Ocean Elements

Alpine Element, a medium size tour operator specialising in summer and winter activity holidays is seeking to expand our Team in Greece.

The Head of Operations is instrumental in ensuring the smooth running of the Greek resort. You will be super organised and be able to easily multitask.

This is a very varied role which has duties ranging from the operational set up at the beginning of the season, employee management, overseeing the Beach Program to responding to questions and queries from the UK office.

You will be a natural leader and motivator who will take charge of the team and inspire them to have a passion for what they do and the delivery of a seamless service.

You will ensure that all problems within your resort are dealt with quickly and efficiently, and that nothing is ever too much trouble.

• Hotel management
• Operational staff recruitment
• Operational staff management
• Quality control (beach and hotel)
• Customer Service, complaints handling
• Extras / Excursions sales and revenue streams (commission led)
• Involvement with marketing literature, brochures, website etc.

• Arranging Beach license and Boat paper work
• Renewal of RYA Training Centre credentials
• Overseeing RYA regulations and ensuring program conforms to RYA and Port Police regulations
• Ensuring programme meets RYA Hotel & Beach programme set up to run to RYA standards
• Banking
• Accounts and office admin (with resort accountant and our firm of accountants)
• Local licensing, legal and administrative duties (with help from agent)
• Supervision of bars and tills
• Supervision of kitchen and food quality
• Ensuring we maintain budgets for in-resort revenue (spend per guest)

• Implementing full health and safety controls for hotel and beach
• Implementation of product and beach programme to include:

Sailing instruction (windsurf, dinghy)

Operation of support boat

Kit maintenance

Paddle boards and kayaks

Bike guiding and bike rentals

Vehicle back up and support

Kids Club for 2 age groups

• Ensuring upkeep and maintenance of hotel pool & grounds

• Significant experience in multi-site hospitality management  (Minimum 3 yrs preferred)
• Proven track record in Customer Service skills
• Experience of “Seasonal start up” situations
• Excellent people management skills
• Good communication and organisational skills
• Extensive knowledge in Health & safety and food hygiene
• Minimum 2 years’ experience in a specialist tour operator environment
• Product knowledge
• Strong problem solving skills & Excellent attention to detail
• Demonstrate ability to communicate accurately, clearly and concisely with the rest of the business
• Ability to meet deadlines, often under pressure
• Demonstrate ability to work effectively as a member of the team and proactively contribute to company goals

Basic salary: £22,000 + £3,000 (based on customers questionnaire results, performance, revenue    sales)

Accommodation, travel to resort and insurance provided.

Seven months contract with possibility of permanent

Start date: 18/03/2013

Please send your CV with a covering email telling us why you are the person for the job to jobs@alpineelements.co.uk

Due to the high volume of applicants, only successful candidates will be contacted.

NO AGENCIES PLEASE

 Find out more about Ocean Elements here.  

Amanda

Amanda has been quietly working away, and living the dream, as Chief Windsurfing instructor at the RYA for several years now and has met with a great deal of success. So much so, that she was recently promoted to Chief Instructor not only for windsurfing, but also dinghy sailing and keelboats.

It all sounds rather grand, but what does it actually mean? We caught up with her to find out, not only what her job entails, but also what got her into the sport and also what still excites her about it.

How did you first get into windsurfing and what was it that got you involved in the sport in the first place?

I got into windsurfing quite late; I was 20. I had always been an avid water person. I started competitive swimming at the age of 6 and was always labelled a water baby as a kid! We always took family holidays down to Penzance and my brother and I spent all our time in the water, at school I always opted for the watersports activity holidays to France.

When leaving school I wanted to do something different, I had always been a youth volunteer and wanted to continue giving something back. I remembered my swimming coach and my instructors out in France, and wanted to be like them. I convinced my parents to let me go down to Cornwall to learn to Sail, Windsurf and Surf. I hated windsurfing at first, just concentrating on Surfing and Sailing, and then on a trip to Maui with Tom Buggy (my husband) and lots of his friends, I got bitten by the bug!

Amanda on the water

You have been running the windsurfing scheme at the RYA for eight years and the national sailing scheme for about two now. What does the job entail and what are the best and worst bits of the job?

