12PROFILE FINN MELLON
MELLON
USAGE
Tell us firstly where windsurfing all started for you. When and where did you get into it and what keeps you hooked? It all started off with my dad, Niall Mellon. It took me quite a long time to get into windsurfing. I was more of a football fanatic but Dad would persuade me to come sailing by giving me ice creams – effective method! My Dad was a highly qualified instructor for years so I was and still am super lucky to have him behind me. I learned on a pond near my house. I found starting off pretty tricky and hard work but once I got planing I was hooked and have been hooked ever since then! What keeps me coming back is the excitement of wave sailing. For me, nothing beats getting right under the lip and smacking it.
Give us an overview of your local sailing area. What’ s good about it, what’ s not so great and what options do you have based on conditions? I live in Brandon Bay in the south west of Ireland. When it works it is a wave sailing heaven. We have seven miles of golden sandy beaches which can offer you every type of sailing you could want. It is a semicircular shaped bay allowing access to all wind directions from offshore to onshore. The only negative is it is not very consistent. It is hard to get multiple days in a row the same like you do in the Canaries for instance. Also the winter often gets too much wind, swell and rain!
WORDS: FINN MELLON PICS: ALL PICS NIALL MELLON UNLESS OTHERWISE STATED FINN MELLON HAS AN IDYLLIC WINDSURFING LIFE. BASED ON THE DINGLE PENINSULA, IRELAND AND HAVING BRANDON BAY, PLUS SURROUNDS, AS HIS WINDSURF / SURF PLAYGROUND IT’ S NO WONDER THE YOUNG RIPPER IS TURNING HEADS. We caught up with Finn following his recent stint in the Canaries, having had a dig at both PWA events in Pozo, Gran Canaria and Cabezo, Tenerife.
Who’ s your sailing crew and how do they contribute to your overall windsurfing experience? In winter my sailing crew is very limited, most of the time it is only my Dad and I. I am lucky to have my Dad sailing by my side all the time. Dad and I are pretty competitive so it means we are always trying to out sail each other. I believe it is essential to always have someone that will push your sailing. My Dad acts as a coach to me. We spend a lot of time on the beach filming or taking photos sailing or surfing and then we analyze the footage to see how we can improve.
You’ re known as a wave sailor predominantly but do you dabble in other areas of windsurfing, if so what? I surf a lot, does that count?! I want to spend more time learning freestyle as there is such a big cross over between the two windsurf styles when sailing places like Pozo.
WIND
uk
SURFING