Back in the day

Noumea and Australia, 1995.

This is a good memory from New Caledonia. I had just finished the compulsory military service in October the year before. I worked night shifts at a gas station after that and saved enough money for a three months windsurfing trip in Australia.

My good friend Alex and I bought tickets with Quantas from London and left early December. We got a super low fare for our gear (less 100 USD for 250 kilos of gear, which would have been unthinkable today) and were ready to compete in the Australian national windsurfing tour.

The photo is from a tiny island a few kilometers off the coast of Noumea, New Caledonia. It is taken in February, the day after the last race in this season’s first world cup. Norwegian innovator Svein Rasmussen asked if we could do a photo shoot for his newly founded board company Starboard, which by the way 10 years later became the world’s biggest windsurfing board producer. Svein had teamed up with Jim Drake. Drake, a former NASA engineer was the guy who invented windsurfing.

Noumea

New Caledonia is a French TOM, an overseas territory and a heritage from colonial times. You get baguettes and see European scooters in the streets, just like in France. Five hours flight Eastwards from Melbourne out in the Pacific Ocean. Friendly wind and ideal climate, but no waves. During the regatta we had an ocean race 3-4 kilometers to the outer reefs that surrounds the islands.

Svein, salesman and open minded as he is, actually sold a sail boat that day to a Swede that out of nowhere just landed with his helicopter on the island during a break from the photo shoot.

Gnaraloo

We competed in Perth, Lancelin, Geraldton and Esperance. Some 8-10 regattas. The best spot were Gnaraloo and Esperance. We lived in Lancelin and trained there. Drove a wreckish Holden. The heat was intense and is hard on tyres. If you don’t bring a spare tyre and it explodes on the highway you will get as much sympathy here as if you need help in the winter mountains in Norway wearing jeans and a t-shirt.

Australian hospitality is another thing I remember well. Never experienced anything like that in Western societies. Doors are always open literally and people are always ready to help.