THE LOW-DOWN Five fin boxes and five fins! The Da Curve comes with all you need to adapt to your surroundings. The 86L is the second largest of the range and can carry up to 6.1m rigs.
BRAND CLAIM Designs perfected for more speed, easy planing and better drive in the turn. A perfect balance of speed and turning capability to keep you in the critical part of the wave. With one totally new board design brought into range in the 96L and a few key technical enhancements to the rest of the sizes make the 2015 the best all round Da Curve Quadster range to be put in production. New outlines and rocker lines with enhanced rail sections look to make the Da Curve a must in any true wave chaser’s armory.
PERFORMANCE Having predominantly sailed the 95L boards for the first five days of the test we were keen to see how different the Da Curve performance varied from its larger sibling; the 94 Pocket. The new Da Curve is fitted with lighter weight slot boxes with adjustments to their positioning and also to the mast track in the search for earlier planing and overall poise. The result is a positive for get up and go. With a wide comfortable stance the Da Curve is easy to trim fore and aft. Underway in quad mode the board rides very positively and is in the top three for planing performance. The attempts to improve the boards carry on the wave by requiring less power from the rig to keep it surfing right in the pocket , has provided the by- product of endowing the board with an efficient hull dynamic to rival some of the larger 95l all-round boards with its low energy demands. As is the trend with many “side shore” labeled designs, the Da Curve is overall narrower and thicker in the center than the Pocket. This makes for nice float and ride stability and faster rail to rail response. The result is fast bottom turns followed by the top turn of your choice. We would recommend you start the tuning process by spreading the rear fin(s) and the side bites as far apart as possible. Then start bringing them together to speed up the turning reaction. Stop when you feel a comfortable setting you are in control of and that’s you done! This Da Curve earned the nickname of DA Straight because of its eager planing prowess and carry. It’s easy to get a turn from and as Thomas Traversa has proved in contest time and again, (although we doubt he uses a board this big very often) a board that is easy to sail, like the Da Curve, allows you to do more.
THE VERDICT Billed as “The most complete early planing and easy accelerating Da Curve Quadster range ever”. Minor tweaks on the 2014 model see it work very competently in the on-shore conditions. More adaptable than some side shore boards and still works well in onshore. Easy to ride and sweet to turn.
Tucked away down a narrow country lane between Rock and Padstow, Daymer Bay is without doubt one of the most gorgeous stretches of coastline in Cornwall. It is a fantastic all round location, offering anything from flat water blasting, to jump and jump, right through to hard core waves. With Stepper Point to one side and Trebetherick point on the other guarding the Camel Estuary , you would assume that this sheltered area of outstanding natural beauty is a safe haven from the big winter storms, but catch it on the right day and Daymer can be a devil in disguise and serve up some extremely brutal conditions.
Catching Daymer firing, is all about knowing how this place works, with tides, wind and swell directions absolutely critical. The Motley Crew are not normally ones to shy away from the brunt of any big storm but once in a while, when every other beach is off the hook, the natural amphitheatre of wind and waves at Daymer becomes an serious option.
Words & Photos JOHN CARTER
(This feature originally appeared in the March 2015 issue of Windsurf Magazine. To read more features like this first, Print and Digital subscriptions are available. Prices include delivery globally for 10 x issues a year!)
Storm Chasing
MISSION ONE
Rewind way back to early January when the weather was at its wildest with the latest in a rapid series of sub 950 low pressures unleashing its fury on the UK. Myself, Timo Mullen, Ross Williams, Chris Murray and Andy King had all pretty much overdosed on Christmas and were gagging to get out there and challenge the elements. With wild winds and massive swell set to pound the Cornish coast, we decided it was time to hit Daymer Bay, hoping for a nice wrapping swell with groomed lines held up by the storm force winds. ‘Hoping’ was the key word here; when the weather is off the scale like this with unprecedented conditions, the illusion that you can just waltz around to the nearest sheltered headland and score wave sailing utopia is exactly that. After driving four hours down to the West Country our convoy of wagons finally rolled into the car park at Daymer with high expectations but on arrival high tide with a massive surge made it unsailable for the time being. A quick walk around the headland in the blustery 40 knot plus winds to check the waves rolling into Polzeath was enough to keep us hanging on. Huge sets were smashing into the headland, feathered by the cross off winds. Strangely enough, it was almost flat on the inside at Daymer, so we waited for the tide to race out and that it did. With such a huge surge racing into the Estuary all that water at some point had to go back out on the ebbing tide and sure enough within an hour or so as the water dropped out, the swells started to jack up right across the bay. Huge sets were breaking across the notorious Doom Bar while the inside beach break was forming up nicely. But the massive surge heading out combined with all the chop, swell and churned up water was making for a horrific sea state which was far from the image we had been hoping for.
Committed to Daymer the crew bravely rigged and headed out into the warzone in the extreme conditions. Survival it was, fair play to all the crew who battled the wild chop, gusty wind, driving rain and extremely dangerous outgoing tide. The ridiculous rip and huge close out sets marching through the mouth of the bay made it pretty much impossible to sail on the Doom Bar, with the sea state out of control and far too dangerous to risk any sort of crash or broken kit in the thick of the waves. After two hours of hard-core sailing in the icy winds the crew were ‘over it’ and rather than the usual state of euphoria after a decent session, everyone who had been on the water were dejected by the horrific conditions. Nobody was even up for a pint of Doom Bar (My favourite brew) so without further ado the mission was aborted and we headed home with the feeling that maybe we had been in the wrong place for this huge storm.
“ When every other beach is off the hook, the natural amphitheatre of wind and waves at Daymer becomes a serious option ’’ JC
MISSION TWO After hitting Daymer at high tide, which was definitely the wrong call, I was determined to head back to score this place without such chaos on the water. The lesson had been learned, outgoing tide on an 8m swell with force eight plus southwest winds was a no go! With the wild winter continuing to deliver these absurd storms, it did not take long until the next opportunity came my way, February the 1stto be precise. Another sub 950 low, over 8m swell predicted and storm force winds but crucially this time it would be low tide coming in. The return to Daymer did not quite have the same level of takers as the first mission for some strange reason. Maybe the others had already learned their lesson. Despite being one of the most user friendly beaches in Cornwall in normal conditions, perhaps when its off the Richter scale this place gets too hot to handle. This time round Muzza and Adam Lewis were the only crew available with the desire to chase down another storm surge at Daymer.
So another freezing winters day beckoned. I had to take the train down the night before and stay in Adam Lewis’s family home in Taunton. We were right in the middle of that whole nasty spell of floods and storm damage and one of my main hopes was simply not to get stuck in all the travel chaos. En route stories of disruption were all the news on the radio but somehow we made it through the winding lanes to Daymer without any major hitches. On arrival, we turned up pretty much bang on low tide with a strong cross off shore wind blowing across the channel. It kind of looked like game on but Adam reckoned we should hang on a bit for the tide to push over the sweet spot where it would hit the Doom Bar.
Another gloomy day ensued with bracing winds, hail showers and the Atlantic raging with all its power. With the incoming tide the option to sail the Doom Bar was viable although out off Stepper Point huge waves were crashing onto the rock sending up massive explosions of white water. Solid logo to mast high sets were running down the headland with side off winds tempting both Adam and Chris to venture across the bay. As the tide raced in, this ‘sweet spot’ lasted about an hour before, the whole set up changed as the bay filled with water and the inside beach break started to turn on. Sailing these gnarly conditions in the midst of winter you should play it safe although Adam seemed to be ignoring the dangers of these perilous seas and racing out towards the steepest ramps in the thick of the impact zone and launching into some massive back loops. When Adam was learning to wave sail, Daymer Bay and Polzeath were his two favourite breaks and at least I had the peace of mind that he knows these waters and how hard to push it. Not to be outdone, Muzza was taking no prisoners on the Bar and hitting some chunky sections and launching into some huge floaty aerials.
Towards the end of the session the sky became engulfed by a huge thick blanket of grey cloud combined with 40 knots gusts and driving rain. By this time, even I was over it; the Doom Bar was calling, and not the one out in the middle of the Estuary! OK, Adam and Chris both survived the challenge of raging seas but that was nothing compared to my battle with National Rail to make it back to Portsmouth before the last boat. After being rerouted to some weird and wonderful stations dotted around the West Country I finally made it back home before midnight bedraggled and beaten by the UK railway system. Such was my horrific treatment by some of the station guards I even penned a letter of complaint and posted it off the very next morning, grrrr!
ANDY KING’S INSIDE INFO
Daymer has always been what I class as a fun spot. Only very occasionally full on classic as in down the line perfection but regularly delivering solid wave sailing conditions with great jumping and riding but be warned these conditions can change dramatically with the tide. Best conditions are in a NW wind with mid to high tide and moderate to big westerly swell. You then get cross shore wave sailing on both sides of the estuary. Smaller Starboard tack jumping on the car park side and bigger port tack riding across on the far side. West wind can also be good and although the car park side is far more onshore the far side is much cleaner for riding if a little gusty for jumping. With wind from the north and big swell it is the car park side that turns on but avoid high tide as there is a large wind shadow. The car park side can also be very good in a south westerly and moderate swell for cross on jumping with an incoming mid tide. Plus points – offers great variety of conditions and great place for beginners and intermediates to get out into the waves, offers great jumping for even the advanced wave sailor. Negatives – tide greatly effects conditions with spring tide to be avoided and best practise to catch tide against wind if possible. Car park charges, attendant will fleece an additional charge of 1.50 for each sailor / kiter on top of the standard parking charge….be warned!
“ Daymer Bay is without doubt one of the most gorgeous stretches of coastline in Cornwall ’’JC
ADAM LEWIS When I saw the forecast I was really excited, I hadn’t had a chance to get a good session at Daymer for years. It’s a place that is kind of special to me, back in the Team Airborn days George’s family had an unreal cottage overlooking the bay and we used to sail there a lot. We even used to get abandoned there on windy weekends, sail all day and then walk to Padstow for fish and chips. Over the years we’ve had some awesome sessions. I just guess I have a lot of fond memories of the place and it’s not often it disappoints. I tend to look for a W/SW wind with a slightly larger swell. Actually it works a lot and its usually a bit windier than anywhere else. The only thing you need to be careful of is the tide, if its on the way out there is a lot of water moving out to sea and if there is a big swell it can be really, really choppy almost un-sailable.
