Timo Mullen
“I have a massive love/hate relationship with the IOW, I love the windsurfing and surfing there but I absolutely hate getting there! I see so many amazing forecasts and think about all the smoking spots that will be working, but then remember that in a van it will cost me more than a ferry to the Isle of Lewis to get there! So to plan a mission to IOW you have to try and get a solid crew together, which is always hard. Normally the same forecasts for IOW are also good on the South Coast, so it does break the golden rule of never leaving wind and waves to find wind and waves!
Fortunately on this forecast we managed to get myself, Jamie, Lecky and Luke Raistrick to co-ordinate ourselves enough to arrive at the ferry port on time and catch the early crossing to ‘the Island’. We always knew the conditions were going to be good, but when we first creeped over the hill towards Niton and saw the sets stacking up on the horizon, I think we all knew we were in for a special day! JC was fresh back from Maui, and for once looked actually quite upbeat. I think the fact he didn’t have to get on a train, plane or ferry was quite refreshing and shooting his local spot made him seem almost positive, surely something would go wrong to change that?
As it turned out, the conditions were epic, right up there with some of the best starboard tack conditions I have sailed in, super fun size, enough for an adrenaline hit but not too big to cause any kit breakages. Everyone was ripping and we all bagged our fair share of sick waves; 360’s seemed to be the move of the day with us all going head to head to see who could land the most, it was more like an epic day at Ho’okipa than a brown, cold water session on
the IOW!”