Reef group to hear from local surfers (From Bournemouth Echo)

Chris Skone-Roberts speaks the truth

Ahoy Brethren,
Yet again I doubt me eyesight when reading today’s ‘Weights Elephant’ news. Fer goodness sake Cllr Charon ye be wearing me patience right thinly now, did ye not with a positive tone about yer person state publicly on Friday 13th August 2010 (Aaah, Friday 13th ?) and I quote………….�
� I have said that I am committed to restoring trust and increasing this Council’s openness” Yet here we are again BEHIND closed doors!!! WHO has designated that ONLY a selected few surfers and yer ‘task and finish’ group be capable of ‘considering’ such a PUBLIC matter. Stamp me ivory sir ye have raised me mercury with this atrocious decision.
As fer Dean Griffiths, I applaud his good sense to question yer LACK of openness but I question his judgement on ‘tweaking’ a proven failure.

Another cynical game of concealment, whitewash and lies?

Of course the owner of a shop selling surfing stuff is going to wax lyrical about the reef - hardly an impartial opinion.
.
Even if they fiddle and tweak the reef to produce better waves it will never compete against natures own waves in north Cornwall and Devon.

Dead simple reason why it is behind closed doors as the public's 3 questions would be

1) Why did the council go ahead with the Reef when they were told by NZ Mt Monganui that it would never work

2) Why did the council pay £100k to move a pile of sand from the right to the left of the pier

3) Why are the council so afraid to sue ASR when they are quite clearly in breach of contract?

If the council just put their hands up and said 'we got conned' and sued them then everyone would be happy.

ASR are crooks - simple. None of their reefs ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD work (fact)

But hey Boscombe is a much better place now....but not as a result of the reef but as a result of better people.

Tweeking - dont make me laugh!!

Schooners is 100% right on every point (IMO)

Dean Griffiths, 36, shop manager at Sorted Surf Shop at Boscombe seafront, called for the meeting to be opened to the public.

“I also think it’s about time that people know we’ve got something there that does work,” he said.

“The surf reef is a godsend for this area. The reef does work – it just needs tweaking and we could have something spectacular.” ----------- Not exactly unbiased are you Griffiths? Doesn't explain why every time we see surfers, they are always on the other side of the pier. The truth is this reef might suit a few people, but over all it is a total waste of OUR money and no more should be spent on it. All this tweeking here and tweeking there cost money and I can think of a lot better things to spend it on then for a toy for you and a few of your mates to play on.

"If the council just put their hands up and said 'we got conned'"

.

errr no, it should be the Bournemouth public who should own up to being conned.

.

Conned into ever believing this supposed regeneration was anymore than a regeneration of the pockets of a select few. The longer it goes on the more obvious it is.

.

As to the 'task and finish group' this is just more time consuming nonsense set up to show that 'something is being done'. Any planned project would have had contingency plans built in - not be reliant upon this wishful thinking charade of interested souls, for whom the bleedin' obvious appears not so bleedin' obvious.

.

Perhaps it would be better for this group if it were to try and come up with suggestions as to what cuts will need to be made to cover the already £3m shortfall in revenue from this charade.

I feel sorry for the owners of the Sorted Surf Shop - they are victims of this con just as much as the local taxpayers.
But the manager saying that the reef works is just denying reality and saying that we 'let the public know' that it works is pathetic, treat-the-public-as-
idiots spin worthy of the council itself.

On Radio Solent this morning, someone official said that one corner of the reef had sunk and they weren't expecting that. Really? The sea bed is constantly on the move, so I'd be surprised if the whole lot hasn't moved up, down or sideways.
....
If you've had paving stones in your garden, then you know they've sunk over time - in fact soil from lower down is brought up to the surface through the action of worms roots and other organisms in the soil above the level of the stones. The sea bed will have something similar happening, although obviously not with the same kinds of plants and animals.
.....
Anyone who thought there'd be no movement has no right to be involved in putting anything on the earth's surface.

