A Year On The Road With John Carter

Issue 312 - JAN FEB 2012

TRAVEL A Year On The Road

Travel

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Life is like riding a bicycle, to keep your balance you must keep moving. By stating this surely, Albert Einstein must have known what he was talking about when it comes to travel.

Before I took up windsurfing photography, I spent three years back packing around Australia, America and Thailand where not only did I see a host of amazing places but I also met countless interesting people while also learning some valuable lessons about life along the way. My early sojourns abroad inspired me to take up photography, which eventually turned into my career as it is now. Therefore, travel opened up the doors for me into a new world of never ending adventures and opportunity.

A Y e a r O n T h e Roa d W i t h J o h n C a r t e r

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ny windsurfing trip can broaden your horizons, take you away from your usual routine and refresh your enthusiasm for your passion. It may be tough times right now economically but if you can stretch the budget to indulge in a trip of a lifetime to the destination of your dreams, I very much doubt you will ever regret it. I have put together a little re-cap from all my trips during 2011 and I hope these scribbles might motivate a few of you to venture away from your local breaks and explore what else the world has to offer. Airports are the one place where every windsurfer who wants to travel abroad has to pass through. Arriving at Heathrow or Gatwick is part of the process I love and hate at the same time, the moment marks the start of an exciting journey but also means you are just about to go through the hassle of checking in, clearing security and boarding the plane. Most people travelling through the airport are in their own little bubble, either rushing around looking anxious, constantly looking at their watches or nervously checking their pockets for passports and wallets.

Emotions run high at the airport, tears as loved ones say their farewells or people hugging and greeting their relatives as they roll in. Then you get the groups of people headed out on holidays, families under stress, hot babes, businesspersons or sports people off to some sort of tournament.

One way or another the airport is always an interesting place to be whatever your reasons for being there and there are not many places where you get such a huge variety of people all gathering under one roof. People watching is an absorbing pastime. My place in the system is always coming or going on one adventure or another and for the past twenty years, I have pretty much spent six months or more every year out of the country specifically headed to windsurfing destinations. I love my home, don’t get me wrong, but travel has brought many new friends into my life and I am lucky enough to have seen and experienced hundreds of destinations all over the world.

to visit Australia just for four days but I really packed it in this year having some memorable times with Scott Mckercher, Ben Severne, Rich Page and all the local Aussie crew. The nice thing about the Ledge to Lancelin event is that there is usually a meaty budget for a TV show and I am lucky enough to score the slot alongside the camera operator in the helicopter to shoot the big race and the wave event, so the photography aspect is very exciting.

The event revolves around the massive party at the Endeavour Tavern on the Saturday night and one thing I can assure you is that the Aussies know how to let their hair down, despite the extortionate prices in the tavern. Departing from Perth International Airport is always a pain in the ass since there is a guy just outside departures who always checks your carryon luggage. Most places I can sneak my heavy camera bags through but in Australia I have even been sent back to check in and once had to then pay $800 excess for my carryon items!

“ The world is your oyster so why not open it up and discover what pearls you may find “

January AUSTRALIA

2011 was only four days old before my first trip of the year and I was lucky enough to be invited by my good friend Rob Goyen to fly out to Australia to shoot the Ledge to Lancelin Ocean Classic. The fact I live on the Isle of Wight always means I have to throw in a half hour ferry ride and two hours in a taxi to get to the airport. Usually, it is already half a day down the pan before I am even on the plane. It takes around twenty hours from Heathrow to Perth, allowing for a quick stopover in Singapore to change planes, but I always feel comfortable arriving in Australia where I have formed plenty of solid friendships over the years. I never find the jet lag too bad when heading east but when I fly the opposite way to Maui or the US it always hits me like a tonne of bricks. It seems crazy to travel halfway round the planet

CAPE TOWN

I had barely been back a couple of days when I received an invitation from Craig Gertenbach of Fanatic to head out to Cape Town for a four-day photo shoot on the 13th of January. We scored some wicked conditions in Table Bay and down at Cape Point when on the last day of the trip Roberto Ricci approached me on the beach asking if I could stay an extra four days for another shoot. At first, I declined the offer but then at the last minute I thought, since I was already there it would be stupid not to stay on. The next step was to break the news to my beloved wife for permission to change my ticket and stay the extra days. Roberto brings his whole family out to Cape Town every winter and had rented a pretty pimp house at Big Bay right on the beach. I was lucky enough to score one monster day at a secret reef break in the middle of the trip with John Skye, Phil Horrocks, Klaas Voget, Victor Fernandez and Brawzinho all going off in mast high plus conditions.

