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NEWS FROM 2003:

-Surf Contest Finally Goes Ahead! : (03/11/03)
The West Coast North Wales Open: The annual surfing contest finally took place on Saturday 1st November. Having been delayed since early October, the level of enthusiasm had waned slightly but that didn't stop a close fought battle for the title. The event was postponed from morning until early afternoon and the contestants assembled at Porth Ceiriad where the surf was a fairly clean, though small 1 to 2 foot. Despite the sunshine it was 'bloody freezing' - to quote one of the Judges. After a couple of heats the final consisted of local boys Leigh Hookes, Phil Wood and Gary Shaw plus a Cornish Lifeguard (cum Skateboard legend and surfing superstar) Stefan Harkon. 20 minutes later and there was a tie for first place (the points totals were very similar for all 4 contestants). By doing a spot of maths with all 4 judges score sheets - a clearer winner was established. The final results were Leigh Hookes - third, Gary Shaw - second, and Phil Wood - Winner.
The contest party took place on the original date planned for the contest earlier in October and £800 was raised for local charities.

Local Band Win: (02/11/03)
Snatch win the Storm Radio competition - thanks to all who voted.

Local Band in Manchester's Storm Radio Competition: (30/10/03)
Every week The Storm radio station picks four unsigned bands to compete against other to win great prizes. They play an unsigned track every hour and then ask you to vote and tell them the ones you love!!
The band with the highest number of votes each week will get to play at a Storm gig at the Roadhouse as well as their track being included on a CD that they'll send to all the record companies. This week local band "Snatch" have been chosen as one of the unsigned bands so help them out by txting "Snatch" to 07800 002 112 - there's only 2 days of voting left!

PLEASE HELP ABERSOCH AND THE LLYN TO GET BROADBAND: (23/10/03)
At present only 35 people in the Abersoch area have registered an interest with their ISP's in broadband connections. For BT to become interested in the possibility of enabling our exchange - we need at least 150. If you have a holiday property in the Abersoch area - you can help us. As long as you have a phone line at the property and a valid e mail address - you are entitled to register an interest - this does not commit you to anything.

A local website has been set up to promote broadband and a possible wireless network in the area. Please have a look at www.llyn.net. The 2 red links on the page give you info on numbers registering an interest and also a form for you to fill in - these forms are then forwarded to an ISP and could make a difference as to whether we are able to get broadband connections in Abersoch in the future. If you would like further information - please contact us.

"New Year Resolution" - New Years Eve Party - Riverside Hotel
Check out www.sensationgroup.com for more info on this party

Wakestock 2004 Information: (29/09/03)
Wakestock 2004 is set to take place on Friday 23rd and Saturday 24th July 2004. This is a week later than last years event - this change has come about purely due to the timings of the hide tide in Pwllheli Marina which governs at what time the wakeboarding competition can take place. However it does mean that the festival will not clash with the Sessin Fawr, which this year took place on the same weekend. The event will again take place on the Pen y Berth site at Penrhos after provisional clearance from the landowners.

Planning for next years event has already begun - there are going to be many new exciting additions to the festival in 2004, and an even better line up of wakeboarders, bands and DJ's. The Wakestock TV show will be premiered on the Extreme Channel on Friday November 28th - check TV listings for timings. This will also be available to buy on video and DVD from the end of November, and will include extra bonus footage and outtakes. Check out the website www.wakestock.co.uk or telephone 01758 710000 to order your copy.

Cavern Gig & New Updates to Website For Local Band: (29/09/03)
Local band "Snatch" have just added a report and photos of their recent successful gig at the famous Cavern in Liverpool - check it out at:
www.snatchband.co.uk
They will also be playing at the West Coast Surf Comp - on Saturday 11th October at SCYC>

Free Entry to Abersoch Gourmet Weekend Events : (09/09/03)
Preparations are underway for the 2003 Abersoch Gourmet Weekend and this year it's set to be tastier than ever. There will be two free days packed full with top chefs, local produce, demonstrations and tastings.

Welsh Culinary Team chefs Nick Davies and Graham Tinsley will be serving up "Passion on a Plate", delicious dishes which all use Welsh produce. They'll be joined by other chefs from the area including Paula Isaacs from Ardrem in Mynytho, who will be whipping up Naughty-but-Nice puddings. Sean Mitchell of Pwllheli Seafood will be demonstrating how to cook treats from the sea and Portmeirion's Bill Taylor has some very special recipes up his sleeve.

