Interview with Andy and Steve King:

What made you decide to visit these spots?

'There was a big storm forecast to hit the south coast of England with gale force south west winds. Christchurch Bay is the not far from where we live and has a couple of spots that work well in slightly different wind directions. Avon is side shore in a south westerly wind and gets clean wrap around waves that break on a sand bar 50 metres or so out to sea. Usually a good call when it’s stormy SW. We went to Highcliffe later when the wind swung west. It’s only a 10 minutes drive from Avon and picks up more swell.'

Can you describe the trip?
The big storm came in and hit fairly early. We both rigged a 3.7, our smallest sails and used our smallest boards to try and achieve some level of control. The wind was howling 50 knots plus at times. There weren’t many people out, probably since there was lots on the news about potential damage and danger haha. We were having a ball though, full power on a 3.7, big air and out of control wave riding, proper storm chase stuff!

Move of the day?
The best moves were funnily enough probably just old school straight jumps, there was so much power in the wind you could just hang in the air for seconds, it was almost like flying.

Wipeout of the trip?
You crash so much when it’s that windy, you are always on the edge since there really is no comfort zone.

Best thing about this day?
Getting two sessions in is always great, the second session was much less windy but the waves were better so you could finally get some good rides. .

Worst thing about the day?
That the storm passed as quickly as it had arrived. Our 3.7m’s got packed away for another couple of months at least!

What were you looking to achieve on this day?
Our aim was to find somewhere that was sailable really, with decent waves to jump and ride.

What planning went into the this day?
We kept a close eye on the forecast and set off early to ensure we didn’t miss the best of it.

What were the conditions at the various beaches?
Avon was gusting 40 – 60 knots south westerly which is side shore starboard tack, the waves were about head to logo high. Highcliffe was about 30 knots, side shore west north west wind. Waves were about logo high there.

Can you describe the kit you used at each spot?
Myself and my brother both used 3.7m Goya wave sails at Avon. I used a 75 litre Goya wave board and Steve used a 65 litre Quattro custom and a Goya 78 litre at Avon. At Highcliffe I used my 81 litre Goya wave board and Steve used a 78 litre Goya wave board, we both used 4.1m Goya wave sails.