My main role is to administer, develop and promote the RYA Windsurfing and Dinghy scheme in order to maximise participation in the sport and maintain high standards of training and safety, UK and overseas.

If I just stick to telling you about the windsurfing side of my role – my job concentrates on everything from grassroots to the coaching of advanced recreational windsurfers, instructor training, appointment of windsurfing trainers and the inspection and recognition of RYA training centres in the UK and Overseas – basically everything non-Olympic pathway.

We currently have over 3100 windsurfing instructors and 85 appointed trainers.

I also spend time liaising with the magazines and equipment importers to help jointly promote the sport through articles, conferences etc.

Sometimes I wake up and think I have THE best job in the world; this is when my job takes me all over the UK and overseas meeting new instructors and seeing our training centres doing an amazing job. The people at the RYA are great too, so office work is often very entertaining. There are some amazingly passionate people here.

Amanda in Maui

Then there’s the politics, that’s when my job really gets to me, but every industry has it I guess. We just need to remember we get to escape onto the water and do the most amazing sport in the world to rationalise everything.

What changes have you made since joining the RYA that you are most pleased with?

Since joining, with help from many windsurfing trainers and Simon Bornhoft we have completely changed the scheme and rewritten all the windsurfing publications, of which many are now being translated into a whole range of languages, including Danish and Dutch– that’s pretty cool!

Due to the scheme being a little more accessible, we have also now seen an increase in the number of people both taking courses at our recognised training centres and becoming instructors.

How do you plan to develop the RYA’s windsurfing training over the next few years?

I think in the current climate we need to concentrate on what we have rather than change to much. I have been working with the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme, so  I am looking forward to spending time growing our work together, as well as taking a look at our youth schemes and how we can get kids inspired about such amazing sports.

What’s your favourite discipline of windsurfing?

I love being in bump and jump and wave conditions, it’s really testing and always changing. You learn so much, plus I’ve never been much of a sail twiddler, but flat water can be great fun too, I do like to see how fast I can go in a straight line and while working in Minorca loved taking Formula kit out with big sails!

Amanda in action

What would be a perfect day’s windsurfing for you? Location, conditions people to be out with…..

I live on the Isle of Wight, so I’m really biased to the amazing sailing locations we have. A perfect day for me would be a force 5/6, cross-shore day with the waves lining up all the way to the horizon, at somewhere like Niton or Brook  – shared with a few good friends, I’m smiling like a Cheshire cat just thinking about it! Failing that, an unspoilt day in Maui with Tom and our little boy Blake would do nicely; I love the place.

As well as Amanda working tirelessly to develop and maintain the high training standards set by the RYA, her colleague Gillian Wright, RYA National Windsurfing Development Officer continues to work out ways to encourage more people in to the sport and participate on a regular basis, developing the Team15 programme that she was instrumental in setting up some 12 years ago and Project Windsurf-UK, created 18 months ago.

Find out more as Gillian talks Team15 and adult participation and explains how things have changed since she joined the RYA some 22 years ago.

For more information about the RYA visit the website at: www.rya.org.uk.

UKSA in Cowes

It looks like the latest group of future windsurfing instructors are having a great time, despite the cold, with Sam Ross in Cowes. If you’re interested in becoming an instructor in windsurfing or any other watersport you can check out the next UKSA training options here.  The UKSA offer a wide variety of courses from Kickstart programmes, to instructor plus courses, internships and even BTECs.

In further UKSA news, the charity are also recruiting for a Business Development officer. Check out full details below:

Job vacancy at UKSA: Business Development Officer, reporting to Head of Fundraising.

The key objectives are to devise and implement a sustainable, cross-regional, fundraising-led business development strategy, identify prospect organisations with whom to develop relationships of value to the charity, and manage internal relationships to ensure effective response to the requirements identified during business development activities.
This role centres on business development but also requires strong capability in communications as well as the ability to form and retain productive internal and external relationships.

