Duncan Coombs battling the storm.
“THERE WAS AN ABUNDANCE OF CARNAGE ON THE WATER.”
Louis Morris going full power!
PRELUDE
I like big storms, the named ones in particular! People that know me, kind of expect me to disappear off somewhere - Cornwall, Ireland, Scotland or even further afield when the weather turns nasty. Storm Brendan was the first big low pressure after Christmas and regardless of what the weather was predicting, I had my mind made up four or five days earlier that I would be hunting this one down. Fellow ‘Motley Crew’ member, Timo Mullen, is on the same wavelength and I knew he would be looking at the weather charts, but unfortunately he had a work commitment the exact day Brendan was due to lash our shores with wind and waves. With Timo out of the equation, I was weighing up alternate options of where to go and who to shoot. I was even contemplating heading to Nazaré to go capture Kai Lenny ride some giant Atlantic bombs, but decided to keep my options open until the last minute.
SATURDAY
While storm Brendan was coiling itself up somewhere off Iceland, another banging low was set to hit Cornwall on the Saturday with favourable southerly winds. Knowing that he was going to miss out on Brendan, Timo was hungry to head down to Gwithian for the day and make it back to Poole in time for tea with the family. Despite the weather calling for overcast skies, I decided to tag along for the day just in case Brendan was a blow out or somehow didn’t materialize. I had decided I could cope with cloudy, not ideal, but better than rain! At least that was what every forecast was saying. I set off at 5 a.m., had a smooth journey and was in Poole by 8 a.m. and straight on the road bound for Gwithian. With low tide around 11 a.m. we were set to arrive at the perfect time for the prime session of the day.
This story is from the Issue 394 - April 2020 edition of Windsurf.
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This story is from the Issue 394 - April 2020 edition of Windsurf.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
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!