Local food producers will be taking part in our special Producers Market where you can buy the best of Welsh meat, fish, drinks and other goodies. The Market and Demonstrations will be taking place at the Abersoch Village Hall and the South Caernarfonshire Yacht Club.

Abersoch Trade & Tourism Marketing Manager Jane Richardson said, "There will be something for everyone at the Gourmet Weekend this year. We'll have the best of local talent and the best local produce. Hopefully everyone who comes along will be tempted to try something new in the kitchen!"

The Gourmet Weekend is funded by the Welsh Development Agency and will be taking place from 10am to 5pm on Friday October 31st and Saturday November 1st. Entry to the Producers Market and to the Demonstrations is free to everyone.

For more information contact Jane Richardson on 01758 713079 / 07930 364255
info@abersochtouristinfo.co.uk

More Details - Tidal Aid 2003: (19/08/03)
The Tidal Aid event is taking place on Thursday, 21st August. The event is now coming into its sixth year and is focused around raising money for the RNLI & local charities. This year the RNLI will be attending the event to raise money on the beach for their charity - the profits from the night time event will be donated to the Local Junior Football Squad to enable them to buy new kit & improve facilities. Last year's event raised over £2000 for the RNLI.

The format of the event is much the same as last year - however there are a few special additions planned for 2003. The focus of the event is the Beach Bum Volleyball Competition which takes place near the Golf Road slipway on Abersoch Beach from 11am. The competition is open to teams of four players who can enter at Offshore Clothes Shop in Abersoch. There are prizes not only for the top teams, but also for the best losers and the best dressed team - so there is all to play for! Prizes have been donated by the event sponsors which are Abersoch Offshore, The Harbour Shop, West Coast Surf, OSD and Abersoch Boatyard. During the competition there will also be the Footprints Big Barbeque and a chance to try your balance on the RNLI surf simulator.

At 4.00pm there will be a chance for everyone on the beach to be part of 'THE BIG PHOTO'. Abersoch's attempt to create the largest holiday snap ever. The resulting souvenir photograph will be available for sale after the event and will also be produced as a pull - out poster in the next edition of Abersoch's Sensation magazine.

The night time event will be taking place in a purpose built arena at the Harbour Hotel and features an excellent line up of DJ talent, starting at 7.00pm. Local favourites James John, Ricksta and Jonty will be entertaining the crowds. Jonty will also be joined by the master dribbler MC Size, who is still riding high after his appearance at the Wakestock festival. Also playing is the up and coming big tune specialist from Pwllheli - Dëwi. There will also be a set from Jay Slingsby, who is best known for his involvement with the Elevate nights in Bangor. Jay is a founder member of Elevate, which has now been running for more then three years - we are very excited to welcome him to Abersoch for the Tidal Aid event. There will also be a couple of special performances at the event by dancers, jugglers & stilt walkers so it promises to be a special evening!

One of the organizers, Mike Atherton who has been involved with the event since it began explains " Tidal Aid is an extremely fun, relaxed event which is just about people having a good time, and at the same time raising money for some very worthwhile causes." Don't forget all proceeds go to charity - so dust off your shorts and head for the beach!

FURTHER DETAILS
Event Date: Thursday August 21st 2003
Location: Abersoch, Llyn Peninsula, North Wales
Volleyball Comp: Abersoch Main Beach
Party in a Tent: Harbour Hotel, Abersoch
Tickets: £8 for party - available at Abersoch Offshore
General Information: Telephone 01758 710011

Sandblast Football Competition and Tidal Aid: (18/08/03)
Two events are set to take place on Abersoch Main Beach this week. On Wednesday the White Stuff beach footie competition will be staged followed by Tidal Aid on Thursday which includes music, BBQ and volleyball.

