STORM HENK: ON THE VERGE OF A HURRICANE
Faced against winds verging on hurricane strength, Chris Audsley and Lucas Meldrum brave the first major storm of 2024 on the UK’s south coast.
Words: John Carter, Lucas Meldrum and Chris Audsley // Photos: John Carter
As you may have read in our recent Mission Impossible article in May’s edition of Windsurf, there were actually three missions to Pagham Beach around the start of 2024. However, the second mission to face Storm Henk on the 2nd January, felt like it warranted a story of its own, as it was just one of those days where you couldn’t script the drama with Mother Nature at its wicked and wildest best.
A BREWING STORM
The first mission, on New Year’s Eve, had been what I could only describe as a photographic failure and I was determined to redeem myself as soon as possible. The day of mission two actually started with no plan at all. I knew the conditions had the potential to be wild as some forecast models were predicting winds in excess of 60 knots and a four-metre swell to go with it. After a quick chat with Chris Audsley in the morning, he declared that he was thinking about saving his energy for the following day when the wind was set to be moderate. The first day, there was a strong chance that it would be too windy to sail, while it was also more than likely that all of my ferries back home to the Isle of Wight would be cancelled too. Maybe it was just one of those days, where it was simply too wild, and perhaps best avoided. However, with all that being said, about an hour or so later, my phone pinged again with a message from Chris, who had completely changed his mind and had decided he was going to go and checkout Pagham – plus he’d also been given the green light from his Mrs to sail the following day too! There had been an incredible run of conditions recently and this looked like it might be the last couple of days for a while, so Chris was keen to make the most of it. After my disaster on New Year’s Eve, I was hungry to get back to Pagham, even in spite of the possible Storm Henk travel implications. Besides, worst case scenario… I would have to stay on the mainland overnight until the storm had settled down. I decided to take the risk, but given the lateness of the call, I had to scramble to make the next ferry, so that I could meet Chris in Portsmouth and hitch a lift to Pagham.
SMOKE ON THE WATER
We aimed to arrive at Pagham by 2pm and hit the water straightaway as it would be dark by 4pm. A few messages were starting to do the rounds and it soon became apparent that none other than Nik Baker, and Lucas Meldrum, were also en route to Pagham. The crossing over the Solent was relatively mild despite a solid 35 knots of breeze, so at this stage, I was hopeful they had somehow messed up the forecast. However, about halfway to Pagham the situation began to sound noticeably more ominous. Chris received a phone call from his wife that their trampoline had just blown away and that their garden fence was also disintegrating by the second due to extreme winds back home. A few minutes later the phone rang again, this time it was Chris’ dad, who was looking out at the Solent claiming that it was the windiest he had ever seen it. Apparently, the sea state was a total tempest with that smoke on the water effect from the savage gusts. It didn’t seem too bad while we were driving, but perhaps we were slightly ahead of the onslaught that was set to come. The phone rang again, this time it was Paul Hunt, who reckoned it was blowing force ten at his local duck pond in Warsash! Well, safe to say a lack of wind wouldn’t be a problem on this occasion – gulp!
CHAOS
Upon arrival at Pagham, the sea state was like nothing I had ever seen before. We must have arrived bang on cue for the spike in the wind and it was easily blowing 70 knots on the water. There was no chance we would be scoring any action in these conditions. We arrived just in time to see the four or five sailors, who were currently out braving the conditions, promptly all being blown off the water and looking relieved to have even made it back to the shore at all, such was the unforgiving nature of the conditions at this point. To be fair to Chris Audsley, he still seemed optimistic and was claiming that he was going to give it a try, one way or another. Meanwhile, Nik Baker, who was nursing a wrist injury, was looking none too excited about being thrashed around in Storm Henk’s churning sea and wild winds, while Lucas Meldrum was sitting on the fence. However, I had a feeling that if Chris decided to sail, Lucas was not just going to sit on the beach and watch!
RACE AGAINST TIME
About half an hour later, it seemed like the wind had backed off a touch to a much more manageable 40-50 knots! The conditions still looked treacherous, but Chris was adamant that he was not going home empty handed and announced he was going to rig up. This session was certainly going to challenge the limits of his skill, while precariously navigating that fine line between thrill and danger.
There was no way I was going to make it out onto the lone spit across the lagoon, which had eluded me two days ago, but I knew if I could make it to the main spit that I would be close enough to shoot the action if the guys sailed upwind. With only an hour or so of daylight remaining, I hastily set off on that slog of a trek out to the shingle spit, while Chris and Lucas rigged up. Nik Baker, meanwhile, made the wise decision to stay on the beach, and check how the other two faired in this epic battle against Mother Nature, before making any hasty decisions.
SURVIVAL MODE
About half an hour later I had managed to fight my way into position, just in time to see Chris and Lucas launching from the beach. The wind had not really abated and it was easily still blowing over 40 knots. The tide was already high, fuelled by the storm surge, and the waves looked blown out with spray pluming high into the air as they crashed on to the shoreline. The conditions were undoubtedly wild and exhilarating. Chris was the first to ride a wave and as he went up to hit the lip, having barely being able to hang on to his bottom turn, the wave came crashing down on top of him and he took a proper pounding. The current then took his equipment into the gap between the islands and Chris was left trying to frantically chase it down in the churning froth. Not a good start to say the least – hmmm, maybe this was just going to be a pure survival session after all. Some of the gusts were still so ferocious that I was surprised that they were even able to sail in a straight line at times. I guess the closest thing you could try and compare it too would be a nuking day in Pozo, however, given that this was in the deep depths of the UK winter, it really was an entirely different kettle of fish.
