In the absence of WK, just add FW...

4th May 2009 @ 04:17:46 PM

sSs Team Rider, Carl Tomlinson, is not only a huge fan of West Kirby, but also a die hard wave and freestyler, dedicated to life on the big salty seas. With the current freestyle hot spot of West Kirby being remodelled for an ''as yet to be determined'' group of fun seeking recreational water users, (probably model yachting enthusiasts with the funds to stay in the new hotel!), Carl has been forced inland for his freestyle fix. Carl tells of his new love - Fresh Water:

You may have heard West Kirby is having a few problems at the moment. Firstly the lake has been closed from March through to 22nd June for repairs to the famous “wall” which is crumbling and in need of repair. Secondly there’s a proposal from a local developer to build a boutique hotel in the town and to rebuild the sailing school. No problem with that, but the trade off is that the hotel is going to be built on the town car park, so the council want to open the car parking reserved for lake users to the public and then to limit lake licence holders to 30 places…not acceptable!

So West Kirby, my favourite freestyle and free sailing spot is closed until 22nd June, so rather than rolling over and waiting for it to reopen again, I found an alternative, which ironically is 15 min drive from my house!

It’s a man made freshwater lake on Deeside Industrial estate called Shotick Lake. It was built years ago by the steel works that also still stands but a shadow of its former glory. Around these parts there’s no wave spots that work in a Westerly, but West Kirby and Shotick are great in West through to North West, which are the prevailing wind directions around here and usually accelerated by the local topography which funnels the wind down the Dee estuary.

So I’ve sailed it five or six times now, and its great fun. Compared to West Kirby, the wind is gusty as it comes over the embankments and a few trees, but the upside is that its much quieter, there’s much more wildlife, and the dingy sailing members are super friendly and make newcomers feel really welcome.

Here’s some pics to give you a feel of the place.

Carl is team rider for Aloha Sailboards in Chester