Bournemouth Borough Council’s “task and finish”

Wonder how much that bunch of insiders costs the tax payer to hear more distorted lies...trebles all round eh

The reef works well...If you don't surf or body board then your opinion isn't exactly impartial either - because you have no idea what you're talking about.

I hope the council keeps spending money on it making it even better. The boardwalk and reef are the best things to happen to the area that I can remember.

The reef works well...If you don't surf or body board then your opinion isn't exactly impartial either - because you have no idea what you're talking about.

I hope the council keeps spending money on it making it even better. The boardwalk and reef are the best things to happen to the area that I can remember.

Bournemouth Borough Council’s “task and finish”

Wonder how much that bunch of insiders costs the tax payer to hear more distorted lies...trebles all round eh

went for a break at the Town Hall today, everyone knows about Spenser and this cover up so Charon is a liar pretending he doesn't.

Im getting fed up of the negative hype surrounding the reef. For those who who are un-educated in terms of wave creation i suggest you keep your comments to yourself. The Reef does work,it was never going to 300 days a year like certain "sufers" suggest, but instead enhance what little surf we do experience in the Bay. I for one,like many others have surfed the reef over 40 times in the last year, and yes,it will never compete with Cornwall or Devon, but it has provided us with a much powerful and challenging wave than we could of imagined.

Also,the reef is not just there for a Surf interest,there is an environmental impact that everyone seems to forget about. Has anyone thought about how much "tax-payers" cash is spent on coastal protection....!!!!

Hi stopps. It should be, "could HAVE imagined". NOT OF

stopps wrote:
Im getting fed up of the negative hype surrounding the reef. For those who who are un-educated in terms of wave creation i suggest you keep your comments to yourself. The Reef does work,it was never going to 300 days a year like certain "sufers" suggest, but instead enhance what little surf we do experience in the Bay. I for one,like many others have surfed the reef over 40 times in the last year, and yes,it will never compete with Cornwall or Devon, but it has provided us with a much powerful and challenging wave than we could of imagined.

As it was OUR money that paid for this white elephant stopps, we are entitled to have our say. While YOU say it works, didn't the offical report into it decide only 4/10 points were met? May'be they don't know what they are talking about either.....could have saved a fortune, just ask you for your expert opinion. The point is, millions have been wasted on something that doesn't work, and no more money should be thrown at it. The benefits to Bournemouth tax payers are very limit. No revenue will be generated by it, expect by a couple of shops catering for the gullible. As you are getting fed up with the negative hype, may'be you won't bother reading what the majority of posters think. You happen to be in the minority I'm afraid. Of course being a "expert" that won't worry you, as you know better than everybody else.

"Rainbowkisses" may i question whether you ever intended to use the reef and if not,what would you have prefered your money to go on? Im not saying anymore money should be "thrown" at it. As for not gernerating any revenue, i think you will find a lot of opposition to that within Boscombe alone. If only the local media had provided a more posiitive or balanced view then the benefits could have been truely met. Unfortunately i never feel we will see this day.

rainbowkisses wrote:

stopps wrote:
Im getting fed up of the negative hype surrounding the reef. For those who who are un-educated in terms of wave creation i suggest you keep your comments to yourself. The Reef does work,it was never going to 300 days a year like certain "sufers" suggest, but instead enhance what little surf we do experience in the Bay. I for one,like many others have surfed the reef over 40 times in the last year, and yes,it will never compete with Cornwall or Devon, but it has provided us with a much powerful and challenging wave than we could of imagined.

As it was OUR money that paid for this white elephant stopps, we are entitled to have our say. While YOU say it works, didn't the offical report into it decide only 4/10 points were met? May'be they don't know what they are talking about either.....could have saved a fortune, just ask you for your expert opinion. The point is, millions have been wasted on something that doesn't work, and no more money should be thrown at it. The benefits to Bournemouth tax payers are very limit. No revenue will be generated by it, expect by a couple of shops catering for the gullible. As you are getting fed up with the negative hype, may'be you won't bother reading what the majority of posters think. You happen to be in the minority I'm afraid. Of course being a "expert" that won't worry you, as you know better than everybody else.