IRELAND Before January was over, I found myself headed for a quick two-day stint with Timo and my friend Scott Gardener to the north west coast of Ireland to chase a huge winter storm. Travelling to Ireland always means using a cheaper airline like Easy Jet or Ryan Air and it is always a battle to get my camera gear on board without having to pay any excess baggage.

Ireland in the winter is the opposite end of the scale to Cape Town or Perth but funnily enough, I enjoy the challenge of dealing with the cold, rain and miserable weather. With the days very short and the sun low in the sky, you may only score thirty minutes of sunshine, so we all have to be wary of making sure we are on it if the moment comes. This trip was really weird because we were at a remote beach in the middle of nowhere on the west coast all alone, when out of the blue Thomas Traversa and Brendon Pyatt rocked up chasing the same forecast. How weird is that?

www.windsurf.co.uk

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Travel February AUSTRALIA

Early in February, I was back on a Singapore flight to Perth for another ‘in and out’ Starboard photo shoot with Scottie Mckercher, Philip Koster, Finn Mullen and Danny Bruch. The forecast was horrific but with Koster involved, he didn’t need too much wind or waves to pull off some amazing action. I felt sorry for Danny because he injured his knee before the trip so could not sail. Imagine having to go through all the painful bits like flying and driving hours to the breaks and then have to sit in the truck and watch it all go off. One massive bonus was that I managed to beat Scott at golf on his home course. Over the years, any sporting encounter between me and Mckercher has become hugely competitive so to thrash him at Margaret River Golf Club was a sweet victory.

VIETNAM This might sound like madness but I flew all the way back from Australia via Singapore, went home for one night and then flew back to Singapore the very next afternoon en route to Vietnam. I thought it was worth 26 to spend one night with my family. I had arrived in Vietnam two days prior to the PWA event and before I knew it I was whisked off to a remote island three hours’ drive away on a Starboard freeride shoot. It was a crazy day but the island had incredible scenery and the wind howled so the big effort proved worthwhile. The next day it was back to the grind of the PWA and everyone was buzzing at this new event location. Mui Ne is the new Mecca for windsurfing in Vietnam and the sailors were all happy to be at a contest where all the accommodation and infrastructure was a mere stone’s throw away from the beach. The Full Moon resort was at the centre of all the action and with its consistent winds and reasonable cost of living, it is not a bad option for an extended winter’s vacation.

March MAUI I have been to Maui at least once every year since 1989 and would like to call it my home away from home when it comes to windsurfing destinations. This year I headed out for three weeks and started the trip well with a nice flat-bed business seat courtesy of United Airlines. One benefit of being a regular traveller is that once you hit a certain amount of miles per year with a particular airline then upgrades and extra luggage allowance are both welcome benefits. All my time in Maui over the last two decades probably adds up to over three years in all, so I always know there will be a lot of familiar faces and friends when I visit.

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Spring on Maui is also a cool time to catch up with all the other photographers and we all like to exchange views on equipment and check out the latest techniques from both water and land photography. I am usually lucky enough to score a fair amount of time in helicopters while I am on Maui and this year was no exception. It is always a bit stressful when making the call to hire a helicopter because at $1200 or more an hour you are burning money fast. Usually the results pay off when you score a decent session but occasionally you get unlucky with a rain squall, kiters or dying winds and the stress can go off the scale. There never seems to be a dull moment while I am in Hawaii and I always seem to be busy from dawn until dusk every single day. If there is one location where you really want to see where windsurfing is at, then Maui really is the place. It is the epicentre of all things windsurfing and it is where many professional sailors, local legends and important board and sail designers from the big companies all reside. The fact that you are on an island bang in the middle of the Pacific Ocean means that sooner or later a giant swell will hit if you are there for any length of time. When the waves are smoking on Maui, it is one of the most awesome natural wonders you will ever get to experience.

