Tiree Wave Classic The Adventure Show


Tiree Wave Classic

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They've come from all over the world to this small Hebridean island

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to do what they do best. Ride the waves of the north Atlantic.

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Welcome to The Adventure Show for the UK's premiere windsurfing event.

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This is the Tiree Wave Classic.

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Tiree is just a windy place

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that's been known as the Mecca of UK windsurfing.

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What, you go sailing in this?!

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You go, "Yeah, it looks good, it looks good!"

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The beautiful island of Tiree is host to Britain's best riders

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and this year, the event is celebrating its 25th anniversary.

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It also has beaches that face in almost every direction,

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so no matter where the conditions are coming from, it will give

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some of the best riding in Europe.

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It's fantastic. The conditions are unbeatable,

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the island's just beautiful, stunningly beautiful.

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Yeah, getting out on the sea in the waves and the wind,

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it's just something pretty special.

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Also in this month's Adventure Show, Cameron McNeish

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and Desiree Wilson are visiting another stunning Scottish island.

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They'll be checking out the latest gear that's available,

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and they'll also be pitting their culinary skills against each other,

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and that promises to be some contest.

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-I have to say, that's very good.

-It's nice, isn't it?

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You could maybe tempt me into vegetarianism with dishes like that.

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And Duncan and I will be going behind the scenes here at Tiree

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because this year, the Wave Classic has a special significance.

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It was back here in 1986, 25 years ago,

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that they held the first windsurfing competition here

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and ever since then, this place has become a place of pilgrimage

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for those who ride the waves under the power of the wind.

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It's the longest-standing windsurfing competition

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in British windsurfing history.

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One of the oldest windsurfing competitions

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on the world stage as well.

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Being here to celebrate 25 years with some past champions

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and some of the faces and the legends,

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it's just a great year for people to come and get involved.

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When I came here my first time, it was the second year of the event.

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Windsurfing was pretty big in those days

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so it was quite a big spectacle.

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There was a lot more people coming. In recent years,

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it dropped off a little bit, the numbers were less

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and people were staying around the south coast

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where most of the windsurfers were coming from, and the sport itself had got smaller.

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The last three or four years, it's certainly gathered momentum again.

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It's much easier now as a sport to do than what it was

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you know, 20, 30 years ago, even 10 years ago to be honest,

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and I think people have realised what an amazing sport it is,

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and I think we're getting a little bit of an influx of people

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that either haven't windsurfed before and people that did

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and are coming back to the sport.

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It's lots of things that make Tiree special.

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The first thing is that everyone welcomes us here, which is nice.

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The locals are really friendly and they love us coming back each year.

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This year Duncan Coombs is the head judge,

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but he has a long history with this event.

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Back in 1986, he won the very first Tiree Wave Classic.

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25 years ago, that was cutting edge in short board windsurfing really.

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You know, there weren't that many guys that were riding boards

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eight foot long, so coming up to Tiree, you know,

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was a real eye-opener for the Scottish guys

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because they would all be riding sort of three-metre boards.

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The footage that we've got back there was shown in 1987

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and that was from a BBC programme

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which probably would be one of the first proper windsurfing features.

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It was a half hour show.

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So here we are, 25 years later. Duncan was the first winner

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and he is here judging us again this year,

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so really he's a great legend to have along.

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This year, conditions on Tiree are fantastic

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and the forecast says the wind will blow for most of the week.

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That means the men's wave competition could be split

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into three rounds.

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Wave windsurfing competitions are different

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to most other sporting events.

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Here the competition lasts

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for as long as the weather conditions allow.

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This is done by having multiple rounds or eliminations.

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The better you do in the first, or single elimination,

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the easier things will be in the subsequent eliminations.

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Those who do poorly in the single elimination have a much harder task

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and sail many more heats to make a comeback.

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It's nearly time for the first elimination.

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In this round, four windsurfers will battle it out in each heat.

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They'll be judged on their two best waves

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and on their most successful jump.

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We're picking up the action for the first semi-final

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of the men's singles and the four competitors on the water are

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Andy Chambers, Chris Murray, Phil Horrocks,

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and a policeman from Cornwall called Andy King.

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And despite that long journey north,

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Andy's having a great start to this heat.

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The size of the wave is so important.

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The wind has dropped a bit, but this looks pretty good.

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For this event, I've had to take a fair amount of my leave,

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but generally, sailing in Cornwall, if I work a nightshift,

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I'll go to the beach the following day and sail until I'm too tired,

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go home, a quick sleep, before going back to work again.

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So, it's the ideal job for me

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to kind of continue competing professionally

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although I am sort of moving into retirement, but I keep coming back.

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I get drawn back, especially for this event.

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Andy's up against one of the veterans of Tiree,

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former Wave Classic Champion, Phil Horrocks,

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but I have to say, this does not look like Phil's usual form.

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Struggling to find a decent wave.

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Really surprising for someone normally so in tune

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with the feel of the surf.

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When you ride the wave, you can feel the power of the wave

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pushing you along. It pushes you to the beach.

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In the right conditions, in big waves,

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where they line up nice and steep,

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you can hit the top of them, do aerials and fly above the wave

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and the wave pushes you and lifts you up and gives you the power.

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It's a very unique feeling that I don't get in anything else.

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And the third man, Chris Murray from Devon,

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looks like he's struggling with the conditions as well.

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The choice of the wave, so important

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and this one is just too small to make anything of it.

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He'll be very disappointed in that.

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This is better though.

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Andy Chambers, not only a pro-windsurfer,

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but he's also an instructor.

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He certainly loves it in Tiree. This looks very good.

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It's only us guys around sailing, you know.

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You can go somewhere else in Europe and it's packed.

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It's perfect to come up here where there's not a lot of people around.

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You can go and find your own beach to sail on if you really want.

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Like I said, the conditions are always on.

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And it's the two Andys who are making the most of things today.

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Another great wave there for Andy King.

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Time's up on this first semi-final.

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So the judges' decision, Andy King and Andy Chambers go through.

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Chris Murray and Tiree veteran, Phil Horrocks are out

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of this first elimination round.

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Tiree 2011 could be the year of big surprises.

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The second semi-final in the men's singles is equally tough.

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The four sailors competing are George Shillito, Timo Mullen,

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three-time Tiree champion, John Skye, and Ben Proffitt,

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the winner here last year, so he is wearing the yellow jersey.

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And Ben is on form today. That's a great wave, well-executed turns!

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Looking very strong indeed.

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Perhaps surprising - he's carrying an ankle injury.

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I get the phone call from the radiographer or whoever it is,

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who said, "We've re-looked at the x-ray and you've got a fracture!"

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So I said, "Brilliant(!)" It worked out in the end.

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I've still had time off. I had another opinion.

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That guy seemed to think that it was an old injury

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and I don't know what's wrong with it but it was really sore yesterday.

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Heading out for the waves is John Skye,

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one of the UK's most experienced windsurfers

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and yet another Tiree veteran, and he's jumped to start the heat

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and now he'll be looking for that perfect wave.

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This looks good but he can't seem to make anything much of it.

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Just heading into the shallows.

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Perhaps the pressure's getting to them.

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Three-time champion here at Tiree and if he wins again this year,

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he'll go into the record books.

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That would give me the most titles out of anyone, I think,

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which would be fantastic, but I'll take one heat at a time.

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It's a long week, and I think we'll get a few rounds done in the end, so, yeah...

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not think about that too much.

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Timo Mullen's also no stranger to this island.

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He's competed here 16 times and won the event 2 years ago.

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And off to a pretty good start as well.

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The conditions do seem to be flattening out,

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but George Shillito is making the best of them.

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Good wave riding!

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Earlier this year, George windsurfed for 25 hours non-stop

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to raise money for charity.

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It's really not been easy on the water for this heat,

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yet it looks like Ben Proffitt's experience is paying off,

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making the most of what's on offer and riding with real confidence.

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So at the end of the second semi-final,

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the judges' decision is that Ben goes through to the finals

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along with, wait for it...

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Timo Mullen!

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That's a real shock. John Skye is out of the men's singles!

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I was having trouble with the waves down there

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and I should've probably come back up and sort of started again,

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but I tried to carry on down there and it didn't really work out.

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I picked up the big waves, but they weren't actually the good ones.

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The good ones were maybe the smaller ones that were a bit steeper.