Rainbowkisses, what kind of opinion are you after if you will blatantly disregard that of somebody who regularly surfs the reef at any given opportunity. I expect that "stopps" being a regular user of the reef knows a hell of a lot more about how well it works than every other person who has commented on this link. The voices of the people who do surf, use and love the reef are not being heard and everybody who whinges about the reef needs to embrace the fact that we now have a fast, hollow, challenging wave in the area of which there is nothing else alike for hundreds of miles. The reef is not a failure, last year a leg of the national bodyboard tour was successfully held on the reef, the best waves that have ever broken in the Bournemouth area have broken on the reef within one year of completion, there will be many more competitions being held on the reef this autumn winter attracting people from Brighton, Isle of Wight, Jersey, Cornwall and more. What more exactly were you hoping for?????????????????
???????
to see the pics I mention above visit:http://www.fac
ebook.com/home.php?#
!/group.php?gid=1369
33823008480&ref=ts

I completely agree with Dean Griffiths, with a little tweaking we could have something spectacular, and I'm not the manager of a surf shop. I think the reaction by local people to this reef is embarrasing.

Paul Humber wrote:

rainbowkisses wrote:

stopps wrote: Im getting fed up of the negative hype surrounding the reef. For those who who are un-educated in terms of wave creation i suggest you keep your comments to yourself. The Reef does work,it was never going to 300 days a year like certain "sufers" suggest, but instead enhance what little surf we do experience in the Bay. I for one,like many others have surfed the reef over 40 times in the last year, and yes,it will never compete with Cornwall or Devon, but it has provided us with a much powerful and challenging wave than we could of imagined.

As it was OUR money that paid for this white elephant stopps, we are entitled to have our say. While YOU say it works, didn't the offical report into it decide only 4/10 points were met? May'be they don't know what they are talking about either.....could have saved a fortune, just ask you for your expert opinion. The point is, millions have been wasted on something that doesn't work, and no more money should be thrown at it. The benefits to Bournemouth tax payers are very limit. No revenue will be generated by it, expect by a couple of shops catering for the gullible. As you are getting fed up with the negative hype, may'be you won't bother reading what the majority of posters think. You happen to be in the minority I'm afraid. Of course being a "expert" that won't worry you, as you know better than everybody else.

Rainbowkisses, what kind of opinion are you after if you will blatantly disregard that of somebody who regularly surfs the reef at any given opportunity. I expect that "stopps" being a regular user of the reef knows a hell of a lot more about how well it works than every other person who has commented on this link. The voices of the people who do surf, use and love the reef are not being heard and everybody who whinges about the reef needs to embrace the fact that we now have a fast, hollow, challenging wave in the area of which there is nothing else alike for hundreds of miles. The reef is not a failure, last year a leg of the national bodyboard tour was successfully held on the reef, the best waves that have ever broken in the Bournemouth area have broken on the reef within one year of completion, there will be many more competitions being held on the reef this autumn winter attracting people from Brighton, Isle of Wight, Jersey, Cornwall and more. What more exactly were you hoping for????????????????? ??????? to see the pics I mention above visit:http://www.fac ebook.com/home.php?# !/group.php?gid=1369 33823008480&ref=
ts I completely agree with Dean Griffiths, with a little tweaking we could have something spectacular, and I'm not the manager of a surf shop. I think the reaction by local people to this reef is embarrasing.