The day we sailed it I wasn’t sure what to expect. I’d scored a session in Polzeath the day before but the wind was pretty sketchy and the waves were a bit funky, then as Muzza arrived the wind dropped and the waves went. All that was left was a pretty strong tide surge up the beach; actually I only got off the beach in my car just in time! Then the next day, it didn’t look so windy when we woke up. I was pretty worried but after picking up JC it seemed to pick up on the way. As we arrived we ran round the head land to check it out. My heart soared; it looked mental, mega waves out back and a sailable section at Doom Bar on the inside. We rigged as quick as possible and got out, I only had a 4.2 as my smallest so it made the decision pretty easy. I don’t think I had factored how windy it was until Muzza and I ran to the water. A squall came though and we could hardly walk with the gear.
At that minute I think we both realised what we were in for! With the low tide we sailed on the other side of the bay, it was mental out back, big lumps of ocean breaking and really gusty but if you timed it right you could get a solid wave, I saw Muzza get a pretty good smack! There were some sick ramps too and if you got a gust you could score some epic jumping, I was pretty worried though as you could easily land into a massive wall of whitewash, there was a lot of water moving around and you really didn’t want to be separated from your gear. When its like that its cool to have your buddy around just to keep an eye on each other, we were definitely a team out there that morning. As the tide came in we left Doom Bar and started to sail the beach break by the car park, it was pretty good fun, a bit of a relief after the first session. It was still super windy still but there was some more playful waves. All in all it was a pretty awesome day, a pretty mental first session and then heaps of fun in the afternoon. I was pretty sore in the evening!
PARKING
There is a decent sized car park with toilets and a shop.
GETTIING THERE
Take the A39 to Wadebridge or the A389 from Bodmin. Both these roads meet at a roundabout just NE of Wadebridge. From here you take the small road towards the town centre and after 100 metres you turn right onto the B3314 towards Rock. After a couple of miles there is a small crossroads where you turn left towards Pityme and Rock. At the T junction in Pityme turn left towards Rock and after 50 metres turn left towards Polzeath. About 1.5 miles later you will arrive in Trebetherick, head uphill and at the top take a sharp left down a narrow lane straight down into Daymer Bay. It is a bit of a fiddly place to find but this jewel of British windsurfing is well worth the effort.
WIND DIRECTIONS North Perfect for blasting and waves on the Doom Bar. NW Side shore starboard tack, it can be very dangerous on the outgoing tide. W Cross on from the right. SW Cross shore from the left, cross off on the far side of the bay. S Not the best due to wind shadow from Brea Hill. SE/ E/ NE Gusty winds, not recommended, better for surfing!
EDITORS NOTE
Daymer is in an estuary so watch out for outgoing tides which are best avoided if possible. I witnessed an experienced sailor get airlifted out of the Doom Bar after getting caught out on a outgoing tide and dropping wind. There is a decent sized car park with toilets and a shop.
DOOM BAR
The Doom Bar is the sandbar at the mouth of the estuary of the River Camel, composed mainly of marine sand that is continually being carried up from the seabed. According to tradition, the Doom Bar formed in the reign of Henry VIII, damaging the prosperity of the port of Padstow a mile up the estuary. A Cornish folklore legend however relates that a mermaid created the bar as a dying curse on the harbour after she was shot by a local man. Many ships have been wrecked on the Doom Bar and in 1848 Padstow Harbour Association cut down a small piece of Stepper Point to give ships extra “fair wind” into the harbour. Modern dredging techniques have widened the channel to reduce the hazard to Navigation but accidents have still occurred as recently as 1997. Nowadays its name is most famous as the flagship ale from Sharp’s Brewery just outside Rock. From surf dudes and city slickers to royalty and semi alcoholic windsurfing photographers, this mild 4% bitter has become the bestselling cask ale in the UK.
OTHER THINGS TO DO
The hidden gems on the Cornish Coast and a wonderful place to take the family in the summer. Maybe not quite so nice in a force 9 SW gale in the middle of January! The walk round to Polzeath is stunning and the beach at Daymer has beautiful white sand that stretches for miles. In the summer the traffic can be pretty hectic in and out of the narrow lane and without many passing points can be a bit of a nightmare. Polzeath nearby is a popular surf beach with one of the biggest surf shops in the UK and a well known hangout for holidaying celebrities – David Cameron normally hits the waves there every summer !
It’s likely that, in ten year’s time, U.K. wavesailors will look back on the winter of 2013-14 and talk about it in the same tones as a sun worshipper reflects on the summer of 1976 – an all-time classic.
Amongst the recollections of all those wild and windy days we may well reminisce that the winter storm named Hercules provided some of the biggest waves the Atlantic’s ever produced.
Needless to say, the infamous Motley Crew Red Phone went berserk throughout the Christmas and New Year holidays, but on the morning of January 6th 2014, Hercules triggered the rare Code Black ring tone, indicating an incoming mega swell of unknown proportions. John Carter reports.
OFF THE SCALE With climate change seemingly tipping the scales in favour of wet, wild and windy weather, who knows what the future holds for U.K. weather patterns?
But as far as British wavesailors are concerned, I’ve not heard too many complaining! This winter, storm after storm has hammered the coastlines of Britain and Ireland, causing travel chaos, floods and widespread damage that most folk will remember as the worst in several years.
But for the hardy crew that are prepared to brave the elements, there has been barely a day between sessions to heal up those callouses or recover those sore shoulders the never-ending barrage.
The endless flow of massive low pressures was getting so ridiculous we were almost starting to take mast-high waves and 30 knot sou’wester for granted.
But then, one particular blip out there on the Atlantic radar became a kind of huge black boil and was even heralded ‘larger than the perfect storm’!
Pretty much the whole windsurfing and surfing world were talking about it. ‘Winter storm Hercules’ even mystified the weather experts!
Graphs that usually only go up to black signifying 50-ft. waves, forced them to stretch the scale to white and even gold. In fact the swell reached up to 70 ft. at the height of the storm, with an area of over 300 nautical miles of 50-foot-plus seas.
In simple English, this was the mother of all storms and the only real questions for anyone chasing XXL category waves was ‘where shall we go?’
WRONG PLACE RIGHT TIME Hercules promised two days of massive waves that were forecast to hit pretty much every single south and west-facing break in the U.K., not to mention the coastlines of France, Spain, Portugal, Morocco, the Canary Islands and every reef and beach all the way down to the Cape Verde islands.
Everywhere was set for a hammering, with many of the forecasts warning that it was simply going to be too big and out of control in most spots and advising all but the most experienced watermen to stay out of the water.
With this in mind, I had made a plan to head to Cornwall with an open brief as the storm hit on Monday morning and then possibly score the Tuesday at The Bluff, which hopefully would be cleaner and better with clearer weather and less chaotic conditions.
With huge spring tides a major factor and 60-knot winds as Hercules hit on Monday morning, we heard from local sailor Ian Black that The Bluff was off-the-scale and pretty much un-sailable.
At this point we were an hour away and pretty much committed to sailing somewhere on the north coast of Cornwall or Devon. Apparently Blacky, Andy Fawcett, Harvey Dawkins and a few others had made it in for an hour on the high tide, but none of them had barely ridden a wave and were all glad to make it back to the beach in one piece.
Bearing that in mind, we made a huge call to head up the coast to Lynmouth, a sheltered point break that promised clean waves, cross-off wind and down-the -line perfection.
Without paying too much attention to any maps we set off in convoy with Timo Mullen leading the line, myself and Ross Williams in the second wagon and Chris Murray ‘Muzza’ bringing up the rear.
To cut a long story short, we arrived in Lynmouth after a three-hour nightmare on the winding roads of Devon to find some semi-decent surf, but barely a breath of wind at the bottom of the surrounding cliffs.
In other words, we’d blown it. To make matters worse, Timo was committed to a meeting in Manchester the following day while the rest of us would have to retrace our tracks all the way back to Hayle and hope we could pull something back the next morning.
Six hours driving on that day of the year was a real killer, but as if the day hadn’t been bad enough, during the tedious journey back to Hayle through lashing rain and horrific conditions, reports were starting to filter through of Alfie Hart and a Welsh crew scoring epic mast-and-a-half point breaks, while we also heard the south coast back home was having it, with every break from Weymouth, Avon, The Isle of Wight, Hayling Island and Pagham all on fire.
Over in Ireland, Finn Mullen had scored in the North West and the final nail in the coffin was Blacky starting to rephrase his earlier report that the Bluff was not so bad after all.
On the surfing side of the news, a crew, that included Antoine Albeau, had posted shots from Belharra, France of themselves surfing 60-foot-plus waves.
Meanwhile down in Morocco, Boujmaa Guilloul paddled into huge surf at Anchor Point, while down in Guincho, Portugal, one of my favourite beach bars had been washed away. (What? No more icy-cold Superbocks? Ed.)
Further afield in the Canary Islands, Danny Bruch was making Social Media headlines, dropping into huge barrels at a secret slab on his paddleboard in Tenerife.
To say we were frustrated would be putting it mildly! Instead of that feeling of stoke after an amazing day on the water, we finally hit the pub in Hayle, merely to eat as a necessity, rather than a celebration of the great day it should’ve been.
I was feeling that low and empty, that even a beer wasn’t going to solve any issues. We were at rock bottom!
JUDGEMENT DAY If Lady Luck ever felt she owed somebody a break, surly we were first in line after the previous day’s catastrophe? All I could do was imagine all those shots I had missed but in all reality, maybe it had been too big and I was just feeling sorry for myself.
Having bunked down in the Travel Lodge in Hayle overnight, we headed to the Golden Arches to load up on Sausage McMuffins before heading to the Bluff.