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But, you know, I saw the other guy, I saw Ben get a really nice wave

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and I saw Timo get a good backloop and, you know, that's how it goes,

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but it's a bit frustrating.

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If the weather stays good and there's another round,

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then John Skye could make a comeback in the double elimination,

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but that means a lot of hard work.

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So lining up for the final of the single elimination

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are Ben Proffitt, Andy King, Andy Chambers,

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and Timo Mullen, who opens up with a great jump!

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That's a fine, fine jump from Timo there.

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Let's see what favourite Ben Proffitt can do.

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You would not think he had an injured ankle, would you?

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See the aggression he rides with, attacking those turns.

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Really going for the wave, getting turns in when no-one else can.

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This is Andy Chambers now, pumping the sail for more speed

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and style, but not snapping many turns on these waves.

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Now this is snappy turning for the Cornish copper, Andy King.

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One-handed there, making the most of the wave!

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That'll be a good score for him.

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Timo Mullen, he had a great jump to open.

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Ooh, but this riding is letting him down a little today.

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A nice jump there for Andy Chambers, but will it be enough?

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-SIREN SOUNDS

-Time's up and at the end of the round,

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the judges decide last year's winner, Ben Proffitt

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has won the men's single.

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And these are the final places in the single elimination.

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But the week's only just begun and if all goes well there could be

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one, or even two more rounds to go, so Ben knows he hasn't won just yet.

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I would say the conditions today...

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There was a lot of luck involved and I won't lie to you.

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In that final, four men, any one of us could've won.

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I came strong towards the end of the heat, which usually tends to go with the judges.

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If they see someone coming up strong, maybe it helps the scores

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but, again, it's not my conditions. I've got a sore ankle,

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so it didn't all go for me but Lady Luck's with me!

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It's a glamorous life. The sun on your face,

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your hair bleaching blonde in its rays

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and the taste of warm salt in the air.

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Yeah, right! This is Scotland, it's early winter and it's cold,

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so having a van to get out of the elements

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is a pretty important piece of kit and some are nicer than others.

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So we've got this set up with...

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There's a bed system in the back made out of struts

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going across the whole van

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and they're all supported by aluminium framework.

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There's loads of room underneath for all of the equipment.

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The bed system doesn't have any legs or anything like that

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so you can get as much in as possible.

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This is what a van should look like.

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Don't let him hear me because he's very proud of it

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and he'll go on and on and on!

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All organised with the sails, the boards.

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In the front, they've got the cooker running, making a cup of tea.

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And then this is what a van shouldn't look like.

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This is a disaster, and it's always, no matter what happens,

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it's always the board at the bottom that I need!

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There's definitely a van culture,

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mainly because sleeping in one saves cash.

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Like right now, the way our sport is, there's not huge amounts of money in it

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so everyone that does it, really does it because they love it

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and that comes through on every level, even at the World Cup level.

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You know, you've got five of the top ten

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living in the same house when they travel and it's, like, a real fun spirit.

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I mean, when you're on the water you want to kill everyone,

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but off the water, you come in and go,

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"Well done, you won" or, "Unlucky", and everyone's good friends and that's really nice.

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I can't imagine it being like that on the golf tour or tennis tour.

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We'll be back here in Tiree for more action soon,

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but first of all we're heading into the hills

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on another West Coast island with Cameron and Desiree,

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as they check out the latest and the best of the outdoor gear on offer.

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We're on the glorious Isle of Eigg, one of the most interesting islands

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that lie of the West Coast of Scotland.

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We're here to test some outdoor gear

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but also to find out as much as we can about this fascinating island.

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But first, to a clothing gear test and soft shells.

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I fear the recent innovation in outdoor jackets,

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a fleece-like material meant to be worn as an outer layer.

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It's supposed to be pretty breathable and shower-proof,

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which sounds ideal for Alpine conditions, when it's cold and dry.

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For use here, when the weather can be fickle...

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Hmm, I'm not quite so sure.

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But with conditions today, we should get a pretty good idea.

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So, Dez, how's it performing?

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Well, initial impressions of this woman's Mammut hoodie...

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A really nice fit, a really nice cut on it.

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It's just nice, clean and simple.

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The articulation on the sleeves

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means it doesn't feel like there's any excess fabric

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but it feels like there's a range of movement which is good.

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A lot of these soft shells now seem to have these thumb loops

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which I don't really like too much. I find them really uncomfortable.

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I think one of the ideas is that when your hands are above your head

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when you're climbing, that it stops the jacket riding up,

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but it also cuts off your circulation, as well!

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This is a larger fit I think.

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Because it's a men's jacket, I think it's not quite as slim.

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This one's a bit long on the sleeves for me, as you can see,

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but that's no bad thing because I use these loops

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that you didn't particularly like.

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It keeps my hands nice and warm, so it's quite good.

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I have to say that I rather like this.

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Today, it's very windy and quite cold actually,

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and this keeps me nice and toasty.

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So, Cameron, I always wanted to come to Eigg

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because I'd heard how beautiful it was, and it is stunning.

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Eigg has a long history, as you can imagine.

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People frequented these islands,

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and it was a stronghold of the MacDonalds for quite a long time.

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But more recently, there has been a kind of chequered history

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in terms of land ownership.

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A number of years ago, the island was owned by a man called

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Keith Schellenberg, but, you know, running an island,

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owning an island like this, takes an awful, awful lot of money,

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and eventually, he sold the island to a German artist

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by the name of Maruma, and it actually turned out

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that he didn't have the money to invest in the island either.

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And it was the time of The Land Reform Act in Scotland

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and it was the people here of Eigg decided that they would try

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and raise enough money to buy the island themselves,

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to run the island themselves, and that's what they did.

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It seems to me that making a community like this work

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is about more than just investing money in it.

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You know, landowners can come in with lots of money,

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but you have to know how a community works

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and to know what needs to be done and what needs invested in,

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and so it seems that the community that are here

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are the best people to do that, to make those decisions.

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That's right and that's what's happened in the best community buy-outs in Scotland.

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So what's this soft shell that you've got on now, Cameron?

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Well, this is a Canadian Arcteryx Venta SL jacket.

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It's made from three different kinds of wind-stopper fabric.

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There's the main sort of fabric on the body,

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then there's a sort of tougher fabric on the outside of the arms,

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and there's another one just down the inside here.

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I like this jacket. This is definitely a winter jacket

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because not only is it wind-proof, pretty shower-proof,

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but it's also lightly-insulated. There's a bit of a scrim,

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an insulating scrim in here, so absolutely perfect for winter.

0:17:470:17:50

Well I'm also wearing Arcteryx,

0:17:560:17:58

but this is the ladies Gamma MX Hoody,

0:17:580:18:00

which is a different type of jacket

0:18:000:18:02

from the one that you've got on there.

0:18:020:18:04

It just felt really lovely to put on.

0:18:040:18:07

It's very lightweight but it's got a sort of fleece lining on the inside,

0:18:070:18:11

so even though it's very, very thin, it instantly felt warm,

0:18:110:18:15

and we're out in cold conditions today so that felt lovely.

0:18:150:18:18

It's a very good fit as well

0:18:180:18:20

and that's what I've come to expect from Arcteryx, especially

0:18:200:18:23

the ladies fit. There's no excess material sort of flapping about.

0:18:230:18:26

The one thing I would say about this jacket

0:18:260:18:29

is it's the top end of the price range.

0:18:290:18:30

You're looking at around about £260 which is quite a lot of money...

0:18:300:18:34

-Phew! Wow!

-..for something that's not technically waterproof.

0:18:340:18:37

Well, here we are at the Sgurr of Eigg, 393 metres.

0:18:500:18:54

The good news is we don't have to go up the front end here.

0:18:540:18:56

We go round the other side.

0:18:560:18:59

What always strikes me when I come to places like this

0:18:590:19:02

is that something like an inanimate lump of rock can actually really

0:19:020:19:07

invoke a sense of spirit of a place.

0:19:070:19:10

And I think it's because it stands alone amid, you know,

0:19:100:19:14

these beautiful sparkling waters, and quite flat land otherwise,

0:19:140:19:17

and it almost comes to represent the community itself.

0:19:170:19:22

And when we see natural monuments as well, I think we really identify

0:19:220:19:27

with them in some sort of way and to see them is really special.