"Regularly surfs the reef" ?
.
I'm paying ITRO £1500 in council tax for a few muppets like you to ride a few waves 2-3 times a year.
.
I've got a lamp post that needs painting a street that needs cleaning and a police force that does foxtrot all.
.
You can get as fed up as you like with negative hype.
.
I want my money back with interest !
.
Boscombe is a toilet and always will be.
.
You can't polish a t--d

grimreaper wrote:

Paul Humber wrote:

rainbowkisses wrote:

stopps wrote: Im getting fed up of the negative hype surrounding the reef. For those who who are un-educated in terms of wave creation i suggest you keep your comments to yourself. The Reef does work,it was never going to 300 days a year like certain "sufers" suggest, but instead enhance what little surf we do experience in the Bay. I for one,like many others have surfed the reef over 40 times in the last year, and yes,it will never compete with Cornwall or Devon, but it has provided us with a much powerful and challenging wave than we could of imagined.

As it was OUR money that paid for this white elephant stopps, we are entitled to have our say. While YOU say it works, didn't the offical report into it decide only 4/10 points were met? May'be they don't know what they are talking about either.....could have saved a fortune, just ask you for your expert opinion. The point is, millions have been wasted on something that doesn't work, and no more money should be thrown at it. The benefits to Bournemouth tax payers are very limit. No revenue will be generated by it, expect by a couple of shops catering for the gullible. As you are getting fed up with the negative hype, may'be you won't bother reading what the majority of posters think. You happen to be in the minority I'm afraid. Of course being a "expert" that won't worry you, as you know better than everybody else.

Rainbowkisses, what kind of opinion are you after if you will blatantly disregard that of somebody who regularly surfs the reef at any given opportunity. I expect that "stopps" being a regular user of the reef knows a hell of a lot more about how well it works than every other person who has commented on this link. The voices of the people who do surf, use and love the reef are not being heard and everybody who whinges about the reef needs to embrace the fact that we now have a fast, hollow, challenging wave in the area of which there is nothing else alike for hundreds of miles. The reef is not a failure, last year a leg of the national bodyboard tour was successfully held on the reef, the best waves that have ever broken in the Bournemouth area have broken on the reef within one year of completion, there will be many more competitions being held on the reef this autumn winter attracting people from Brighton, Isle of Wight, Jersey, Cornwall and more. What more exactly were you hoping for????????????????? ??????? to see the pics I mention above visit:http://www.fac ebook.com/home.php?# !/group.php?gid=1369 33823008480&ref=

ts I completely agree with Dean Griffiths, with a little tweaking we could have something spectacular, and I'm not the manager of a surf shop. I think the reaction by local people to this reef is embarrasing.

"Regularly surfs the reef" ?
.
I'm paying ITRO £1500 in council tax for a few muppets like you to ride a few waves 2-3 times a year.
.
I've got a lamp post that needs painting a street that needs cleaning and a police force that does foxtrot all.
.
You can get as fed up as you like with negative hype.
.
I want my money back with interest !
.
Boscombe is a toilet and always will be.
.
You can't polish a t--d

" "Regularly surfs the reef" ?
.
I'm paying ITRO £1500 in council tax for a few muppets like you to ride a few waves 2-3 times a year.
.
I've got a lamp post that needs painting a street that needs cleaning and a police force that does foxtrot all.
.
You can get as fed up as you like with negative hype.
.
I want my money back with interest !
.
Boscombe is a toilet and always will be.
.
You can't polish a t--d"

If you have a problem with that, move away or stop paying rates. The reef is already bringing in a ton of revenue and will continue to do so for YEARS to come.

You want your money back with interest? It's too bad you're so myopic you can't see that Boscombe reef has put Bournemouth on the map in a way that it has never been before. Do you think that painting a light post is a valuable investment?

I mean it makes sense that people are upset about the reef - but if you can look beyond your light post, you should be able to see that it brings a lot of positive community value in a very unique way. Whats done is done, are you going to spend the next 20 years complaining about it or making the most of what's available.

I understand that many are upset about the ways in which the council is working to regenerate the area, but its better than nothing and it's certainly innovative. I think it's pretty selfish that the council is trying to improve the area and its met with this amount of resistance and distrust.

