The plan
With the ‘Longboard SUP Revolution’ event planned for Bali, and having the whole team there, we decided to head off somewhere afterwards in search of perfect waves. I also had a mate who was going to be in the Mentawai Islands with his 44ft Catamaran, who said we were all welcome to jump on board. To say we were all excited was a bit of an understatement. And, I thought I’d pulled off the ultimate way to get to the this incredible boat without paying a fortune.
As fate would have it however, breakdowns had his boat up on the hard for repairs so we had to decide where to go afterwards, which we all agreed should be a last-minute decision to check what the forecast predicted for wind and waves. Our location would be based partly on intuition, part gut feeling, part at reading the forecasts and part reading the signs. You could say, a little bit of voodoo was involved!
Thankfully they’re a super cool team, with no one expressing disappointment and all talking positively about whatever we decided to do next. We did not make up ours minds until the extreme last minute. I was trying to be a contest organiser and I was also pressed for time, combined with a dose of Bali belly, so the decision or our fate went down to the wire. And even then, I wasn’t exactly sure.
Decision
There was a good chunk of swell coming, but there was also a cyclone spinning off underneath Indo. This changed the wind direction from normal trades which opened the door to a particular wave I’d heard about, but it was a mission to get to and the stars really need to align. Like ‘blue moon’ align, as it’s so exposed to the predominant trade winds and it needed a decent chunk of swell.
This story is from the Issue 40 - Mid Summer 2023 edition of SUP International.
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This story is from the Issue 40 - Mid Summer 2023 edition of SUP International.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
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At this time of year, the rate of infection for colds and flu normally tends to slow down as we enter warmer, springtime months. However, if you’ve been anywhere at all in the world recently, then there’s one word you can’t escape at the moment: Coronavirus. Infection rates, mortality rates and prognostic data are changing daily at the moment. As a new virus none of us have previously been exposed to it, meaning that currently, we have no immunity to it. It’s only through being infected by a virus that our bodies are able to make the right antibodies to not only enable us to recover but to also help protect us from any recurrent and future infection from it. If you’re keen to stay well and keep getting out on your SUP board this spring, then focussing on boosting your immune system is a positive step to take.
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SHADENFREUDE
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Magical. Mystical. Epic.
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