The role requires an entrepreneurial and independent person who can generate sales and other relationships of value as UKSA expands into new markets. The person will therefore have to demonstrate the following characteristics and be: target driven and highly motivated, a strong influencer with the ability to show insight and manage complex discussions and negotiations together with the relationships arising, an independent self-starter with the ability to use own initiative and available resources to achieve targets, the capacity to perform under pressure and remotely from management.

Essential work skills needed: suitable professional and/or academic qualifications and/or equivalent work experience. Proven experience in sales processes within the non-profit sector. A demonstrable track record in resource development, including substantial experience in developing, managing and evaluating sales strategies within the non-profit sector. Excellent written English and a proven ability to write clear and concise reports. A confident communicator with networking skills and the ability to build and maintain relationships with clients and prospects of all types. Experience of strategic planning and budgeting in charitable organisations. Excellent working knowledge of MS Office packages.

To apply, please email a CV with a covering letter, to Suzanne Hopkins – HR Co-ordinator, at sue.hopkins@uksa.org . Closing date for applications is Friday 1st February 2013. The role is full-time, 37.5 hours over 5 days

Messing around on the beach

I would recommend a season to anyone who asked me. No question about it. I loved both the seasons I did.

Because of a certain video people look on the “Gap Year” as something very posh, so I will refer to mine as a year out! There is something somewhat frustrating about the stereotype cast by the phrase gap year, but the gap year doesn’t have to be the stereotypical year between school and university, including a trip to Thailand and Machu Pichu.

I spent seven glorious months of my time between school and university working in Greece as a dinghy sailing instructor (bear with me) for a fairly well known sailing holiday provider.  This was split into two seasons in 2008 and 09. I expected that most of my colleagues on the seasons would be the same age and in a fairly similar boat (if you will excuse the pun). In reality there were a lot of people who weren’t in the educational no-mans land that I was.

Sailing and windsurfing after work

From Brooksey taking some well-earned time out from his stressful day job as a head chef, to Pippa and Louise at the beginning of their gap life, there was a big mix of people.

I think the point is that seasons are not just for those fresh out of school. It is however a good space filler in your life. If you have a summer between jobs, or are stuck for something to do for a few months then a season is great fun and you can go back to doing them at almost any time.

Why do a season? Well, certainly not to earn money. The lifestyle involved and the meager wage that most season staff are paid adds up to virtually nothing.

So, what then? Well I just mentioned part of it; the lifestyle! Working in the sunshine, sailing and windsurfing in just boardies. Getting paid (sort of paid) to do something you enjoy.  Yes there are downsides, like roasting in a safety boat or rigging and de-rigging kit, but there are downsides to every job, and the people you do it with can make it fun to do.

That’s another thing. You are living and working with likeminded enthusiastic sporting people. They love sailing or windsurfing just as much as you. The thought of an after work session with your mates is what gets you through the long days (and if there was no wind then the thought of a few beers in the town!).

Then you learn a lot. I left school a very socially awkward and innocent boy who was OK at sailing, and finished my seasons not so innocent and having learned to windsurf fairly well.

Duncan after a week of learning to windsurf

You are very likely to work with people who are better than you at something whether it be tying knots or light wind freestyle, and so you can always learn.

And two weeks later

Then the impact teaching has on your own windsurfing. You quickly learn the main pitfalls of technique and it makes you examine your own technique. As a consequence you are bound to improve. Also, constantly getting time on the water, finding ways to amuse yourself while your pupils are up hauling or righting a capsized boat means you try stuff you might not otherwise (floating heli tacks anyone?).

Many of my friends are currently on a season, in fact some of the SWA greats like Beaker (director) and Will Jones (president) have had their season fix this year at their favorite centres. Many make it their life, Taffy on the back of his experiences on seasons has decided to make his way through the watersports coaching world as a career. It is possible.

The point I am trying to make is that seasons have a lot to offer anyone. More than I could ever possibly think of, let alone write here. Whether it be a sabbatical break from the 9-5 drudgery, or a start in the working world. If you find yourself with a few months to kill, look into it, you won’t be disappointed.

Follow the SWA and all their shenanigans, including previous columns on Boards here, and on their website - http://www.studentwindsurfing.co.uk/

Laurence West (LW) from the RYA’s Training Team caught up with RYA Windsurfing Trainer, Sam Ross (SR) to find out more about his windsurfing career; from getting started at 14 and developing his skills, to taking the first steps to becoming an instructor, his role as a trainer and find out about his most recent incarnation as an RYA OnBoard Development Officer (ODO).

