A once in a lifetime trip to Western Australia is top of the bucket list for most wavesailors around the world. Normally a trip to W.A. involves meticulous planning, flights booked months in advance and a detailed plan to take in all the best spots over at least a month to 3-month period. So how many people would think about travelling to Western Australia on a forecast for a 3-day mission? We know of only one - Severne team rider Timo Mullen; buckle up as Timo tells his tale.
HOME AND AWAY
Last year I made the decision to stay at home over the winter months and tough it out while all my fellow Pro windsurfers made the trip to South Africa and Western Australia. I had made the same decision the previous year and absolutely scored it, probably sailing 3-4 times a week in epic conditions. Unfortunately this year my gamble did not work out so well, with the U.K. and Ireland suffering from possibly the worst winter for windsurfing that I can remember!
I had just returned to England after spending Christmas and New Year in Ireland with my family. As I walked in through the door of my house in England my phone ‘beeped’! It was a message from Ben Severne, founder of Severne Sails, “Timo, the forecast looks epic for WA, we have our photo shoot starting tomorrow, we need you to come out!” Most people would immediately write this idea off as completely stupid and they’d be right! I don’t mind dropping everything to travel hundreds of miles to score an epic session but even for me the idea of travelling half way around the world for a few days windsurfing seemed a bit much.
DECISION TIME
I guess like most ‘Pro’ windsurfers nowadays I mix up my windsurfing job with a ‘real’ job; so last-minute trips also have to balance and fit in with my 9-5 job, wife and 2 kids! This makes the offer from Ben Severne even more complicated. I only had 5 days available before I had to be back in the UK for my work, meaning that my actual time in Australia would amount to only 3 days, bonkers but still possible. The massive problem was that the only flight available left in 11 hours; the time was now 23:00 and my wife had gone to bed, so I had to make my decision without consulting the boss!
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