What is it about the agony and ecstasy of a windsurfing road trip that makes it such a quintessential part of our sport? It’s a weirdly alluring combination of pleasure and pain, (with usually more emphasis on the pain) where you leave your comfort zone at home and head out in search of adventure. John Carter muses on the pros and cons of road tripping in the company of Timo Mullen, James Cox and Jamie Hancock as they venture to NW Ireland in the name of research as to what makes the perfect road trip.
JOHN CARTER
Lured by a forecast promising sun, wind and waves; myself, Timo Mullen, Jamie Hancock and James Cox gathered in Poole late on a mid-winter Thursday afternoon, travelled overnight to Dublin and then spent the next two days on the road in the hunt for perfect wave sailing conditions. Yep this was a self-rewarded lads Xmas outing where the only presents involved were gifted by Mother Nature and the messiah who invented Guinness!
We’d seen the forecast brewing the previous weekend, a classic dartboard low, perfect for conjuring up a smorgasbord of Atlantic swell all set to bash the northwest coast. To be fair Gwithian in Cornwall also looked pretty tasty on the Friday but weirdly, we were drawn by a larger scale undertaking, involving ferries, Irish reefs and the desire to explore.
The allure of a road trip was one of my main motivations to join the lads on this sojourn to Ireland. Had the crew been sailing on the South Coast perhaps the same appeal would not have been there to spend three days with the boys. Obviously we all love our families and partners but once in a while a good old-fashioned ‘lads’ trip with all the banter involved is a breath of fresh air and breaks the mould from our everyday grind at home. Not to mention the fact that most locations on the Motley radar just happen to be some of the most stunning stretches of coastline on the planet.
Denne historien er fra Issue 364 - April 2017-utgaven av Windsurf.
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Denne historien er fra Issue 364 - April 2017-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!
