BEN PAGE
“I was dispatched to the Isle of Wight two months ago for the latest element of my medical training. In between revising for finals I have been doing my best to get in the water as much as possible. Sailing companions are hard to find on the island, and I was keen to have some company on the water for the first time. Despite some decent days on the water, I hadn’t yet managed to catch the Isle of Wight really pumping. With Ross confident Ventnor would deliver, this finally looked like my chance to score some proper conditions albeit on the coldest day of the winter so far! I was more than a little hesitant about going ahead after discovering that the boats in Bembridge harbour were frozen solid at their moorings. I have sailed in snow before, but the sea freezing over was a serious step up! The sea was a scene of utter brutality. As soon as I hit the wind line it felt like my face was being sandblasted, a searing sensation quite unlike anything I’ve experienced before. I was wearing palm-less mitts, which saved my hands from the initial onslaught. But it was mere minutes before the relentless numbness engulfed my fingers. The all-consuming agony in my hands left little brainpower for windsurfing. Which was a shame, because it was firing. There were some great bowling sections breaking off the rocks, peeling left away from the harbour wall.