0:19:270:19:31

Yeah, I mean I suppose for so many of our world religions,

0:19:310:19:34

our gods lived on the top of mountains.

0:19:340:19:37

You can think of Mount Olympus in Greece, you know, the abode of the gods.

0:19:370:19:40

I don't know if we'll find any gods up there, but you never know,

0:19:400:19:44

there might still be a wee relic of the ancient Viking Odin.

0:19:440:19:47

You'll be there Cameron the God McNeish!

0:19:470:19:49

Oh, Odin and I! Yeah, let's do it, come on.

0:19:490:19:53

The mind boggles.

0:19:540:19:56

How are you getting on with that Paramo jacket, Cameron?

0:20:020:20:05

Well, I'm slightly confused by this jacket.

0:20:050:20:08

This is the Paramo Fuera Ascent jacket

0:20:080:20:11

and, to me, it's more of a wind-shirt than a soft shell.

0:20:110:20:17

There is no real insulation value to this.

0:20:170:20:20

It's just got a fairly thick...

0:20:200:20:21

I suspect it's a double layer of very finely woven nylon.

0:20:210:20:27

And as a wind-shirt it's absolutely terrific, it really cuts the wind.

0:20:270:20:31

It's very light, it's only 380 grams, and on a cold, windy day,

0:20:310:20:35

put it on over a fleece, and you'll see I've done that,

0:20:350:20:38

and it's an effective combination.

0:20:380:20:41

But to be honest, I think, if I had my choice, I would buy this,

0:20:410:20:44

which is only £80, I'd buy that

0:20:440:20:47

and wear it on top of a normal micro-fleece

0:20:470:20:49

and you'd have a fantastic combination

0:20:490:20:52

that I think equalled the most expensive of soft shells.

0:20:520:20:56

So how are you getting on with Mrs Paramo?

0:21:020:21:05

Mrs Paramo? Well this is the ladies Velez Adventure Smock.

0:21:050:21:10

So it's just a single jacket.

0:21:100:21:12

I don't have the two different layers like you do.

0:21:120:21:14

It's very lightweight, very comfortable. It's very easy to wear.

0:21:140:21:19

The hood is absolutely fantastic.

0:21:190:21:21

Again, it's got this sort of ability to stay up in the wind

0:21:210:21:26

which is great so I've had my hood up quite a lot today

0:21:260:21:29

because it's been quite cold and windy.

0:21:290:21:31

The thing I don't like about it is I can't put my hands anywhere.

0:21:310:21:35

I have this single zip pocket along here which is pretty meaningless

0:21:350:21:40

because I've got my hip belt on.

0:21:400:21:42

So some things I like about it, some things I don't like too much,

0:21:420:21:45

but all in all, it's not a bad jacket.

0:21:450:21:47

So, Cameron, I'm really liking this Montane soft shell

0:21:540:21:57

that I'm wearing and you've got the gent's version.

0:21:570:22:00

-Mm.

-How are you getting on with that?

0:22:000:22:02

Well, do you know what? This is the first soft shell

0:22:020:22:04

I've put on where I've thought, "I can use this in anger."

0:22:040:22:07

It's more than just shower-proof and I suspect that I could wear this

0:22:070:22:11

in a bit of a downpour and it wouldn't come right through.

0:22:110:22:15

Yeah, I've got the ladies version and it's just soft, comfortable,

0:22:150:22:18

feels really lightweight. I like the fact that the pockets are up here.

0:22:180:22:22

I can walk along with my hands in my pockets and my hip belt's done up.

0:22:220:22:25

The hood's really great.

0:22:250:22:27

But I also noticed that it doesn't have the same sort of wicking layer

0:22:270:22:31

that some of the other jackets do,

0:22:310:22:33

and I thought perhaps that might be a reason

0:22:330:22:35

why it's significantly less than the top end soft shells on the market.

0:22:350:22:40

An absolutely fabulous jacket. I think it's really good.

0:22:400:22:44

I would use this. To me, this is a super-windproof.

0:22:440:22:47

It's going to be windy up there, I think.

0:22:540:22:56

Yeah, and I've now got the only soft shell that doesn't have a hood!

0:22:560:22:59

Aww!

0:22:590:23:00

-OK, shall we go for it?

-Yeah, the summit awaits.

0:23:020:23:05

The summit awaits, certainly.

0:23:050:23:06

What do you reckon to this, Cameron? It's just amazing, isn't it?

0:23:120:23:16

I think this is the most beautiful of walks.

0:23:160:23:18

Oh, and such a gorgeous island!

0:23:180:23:20

It's just stunning.

0:23:200:23:22

What I like is you're looking down at the sea there

0:23:220:23:25

and the wind's making patterns of the waves, and the sun, you know,

0:23:250:23:29

the sinking sun is just reflecting from it and it's just heavenly.

0:23:290:23:32

And it feels like such an accessible walk, you know.

0:23:320:23:37

We haven't come out a great distance but it actually feels like we're somewhere significant.

0:23:370:23:42

This feels kind of more like a little mountain than a hill.

0:23:420:23:44

It's only 393 metres, but it's not all about height.

0:23:440:23:47

You're right, this is more of a mountain feel than...

0:23:470:23:50

You wouldn't call it a hill. It's too rocky and craggy.

0:23:500:23:53

I think it's really great when you actually live in Scotland and you feel that way about it.

0:23:530:23:58

I've lived here all my life and I still look around.

0:23:580:24:00

I've been around the world and I've never seen anywhere

0:24:000:24:03

as beautiful as this when the weather's good.

0:24:030:24:06

Hey, we're getting above ourselves. We've not been to the top yet.

0:24:060:24:09

-I know, and I can't wait to see the view, let's go.

-Let's get up there.

0:24:090:24:13

Well, Dez, you're a bit fan of Marmot,

0:24:190:24:23

how is that jacket performing?

0:24:230:24:25

I do. Well, again, I really like this fit.

0:24:250:24:27

Marmot do women's fit really well,

0:24:270:24:30

so it never feels like there's anything kind of flapping about.

0:24:300:24:33

It just feels like a lot of money for actually what you're getting.

0:24:330:24:36

I mean, this is coming in at about £180,

0:24:360:24:40

and, you know, it's just a nice jacket really.

0:24:400:24:43

But a lot of these jackets are actually, maybe marketing themselves

0:24:430:24:46

a bit more at kind of street-casual wear because I wouldn't wear this

0:24:460:24:50

out on the hill as a technical jacket, partly because, as you say,

0:24:500:24:53

I can't get my fingers in any pockets, it's not quite long enough

0:24:530:24:57

and it doesn't have a hood.

0:24:570:24:58

So you know, I might wear it underneath something,

0:24:580:25:01

but I wouldn't wear it as an outer layer.

0:25:010:25:03

-But it'd look great in a trendy bistro in Chamonix!

-Absolutely, yes.

0:25:040:25:08

Well, this one's slightly cheaper.

0:25:120:25:14

This is the Men's ROM jacket. ROM stands for "range of movement".

0:25:140:25:18

It's an interesting jacket. It's made from wind-stopper

0:25:180:25:23

and Marmot's own M2 material,

0:25:230:25:25

so it's a kind of blend of both these fabrics.

0:25:250:25:28

A full zip down the front. Pockets again, with a hip belt over it.

0:25:280:25:32

I can't understand why companies, like Marmot,

0:25:320:25:34

make these for active people who wear rucksacks,

0:25:340:25:37

and yet you can't get to the pockets. Apart from that, it's OK.

0:25:370:25:41

I'm still not entirely convinced about the whole concept

0:25:470:25:50

of soft shells for our climate,

0:25:500:25:52

but there are some good ones on the market and you'll be able to get

0:25:520:25:55

the full low-down on everything we tested by following us on Facebook.

0:25:550:25:59

Right now, we're nearing the end of this walk on Eigg,

0:25:590:26:02

but we'll be back later in the programme.

0:26:020:26:05

Cameron and I will be going head to head

0:26:050:26:06

to see who's the best at cooking in the wild

0:26:060:26:09

and testing some top stoves along the way.

0:26:090:26:12

But for the moment, from this kind of windy summit of An Sgurr

0:26:120:26:15

on the lovely Isle of Eigg, we'll see you later on.

