8.20am: JC: Our first glimpse of the coast has Timo shrieking “It is massive George!” as he spots pluming waves breaking on distant reefs offshore. Suddenly the adrenaline is kicking in. Our mood totally changes from my pessimism to a nervy adrenaline rush that the reef is going to be smoking. Now nobody has told us not to mention the location of this reef, but from the fickle amount of information available on its whereabouts we kind have an inkling that the local surfers don’t want the masses to show up at their home break. We have to respect that and keep the exact whereabouts of the reef under closely-guarded lock-and-key.
8.30am: JC: It is definitely way colder than on the south coast up here. We park the van up to check the conditions with mystical sheer cliffs surrounding us. The place already has an intimidating feel about it even without any sign of hostile surfers. It is way too windy for surfing today, that’s for sure. The crisp morning light turns everything golden including a North Sea barrelling wave breaking out to the left of us. My hands are numb moments after I am outside the van. God knows how Timo will manage sailing in this icy weather. The wind is really kicking in already and Timo is debating between a 4 and a 4.2 as we both watch huge spray lifting from the waves in the distance.
