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STORM AUSTEN: KIMMERIDGE CARNAGE!

The first named storm of the season was always going to be worth chasing, but Storm Austen arrived with an extra ingredient: a seriously pumping South Coast swell. The forecast was looking promising, the new kit was ready to roll and Windsurf Magazine’s very own storm chasers, JC and Timo Mullen, had a sketchy plan. What could possibly go wrong?

Quite a lot, as it turned out. From glassy waves and a carefully calculated walk around the bay, to a 3.7m sail that was barely keeping him on the water, Timo’s first session of the storm season was less about big hits and more about hanging on for dear life. But with Kimmeridge firing, a handful of hardy locals and a late-session window of glory, it eventually delivered the goods. Here’s Timo and JC’s stories from a day that went from promising perfection to surviving the chaos at Kimmeridge.

Words: Timo Mullen and John Carter // Photos: John Carter and Mike Barton…Click any photo to enlarge and scroll!

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CHASING STORM AUSTEN

TIMO MULLEN: “There was a lot of build-up to this one, as there usually is with a big storm. But this one was particularly interesting because it was forecasting a solid long period swell. Normally, when these storms come through overnight, there isn’t a huge swell associated with them. This time, though, the forecast was showing a 4.5m, 15-second south-westerly swell, which is pretty big for the South Coast.

I knew that would produce some seriously big waves, so we planned for JC to come over the night before, as the ferry would almost certainly be cancelled in the morning. Of course JC got stuck in travel carnage with all trains from Southampton to Poole being cancelled due to an incident in Woking!

As it turned out, there was no wind first thing and the sea was completely glassy. There was loads of video circulating of some of the best surf on the South Coast that morning.

We’d made a plan to get to Kimmeridge around 9.30–10am, just as the wind was due to kick in. When we arrived, the swell was pumping exactly as expected.

There was one guy out who’d only been to Kimmeridge a couple of times. He was a friend of Neil’s and was on a 4.7m sail. He’s a pretty light guy, but he wasn’t really getting going. The wind was filling in just as forecast, though, so it was time to put my own plan into action.

THE BROAD BENCH GAME PLAN

What I normally do is walk around to Broad Bench. It’s the same route the surfers take, and I actually reckon it’s quicker than trying to sail up there.

The swell was big all the way through the bay that day, but the wind was relatively light inside. You really wanted to be on your smallest gear once you got to Broad Bench, which is usually the windiest part of Kimmeridge, particularly in a north-westerly.

Normally, you need the extra power to get up there, only to arrive and find yourself completely overpowered. My plan was to walk around, rig the right sail and launch from the other side.

So that’s exactly what I did. Unfortunately, by the time I reached Broad Bench, the wind had gone from 3.7m weather to what felt like 3.0m weather!

I was instantly completely overpowered.

I was the only one out, presumably because everyone else had seen the wind go nuclear. I was on my brand-new 3.7m sail and my brand-new Duotone Quad 88L board. You couldn’t really have picked better, or worse conditions to test all my new gear.

The 3.7m handled it surprisingly well, but I was still massively overpowered. Every time I tried to bottom-turn, the sail was practically being ripped out of my hands. It took everything I had just to keep the board on the water through the bottom turn.

The frustrating thing was that so many good waves were coming through. You could see the potential, but I needed something like a 3.0m sail and even then, I reckon it might have been too big!

I sailed on my own for about an hour and a half before finally calling it quits. I was literally getting blown off the water.

By then, Jamie Hancock had arrived. Almost as soon as I came in, the wind started to ease a little and a few more people ventured out. I think Izzy Adcock was on a 3.3m, Mad Mike was on a 3.4m, and most people seemed to be on sails around 3.5m.

Suddenly, it all looked a lot more manageable.

FALSE HOPE AND MORE CARNAGE

After we’d had some lunch, the wind looked as though it had dropped off quite a bit. I phoned JC, who’d walked all the way back up to Broad Bench, to check it wasn’t still too windy. I was thinking about rigging a 4.2m.

He confirmed that the wind had eased a little, and with nobody really moving around in the bay, I decided to give it a go. He even suggested a 4.5m…luckily I went with my gut instinct! I rigged the 4.2m and headed back out. Of course, the moment I hit the water, the wind went from pretty much perfect 4.2m weather straight back to nuclear again!

I would have been overpowered on my 3.7m, never mind the 4.2m. I just had to muscle through it.

The next hour was pretty much another nightmare. I was completely overpowered again, spending most of the time surviving, making big drops and going straight down the line without being able to turn properly.

Then, during the final 40 minutes or so, things finally started to come together. The swell cleaned up and the wind eased a little, leaving me perfectly powered on my 4.2m.

For the first time all day, I could actually do something with the waves rather than simply hang on and hope for the best.

The final half-hour was probably the best part of the session. Jamie was getting some great waves, too, and for around 35 minutes it was just the two of us out there. That’s when the conditions were probably at their best.

SIX SAILORS, FIVE HOURS AND A TREE DOWN

It was great to see everyone out there. Jamie was ripping in the final half-hour, Mad Mike was being mad in the water as usual and Neil was his consistently brilliant self, catching some of the best waves.

All in all, it turned into a really amazing day.

There was a bit of carnage on the drive back, too. Apparently, a tree had come down and blocked the road to Kimmeridge shortly after we’d driven through that morning. That probably explained why there had been so few people around all day. There were only about six of us on the water.

I ended up sailing for around five hours in total and was completely exhausted.

That was a pretty solid way to kick off the storm season with Storm Austen can’t wait for more.”

