Ross’s passion for windsurfing began when he was five, down at his family’s Windsurfing Centre on the Isle of Wight. His summer holidays were spent on the beach, Surfing and Windsurfing at every opportunity. At the age of nine, he was participating in his first National Racing Championships. When he was thirteen he was in the National Youth Squad, racing on Tiga Aloha’s. He left the squad after the 1995 World Championships in Hungary (which he was third in) to take up Funboard Racing and Wave sailing. In 1997, he won the I.F.C.A. Under 19 World Funboard overall title and the Slalom World Title. 2003 & 2004 British Open Formula Champion. 2004 National Formula Racing Champion. 2004 5th PWA Racing & 1st Euro-Cup. Twice Formula World Champion and national wave sailing champion … the list goes on. Ross is quite easily the best all-round windsurfer the UK (and possibly the world) has ever seen, yet his modesty will belie the fact. When not on the water, Ross is running his Tradewinds Café on Sandown beachfront, right next to his brother’s watersports centre … or enjoying some family downtime.

Emma Wilson is a British Windsurfer who competes in the Olympic windsurfing discipline. At 20 years old she was selected as the British female representative to compete in Tokyo 2020 – At the Tokyo 2021 Olympics she won the Bronze Medal, now she is aiming for more at Paris 2024! Emma has joined Team OTC! Emma will be riding Armstrong kit whilst winging on her days off, to provide some well needed respite as she competes on the IQ Foil. We’re super proud to have her on the team, as an ambassador for our sports. Emma is super excited to be part of The OTC Team and is so grateful for the support from where she’s trained day in day out for the last seven to eight years!

Born and raised in the area, Kev is a gentle giant on land and a crazed speed freak on the water! Having participated in various fleets from an early age, he is always competitive and speed comes naturally to him. He’s claimed countless national speed titles over the years and is Mr Consistent in slalom as well, having claimed the second step pretty much throughout the BSA history. Training locally with Portland Beach CrossFit, he can be found down the centre or on the water whenever possible … and now that his son and daughter are taking to the water too, Kev can’t stop grinning! A real ambassador for the team and the sport as a whole, it is great to have Kev as a member of the team.

Shredder Sam is the rebel in the pack of OTC Team Riders; he sails his own course and this year his love of the wind and waves was rewarded with the BWA 2022 Amateur title to go with his UKWA Amateur Slalom title in 2017! A free spirit, always pushing himself out of his comfort zone Sam is never afraid to try new tricks and is grateful for the position he finds himself in, always learning, always willing to help others, always making it fun, always sharing the stoke!

Windsurfing has been incredible for James. In 2022 he not only managed to become UKWA Vice National Champion, but he has also attended his first PWA event in Croatia where he placed 24th, this meant he was the first-placed youth. James started windsurfing at 10 with the OTC and was immediately hooked. He passionately and enthusiastically promotes windsurfing to everyone and the reason behind this is a real grateful acknowledgement of everything windsurfing has done for him. In his own words, ‘windsurfing sets him free.’ James is an incredibly inspirational young man inspired by his late father.

When Finn was six, his parents took him on holiday to Fuerteventura. Fast forward two years and aged eight Finn had his first windsurf lesson with the OTC. He was on a board attached to the instructor by a rope and loving it. After this, there was no stopping him.
He loved every minute of his windsurfing progression and was lucky enough to learn how to windfoil. Finn took part in the first UKWA wing event. He will be pushing it hard in Portland Harbour learning new tricks. Finn loves the fact that winging is very sociable and he enjoys talking to other riders about the sport. He also enjoys spreading the word and influencing other young people to just give it a go. Finn loves nothing more than encouraging others into the sport, he is always around the OTC at weekends and school holidays and happy to have a chat.

OTC Team Rider Lilia is making her dreams come true. As she starts her journey into the world of slalom (the best kind of windsurfing according to Lilia) Lilia appreciates all the fantastic support along the way. In 2022 Lilia took part in the UKWA circuit racing slalom. Lilia started in Team15 aged 11 years old and took part in the Dorset School Games. In 2019 she competed in her first techno international. She then discovered slalom and she loved racing and going fast. From going 20 knots to 31 knots, from competing with schools to now on the international scene, and coming 4th in the PWA, Lilia has an exciting future ahead of her and we can’t wait to come along for the ride.

Scott began windsurfing in Year 7 at school through the Will Mackaness Trust, he has never stopped, from the moment he stepped on the board and felt the power in his sail, he was hooked. As he progressed he saw OTC team riders flying around the harbour overtaking everyone and he knew that’s exactly what he wanted to do. Three years later and he has progressed so much and he is competing at the UKWA amateur slalom fleet and won all his races at the last competition. With the support of Tris and the OTC Scott became a Team Rider and he cannot be more excited to see what happens in the future and where this incredible sport will take him.

Simon is a windsurf, WINDfoil, WINGfoil coach and a Team Rider for Starboard Windsurfing and Severne. As a RYA Windsurf and Dinghy Trainer he is one of only a handful of people in the world qualified to deliver every (non-foiling) RYA Windsurfing and Dinghy instructor course – including Advanced Windsurf Instructor. He specialises in the coaching of intermediate and advanced windsurfing, runs windsurfing clinics in Costa Teguise (Lanzarote), Sotavento (Fuerteventura), Prasonisi (Rhodes, Greece) and Portland Harbour, and has written many coaching articles for Windsurfing UK magazine. He also delivers marine first aid training and offers consultancy services for the setting up of watersports training programmes in clubs and centres. Simon has a passion for being out on the water and for helping others to make the most of their time afloat.

If you have met the bundle of energy that is James Hardy you will know how infectious his enthusiasm is! We are so excited to announce that James has officially joined Team OTC as a Team Rider! Having recently taken the plunge and started his own empire as a freelance watersport instructor. James is motivated by making a difference to the next generation of shredders. Passionate about realising the positive life-changing impact windsurfing can make to young people. James has dedicated so much energy to making that a reality. You will find him in all weathers with a smile on his face, encouraging, cheering the youngsters on! James has been determined to make a successful career for himself in the watersports industry and has packed a lot in, he set up the ‘Docklands Dugongs’ windsurfing team, become a qualified RYA Windsurf, Windfoil and Wing Instructor Trainer, RYA London & South East Techno293 Coach and Junior Performance Pathway Coach.

Aaron’s windsurfing journey actually started in a sailing boat, After watching the windsurfers he befriended a few and would beg borrow and steal anything he could to get out on the water. He was just seven years old when he first stepped on a board, but it was aged 15 windsurfing really took off for him. Aaron loved every minute and would never turn down an opportunity to have a go. It was on a family holiday to Egypt at around 17 his mother looked at the instructors and asked if thats something he might like to do when he left school. Aaron got qualified to teach both sailing and windsurfing. Aaron has windsurfed his way around the world.. from Sardinia, Vassiliki Greece. Dahab, Cape Town to New Zealand. All with the focus mainly on freestyle and endless crashes. He worked in Lake Garda for the Andrew Simpson Centres, which he would end up running for five years. He then headed to the Caribbean island of Turks and Caicos helping a small centre grow for the 2021-2022 winter. One of Aaron’s highlights would have to be his third place at the UKWA freestyle nationals which was held at The OTC back in 2015. Aaron has put his life into the sport for so long, becoming an OTC Team Rider has given him the recognition back for that.