LW – How old were you when you first started windsurfing?

SR – I was about 14. My dad taught me initially but I dropped the mast on his head and split it open. We then sought professional help.

LW – What inspired you to think about becoming an instructor?

SR – My first instructor was Rachel Medd, I was struggling but still having a great time. Her enthusiasm really rubbed off on me.

Sam Ross teaching

LW – What standard of sailor were you when you applied to do the RYA instructor course?

SR – I could blast in the straps on a pretty small board, but as I sailed in Poole harbour a lot, I couldn’t turn round that well.

LW – What advice would you give someone looking to become an instructor (what have been the enjoyable/difficult parts)?

SR – Do it ASAP! The course will help improve your personal sailing but mostly guides you towards helping others into the sport.  The most enjoyable part for me is teaching different people, at different levels over the years and seeing them progress. The difficulty is deciding what’s next.

LW – Once you got your instructors ticket, where was your first instructor job?

SR – My first job as a windsurfing instructor was at FCWatersports in Poole Harbour.

Sam Ross coaching

LW – How easy was it to find a job?

SR – Initially, really easy. I asked my local windsurfing shop about instructing and they said yes. When I wanted to work overseas I applied to quite a few companies. My first interview was the one I really wanted, which was Neilson. I was very lucky to get the job as I was still at Uni and my dates weren’t that flexible.

LW – So during the winter months do you still teach windsurfing?

SR – I tend to work all year round teaching windsurfing overseas. When I’m in the UK the winter is one of my busiest times for windsurfing. I also teach stand up paddle boarding.

LW – What do you find most enjoyable about teaching?

SR – For me it’s seeing people come back and progress. It’s satisfying to take someone who has never tried or can’t do something and help them succeed.

LW – What are your three top tips for teaching windsurfing?

SR – Keep it simple, keep it fresh and learn something new.

Sam Ross at the OnBoard windsurfing festival

LW – What then inspired you to think about becoming an RYA trainer?

SR – I’d been an instructor for seven years and I loved every instructor course I’d been on. At Neilson I had ran lot of staff training which drew on very different skills and I wanted to develop these as far as I could.

LW – So tell me about your first course as a trainer, training windsurfing instructors.  How did it go?

SR – It was in Porto Heli Greece for Neilson. The first morning was 30 knots which made the candidates (and me) a little apprehensive. It was a full course but I had Laurence (West) there to help guide me through it. I loved it and I’ve had many people from that course return and do their intermediate and advanced tickets, which was great.

LW – I understand you are now also an RYA ODO (OnBoard Development Officer), what is this and how did you get into it? Do you still teach?

SR – As an RYA ODO (OnBoard Development Officer) I support the RYA’s OnBoard programme which gets young people into sailing and windsurfing. I look after East Dorset, so support local centres and clubs to get youngsters in and keep them coming back. With windsurfing, I still teach when I can. I work with the Watersports Academy in Poole which has fantastic staff, location and kit.

Sam Ross with the rippers

LW – Which part of your role gives you the most satisfaction?

SR – For me it’s seeing the kids convert from having a go at their taster sessions into becoming regular windsurfers. We recently held a series of festivals which became part of the Dorset School Games. It’s great to see so many kids competing at such a high level despite some of them only having been windsurfing just six to eight weeks.

LW – In your role as an ODO, if you had a magic wand (and money was no option!!), what 3 things would you like to be able to do?

SR – I would love to make Windsurfing part of the school curriculum in Poole. Many schools are involved already but it relies heavily on the teachers to drive it forward.  I’d like to have a portable windsurfing pool.  It would be great to take the sport into schools.

Finally I’d like to have windsurfing on local TV when events happen. Only a few people know they have one of the best places in the world to windsurf on their doorstep.

LW – Which of your many skills do you find you use the most in your ODO role?

SR – Sailing with a group is great, but a love of the sport is the best advantage. When convincing schools, teachers or kids to get involved, then enthusiasm is definitely by best tool.