New Year’s resolutions of a healthier diet were going to have to wait, this promised to be a big day and we had no time to mess about. Outside, the sky looked kind of clear and the trees were still waving around despite the forecast calling for it to drop off later in the afternoon.
Perhaps we were going to score a windfall of epic conditions? Surely after those ridiculous waves there must be plenty of leftovers for the second course?
After all, the call from Magic Seaweed was still giving a six-metre swell with an 18-sec. period. In my books, that’s still massive! ‘Come on Carter’ I murmured to myself, ‘Start focussing and look on the bright side!’
Up in the car park, the local crew were all sat in their vans and cars pensively checking the conditions. Andy Fawcett, Harvey and Blacky – the usual suspects – are always there when it’s big.
Fair play to these guys. With the tide right up to the rocks, the wind on the edge and pumping eight-to-ten-foot close-out sets, I already was thinking the worst.
That this was going to be one of those frustrating days when the elements don’t quite play ball the way you want them to. But Andy Fawcett and company looked pretty optimistic and were already starting to rig, ready for their second day up against the Herculean Storm.
Without further ado, everything started to click into place. The tide started to slowly recede, the waves were cleaning up and still firing, blue sky seemed to be dominating overhead – and the wind was even looking steadier.
The swell had no doubt subsided slightly from its peak, but there were still massive sets to make for an epic big-wave, Bluff session.
Out to sea, I could see massive lumps of swell marching across the horizon, while the waves crashing over the rocks at Godrevey lighthouse signified that this was no ordinary day.
Downwind I could just about make out a couple of brave punters headed out at Mexicos, but the Bluff seemed a little more cross-offshore and cleaner, so it made sense to stay put.
Within an hour everyone was out in the thick of the action, playing mental poker with their wave selection decisions. Choose the wrong one, get caught out by a bone-crunching set and for sure it would mean game over and one long swim back in.
Hayle breaks either side of a river mouth, so with the outgoing tide there’s also a nasty current that can drag you back out through the waves if you’re caught floundering with broken gear.
Ross Williams was simply not messing around and making no bones about picking off the biggest sets and charging hard from the word go!
After yesterday’s fiasco, it looked like he had a score to settle and was smacking aerials and powering out huge hacks as if were 3-4 feet rather than mast-high, top-to-bottom close-outs.
Andy Fawcett bided his time wisely before cranking out some huge aerials on the meatiest of sections, while Blacky was deep in the thick of the biggest sets and throwing down some full-rail turns when he could find a decent section to dice with.
By early afternoon both Harvey and Ross had broken masts and, for most of the crew it was game over, as the heavy waves dredged onto the shallows.
Muzza had also been revelling in the thick of the action though, ironically, his only equipment damage came when he slipped up on the rocks on leading back to the car park, poor guy.
With the tide racing out, the waves began slamming down on the sand bar, a situation Blacky refers to as ‘low tide death’ and it was time to trade places with Alan Stokes and a gang of Cornish hot shot surfers who had come down to film some huge barrels and challenge Hercules on their terms at The Bluff.
Despite a few hiccups along the way, Lady Luck had finally shone down on us and I reckon we must have been in one of the best spots to accommodate this Richter-Scale swell.
Every trip I take around the country on our quest to explore the best the U.K. coastline has to offer, I always come back armed with a few extra titbits of useful information, which is all useful knowledge for the future. Maybe Lynmouth goes off on its day in extraordinary conditions, but as far as I’m concerned, I won’t be heading that way for some time to come.
Next time a massive storm of this proportion comes along, I have a few spots in mind where I’ll be headed and North Devon won’t be on the list!
Having said all that it was a beautiful spot and, for surfers, it’s one of the best breaks in England when most other beaches are maxed out – it’s just that at the time we were there we weren’t exactly in the frame of mind to appreciate the scenery!
HERCULES VS. NEPTUNE – THE AFTERMATH After causing ‘Polar Vortex’ havoc in the USA, Winter Storm Hercules certainly left its mark. In Porthcothan, Cornwall a huge rock arch formation was smashed by pounding waves, while up in Wales, the seafront at Aberystwyth was pummelled by the storm surges as the sea defences failed to cope with the waves.
On the South Coast, at Portland, the flood siren was sounded at Chesil Beach as powerful swells hammered the manmade defences. 70 mph. gusts at Sennen, near Lands End, helped fuel waves to crash over the whole town, while spectacular surf at the lighthouse in Porthcawl made the front page of most of the tabloids.
On the Continent, set waves in Portugal breached sea walls, flipped cars and tore down harbours, while many homes all along the Atlantic Coast were flooded or lost power.
Over in Ireland, one surge actually burst open through a pub door, imagine that, when you’re sipping a pint of Guinness in front of a log fire, although actually, in Ireland maybe they didn’t even notice?
The power and the dangers of the sea should never be underestimated and, even though many of us like to think we can cope with the big stuff, always weigh up the dangers when sailing in big storms, never sail alone – and watch out for your mates!
Even if you go along to watch a storm armed with a flask of hot chocolate and a camera, beware of standing too close to breaching waves and if you see a huge set coming, while you’re on a vulnerable promenade – run like hell!
ROSS WILLIAMS “I got so excited when I saw this last massive low pressure directly in the firing line for the U.K. All signs were pointing to this swell being The Big One! The night we drove down I don’t sleep at all.
“I kept thinking about what it would be like. Unfortunately the first day didn’t go according to plan and the hours of driving around the Devon and Cornish countryside crushed my spirit. That night I tried to relaxed and rest up ready for the second day.
“Though we had missed Big Monday, the actual forecast was looking amazing for the next morning and we were not disappointed. It was high tide at The Bluff when we arrived, but it was showing all the signs that it would turn into an epic day.
“By the time I was ready to set foot on the water most of the local crew were arriving too and rigging.
“I really don’t think we could’ve asked for more perfect conditions. I think they were the best waves I’ve sailed so far at The Bluff. There were still some big old lumps to chicken gybe around and equipment-breaking lips that made my heart pump.
“I remember hitting the lip just right on a few waves and I could feel the focus of the wave chucking me skywards – now that is one of the best feelings in windsurfing!
“This has been my first full winter in the U.K. in many years. It’s really brought home to me how good our own country can be on its day. I’m not sure if we’ll have many more sessions like this for a while, but I hope so!”
IAN BLACK Honestly, the last thing I needed was Hercules turning up on our doorstep! I wasn’t really up for it! I’d literally spent the last two weeks getting relentlessly beaten trying to keep up with ‘Marky’ Mark Meardon who seemed completely oblivious to the fact that every day was serving-up mast-high, dredging close outs!
‘Yeah it’s going off’ seemed to be his daily take on the situation!
After checking the forecast, Daymar looked like a definite possibility. But, for ‘the biggest swell of the century’, surely somewhere would be sailable other than Daymer?
Would the wind be too offshore for ‘over the river Bluff’? I took a chance along with the rest of the local crew and rocked up to check it out.
We were greeted by doom close outs, even at high tide. It looked like a no-win day, just like the other recent days I’d sailed and got slaughtered – but this time on steroids!
Everyone seemed keen Was I missing something? There were no excuses, the boys were rigging and heading out …
I’m glad I sailed, just to say I was out, but it was one of those frustrating days. The wind was just a fraction too offshore, certainly for the size of the swell.
Five degrees more to the west and it would have been off the scale. As the tide dropped out, the waves actually became more makeable – some of the best surf I’ve ever seen in Cornwall – but so many slipped underneath you, dam it was annoying!
Oh what a stupid, crazy sport! Still, we survived. I think all of us came close to getting The Bad News. There was a whole load of water moving about out there and in hindsight it was all a bit sketchy!
The following couple of days always looked the best on the forecast and, sure enough, it went off. The next day at The Bluff the Gods were kind to us and, for about an hour or so, was as good as it gets.
The Bluff, when it’s on, is as good as anywhere. Glassy, reeling lefthanders in the river mouth just like ‘the good old days’, the stuff dreams are made of! Just ‘INSANE’. These days really do make windsurfing the best sport in the world!
THE LOW-DOWN We have the heavier duty CED model of the 3S on test here as opposed to the lighter LTD version. Sporting a new bottom shape with a double concave throughout (particularly pronounced in the mid-section), it has a wide one-foot-off measurement but quickly narrows in the tail to finish with a swallow-tail. The 3S also has stepped cutouts in the tail – the only board in this group to do so. The fin supplied is a 28cm powerbox foil and the fittings are the same as last year, with thick shock absorbing pads, multiple strap positions and Cobra footstraps.
BRAND CLAIM “The 3S is the “Swiss army knife” of the windsurf world. You can freeride, bump and jump, bust out some freestyle and smack some lips on these boards and they just don’t care! Arguably one of the best all-round boards on the market, the 3S just gets better and better. If you are a first-time gybe master or jumper, or a heavier wave riding warrior, the 3S boards make everyone happy. Fun, easy, fast and friendly you will be impressed in all conditions!”
PERFORMANCE On the water, the 3S has a very easy and user-friendly nature that becomes increasingly apparent and welcome as the conditions become more severe. But let’s go back to the start… In marginal winds, the 3S 96 releases easily from the water, gathering speed smoothly as power is delivered to reach a fast top speed. It does have a limit and won’t accelerate beyond it, but this ceiling is plenty for most. However, the lasting impression we were left with, having used the 3S is just how planted it felt, gliding over the water and seeming to absorb any impact from jarring chop. It has a progressive rocker-line that starts early, leaving the shoulders high and clear of any trouble, whilst the mid-section of the board seems to just sit there and retain contact with the water without rocking from rail to rail or feeling sticky. As such, you are gifted the opportunity to adopt whichever stance you fancy as the rider. Lock in and drive against the fin, or stand upright and over the board, the 3S just sits there ready and willing. This would be particularly useful for the progressing intermediate as they can stand-up and sheet out in gusts, safe in the knowledge that the board will behave. In the carve, the 3S bites dependably, and holds its rail well, the dome of the deck helping to apply the pressure and keep it engaged. It is smooth, easy and assured rather than loose or sharp, making it an ideal platform to charge confidently into new territories and push your own boundaries.
