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SHARING THE
STOKE
WORDS: WSUK PHOTOS: BARTEK JANKOWSKI AND NIKKI ATTREE
RICHARD HAS BEEN A WINDSURFER FOR MOST OF HIS LIFE. SINCE
DISCOVERING IT WITH HIS WIFE, NIKKI, IN THE MID-1980S, IT’S
BEEN AN OBSESSION THAT HAS TAKEN THEM AROUND THE WORLD
SEARCHING FOR WIND, WAVES, AND ADVENTURE. Like Nick (the
main character in his book ‘Too Close to the Wind’), he sometimes
jokes that it’s his ‘religion’. A primary motivation for writing ‘Too
Close to the Wind’ was to ‘share the stoke’ (as Nick might say)
with both his fellow surfaholics and a wider audience. Richard now
lives in Tenerife.
What made you relocate to Tenerife?
It was more of a ‘downshift’ than a relocate. Our house in Shoreham-by-Sea had doubled in value
from 2002 to 2007 (along with much of the UK) and when we compared it to the house prices
in Tenerife, we realised that we could sell up and live a lot more cheaply, in a smaller house, with
fewer possessions, less overheads, but more freedom.
I was in a bit of a rut, dissatisfied with the treadmill that my freelance career had become.
Downshifting would free up time to pursue the things that we loved, explore fresh creative
projects, windsurf all year round and simply enjoy life a bit more. We wouldn’t need to spend
money on travel anymore because we'd already be in ‘paradise'... permanently!
So we sold the house, along with most of our possessions and uprooted ourselves from the shingly
beaches and rolling green countryside of the south coast of England to a dusty, volcanic rock stuck
out in the Atlantic Ocean somewhere off the coast of Africa. It was quite scary at the time, but 12
years have shot by… it’s been an adventure, we’re happy here and we have no regrets.
Where was your local spot prior?
We were lucky to live right next to the beach in Shoreham (just along the road from Surfladle
shop), so it was our local spot. Before moving there we sailed most of the locations on the south
coast: Wittering, Pagham, Hayling, Hillhead, Lepe, Avon, Weymouth, etc.
What does Tenerife offer that home doesn’t?
Well, I don’t really think of the UK as ‘home’ any more. El Médano es nuestro hogar ahora—El
Médano is our home now. Comparing them… the most obvious difference is, of course, the
weather. One of the reasons the Canary Islands are called ‘Las Afortunadas’ (the Fortunate
Islands) is because they have a near perfect climate: all-year-round sunshine, mild winters, and
the trade winds keep the temperature pleasant in the summer. It changes your outlook on life
when you can pretty much rely on waking up to sunshine and you can plan outdoor activities in
advance. We take it for granted now and I have to keep reminding myself how lucky we are.
uk
WIND
SURFING