COAST – A DETOUR TO IRELAND – ROAD TRIPPIN’

Fifty-six and a half hours on the road with JC and the Motley Crew!

Ever had everything organized for that perfect storm chase style road trip – but then at the last minute the weather throws a curveball and all your meticulous plans fall apart? With the latest forecast revisions calling for chaos and disruption, any normal crew might abort and wait for the next low pressure to hit. Well that was exactly the situation we were in when one of the wildest storms of the winter hit back in December – right on-cue for a pre-scheduled, two-day road trip. Everything was literally in place and we were all set 

to hit the road to explore the fabled East Coast reefs with a huge swell and strong cross offshore wind forecast…

Although forecasters sometimes throw out warnings, often you can read between the lines that it’s still okay to head into the eye of a storm. With devastation, real travel chaos, flooding and closed-down beaches now actually reality rather than just a threat, pulling the plug on any mission to the North Sea was the only sensible option. But we’re talking about ‘the Motley Crew’ here and, rather than throw in the towel, a new plan was instigated and within minutes we were now unexpectedly headed over to Ireland instead – with an
8-metre swell predicted! John Carter tells the story:

Words & Photos JOHN CARTER

(This feature originally appeared in the May 2014 issue of Windsurf Magazine. To read more features like this first, Print and Digital subscriptions are available. Prices include delivery globally for 10 x issues a year!)

The plan
10 a.m. I’m on the phone to Timo, having just checked the latest weather updates. Our mission (myself, Timo and Ross Williams) to the East Coast is rapidly falling apart. I’m usually one to head directly without stopping at ‘GO’ to the eye of any storm, but this low was wrapping up into such a tight ball of isobars that it was insanity to head into travel chaos. Timo was having none of it and, rather than focus on our initial target, his radar had broadened to cover every single nook and cranny within a day’s drive of the south coast rather than abort this mission. After scouring the maps he finally made a call. Despite north-westerly winds, which are predominantly onshore in Ireland, Timo had dug out a harbour wall surf break that should be cross-off and work in a big swell. Madness I know, but he was adamant he was going ahead regardless and it was now up to me and Ross if we wanted to commit to 24 hours of madness?

1 p.m. Ross and I are at Yarmouth on the Isle of Wight in line for the next ferry. Don’t ask me why! We’re now committed. Timo’s booked a Stena Line ferry from Birkenhead (Yes, that’s from Liverpool) to Belfast and Ross and I are rushing over to meet him in Poole. From there it’s a race to make the last check in at 9 p.m. for the 10.30 crossing. Bearing in mind 80 mph winds are forecast during the night in the Irish Sea, we’re not even sure if the ferry will go. This trip is already verging on insanity.

3 p.m. Made it to Poole! A quick re load of vehicles as we all pile into Timo’s van and get ready to hit the road. Once I’m on board, I know anything is possible during the next couple of days. If the ferry doesn’t run, we could even be back tomorrow morning!

STORM BREWING
7 p.m. So far the weather is calm, but every warning possible is coming through on the radio. The ferry’s still on schedule however, but I think we’re going to be in for a rough night ahead. As we stop for refreshments en-route, the headline on the paper reads ‘Killer Winter Storms’ as we brace for a bumpy night on the ferry.

10.30 p.m. We make it to Liverpool and enjoy a smooth check in with Stena Ferries. Perfect timing as we tune into midweek match-of-the-day in the bar. The locals sure are happy with Suarez banging in four goals past Norwich just as the TV fades out of reception as we head into the Irish Sea.

3 a.m. I wake in the middle of the night to the noises of the whole ship creaking as the hull crashes through the wind and waves. Am I going to be seasick? That is the question. There’s too much noise and turbulence to get back to sleep – this is hell! Meanwhile, Timo and Ross are both happily snoring away! B******s!

INTO THE EMERALD ISLE
7.30 a.m. We arrive in Belfast, one hour late due to the rough seas that wouldn’t normally be a problem aside from the fact it gets dark at 4 p.m., so the clock is ticking …

8 a.m. A quick stop at Timo’s parents house on Loch Neagh, just outside Belfast, where we grab a bacon sandwich and pick up his brother Finn, who’s joining us for the excursion. Now Finn is well known as one of Ireland’s big wave Gurus, so I’m not sure if it’s a good thing or a bad thing when I see him load a bag full of buoyancy jackets, a fin belt and First Aid kit. I guess you’ve got to be prepared for anything if they’re calling for 30-foot waves?

10 p.m. Just a wee four-hour drive across Ireland as we head to the tip of the North West coastline. It’s overcast and hell windy, with the morning surf
reports at Bundoran calling for massive, blown-out wind swell.
Where we’re headed is open to the same swell, but is tucked away where hopefully the NW wind will be blowing cross-offshore – not much to ask for!