THE VERDICT With an easy, versatile and planted riding style, the 3S is ideal for progressing intermediates whilst retaining enough scope and life to be lots of fun for the experienced real-world coastal sailor as well.
Ross Willams is no stranger to podiums but even by his high standards – lying second in the PWA slalom rankings is quite an achievement –
fresh back in the UK after scoring 2ND place in Costa Brava, Windsurf managed to catch up with Ross Williams for the low down on his incredible start to the PWA race season:
WS: You had a podium moment – explain !!
“On the stage at the prize giving, I drunk this traditional Spanish wine, ‘down in one’, I just had to! I noticed none of the winners over the past few years had finished the wine and last time I was on the podium I did it. So I said to myself, ‘I am going to do this’ it was a sweet wine, not very nice but I had to show the boys how it is done! I was in the moment, Williams can do it! I was stoked!
WS: Did you expect to do so well ?
”I knew I was in the running, I had arrived early and lined up with quite a few guys. My feeling was good. In Korea I had raced on 7.9 in a few heats, my 8.6 was good and my 9.5 was also fast. I knew I was top five for speed. I always have a solid technique to plane in lighter winds and some of the wind we raced in was straight seven knots. If you get covered by a sail it feels more like 4 knots! It is quite tactical but all part of the game. It is good to have racing in light winds as well as the stronger stuff. It gives other racers a chance to shine through. It was harsh conditions but it was contestable.
One aspect is to be fast, but it is just as important to have power. I went for the power and sacrificed some of my top end speed. Some guys just think they have to go as fast as they can but they get to the mark and they have no power. I went with a rig I knew would plane when I started pumping. In the first final I went for it on the start. I knew if I could make the first mark in the lead I would probably win the race. I blew it and went over early but I was in the final so that was the important thing. My two main strategies were to race consistent and race with powerful equipment and they paid off.
I was super stoked to take second. Over the course of Korea and Costa Brava I felt I deserved to have a podium, after making all the finals. I was the only one who has done that, not even Albeau can match me there! I am happy with this start to the season; it is my most consistent start for a while. I feel a bit like Albeau must do, I know I am fast so I don’t have to push it on the line and I can start out of the way of trouble and make it up round the rest of the course. Fuerteventura will be stronger winds but I have been top five over there, I am one of the quickest I am sure. I think Albeau is beatable this year, he makes mistakes, it happens. I think the Pryde guys will be fast in the stronger winds for sure. Pierre Mortefon is also fast, he is a danger, the next two events will be more drag racing we will see.
My goal is to be on the podium for the year in slalom. I would like to come back and do a solid year of waves as well as the racing. I would like to go for all three again, Formula, slalom and wave! I just want to do waves, I miss it and it is fun. I am more on a mission this year. I am in the game, I am second overall in the rankings and although it is still quite a long year and lots will happen, at least I am in the running. The past few seasons I have started badly and I was chasing, now I am the one in the driving seat and I can train harder with more motivation to stay there. A few people have made mistakes, but there are still a lot of dangerous sailors to contend with. If you can make top five at every event this year then you can be on the podium at the end of the season. It is a great start at least and I have a building block to work on, maybe this year will be my year!”
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THE LOW-DOWN This is the smallest of Tabou’s new ‘Rocket Wide’ range and we are testing it here in its standard CED construction. With the Rocket remaining a strong fixture in the Tabou line-up, it would be interesting to see where the ‘Wide’ siblings fit…
BRAND CLAIM ‘’We invested lot of time and a crazy number of hours testing to achieve the wide freeride board that we are very proud to present you now, offering an incredibly easy, wide range! This board has got it all for any keen freerider: very early planing, speed, acceleration and passing through lulls effortlessly. It has great control and on top of that a super easy jiber where you don’t lose any speed and come out as fast as you entered. This is the board that will help you pass to the
next level.’’
PERFORMANCE At 73cm wide, the Rocket Wide is significantly wider than all the others on test here, bar the Simmer. Its plan shape is very rounded until its tail, which is pinched in and home to some deep cutouts. Not surprisingly therefore, the 108 is super easy and stable at rest, capable of carrying the 8.0m suggested by Tabou (albeit requiring a larger fin than supplied; a 38cm fin seemed to work fine). From there on, the board’s performance took us down a path of intrigue and experiment, with several real surprises in store. It planes very early and accelerates smoothly and subtly, providing time and stability for the intermediate to work their feet outboard and into the straps. It is also deceptively fast, the pronounced vee and double concaves cutting effortlessly through chop and enabling the board to just sit calmly by, encouraging you to plough more power in to see where its abilities will lead to. Even severely confused conditions (where we envisaged the 108’s width would count against it and make it rock from rail to rail), didn’t unnerve it, instead seeming to hover flat over the worst of the chop and not get involved. We suspect a large reason for this is that the vee diminishes by the front straps, leaving pronounced double that acts like a set of stabilisers as the board charges forwards. Either way, the Rocket Wide’s fantastic retained composure was a welcome surprise. The other pleasant surprise was its cornering ability. Stamp on the rail and drive aggressively through the turn or cut a wider more measured arc, the 108’s ability to keep its speed and glide through the exit of the gybe was as if it had an auto pilot installed. As such, the Rocket Wide was a real pleasure to use by advanced riders and would undoubtedly find favour with progressing riders as well. So the question now is whether the longstanding Rocket range has been superseded?
THE VERDICT The Magic Ride offers super early planing and an engaging lively ride that will serve to inspire, making average conditions a lot more fun. Needs a strong hand to get the most from in severe conditions.
Many wave hungry sailors have faced those barren stretches of windless forecasts and then spotted a tiny glitch on the weather map hinting at a remote chance of a decent session. The big dilemma is whether to simply let those fifty /fifty gambits fly past or do you take the bull by the horns and go chase it down. Even once you are committed then nothing is guaranteed, this is one of those sketchy ones that might deliver a few cracking waves or you may be sat on the beach cursing your decision to burn a £100 in fuel and waste a day. John Carter talks us through a couple of scenarios earlier this year that may well boost your confidence to keep faith in the weather gurus and roll the dice and go for it!
Words & Photos JOHN CARTER
CORNISH CRACKERS
“Are you guys on drugs?” Was the reaction from Blacky when he heard we were driving down to Cornwall on one of Timo’s hairbrained schemes to cure a dry spell on his normally fully booked windsurfing diary. We were looking at a wisp of North West wind that promised to scratch the very far corner of Cornwall along with a 2.5m long range south swell that could easily be tiny if the forecast was slightly wrong. A couple of times before we had thought about chasing a similar situation and once I had even made the three hour trip to Poole, checked the Bantham web cam and headed straight back home after spending ten minutes on the platform. Today I was equally committed having travelled up to Timo’s the previous night and judging by Blacky’s call we were lining up for another potential catastrophe. With the rest of the country one hundred per cent windless, we were chasing the very edge of a weak pressure system and possibly relying on some local acceleration for our gamble to pay dividends. The one thing the forecast was unanimous about was sunny weather at least; the rest was down to mother nature to cooperate.
“ Our wager was actually paying off, clean waves on a reef, no crowds, the sort of setup you would be happy to travel abroad for but we were scoring on UK shores ! ’’
Timo’s choice spot for the mission was a fickle reef break on the south coast of Cornwall that incidentally had a solid chance of being loaded with surfers at any hint of a south swell. The odds were certainly stacked against us. In order to pull off this crazed plan we left in the dark and were already in Cornwall by 8am staring out at some funky sets at Marazion and barely a breath of wind. We were both speechless, defiant to admit we had possibly blundered. Our first thought was damage limitation, grab a quick surf and then head back home to appease the wives at a reasonable hour. After a bit more driving around and now at Praa Sands, we were still deliberating when Blacky finally answered his phone, most likely just to rub salt in the wounds. But lo and behold, Blacky was slightly positive and reckoned the breeze was filling in down at Lands End and his brother had just checked the surf and some solid south sets were starting to hit the Cornish coast. Another half hour passed, the clock was ticking and we were now gathered on the cliffs looking down at this south coast secret reef break trying to guesstimate the strength of the wind.
“ on this rare occasion it was west/north west , the perfect cross offshore direction at Niton, with head to logo high sets and going off ! ’’
Sure it had picked up and was feathering the tops off the waves but then we spotted a couple of kiters trying to launch their kites but they dropped straight out of the sky and they ditched their plan in exchange for surfboards. Enough was enough for Timo and he ran back to the van to gather his light wind gear determined to give it a shot. After throwing his kit off the rocks and swimming it out to the wind line Timo was up on the board and planing straight off the bat, now it was Blacky’s turn to dash to the van ! Timo’s first wave was a half mast high pit, driving bottom turn and solid round house cutback, it was on ! Our wager was actually paying off, clean waves on a reef, no crowds, the sort of setup you would be happy to travel abroad for but we were scoring on UK shores ! Blacky was well up for a piece of the action and showed all the style on the water he is famous for. I am pretty certain Timo and Blacky were the only two guys wave sailing in the whole of the country on this particular day. So judge for yourself, was it worth it? Timo was pretty stoked to be out on the water catching waves and the alternative would have been zero action back at home, most likely checking the forecast down in Cornwall every half an hour wondering whether we were missing out or not. Plus we had the last laugh on Blacky who had probably missed the best of the conditions procrastinating about the conditions while Timo snagged the biggest waves of the day !