April AUSTRIA I managed to squeeze in about a week at home before heading out to Austria for the second freestyle event on the PWA calendar.

I remember being at the first ever event in Austria way back in 1998 when Bjorn Dunkerbeck was the winner and the likes of Matt Pritchard, Peter Volwater, Josh Stone and Vidar Jensen were some of the biggest names in the discipline. That year fluky winds meant we had to judge from a boat in the middle of the lake and moves like willy skippers, spin loops and carving 360’s were enough to win an event. Boy, how things have changed over the last thirteen years. Sailing in Austria, is pretty much the opposite end of the scale to the waves of Hawaii, but for the locals, the lakes are where it all happens. It is pretty inspiring to witness windsurfing alive and kicking on such a huge scale in a land locked country. The freestyle and the tow in sessions are popular with the crowds but the parties are what the event is really about, especially with its location less than an hour’s drive from Vienna.

May

KOREA One of the weird and wonderful aspects of visiting Korea is the fact we all get to stay in love hotels while at the event. The rooms all come equipped with circular beds, a table top full of oils and lotions and atmospheric lighting intended to get couples in the mood. Each room in the hotel usually carries its own little signature feature and it is quite fun checking out what random bed shape or Jacuzzi layout each of the crew have scored. The food in Korea is also a grey area and personally, the aromas from the kitchens make me feel sick before I even look at what is on offer. The locals actually have no differentiation between breakfast, lunch and dinner so most dishes are based around Kimchi a fermented vegetable dish that really rolls my stomach first thing in the mornings.

This years winner Ben Proffitt tucking into a wave 360 at Belephuil.

June COSTA BRAVA This year we flew to Costa Brava with British Airways, which is a convenient two hour flight. Although the conditions historically have never been really radical in this area of the Mediterranean, the threat of the infamous Tramontana has always been whispered every time we roll into town. We all stay on a camp site in little cabins so it’s one of the few events where all the crew and sailors gets to chill out as a big group. Therefore, with everyone expecting a week of tennis, relaxing and other activities wild fifty knot racing blew us all away. Some of the strongest winds hit between the winners and loser’s final of the first round and many of the sailors were totally unprepared for the onslaught. To see the likes of Jimmy Diaz, Peter Volwater and Cyril Moussilmani literally having their sails ripped from their hands while they struggled to make it round the course really showed how the power of nature can switch on in a matter of minutes.

BONAIRE The UK PWA flew out to Bonaire with Continental Airlines via New York and I ended up having one too many gin and tonics on the first leg of the flight. Maybe it was the thought of what lay ahead, since this stretch of the season was the very first event of what was being nicknamed the Six Island Tour. Two islands in the Caribbean followed by all four of the main Canary Island destinations all ‘back to back’ was definitely a tough stint! Either way you can never really complain when you hit the Caribbean and experience that first sunset while sipping an ice cold beer.

The water is so shallow at Lac Bay that you can just wade out to take water shots in the crystal clear lagoon. It is a killer location to try some different angles with pole mounts and fish eye lenses.

The day before the event we had the afternoon free so a few of us from the crew blagged some windsurf gear from Gybe City and hit the water. My windsurfing skills were pretty rusty but I enjoyed blasting around at my own level alongside Paul Hunt, Hugo Lewis and a few of the PWA sailors.

If you ever want to experience a small piece of

paradise, and you are content with flat water blasting, then definitely consider Bonaire as an option. It has that laid back Caribbean atmosphere, with lots of smiling faces and the sailing is second to none if you are into freestyle or cruising safely with the family in perfect in turquoise water.

ARUBA The last time I was in Aruba was way back in 1998 so it was cool to be able to come and check the island out after so many years.