0:26:150:26:19

CAMERON YELLS LOUDLY

0:26:200:26:23

Welcome back to Tiree - not though for windsurfing,

0:26:310:26:35

but for paddle-boarding which I'm told is fairly straightforward

0:26:350:26:38

and easy, which of course means it won't be.

0:26:380:26:40

-Helen Thomson will take me through.

-Hi, there.

-How are you doing?

0:26:400:26:43

First of all, what is paddle-boarding?

0:26:430:26:45

It's a new sport which is the fastest growing sport

0:26:450:26:48

in surfing at the moment

0:26:480:26:50

and it involves huge surfboards that are round about ten foot

0:26:500:26:53

and you've got a paddle as well, and it's originally

0:26:530:26:56

a Polynesian fishing technique

0:26:560:26:58

which has now been changed into a huge surf sport.

0:26:580:27:02

It's better on flat water to begin with.

0:27:020:27:04

Definitely getting your balance on flat water and then maybe

0:27:040:27:07

transferring your techniques and skills to waves.

0:27:070:27:10

I'll point out, better flat water if you're doing it for the first time.

0:27:100:27:14

I don't know if you can see, that's definitely not flat water

0:27:140:27:17

that we're going to, which is the bad thing.

0:27:170:27:20

So, lesson one, get the name right. It's SUPing - Stand Up Paddling.

0:27:200:27:26

Lesson two. Well, that's harder.

0:27:260:27:28

And then you bring your feet up to that same position, OK?

0:27:280:27:32

OK.

0:27:320:27:33

And then keep your knees nice and bent, keep your back straight

0:27:330:27:37

and stand up into this SUPing position, and then your hand

0:27:370:27:40

goes over the t-bar at the top of the paddle and then start paddling.

0:27:400:27:44

I am extremely, extremely nervous!

0:27:450:27:49

It's all about balance.

0:27:490:27:51

You want to have a nice straight upper body and very bent legs.

0:27:510:27:54

You want to have your knees nice and squishy

0:27:540:27:56

so that you don't roll about with the swell and basically try

0:27:560:27:59

and keep the board moving, because if you don't,

0:27:590:28:02

you'll get more unstable and that's when you tend to fall in.

0:28:020:28:06

Once you get onto the board at first, you feel wobbly,

0:28:080:28:11

but once you get on it and start relaxing and listening

0:28:110:28:14

to what Helen says as opposed to trying to do your own thing,

0:28:140:28:18

look at the horizon as opposed to your toes, it gets a wee bit easier.

0:28:180:28:22

What's great about paddle-boarding is that anyone can do it.

0:28:220:28:25

You know, I've had my mum on my paddle-board at home on flat water

0:28:250:28:29

and she loves it and you can go out on the waves,

0:28:290:28:32

you can go on the lakes, you can go anywhere.

0:28:320:28:34

Yeah, thanks for that.

0:28:340:28:35

We watched the pros SUPing earlier this week.

0:28:350:28:38

This is how it's meant to look...

0:28:380:28:41

and this is how it's not.

0:28:410:28:44

Well, the boards are incredibly stable, incredibly buoyant,

0:28:460:28:50

and they're easy to flip onto, and because there was

0:28:500:28:53

a bit of an offshore breeze today I was very aware

0:28:530:28:55

that we were going out quite a lot

0:28:550:28:57

and I wanted to get onto the board quickly

0:28:570:29:00

so we could paddle back in if need be,

0:29:000:29:02

but it's amazing, just even coming back in at the end there,

0:29:020:29:06

it's incredible, the power of these waves. I mean,

0:29:060:29:08

they're not huge but they were big enough for me

0:29:080:29:11

and when they roll in and you hear them, it's kind of wild!

0:29:110:29:14

He did amazingly well.

0:29:140:29:16

It's not the easiest of conditions today. It's actually pretty windy,

0:29:160:29:20

the swell picked up a lot from the point that we went out to now,

0:29:200:29:25

so, yes, he did really, really well and hopefully he enjoyed it.

0:29:250:29:30

Back to the real action and this is the Women's Wave Classic

0:29:370:29:41

where four competitors have been battling it out all week.

0:29:410:29:45

It's just riding the waves really that I like.

0:29:450:29:47

You're out there just trying to do the best that you can.

0:29:470:29:50

A lot of sessions you end up,

0:29:500:29:51

"Right, I'm just going to get one more wave, one more wave,"

0:29:510:29:54

and you just stay out there for ages

0:29:540:29:56

because you're having such a good time.

0:29:560:29:59

Debbie Kennedy from Cornwall, won Tiree last year,

0:29:590:30:03

so she's the woman to beat, but why are there so few women here?

0:30:030:30:07

Well, I don't know, good question.

0:30:070:30:09

Yeah, cos on a good day at home in Cornwall,

0:30:090:30:13

there can be anything up to sort of eight or nine girls out sailing,

0:30:130:30:16

who are all at a high standard and could be here competing,

0:30:160:30:19

but I think perhaps, it's the long journey

0:30:190:30:22

and the cost of it all, really.

0:30:220:30:24

There's maybe 12 or 14 in the world

0:30:240:30:27

who are competing.

0:30:270:30:29

Men get - unfortunately - a little bit more money!

0:30:290:30:32

They get more easily, sponsorships and so on

0:30:320:30:36

and I think wavesailing,

0:30:360:30:37

there's more women with slalom and speed

0:30:370:30:40

and especially in the freestyle,

0:30:400:30:43

but wavesailing - it's daunting and it's scary.

0:30:430:30:46

They're getting a lot better for making sure we get out on the water

0:30:460:30:50

but sometimes you end up just sort of sailing once

0:30:500:30:53

and that's that, which isn't really a competition, so...

0:30:530:30:57

It's been really good here this year cos we've already had three rounds,

0:30:570:31:01

but they definitely need to make sure that when the women are here

0:31:010:31:04

that they have a good competition and are not just put out first

0:31:040:31:07

when the conditions aren't very good,

0:31:070:31:09

which has sort of happened in the past, I think.

0:31:090:31:11

The women's competition is different -

0:31:130:31:16

their positions will be a culmination of their daily scores.

0:31:160:31:20

The youngest competitor here is 15-year-old Eilidh Sutherland from Aviemore,

0:31:200:31:24

making the difficult transition from windsurf racing on flat water

0:31:240:31:28

to waveriding.

0:31:280:31:29

It's a tough call but this is a determined performance.

0:31:290:31:32

She's picked up a small wave and is attempting to put in some turns.

0:31:320:31:36

It's a completely different change

0:31:360:31:38

cos you could race on waves but it was nothing like -

0:31:380:31:41

cos your board would just stick to the water,

0:31:410:31:43

so this, yeah, is much better, I feel.

0:31:430:31:45

But it's just you and yourself that you're concentrating on.

0:31:450:31:48

When I'm out there I feel like no-one can really tell me what to do

0:31:480:31:53

so you are a bit free when you're out there.

0:31:530:31:55

Eilidh's up against another comparative newcomer to this discipline -

0:31:550:31:59

Sophia Gilje from Norway.

0:31:590:32:01

And that's not a bad wave for Sophia.

0:32:010:32:03

A bit of a wobble there, a wee turn.

0:32:030:32:05

Yeah, she's holding it together well.

0:32:050:32:08

This IS a sport she loves.

0:32:080:32:10

It kind of combines freedom and extreme sport, waves,

0:32:100:32:14

freestyle, if you want.

0:32:140:32:17

It's got a bit of everything and I just love the...

0:32:180:32:21

Yeah, I love it. It's really fun.

0:32:210:32:22

The third woman here is another Scandinavian,

0:32:220:32:25

Kariina Pirhonen from Finland,

0:32:250:32:27

and ready to take on the challenge of the big water.

0:32:270:32:30

That's a very good wave, not right on the crest though.

0:32:300:32:34

Trying to turn back in, oh, but not managing much on this one. Shame.

0:32:340:32:39

The big waves come and eat you alive!

0:32:390:32:42

-SHE LAUGHS

-Wash you, wash you and hopefully wash you back to the beach

0:32:420:32:46

without too much damage.

0:32:460:32:48

But here's the favourite for this year's competition -

0:32:480:32:51

Debbie Kennedy, last year's Tiree champion and winner of the UK Tour,

0:32:510:32:55

she's showing what can be done with these waves.

