FINN MULLEN
I remember watching a surf video from Ireland, the star was a grizzled ex pat shaper with a face full of foam dust and a laid back lilt from a low stress life of cutbacks and concaves. Amongst his gems of one liners was a tale that summed up life for wave and weather watchers on the battered west coast where he lived. His story was one that anyone that studies windguru can relate to, when he first arrived he couldn’t believe how good the forecast was, every day he’d get up early to catch these perfect waves; the catch ? – they never arrived.
I always keep an open mind or more importantly a van full of windsurfers and sups when it comes to perfect forecasts. I used to feel pressure when people asked me what conditions would be like but since having to make the call on flying a team of 50 to Ireland for the Red Bull Storm chase, a phone call from Timo and JC is easy breezy !. By the way that shaper from the surf vid, I didn’t explain the ending, he stopped getting up early, stopped watching forecasts and just surfed when he looked outside and saw it was good, pretty simple formula but one my brother and I have yet to work out.
My theory is every day on the water is a good day, Timo, well he would never lie in, as for JC, he’s the worker, the gold hunter who never stops sifting through the mud. Together we frustrate partners and any reasonable logic to chase those rare day of days even though we know we’ve been skunked more than we’ve scored – its the windsurfer logic – its always worth it! The beauty of this spot is that it is so far out of the way, there’s no surf report, no webcam, no nearby indicators, the approach is all wild fields and empty countryside and anticipation grows with every corner.