Chile

We are somewhat spellbound by how far removed the scenery is from the past few trips we have made as part of the Search tour: the palm fringed, turquoise ocean full

of brightly coloured fish and flora has been replaced by a deep blue ocean buffeting a black sand beach with comparatively little surrounding vegetation. Equally beautiful in it's own way, the scenery is dramatic, especially with the backdrop of snow-capped mountains still in view - variety is truly the spice of life!

We head towards probably the best wave in the area, Punta de Lobos, to find the same swell lines wrapping in, together with the warm welcome of our first contact for the trip, the local surf camp owner.

He shows us around his quaint set up, full of character and pictures of what the place can look like on a good day and talking us through some of the magic of the area. Filled with excitement and anticipation of getting on the water over the next days, we settle into our newly found home, overlooking the beach and head out for dinner and a couple of drinks.

Here in Chile everything works on much the same schedule as in southern Europe: a late start followed by a long siesta, a little more work and a late dinner. No one even thinks about going to dinner before 10 or 11 pm! So our late arrival is not so late after all, and we quickly slip into the Chilean rhythm, catching up over dinner and drinks and ending up in a local party with wine induced smiles and chat!

This is what the 'Search' is primarily all about for me, catching up and spending time with old friends, both on and off the water in different countries all around the world.

The sun proves quite menacing the following day, as we try to nurse our hangovers and prepare our equipment for action.

Our local source tells us that we need to be up the coast at perhaps one of the best spots in the area, Topocalma, so we get back into our vehicles and drive. Coming straight from Maui, I am completely overwhelmed by the sheer scale of the country. Looking back at my 10 minute commute to get from Haiku to Ho'okipa, I feel that all this driving will take some getting used to!

We rush out for the late session in nuclear winds and small waves, and take the opportunity to meet the local windsurfing fraternity of which there seem to be a fair few, all as friendly and welcoming as each other, and all overcome by seeing their hero Bjorn arrive at their local beach to go sailing.