When we arrived we were greeted by a huge party bus, with giant wheels, pimp seating and blaring music. The crew had one day free before the event started so we managed to persuade Sarah Quita’s mum to organize a deep sea fishing trip the morning after we arrived. As you might guess the fishing trip turned into one almighty competition and I was lucky enough to catch an 8lb Tuna and walk away with the prestigious victory. Winning the Tuna trophy was all the more satisfying because my roommate, Hunty, only managed to catch a tiny Skipjack leaving him totally demoralized for the next few days! We stayed in the Hilton Hotel which I would have to say served the best breakfast on the whole tour this year, with quality omelettes, decent coffee, fruits, yogurts and all sorts of other goodies. Air conditioned hotels with 40 degree outside temperatures are pretty much the worst possible combination for camera equipment and each morning at the beach all my lenses and bodies were full of steam and condensation on the inside as well as the outside. As far as I am concerned that is a recipe for disaster and sure enough later in the season one of my new canon 1D Mark 4’s failed to respond when I clicked the on button costing me £950 in the process. Looking on the positive side, I was lucky enough to score a short helicopter ride on the second day of racing and from up above the view of the reef and the water was absolutely stunning. Our flight on the way home out of Aruba was delayed by about an hour, which meant all the crew headed to the UK, missed the connecting flight back to London. The roll on effect of that was that after two weeks away we would not be able to go home before the next event in Lanzarote. If there was a plus side, we ended up with a free day in New York so we decided to hit the roof of the Empire State Building and visit the infamous camera store B and H. www.windsurf.co.uk

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Travel

July LANZAROTE All that travel, the stress of the delay and time on planes must have taken its toll on me. I was already feeling a bit weird when we landed in London but when I woke up in Costa Teguise I was out for the count. So for the first time since I have started the job I spent the whole of the morning of registration day in bed, I think with dehydration. Lanzarote was short and sweet only four days long and when I recovered it was fun to hang out with the freestyle crew and see Gollito win his first event of the season.

GRAN CANRIA You can always count on the Canaries to deliver strong winds and sunny weather in the summer months. Just a four hour flight from the UK any windsurf trip to the Canary Islands is almost guaranteed to deliver decent bang for your buck and lots of water time.

Every year we stay in the Gloria Palace Hotel about 15km from Pozo where they serve up one hell of a buffet of all you can eat breakfast and evening dinner. Most of the sailors also score a deal here and the hotel has become a sanctuary away from the wild winds of Pozo.

This year’s event was all about the Koster Kid who blew everyone away with his

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phenomenal sailing.

When the focus diverts so strongly to one standout sailor it is easy to disregard some of the other performances who also deserve a mention. Daida Moreno has raised here level to extraordinary heights in the women’s fleet and delivers one of the most radical push loop table tops in the business. In the men’s fleet Ricardo Campello is a double loop machine, while Brawzinho continues to improve on port tack at a scary pace. With a small gap between Gran Canaria and Tenerife I finally made it home to see the family for a couple of days and also sneak in a round of golf! After nearly a month on the road I found myself content to just veg out on the sofa, lock the cameras out of sight and happily watch TV. All those days in the relentless sunshine certainly take their toll and it is not until you get to the sanctuary of home that you actually realize how tired you are.

TENERIFE The El Medano, Tenerife event had a really positive vibe about it largely thanks to the efforts of Danny Bruch who helped organize and set up the whole infrastructure. We stayed in the Arenas Del Mar Hotel, which is a fantastic place to kick back and enjoy the views over El Medano. Once again Koster stole the show but an awesome comeback from Danny Bruch to take second was the real fairy tale ending to this particular story. Aside from a kick ass event, which was blessed with exceptional conditions, there were also some fun activities for all the sailors once the competition was over. We spent one fun filled day at the Siam Water Park with VIP tickets, which meant we did not have to wait alongside the general public for any of the rides. I have not laughed and screamed so much for as long as I can remember and the park is definitely one of those experiences that brings out the child in all of us. When the fun and frolics of the water park were all over, the PWA sailors were treated to a two hour private session in the incredible wave pool. With the sun setting, perfect man made waves and a great vibe on the water, the surf session was the highlight of one of my most memorable days on tour. On our final day in Tenerife, Bruch laid on a VIP golf tournament at the Amarilla, Tenerife Golf Course.

