I was in Kerry last year when a video came through from our local Witterings WhatsApp group of Ian Whittaker prostrate on a beach in Morocco. Despite the smile, he was obviously in bad shape, but surrounded by windy mates, who, as is typical of our kind, were doing what they did best, which was to take the piss.
Ian is a builder by trade but performs at a semipro level and is out there leading the charge whenever conditions entice. A year on I caught up with him to find out more about an incident which was extraordinary on so many counts.
“A few of us wanted to do Moulay on a forecast so we kept 8 weekends open. Finally on the seventh, one popped up – force 8 and one day of swell. Funnily enough my wife Louise said ‘this one doesn’t feel right, I don’t think you should go’ – but Timo was booked so we thought ‘f*** it,’ we’re going!”
Their trip seemed doomed from the start. Their accommodation had fallen through and they ended up in a place with concrete beds. To soften the blow, colourful Irishman Paddy Lyner produced two bottles of rum. They all got horribly drunk …and awoke, feeling not the best, to find the well was dry and they had been locked in. A perfect storm was surely brewing.
Denne historien er fra Issue 395 - May 2020-utgaven av Windsurf.
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Denne historien er fra Issue 395 - May 2020-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!