11.45 a.m. I pop the question to Timo before we reach the beach. You have the choice, turn back time and be back in the comfort of your own home, or be in this van right now on a 50/50 gamble with the conditions, still another full day’s travel away from Poole?  Of course Timo would rather be part of the chase. He lives for these days and knows you have to be ‘In it to win it’. Fingers crossed, here we go!

MASSIVE!
12 p.m. Finally, can I say that again, finally, we’re at the beach. Just the 24 hours since I left my front door yesterday. As we pull over the hill into your quintessential Irish harbour, my first vision is of a huge wave crashing down the reef. We’re not alone. A small crew of Irish sailors and kiters have cottoned on to this forecast and are casually rigging down by the harbour wall. These guys seem to be showing no signs of fear whatsoever for the mast-high mountains of white water they’re about to face – fair play!

12.30 p.m. The first half hour has been a bit sketchy with the wind but it soon starts picking up and the boys look overpowered out the back. I guess we’re at the very tail end of this storm? Definitely not 80 mph here, but mast-and-a -half waves will do us nicely!

1.15 p.m. One of the local Irish sailors goes down in the surf and looks like he’s broken his mast. The rip is taking him downwind fast towards a massive bombie and, with no rescue around, the sailor looks to be in a pretty sketchy situation. Finn (a.k.a. Red Bull Storm Chase Head of Safety) comes to the rescue, although the guy has to ditch his rig in order to ensure survival and enable a tow back in. A small price to pay against the possibility of drowning!

2 p.m. Timo drops into a big ‘un – probably mast-and-a quarter on the peak – but as he works his way to the inside bowl, the wave engulfs his rig completely and spits his sail out through the white water. Moments later he’s swimming like Michael Phelps as he tries to catch his rig before it smashes on the rocks. Ross and Finn sail in to check he is okay – and somehow he pulls his kit out of the boulders with no damage tendered. When the conditions are big and sketchy, it’s wise not to sail alone and, if your sailing buddy is in trouble, make sure they’re okay before you smash the next lip!

2.30 p.m. Finn is picking off the bomb sets, hugging the reef and dropping in deep. The big sets are easily mast-and-a-half high, although the swell direction seems a little north for the waves to fully reel down the point. Instead, these mountains of water are coming through like huge battering rams, heavy liquid walls that are tough to ride and bear nasty consequences if you wipe out. What is already striking a chord in my mind, is that I have to come back here when there’s another huge swell – but with the correct swell direction and cross-off wind.

The potential is there for this place to break like Cape Verde!

3 p.m. Ross is linking up some multiple turn waves on the smaller sets that are sneaking through along the reef. When I say smaller, they’re still logo high, hitting the reef with enough power where the consequences of wiping out will no doubt result in a trip to the rocks.

3.30 p.m. After nearly three hours on the water fighting with these huge waves, the boys finally return to the beach, somehow with all the gear intact.

HOMEWARD BOUND
8 p.m. We make it back to Timo’s parents house on Loch Neagh just in time to scoff down one of Anne Mullen’s finest Shepherds Pies, served up with hot baked beans, sausages and a Pavlova (with ice cream) for dessert.

The whole trip was almost worth it for that meal alone!

12 p.m. Back on the Stena Ferry, this time poised for a calmer crossing and hopefully a decent night’s kip. It’s Timo’s birthday, we’ve scored a pretty heavy session and there’s beer on board. Even though I’m trying to cut back on my intake, it seems rude not to celebrate.

8 a.m. Back into Liverpool as the sun comes up, with just another five hours on the motorway before we’ll be in Southampton. There is a temptation to head to the east coast to check out the aftermath of the storm, but dropping winds seem inevitable and the option of three hours less diving wins the vote.

12 p.m. Today’s headlines are a split between the death of Nelson Mandela and the massive storm and associated tidal surge. The floods that hit the east coast were reported as the most serious in the past 60 years, with thousands forced to abandon their homes, while seven cliff-top houses collapsed into the sea in Norfolk. Meanwhile, wind of up to 140 mph was reported up in the Scottish Highlands causing more havoc and chaos on the roads. Somehow we had managed to thread our way through the carnage and make it back-and-forth to Ireland with barely any disruption.

4 p.m. Timo drops me at the railway station at Southampton airport en-route to Poole, leaving just a train, bus, ferry, two more buses and a walk and I’ll be back at home! Since the final decision was made to head to Ireland, it’s now a total of 54 hours travel in exchange for four or five hours at the beach. The trip was definitely an adventure and, somewhere in my mind I have an awful premonition that I’m going to have to do it all over again in order to catch this place on its day. My gut instinct tells me that this Point Break could be insane and, knowing Timo and Finn, they’ll want to ride it again in the not-so-distant future.

6.30 p.m. I drag my bags through the front door. Seconds later the phone rings. It’s Timo “JC, East Coast looks on tomorrow …” After a moment’s hesitation, I reply: “Oh Jesus Christ – what time do we have to leave?”

THANKS TO: Stena Line ferries // www.stenaline.co.uk

The post COAST – A DETOUR TO IRELAND appeared first on Windsurf Magazine.