Ben Proffitt was the cowboy among the ranks and played a brilliant round after I had talked up my skills at a barbeque the night before and then proceeded to have an absolute shocker.

FUERTEVENTURA A quick internal flight over to Fuerteventura and we were now down to the last leg of our Six Island Tour. The crew and most of the sailors always book into the Hotel Sol Gorriones, which overlooks the event sight and is ‘the’ place to stay in Sotevento.

In my absence from home my family had been pleading and scheming with me to buy them a dog, knowing that I was in a weak position after all the time away. Now my wife knows I have never really been a dog kind of guy, I kind of prefer cats since they seem to mind their own business and do their own thing. In rare a moment when my guard was down, I finally agreed for Suzanne and the boys to go and look at a puppy. Before I could rectify the situation and call any form of retreat, the deal was done and I had now sunk down to number five in the pecking order in the hierarchy back at home. To make matters worse our new dog was an embarrassing Cockerpoo and I knew I was going to get lumbered with walking this animal once the novelty factor inevitably wears off with the kids. Back in Fuerteventura Rene Egli’s well-oiled machine ran as smoothly as ever with massive parties and kick ass action in the water. By this point in the season the Dunkerbeck versus Albeau battle was fully raging and another fifty knot nuclear day saw Dunkerbeck slip down the ranking and Albeau claw back into contention.

of you has to draw the short straw and sleep on a flimsy camp bed on the floor. This year was my turn for the big opulent bed while poor Hunty had to endure the uncomfortable option, sweet revenge after he had trumped me last time around.I knew in Turkey Dunkerbeck could win the title, so had been keeping a close eye on the racing situation. Fortunately I was right on hand to witness the moment when Dunkerbeck realized he had sealed the deal after qualifying for the last final. Real emotion is hard to replicate and it was cool to capture a few shots of this legendary champion celebrating this poignant moment.

September

DENMARK “ Last year was somewhat crazy for me, one trip seemed to merge into another with such a hectic schedule “

August TURKEY

We flew with Lufthansa this year to Izmir which was a bit of a bummer since the Turkish business lounge in Istanbul is one of the most ridiculously extravagant lounges I have ever had the pleasure of utilizing. Turkey is another fantastic destination for family’s and beginners, since the water is shallow and it is always warms with relatively mellow winds. We stayed in the Solto Hotel, in Alacati, which I have to say, is one of the nicest hotels on the PWA tour. The only problem is all the rooms only come with one huge king sized bed so when you are sharing while another member of the crew one 34

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By the time I arrived in Denmark I was starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel after a relentless summer of nonstop travel. Sure it is a lot of fun visiting all of these amazing locations but when you are doing pretty much every event back to back, even for the hardened traveller, living out of a suitcase certainly starts to take its toll. As for my photography, it’s tough keeping things fresh after so many events and I was really having to dig deep to keep myself motivated. We stayed in a private house on the outskirts of Klittmoller and somehow I drew the short straw and ended up with a camp bed in the living room.

Right above my bed was a huge overhanging light and I must have banged my head on it twenty times much to the amusement of Duncan Coombs, Hugo Lewis and Rich Page who were sharing the house with me. The second day of the event brought a wild raging storm as four metre waves battered the Danish coast making for radical conditions during the competition. It rained pretty much from first light through to the final and I tried to focus on camera survival rather than creative angles to shoot the action. On the last day of the event Koster schooled every sailor on tour on how to sail in port tack cross onshore and I remember standing next to Kauli Seadi on the beach who was dumbstruck by the insane manoeuvres Koster was effortlessly nailing.

TRAVEL

SYLT

CORNWALL

A quick hour flight with Lufthansa Airlines over the Channel to Hamburg kicks off the PWA adventure to Sylt every year. From there you have to take a taxi across the city to Altona Station and then catch a three and a half hour train ride to the island of Sylt.