0:32:550:32:58

Conditions are fairly light, which make it harder for the sailors.

0:32:580:33:02

But Debbie's managing the situation well

0:33:020:33:05

and getting the most out of the waves.

0:33:050:33:07

Using the body to control the movement,

0:33:070:33:10

clearly very happy in this environment.

0:33:100:33:12

And after five days of racing, this is how the women finished...

0:33:140:33:17

Eilidh Sutherland from Aviemore took fourth place,

0:33:170:33:20

Kariina Pirhonen from Finland came in third,

0:33:200:33:23

with Norwegian Sophia Gilje taking second,

0:33:230:33:25

but the clear winner was Debbie Kennedy

0:33:250:33:28

who takes the title for the second year running.

0:33:280:33:31

Back to the men's wave competition.

0:33:320:33:35

Earlier, we saw Ben Proffitt win the single elimination contest.

0:33:350:33:38

Now the top four finishers sit out

0:33:380:33:41

and the rest of the field compete to produce a challenger.

0:33:410:33:44

That challenger then takes on the top four.

0:33:440:33:47

This is what's known as double elimination.

0:33:470:33:51

The idea of double elimination is it gives them a second shot,

0:33:520:33:55

so a second chance to go through

0:33:550:33:57

and it sort of makes it a lot more exciting and watchable

0:33:570:34:02

for the guys on the beach. The great thing about single and double elimination

0:34:020:34:06

is that if you win the single elimination, you've not won -

0:34:060:34:09

you're sitting there and you're waiting for the challenger

0:34:090:34:11

to come through and have another crack at you.

0:34:110:34:14

As the top four from the single elimination

0:34:140:34:16

sit out to await a challenger,

0:34:160:34:18

they are treated to a showcase of waveriding by John Skye

0:34:180:34:22

as he carves through the field,

0:34:220:34:24

and his progress doesn't stop there as he battles his way past

0:34:240:34:27

Timo Mullen, Andy Chambers and Andy King.

0:34:270:34:30

Now only Ben Proffitt sits between him

0:34:300:34:33

and victory in the double elimination.

0:34:330:34:36

But John's been out on the water non-stop for many strenuous hours,

0:34:360:34:41

and what's worse, to take the lead in the Wave Classic

0:34:410:34:44

he'll have to beat Ben Proffitt twice -

0:34:440:34:46

first to win the double elimination

0:34:460:34:48

and secondly, to take the overall lead.

0:34:480:34:51

I can handle one,

0:34:510:34:53

but I think the second one might kill me!

0:34:530:34:55

So...I'm going to eat some food and...

0:34:550:34:58

..drink and...

0:34:590:35:01

So this is it, the Double Elimination Final.

0:35:030:35:06

Ben Proffitt, last year's winner

0:35:060:35:07

and the winner of this year's single elimination

0:35:070:35:10

takes on an exhausted John Skye,

0:35:100:35:13

and in this heat, the judges are looking for the two best waves

0:35:130:35:16

with the most stylish, exciting moves,

0:35:160:35:18

but now marks will be given not just to one, but the two best jumps.

0:35:180:35:23

First up Ben Proffitt, the first time he's been out today.

0:35:230:35:26

It's going to be a tough challenge.

0:35:260:35:29

Oh, but he starts well, nice jump!

0:35:290:35:32

The landing wasn't great though. What can John Skye do?

0:35:320:35:34

Oh, that is stylish!

0:35:340:35:35

Should gain him a good score. Proffitt on the wave now.

0:35:350:35:39

Looking good.

0:35:390:35:40

Oh, he's down!

0:35:400:35:42

John Skye, more air and another jump.

0:35:420:35:46

Not bad, but I think he'll need to improve on that.

0:35:460:35:49

So what can Ben Proffitt do?

0:35:490:35:50

Nice height, oh, but another splash!

0:35:500:35:55

That's John Skye.

0:35:550:35:57

One-handed, two... What an absolute beauty!

0:35:570:36:00

But Ben Proffitt's really struggling.

0:36:000:36:02

Another jump ends in the water.

0:36:020:36:05

So this is looking better for John Skye, dominating this heat.

0:36:050:36:08

Good turns, leans back, controls the board...lovely.

0:36:080:36:13

Time's up.

0:36:140:36:15

The judges' decision - John Skye has won.

0:36:150:36:18

Ben is gutted

0:36:180:36:20

and he's not happy with the judges' requirement for two jumps.

0:36:200:36:24

There's no way there's two jumps!

0:36:240:36:26

Ben protests to the judges and wins the argument.

0:36:260:36:29

In the final round, they only have to produce one jump,

0:36:290:36:33

but Ben is still not happy.

0:36:330:36:36

It's a long day waiting,

0:36:360:36:38

to come and then not get the chance to do what you want to do...

0:36:380:36:41

OK, I'm not great at jumping on this tack, but I wasn't plaining,

0:36:410:36:45

my fault maybe, I don't know,

0:36:450:36:46

but if it had been one jump, I'd have won.

0:36:460:36:49

And Ben seems to have taken that frustration onto the water with him

0:36:490:36:54

where there seems to be no stopping John Skye

0:36:540:36:56

now he's been given that second chance.

0:36:560:36:59

With an excellent display of waveriding,

0:36:590:37:01

he chalks up his seventh win of the day

0:37:010:37:03

to take overall command of the event.

0:37:030:37:05

But with wind forecast,

0:37:050:37:07

today's positions are unlikely to be the end of the story.

0:37:070:37:10

Andy Chambers is fourth,

0:37:100:37:12

Andy King has dropped to third,

0:37:120:37:14

last year's winner Ben Proffitt is now in second place,

0:37:140:37:17

with John Skye on his way to a record fourth victory.

0:37:170:37:21

Yet with the weather conditions still favourable,

0:37:210:37:23

there could be another round - the triple elimination.

0:37:230:37:28

There's no sport like windsurfing for a complicated set of rules.

0:37:280:37:31

We're just going to leave the Wave Classic now for a few moments

0:37:310:37:34

and re-join Cameron and Desiree who seem to be up to their ears,

0:37:340:37:38

and mouths, in camping stoves.

0:37:380:37:40

Welcome back to our gear test.

0:37:470:37:49

It's a beautiful day on the island of Eigg

0:37:490:37:51

and we're about to put half a dozen stoves through their paces.

0:37:510:37:54

Desiree and I are going head-to-head.

0:37:540:37:56

We're both going to cook a three-course meal

0:37:560:37:58

using a different stove for each course

0:37:580:38:00

and I've got a funny feeling Jamie Oliver and Gordon Ramsay

0:38:000:38:03

won't have to lose too much sleep.

0:38:030:38:05

I think we're all ready to go. Dez, are you ready?

0:38:080:38:11

Yeah, as I'll ever be.

0:38:110:38:12

-After three?

-OK.

-Three, two, one, good luck, Jamie!

0:38:120:38:16

SHE LAUGHS

0:38:160:38:17

I'm going to start off with some soup.

0:38:170:38:20

I hesitate to call it French onion soup,

0:38:200:38:23

so I'm going to call it Highland onion soup.

0:38:230:38:25

Let's get the stove going and I'm going to feed in some of the onion.

0:38:250:38:29

I've got some miso soup to start with here,

0:38:290:38:32

which just needs some hot water, basically.

0:38:320:38:35

And I'm just going to get this going and get the water going.

0:38:350:38:39

And then for main course...

0:38:390:38:41

I've got a nice mix of herbs and spices

0:38:410:38:45

that I prepared the other day.

0:38:450:38:49

Now this water's boiling nicely now so I'm going to put in my pasta,

0:38:490:38:52

and I've kind of cheated in this case

0:38:520:38:54

and I've got some prepared pasta.

0:38:540:38:57

Dessert's going to be pretty simple -

0:38:570:38:59

I'm just going to be having bananas and custard

0:38:590:39:01

and I'm going to use an MSR Pocket Rocket for that.

0:39:010:39:05

I've prepared some cream and some raspberries in here

0:39:050:39:08

and I've got some oat biscuits,

0:39:080:39:10

so I'm just going to crumble up the oaty biscuits

0:39:100:39:13

into the cranachan mixture.

0:39:130:39:16

I think what I might do, is maybe swap this main meal around

0:39:160:39:22

onto the faster Pocket Rocket.

