Surf, Sun & Sharks….

Name: Lucy Robson
Age: 24yrs
Home town: Brighton

Surf, Sun, Sharks...and a whole host of exceptional and unique experiences have made up my last 5 weeks of winter training in Cape Town, South Africa. I had booked this trip back in September and thought that I would have a good time but really it was better than I could have ever imagined, and without distraction I was able to windsurf every day par 2 days when the wind decided to have a rest.

Aside from the windsurfing conditions and variety of breaks, Cape Town is hugely interesting both in terms of history, culture and the medley of societal change, however to avoid the risk of this being some pseudo-sociological evaluation I guess what you are all more interested in hearing about those so-called Lucy tales!

The check-in dramas

I had been forewarned that the excess would be expensive (about 200 dollars one-way) but taking advice from Andy King I tried to argue this and say I just had a surf board - without breaking into an enormous grin when the staff clocked my huge coffin bag stuffed to bursting with 3 windsurf boards, a surf board and an equally impressive quiver bag all weighing about 90 kilos! This was then followed by a further inquisition at x-ray and hand luggage check when I remembered about 4 screw drivers I had put in my rucksack. Never without a drama I finally got on the plane and for the next 11 hours exploited the free bar & thought windsurfing.

The comedy car

Again taking the advice of all those budget windsurfers, I hired a beetle for the equivalent of 176 pounds for the duration of my trip from Best Beetles, that classic car abused by surfers! After a few personal customisations (removed the passenger and back seat to get kit inside the car) this actually turned out to be ok and surprisingly reliable transport, although admittedly not great for your credibility!

The windsurfing

I had vowed on this trip that I was going to make the best of the conditions and for the first 4 weeks I trained hard and was on the water for about 5 hours a day, no alcohol, no smoking, very few late nights, healthy eating and generally boring behaviour. Obviously this took some adjustment but after the first few days this routine started to pay off. As I got over the shark phobia and my confidence grew I was going for more and more moves and really training my overall sailing and style. I would go to Milnerton Lake early for some freestyle practise and then head to Big Bay, Melkboss or Sunset beach for 2 afternoon sessions. The standard in the water here is incredibly high with the majority of the PWA pros choosing to come here at some point over winter, and so you can imagine with really strong winds (most days maxed on my 3.5 Neil Pryde Combat) and surrounded by pros, you are motivated to sail well and gain respect!

Apart from sailing around Cape Town, for the days when the wind became too strong for my smallest sail I would drive up the coast to Kraal Baai and Langaaban to work on my freestyle. This spot turned out to be great for pictures – thanks to Pat for being patient with the camera!

And the last few days…

Towards the end of the trip the wind became a bit more fickle and I started hanging out with some crazy Austrians and Norwegians I had met at the lake. I then got into full on party mode with them and went on a 4-day binge experiencing the other side of Cape Town – the clubs! I think this also brought some relief to Clyde Waite (Boardseeker Features Editor) who was becoming increasingly worried about my straight behaviour and dedication to the cause!

Thanks to Cape Town for such a great trip!

ED. Lucy is off to Maui next on her whirlwind winter tour having swapped careers from the law to professional windsurfing.

PHOTOS: Freestyle (Patrick Heath); Jumping (Simon Crowther)