WIGHT WATERS
A couple of weeks later, I was at home in my office working away quite contentedly when my phone started buzzing with Ross Williams trying to contact me. As far as I was concerned today was out of the question for windsurfing, I knew the weather pattern had been calling for dying westerly winds overnight and had not even given the forecast a decent check over. Ross had different ideas and fair play to him, he was on it and reckoned that there was some good ground swell hitting the island and the wind was swinging west to north west through the morning meaning Niton could be classic. I played along with Ross on the phone and told him I would come straight down if the signs looked good when he was almost there.So I carried on behind the computer, not even bothering to pack any camera gear or make any preparations to head out; you could say I was being lazy but I simply was not convinced in my mind that this day was worth bothering with. Ten minutes later a text came through from Ross with a message saying it was looking sick and that he could see swell breaking along the coast. Finally I started to twitch and had a quick look at a few web cameras and channel wave buoys; just maybe, Ross was onto something !. Obviously this was an easy drive for me, half an hour and I would be at Niton, but all the same I did not want to waste my day on a wild goose chase, so without positive Intel I was staying put. But then my phone started buzzing again, it was Ross, now at the top of the track at Niton making one last call before the signal disappeared at the bottom of the cliffs. “JC, I hope you are on your way, please don’t tell me your still at home, Niton is on fire, its bloody epic!”
All of a sudden I had to shift through the gears, chuck all my camera equipment in the back of the car and blast up the road on a mad dash towards the southernmost point of the Island. For sure the forecast was one of those fickle ones but Ross had been hungry enough to believe it was worth a shot and I had been unusually caught totally off guard. By the time I had darted through every short cut known to man, I made it just in time to be at the top of the hill and see Ross launching and heading out to catch his first wave.
“ these sessions go to show, that just when you least expect it, windsurfing can catch you unaware and deliver some surprisingly magical conditions ’’
Normally westerly is a smidgen onshore while North West is a touch too offshore but on this rare occasion it was west/north west , the perfect cross offshore direction at Niton, with head to logo high sets and going off !. In a blind panic I careered down the bumpy track that leads to the car park just in time to watch Ross flying through an aerial on his first wave of the session. Luckily for me the magical window with the perfect wind direction continued for the next bunch of waves before the wind backed to the west and a more regular more cross shore day at Niton. Having being brought up surfing and sailing around this stunning stretch of coastline on the Island, Ross really does know Niton like the back of his hand. He knows every little idiosyncrasy of this spot, where to be, which swells to gybe on and when to charge and smack it hard. Niton may not quite be up there with the best breaks in Cornwall but on its day, it’s a real fun place to sail or surf. I will be the first to admit that my finger was not on the pulse for this particular sojourn. Niton is one of my favourite spots and I am not sure why I was not on the case. Thanks to Ross, at least I made it in time to shoot a few clean waves peeling down the point; if only I had been there an hour earlier; next time there will be no excuses !
Both these sessions go to show, that just when you least expect it, windsurfing can catch you unaware and deliver some surprisingly magical conditions. You just have to keep your goggles peeled to the forecasts and be prepared to keep checking that beach, whether its right on your doorstep or slightly off the beaten track. Next time you are in doubt, don’t miss out. JC
For the first time in seventeen years, Britain’s number one all-rounder, Ross Williams, made the decision to drop his normal winter training regime in reliable conditions abroad in exchange for a winter at home on the Isle of Wight. The plan paid off handsomely after he tapped in to a perfect pattern of low pressures which lit up all of his favourite breaks for windsurfing and surfing around the notorious southern tip and west coast of the island. With his slalom addictions taken care of by various trips to the OTC at Weymouth and one short training trip to visit GA team mate Ben Van Der Steen in Tarifa, Ross is now perfectly
recharged and refuelled for the forthcoming season. So what brought on the decision to exchange warm trade winds, board shorts and T-shirts for 5mm wetsuit’s, frosty mornings and numb fingers? We dispatched the UK’s number one windsurfing investigative journalist, John ‘Snoop’ Carter, to find out.
Photos John Carter
JC: Come on then Ross, spill the beans, what swung you to stay home this winter on the Isle of Wight rather than travel to Cape Town or Maui to train?
Ross: I am the UK agent for Gaastra/Tabou/Vandal with Windsurfing, kitesurfing and SUP. This will be my 3rd year in the role and sales are starting to pick up. We are seeing much more of the brands in the shops and on the water. It has been a lot of work, and I take this role very seriously, I want to be the best in whatever I take on. It took a lot of time to build the relationships up with the shops, finding ways that you can work together for mutual benefit. I am lucky I have such strong brands and I can offer pretty much any type of equipment that a shop would need. I have been very fortunate to have been able to travel and compete all over the world in my career as a pro, and now as I am a little older, it is actually nice to be more settled. I was actually looking forward to spending more time sailing and surfing in the UK over the winter when usually as a pro I go overseas to work and train. I lucked out with some amazing conditions at home on the Isle of Wight this winter so I have been able to spend a lot of time on the water, while constantly working side by side on my UK network. It is also nice to be back with my family, my brothers and their little kids; it’s been great for my soul. So in short, yes it is cold and maybe a little harder to motivate yourself, but if you are strong in your mind you can achieve whatever you want. Family, UK, competing and building a lifestyle that I am happy with, that is all the motivation I need.
JC: Has it been beneficial to you to have a permanent base ?
Ross: It certainly has been a pleasure to be back at home. I still live with my parents as this makes the most financial sense at the moment. My mum has been a rock for me, I think she understands that I basically have very little free time and I am working towards my goals. My dad, my brothers and everyone around me have been amazing and I feel I really missed that aspect in my life for many years while I was selfishly running around the world (laughs)! It has been great connecting with everyone in the UK, both friends and family. I think it is important to be around those people that make you happy. It’s a real help when it comes to understanding yourself and finding your way through life. Sometimes the people or places that you push away from while you are growing up are the things that will be always be there for you and that is what has been great about being home. It is also very refreshing to come back in from the water to a nice warm house, and to be around people that love you and want the best for you. I am still living out of my bags or van as I travel around the UK, but it has still been beneficial for me to be in the UK and build up that thirst again for the competition season when you know you have a few months of travelling around the globe coming up again.
“ yes it is cold and maybe a little harder to motivate yourself, but if you are strong in your mind you can achieve whatever you want ”
JC: Where have you been doing your slalom tuning and training?
Ross: I have actually been doing more slalom sailing this winter then in the last couple of years. I realized I haven’t really been taking care to be prepared in time, unrolling new sails and untested masts and fins at the first events and things like that. I decided it was time to focus a little more on that area. I have been training in Weymouth and helping some of the guys on the UK Gaastra/Tabou team and in turn they have helped me a lot. Kev Greenslade and Simon Petitfer have been awesome and the whole crew down with Tris Best at the OTC. Weymouth is for sure one of the best locations you can be to test and train slalom here in the UK. I have also been working a lot on fins with Steve Cook from F-hot. I think F-hot now have some of the best designs for slalom and is largely due to all the effort Steve has personally put in. I also made a short trip down to Tarifa to see and train with Benny Van Der Steen. He has also been a big help to us at Gaastra and Tabou. I see positive things happening to all our race team this year, we have been able to already make the step forward for 2016 Vapours and Mantas and everyone is getting on nicely in the team which in turn will benefit us all.
JC: What about your local breaks we heard Niton and Ventnor have been on fire this winter?
Ross: It has been a pleasure to score those sessions. With the forecasting being so accurate these days it is possible to look on the internet, pick those two or three hours that will be the best, go, have fun and then get back to work knowing you scored it. As usual in the UK, we have had a lot of these low pressures moving over us, so I reckon most of the winter I could get in the water for good surfing and wave sailing at these spots three to four times a week. For sure we had a great run up to Christmas and most of January without it being too cold. I remember having a really fun session at Ventnor while the tide was low and pushing, with the wind being south west, lots of sun. So we knew as the day went on the waves would get bigger and the wind also was due to swing more Westerly, which it did! So towards high tide we drove around to Niton and surfed it at high on the drop, and later when there was less water, we sailed again! It was brilliant, and you could pretty much guarantee that you would be able to do this every time a low pressure would pass over.
JC: Do any sessions stand out in particular?
Ross: You know what, there has been so many that I really can’t pick one out. Maybe it was a sailing and then surfing session at Niton when Jamie Hawkins and Neil Gent were over, I had so many sick waves that day. We even went for a pint in the Buddle Inn up the hill; you know it has been epic when everybody wants to stop for a pint on the way home to relive the best moments of the day!
JC: What about Surfing, we heard you have been building up quite a quiver of surfboards?
Ross: Yes, it is my little collection thing I have going on. I have a rather large section of JS boards that my brother’s shop, ‘Earth, Wind and Water’, has been dangling in front of me like a carrot in front of a donkey. In all honesty I surf all the boards I own; I like some for small front side waves and others for backside or heavier waves. It’s actually helped me understand a lot more about board shapes and rockers, so hopefully I can put some of those feelings across into some new windsurfing shapes for Tabou.
JC: What about the cold water, has this reduced your normal amount
of water time?
Ross: I didn’t think it was really that cold this winter, and if you got the right equipment then you can deal with it. I was staying in the water for up to four hours a session. Essential to me is being warm, so make sure you choose a decent wetsuit. Mystic have totally styled me out and I know I am lucky for that. I am fortunate to have a few winter Mystic Majestic and Legend’s so I try and make sure I put on a dry wettie. A few times I have been caught out by being lazy and not taking them in to dry overnight and then surfed a dawnie and had to suck it up.
JC: Having spent a winter in the UK – what are your tips for maximising winter UK sessions
Ross: I think the most important thing is to be prepared, that means to be really on it with the forecast, the best tides, waves and wind. The conditions can change quickly and you might need to react and change spots. I also always make sure I have at least a couple of dry wetsuits, water and food, so I maximise my sessions. Wind and rain can be off putting if you are cold so being well rested and warm before and during your beach trips can help motivate. I find also that sailing with a bunch of your friends helps you stay motivated and not notice the harsh climate!
JC: You have a pretty trick van, does that make winter sailing more pleasant?
Ross: I have had my van a bit more kitted out for my UK demands, I wanted to be free to travel and make the most of conditions, so I need the van to be liveable in. I have a large storage space separate from the living area, as it’s no good having your wet gear in where you sleep and eat. This space can hold about 8 boards and 15 rolled up sails and masts, kites, surfboards, whatever you need. And then in the front is the living area. The van is insulated and has a sick heater and water tank that is connected to an outside shower, which is also heated . Then I have a sink and some hobs for cooking, lots of cupboard space for clothing and equipment, (cooking and camera.). Then the most important thing, the bed! It is the most comfortable big bed I have ever had with a memory foam mattress. There is also another pull out bed and small table for eating. I only really use these things when I am on the road and off the island. If I am going local, then I think the most useful thing has been the ability to get changed in the warm and not having to suffer the cold, wet, dirty ground outside!