0:39:220:39:25

Something's burning.

0:39:250:39:27

I took my eye off the Jetboil! SHE LAUGHS

0:39:270:39:29

The soup is beginning to look a wee bit like onion soup.

0:39:290:39:32

That one's ready.

0:39:320:39:33

I'll try a wee bit of pasta.

0:39:330:39:34

Let's have a wee taste of this.

0:39:340:39:36

Mmm, almost there.

0:39:360:39:37

That's lovely.

0:39:370:39:38

Mmm, that's ready. I'm ready!

0:39:380:39:41

Does miso stand for nothing...

0:39:430:39:45

like, nothing soup?

0:39:450:39:47

SHE LAUGHS

0:39:470:39:48

It's like drinking hot water!

0:39:480:39:50

I did actually just add too much water to this.

0:39:500:39:52

-Usually, it's a bit more flavoursome!

-Stop making excuses.

0:39:520:39:55

Bring your camera here and look at this.

0:39:550:39:57

This looks like real French onion soup.

0:39:570:40:00

Mmm, that's a hit for me.

0:40:000:40:03

Do you want to try this tasteless vegetarian food then?

0:40:040:40:07

-That's very good.

-It's nice, isn't it?

0:40:070:40:09

-You could maybe tempt me into vegetarianism...

-OK.

0:40:090:40:12

..with dishes like that.

0:40:120:40:14

Well done, that's fantastic!

0:40:140:40:15

I've made chorizo and pasta.

0:40:150:40:17

-I'll not ask you to taste this, I'll taste it myself.

-OK.

0:40:170:40:20

-I'll just have to take your word for it.

-Oh, that's delicious!

0:40:200:40:24

It's just probably a bit simple and basic

0:40:240:40:26

compared to what Desiree's cooked.

0:40:260:40:29

It's fair to say that Dez has won the main course round,

0:40:290:40:32

so it's all down to the pudding.

0:40:320:40:34

-Bananas and custard? It sounds like school dinners!

-But it's great.

0:40:340:40:37

Bananas are a great health food.

0:40:370:40:39

-All right, can I try it?

-Course you can.

0:40:390:40:41

Let's try a bit of banana and a bit of custard.

0:40:410:40:43

Mmm, oh, that tastes just like...

0:40:430:40:47

bananas and custard!

0:40:470:40:49

Have a look at this.

0:40:490:40:50

Bring your camera in here and look at this cos this is sensational.

0:40:500:40:53

-Oh, wow!

-Cranachan, which is raspberries and cream with bits of oat biscuit through it.

0:40:530:40:58

-That's really good.

-Sensational?

-It really is.

0:40:580:41:00

-Is that not sensational?

-It is sensational.

0:41:000:41:03

-I think you win the pudding.

-Oh, thank you!

0:41:030:41:05

Well, we each cooked with three different stoves

0:41:050:41:08

and I started my main course on this MSR Reactor,

0:41:090:41:13

and I think because of the size of this pot,

0:41:130:41:16

this is an ideal unit for two people cooking.

0:41:160:41:19

The whole thing's quite heavy - it weighs about 540 grams -

0:41:190:41:22

and it's quite expensive - £140 -

0:41:220:41:24

but I was very impressed by this.

0:41:240:41:26

Well, I used the Jetboil Flash for my soup for my starter course

0:41:320:41:37

and I've used Jetboils quite a lot and I really, really like them

0:41:370:41:41

but they're used quite often in Alpine conditions

0:41:410:41:43

for sort of melting snow for water,

0:41:430:41:45

so you don't tend to cook that much in the Jetboils

0:41:450:41:48

cos they're such a long unit with a small surface area

0:41:480:41:52

that you kind of just tend to end up burning food

0:41:520:41:54

if you try and cook it in here,

0:41:540:41:56

but for heating liquids they're absolutely brilliant.

0:41:560:41:59

A really great feature is that it's got a handle on it

0:41:590:42:01

so you can actually cook holding the Jetboil.

0:42:010:42:05

My next stove is the Primus Express Spider

0:42:110:42:14

and this is the remote gas stove.

0:42:140:42:17

Again it works off a gas cylinder,

0:42:170:42:19

but rather than have the stove actually stuck on top,

0:42:190:42:23

making a kind of unstable thing,

0:42:230:42:25

the stove is connected by a hose and is remote from the gas cylinder,

0:42:250:42:29

and I personally like this kind of stove.

0:42:290:42:32

This costs £45, which I think is very, very reasonable.

0:42:320:42:35

It weighs less than 200 grams, which again is pretty good

0:42:350:42:39

for you know, a good stable pot.

0:42:390:42:42

The only thing I would add to this stove

0:42:420:42:45

is a bit of an aluminium foil windshield just to protect it,

0:42:450:42:48

but I think this is very, very good value for what it is.

0:42:480:42:51

Well, I used the MSR Pocket Rocket to cook my main course

0:42:570:43:01

and I've used a Pocket Rocket quite a lot before.

0:43:010:43:03

The main thing that I love about the Pocket Rocket is the size of it,

0:43:030:43:07

it just is absolutely tiny and it weighs virtually nothing.

0:43:070:43:12

You barely even notice you've got it with you

0:43:120:43:14

when you're taking it out and about with you on the hill.

0:43:140:43:17

The main drawback for me,

0:43:170:43:19

is that when you've got your pot sat on top of the stove and it's on,

0:43:190:43:23

it's quite an unstable unit,

0:43:230:43:26

but as a general hill stove,

0:43:260:43:27

as long as you're aware of the limitations,

0:43:270:43:30

you've got a really, really good piece of equipment.

0:43:300:43:32

If you think that's lightweight, then this one is even lighter.

0:43:370:43:41

This is the Optimus Crux Lite Solo Cooking System - quite a mouthful.

0:43:410:43:46

But the stove itself, as you can see, is absolutely tiny -

0:43:460:43:49

it weighs 72 grams.

0:43:490:43:51

You could stick it in a shirt pocket and forget about it

0:43:510:43:54

and it's a tiny, compact little system that folds over like that

0:43:540:43:58

so that it can live inside the cooking pots that come with it.

0:43:580:44:02

The whole thing weighs 172 grams - that's the stove and the pots -

0:44:020:44:06

but if you're going to cook in a pot like this,

0:44:060:44:09

then all you'll get is a bairn's portion.

0:44:090:44:11

Trangia stoves are pretty popular with the likes of D of E groups

0:44:160:44:20

and there's a good reason for that -

0:44:200:44:22

they're really quite safe stoves in a lot of ways.

0:44:220:44:25

The whole unit itself is a very, very stable platform.

0:44:250:44:29

You're looking at certainly having to wait

0:44:290:44:32

quite a bit longer for food to cook.

0:44:320:44:34

Another drawback for Trangias is the fact that once that flame's lit,

0:44:340:44:39

it's very difficult to see.

0:44:390:44:40

So really great things about the Trangia

0:44:400:44:42

but you do need to know what you're doing with it.

0:44:420:44:45

So a whole variety of stoves on offer,

0:44:490:44:52

some very, very lightweight, others a bit more substantial,

0:44:520:44:55

but at the end of the day, how good the food tastes

0:44:550:44:58

depends on the cook

0:44:580:45:00

and I think Desiree and I are pretty evenly matched.

0:45:000:45:03

Back on Tiree and in the 25 years this competition has been running,

0:45:080:45:12

windsurf equipment has changed significantly.

0:45:120:45:14

Duncan has been finding out.

0:45:140:45:16

-To me, this looks like a pretty decent board.

-Yeah.

0:45:180:45:22

It's got a nice defined rail on it and it's very, very light,

0:45:220:45:26

so going from this one to one of your new boards,

0:45:260:45:29

just show me what the essential differences are.

0:45:290:45:32

Well, when this board first came out it was a fairly decent board

0:45:320:45:35

and of course there's nothing wrong with it,

0:45:350:45:38

but as time's moved on, the designs have become easier to use,

0:45:380:45:42

and where typically they may have got one or two turns,

0:45:420:45:46

you know, 15 years ago on a wave,

0:45:460:45:48

the guys are now looking to make five or six really expressive turns

0:45:480:45:52

and they can get these new-school moves in on their weight.

0:45:520:45:55

What about the position of the mast, has that changed at all?

