KING POWER: ANDY KING
KING POWER: ANDY KING
KING POWER: ANDY KING
Andy King is one of the most dedicated wave sailors in the UK, constantly chasing the best conditions, while balancing life as a family man and a Police Officer. We caught up with Andy to find out why his motivation stays so high, what conditions he likes to hunt down and all about the equipment he likes to ride.
Photos: John Carter
MOTIVATION
Right from the first time I moved forward on a windsurf board I loved the fact that I was being propelled by the wind alone. I did a lot of off-road motor biking as a teenager, which I loved but it was noisy, hot and smelly i.e. fumes / exhaust and worst of all very restricted to where and when you could ride. Add in the constant maintenance of old bikes and the cost of fuel / oil etc and the thought of a power source that was virtually silent, free and clean just hooked me. With hindsight the downside is how infrequent high winds are in the UK, but perhaps that’s why we don’t get bored of it because we have to wait.
When it’s windy there are no limitations on what you can do, no speed limits, no no-fly zones! The only limitation is your mind, you’re self-preservation and you’re kit. Better still you can crash hard time and unless you are very unfortunate injury risk is a lot lower than land-based Moto or cycle sports. I still want to improve my sailing and have a list of moves I want to land or land more consistently. Some may be less achievable as I am getting that bit older, but I’ll keep trying if and when conditions and mindset allow.
I love the freedom of windsurfing. Being out in the ocean, in the wild seas. The ability to move through the break in minutes avoiding the of crowds of competition if I was just surfing. I love the fact you have the ability to jump and wave ride and the peace and quiet while you are sailing!
THE DRIVE
I am reluctantly beginning to except I am an aging ex UK wave sailing ‘pro fleet’ competitor, turned free rider. I guess you could say, I am a jack of all trades and master of none!
I like to sail hard and capitalise on good conditions when we get them as they are relatively infrequent here in the UK! If I don’t have work I like to windsurf until I can no longer hold on anymore through cold or exhaustion! I hate leaving a windy beach and will always try to get another session in when I can.
I like jumping above all else, port tack, starboard tack or onshore, I don’t care. I have this saying with my very understanding wife, that if I can land a single back loop, that it was a good session. I don’t mind wobble and ride if needs must, but to me windsurfing is at its best in full planning wave conditions with both jumping and riding! I mean full ‘Moto X’ style. I still have a list of higher level jumps I want to try, but I never seem to get the conditions I need or want, and often find too many excuses, so tend to rely on the main stay.
WORK HARD PLAY HARD
I prioritise windsurfing first and foremost, when I run out of leave and it is windy, I suck it up and reluctantly turn up at work to deal with fallen trees and flooding etc.
The one advantage of shift work as a Police Officer is that you can juggle water time and sleep and can usually still get a session in. I assume this is the same for many of us but looking forward to a good forecast gets me through the worst parts of work and a good windsurf, cleanses away the emotional baggage that might linger after the particularly traumatic or unpleasant incidents we deal with.
CONDITIONS
We don’t have that much choice in Cornwall! Usually, I find the wind direction and or tide state, dictates it for me. I definitely favour windier conditions if available, even if means a compromise in wave quality sometimes! I enjoy bigger wave conditions, but I won’t risk destroying kit or myself, if it is too light and gnarly. There’s an expression frequently thrown around at work when considering risk: ‘is the juice worth the squeeze!’.
I like both jumping and wave riding, but I think I adapt to what I feel is most rewarding at the time. If the waves are hard to find or difficult to read, then I will change to focus on jumping alone.
WEAPONS OF CHOICE
I ride Goya Quads 84L and 94L along with the Goya Banzai Max X pro sails and Goya rig accessories. I’ve been riding Goya from virtuality the beginning of the brand. I think the kit speaks for itself and its ease of use and high performance is reflected in my own sailing. I’ve not windsurfed outside of the UK in 11 years! Yet Goya gear not only performs but excels here in UK conditions, allowing me to maintain a high standard of sailing without weeks / months spent abroad in more favourable and consistent conditions. I’ve dropped to slightly lower volume boards this year, the 84L, 89L, 94L and 104L! So far so good.
ALL ABOUT SPEED
The new 2025 Goya’s are fast boards! Top speed wasn’t at first, top of my priorities but now I am used to it l can’t wait to launch it of a solid ramp as that board will fly to the moon. The new boards are light and reactive! I tried the thruster, which was really good too, but I like quad because of the way I can drift the tail easier and they are what I’m most used to now. I like the looser feel of the quad. For sails I swapped to the Banzai Max X Pro this year as I wanted a change of colour as everyone kept mistaking me for Brawzinho (ha ha!). No seriously, I just wanted a change. The sails perform incredibly well. They are fast to plane and they are super manoeuvrable.
STORM SAILING
Don’t overdo down haul or over outhaul even in 40 knots! You still need the correct shape in your sail. Don’t be scared to sail fast and use the full force of the wind. Huge floaty rocket airs can go so high in these storms if you can get good board speed and can launch with no fear!
IDEAL QUIVER (3 boards, 4 sails)
84L, 94L and 104L
3.7m, 4.2m, 5.0m and 5.5m
FUN OR SCARY CONDITIONS
It’s a close call but I’d say Mazza! I could sail there for weeks without breaking my kit or myself. The margin for error on heavy waves is thin and you need to be so focused. A few hours of that and you start making costly mistakes as you tire. It isn’t that I don’t like heavy conditions.
In fact, my only UKWA pro win was at Gary William Point reef break, which although it wasn’t huge it was heavy and super high consequence if you made any mistakes. I wasn’t that keen to sail it initially but loved every minute once I was out there including eventually getting absolutely worked across the rocks… Luckily, my Goya gear stayed in one piece, and I continued in the final heat.
COMPETITIVE STREAK
I don’t think I was ever very competitive; on reflection I just wanted to windsurf as I still do today! Competitions were just a means to an end to get an excuse to windsurf more and avoid getting a proper job!
I never thought I was better than anyone else, I just wanted to progress my own sailing. I would sail harder free sailing than I ever did in a heat because it soon became clear you had to hold back and play it safe to get scores on the board.
If it was windy at a comp, I hate sitting on the beach watching so I just sail all day anyway. Obviously outside the sailing area! There is nothing better if you lose a heat having not done lame wave wiggles on white water, than busting way better jumps than those in the finals just 50 m’s up wind!!
I personally really don’t like windsurfing trying to emulate surfing i.e. riding only when there is enough wind to jump! Surfing is surfing, other water sports, whether it is windsurfing, kiting, SUP, wave ski or wave kayaks, winging etc…These sports need to recognise their own identities and unique selling points. Windsurfing’s is being able to jump and wave ride. If you choose to take out the jumping, you reduce the unique selling point by 100%! Obviously if you there’s not enough wind than you have no choice then you have to opt for riding only.
I like sailing with other like mind people who want to push their progression and have fun, so contests are an opportunity to go to new spots and sail with others. You just need the wind and waves to cooperate to make it come together.
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