Summer Festival Of Sailing Continues: (18/08/03)
The busy sailing season continues in Abersoch this week with the Regatta of Wales event which is being hosted jointly by SCYC Abersoch and Pwllheli. This follows on the heels of the GP14 World Championships, Mirror Nationals and Mirror Week. Results can be found at www.scyc.co.uk

Congratulations to Bear Grylls On Atlantic Crossing
Edward "Bear" Grylls has successfully completed his crossing of the dangerous northern Atlantic route by RIB - the first person to do so. For more info visit his sites at:
www.arctic2003.com/
www.beargrylls.com/

Busy Week For Abersoch Lifeboat: (08/08/03)
Abersoch Lifeboat, with its volunteer crew, has been on service 5 times this week. Incidents have included the rescue of 2 windsurfers who had been swept through the perilous waters of Bardsey Sound from Aberdaron Bay. Fortunately a member of the public had seen the windsurfers get into difficulty from cliffs at Pen Y Cil and rang 999. Even though they lost sight of the windsurfers, they were able to give the lifeboat crew an idea of the direction in which the windsurfers were being swept. The windsurfers were picked up near to Bardesy Island. On Thursday the lifeboat assisted in the rescue of a teenage boy who was stuck on cliffs near Porth Ceiriad. His cries of help were heard by 2 members of the public on a boat and they raised the alarm. www.rnliabersoch.co.uk

Wakestock - A Huge Success: (21/07/03)
Over 11,000 people attended the evening events at this years O'Shea Wakestock wakeboarding and music festival with 2 nights of great entertainment at the Penrhos festival site! The big Saturday night crowd were treated to performances from Athlete, Wheatus, In Me and Mint Royale as well as local band Snatch and Japanese rockers, Electric Eel Shock with their bizarre sock waving drummer! The atmosphere on both nights was reported as tremendous with the police on the gate on Saturday night reporting a trouble free evening.

2003 Champion - Craig O'Meara

Craig O'Meara from Australia regained his title (he won the first event in 2000) - beating the pre-event favourite Dan Nott into second place (see video clip below). Dan won the big air on Abersoch Main Beach on Friday evening - but couldn't match Craig's awesome run on Saturday at the marina.

Main Stage

Craig Regains his crown - Real Media Video Clip - Click Here

"Wakestock Rocks" - Real Media Video Clip - Click Here

For more info visit www.wakestock.co.uk

Wakestock 2003 Underway: (19/07/03)
This years O'Shea Wakestock is now well underway with 2 days of wakeboarding competion now completed including a spectacular big air event on Abersoch Main Beach on Friday evening. Judge Jules and a host of other top DJ's performed at the festival site at Penrhos last night and tonight sees bands such as InMe, Wheatus and Athlete.

Pre tournament favourite Dan Nott faces the cameras
after his eventful run.

By far the largest number of people in the history of the event watched the Pro event at Pwllheli this morning with some of the world's best riders competing and coping with the choppy conditions to pull off some impressive wake, slider and ramp moves.

Crowds lined the whole of the inner harbour to watch the Pro
event.

Current Wakestock champion and this years favourite Dan Nott had an eventful run, having to abandon his first effort after aa anchored, spectating speedboat encroached into the competition area and looked like it was going to take out the bar slider! Dan then faced the choppiest water of the competition leaving him wondering whether his grip on the Wakestock title had been loosened by excellent runs from aussie Craig O'Meara and Matt Crowhurst. Local rider Jon Robinson also impressed with a solid run. The results will be announced at tonights prize giving.

Huge air from the ramp.

For more info visit www.wakestock.co.uk

Important Launching Info For Main Beach: (15/07/03)
The Harbourmaster's office have asked us to say that the Golf Road slipway MAY be closed for launching 2 hours either side of high water during very busy periods. This is due to congestion and the related safety issues that arise at the busiest times.

"Bear in World Record Attempt"
Edward "Bear" Grylls - the mountaineer and International public speaker, who is now also a resident of Abersoch, is to embark on another expedition.
The Arnold & Son Trans Atlantic Arctic Expedition aims to set a World Record for the first complete crossing of the North Atlantic just south of the Arctic Circle in an 'open' rigid inflatable boat (RIB).
This Arctic crossing has only ever been attempted once before in a RIB back in 1997. The assistance of an ice-breaker was needed to bring the team out of the crushing pack-ice to safety, having been found alive but perilously close to hypothermia.

"Bear is the youngest Briton to have reached the summit of Mount Everest and return alive. You can find out more information at the expedition website and at Bear's own site:

www.arctic2003.com/

www.beargrylls.com/

Local Band Win Event : (22/06/03)
Local band Snatch have recently won "Battle of the Bands" final held in Newtown - check out their website at www.snatchband.co.uk for all the info.