LW – Do you still get time to get out windsurfing?  If so, what would be your perfect day on the water?

SR – I sail as much in the UK now as I did overseas. Having worked overseas for so long and sailing in one spot all the time, it’s great in the UK to sail a couple of different places in the same day.

LW – What’s next for you in your career?

SR – I’m developing the coaching side more as well as working more closely with Tushingham and Starboard in the UK. I’m working as hard as I can on delivering more whether that’s through OnBoard, Instructor Courses, or coaching sessions.

LW – What advice would you have for anyone looking to follow in your footsteps?

SR – Once you get your first instructor ticket keep going, get your intermediate, advanced, but keep getting input. Share ideas with colleagues and keep trying different things.

LW – Is there someone that has inspired you, if so, who, why and what effect have they had on your career and decisions taken?

SR – Rachel Medd was an early inspiration for her enthusiasm and slightly off the wall delivery, which I inherited. I’ve had a huge amount of input and inspiration from all the managers and instructors I’ve worked with. There is no doubt that working for Neilson was a massive boost in everything I’ve done from being able to teach people week in week out to all the ideas that pinged around between instructors on beaches.

Read more about Sam at www.sam-ross.co.uk

If you’ve been inspired to become an RYA Windsurfing instructor, visit www.rya.org.uk/training to find out more.

Amanda Van Santen - centre of image

Having now been in the industry for almost 15 years, I would probably say becoming an RYA Instructor has opened up some of the most amazing opportunities for me, including, travelling and teaching in some of the world’s best windsurfing locations, meeting the nicest people and landing my dream job at the RYA helping others to do the same thing.

I think we’d all like to get paid to go windsurfing and this industry really does open up some fantastic opportunities whether full-time, part-time or voluntary, but its recognition as being a ‘true’ career path still seems to be questionable, with very few of us ever coming close to becoming a pro!

But before you despair, there are other ways to make your passion your occupation, and I feel I am proof of that. However, I caught up with a few other windsurfers who have also managed to make their passion their job and take time to tell us about what openings it can lead on to.

Tom Buggy, avid windsurfer and kitesurfer, having grown up by the sea with Hill Head being his local spot, along with the sailing buddies Paul Hunt & Chris Audsley, made being out on the water a priority. But after a number of years competing on the UKWA, Tom chose the coaching route, enabling him to continue his passion.

Credit UKSA

Having now been an RYA instructor for over 14 years, Tom’s clocked up over 10,000 hours teaching – pretty impressive, but not as impressive as ‘just some’ of the places his qualification has taken him. From Cornwall; Cowes, Isle of Wight and Turkey; to Dahab, Egypt; Minorca; Mooloolaba, Eastern Australia and a true windsurfing mecca……the West Coast of Australia! Not bad for what people would label ‘an industry without opportunity!!’

But what’s he doing now I hear you ask………when I caught up with Tom, he was in the middle of the Bosphorus, Istanbul (also known as the Istanbul Straits) helping the race logistics and organising for the Extreme Sailing Series – not a bad progression for a windsurfing instructor, and pretty sure I would class that as a career path with both opportunity and difference!

So, fancy taking the steps? Well, Phil Ryan recently did and tells us exactly how and why………….

Having never really thought about becoming a windsurfing instructor, Phil found himself a little lost after taking his A-levels and decided to take an NVQ in Activity Leadership at UKSA, Cowes (www.uksa.org). It was during this course Phil discovered a passion for teaching.

Credit RYA

UKSA based in Cowes, Isle of Wight, is an RYA Training Centre that provides an opportunity to train in watersports and yachting to the highest level. After his NVQ, Phil stayed at UKSA and took his RYA Dinghy instructor, then on to Dahab, Egypt, to take his RYA Windsurfing Instructor during a professional instructor training course.

“One of the best bits of my training were the good friends I made, it doesn’t take long for everyone to come out of their shells we you spend so much time training together!……….The 3 weeks we spent in in Egypt where pretty special – incredible conditions, and windsurfing every day!”

Phil has now been employed by UKSA, and just starting out in his first season.

