Sogger’s Blog

I’ve been in denial for 20 years - Adrian Wright saved my life and I never acknowledged it! Who is he and how did he save me?

It goes back to my first job after graduation. A northern lad, full of energy, I moved to the south where I found southern lads with more energy and work colleagues with no energy, waiting for retirement. Adrian fitted somewhere in between: he was neither overtly northern or southern and had lots of energy, very little of which was dedicated to his professional life. By day, he shared an office with a pot-smoking intellectual and a girl I thought was a lesbian until the day I left the company (she wasn’t). By night and weekend he was a keen windsurfer and he was kind enough to take me and others along with him and to give us lessons.

I had never been windsurfing before, but of course, was already an expert before I tried - “It’s just a question of balance”. Unfortunately, this is not quite true. Balance comes into it, but an understanding of wind dynamics and some technique plays a large part. I paid no heed to this - why would I need to? A few tries and I was able to go in a straight line. Learning to turn (or “tack” as us nautical types like to call it), could come later - speed is the buzz, tacking is boring.

So one evening after work, off I set. The tide is on its way out (or “ebbing” as us nautical types like to call it). Wow, I seem to be going faster than ever. Either my technique is improving or the tide is ebbing with a following wind…erm, wait a minute, that seems to be the case. Now I’m going really fast - those people on the shore are waving to me; and shrinking at an alarming rate. Actually, balancing is getting quite difficult too - the water is a bit rough (or “choppy” as us nautical types like to call it). Time to sit down and try to remember what Adrian told me about tacking. Something about not going directly into the wind, but kind of zig-zagging across it. OK, let’s give that a try. Wait a minute, what’s that ripping noise? Ah, that would be the top of the sail coming apart from the mast. I think that means that, essentially, I am floating on a plank towards Belgium…

Adrian had evidently noticed this and borrowed a board from a bystander and was balancing and tacking for all he was worth towards me. I was sat down on the board, having realised my predicament. I didn’t really fancy going to Belgium - I had work tomorrow and, in any case, hypothermia would claim me long before I got to sample any of their chocolates. So along came Adrian, like a knight in fluorescent rubber armour. He pulled alongside and told me to hold onto the back of his board. He then tacked against an ebbing tide and the wind pulling a useless rigid weight (and the windsurfing board that he was sat on) with its ripped sail dragging in the water. This was in the days before high-tech, low-weight equipment. It must have been incredibly difficult for him because we were well out into the estuary.

After a while he made it back to the shore where I was able to play the comedian, give a brief thank you and not realise just how much danger I had been in - until now. I left the company shortly afterwards and have never seen Adrian again.

So, Adrian, if Google ever brings you across this post, I would like to say thank you, and please accept my apologies for not thanking you properly at the time - put it down to long-since evaporated youthful arrogance (as us non-nautical types like to call it).

This entry was posted on Tuesday, February 12th, 2008 at 1:15 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.