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WINDSURFING DILEMMAS: WITH LUCAS MELDRUM

Windsurfing isn’t just about riding waves; it’s about making the tough calls. In our latest episode of ‘Windsurfing Dilemmas’, we throw Lucas Meldrum into the deep end with some tricky moral situations! Is it ever okay to drop in on a clueless kook?  Or would you admit you missed filming your girlfriends first forward while scrolling on Instagram? Lucas shares his wisdom (or at least his best excuses) so when the time comes…you can navigate your own dilemmas!

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Epic Forecast

The weekend is fast approaching, and the swell is supposed to be pumping with side offshore winds at your local! But you have promised to go for a romantic meal with your girlfriend far away from the epic conditions in the local city! Do you go for the meal and sit there miserably looking outside at the trees waving in the wind or come clean and tell her you would rather be windsurfing and try and move the meal to another day when there is no wind or waves…

LM… I feel like this might be trickier with some people but luckily my girlfriend is a windsurfer and hopefully would understand that I couldn’t miss an epic forecast.

Missing the Moment
Imagine you’re filming your partner’s best session ever, and suddenly, she lands her first forward loop. The scream of euphoria rings out across the water. But at that very moment, you’re scrolling through Instagram, completely missing the action. Do you pretend you got it but blame a “corrupt memory card” later or come clean and admit you were caught up scrolling on the ‘gram!

LM… I’m a pretty awful liar with these matters so I think I would have to come clean and admit I wasn’t paying attention!

Change Mix-Up
You’re heading to the beach and stop by the store for some snacks. You hand over a crisp 20 note, and when you check your change, the shopkeeper has mistakenly given you the change for a 50. Do you keep quiet and walk away, hoping karma doesn’t catch up with you, or do you give the extra money back and part with a clear conscience?

LM… It depends how broke I am ha-ha, I could be tempted. Most likely, I would give it back, especially if it’s a small family run store.

The Pub vs. Family Dinner
It’s 4:30 PM, you’ve just had one of the best wave-sailing sessions of the season, but you promised your partner you’d be home for dinner with the in-laws at 5. The lads are heading to the pub for post-session beers. Do you fake a flat battery excuse and head to the pub for more banter, or take the hit and show up for the family dinner while everyone else is enjoying the post-session laughs?

LM…I am not normally into the pub straight after a windsurf session, so maybe I would head back for food. I’m always starving after sailing too, especially if it was epic.

Competition Quandary
Your mate just finished a heat at the local windsurfing championships and insists he crushed it. But you know the other competitors were tearing it up, and one of them landed a killer wave 360 in the last seconds. Do you hype up your mate’s performance, blaming it on “corrupt judges” later, or do you tell him the truth and let him know he got schooled?

LM…. I feel like I’ve probably been in this situation myself a few times!  Sometimes it is nice when your friends complement your sailing. Maybe I would hype them up first, but when they find out about the 360, I can just say I missed it ha-ha!

Wave Snake!
You’ve had a rough day on the water, but suddenly a perfect set comes in. Only problem: a local kook is deep down the line and it’s obvious the wave is his. Do you let him have it, cheering him on as he flubs the best set of the day, or do you pretend not to see him, steal the wave, and make a show of shredding it, sending a spray of water in his face?

LM… Easy…I would drop in! I really don’t like sailing in crowds and get stressed about dropping in on people but if I’m having a shocker and not catching any waves, I sometimes have to get more aggressive. There’s definitely a difference between being annoying and being dangerous and I would never try to put people in danger with drop ins. If it’s a kook that would waste the wave completely, then I would not feel too guilty!

Mast Track Mishap
You move your mate’s mast track to the front of the board as a joke. Sure enough, on his first wave, he goes over the handlebars and totally destroys his sail. Do you own up to the prank and help pay for the repair, or do you let him think it was just bad luck?

LM… Oh man this is savage. I think on this occasion I would keep quiet, but I would sure feel guilty. Some things are better left unsaid, especially if your mate is fuming! Someone once undid my boom clap but luckily, I found out before going on the water.

MISSING OUT

You just had an all-time epic session for the last hour but then all of a sudden the wind dropped to zero and swung onshore….at that precise moment another local rocks up and asks you how it was?…Do you rub it in his face and tell him it was all time and he missed it completely (as he would most likely do to you) Or would you be the nice guy and tell him it was garbage when you arrived and he did not miss anything!

LM… Yeah, I’m not going to lie, in this situation I would just tell them how it was. At the end of the day, if you want to make sure you score, you have to get there early and if you’re late, you have to accept the consequences. Sorry mate…