boxes coming and going, and product flying out. Look forward to being able to skateboard over the fridge/Happy again soon though once we get the decks cleared.

Mart

Over the last three years, every Halloween, we’ve been putting together the Aggityville Haunted Forest. It involves taking groups on a haunted walk from the Tap House down to the Driftwood here in Aggie. There’s been all kinds of scares in the past and it’s getting quite a name for itself – it’ll be going up a whole new scare level this year, thanks to the help of Truro College Drama Department. The cost is 3 per person, with all proceeds going to the Children’s Hospice Southwest, and you’ll get a free pint when you get to the Driftwood. It’s an evening full of frights, is a great cause with all welcome.

To sign up, come see us in the workshop, or call us up.

You’ve probably been hearing about our man Trev a fair bit lately. He’s been getting solid results in contests and dominating the junior division, whilst impressing everyone up here with his relaxed attitude in the water and back on dry land.

He turned 18 on Friday and was giving us the lowdown on his challenging move up to the Mens Open Division, where he will be competing with some of the best and most experienced longboarders around. Two days later - by the end of the weekend, he’d already grabbed fourth place in the Mens Open at the Jesus Longboard Classic held at Polzeath against a bunch of guys who are a lot older. Good start Trev!

Luis, showing some teeth

Like many things here, they happen naturally, they happen because we’re inspired, nothing more, no talk about financial gain or market share - genuinely inspired and from there, things seem to happen.

Luis David Najar is one of those dark horses, we got fired up by some video he shot a while back, following a small crew of cyclists in London and Paris. From there, we hear about his blogging, his solid backhand at the many international bike polo tournaments and then we catch wind of his photography and most recently, his record label.

We met with him in London at the Bike Film Festival and although brief, a solid lock-up was made. He currently sports our Matanuska M65, we keep him dry, he does what he does…

He just mounted a Finisterre sticker on the top tube of his everyday commuter. If any of you see this pony flashing through the streets and you clock the sticker, you know the story - all in a sticker.

So stoked, Luis - now send us some tracks!!

Speaking of marine life…

Just as we were getting in the water on Tuesday a pod of dolphins cruised in, took the set of the day and did some huge airs. Then as quick as they had arrived, they moved on down the coast on to their next destination.

It never fails to amaze, how these mammals seem to put everyone in a good mood. As usual Wikipedia has the insight; “Dolphins are among the most intelligent animals and their often friendly appearance and seemingly playful attitude have made them popular in human culture.” Well said.

Local Surf Photographer, Ben Howard was on scene snapping away and sent a couple our way…

www.benhowardphotos.co.uk