Sally McGee
Northern soul surfer The Bradford-born surf-brand owner has already empowered hundreds of women to take to the waves with a board. And she’s not done yet Words RUTH McLEOD
Photography TOM BING
When Bradford-born Sally McGee relocated to Tynemouth, North Tyneside, in 2012, she was one of only a few women seriously surfing the north-east coast. As a seasoned surfer who’s travelled 26,000km by motorbike (with board attached) in search of waves everywhere from Chile to California, and who pulled on her wetsuit (despite the December snow) just 10 days after giving birth and having surgery, she wasn’t fazed by this. But she did want to change it. In 2018, McGee and her husband Tom founded Yonder, an independent, female-focused surf school, coaching company and surf brand for women of all skill levels. Having worked for the Refugee Council, the British Red Cross and as a mentor in schools, McGee has a uniquely holistic, caring approach to surf teaching that neatly combines her nurturing qualities with her passion for being in the sea. McGee, 39, says she has always wanted to be a positive force within her community, and now she’s a big part of a small but thriving women’s surf scene in and around Tynemouth. To those women who now devote all their time to surfing, McGee gives a bumper sticker that reads, ‘YONDER RUINED MY LIFE.’ Except, she says, it’s quite the opposite: “Surfing is such a positive thing. It takes you places, benefits your mental health, your wellbeing. It’s a complete form of mindfulness.” : How did you get into surfing? : I’m from Bradford, so I didn’t grow up around the sea, but
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at 18 I tried surfing in Australia. When I got back, I realised I could surf in Scarborough, an hour from me. I was hooked. We have endless possibilities in the UK – in summer, sometimes you can surf till 11 at night. California is so crowded; here, you can surf alone if you’re willing to search for it. It’s just more of a mission, an adventure. Home is my favourite place to surf. What are your aims with Yonder? Most of our surf culture is still ‘imported’ from elsewhere, especially with regards to women. There’s a disconnect between the surfers in bikinis in tropical locations and our reality – we’re often freezing cold, weeing in wetsuits, with wind-burnt faces. But it’s equally, if not more, exhilarating. I’m a mother in her late thirties, and seeing someone like me doing it makes others think they can, too. Through Yonder, we support surfers like Emma Tweddle – a gay woman and die-hard shortboarder from Saltburn – and Elle Sutherland, a doctor, mother of two, and a great longboarder. These women don’t get exposure from the industry, but they put in more work than anyone I know. What was the scene like when you moved to Tynemouth? Not as busy as now. And there were almost no women. Surfing is quite protectionist in many ways; surfers aren’t always laid-back. If you’re sat out back [beyond the whitewater] with 20 people, you’re competing, and many women find it intimidating. I would turn up and feel like all eyes were on me because I was different. If you messed up and didn’t catch that wave, it was like you’d be written off. I felt I had to prove myself.
How did you want to change things? Many women had wanted to surf, but never felt like they could. It takes more to be the first person like yourself to do something. I wasn’t gonna let that stop me, maybe because I had two brothers, or supportive people to go out with. But I don’t think [activities like surfing] are necessarily something that society encourages women to do. You really have to shove aside those expectations. It takes confidence. I used to work for other surf schools, and often [the pressure] was to get them in the water as fast as possible, stood up on a board. With me, the first lesson would be, “We’re gonna get to know each other, go on a journey. I’m gonna talk to you about the sea.” I want people to have a lasting relationship with surfing, to build confidence and an understanding of everything surfing entails, to have a love for it. [Yonder] is about creating a space for that. Have you noticed a shift in the gender balance? There are so many more girls now – sometimes the line-up is all girls. It’s an amazing community. I’m conscious of not taking big groups out back – my way of doing things would just be lost. I talk [students] through it and get them sitting and watching, so the locals can see we’re trying to do this with respect. It’s been really welcoming – now we’ll have people calling [students] into waves. What’s next? I’m progressing the Yonder Surf Academy, the community interest side of the business. We’ve already supported hundreds of marginalised women and girls. Now, I’ve secured funding to offer free surf lessons to people who aren’t well represented in the surf community. We’ll be working with the Queer Surf Club and reaching out to BME groups, because there are hardly any Black surfers or anyone from a minority ethnic group in the sea here. And the refugee community, too. Surfing is inaccessible and quite elitist in the sense that you need equipment and so on. I’m so excited about helping to open it up. surfyonder.com
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