HOME SPOT: CANVEY ISLAND, ESSEX, UK
Ever wondered what it’s like to foil in other parts of the world?
Our International Sales Manager, Nathan Dodds, shares his home spot in the United Kingdom.
Firstly, the waters over here on the East Coast of the UK are by no means the clearest or bluest of waters but what my local spot does have is loads of wind and a crazy amount of tide moving.
Canvey Island is barely an island, but it sticks out perfectly into the Thames Estuary allowing access to one of the biggest shipping channels in the world. With a high/low tide difference of around 4.5M (14ft) there is plenty of water rushing in from the North Sea up to London and then all the way back out again. This massive tide matched the right wind conditions (NE or most commonly SW) can kick up some huge wind swell, making Canvey Island what I like to call the Essex Hood River! Winging in recent years has started to take over the spot with more and more Wind/Kite surfers and non-water users seeing how much fun we are all having with the wing and the foil. Traditional surfing is almost non-existent on the East Coast of the UK, so when the wing and the foil came along and opened up the opportunity to ride the deep-water swell, I was hooked!
FFB GEAR OF CHOICE
I have been riding all the FFB Boards, but my ol’faithful is the Fusion 5’0 or when I fancy a big boost, I jump on the Nugget 40L. The liters and length are spot on for me and allow me to get out in pretty much all conditions. As for the foil, I am riding the Halcyon 810 and loving it! The 810 provides plenty of speed when free riding while being super responsive with great glide when looking for bigger swells. In my hands, you will always find an FFB Session wing. The 5m is my most used wing as I love to be super-powered up all the time. The Session is light, stable, with plenty of power, everything you need from a wing!