JC: Do you tune your gear any differently for UK conditions ?
Ross: I don’t usually tune my gear differently, I have my style and that’s that. The wind is maybe more dense in the winter time so it can feel harder, so maybe you find yourself using slightly smaller equipment. This winter I found that the wind was actually pretty clean in the UK until the end of January, and then it seemed to become a little gustier and more unpredictable. I like to sail with a fully powered sail so I am always up and planing around.
So for me I look for a good, light feeling, controllable 5 batten sail that’s really comfortable to sail in the upper wind limits. From my experience, a good 5 batten sail is the key to enjoying your sailing in the maximum amount of wind ranges. That’s not to say that the 3 or 4 batten sails are not great sails, just that in the Manic 5 batten sail I feel we have the best of all worlds, it’s super light and soft, which helps let the sail breathe easily and pump to get the low end power, even if you do not feel the sail pulling, it’s discreetly efficient. At the high end, it’s for sure one of the fastest, most stable sails you can hope to use.
“ you know it has been epic when everybody wants to stop for a pint on the way home ! ”
JC: Thruster or quad for UK conditions?
Ross: Again this is quite a personal decision and depends on your board shapes. I use Thrusters, for my style they work the best with the compact ‘pocket’ shaped boards I ride. The Tabou pocket waves are easy planing, stable, flattish rocker and have thin rails that cut into the choppy water. This helps me get away with using lower volume boards. I would say that a lot of normal UK wave sailors would benefit from keeping it simple. Maybe too many of them get pushed too soon into taking multi fin boards, where they would actually make more progress if they kept to single fin boards that get going quickly and are stable.
JC: What are your ambitions for the forthcoming season?
Ross: Top five in slalom would be awesome! I would like our brands to be successful and for everyone who chooses one of our products to be stoked! Oh and maybe some surfing and wave travel trips! They are good for the mind!
JC: What about the future, how do you see your career developing?
Ross: The new role is great, I am very happy to be working within the company. Also the role as international team manager has been fun, I want to be useful and help out the company and the riders as best I can. I know how everything works, I have been with both brands now for fifteen years. We are becoming stronger and stronger each year. Thomas was world champion and Gaastra won the Constructor’s title, so 2014 was a solid year, I hope 2015 will be even better! I want to do what I am doing and keep windsurfing for as long as possible. At some point the international competing will stop, but I hope to continue to work and be of valuable service to the brands for many more years.
JC: Finally, what is your advice for budding young pros.
Ross: Watch the videos online, dream big, practice hard, always make sure you are enjoying your sailing and push your own limits every session!
To celebrate Graham Ezzy joining team Tabou the nice folk at
4boards.co.uk are giving away a free board bag and an extra set of K4 fins when you buy a 2015 Pocket Wave or DaCurve and if that’s not enough to buff your plums they are also offering free mainland UK carriage on all offers over £100 until April 1st!!
Congratulations to Ross Williams on his win at the 2015 Tiree Wave Classic. Phil Horrocks was second and Andy Chambers came in third. Check out the day 5 video for what went down…
‘I took the ferry over earlier this week (with my dog, Fergus) to meet Ross Williams at a little spot on the southern tip of the UK right by St. Catherines Point. It was a little bit onshore but still plenty of fun’
Today Gaastra Windsurfing launched a video promotion on their GA Gaastra Facebook page which will run for the month of December. They are giving someone the chance to win their dream sail from our 2016 range and will be announcing the winner in the first week in January.
Simply LIKE our page and in the comments section below state your dream GA Sail model and size from our 2016 range for a chance to win that sail!
*Promotion ends at midnight 31st December 2015 with the winner announced the following week.
I get sick of all the kids doing the cool new tricks. My new saying is spin it to win it, so here you go with my guide to the air taka and tips to get you in the spin.
Words KEVIN PRITCHARD // Photos JIMMIE HEPP
(This feature originally appeared in the September 2015 issue of Windsurf Magazine. To read more features like this first, Print and Digital subscriptions are available. Prices include delivery globally for 10 x issues a year!)
Required
In order to do an air taka it is pretty important that you know how to read the wave and how to do an aerial off the lip. The best sized waves are head high, not too powerful, but also not too mushy. Side shore winds, 5.0 or 4.7 and an 85 litre board are the ticket. I have been using the thruster set up to keep the fin sizes small and easier for spinning around on. Also this move is easily done in flat water as a flaka, so if you practice on flat water and can make them easily, then you are already ahead of the game
Technique
The hardest part of the whole move is hitting it at the right time. Too early and you go straight out the back, too late, well you know what happens with too late. I try to set it up where I have one nice turn off the main peak then work my way down to the end bowl and punch out a nice spin off the section coming towards you.
Photo 1
As you can see I am hitting the wave very late. It is a section that has a little bit of a left hand beak coming towards me as I hit it right at the same time. I am pushing with my head and body looking forward and around, twisting and pushing the sail into and through the wind as hard as possible.
Do’s
Wait for the wave. Go into it really late and let the wave come to you a bit. Make sure to hit it late and with speed. You also want to make a pretty shallow bottom turn so you don’t lose your speed.
Don’ts
Don’t go for a long drawn out bottom turn. Don’t go uncommitted.
Photos 2-4
This is all about the rotation. You are spinning looking around with your head twisting and pulling and pushing with all your might. I had a hard time to keep my board with me, so I really worked on moving my feet and spinning the board with me and following where I am looking. I am also trying to bounce off the whitewater and have it push me back into the wave
Do’s
Make sure you keep your momentum spinning. Keep your head twisted and your shoulders and waist pushing through the rotation of the move
Don’ts
Don’t slow your momentum down. Don’t leave your feet behind. I have a hard time with keeping my feet spinning around so keep working on this.
Photos 4-6
Start to spot your landing. Keep your momentum spinning and keep using every muscle in your body to not land out the back of the wave. By this time you are usually in or out; but it still doesn’t hurt to keep believing in your rotation and the direction that you are going to nail this move and come out planing.
On this particular one it felt like I accelerated out of it and kept my speed by getting flung off the lip and back into the front part of the wave.
Do’s
Believe! Believe you are going to make it. It might sound a little hippy but I have seen people give up before they have failed the trick. I believe I am going to make it so much that I just walk around so cocky that I believe I am the greatest air taka man that ever walked the earth…. clearly I am not but anyhow, you get my point! – believe you are going to make the move.
Don’ts
Don’t let go until you have or haven’t made it. It is such a tricky spinning rotation that you want to keep your gear where you know it is safe and that is in your hands!
I hope this will inspire you to try the move. I am still learning, believing and spinning and you can too! Enjoy.
” After the last competition of 2015 and before flying to Cape Town for winter training, I had a few weeks on Maui with nothing to focus on but fun in the waves. Luckily, I still had two basically brand-new Ezzy Elites leftover from the fall photoshoots that I did not have to give back till the end of the month: 4.7 (green/purple) and 5.0 (red/black). Windsurfing beaches cover the north shore of Maui, but I am lazy and always go to Hookipa, which is not only my favorite spot in the world but also home. I would rig either the 4.7 or the 5.0 and go out on the water with no objective, no training. On breaks from his own sailing, Kevin Pritchard captured a few of the sessions on camera. Enjoy these Maui moments ” Via Graham Ezzy
MUSIC: “Berlin by Overnight” played by Daniel Hope and Jochen Carls, composed by Max Richter FILMING: Kevin Pritchard SPONSORS: Ezzy Sails, Tabou, K4, Dakine, Bluesmiths, Chinook
Last winter was fruitful in terms of chunky low pressure systems battering the south west but time and again the wind was from the west or northwest. There were no complaints from the Motley Crew who capitalized on this trend with numerous visits to the far flung corners of Cornwall but like starved addicts they were hungry for a classic southerly forecast to light up St Ives bay and feast on the joys of the thumping beach breaks from Hayle to Gwithian. Duly rewarded, the crew scored such a session, JC reports from the dunes of Mexico’s, a small sandbar with a big punch!
Words John Carter, Finn Mullen //
Photos John Carter
(This feature originally appeared in the November Descember 2015 issue of Windsurf Magazine. To read more features like this first, Print and Digital subscriptions are available. Prices include delivery globally for 10 x issues a year!)
EARLY WARNING
My first warning came from Timo who had spotted this blip on the weather map a week early. The red phone in my office had been dormant most of the winter, submerged under piles of overdue bills, hard drives and letters from the editor asking me to stop writing about my red phone, but one morning I luckily spotted that good old familiar glow flashing on and off through the debris. I scrambled to pick up the receiver wiping the layers of dust as I listened to the encrypted message (well it wasn’t encrypted but I can’t speak Northern Ireland’ese so I had to decode it) – ‘JC, this is just a warning, but next Saturday in Cornwall is looking epic, I know you had promised to take the Mrs to that fancy new restaurant at Portsmouth’s Tesco but this could be one of those days you don’t want to miss!’ A week is a long time for a forecast to change but gradually as the next days unfolded, the stars started to line up and frantic plans were made to swap round my dinner date and prepare for being locked out of the house for the next year and a bit.
GREEN LIGHT
Then on Thursday I heard Jamie Hancock was back in the UK fresh from three months in Cape Town and knowing he loves sailing down in Cornwall sent him a message to see if he was up for it. Now bearing in mind he had just spent all that time away from his girlfriend Becky, a trip to Cornwall on his first weekend home was going to go down like a lead balloon with extra lead and no balloon. Apparently she was riding her bike when he finally mustered up the guts to make the phone call informing her of his imminent departure to head west with the crew. Mid phone call, she hit a pot hole and went over the handle bars, to make matters worse she had just had a terrible day at work and this latest news was the last straw. But fortunately Becky has a heart of gold and despite a few cuts and bruises as she lay crying in the middle of the road, she gave the green light for Jamie to join the crew. Any normal person would of course refused and tended to their girlfriend lying in the road, fortunately Jamie is a Motley and left her there thankful that it was not his own bike that was potentially damaged and his day with the lads would not be ruined.
