PRELUDE
COXY
"Well, I'm glad Andy was keeping an eye on the forecast, because I wasn't. Ironic really considering I run a weather service, but I was having a week where I was feeling up to the gills with work. I received a message the night before from Andy gently encouraging me to mobilise for the next day. I engaged with the idea in a non-committal, let fate decide sort of way, knowing secretly that I had to go, or I'd regret it... When the stoke train leaves the station, you either get onboard, or lay yourself on the track."
BUBBLE
"A big low pressure in the Atlantic was sending a huge period swell up the English Channel, however, there was a slight kink in the works as a big high pressure sat over of the UK, so as the Atlantic low moved towards the UK, it effectively bounced back and headed north up towards Iceland. This still left us with the swell from the low, but the high pressure meant the waves would be accompanied by northerly winds, which are freezing cold in the winter and useless at most locations on the south coast. After a long period without wind, desperation had set in, and I started looking at alternative spots close to home, which could potentially work in these rare conditions. Somewhere on the Isle of Wight had to work, I thought, and with the mega westerly swell predicted, a plan started to hatch!"
OPTIONS
BUBBLE
"At home the only real option was surfing, however, on such a big swell with northerly winds I knew that (a) It would be packed with surfers from all over and (b) It was going to be a mission of a paddle resulting in myself not actually surfing many waves. The Isle of Wight is ideally positioned to work better in a northerly wind as its further away from the mainland, so it would be windier, whilst still picking up the brunt of that west swell."
This story is from the Issue 429 - November December 2023 edition of Windsurf.
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This story is from the Issue 429 - November December 2023 edition of Windsurf.
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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