New Streaming Video Page Under Construction: (18/06/03) - click here

Big Turnout For Jazz Parade: (14/06/03)
Hundreds of people took part or watched this years Jazz Parade around the village in glorious sunshine. The Parade is part of the Annual Abersoch Jazz Festival and this years seems to be the biggest yet with over 25 bands or acts over the 3 days. The parade was followed by the First Grand Llyn Waiter Race which saw a number of waiters running around the village with a tray of drinks!

News Round Up: (12/06/03)
- Abersoch main beach has retained its Blue Flag award for water quality and facilities.
- "The Front Door" Bar opens tonight at the Riverside Hotel - open to non-residents - giving Abersoch another excellent watering hole.
- A beach hut on Abersoch main beach was recently sold for a whopping £39K.
- Great forecast for this weekend and its the annual Jazz Festival too - look out for the parade around the village on Saturday morning.
- The recent Abersoch RNLI Open day raised over £850.00 for the local branch of the RNLI.

Manana's New Bar: (22/05/03)
Work has nearly finished on the new bar area for Manana Restaurant which is next door in what was the Tourist Info Office (which has now also moved into what was Serendipity).

Abersoch RNLI Open Day: This year the Abersoch open day is during Whit week - on Friday 30th May. The new Atlantic 75 lifeboat will be on display and the boathouse will be open to the public - with refreshments and a BBQ. All are welcome. The Abersoch RNLI website is currently being updated at www.rnliabersoch.co.uk.

Abersoch Lifeboat Launches: (19/05/03)
The Abersoch Lifeboat was called out on Sunday after a jet skier became separated from his craft in breaking surf near a rocky area at Porth Ceiriad. Fortunately he was able to get ashore and was found to be uninjured by the local auxillary coastguards. The jetski, that was apparently only purchased that morning, was also washed up. Sea conditions were described as rough by the lifeboat crew with a strong southwesterly wind.

Fund Raising Discos (06/05/03)
Harbour Hotel Fund Raising Discos - Totally Club Vibes - Continuous mixing by Neigwl Mike from 7:30p.m onwards @ The Harbour Hotel on Monday nights for each of the following dates: May 12th - June 9th - September 1st 2003
Strictly over 18's, LAST ENTRY 10p.m.
ADMISSION £3.00
Garage. House, Trance and Hard House
All proceeds to St. Garmon's Church Abersoch

Abersoch Sailing School Achieves RYA Status (04/05/03)
Abersoch Sailing School have now achieved RYA status as a sailing school. They are now running RYA sailing and powerboat courses. For more info visit their website at www.abersochsailingschool.com

Heatwave Continues: (16/04/03)
The incredible weather for the time of year continued today with temperatures into the mid twenties degrees C - weather that would be considered to be hot in the middle of the summer! Look out for our daily weather updates on how long it is all going to last!

News From Angorfa B&B: (12/04/03)
"Cafe: The Angorfa cafe will be re opening at Easter with a new menu and mouthwatering daily specials with a mediteranean feel, so you can come along and chill out on our lovely sunny patio, weather permitting!!! Alternatively you can sit inside in our refurbished dining room. We will be open weekends, bank holidays and all week during the main season.

Angorfa B&B: The Angorfa B&B has undergone refurbishment over the winter period, we have aimed to offer B&B in a modern and trendy setting, we have even stopped being so British and been to Ikea !!
Most rooms now offer full en suite facilities and it is our aim by 2004 that all rooms will be en suite. So give us a try I am sure you will not be disappointed. Click here for info

Double Celebrations For Abersoch Lifeboat Station: (04/04/03)
A HANDING OVER CEREMONY & SERVICE OF DEDICATION OF THE NEW LIFEBOAT “MARGARET BENCH OF SOLIHULL - will take place on Saturday 5th April at 11.30am. Public viewing is possible from the lime kiln at Abersoch harbour.