EARLY KICK OFF
So come Friday night (which was also Timo’s wife’s birthday!) we were gathered uncomfortably and guilt ridden at Timo’s place in Poole, all revved up for a 4am departure. According to Timo we had to be at the beach for first light because the tide was going to be flooding out and arriving any later we would miss the prime window. On top of the tides, we had heard through the grapevine that a convoy of would be warriors were also heading down from Witterings and other south coast haunts since Cornwall was the only place with a solid forecast. We were now in a race against the tide and the crowds!
So, after leaving behind three disgruntled wives and partners and enduring the miserable three and a half hour drive in the darkness, we finally pulled into Gwithian at 7.30am, eager for our first view of the conditions and to see if all this hassle had been worth it. Bitter disappointment was an understatement; for starters the sky was totally overcast, the swell looked kind of sloppy, there was barely a breath of wind and it was slightly onshore; it looked and was, utter pants. We sat in silence in the van as we contemplated this could be a wasted day, not to mention the £80 worth of diesel down the pan! We were at a low point normally reserved for watching England in a world cup penalty shootout. Timo however was still optimistic and declared we needed to move further round the bay where at least it would be more cross off. Next stop was Uptons but the caravan site was closed until 8am so we trundled further round the bay to Mexico’s, duly named after a pub that is no longer there – which was just as well as I might have called in for one or two crates of Corona!. Maybe not quite as clean as the Bluff but usually a foot or two bigger, Mexico’s is also less messy in a southwest wind than Gwithian and always worth a look if you are stuck for options in the area.
We were first in the car park and after watching from the dunes for five minutes Timo was looking far more positive that we could be on for a decent session. Over towards St Ives, the grey clouds were starting to disperse with a hint of blue occasionally peaking through. A few solid gusts were starting to blow the tops off the sets which seemed to be building as the tide started to flood out. I carefully assembled all the camera gear I would possibly need to last the day, in full knowledge that the last time I was here the walk down to the beach is an absolute killer and even worse back up.
The first thirty minutes were kind of slow going but all of a sudden the wind, waves and sunshine all just cranked in and the conditions started to fire. From fickle, big board, plod out, 5.3m weather, the wind started to howl, while the sets simultaneously hit the golden slot at mid-tide, with long peeling walls and smack-able lips wedging up on the inside. With the skyline of St Ives providing an awesome backdrop and the lush Atlantic waves rearing up as long green lines up on the sandbar, Mexico’s was providing a picture postcard back drop for every single ride. Jamie was hot on Timo’s heals to hit the water and wasted no time dialling into the conditions, smashing out enormous airs and throwing heavy hits on every section possible.
Timo was out for glory throwing down multiple forward loops off the lip, late hits and monster aerials. By mid-morning there was a solid crowd on the water, with the likes of Jamie Hawkins, Stefan Hilder, Sarah Bibby and the predicted south coast posse joining the Mexican wave fiesta (minus the dodgy hats and even dodgier tacos). Timo was forced to change down gear mid-session which meant a painstaking walk back up the sand dune back to the van to re-rig to his 4.7m and smaller board but when he came back he was charging harder than ever. By 1pm we were all toasted. The combo of a 4am wake up, on the water by 8.15am and four solid hours of hard-core conditions was enough; plus the wind had pretty much died come low tide. We stopped at M & S in Hayle to stock up on flowers, chocolate and anything else three apologetic windsurfers could offer in appeasement to our better halves for a day spent enjoying ourselves on the beach, while chucking in a few cans of spicy Pringles for the road in honour of our Mexican sojourn. It was a classic Cornwall day and even more classic Motley day as we learned the wind had filled back in on the pushing tide as soon as we left. Hasta la vista Mexico’s – we will be back! (if our wives and girlfriends don’t read this!).
JAMIE HANCOCK
“I’d only been back in the UK for a few days before the first charts started to light up. I was gagging to go on a trip with the boys and this Cornwall forecast looked perfect to try and acclimatise back to the UK winter conditions.
It turned out to be great fun once we made that dreaded trek down the hill to the beach. The higher perspective from the car park was deceptive to knowing the actual size of the swell; it turned out to be quite punchy. After the initial shock to the system of the colder water I slowly started to dial into the way the waves were hitting the sandbar. I went for bigger kit with a 4.5m Vandal prototype and my Tabou 75 litre board but that quickly proved to be way too big. The hill is a nightmare to get up and down at Mexico’s so I stuck with the 4.5m but could have easily dropped to a 4.0m and small board by the middle of the session. I was lucky enough to nail one or two decent airs and plenty of other fun waves. There were plenty of others charging and everyone was absolutely loving it on the water. Most amazing moment of the day? Well that has to go to Jamie Hawkins and how many times he dropped in on everyone, must have been a record!”
“ It was a classic Cornwall day and even more classic Motley day as we learned the wind had filled back in on the pushing tide as soon as we left ”
TIMO MULLEN
“Mexico’s has always been one of my favourite spots to sail in Cornwall, it is a lot cleaner in a SW wind than Gwithian and in my opinion a bit more punchy. This day was really good fun, big enough to get the adrenaline pumping yet
still pretty playful. Sessions like this remind me why I am building a house at Gwithian!!’’
After Windsurf’s Famous Five coast run from Weymouth to Lulworth, I mentioned to Ross Williams perhaps we should try a downwinder back home on the Isle of Wight. My idea was to cruise from Yarmouth on the far north west of the island round to Sandown Bay on the south east; quite an ambitious run of around 25-30 miles. But upon hearing the plan Ross casually brushed it aside and announced he wanted to go all the way – round the island! Armed with a decent safety boat and an experienced driver, here’s how our circumnavigation went down!
Words & Photos JOHN CARTER
(This feature originally appeared in the November Descember 2015 issue of Windsurf Magazine. To read more features like this first, Print and Digital subscriptions are available. Prices include delivery globally for 10 x issues a year!)
Round the Isle of Wight is approximately 60 miles as the crow flies and a gruelling challenge to navigate upwind, downwind and the island’s notorious tides. In many ways ‘going all the way’ made sense; since one way or another we would have to return to where we started; so why not just do the full lap on the water. Plus neither of us had ever circumnavigated the island before, so it was a box we both felt needed to be ticked. It just so happened the perfect forecast loomed up on the longest day of the year, June 21st to be precise, the summer solstice; obviously we were hoping not to need the full 16 hours of daylight to round the island but having the extra time was useful while we waited for the sea breeze to kick in. Using the data from my camera files I was able to record the exact times of each photograph, thus giving us the correct timing at every stage in the journey; here is our ship’s log!
12:00 – Ross rocks up at my house slightly hungover. It’s not often he gets to catch up with his friends in Ventnor so a few beers had gone down on Saturday night. As for me, I am all packed, camera gear wrapped in plastic bags and some Scooby snacks and drinks loaded into our waterproof cooler. The tide charts were showing high water at 4pm, so as long as we made it round the far west tip of the island within a couple of hours of departure, we should theoretically hit the outgoing tide as we head back up the Solent into wind for the top half of the island; easy!
13:52 – Ross steps into the water at Colwell Bay armed with his largest slalom quiver, a 9.6m GA Vapour and 130 litre Tabou Manta and 46 F-Hot fin ready for an 80 odd mile marathon. He probably would have switched last minute for his 8.4m had I not insisted we take a spare sail just in case in the boat; oops sorry! The weather forecast was calling for 15 to 18 knots but it was already gusting well over twenty in the Solent and looking pretty choppy upwind. Overhead the sky was overcast with patchy clouds but a few glimpses of blue showing on the horizon seemed to promise that the sun would shine at some point on our journey. I am all loaded in the 5.5m RIB with driver James Meaning and assistant Caroline, all nice and dry and ready for this epic adventure.
14:17 – It only takes twenty five minutes to reach the Needles, the far tip of our diamond shaped island, by which time Ross has realized he is totally stacked on his 9.6m and everyone in the boat is utterly drenched from head to toe. Short spaced standing waves over a metre tall make for a hellish rounding in the boat. Ross is clinging on to the 9.6m and scouring at me in the boat for stealing the 8.4m. We have been to the Needles a couple of times before but never ventured round the giant white cliffs down towards the western side of the island. Personally, I felt once round the daunting cliffs at this extremity of the island, the real excitement would begin.
No matter how many times I have ventured out to the Needles, it is impossible not to be dazzled by the stunning scenery of this iconic landmark. The jagged white rocks that rise up to the 120 metre tall cliffs are mother-nature’s offering, but throw in a 31 metre tall man made red and white lighthouse complete with helicopter landing pad on the roof, and the view from the water was jaw dropping.
Ross – “The equipment was already a bit of a handful, I wasn’t getting slammed but it was kind of close! Even from Colwell to the Needles was a fair old distance so I suddenly started realizing what I had let myself in for. Around the Needles the sea was brutal and I was way overpowered on the 9.6m. I could tell Carter wanted me to keep passing the lighthouse for more photos but I did it twice and that was enough, if he missed it; hard cheese!”
“ The Solent has some of the most complex tides in the world, the current can be up to five knots working against you ” JC
14:37 – We make our way down past the first stretch of towering white cliffs to Freshwater Bay one of the top surfing spots on the Island. Today the water is relatively flat but when there is a large ground swell in the channel combined with low tide and north winds, this wave is world class!
Ross – “I was hoping it would flatten off after the Needles but it didn’t. Rounding the stunning cliffs at Scratchell’s Bay down to Freshwater was already a long stretch, the angle of the wind, the chop and the cliffs, it was horrific to sail. Nobody ever windsurfs up there! Those cliffs are remote and only accessible by boat. All I could see was the headland at Blackgang thirteen miles down the coast and that became my next target.”
