The red coffee van at Yallingup Beach

This watercolour is a view of the famous Pronto Cino coffee van at the south end of  Yallingup,  a legendary Western Australian surf spot.

Out the back of the reef at main break, a glimpse of  the red van arriving in the Slippery Rocks car park is always a welcome sight.

The vibe at Yallingup is very mellow but the wave must be respected. As this crew are about to find out, the odds of getting caught inside can rise towards the end of a session. Image by Jim King courtesy of Pronto Cino’s Facebook page

Then it’s decision time.

Paddle like crazy for the horizon, taking several substantial waves on the head or risk getting washed over the reef into the lagoon?

Wait for a lull and head back out?

Head for the van?

Mark and Shelly have been keeping surfers, swimmers and early morning dog walkers in coffee, cake and conversation since 2006.

Until I moved to France, I regularly joined the throng of locals to swap surf intel, debate politics and devour Shelly’s incomparable muffins before heading home to the studio.

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