The new lifeboat is an Atlantic 75 rigid inflatable - 7.3 m in length and was provided by the RNLI from a bequest by the late Margaret Bench of Solihull in the West Midlands and follows the tradition of generosity that has been shown by the people of Solihull and Wolverhampton - who raised money to provide the 2 previous lifeboats at Abersoch. This boat replaces the "Borough of Solihull", an Atlantic 21 lifeboat that has been on station at Abersoch for over 10 years. The Atlantic 75 is based on the Atlantic 21 and her twin 70hp outboard engines make her one of the fastest lifeboat in the fleet, her hull design provides a softer ride than her predecessor for the three crew and survivors

The station is also to be presented with an RNLI centenary vellum. The station was first opened, at a cost of £170 in 1869. It closed in 1931 and re-opened as an inshore lifeboat station in June 1965. The award celebrates an aggregate of 100 years service.

Toll gate Closes At Porthmadog: (04/04/03)
The toll gate at the Cob in Porthmadog has now closed.

March Heatwave & Abersoch.co.uk Stats : (18/03/03)
Abersoch has been basking in glorious sunshine for the last few days with Monday being exceptionally warm for the time of year with the temperature reaching 18 deg C - which actually felt warmer because of the lack of any breeze. Our webstats have also been reaching a new high recently with our first 10,000 pages viewed plus day recorded yesterday. Many thanks to all those who continue to log on!

Controversial Parking Proposals Withdrawn: (05/02/03)
We received the following press release from Gwynedd Council today.

"Gwynedd Council's proposals to improve traffic flow and pedestrian safety in Abersoch have been welcomed locally but the ideas for new car parks were rejected. Before perusing any particular plans the Council wanted to secure local opinion and held a public exhibition in the village hall and a public meeting.

"Early consultation to discuss what the community desires is very important," said Council Engineer, Huw Williams. "We have found that the best way to achieve this aim is to prepare draft plans for discussion and then to work with the community to adapt and develop these to meet local needs."

"The exhibited car parking options have been rejected and we will not be pursuing these options. A significant number of people were in favour of trying to make better use of existing car parks and a park and ride from the Pwllheli side of the village was also suggested.

We now need to keep on working with the local community and develop a clear plan, based on the results of our consultation." said Huw Williams.

"My own response based on the local observation I have received to date, are that we delete the plans for the two car parks, and I have already started preliminary talks with Village Hall Secretary, to see if it would be possible to up-grade the Village Hall Car Park,

"This of course this does not answer problem regarding the safety of safety on the beach. I do feel that we need further discussions locally to see if we can agree on possible alternatives," said Cllr R Wyn Williams who represents Abersoch on Gwynedd Council"

Controversial Parking & Traffic Proposals For Abersoch: (30/01/03)
A set of proposals was recently put on display in the village hall by the council showing "suggestions" for new parking areas, traffic management and footpath creation in Abersoch - some involving the compulsory purchase of privately owned land. A public meeting was held with over 200 people attending where the overwhelming majority had deep misgivings about the proposals. We will have much more on this issue over the coming weeks and we have been told that a website is currently being created where the proposals will be displayed - we'll display the link here as soon as it is live.

Job Vacancies At Abersoch Deli & Cafe: (30/01/03)
Full and part time positions are available at the Cafe and Deli this season from March - jobs include waiters/waitresses, food prep, counter service and cooks. If you have got lots of energy and enthusiasm and want to work in a fast moving, fun and friendly environment - then please apply to Rob or Kerry on 01758 713433. 0787 6240800 or e-mail them at abersochcafe@hotmail.com. You can also snail mail them at ABERSOCH CAFE, LON PEN CEI, ABERSOCH, GWYNEDD. LL53 7AW.

Honda Formula 4 Stroke Grand Prix of Wales comes to Abersoch: (27/01/03)
Scheduled for June 27th - 29th - this exciting powerboat event is coming to Abersoch for the first time (previously held in Cardiff). Its billed as being the largest offshore racing fleet in the world with 2 race series - the 130hp and the 225hp championships. More info on this event as soon as we receive it....

Video Webcams for Abersoch: (27/01/03)
We are currently testing video clips with our webcams - check them out on the webcam page.

New Lifeboat For RNLI Abersoch: (27/12/02)
A new lifeboat has been recently delivered to Abersoch - paid for by a generous bequest from the late Margaret Bench - hence the boat has been named "Margaret Bench Of Solihull". The new boat is an Atlantic 75 replacing the previous Atalntic 21 that had been at the station for 10 years. The cost of the new boat was £80,000. A dedication ceremony will take place in the spring (date to be confirmed). Visit www.rnliabersoch.co.uk

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