0:45:550:45:59

Yeah, in the older boards

0:45:590:46:00

the mast track was further up the front of the board.

0:46:000:46:03

There were two reasons for that -

0:46:030:46:05

the sails used then were more drawn out

0:46:050:46:07

so the centre of effort was further away from the rider.

0:46:070:46:10

-So what you're saying is that the boom was really long?

-Exactly.

0:46:100:46:13

And the volume was short,

0:46:130:46:15

so now you've got a shorter boom and a higher sail.

0:46:150:46:17

So all of the equipment has become more compact.

0:46:170:46:20

And now that the board designs in the last -

0:46:200:46:23

certainly the last ten years but more specifically, the last five years -

0:46:230:46:27

have gotten a lot easier to use, a lot more friendly,

0:46:270:46:29

you can learn the sport and progress very quickly

0:46:290:46:32

whereas before, it took ten years of commitment before...

0:46:320:46:35

And you needed three boards and four sails, and a big van...

0:46:350:46:38

Exactly. Whereas now you can use less equipment, you can progress quicker,

0:46:380:46:42

it's a lot easier

0:46:420:46:43

and it means that people can get to places like Tiree

0:46:430:46:46

where there are great waves, great conditions,

0:46:460:46:49

and they can learn to sail in those a lot quicker.

0:46:490:46:51

So we have seen a big increase in people windsurfing again

0:46:510:46:55

and I'd say the sport is perhaps enjoying a bit of a boom.

0:46:550:46:59

We've now reached the final day of competition in the Men's wave event.

0:47:110:47:15

Conditions are great, it's blowing a gale.

0:47:150:47:17

Conditions this week on Tiree have been fantastic

0:47:170:47:20

so the judges have introduced a brand-new element,

0:47:200:47:22

never before seen in the UK.

0:47:220:47:24

It's called Triple Elimination.

0:47:240:47:26

That means the top four finishers from the last round sit out.

0:47:260:47:29

The rest of the field battle to produce a challenger,

0:47:290:47:32

that challenger then takes on the top four

0:47:320:47:34

and the winner will be the champion.

0:47:340:47:36

It's as simple as that.

0:47:360:47:38

So the guys that have won it and are sitting on the ladder,

0:47:380:47:41

they're all waiting, getting cold,

0:47:410:47:43

getting a little bit anxious and nervous.

0:47:430:47:45

The guys charging through

0:47:450:47:47

are getting more used to the conditions, keeping warm.

0:47:470:47:49

Usually we'll get one person who's doing particularly well,

0:47:490:47:53

getting used to the conditions and charging through,

0:47:530:47:56

taking out fifth, fourth, third and second place

0:47:560:47:59

and they're on a bit of a role,

0:47:590:48:01

but conversely, they are also getting tired

0:48:010:48:04

cos we've got two minutes to run back up the beach

0:48:040:48:06

and get into the next one.

0:48:060:48:08

You can have a guy who's charging through, sailing well,

0:48:080:48:12

but he's having one and a half hours of pure competitive windsurfing,

0:48:120:48:17

so they're getting more and more exhausted

0:48:170:48:19

and the winner's obviously just hoping

0:48:190:48:21

that they're too shattered by the time they get there.

0:48:210:48:24

The current leader is John Skye

0:48:240:48:26

so he'll have to wait till the final heats to compete.

0:48:260:48:30

Coming up through the ranks, Phil Horrocks is having a great day.

0:48:300:48:34

Phil didn't do too well in the first two elimination rounds,

0:48:340:48:38

but he's taken full advantage of this final chance

0:48:380:48:41

and has battled his way through heat after heat to take on the leaders.

0:48:410:48:45

You get dialled-in to the conditions, you get a bit more practice,

0:48:450:48:48

you get used to it and you get a bit of momentum going

0:48:480:48:51

and sometimes it's easier to carry that through,

0:48:510:48:54

but if you've got to carry it through seven or eight heats,

0:48:540:48:57

obviously tiredness, fatigue - all that business comes into it.

0:48:570:49:00

Second place Ben Proffitt, still recovering from his ankle injury,

0:49:000:49:04

is looking forward to today's competition.

0:49:040:49:06

It's a big day, everything can change today,

0:49:060:49:09

like Phil Horrocks sailing really good -

0:49:090:49:11

he could come all the way through.

0:49:110:49:13

If he beats me he could even beat Skye boy

0:49:130:49:15

and then take the event win, so it's still not over.

0:49:150:49:17

It's my sort of conditions if I'm fit and healthy

0:49:170:49:20

and I'm feeling all right.

0:49:200:49:22

I'm just taking it easy -

0:49:220:49:23

I don't want to cause any problems unnecessarily.

0:49:230:49:26

And another contender in this triple elimination

0:49:260:49:29

is the Cornish policeman, Andy King.

0:49:290:49:32

The appeal for me is just, the freedom you have when you windsurf,

0:49:320:49:36

especially if it's windy and it's wild.

0:49:360:49:38

You can go anywhere you want out there, there's no restrictions,

0:49:380:49:41

there's no speed cameras,

0:49:410:49:43

and generally when it's wild,

0:49:430:49:45

there aren't many people that do the sport

0:49:450:49:47

and there's plenty of ocean to go round

0:49:470:49:49

so you can find your own patch of water

0:49:490:49:52

and do with it what you please.

0:49:520:49:54

And in this first semi-final of the triple elimination,

0:49:550:49:58

Andy King's being challenged

0:49:580:50:00

by the man who's had to work his way up through every heat today -

0:50:000:50:04

Phil Horrocks.

0:50:040:50:05

I'm joined in the commentary box

0:50:050:50:07

by the very first Wave Classic Champion and today's Head Judge -

0:50:070:50:12

Duncan Coombs.

0:50:120:50:13

So, Andy, he's got a little bit of air,

0:50:130:50:17

the fin's out just a tiny bit,

0:50:170:50:19

but as he's setting up for his first top turn there,

0:50:190:50:22

coming off the box, he goes very straight,

0:50:220:50:24

he doesn't lay the sail down,

0:50:240:50:26

he's not really putting the rail of the board into the water

0:50:260:50:29

and getting much deviation in the frontside turn there.

0:50:290:50:32

Phil seems to be more aggressive,

0:50:340:50:35

snapping back off the top of the waves -

0:50:350:50:37

would that be fair comment?

0:50:370:50:39

Yeah, I think you can really see a difference in style here

0:50:390:50:42

with Phil Horrocks and Andy King.

0:50:420:50:43

I'm not sure if it's the board Andy's riding, might be quite a big board.

0:50:430:50:47

Phil's maybe got a little bit more rocker in

0:50:480:50:52

just to give him a bit more snap, like you say, off the turn.

0:50:520:50:55

There he is - floats over that section.

0:50:550:50:57

That was sort of mistimed really.

0:50:570:51:00

A bit of a closeout.

0:51:010:51:02

Andy's on the wave, too.

0:51:020:51:04

If he scores big on this one this could be the difference.

0:51:040:51:07

A bit straighter, he hasn't quite got the snap that Horrocks has got.

0:51:070:51:10

I think he knew that he'd lost that.

0:51:120:51:14

So a bit disappointing there just to miss out by a couple of points?

0:51:140:51:19

Yeah, I just kept dropping down places.

0:51:190:51:21

We normally do a double elimination and that's it - you drop one place,

0:51:210:51:25

but obviously in this event you drop three,

0:51:250:51:28

but it's just the way it goes, I guess.

0:51:280:51:30

Now, an exhausted Phil Horrocks is back on the water

0:51:300:51:35

to take on last year's Tiree Wave Champion, Ben Proffitt.

0:51:350:51:38

Ooft! That's a big splosh!

0:51:380:51:41

Yeah, halfway through that push leap he just completely lost control.

0:51:410:51:46

But Ben on a reform on the inside, look...

0:51:460:51:49

-Man!

-Snaps it back.

0:51:510:51:52

Oh, working really hard on this.

0:51:540:51:56

Ben of course, riding with a broken foot,

0:51:560:51:59

which...is pretty hardcore, I have to say!

0:51:590:52:04

So, Phil... On the big wave, yeah.

0:52:040:52:07

Lost his speed though for the second turn,

0:52:090:52:11

and Phil going for a tacker and...

0:52:110:52:13

Oh, right in front of Ben.

