After a three year wait, the Red Bull Storm Chase finally found the weather system they were looking for, storm ‘Gareth’, to green light the event and in keeping with the Storm Chase’s history, produce one of the most spectacular wavesailing contests ever! Rain, hail, snow, an 8 metre swell and force ten plus winds tested the riders to their absolute limits at Magheroarty, county Donegal, NW Ireland; John Carter caught up with the competitors and contest organiser Jobst von Paepcke to find out how it all went down.
JAEGER STONE
I was really stoked to receive the call-up! I’ve dreamed of being a part of the RBSC for at least the last three years, so I was really grateful for it to be finally be given the green light and to be selected. My happiness was definitely mixed with nerves though. It can be tough when you know you’re about to travel to the other side of the world to go out of your comfort zone, but it was a no-brainer to accept.
In a way, I feel like I’ve been preparing for the last 3 years while we’ve waited. In that time I’ve just been trying to improve my windsurfing and fitness, both for the RBSC but also just for myself and the PWA World Tour. Specific preparation I did was probably just trying to get comfortable sailing in boots, mittens and a hood. Sailing with that gear in warm water does help a little because you can get a feel for it, but really I probably should have just been having ice baths for the last three years! The other thing I’ve focused on is just trying to be as comfortable as possible in the water, particularly when things get stressful; working on my swimming and freediving with the help of some friends at home. I’ve tried to make this a consistent part of my normal routine and training because I enjoy it so much.
Adrenaline definitely plays a huge role. I couldn’t get over how painful your hands get when sailing in those conditions. It feels like your finger nails are slowly being ripped off. Before I came over to Ireland one of my biggest concerns was going to be how I handled the cold. I wasn’t sure if I would be able to move or how I would react as it’s so different to anything I know. That was definitely a massive challenge, but I think you just grit your teeth and move on. It always settled after the first session.
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