A quick knee trembler
The weather came as a surprise too. Having heard that Scotland’s forecast more often than not reflected a miserable version of that found further south, finding ourselves sun drenched each day was a revelation.
The wind favoured us. Each day, it ushered us along our path, then when we reached open water, introduced us to immense down wind scenarios. We basically surfed the twenty-two mile length of Loch Ness, juggling and riding bump after bump of three foot rolling wind swell. My bucking 12’6” flat water board took a load of concentration and skill to control. I ran back and forth to keep the nose from careering into the wave in front, balancing to avoid the four-degree water beneath. At five inches taller than the rest of us, Ed found the intensity of the conditions difficult to contend with, prompting several dunks into the black water and the first signs of hyperthermia, turning his legs to jack hammers. Despite Ed’s afflictions, the stint brought the realisation that, for us, the future of SUP is held in down-winding. Why try and fight this force of nature if you can work with it?
