Biscay, the Basque Country, Northern Spain… I feel the rain beat heavily onto the back of my hood as I quickly make my way through the sand dunes. Winter is in the air. The sand, now wet, sticks to my trainers as I reach the trail that leads down to the car park below. I pause and take a final look back at the ocean, the endless waves crash on the shoreline with relentless energy fueled by a fresh North Westerly wind which has been blowing since early this morning.
Breaking into a run, I fly down the trail and after a final burst of speed leap over the big lump of marram grass which borders the sheltered corner of the hollow where my car is parked. I flick the button on my keys, the lights flash, the doors unlock and I’m welcomed by the warm dry interior. As I sit quietly gathering myself my phone rings, I ignore it but it keeps ringing so I reach over to see who is calling, a name is flashing on the screen: “Guy Leverton”. I’ve been trying to get hold of Guy for 3 weeks so I answer, but he’s gone. I call him back, no answer. I leave it for 10 minutes and call again, this time I get a text back: “jumping in the ocean call you laterz” … he didn’t call. I knew he wouldn’t, so the next day I called him and eventually he answered.
- How’s it going, where are you?
- We’re in the motherland, just surfed an epic little pointbreak, super sheltered. I’m making a brew.
- And where’s the motherland? don’t tell me, I bet I can guess…
- The land of perfect waves and … Guinness
- [laughing] Ireland . It’s a surf trip with the boys then [silly me for thinking he might be taking part in something work related]
- Yeah! We’re here for a while and then I’m home for 2 weeks and then we’re back again
- and what else have you been up to
- oh jeez, loads, it’s been mental – training camps, tournaments, we were in Spain, then Germany, then it was Boardmasters; this year was my favourite one so far, Stormzy was real good. Then we went to Sagres in Portugal, cruised around for a bit, had a couple of epic days, surfed some sick little spots, we’ve just been to Dam again that was cool.
- You’ve been having fun then
- defo
- So, tell me about Real Surfing Magazine
- Haha. How cool was that, did you read the whole interview?
- I did!
- …and?
- I thought it was great, an insight.
- They approached me last year and asked if I was interested in being in the mag, I was a bit reluctant because you can so easily get burnt, sometimes the mags have a very definite idea of how they want to portray you and this can lead to you being misrepresented. My last surfing editorial was in Pit Pilot and they gave me an awesome centre-page spread, so I was hoping I would get lucky again. Anyway, it came out a while ago, they gave me 4 pages and the article is sick, so Thanks dudes. It’s a cool mag, new-school and old-school, you can’t read it on the internet, you have to buy it, every issue sells out. It reminds me of the Surfers Journal, something you buy and then keep on your coffee table.
- My friend picked me up a copy, I loved the Albe Falzon article, Morning of The Earth is one of my favourite surf movies
- Wicked soundtrack too. I love that John J Francis track “Simple Ben”
I can hear people talking excitedly in the background, someone starts “whooping” …
- What’s happening?
- You should see the wave that just wrapped around the corner, lights out … pause, no way, look at that one, whaaaat, look at that … I’ll call you back
And guess what, he didn’t. But, I have to be honest, I didn’t expect him too, he’s probably too busy riding perfect waves and drinking Guinness.
Lucia