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EG2D0253expixMatt Crowhurst at WakestockRelentless Wakestock 2010 Cardigan Bay Abersoch North Wales now in its 11th year is Europes Largest Wakeboard and Music Festival. ExPix have been photographing this amazing event since the beginning and are the only company to have been there since the start. We have seen it grow from 500 people on the headland above Abersoch main beach as an after party to a days wakeboarding to what it is now a 3 day event ( 4 if you count Thursday nights action) with several wakeboard and wakeskate competions alongside 3 arenas and two VIP areas blasting out some of the best music around so if you want to know more .....

ExPix arrived at the Wakestock site late Thursday night. It had been raining on and off all the way to North Wales and things weren't looking good. Undeterred by the rain, die hard ‘Wakestockers’ queued for up to 3 hours to enter the campsite and find the 'best spot' to pitch for the weekend. For ExPix, memories of the Wakestock washout of 2007 came flooding back as riders discussed the weekend's weather forecast. We settled in for the night and prayed that Abersoch's own unique weather system would once again prove the forecasters wrong! We couldn't have wished for better when we woke early on Friday morning to blue skies and glorious sunshine, perfect festival weather! We headed straight off to Pwllheli Marina to catch the start of the wakeboarding action on the ‘Open Qualifying Day’. The flags and banners were out as sponsors and traders lined the marina. Mystic, Hyperlite & Yamaha had plenty of gear for the crowds to drool over whilst Malibu with their Wake Setter boat had everyone wishing for a lottery win!!! And for those still hung over from the night before there was plenty of Relentless to kick start the day.Once again the fantastic ladies form Pwllheli Guides had open their doors to feed and water the crowds and to make their 'facilities' available; believe me this is appreciated much more than they can possibly imagine as anyone who has ever used festival 'facilities' will testify! First on the water were the Ladies Qualifiers where Samantha Knott, Jules Haley, Elke Vanten, Amber Wing, Becci Hall, Hayley Smith, Sam Filsell & Nicola Butler competed in 2 heats for places in Saturday's finals. It was good to watch more girls riding at 

Wakestock and to see that the standard of riding amongst these girls had continued to increase. Battling it out on the water, the girls pulled out all the stops and it was a shame that only 4 could qualify; but that's competitions for you. With fantastic heats under their belts Amber Wing and Nicola Butler qualified for the 2 top spots in the Ladies Final joined by former Wakestock champ Jules Haley and Sam Filsell. Next up and riding to the sounds of legendary Wakestock DJ Tim Lyall were the Amateur Men. 12 riders competed in 3 heats, with 4 riders per heat. By now the wind had started to pick up but despite the less than perfect conditions, David O’Caiomh, Jack Hammersley and Jack Davies made it through to Saturday's finals. With the tide on its way out the day's action drew to a close and it was time to head off back to the festival site. Unfortunately the Big Air comp, which is held every year on Abersoch Beach, was cancelled due to the wind but there was plenty of action at the Pool Gap to make up for this including the Wakeskate Jam, Girl's Jam and the Last Chance Qualifier. The music soon got under way with Norman Jay opening up the Open Air Stage. Next on was Zinc ft Dynamite MC who whipped up the crowds with an awesome set. ExPix caught up with the guys in the Green Room and got this exclusive piccy! The 'signing sessions' by Mr Hudson & comedienne Katy Brand certainly added to the atmosphere; comments such as “do you sign body parts?” were meet with raised eyebrows and nervous smiles but the fans went away happy! Later on that evening and Mr Hudson earned total respect and admiration from fans as despite a fall on stage and a suspected broken ankle, he carried on to finish his set, even to the point of hopping on one foot as he stood up on the barriers to greet the crowds! The pain on his face as he left the stage in the capable hands of the paramedics was clear for all to see but at that point ExPix put our cameras away. The night continued with music from Fedde Le Grand, N-DUBZ, Eric Prydz and Wakestock favourite Goldierocks.

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