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THE DAY OF ALL DAYS AT K-BAY

John Carter looks back on a truly legendary session at K-Bay earlier this year…when the Motley Crew came close to blowing it. Thankfully, Timo’s instinct and common sense prevailed, leading to what he reckons was the greatest day of wave sailing he has ever scored in the UK!

THE FORECAST

Fifteen years ago, Bigbury delivered a day so insane it’s been burned into my memory ever since. Mast-high bombs, perfect side-off winds, and a line up stacked with UK legends…Robby Swift, John Skye, Timo Mullen, Ross Williams…and they were all sending it like a full-on world tour final. Since then, any forecast flashing southeast wind combined with a southwest groundswell usually sets the Motley Crew Red Phone on high alert.

This storm had been brewing for a week. It was serious. Nazare-big. The kind of swell that had the WSL granting the green light for the Big Wave Challenge, calling in the world’s heaviest chargers. Even Kai Lenny was on a flight from Hawaii to chase it in Portugal. This was the real deal!

For me? My focus was Bigbury. That bay is a photographer’s dream, with insane backdrops and the potential for epic conditions. But, as always, other spots were in play…back home on the Isle of Wight would probably be firing, while K-Bay had its own whispers of magic on the cards. Timo Mullen was frothing too, but leaning towards K-Bay, his home break. We agreed to make it a first light mission and check the cams at dawn. If Bigbury was firing, we’d gun it west. If not, K-Bay was the call. Simple.

Come 6 a.m., I was squinting at the Bantham webcam, trying to read the swell in pitch-black nothingness. As daylight crept in, so did the reality check, it wasn’t that big at Bantham. High tide can be deceptive, but this wasn’t stacking up to drive three hours west. By 9 a.m., after a webcam marathon that included checks on Nazare, the Isle of Wight, and everywhere in between, we called it. Bigbury was a no-go. K-Bay it was.

EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED

We took our time and eventually made our way to Kimmeridge about 10.30am. To be honest I didn’t really have any expectations. As we cruised over the hills by the firing ranges and K-Bay came into view, our jaws dropped. By gosh, it was pumping…and windy. Out of nowhere our excitement levels were through the roof. Down in the parking lot there were already two or three other windsurfing vans camped out but eerily not a soul to be seen on the water. We hastily walked down around the cliffs to check out upwind and lo and behold, our missing guys were out charging at Super Tubes. And…it looked bloody epic! Jesus, this crew made the Motley Crew look like a bunch of amateurs…they were on it!

Timo was already on his way back to the van and wasted no time rigging his 5m Duotone D/ LAB and plugged it into a Grip 4 94L, D/LAB. I could tell he was frothing…this was Kimmeridge as good as it gets. Clean powerful waves, not too windy, perfect side offshore and…. wait for it nobody out at the Ledges. I was left in charge of the van and Teddy the dog while Timo hit the water, on a mission to make the most of every moment possible of this rare epic day at his home break.

I knew from bitter past experience that trying to shoot the Ledges and Super Tubes from low level was tricky and straight into the milky sunlight. So, I hatched a daring, yet slightly reluctant plan to hike up to the top of the cliffs, where the Clavell Tower looms over the action like a medieval fortress, for a better vantage point. But before committing to my trekking aspirations, I decided to ease into things by perching on a small ledge near the car park to get something in the bag.

It didn’t take long for Timo to get stuck into the action.

Within fifteen minutes, he was already carving through mast-high bombs like a man possessed. Down in the car park, however, something suspicious caught my eye…the back doors of Timo’s van were flung open, and someone was rummaging inside. Was it somebody stealing Teddy the dog? I was responsible for van security and Timo would never forgive me if that happened. Moments later, the mysterious figure emerged from the van, and I realized it was Jamie Hancock. Of course, it was Jamie. The giveaway? He was still using the same battered old board he’s been riding for the past eight years!

As it turned out, Jamie had also caught wind of the epic forecast and somehow managed to convince his parents to drop him off at Kimmeridge while they took his wife and two kids to Monkey World for the day. A true master of negotiation is Jamie! Not quite sure how he managed to pull that one off but once in a while mast high waves have to take precedence over Monkey World.

THE CLIMB

By the time Jamie had finished rigging up, I finally worked up the courage to embark on my gruelling ascent to the cliffs. Now, let me tell you, climbing those steps while weighed down with waterproofs, Wellington boots, a heavy-duty tripod, a monster of a lens, and a spare camera is not for the faint of heart, especially at my age! I was already gasping for breath after the first twenty steps when I overheard a family coming down casually mention that there were a mere 130 steps to the top.

I briefly considered rolling back down the hill and embracing my fate as a low-angle photographer, but duty called. Step by step, with the determination of a man possessed, I pushed on. When I finally reached the top, victorious but barely alive, I surveyed the view. Maybe it wasn’t quite as dramatic as I had hoped, but I had a perfect vantage point of the entire session, spotting the biggest sets rolling in and catching sight of the other sailors who were scoring upwind. And most importantly, I didn’t die.

At the top of the cliff, I felt a renewed surge of energy and worked my way along the coastal path, stopping to shoot at various points. Timo and Jamie had moved up to Yellow Ledges while the other crew still had Super Tubes to themselves. The waves were still solid and seemed to be cleaning up even more with the outgoing tide.

Timo and Jamie were having an epic session trading waves, both picking off mast high bombs, hitting airs and carving right off the lip in the sketchiest sections. After an hour atop the cliffs, I decided it was time for a fresh perspective. I needed shots from below, so, back down those pesky steps I went, searching for new angles. I grumbled to myself all the way down, questioning my life choices.

By the time I reached the bottom, the wind had picked up a notch or two. It looked like Timo was coming in for a breather or maybe to change down. As he clambered along the rocks, he was grinning like a Cheshire cat, already claiming this as the best wave sailing day he’d ever had in the UK. And it wasn’t over yet.

Sure enough, he was only off the water for a quick rig change, dropping down to a purple SUPER-HERO 4.7m, still on the 94L Grip 4 D/LAB. Meanwhile, Jamie was still scoring epic waves up at Yellow Ledges, while his poor wife was doing a heroic job dragging the kids around Monkey World.

TIME UP

Timo wasted no time and headed back out while over in the car park I spotted Jamie’s wife Becky who had arrived and was scuttling around after their two girls. It was time for Jamie to trade waves to get back to family duties and I am sure he would not be complaining.

By mid-afternoon more crew had rocked up and there were now six or seven guys out on the water scoring, all eager to squeeze every last drop out of this epic day. Around 4 p.m., the wind finally called it quits, signalling the end of Timo’s session. Still buzzing, he remained adamant, this was one of his best wave-riding days ever in the UK.

Kimmeridge had delivered, and Timo had absolutely nailed the call. I, on the other hand, had to eat a hefty slice of humble pie. My original plan had been to head to Bigbury, but thankfully, common sense (and peer pressure) prevailed. The added bonus? We’d dodged a three-hour drive—proof that sometimes, the best decisions involve less time in a car and more time on the water.

DILEMMA

But now, the next time a similar forecast pops up, the dilemma of where to head is going to be even tougher. Do we stick with Kimmeridge, the proven golden ticket? Or do we roll the dice and head west, risking the dreaded “Should’ve gone with Plan A” regret? One thing’s for sure…Timo will be reminding me of this day for years to come.