Jurassic park – Video & Interview

The south of England is famous for its ‘Jurassic Coast.’ It stretches for over 90 miles consisting of stunning coastline. One of the sailors who really enjoys traveling along the coast of England’s South is Jamie Hancock. “The windsurfing tour is the main focus for most of us pro’s. The media is there and the competitors are obviously there to compete against each other. For me I enjoy the PWA but I never started out there. A lot of my background has been spent traveling the world, and mostly sailing all over the UK at different spots. Obviously doing that is out of the media’s spotlight but is something I very much enjoy.” One of Jamie’s favourite spots is Kimmeride, which picks up some of the most swell for the south coast and makes for an amazing playground for both windsurfing and surfing. Jamie: “It also has the benefit that no kitesurfers can come ruin everyone’s days there with the rugged coastline.”

Jamie has put together a very nice clip with footage from three windsurfing sessions at Kimmeridge. Additionally we hooked up with Jamie for an interview, to find out more about his love for England’s coast.

Jamie Hancock at England’s Southern Coast

Filmed: Rebecca Ashton 
Sailors: Jamie Hancock, Timo Mullen, Jack Hunt
Location: Dorset, England
Edited: Jamie Hancock

INTERVIEW WITH JAMIE HANCOCK

Continentseven: You have joined the Maui Ocean Academy and know how Maui life tastes. You sailed spots like Ho’okipa and Sprecks on a daily basis and had the chance to share a world class daywith the biggest names of the Maui windsurfing scene! But still you prefer to ride waves at the shores of Cornwall, Scotland or Irland? Why?

Jamie: Growing up I was lucky enough to travel to places like Maui at a young age through sponsorship and get to improve my sailing. But for some people, when they go home, windsurfing stops or is just one spot that isn’t often windy enough and where it is easy to perhaps get bored. Back home there is a really strong windsurfing scene as well as a solid UK tour. So a big part of my windsurfing past has been focused around the UK as well as abroad. It really is never ending with the amount of places to go sailing and impossible to get bored. I also have my van and rent my home in Portsmouth, so financially it is also much easier.
At the end of the day yes, at home you have that sense of adventure which I think you lose in Maui. But Maui is THE windsurfing capital of the world and an incredible place. It is definitely close between the two!

Continentseven: And looks like sailing at home helps your results in the PWA. After winning the British Wave Sailing Champion ritle, you are on track for a top 10 result this year.
Jamie: Yea, so far. I have always struggled with Port Tack, particularly onshore. 7-8 years ago I was doing doubles on starboard tack in Maui but had only sailed Port Tack a handful of times without landing back loops or push loops. So I have been playing catch up the whole time with it feeling pretty unnatural, but i’m glad to be able to compete against some of the top guys in the world now on port tack and do ok.

Continentseven: What is the bigger privilege? Having great homespots or having much budget to travel around the globe? 
Jamie: Being able to travel is great so I’d have to go for that, everything costs money at the end of the day and there are some incredible places out there that I’d love to get to. But it is always nice to have a solid home life and mine is heavily involved around really fun sailing fortunately.

Continentseven: Rebecca Asthon filmed the clip. What’s her background. Is she a surfer or a windsurfer?
Jamie: Rebecca is my girlfriend and really loves her photography. She has no background in windsurfing or surfing but by hanging out with me for so long she hasn’t had much of a choice but to know a lot. Everytime I’m really amazed by her filming, she really has a natural talent and fortunately she really enjoys it. Going on trips with Becky and our dog is really good fun and am able to produce high quality videos at the same time. It works perfectly and i’m really grateful.

Continentseven: Do you prefer riding waves or jumping? 
Jamie: I used to love jumping on starboard. Since then I have really enjoyed riding in Cape Town, but the constant progression of jumping on the tour is quite difficult to keep up with, especially with it all feeling a bit back to front. At my homespots it is usually starboard tack and quite often good for jumping.

Continentseven: How’s the local windsurfing scene at your spots? Is it possible for foreigners to sail at these jewels as well?
Jamie: Definitely! I can’t think of any beaches that are hostile, quite the opposite really. There are so many beaches to go round that people love to see new faces. 

Continentseven: The cliffs look wild. Is it hard to make it down to the shore at these spots?
Jamie: No, there is a nice rigging area normally. The spot that I sailed here though is a 1 mile walk along the bottom of the cliffs to an area where you can rig, walk out, and literally jump onto your board. It is really easy, despite the walk, and amazingly good fun. Days in the video at this spot come round once every few years. The combination of a banging SW swell and an East / South East wind is very rare for the South UK.

Continentseven: How many miles do you drive around per year and do you sail during winter months,too?
Jamie: I tend to sail on the edges of winter. This particular day at the end of the video was 2-3 degrees air temperature and 7 for the water. It was April but the winter lasted longer than normal. I had arrived back from Cape Town and sailed without gloves or boots. I lost my feeling in my feet after 5 minutes and was turning the board based on the feeling in my knees and ankles hoping the board would do what it was supposed to. Fortunately the sun took the edge off. In an average year I drive about 15,000-20,000 miles, a lot!

Continentseven: What’s your favourite time of the year for windsurfing in England?
Jamie: Autumn is pretty good with warmer waters and Atlantic low pressures. As for spots and regions, literally everywhere. England / Wales / Ireland or Scotland, they can all go off year round.

Continentseven: How would you describe your style?
Jamie: Fluid and all round.

©continentseven.com 2013