A SESSION TO REMEMBER
As the session progressed, both Lucas and Chris started to get to grips with the conditions. Lucas was not holding back in the slightest – seemingly going for broke on each wave. As they both dialled in, the wind seemed to swing more offshore and the wave faces were surprisingly smooth given that the wind remained storm force. What seemed to be a total blown out mess upon arrival was now quite possibly turning into a session for the ages. By 3.30pm, it was 35 knots, side-offshore, logo high, and the best bit of all, there were only two sailors out scoring epic rides.
When the winter sun eventually disappeared below the horizon, I decided to call it quits and embarked on that arduous journey back to the car park. Apparently, having survived unscathed out on the main break, Chris then faced a confrontation with the menacing mast high shore dump on the inside. Here the wind abandoned him entirely, which led to him receiving a severe beating to end the day. Sometimes you’ve got to pay to play. Lucas, meanwhile, sailed until dusk and reckoned the last few waves were some of the best he has ever scored in the UK! By the time we were all back on the shore, it was almost pitch black and we were all stoked just to have survived to fight another day. When we originally arrived, we could have just as easily turned around and headed straight home, and to be honest with you, that was the first thought that crossed my mind. However, both Chris and Lucas were determined to defy this storm and eventually their patience was duly rewarded as Storm Henk backed down to offer them a chance to not only confront, but also embrace its power. It was certainly not a day for the feint hearted, but it is a day I will remember for a long time, just for the experience of being out there and witnessing those humbling conditions, which really make you sit back and admire the sheer raw power of Mother Nature.
ON THE VERGE
Looking back at the wind readings from Chimet, which is stationed in Chichester Harbour, bang on 2pm the wind cranked from 40 knots up to 70 knots in a matter of minutes. This spike lasted about an hour, before dropping back to 40 knots, and then a mere 30 knots by around 4.30pm. We had arrived at Pagham right when 70 knot gusts were recorded on
Chimet, which on the Beaufort scale equates to storm force 11-12. Strangely enough, only one Wightlink catamaran was cancelled all day, and that was the 2:15pm crossing when the wind was verging on hurricane force. The highest gust recorded on the day was a whopping 81mph at Exeter Airport in Devon!
LUCAS MELDRUM
It was nuking and I didn’t think I was going to sail until Chris mentioned it. When he started rigging, I decided I wanted to at least give it a try as I had driven all the way from Brighton anyway. It was mental when we arrived. It was so windy at that point that the waves were almost being blown flat. I think it was force 10, the guys who were out earlier were blown off the water. We gave it a go and luckily it dropped off enough to sail. I was maxed on my 3.4m with my Grip 4 – and that was after the wind had already dropped significantly. It was impossible to sail when we first arrived. The wave faces were quite clean even in those crazy winds and I actually had a lot of fun once I was dialled in. With the night quickly drawing in, I sailed downwind to the point and it was all time. I had an amazing twenty minutes. Despite the howling wind, the waves were totally clean, peeling and hollow. It was as good as it gets for the south coast. I launched into a few big airs, which was pretty crazy. What an epic day!
CHRIS AUDSLEY
PRIORITIES
Since October 2023, I made a conscious decision to get back into windsurfing more. I have been working solid since I quit competing many years ago and my windsurfing sadly went on the back burner. I deliberately set the 2023 autumn aside for smaller building jobs, so I could pick and choose when I sailed. Luckily I made that decision because it has been one of the best spells of wind and waves for years. It feels like I have sailed at least three times a week. All of my friends have also been keen to sail, which makes it so much better for everyone. It is also nice to see Nik Baker back out again. I sailed Storm Henk with Lucas, which was pretty cool as I hadn’t met him before. He is the current British wave champion and the new kid on the block so to speak. It was epic for both of us to be out challenging that crazy storm. When we first arrived, it did look sketchy. My fence panels were being blowing away at home and my wife was on the phone panicking… I even had to get her to tie our trampoline to the back door. The forecast did say that it was going to die off a tiny bit, so I didn’t give up hope on the idea of sailing.
ROGUE WAVE
To me it seemed rude not to go out. I knew if I went, then Lucas would also go. Nik Baker had an injured wrist, so he made the wise move not to go out. I wish he could have sailed, but it was hard to predict if the wind would drop or not. I went out on my 3.7m Hero and my Grip 3 79 litre board, which is the only wave board I have. It is a super nice all round wave board that handles all conditions. I love that board. My first few waves I could barely bottom turn and I ended up getting completely punished. In the end, it was manageable as the waves were so smooth, which made it easier to turn and there was a great little bowl on the inside. When it is choppy you start bouncing around a bit and that makes it tough. I had a few aerials and also spent a fair amount of time swimming after my kit too. To top it off, I decided to sail upwind where there was no shorebreak, but the wind died when I was a few metres from the beach. I looked behind and a massive wave just came and detonated on me. I got absolutely punished on the beach – to the extent that it snapped my mast. That was pretty hectic, but overall, it was a great day and I was super happy we went out.
BALANCE
I am surprised how good my wife has been as I have sailed so much. I think the reason she has let me go is because she can see how happy I am. I have worked pretty hard since I quit competing. I think I worked too much, I had no balance in my life and that is why I decided to take a bit of time out to get back into windsurfing. It is not the best thing for the bank balance, but life is not all about work and money. I am still young and fit enough to windsurf and that is why I want to make the most of it. I love sailing with friends, which is the key. When I was younger, I had a good group of friends who all sailed together and that was one of the main motivations. Those guys are still sailing and they are as keen as I am. I love it. It is also nice to have guys like Lucas coming through. I saw him catch some really epic waves. He is a great sailor and it is nice to see guys like him coming into the sport.