“The job is varied and I get to teach a different session or a different group all the time’” but as with every job, you have to take the rough with the smooth, teaching windsurfing in the sun one day, and in the pouring rain and freezing cold another!

AVS: What’s the best part of your job?

PR: For me it’s the rewarding feeling you get teaching someone, seeing them generally enjoying themselves and progressing. But it can be challenging too, the hours are long and you generally don’t get much time to yourself. But, would I rather be sitting in an office all day, or all day out on the water…………..no competition! I would highly recommend it to anyone.  After an incredible few months training I’m now out on the water everyday teaching and really enjoying what I do!

AVS: How are you hoping to use the qualification in the future, do you have any aspirations within the industry?

PR: My dream has always been to travel, so after this I’d love to look for work abroad. Maybe expand my current skills, becoming a multi-qualified instructor, opening up more doors. But, longer term I haven’t really given much thought, I’d love to stay in the industry for a few years…….watch this space for where I end up!

Phil Ryan - credit UKSA

AVS: How did you first get into windsurfing?

PR: Growing up on the Isle of Wight, I feel I’ve been blessed with the best conditions for watersports, but strangely I never took up windsurfing until I started my course at the UKSA. I learnt pretty much everything I know while I was out in Egypt, that’s one of the great things about the course, it can take you from an absolute beginner, to where I am now -  having fallen in love with the sport and just wanting to push myself as far as I can.

AVS: Did you need to be an amazing windsurfer to become an instructor?
PR: No, you don’t need to be an incredible windsurfer, but you do need to be able to windsurf to a good standard, but I thought the level was easily achievable, with a little hard work and dedication. I had no previous experience before starting at UKSA and after my time in Egypt I was ready for my instructor course.

AVS: What top tips and advice would you give others who may be considering becoming an RYA instructor?

PR: Go for it! It’s an incredible job but also an incredible lifestyle. Since starting work I haven’t look backed on my decision once, and get really excited about all the possibilities ahead!

Check out Phil’s interview in Dahab:

An intensive course like Phil took at UKSA is just one of the routes to becoming an instructor. If you can already windsurf, you may be able to go straight on to the five day course. Check out the RYA website – www.rya.org.uk for further details on RYA instructor qualifications and where you can take them.

Still need a little more convincing………take a look at the RYA publication ‘Working with Water’ (Code G65), a fantastic book with real life case studies of the different jobs in the watersports industry, the training people have undertaken and paths they have paved to get where they are………..so, what are you waiting for!!

Young adults of all abilities and backgrounds have the opportunity to secure a successful action-packed career teaching watersports, with the help of UKSA. As the country and much of Europe continue to wade through the current economic downturn, UKSA is providing an alternative to the nine to five lifestyle for any 18 – 25 year old that actually has a growing number of career opportunities.

UKSA chief watersports instructor Dan Hallam said: “The demand from activity holiday providers to recruit watersports graduates worldwide continues to grow as this desirable past-time increases in popularity.

“We pride ourselves on being one of Europe’s top training centres for watersports, and we have just a few places left on this year’s Watersports Instructor Training and Watersports Internship courses. Students can train as multi-disciplined instructors in windsurfing, dinghy sailing and kayaking.

“It’s often said that the key to a successful student lies in the quality of the training, and the exceptional instruction given by our world-class professionals at UKSA is testimony to that. Fully accredited by both the MCA and RYA, graduates will finish a course with globally recognised qualifications.”

At its campus and on-site marina, students benefit from a superb waterfront location, on-site classrooms, extensive facilities in Cowes and fully-equipped workshops, all helping to provide the highest quality training.

UKSA also boasts a dedicated careers team available to help secure job opportunities once students complete their course.

“One of the best things about training at UKSA, beyond the vibrant campus life, is the hundreds of hours’ practical experience gained while working towards recognised qualifications.” finished Dan.

The closing date for this intake of watersport instructor courses is 23 July.

For more information about the courses at UKSA visit www.uksa.org or to talk to a careers advisor about the ideal maritime career for you, contact: careers@uksa.org or 01983 203038.

Jeri

Fancy being the Head windsurf and kitesurf instructor? 

Or is marketing more your thing?

