WindsurfingUK Issue 3 May 2017 | Page 60

60 FEATURE CHOOK JOURNAL a reasonable rate if you chose a smaller size). But if it has swung south east then you’re going to have very little wind to play with until you’re at the main reef. It’s important to stay on the board at this stage because if you find yourself in the water you may not get back up! The rip off the ‘Surgeon's Table’ will drag you towards the river and it could be a while until you can get going. Once out back all you have to do is catch a wave! Again this isn’t easy either. The waves in WA move very fast and because the water is deep up until the reef, the swell is only a fat lump but moving like a freight train. You might have to bare off to keep on the wave. This is OK because you can jam upwind when it jacks up. Be careful about going too far upwind if it’s a small day. The reef is very shallow and you can end up grounding out in the bottom turn at low tide. When we were there one of the locals landed an aerial into the flats, hit the slab and snapped his fins clean off! When the session comes to an end you can relax – only joking! Trying to get back to the keyhole in a south easterly is something that comes with practice. A decent wave is required and once you have passed the main reef you have to pull upwind, staying with the white water until you are through the keyhole. If you don’t catch a wave you will most likely end up swimming in. Even local legend Scott McKercher was spotted swimming this trip! Team rider This was our first video since sailing with our new gear, and almost a year since the start of The Chook Journal project. It comes with a certain responsibility being a ‘team rider’. You think that people are going to expect you to be better than them or throw big moves. Neither of us have big moves to throw and at the main break there is a huge amount of talent – especially within the local community. Jim first approached us about riding for Puravida because of the Chook Journal project. We do offer something different as young team members because we are not only aspiring windsurfers we are aspiring storytellers. To hear that Simmer Style and O’Shea wanted us on their kit, with K4Fins offering continued support and Jim Brooks-Dowsett’s enthusiasm for upcoming projects, really shows what we have achieved in a year. Stay tuned for more! To see Tom and Ollie’s Home of the Chook vid hit the link - https://vimeo.com/204803624 uk WIND SURFING