There's something about Lucy Name: Lucy Robson Age: 23yrs Home town: Brighton Intro by the Editor Lucy is no ordinary girl. I met her in Greece this summer and was impressed with her planing gybes, solid tacks and how she learnt to heli tack in strong winds in less than a week. Been sailing long? I asked. Since last summer, she replied. What?!!! That’s just a year ago! After a year of sailing I was struggling to get the back foot in and wasn't even thinking about carve gybing. So you sail full time? No, I work in Brighton, I’m training to be a Solicitor. On no, this is just getting worse, brainy as well. And next year, she said, I’m going to compete. Oh dear, I thought, my days as UK champ are numbered! So I managed to drag her off the water for a couple of hours and came up with a suggestion. How about you write for the Boardseeker Online Mag and we follow your progress over the next 12 months as you set out to conquer the worlds of windsurfing and law? Cool, she said. So without further ado, lets hear from Lucy, in her first column, as she gives you a very brief history of her windsurfing career.

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Introducing Lucy

I finished my law studies last year and was left at a loose end with several months to spare. Uninspired by the prospect of another English summer with no waves and the inevitable bar job and ensuing unhealthy lifestyle I decided on a European van adventure with my boyfriend Pat.

Armed with The Stormrider Guide and a couple of surf boards I left Brighton on April 30 th 2003 to recreate my own Endless Summer down the French, Portuguese and Spanish coast lines (or as far as my budget would permit!) Pat also packed his windsurf kit and promised to show me "what all the fuss was about" if I could drag myself away from my blue crush dreams for a day.

Low and behold with Pat navigating, driving south from Porto we came across this place called Foz de Arelho where a sea inlet produced a shallow lake. "Perfect!", he said. So with his 130 litre slalom board and a 4.2 I got learning the fundamentals - uphauling, planing, harness, getting into the front strap and getting to grips with the water start. Although before any of you think this all sounds like a bit of a breeze there were a lot of tears, tantrums, swearing and frustration!! However the hands and body got tough and I was hooked!

After two weeks we moved on to Tarifa (I was assured I was ready for the the High Wind Zone!!) . In pretty nuclear conditions I learnt to get both feet in the straps (out of necessity I might add) and would plane away from the beach, crash and waterstart back again. Thinking the time was definitely ripe for learning to turn around I got chatting to this instructor - Tony (Tatsy) Ford also in Tarifa on a windsurfing pit stop to give me some lessons. I then spent June, July and August racing the boys, crashing, catapulting and creating general mayhem in the water!

After failing to convince my future employees to give me a year out I reluctantly returned home in September 2003, to start my new placement at a Brighton law firm as a Trainee Solicitor albeit fully equipped with the beach bum look! The love affair remained passionate over winter and I got a Fanatic Skate 90 and some new sails.

Still reluctant to give in to the rigors of a 9-5 I got myself out practicing at every available opportunity and upset the family at Christmas by going to Margarita for 2 weeks where I worked on my carve gybing, tacking and light wind tricks. After Christmas like everyone else I fought with the numb hands and the UK weather and realized that the only way to get better was to spend every day of my meager 21 days holiday sailing abroad.

In March I went on the Boards test trip to Egypt where I got to know Jem Hall and managed to almost fully monopolize his time with the provision of top tips! My gybes were now planing and my tacking on smaller boards got better. I also started to jump and go for carving tricks.

On my return from Egypt, I bought my first wave board - a Fanatic Goya 67 and went to Cornwall over Easter to try it out in the waves! I got some great jumps in and discovered going down the line.

In June this year I went to Prasonisi in Greece on a Jem Hall clinic where I learnt to sail a lot faster, heli tack and getting into freestyle.

What’s next? Well, I'm hoping to get some more tricks under my belt, bigger jumps, wave stunts and loops! Is this the time to mention my nickname is "Ding"??! However, mindful of the fact I’ve only got seven days left of holiday till December 2004 it had better be a windy summer. In any event it will come as no surprise to my mates that I am already concocting plans to get a couple of overseas trips in before I finish my Training Contract in September 2005 and should hopefully be a fully qualified lawyer. The office can then take a back step as I leg it to somewhere warm and windy - coz it's all about priorities right?! Ill keep you all posted in my new column!