27th / 28th July Abersoch Main Beach Abersoch Headland Pwllheli Marina

The second O'Shea Wakestock held in Abersoch and Pwllheli proved once again to be a highly successful event. Some of the best wakeboarders around provided the daytime entertainment, whilst 2 nights of musical entertainment in the impressive marquee provided the evening fun.

friday 27th - daytime...summer returned to the Llyn after a couple of weeks of dodgy weather - what timing! Arrived at Pwllheli Marina late morning with the tide rapidly turning the mud flats into a world class wakeboarding venue. The first thing you noticed was the size of the 2 sliders that had been erected. One was referred to as the small "slider" (though still something to strike fear into your average wakeboarders heart), with the main one comprising of a slider kicker then a gap of several feet before the horizontal part of the slider. Truly terrifying! There was also another floating ramp to provide some entertainment at the end of each run. We had the groms, ladies and amateur men to watch - with heart stopping moments as some of the groms and amateurs attempted the sliders. Finally the pros had a bash, before we all headed back to Abersoch for the "Double Up" classic event in the bay.

friday 27th - evening...saw more tricks in the bay under the warm early evening sun...with Jake Crowhurst the eventual winner. It was then time to get ready for the dance party on the Headland - where Jon Carter and Tim Lyall and many others made it a memorable night. There was also the "eye catching" Fetish Dancers making their return to Abersoch not to mention a wicked stage in the main marquee.

saturday 28th - daytime...back to Pwllheli, though with a later start due to the tide. This had the added benefit of providing extra recovery time after the previous night's party. Today was for the Pro's - and a big crowd lined the marina to watch - plus a fair few turned up in their boats to view the proceedings from the water. Matt Crowhurst provided the first bit of entertainment when he decided that he would like a boat parked in the gap on the main slider, so that he could clear the gap with the boat beneath him. It wasn't until he approached the ramp that the enormity of what he was attempting and the implication of failure became clear! Anyway he pulled it off with great style, even with the handicap of recovering from a broken ankle. 

Extreme Channel was there to film the whole weekend - so look out for Matt's stunt when its shown.

Matt then returned to his slightly less strenuous duties as event compere, as we watched the pro's attack the sliders, wake  and ramps with amazing skill. Stand out riders were Aussie Mark Kenny, Christian "trigger" Thom and Ben Hitch, though local boy Jonny Robinson made the top 6 with a fabulous run and all riders provided plenty of "oohs" and "aahs" from the crowd.

Unfortunately, last years winner Craig O'Meara was unable to defend his crown after sustaining an injury on Saturday.

saturday 28th - evening...a big night! Bethan from Radio One Session in Wales was there to present the acts (they also recorded the night for Radio 1). The excellent Relatives performed first followed by locals Headland - Chris, Leigh, Dom, Dan and Tom played the set of their lives and were joined by Penny for 2 numbers and the incredibly voiced Beulah (who performed one of her own songs to rapturous applause).

Murray The Hump were on stage next with some impressive, quirky and cleverly crafted songs, followed by a chaotic and champagne soaked prize giving and the main act - Utah Saints. 

A great night rounding off a great weekend!

event sponsors...castle lager, Sol, O'Shea, monstermob.com, sensation, extreme channel, the wakeboard camp, rhino international, air nautiques, double up wakeboards, etnies, west coast surf shop, abersoch ocean adventures. well done to the organisers, workers, competitors and the footprints BBQ!

video highlights from the weekend...click here to view the abersoch.co.uk real media video...filming by Bennett, Fisher & Myers. Music by Headland.