14:47 – Making our way slowly but surely down the coast I can see Ross is having a hellish time running downwind. He was riding the board with his back foot out of the straps which looked very awkward and uncomfortable.
Ross – “It was too out of control otherwise. I wasn’t trying to go full power down that section; I was just trying to set a comfortable trim. As soon as you stick your back foot in the strap on a slalom board you are going to speed up and it becomes much harder work.
The back foot in the middle of the board over the fin, is a technique we use in formula. On those boards we have inside straps as well for this. You are able to keep the sail sheeted out and take the pressure off of your back and your arms. This way I could cruise down at a deeper angle than if my feet were out on the side of the board.”
As we passed Brook Chine I spotted former British wave sailing champion Nigel Howell out kite surfing, which was kind of a surreal moment. I heard he rarely kites these days so to catch him while he was out there was a total coincidence. Meanwhile in the boat with the wind and the swell slamming us from the side, all crew were now looking like drowned rats. Spray was flying over the boat every time we hit the chop and my main concern was keeping the cameras dry and working. Despite being soaked through to the skin I was enjoying the ride; just to be able to savour the island from this unique vantage point was totally amazing regardless of any discomfort involved.
15:10 – The next landmark was the huge cliffs at Blackgang after a long stretch of low brown sandy coastline. Back in the nineties, Tushingham’s sail designer, Ken Black, owned a cottage on the edge at the top but he woke up one morning to find his sail loft precariously hanging half over the edge following a landslide. The house was not insured and ended up going over the edge a few years later; fortunately the family had evacuated at this point!
Along with the remains of Ken’s house, these cliffs also contain the bones of many dinosaurs and other ancient reptiles from millions of year ago and are notorious stomping grounds for fossil hunters and would be geologists. Blackgang Chine, also on top of the cliffs, is one of the island’s most popular theme parks and is also the oldest amusement park in the UK.
15:19 – We make it down to the southern tip of the island and pass the infamous St Catherine’s Lighthouse, where at last we are no longer being pounded by the wind and waves in the RIB. Niton is normally a place I shoot wave sailing and surfing in the winter but today it’s a rare treat to take in these breath-taking surroundings from the water.
Ross – “The wind was accelerating around the points so I just took my time and tried to relax. My legs were already quite tired, even rotating the cams was tricky sometimes. The current was strong along that stretch so I hugged close to the land. I could see rocks under me when I came on the inside at the lighthouse and the water was ripping away with the current.”
15:44 – This whole stretch of coast round to Sandown Bay, where I live, is one of my favourite stretches of coast on the island. These wild wooded ravines, chines and secluded bays, to me are the island’s very own version of Jurassic Park, with many areas untouched and uninhabited due to landslides, slippery clay and inaccessibility. We finally blast into Ventnor and once Ross sniffs out a crowd of beachgoers are watching, suddenly he is flying full speed towards the shore line and throwing gybes close to shore; bloody show off! Personally, I think Ventnor is the most beautiful populated coastal town on the island, with its Victorian hotels and houses standing proudly and looking out to sea on the green hillsides.
Ross – “I was still relatively ok at this stage but the thought did cross my mind to sail straight in and go have a pint at one of the beachfront pubs. I was looking forwards to getting round to Sandown Bay where hopefully the conditions would be a bit smoother. Just after Ventnor, the coast at Luccombe was spectacular, the cliffs were all black and the water was turquoise. I was just so powered up that I could not enjoy the scenery the way I wanted to.”
15:19 – Once we were round Horseshoe Ledge at Luccombe, Ross made his one and only pit stop of the journey. Ten minutes to neck down a bottle of water and devour a mars bar and a bag of cheese and onion crisps and he was refuelled and ready to go again! I could tell from his body language that the 9.6m was a handful but he knew that for his personal sense of achievement and dignity, he was not going to change down. Whatever equipment he started on, he was determined to finish on, no matter what!
Ross – “In Sandown Bay the conditions were more manageable and I was able to blast across the bay in no time. That part of the sailing was actually awesome, there were some guys out blasting on wave sails at Yaverland but I was still holding down my 9.6m. Apparently, it was gusting over 30 knots when I crossed the bay, the sea breeze must have kicked in as the weather cleared. I knew there would be people watching in so I could not really go slow or take it easy; so I put my foot on the gas. My dad spotted us from the beach; he had just gone for a walk after locking the shop up which was cool. I also had several messages on Facebook of people that had seen my blue and orange sail passing their local hangouts, it is amazing how word spreads on the island. I was more comfortable hammering my board in this flatter water than on the west side which was super rough. I probably put more pressure on my board that day than I would in a whole season so I wanted to be a bit more light footed on it.”
“ Round the Isle of Wight is approximately 60 miles as the crow flies and a gruelling challenge to navigate ” JC
16:38 – Our circumnavigation was providing a perfect viewing platform to study all the changes in the rock formations around the coast. From the white limestone based chalk that runs through the island, to the red sandy cliffs along the west side, the grey sandstone around Blackgang to the gault black clay around Luccombe, around every corner a new fascinating formation would reveal itself.
Ross – “Around Culver Cliff was a spectacular area to sail and I was in a more comfortable stance at last to enjoy the sailing. I don’t normally sail around that part of the island so it was cool to see this stretch of coast from the water. The island is such a beautiful place and finally I had a chance to appreciate it.”
17:00 – Turning the corner at Bembridge we entered a totally different style of coast. We had left the dramatic unspoilt cliffs along the southern shores behind in favour of the quaint yachty seaside resorts on the eastern tip of the island. Coming up the Solent was far more comfortable in the boat and we were able to hammer full speed in the offshore wind, barely able to keep up with Ross who was on a massive reach headed all the way towards Portsmouth. The Solent was a whole new world, filled with ferries, boats, hovercrafts and ancient forts. The sun was shining, the water was flat and we were all cranking along full power, making great headway as we started the home leg back west towards Colwell Bay.
Ross – “After rounding Culver it felt like the wind bent around the island, so Whitecliff Bay, Forelands and all the way round to Fishbourne I did in one huge reach. At Fishbourne I put a tack in just to put me back closer to the shore. That part was pretty quick and I thought that I’d be home in another thirty minutes. I was on a tight reach sailing close to the wind; which is more like I am used to sailing on a slalom board. My equipment felt really comfortable on this stretch. I was just sitting there without too much effort and still flying pretty fast”
17:41 – Just as we hit Cowes, it just so happened, the 300 metre long Arcadia Cruise ship was heading out from Southampton water. Not one to miss a photo opportunity I asked James to position our boat close to the turning point so we could snap Ross as he headed out of Cowes. By this point I don’t think Ross was particularly interested in hanging about to score the perfect shot, especially as the wind was nuking down the Solent combined with an almighty chop from the tide racing out back up towards the Needles. We just happened to be lucky the tides had worked in our favour, as the currents, eddy’s and hazards in the Solent are so notorious they could have thwarted the mission completely.
Ross – “Cowes was really windy, super choppy and horribly rough. It was wind against tide at this stage and though the tide was with me, this was the worst stretch. I did not want to stop because I thought I might give up once I lost the momentum. I just had to get it done. It was much flatter around this side but there were still some cool little areas, I sailed past Osborne House the former home of Queen Victoria, passed all the Wightlink and Red Funnel car ferries and blasted right by the infamous Royal yacht squadron on Cowes seafront”
18:32 – For the final stretch of the Solent from Cowes back up to Colwell, the clouds started to thicken and while we could straight line it in the boat, close to the shore and out of the chop, poor Ross was beating upwind, blasting far out into the Solent as he slowly clawed his way to the finish line. Far in the distance we could just see a headland, which was Hurst Castle, and that stretch seemed to drag on forever. In the boat I had four cans of beer in the cooler but was determined not to crack one open until we had completed the circumnavigation; torture!
Ross – “The last stretch was all beating into wind. I was on a slalom board which was not the perfect tool for going upwind. By that time my ankles were feeling the strain. I would sail on one tack for as long as I could stand it and then tack and just keep zigzagging up the Solent. As it became narrower I was pretty much doing runs right across to the mainland which was kind of cool. I shortened my harness lines to bring me closer to the boom so I could get more lift off the fin. I used my body and my legs and kind of twisted myself to get that board flying upwind. The more power you can generate then generally you can point higher upwind. From Cowes to Colwell Bay that last leg seemed to go on forever. I don’t think I would have been able to make it if I had been going against the tide. The Solent has some of the most complex tides in the world, complicated by the fact it has two entrances and Southampton water running up the middle, the current can be up to five knots working against you, so making headway against it would have been tough and added hours to the passage. It was hard work even with the tide, I could see the headland at Hurst castle and it was miles away but I knew Colwell was even further than that.”
19:03 – Finally after five hours eleven minutes, Ross blasted into Colwell and stepped off his board with a huge smile on his face, mission accomplished! In fact that was pretty much the first time I had seen him smile since he set off from Colwell at two in the afternoon. The record for round the island is held by a multihull yacht called Foncia which managed to go round in an astonishing two hours, twenty one minutes, averaging 21.3 knots; now that is pretty impressive, less than half the time we had taken. Given the wind direction and the fact he was overpowered all the way round, there is no doubt Ross could easily knock an hour or more off his time if he ever fancies another bash at the record. A northerly or southerly with favourable tides should be the ideal direction, but I don’t think I’ll be asking him in the very near future especially on a 9.6m.
Ross – “It was awesome to finally be back on shore. I immediately thought to myself thank god for that, I’ll never do it again! At that moment, I was spent; I had just sailed 100 miles! Even so, it would be kind of weird to go through my career without being able to say I have sailed around the island. It would have been nicer on smaller gear and with another person but the day just came up, we went for it and I knuckled down and made sure I completed the mission!.”
Your chance to try the latest windsurfing kit on the market before you buy. Test the latest cutting edge boards and sails at four UK locations this spring / summer and be sure that you are choosing the best. Four great locations, each perfect for a weekend away with camping and B&B’s nearby.
