46 TRAVELSW ENGLAND
Winning the lottery
It was brief, a little over an hour of punting aerials off
the heaving dumpers before the wind swung bolt
offshore and it was all over. Each time we drive to the
beach to go windsurfing, we are, in effect, gambling. I
think that’s why it is so euphorically rewarding when you
score that special session. It is literally like winning the
lottery and that day left Charlie and I giggling like
schoolgirls. Maybe it is this gambling element that
makes windsurfing so addictive, combined with the
incredible adrenaline rush we all feel, it certainly makes
for an intoxicating combination. I think in reality, we’re
all just junkies chasing the high. This is why I almost
always end up making that drive to the beach, because
you can’t win the lottery if you don’t buy a ticket.
It’s always a great feeling when you figure out a new
spot. I’d heard many things about Bigbury, the terms
‘gusty’, ‘frustrating’ and ‘Bigbury rage’ tended to
feature heavily. This didn’t exactly raise my
expectations. Fortunately I’m rarely one to listen to the
pessimists, and instead listened to my biggest
windsurfing inspiration, my dad. He was full of praise
for the place after spending a lot of time there back in
the 80s when wave sailing was still in its infancy. I
figured if he managed to have fun with a batten free,
cloth sail and a board with the mast track six inches
from the nose, then there must be more to it than this
alleged gusty hell. As much as many of us may not like
to admit it, dads are usually right about most things.
Fortunately for me, this time was no exception. It didn’t
happen immediately, I had a few skunkings and
disappointments before I caught the golden forecast.
But then nothing worth doing goes right the first time.
High and low tides
As it turned out the stars align when the wind goes
WNW. Cross shore starboard tack conditions are a
particular favourite of mine and that is probably why I
loved it so much. High tide is great for jumping, with
ramps lining up in the river mouth under the cliffs. Low
tide makes the waves rather dumpy and huge fun for a
bit of high stakes waveriding. ‘Hit it before it hits you’ is
a good mantra for low tide at Bigbury.
February was the month when the place really came
alive. There was a two week period where I sailed there
almost every other day. Dashing down after lectures,
never more than five people on the water and
sometimes totally alone, it was brilliant. Albeit
somewhat chilly. Bigbury is certainly a beach with its
quirks. Rogue waves out in the middle of the bay, twice
the size of everything else, help keep you on your toes.
There is no real out back safe zone like there is at
uk
WIND
SURFING