More research has to be done into the decision making on this project. Its good to see a lot more people down by Boscombe Pier, but a lot of them are there for a coffee, not to surf.
For surfers in the Dorset and Hants area, a better surf facility is handy, but at what will end up being a total cost of several million, major questions have to be asked about wether we should be repairing roads, funding class rooms etc as a priority. Not pushed way behind a constant stream of building projects that fail every time.
As usual, decisions have been made that were wrong, but no one will lose their job. How many of us could get away with that in the real world??

Max Green, you say " It's too bad you're so myopic you can't see that Boscombe reef has put Bournemouth on the map in a way that it has never been before."
...
So you're happy that Bournemouth is now a laughing stock around the world - just google and you'll see that. Bournemouth has been put on the map for all the wrong reasons - most definitely "in a way that it never has before".
.....
As for all the competitions to be held on the reef this autumn, that will only happen IF, and that's a big IF, there are suitable waves on the days intended.

I only got 4 out of 10 criteria right on my first driving test. So why did the examiner say I'd failed? Shame he didn't work for ASR (or is it ARS?).

However well the surf reef works (or does not), no matter how many smart flats and surf pods they build it will still be Boscombe. Boscombe is, always has been and probabley always will be a s*** h***. It has a rubbish shopping centre and you only have to stand at the top of sea road, by the now defunct fountain or in the bus station to see why.

Sat here overlooking the reef every day, sipping a coffee, watching beautiful sunrises and sunsets over a stunning beach of soft sand, blue skies and blue water it amazes me that anyone can dislike Boscombe. It truly is stunning. Any of you that really think it is s*** or a toilet please do come down and join me for a coffee and find some inner peace. In fact the Urban Reef actually was the toilet so we're well placed. Having pumped a couple of million pounds and thousands of hours of work into Boscombe I hope I qualify as someone contributing to it's improvements rather than fleecing them. Giant hugs Boscombe lovers and haters ;-) xxx

Markcribb wrote:
Sat here overlooking the reef every day, sipping a coffee, watching beautiful sunrises and sunsets over a stunning beach of soft sand, blue skies and blue water it amazes me that anyone can dislike Boscombe. It truly is stunning. Any of you that really think it is s*** or a toilet please do come down and join me for a coffee and find some inner peace. In fact the Urban Reef actually was the toilet so we're well placed. Having pumped a couple of million pounds and thousands of hours of work into Boscombe I hope I qualify as someone contributing to it's improvements rather than fleecing them. Giant hugs Boscombe lovers and haters ;-) xxx

A freebie coffee?
See you this afternoon then, cheers Mark..........

Was Charlie wrote:
Max Green, you say " It's too bad you're so myopic you can't see that Boscombe reef has put Bournemouth on the map in a way that it has never been before."
...
So you're happy that Bournemouth is now a laughing stock around the world - just google and you'll see that. Bournemouth has been put on the map for all the wrong reasons - most definitely "in a way that it never has before".
.....
As for all the competitions to be held on the reef this autumn, that will only happen IF, and that's a big IF, there are suitable waves on the days intended.

Was Charlie, the only reason Bournemouth is a laughing stock is because we have grumpy old moaning "victor meldrews" who have nothing better to do than jump on the bandwagon and bad mouth something they really dont have any great understanding about. There is lots of things the council spend there money on that doesn't interest me,but if it brings enjoyment to others then its fine with me.
As for possible competitions, you are 100% correct in what you say, and that is what the majority of people seem to forget, Bournemouth is not littered with numerous surfable days throughout the year, but now when we do get these days with have a good set-up to cope with competitions...

Was Charlie wrote:
Max Green, you say " It's too bad you're so myopic you can't see that Boscombe reef has put Bournemouth on the map in a way that it has never been before."
...
So you're happy that Bournemouth is now a laughing stock around the world - just google and you'll see that. Bournemouth has been put on the map for all the wrong reasons - most definitely "in a way that it never has before".
.....
As for all the competitions to be held on the reef this autumn, that will only happen IF, and that's a big IF, there are suitable waves on the days intended.

