To get a decent clip from England requires time and a lot of effort as it’s hard to get the right conditions for all the different spots. Andy King was without a doubt the man for the job: 100% hardcore and willing to drive hundreds of miles in his relentless search for wind and waves, or at least until he got a real job and became a weekend warrior! Andy’s a prolific jumper, the first on the water and the last off powered only Mr Kipling cakes and Iron Bru (this red head’s soft drink of choice). Besides this Andy has got something not many windsurfers have: he can write – so over to the man himself:

Windsurfing in the UK offers so much variety and so many challenges. We spend weeks waiting for storm fronts to arrive so that we can battle the cold and rain, whilst all other sane folk are tucked away in the warm of their houses. We drive miles chasing waves and sideshore conditions and have to make plans around tides that can vary up to 6 metres. In winter after sailing the cold create hot aches in your hands that make even the hardest sailors scream. Yet the windsurfing scene in the UK is still alive all be it slightly underground. Unlike surfing there is still a respect between sailors and an understanding of the passion and addiction that we share. Across the UK, as the TV weather man disappoints a nation with warnings of bad weather as another Atlantic low is about to sweep the country, there is a community of “sleepers” called to arms, who grin with anticipation as they except the challenge to meet this stormy opponent head on at the beaches. That’s what we live for…