Check out these jobs, plus more, and find out all about Club Ventos on their website. www.clubventos.com

Boards also has a full travel report on Jeri right here. 

Jeri SUP.

Jeri Windsurfing. Image credit Cleison Silva.

Tiesda You

All questions now answered by Tiesda…

Name: Tiesda You

Country: France

Residence: Thailand

Company: Starboard

Role: Brand Manager / Designer

Current favourite equipment set up: Starboard UltraSonic 147 Carbon with Severne Turbo 8.6

Current favourite windsurfing spot: Sprecks, Maui

Last windsurfing session: During the photoshoot in April 2012 on Maui

Windsurfing hero: Jim Drake

Perfect day on the water: This would be at Taco Lake, the conditions would be a steady 22 knots and glassy, peeling waves and I would be with friends and family.

 Three things you didn’t know about Tiesda:

1) Keen golfer

2) Shisha addict

3) Owns an electric bike

Already part of the team, as editor for the Spring Summer Annual, Amy also has a wealth of online experience, which will stand her in good stead for her new role.

‘I am really excited to be working even more closely with Boards, like most of you I have read the magazines and felt part of Boards for as long as I can remember, so it is an honour to be a member of the print team, and now the online team too. My focus is to make sure we are providing the content and information that you all want to know, so I look forward to speaking with many of you on the forum, at events and on the water.’ Amy

Please continue to use news@boards.co.uk to contact the Boards online team, although Amy is also available on amy@boards.co.uk

Adam Sims will continue to be involved, although in a slightly different capacity and we are sure you will hear more about his exploits on the PWA tour very soon!

On our sister site www.boardseeker.com Amy will also be taking charge, but not until the beginning of June.

He’s been described as the world’s most enthusiastic man with energy levels that would make a Duracell blush. He’s a fanatical windsurfer and the driving force behind Brandwave Marketing, a unique action sports marketing agency that quietly handles the marketing for some of the industry’s most successful brands including Neil Pryde, Severne, O’Neill, The North Face, Henri Lloyd and Animal. We managed to track him down to get the low down on what working in marketing is like in the windsurfing industry…

Boards: Tell us a little bit about your background and how you got into windsurfing.
DM: I grew up in Oysterhaven bay in South West Ireland. My family lived right next to a big windsurfing school called The Oysterhaven Centre. There was always loads of competitions on and loads of guys out on the water.  I got into windsurfing when I was in my early teens. I taught at the centre in my summer holidays and I used to watch all the classic old windsurfing movies over and over again… When I was around 18, I finally made to Maui. There’s so many great places to windsurf around the world but Maui is still the capital of windsurfing!

Boards: What’s your favourite place to windsurf?
DM: I think that Ireland is still my favourite place to windsurf. There’s a really vibrant windsurfing scene over there and there’s just so many different options. I’ve just come back from a trip to Pacasmayo in Peru, which is allegedly the longest left in the World (2.2km).  We scored some pretty sick conditions there. The wave is so long, that they have little taxis to take you back to the beginning of the wave again after you finish your ride!

Boards: When did you decide that you wanted to work in the industry?
DM: I think that a lot of people feel that the only way to combine their passion for windsurfing with a fulfilling career is to become a professional athlete but that’s not for everyone and it’s not really the case. There are a wide variety of professional roles that require a broad range of skills and qualifications in the industry from engineers and designers to photographers and journalists. I was interested in advertising and creative design before I even knew what ‘marketing’ meant.

Boards: Did you do any formal training?
DM: I did a degree in marketing and an MBA afterwards but I don’t think that that’s necessarily the best route to go for everyone. Some of the most successful guys that I know in the industry started out as sales reps or marketing assistants and just worked their way upward. I think that a friendly positive attitude and an ability to learn new skills are far more useful and important than a piece of paper and some letters after your name.

Boards: What was your first job in the industry?
DM: My first proper job in the industry was as European Marketing Manager for O’Neill Wetsuits. That was pretty much my dream job at the time and looking back, I was extremely lucky to get it.  O’Neill was a great place to work. Quite a few of the key O’Neill guys such as the Caldwell brothers came from professional windsurfing backgrounds. They really looked out for me and taught me a lot about the surf industry.