Here starts a ten day feast of organization and competition in true efficient German style. Sylt is actually a very upmarket part of Germany with lots of expensive fish restaurants and quite an elderly population. Whatever the weather the Germans will turn out to watch their windsurfing heroes in their thousands and it’s one of the few countries where the likes of Dunkerbeck, Naish and now Koster are household names as sportsmen. Most of the crew and the sailors dread Sylt because of the cold but personally I like the fact the weather is always changeable, as it always seems to conjure up plenty of dramatic shots. Events like the Canary Islands and Turkey are obviously nice for the colours and image with blue sky every day but dark clouds, broody storms and even rain can tell all sorts of interesting stories in the photographs. With champions all crowned at the end of the event, the PWA part of my job was all over for 2011 allowing the opportunity for me to catch up with the scene on the BWA.

I won’t dwell on the BWA Cornwall event too much as it is covered elsewhere in this issue but would just like to mention that Gwithian is one of the most beautiful beaches in the country, on top of being one of the UK’s best wave sailing beaches. It’s a wonderful place to take the family and if the wind isn’t blowing there is always surfing, fresh air and wonderful walks along the stunning surrounding coastline.

October TIREE

Back in the UK I managed to spend four days back at home with the wife, family and Rosy our Cockerpoo! I hate to say it but by this time our little brown dog was starting to grow on me and I even found myself offering to take her on walks and soppy stuff like that. I have proudly been to every Tiree event since 1992 and for me it’s all about re uniting with friends, a less stressful atmosphere, with the competition and photography aspect thrown in for good measure. For some reason I just feel relaxed in Tiree, partly because I know the busiest part of my year is over and done with. Once Tiree is finished I know I am headed home to spend some solid time on the Isle of Wight during one of my favourite times of year. This year’s event had the unexpected bonus of a guest appearance from Nik Baker and it was cool to see him free sailing and ripping as hard as ever. I lashed out £130 on a flight on the Saturday after the event, which took me all the way to Southampton Airport and home in time to join my kids to watch X Factor! If you ever fancy a trip up to Tiree during the summer, spring or autumn be sure to catch up with Willy Angus from Wild Diamond Windsurfing who is the man to help all the family learn to windsurf and also knows the beaches and conditions better than anyone else on the island.

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November BOSTON I am actually writing this final part of the story while sitting in the United Business Lounge on the way home from a four day trip to Boston with Josh Angulo and Micah Buzianis. Josh had talked me into visiting his new home while we were sitting around in Sylt and it was really interesting and fun to hang out with him and Micah and check out New England during the autumn season. We went to visit Micah’s sponsors Black Dog in Martha’s Vineyard and while I was waiting around I bought my boys two little toy black dogs from the Black Dog shop. There were two slightly bigger black dogs on sale but I guess was feeling a bit frugal so opted for the cheaper smaller dogs. As we were boarding the boat on the way home, Micah suddenly trumped me, having bought the bigger dogs for his kids. Of course I was mortified and for the rest of the trip there were endless jokes about my stingy decision to go cheap on the small dogs. In the end the weather was amazing the whole time I was in Boston and I think we came away with a different story in a place that has not had much previous exposure.

TRAVEL Therefore, for right now that is where my year draws to a conclusion but with six weeks until Christmas who knows what will turn up and where I may be headed. That is one of the most wonderful things about travel, within twenty four hours you can be pretty much anywhere in the world, waking up in another culture, experiencing a new place, and scoring amazing conditions. Imagine as you watch the sun go down at your local break that somewhere in the world the sun will just be rising on a new day . For me I am afraid travel is in my blood so I can’t see myself stopping this crazy lifestyle for at least a few years to come. The world is your oyster so why not open it up and discover what pearls you may find. In the windsurfing world, we are a close-knit community so wherever you may roam you will no doubt meet new friends along the way.

As they say in the new windsurfing movie, just keep your minds wide open and let the road allow your adventures and dreams to come alive! See you out there, John Carter z