WACKY RACES
JC “It all started at 2.30pm on a Monday afternoon in early November as I was mulling over the upcoming forecast. A large storm sweeping across from Iceland towards Scotland was all set to unleash a huge long period northwest swell which would hammer the west coast of Ireland and filter its way all the way down to the likes of Nazaré in Portugal and the Canary Islands. Timo had mentioned he was thinking of flying to Ireland on the ‘red eye’ flight on Tuesday morning but was waiting until the very last minute for any late forecast curveballs. Tuesday was showing the biggest waves but at the same time slightly wafty winds while Wednesday was more solid for wind but with rain and cold temperatures added into the equation. While still pondering at 3pm, a thought struck me that Adam Lewis had mentioned at the BWA Cornwall Classic the previous weekend that if we were planning any missions then to keep him in the loop. So randomly I sent Adam a message to see if he was keen for a last minute trip to Ireland. Two minutes later Adam was on the phone keen as mustard to join us.
The next few hours then turned into classic Motley Crew mayhem. First of all Timo reckoned if Adam was to fully earn his stripes then it would be more economical to drive and catch an overnight ferry in order to fit in all the required windsurfing kit rather than pay for three flights and all the excess baggage. Stena Line had the best options but it meant that we would have to be in Holyhead Wales by 2.30 am to catch the necessary ferry. Winding back the clock it pretty much meant that I would have to pack and leave home within the next 15 minutes! Bearing in mind my wife currently had no idea I was even going away I knew this was going to go down like a lead balloon. Adam meanwhile was on his way to Plymouth to visit his girlfriend Lucy’s granny. If he was ‘in’ he would be forced to U-turn, head home to Porthtowan and then Timo would pick him up as he was staying at his house in Gwithian, surely a decent test of his Motley Crew credentials. My instructions were to race to the Isle of Wight ferry, head to Southampton Central railway station and then catch a train to Birmingham International station to hopefully meet Adam and Timo en route to Wales. The plan was quite abstract but pretty much the only way we could all make the rendezvous at the Stena Line ferry and be in time for the peak of the swell the following morning. So with absolutely no room for error and all three of us currently headed in totally different directions, what could possibly go wrong? Well, firstly the news was taken slightly brashly both by my wife and Lucy. We were already in the doghouse before leaving! I had no time to pack, I just chucked a few batteries, a toothbrush, one t-shirt and my memory cards into my camera bag and hoped I’d enough bare essentials to last the next few days. By the time I had dragged my bags in and out of my car, on and off the boat, into a bus and then off at Southampton central, Timo and Adam were already in Porthtowan loading up the van. The trip started badly as I managed to board the wrong train headed for Birmingham New Street and not Birmingham International as per strict instructions from Timo. Fortunately I managed to change at Reading and two hours later we were all united in Birmingham with just the three hours drive left to the Stena Ferry at Holyhead.