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Most seasoned windsurfers develop a sense for danger. Some can smell peril on the wind while others can feel it in the turn of the tide. Adam Cowles, however, only began to suspect something was wrong when the shoreline behind him vanished and he passed a huge cargo ship. It was then that the university technician realised he may have ventured a little too far from Swansea Bay.
He decided the best course of action was to press on and three hours later his odyssey through the freezing waters of the Bristol Channel came to an end on a beach in Devon, 40 miles from where he had started. Mr Cowles, 24, stumbled ashore in Woody Bay, near Lynton, north Devon, where the surprised locals proved friendly enough to take him to the pub.
He said he had started to feel apprehensive when he saw that Swansea had almost disappeared from sight. "I knew something was not quite right when I noticed it was just a speck in the far distance. I then went past a cargo ship," he told the South Wales Evening Post.
"I turned around and realised that I had gone too far. It was at that point I had a moment of inspiration. I just thought I would carry on and head towards Devon. It was a clear day and I could see the coast so I just went for it."
Despite the cold weather, his gamble paid off and his efforts won a liquid reward.
"Even though I did not have any money, a couple took me off to a pub and bought me some beer," he said. "There I was sitting in a pub, completely soaking and in my wetsuit, but no one batted an eyelid."
Mr Cowles admitted that one of the scariest aspects of the day was having to call his wife and ask her for a lift home. It was a 280-mile round trip.

LOL..."Hmmm, the shoreline seems to be receding. Whatever could that mean? "
Intrepid sailor; bad navigator. He's damn lucky he had enough wind!

Stupid, but sounds like a good adventure

Never windsurfed myself, but i'm pretty sure that you don't have to wait until the shore is just 'a speck in the distance' before you decide your a tad too far out.

Doofus.

(Not to mention the massive air/sea rescue mission that would've ensued had he not made it back to shore).

TSC.

The lengths some will go for a drink.

He's damn lucky he had enough wind!

There is never too little wind in the Bristol Channel. Not much space for a chart table on a windsurfer either.

Another windsurfer here, though gradually becoming a kitesurfer

To be honest, where i surf the prevailing wind is offshore, which i actually prefer, because it means you can stay right in inshore!!

LOL Falcon, i wouldnt call 140L a huge board!! My smallest is like 114 i think, and goes right up to my 240 + long board (very old needless to say)

Thats actually a really nice board you've got there! Never actually used JP's but heard a lotta good stuff!

Yeh, the board i sail most is a (good old ) Mistral Flow, 114L!
Its sucha great board, got some newer ones but they really dont compare!

Ive also got a Screamer 130 which is really nice for slightly lighter winds, but i live down by Poole Harbour(you may have heard of it ) and the wind barelly ever gets above 20 knots, anything above about 14knots i consider good  ;D

Ive got a Tiga Bump n' Jump tucked away somewhere in the garage, only used it once! Not sure wat L, but I really couldnt use it, just found it so hard to get going!

So where do you surf?

Shouldn't that guy get some kind of reward?  I mean, that's a long trip on a big piece of plastic!  Perhaps the Guiness Book of World Records should hear about this . . .

[quote]Shouldn't that guy get some kind of reward?

Indeed

Not sure of the furthest, but i know that people have windsurfed across the Atlantic...The Captain of the Air France concorde which tragically crashed in Paris being one of them...

There is never too little wind in the Bristol Channel.

Not surprised to hear that, but it doesn't sound like he was counting on it.

Not much space for a chart table on a windsurfer either.

I agree, haha, but let's face it- if you fail to notice you're heading offshore on a clear day until the shore has slipped over the horizon, you're not a very good navigator.