‘Broad Bench’ in Kimmeridge Bay is one of the south coast of England’s wave sailing gems, but extremely rare to catch, not least because access to it is controlled by the Ministry of Defence! When the elements do combine though, waves rifle down this point with sniper like consistency. With a huge storm firing up the southwest approaches, a green light was given to mount an attack on the ‘Bench’! John Carter assembled a troop of sailors last autumn to launch an assault on the iconic wave and following declassification of the files, now brings us an account of the mildly daring raid!
Ross Williams airs out ofa meaty section
LOSING ITJohn Carter – “My alarm wakes me up promptly at 05:30 on the morning after ‘Brian’, one of the biggest storms of the autumn last year. Personally, the previous day had been an utter disaster. I had gambled on staying at home to shoot Niton, one of the Isle of Wight’s premier wave spots, on the outgoing tide in the afternoon with Ross Williams. Having thrown all my eggs in one basket, the plan totally backfired due to huge surges of water and waves off the Richter scale! The nuclear winds didn’t quite swing as forecast, leaving me totally dejected having seen shots online afterwards of epic sessions at the likes of Hayling Island, Avon Beach, Branksome Chine, and to cap it all, Thomas Traversa’s ridiculous big wave session at Red Strand on the south coast of Ireland. My part in the ‘Life of Brian’ had been an enormously frustrating mission which had totally failed; I was on the brink of losing it! The only possible saviour was to try and make amends by catching the fallout from ‘Brian’. Surely after 22 foot waves were recorded in the English Channel the previous day there would be some chunky leftovers on the limestone ledges of Kimmeridge. Determined to make amends, I instigated a military precision plan! Taking no chances, I left my home on the Isle of Wight the evening before and stayed with Paul Hunt overnight.
Esta historia es de la edición Issue 381 - November/December 2018 de Windsurf.
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Esta historia es de la edición Issue 381 - November/December 2018 de Windsurf.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
New School
Slingshot’s windsurfing brand manager, Wyatt Miller, has noticed that kids are drawn to playing with wings and puts forward an interesting case as to why he thinks this could help entice them and others into windsurfing.
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Wave sailor Flo Jung reflects on our changed world during his lockdown in Germany.
THE LAST WAVE
Lockdown stirred the creative juices of reader Björn Alfthan, who peers into the future to present a fictional story set in the wild waves of Norway, five years from now.
STILL IN THE GAME
After a horrific fracture in his leg from a crashed aerial in 2018, Alessio Stillrich is back! John Carter talks to the highflyer from Gran Canaria about his move to the Simmer team, recovering from injury and how he learned to windsurf in Gran Canaria!
MOVE ON UP - GET ON THE FRONT FOOT
This month we look at how our front foot weighting can affect and improve different aspects of our main windsurfing moves.
SOUTH' KIPA
Nik tweaking it over home waters.
A NEW NORMAL
On a trip to La Tranche-sur-Mer in France last year, Tris Best estimated over 80% of the windsurfers were foiling. This summer in Portland Harbour, foiling activity has increased dramatically too he reports. With the market offering plenty of choice to recreational windfoilers, our test team check out some of the latest foil offerings.
TACKING – THE SEQUEL
Having given you time to practice, Harty concludes his tacking series by critiquing various tacking options, including the carve tack, as well as offering solutions to common slip-ups.
‘NO VAPOUR TRAILS TO SCAR THE SKY' *
Realising we may be about to enter an extraordinary period in our lives, Harty decided to keep a windsurf-centric lockdown diary. Here are some of his choice excerpts.
REDEMPTION DAY!
Renowned for its windsurfing and variety of spots to sail at, Kimmerdige Bay is a wave sailing jewel on the south coast of England. Timo Mullen gives a guide to its shores while reflecting on why a recent session there was a reminder that there is no place like home!