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JC’S STORM AUSTEN MISSION:

“Storm Austen looked like the perfect storm on the satellite images. The clouds showed a textbook swirl of low pressure, with the eye of the storm clearly visible. The forecast was promising southerly gales, a brief spell of calm as the centre of the low passed overhead, followed by an afternoon of howling north-westerlies to blow away any remaining cobwebs. What could possibly go wrong? I am not even going to mention my travel mishaps, but there were many both on the way and once we were done and dusted at K-Bay!

With a north-westerly and a monster swell on the cards, Kimmeridge was our chosen target for the photo mission. There was just one potential snag: the army normally has other plans for K-Bay, and they’re not particularly keen on sharing their firing range with a bunch of windsurfers and a photographer. Thankfully, the range warden confirmed they weren’t shooting on Friday, so we were given the green light.

All those forecasts look fantastic on paper, but when they actually deliver the goods, things can get pretty spicy. And with winds gusting to 50 knots and a 4.5m swell rolling in, Storm Austen was about to turn the South Coast into full-blown chaos.

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FLYING SLATE AND SURVIVAL PHOTOGRAPHY

For the morning session, I somehow managed to hike around the rocks to the Bench, where I was greeted by flying slate being blasted around the headland by 50-knot gusts. It was like walking into a sandblaster, only with considerably more rock and considerably less fun. Close to the cliffs big chunks of rock were also crashing down. It probably wasn’t the wisest of decisions to shoot here. I was also worried about the tide coming in…

Timo was battling away on his own, barely able to sail in a straight line on his 3.7m sail. The waves were huge, the wind was ridiculous, and I was struggling just to stand upright, never mind operate a camera. To make matters worse, I was shooting straight into the glare, so decent shots were proving about as elusive as having a small enough sail to survive these gusts.

Eventually, we retreated to the car park to regroup and reassess the mission. Messages were coming in that Wittering and Southbourne were huge, and we began to wonder whether a change of venue might be the sensible option. Then Jamie Hancock rolled up, ready to give Kimmeridge a go and the wind appeared to be calming down inside the bay.

Naturally, we took that as a sign that everything was about to get easier. Rookie mistake.

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ROUND TWO: STRAIGHT BACK TO NUCLEAR

For the second session, the army range had dropped its red flags, allowing me to hike back around to the headland overlooking the Bench. Things were looking more promising, and with the wind apparently easing, I tried to message Timo to rig bigger.

The brief respite didn’t last long.

As Timo and Jamie blasted out for round two, the wind suddenly went nuclear again, delivering another dose of the same 50-knot punishment we’d experienced that morning. So much for the afternoon’s carefully timed lull!

Local legends Mad Mike and Neil had also ventured out, along with a couple of other hardy souls brave, or possibly mad enough to get stuck in.

The wind was so strong that bottom turns and proper moves were almost impossible. There were, however, some seriously big drops to be had, and everyone managed to bag a few bombs. For much of the session, it was less about stylish wave riding and more about staying attached to your kit while nature was delivering the chaos.

Then, with around half an hour left, the conditions finally began to play ball. The wind eased, the waves cleaned up, and Timo and Jamie were able to attack the lip and throw down some proper moves. After all the earlier survival sailing, it was the magic window we’d been waiting for.

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AUSTEN POWER: YEAH BABY!

It’s always amazing to witness the raw power of nature, and Storm Austin certainly didn’t disappoint. The South Coast had been putting on a show from dawn until dusk.

The morning had delivered a magical window of surf before the wind arrived, with some incredible waves ridden at Southbourne and Bournemouth. The Witterings were reporting gusts in excess of 50 knots, while James Cox and crew scored some solid waves at Southbourne during the afternoon.

Down at Brighton, part of the old West Pier collapsed after being battered by the surf. Just up the road at Worthing, Lucas Meldrum managed to squeeze in a survival session at Hotpipes.

Meanwhile, back at Kimmeridge, we’d witnessed the full storm experience: monster swell, flying slate, ridiculous wind and a final half-hour that made the whole mission worthwhile.

And the best bit? We weren’t even finished yet.

As we put this report together, more wind is arriving, with another named storm already hitting. The storm season has officially kicked off and it looks like this winter is lining up to be an epic one!”

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JAMIE HANCOCK: “Whenever there’s a chance of sailing K Bay, I always try to make it, even if my local is looking good too.

I was a little bit torn because it was a two hour drive to Kimmeridge or 30 minutes up the road to Witterings, where a load of other friends were going. But I knew Timo would be there, and it’s always great to sail with him. He’s never at the wrong spot, so I was confident the drive would be worth it.

Some trees had come down on the back road to K Bay, and I managed to negotiate my way through after being told, with the road cordoned off, that I couldn’t go and would basically have to go at my own risk. So I was already committed and was going no matter what!

When I got there, it was really, really windy and a little bit out of control for the Bench, which is what I’d gone there for. So I held fire, and then the wind dropped. It was supposed to die during the day, but I went out with a 4.0m.

As soon as I touched the water, the wind started howling again. I tried to stick it out, but after an hour it was just too windy, so I had to come back and change to the 3.7m. Towards the end of the day, it really started to clean up a bit as the wind dropped and it turned out to be really good fun and well worth the trip.

I’m loving windsurfing at the moment, really enjoying it and having a little bit more time. I’ve had a very busy summer with work and got back home just in time for the autumn and winter storms!”

The highlight for me was being presented with the Fantasy Football Shield, which has been going since 2009. This was the first year I’d finally won it, despite having superior fantasy football knowledge to all the others in our highly competitive fantasy league.

It’s a shame that JC couldn’t look me in the eye when he handed it over, but nevertheless, it was one of my proudest moments to date.

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