56 PROFILEGREGG DUNNETT
Would you like to get back into this kind of thing again
or is being an author where it’s now at?
I’d love to. I just need a babysitter for two months! No, the
reality is I’ve worked hard for a few years now to build
momentum as an author and I’m going to keep at that for a
while to see where it takes me. But the great thing about
writing is you can do it anywhere. So the loose plan is to
spend a few years somewhere hotter and with better waves
quite soon. Kind of a family adventure. It’s not exactly the
same as my Boards days, but it’s a way of getting back to
what I love to do, to travel and explore and to get in the
water every day.
That said, if a magazine ran test trips open to guests like
Boards did back in the day, I’d be the first to sign up (hint).
What’s the biggest tip you could give to anyone thinking
of either getting into niche journalism or writing books?
I thought when I quit Boards that it was a really tough time to be
a writer, with the internet making a lot of what magazines
offered redundant. But actually it’s brought a lot of new
opportunities (which new writer/entrepreneurs like you guys are
exploiting). So I guess the ‘secret’ is to pour everything you’ve
got into what you’re creating, and build an audience of people
who enjoy what you do. Once you’ve got that there are all sorts
of ways to monetize it enough that you can keep doing it.
And what about time to get afloat? We know you’re
hands are full with a young family but are you still
finding time for windy/wavey shenanigans?
Those young families they do mess things up don’t they? I
still windsurf almost whenever it’s windy, unless I’m on
I guess the ‘secret’ is to pour
everything you’ve got into what you’re
creating, and build an audience of
people who enjoy what you do
uk
WIND
SURFING
childcare duties. I don’t surf so much because Bournemouth
(where we live) is pretty bad for surfing. But when I do get in
the water I probably appreciate it more than when I was
younger and could do it all the time. I now know how special
those moments are, and I’m really looking forward to getting
the kids involved as they get a little older.
Any goals left to achieve as far as windsurfing goes?
My brother and I (he of Windsurf-Round-Britain and Round-
Europe fame) made two attempts to sail around the Isle of
Wight on longboards, but both times we failed. To be honest
he was holding me back. So there’s that. Oh and Baja. I’ve
got this thing. If I ever manage to write a proper bestseller
and get rich, I’m taking the whole family to Baja, I’ll make
them camp on the point there for a month while I ride
perfect waves every day, and play guitar and drink Coronas
every night. It’s going to happen. It’s going to be awesome.
What’s your opinion of the windsurfing industry in 2018?
To be honest I don’t know. My focus is on the kids and the
writing. That said, Avon Beach in Dorset (where I sail) still
has a pretty healthy scene.
Is it better or worse compared to when you working in
it? What would you change, if anything?
Again I don’t really know. But I’d say it’s knocked along OK
for a number of years now. I guess it’s easy for me to be
relaxed about the industry side of things these days, because
my living is no longer tied up with it. It’s pretty clear
windsurfing isn’t going to boom again any time soon, but it
isn’t going to go away either. If it’s destined to be a small
niche sport, then that’s OK with me.