Gwithian delivered for the BWA’s Cornish Cold Water Classic Event

Gwithian needs no introduction to windsurfing. Over the last 3 days (21st-23rd Feb) delivered some of the biggest wave conditions I have ever seen at a UK windsurfing event.

50 plus people endured Bodmin moor, extremely wet conditions on the beach, and pumping surf over the competition weekend. The windsurfing event has a great turnout with plenty of entries into the Men’s and Women’s divisions of Pros, Ams, Masters and Junior categories.

I have to say “big respect” to both the riders and the Event team (Joe Vernon, Duncan Coombes, Willy Angus and the BWA team who ran the event). The rescue ski and team were sat outside the break in big surf for numerous hours which looked a tough job!

You can see from the photos below, that the conditions were unforgiving with gusty, strong 4.0m weather. If you got it wrong you had a free ticket onto the rocks.

Local riders from the Witterings and surrounding area were there in force! 2XS Team Riders Max Metcalfe and Freddie Sargent were competing with Max taking 3rd in the Amateurs. Ian Whittaker, Dan Macaulay, Ollie Sargent, Grahame Pettit were all competing and Emile Kott (2XS Web Lord) took 4th in the Masters. Jenna Pettit was competing in the Womens Amateurs and took 1st place after performing really well in tough offshore conditions. Max Sargent came in 3rd in the Junior category.

You realise when you go to these events the level of windsurfing is incredible despite really tough conditions.

It was hard to ID riders in the mast high sets with huge spray and everyone in hoods on the water.  We watched the final with some pretty chunky sets rolling in – between Lucas Meldrum, Ben Page, Andy King and the eventual winner Phil Horrocks. The riding was insane – last time I watched something like that was at the PWA Hookipa Maui.

Glad to see local Andy King still on form in the final and Winner of the Pro Expression Session.

2XS will be hosting a BWA wave event in October 2025 with a rollover into November – dates are 24-26 October rollover 7-9 November 2025

Photos by Simon Bassett/2XS. Additional photographs courtesy of Jon Carter (who stood in the wet on the beach for the 3 days – legend!)

https://www.britishwavesailingassociation.com/news/cornish-cold-water-classic-2025-big-wave-madness

https://www.windsurf.co.uk/cornish-coldwater-classic-wrap-up-and-gallery/