WindsurfingUK Issue 7 June 2018 | Page 41

41 From Essex to Mauritius with Danny Geereedhary I skateboarded the streets of London where I grew up for ages. Early teens I saw an advert on a British Airways flight of a windsurfer blasting across a tropical lagoon for the drinks brand Martini (or it could have been Bacardi). That left a wow impression with me. At the time I didn’t realise that a few years later I would actually take up the sport. When I moved out of London to (near) the Essex coast windsurfing was a natural ‘surfy lifestyle' follow on from my earlier skateboarding addicted years. I was mainly a freeride weekend warrior. But then I started hitting events. In the past 10 years I’ve competed on two UKWA competition circuits. First wave sailing in the BWA (masters fleet). Then more recently I switched to UKWA /BSA slalom racing (amateur fleet). I did the ams for two years after first trying out their 'master blaster' fleet. Brian Tilsbury who runs that taster entry fleet is brilliant fun and really dedicated. uk WIND SURFING