0:52:130:52:16

Ben would've loved to have seen that -

0:52:160:52:17

Phil going down.

0:52:170:52:19

I mean, this is what you said to me in the heat before, you know,

0:52:190:52:22

"Do you think Phil's getting tired?"

0:52:220:52:25

-and it looks like he might be.

-Yeah.

0:52:250:52:27

He came all the way through from sixth place and he's...

0:52:270:52:30

Oh, a nice jump from Ben there.

0:52:300:52:32

Here he goes now, Phil.

0:52:320:52:34

Oh, just mistiming that second hit.

0:52:340:52:37

Is this the tiredness?

0:52:370:52:39

Phil needs a big wave.

0:52:400:52:42

Oh, but big air from Ben!

0:52:420:52:44

That's the nail in the coffin.

0:52:440:52:46

That's the jump that'll take Ben Proffitt through to face John Skye.

0:52:460:52:50

Bye-bye, Mr Horrocks.

0:52:510:52:53

Phil, you looked kind of tired in that round.

0:52:550:52:57

It's a long way to get through

0:52:570:52:59

to the last two in this triple elimination.

0:52:590:53:01

Yeah, it's a long way to come from seventh position

0:53:010:53:04

right through up to third.

0:53:040:53:06

But that was the battle for second, so there was quite a few heats

0:53:060:53:09

and then...I think I just ran out of steam at the end!

0:53:090:53:12

There was a couple of waves where I had a nice ride

0:53:120:53:14

and then I think I just got overpowered

0:53:140:53:16

and the sail got pulled out of my hands, and I couldn't hold on.

0:53:160:53:19

So once again, this comes down to a contest

0:53:190:53:23

between the leader, John Skye and Ben Proffitt.

0:53:230:53:26

Ben Proffitt opening up his final with a forward loop,

0:53:290:53:32

not such a high one.

0:53:320:53:34

A really nice, clean push loop from Skye there.

0:53:350:53:38

That push loop scores a little bit higher than the forward loop

0:53:380:53:42

so Skye opening up with a...

0:53:420:53:44

And a forward there from Skye as well.

0:53:440:53:47

So two jumps to count here, in the final.

0:53:470:53:50

John Skye, three times winner here at the Tiree Wave Classic,

0:53:500:53:53

against Ben Proffitt,

0:53:530:53:55

last year's winner here on Tiree,

0:53:550:53:58

and both of them starting off as they mean to continue.

0:53:580:54:02

John Skye in particular, big jumps at the start,

0:54:020:54:05

getting points on the board.

0:54:050:54:07

Ben won the single elimination, John won the double elimination,

0:54:070:54:11

so if Ben wins this, they have to go to a super final

0:54:110:54:14

to see who's the supreme champion as it were.

0:54:140:54:16

Exactly that, yeah.

0:54:160:54:17

This is effectively like a third round.

0:54:170:54:20

I think, again,

0:54:200:54:22

Proffitt just looking a little bit more aggressive in his turns.

0:54:220:54:25

They're both lining up for a jump here,

0:54:270:54:29

some big stunt ramps out the back there.

0:54:290:54:32

I wonder if we could see a double forward today?

0:54:320:54:34

Oh, synchronised push loops, how is that?

0:54:340:54:38

Skye boy snapping a jibe onto the face of that wave as well.

0:54:380:54:42

Right, here's John Skye, now what can he do?

0:54:420:54:45

Oh, he just falls off the back!

0:54:460:54:49

He won't be happy. Skye's not looking on form, is he?

0:54:500:54:53

I think he'll probably know that there's going to be a re-sail.

0:54:530:54:56

So, that final went Ben Proffitt's way, which means...

0:54:560:55:00

we have a super final, and these two will come back onto the shore,

0:55:000:55:04

gather their thoughts, gather their breath,

0:55:040:55:06

and go back out and do battle once again.

0:55:060:55:09

At the beginning of the heat I had a couple of good waves

0:55:090:55:13

and I was hoping that would be enough to see me through,

0:55:130:55:16

but I saw him at the end

0:55:160:55:18

get a couple of really killer waves

0:55:180:55:20

and I knew that it probably wasn't enough,

0:55:200:55:22

and now we've got to go again and, yeah.

0:55:220:55:25

I'm not too confident but I'll do my best obviously and see how it goes.

0:55:250:55:31

The wind was good then, so, yeah, I'm happy.

0:55:310:55:34

One down and one to go.

0:55:340:55:35

Now I want to win it!

0:55:350:55:37

Obviously you were concerned about your foot - is it holding up OK?

0:55:370:55:41

Yeah, I don't feel I'm sailing that good.

0:55:410:55:43

I feel a bit stiff but it's a long day on the beach anyway

0:55:430:55:46

so I think everyone's a bit stiff,

0:55:460:55:48

but I can't quite bend it on the bottom turn

0:55:480:55:51

so I'm taking it easy but trying to pick big waves to smack me back.

0:55:510:55:55

It seems to be working -

0:55:550:55:56

I'm going through a few heats so I can't complain.

0:55:560:55:59

And conditions started to look a little bit horrible

0:56:010:56:04

but the rain has just eased off.

0:56:040:56:07

John Skye with a low, forward loop there, nice and clean the landing.

0:56:080:56:13

-A better one from Proffitt.

-Yeah, very nice.

0:56:130:56:15

Plaining on the way out of that, as well.

0:56:150:56:17

Proffitt looks like he's three points ahead already.

0:56:170:56:20

And I can't say it enough cos I think it's quite simply amazing -

0:56:200:56:24

he's riding with a broken foot.

0:56:240:56:26

This is a good scoring wave for Proffitt, he's ripping it up.

0:56:260:56:31

Oh, he'll be pleased with that one. Right in front of Skye, as well.

0:56:320:56:36

So that back loop there - John Skye just took his hand off,

0:56:380:56:43

just very quickly,

0:56:430:56:44

so it gives him another half point on that score,

0:56:440:56:47

so he's matched Ben Proffitt's back loop now

0:56:470:56:49

but Proffitt's last wave score is going to be hard to match -

0:56:490:56:53

he got one that linked all the way through.

0:56:530:56:55

-Turns inside...

-A better-looking wave, this for Skye.

0:56:550:56:59

And he's going for the back... Ooh!

0:56:590:57:01

Going down on the backside three.

0:57:020:57:05

That looked like it might've hurt on that one.

0:57:050:57:07

Oh, dear.

0:57:070:57:08

So that's it.

0:57:080:57:10

Red flag up, Proffitt is still riding.

0:57:100:57:12

But just having a quick look at the scores here,

0:57:120:57:16

it looks like Skye is way behind on his wave scores.

0:57:160:57:18

So we'll just do the final calculations and give you the result.

0:57:180:57:22

And the judges decision is...

0:57:220:57:25

that Ben Proffitt has won that heat,

0:57:250:57:28

which means that the final leaderboard looks like this...

0:57:280:57:31

Andy King is in fourth place,

0:57:310:57:33

Phil Horrocks made a superb comeback to take third,

0:57:330:57:37

John Skye was knocked down into second,

0:57:370:57:40

but the winner is Ben Proffitt

0:57:400:57:42

who becomes the champion of the 25th Tiree Wave Classic.

0:57:420:57:46

I won last year, but to win back-to-back, that's really good,

0:57:460:57:49

especially to come back -

0:57:490:57:51

to win the single, come back second in the double

0:57:510:57:54

and then to come back in the triple, on the last day - is good.

0:57:540:57:57

I'm going to get the whisky out!

0:57:570:57:59

CHEERING

0:57:590:58:01

And that's it from a wild and windy Tiree.

0:58:010:58:03

It's 25th year was a special one

0:58:030:58:06

and the competition certainly lived up to it.

0:58:060:58:09

We have a special programme over the Christmas period

0:58:090:58:12

when we join Cameron McNeish as he walks across Scotland,

0:58:120:58:16

coast to coast.

0:58:160:58:17

And what a spectacular walk it is,

0:58:170:58:19

all the way from the beach at Aberdeen

0:58:190:58:21

to the wild, rugged landscapes on Knoydart.

0:58:210:58:24

Join us for that, if you can.

0:58:240:58:26

In the meantime, bye for now.

0:58:260:58:28

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd

0:58:420:58:46

E-mail [email protected]

0:58:460:58:49

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