Foiling
Waves are my favourite but any time on the
water is a good time. I love sharing the
experience of paddling by taking newbies
out and watching them experience this
incredible sport for the first time.
On the surfing side of things there is still a
tendency to go as small as you possible
can; much like prone surfing culture. I’m
also waiting to see if foiling takes on,
however, the lack of empty line ups and
danger presented to other water users
might be slowing its growth.
Ambition
I have a burning ambition to see FatStick
succeed and grow and not purely for
financial reward. FatStick is kind of an
extension of me, my baby almost and I
want to see her thrive. I would love FatStick
get to the stage where it is viable to
support/employ others. This will take a bit of
burden off me, but also mean that the
company giving back to others and of
course the UK economy.
I’m a heavy chap and need some volume
under me. No surprise I’m on a FatStick
board: 10’2 x 32 x4.5 Wave Fish. I really enjoy
this board as it is loose for its size on a wave
due to its Fish profile adopted from prone
surf designs. It also will handle flat water
paddling here and there when I need it to.
Most of the time during the winter I surf on
the Dorset reefs in the Purbecks. It’s a very
well-known place with good waves. It’s
obvious where I am talking about, but I
won’t name it in a magazine as it upsets
some individuals. Like many spots now it is
struggling with overcrowding issues and a
divide between SUP and prone surfers.
On a more personal level I wish to see my
own board skills improve, especially when
surfing. I recently surfed my SUP on a pretty
notorious wave in South Cornwall. It was only
pretty small, but still presented its own
challenges and it was a little ambition of
mine ticked off when I caught a wave there.
I have another son on the way so I think
jumping on a plane with the lads to score
some glassy gems is out for now. I have just
got back from a lovely business trip from
Kefilonia in Greece. It offers incredible flat
water touring to a mountainous, cliff based
backdrop. To top it off the locals are super
friendly and the food incredible. Also the
beer is always ice cold.
Shout out
Big shout out to all my team riders! They
are always out getting great shots and
content. Thanks to Nick Kingston who has
now left to do other things but really helped
with the early set up of FatStick. I also have
to thank our team rider over in Cork. We
donated a FatStick iSUP to assist in his
Coastal & River Cleans and he works
tirelessly alongside Clean Coasts. Dave
Ludgate is a man on a mission and his
passion is infectious! A final shout out to
Andy Warner my marketing man who does
far more than his job is supposed to entail.
As a surfer at heart I would to be on a big
sailing boat in French Polynesia anchoring
at reefs and surfing perfect waves with
friends and family. Definitely on my bucket
list, but worried it maybe a dream too far
looking at the costs involved.
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