A newborn baby inspires Graham Ezzy to reflect on his life as a father and son, as the Ezzy windsurfing dynasty continues to grow.
After having my first baby last December, I often think about fatherhood and about my father. My earliest memories of him are all linked to windsurfing. When I was two, before my brother was born, back in the days before RDM’s, when masts broke and when no one we knew had a cell phone, there would be evenings where the sun had already set and my dad was still not home. Earliest memories, like all memories, are like dreams: I recall the dark hour of evening where the sun has set but the house lights are not yet on, my mother’s worry electric in the air, ears tuned to the expectant crunch of the gravel driveway. After many false starts, looking out the window to see if that really was his truck driving in, my dad would finally arrive home. His black curly hair damp and his skin salty, having come offthe water only a few minutes before. He would tell stories of waves bigger than houses, swimming against currents and hiking over rocks for the trek back to his car at Ho’okipa. He was 33 then, 5 years older than I am now.
CALLING
After my brother and sister were born, my memories of my father are still linked with windsurfing and the beach. The passive act of having sunscreen applied quickly and efficiently with hard hands calloused by decades of windsurfing. Somehow there were always grains of sand in the SPF, and this gritty rubdown was the ritual to start a day at the beach. A day at the beach for most people means vacation. Vacation, from the Latin vacare, “to be unoccupied”. But for my father, the beach was windsurfing, which was an occupation. And more than an occupation, windsurfing was a vocation. Vocation, from the Latin vocare, “to call,” as in a calling.
Denne historien er fra Issue 387 - August 2018-utgaven av Windsurf.
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Denne historien er fra Issue 387 - August 2018-utgaven av Windsurf.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
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.
Changes
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!