Boards: How did Brandwave come about?
DM: I had worked with a lot of marketing agencies in the past and most of them didn’t really get the action sports industry. Everyone at Brandwave comes from an action sports background and that gives us a big advantage when it comes to understanding the mindset of the customers because essentially, we are the customers. We’re just beginning our sixth year, we’ve just moved into our pimp new offices, and we’re fortunate enough to be working with some of the worlds leading action sports brands such as Lucozade and Adidas. We also work with a lot of sports associations and professional athletes, which I really enjoy. Its really exciting work and there’s always something new to learn.

Boards: Are there any disadvantages to making your passion into your profession?
DM: For me, no! I owe my health, my travel, my work, and most of my friends to windsurfing and surfing. There are some really clever and inspirational people working in the windsurfing industry and I love being around them. Francisco Goya is a great example of someone who has converted his passion for competing into the way that he approaches business. It’s great to see guys like him doing so well and inspiring other younger athletes to do the same. With Brandwave, the fact that our passion is our work really helps with the creative process, as we constantly strive to produce pioneering and exciting marketing campaigns. We tend to work best on highly technical, innovation led campaigns, because of our understanding of the industry that we’re working in.

Boards: How does marketing in the windsurfing industry compare with other action sports markets?
DM: The overall size of the windsurfing market has definitely declined since its heyday in the late eighties and early nineties and it doesn’t attract the same mainstream sponsorship than it used to, but all action sports have a natural life cycle and windsurfing is no different. Surfing and skateboarding both suffered a decline in popularity in the early nineties and they have both made a huge comeback with mass participation and mainstream commercial support. Relatively new sports such as kitesurfing and SUP have stolen some of the limelight from windsurfing in recent years, but windsurfing is still one of the most dynamic and visually appealing sports that there is and it will always attract new participants, commercial support, and media interest.

Boards: Do you think the current windsurfing ‘personalities’ are less marketable compared with those of the past?
DM: I hear some people say that there are fewer characters in professional windsurfing now. I don’t think this is necessarily true, as many of the perceived personalities and rivalries were made a lot larger than life by the windsurfing brands at the time. Social networking and the Internet have also broken down many of the barriers between windsurfing icons and their fans. This has removed much of the hype and mystery but it has also made the top windsurfing professionals much more accessible to the general public in a way that was never possible before. Professional windsurfers may not earn the same kind of money that they did back in the eighties and early nineties nowadays but I think that they are definitely a lot more professional and approachable than they used to be and this is a good thing.

Boards: How important is marketing in the windsurfing industry?
DM: Marketing encompasses everything from sponsorship, events, photo-shoots, brochures, and multimedia to websites, packaging, social networking, advertising, and PR. Marketing can make or break a windsurfing brand no matter how good their product is and most of the top brands are well aware of that. The most successful windsurfing brands know exactly who their target market is and carefully develop their marketing strategies accordingly. Some brands focus on competition results and chasing the next champion, some focus on product innovation and being first to market, and some focus on build quality and value for money.  It’s very difficult to be all things to everyone so we spend a lot of time helping our clients to closely define their message and identify their target markets. I think windsurfers are particularly technically orientated consumers but there is still a large fashion element to our purchasing decisions no matter how little we like to admit it.

Boards: What do you see as the main marketing trends in the windsurfing industry moving forward?
DM: I think a lot of windsurfing brands are moving towards more environmentally friendly business practices although the windsurfing industry still has a long way to go as a whole. The Global recession has also caused a lot of brands to move away from the traditional launch dates and reassess the logic of creating unnecessary seasonal graphical updates on boards and sails designs that are fundamentally unchanged.

Boards: Do you have any advice for those looking to work in marketing in the windsurfing industry?
DM: Be tenacious and don’t give up! If it’s really what you want to do, be prepared to start low and work your way up. The windsurfing industry is great fun to work in and there’s always plenty of opportunities to turn your passion into your profession if you want it bad enough!

For more information about Brandwave, check out www.brandwavemarketing.com, email info@brandwavemarketing.com or follow them on facebook: www.facebook.com/brandwave