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 Porthtowan
Porthtowan derives its Cornish name from its most obvious feature its sandy beaches
and dunes (towans). It owes its present day character to its popularity as a local seaside resort in Victorian and Edwardian
times when the local populous from Redruth and the surrounding areas flocked here, particularly on bank holidays. Today's
conveniently placed shops and tourist amenities have their roots in this period when a handful of bathing machines served
the adventurous swimmers of the day, most people then being content merely to take tea after a walk on the cliffs. The cliff
walks are still splendid, but there is now much more to Porthtowan than just tea rooms! Overlooking Porthtowan are the remains
of Wheal Towan, one of Cornwall's most celebrated 18th century copper mines and scene of a fortune amassed by Ralph Allen
Daniell of Trelissick, "guinea a minute" Daniell his reputed income night and day.
As lineups become congested with bodyboarders, many of them incompetent, resentment toward the sport quickly grew. Most
surfers looked upon them as second-class citizens, refusing to yield on a wave and creating derogatory monikers such as spongers,
cripples and speed bumps. Like it or not, bodyboarding was here to stay, and it soon found its way into competition.
The first professional bodyboarding contest was the 1979 Morey/Gap event at Huntington Beach, won by Californian Mike
Lambresi, who evolved to conventional surfing and went on the become a three-time U.S. professional champion. From there,
the Surecraft/Coca-Cola Challenge was held at Pipeline the next year, boasting a $5,000 purse and won by John Patterson. In
1982, Pipe became host for an event known as the World Bodyboarding Championships, an annual gathering determining the king
of the sport and continuing to this day. Bodyboarding found its first hero the next year in blond-haired, blue-eyed Hawaiian
Mike Stewart. Dominant under any conditions, Stewart was a maestro at Pipe, winning that event a record 11 times, not to mention
being an eight-time U.S. champion. Considered the world's premier big-wave barrel, Pipeline was merely survived by stand-up
surfers, while Stewart made it his personal playground. He rode it deeper than any other human and launched unfathomable aerials
and barrel rolls on sections other people avoided completely. Still among the world's top riders at the end of the '90s, Stewart
eased into semi-retirement. His legacy, however, remains as bodyboarders routinely ride deepest and fly highest of all waveriders.
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