Was Charlie, the only reason Bournemouth is a laughing stock is because we have grumpy old moaning "victor meldrews" who have nothing better to do than jump on the bandwagon and bad mouth something they really dont have any great understanding about. There is lots of things the council spend there money on that doesn't interest me,but if it brings enjoyment to others then its fine with me.
As for possible competitions, you are 100% correct in what you say, and that is what the majority of people seem to forget, Bournemouth is not littered with numerous surfable days throughout the year, but now when we do get these days with have a good set-up to cope with competitions...

Markcribb wrote:
Sat here overlooking the reef every day, sipping a coffee, watching beautiful sunrises and sunsets over a stunning beach of soft sand, blue skies and blue water it amazes me that anyone can dislike Boscombe. It truly is stunning. Any of you that really think it is s*** or a toilet please do come down and join me for a coffee and find some inner peace. In fact the Urban Reef actually was the toilet so we're well placed. Having pumped a couple of million pounds and thousands of hours of work into Boscombe I hope I qualify as someone contributing to it's improvements rather than fleecing them. Giant hugs Boscombe lovers and haters ;-) xxx

Nobody is saying the beach area of Boscombe is a s*** h***, it's the rest of Boscombe that has that dubios honour.

Markcribb wrote:
Sat here overlooking the reef every day, sipping a coffee, watching beautiful sunrises and sunsets over a stunning beach of soft sand, blue skies and blue water it amazes me that anyone can dislike Boscombe. It truly is stunning. Any of you that really think it is s*** or a toilet please do come down and join me for a coffee and find some inner peace. In fact the Urban Reef actually was the toilet so we're well placed. Having pumped a couple of million pounds and thousands of hours of work into Boscombe I hope I qualify as someone contributing to it's improvements rather than fleecing them. Giant hugs Boscombe lovers and haters ;-) xxx

So the outcome of this 'secret meeting' is we must get a local interested player in the great beach sell off to blog online and try to encourage their friends to do the same. The truth will out

Ahoy ‘Paul Humber’
If I may quote yerself sir………..”Rai
nbowkisses, what kind of opinion are you after if you will blatantly disregard that of somebody who regularly surfs the reef at any given opportunity. I expect that "stopps" being a regular user of the reef knows a hell of a lot more about how well it works than every other person who has commented on this link. The voices of the people who do surf, use and love the reef are not being heard and everybody who whinges about the reef needs to embrace the fact that we now have a fast, hollow, challenging wave in the area of which there is nothing else alike for hundreds of miles. The reef is not a failure, last year a leg of the national bodyboard tour was successfully held on the reef, the best waves that have ever broken in the Bournemouth area have broken on the reef within one year of completion, there will be many more competitions being held on the reef this autumn winter attracting people from Brighton, Isle of Wight, Jersey, Cornwall and more. What more exactly were you hoping for?????????????????

???????
to see the pics I mention above visit:http://www.fac

ebook.com/home.php?#

!/group.php?gid=1369

33823008480&ref=ts

I completely agree with Dean Griffiths, with a little tweaking we could have something spectacular, and I'm not the manager of a surf shop. I think the reaction by local people to this reef is embarrasing.”
Well to be quite honest sir I think ye have embarrassed yerself without ANY help at all. And as fer yer comment regarding a ‘competition’ did yer mean this one ?

Riding the waves for first Boscombe surf festival
10:00am Monday 22nd March 2010
· Print
· Email
· Share
· Comments(41)
· By Stephen Bailey »


Boscombe’S first-ever surfing festival proved a popular success, although the artificial reef only produced good enough waves to be used for a handful of stages.
All four of the surfing events were done on the waves around the pier, while the £3.6m reef was used for the final stages of the body boarding competition.
Hardly a glowing endorsement is it.