Most people who move to the West Country enjoy the relaxing atmosphere and tranquil way of life – but when paddleboarding Crewroom Ambassador Lucy McCormick arrived in Cornwall she had an unexpected fright in store.
Lucy, 33, who moved to St Ives from her previous home in Brighton, founded SUPfit, her paddleboarding company, five years ago and regularly spends up to five hours on the water.
“We train instructors and run classes, and my background is as a windsurfer, so I’m often out SUP surfing, but then something happened that I have never seen before.
“I was out near St Ives Bay and suddenly I saw these massive heads come out of the water. I was surrounded by seals. Their heads were popping up around us. It was scary because their heads are big, definitely bigger than a human head.
“They are really curious. They track along behind you and hover around for half an hour. It is nice after the initial surprise and they do seem friendly, but it’s still a bit scary as, when it happened, it was the first time I had seen animals in the water. It’s happened six times since.”
Lucy, a Brighton-born watersports and fitness enthusiast who has a broad experience of stand up paddle boarding, windsurfing, wakeboarding and snowboarding, is keen to promote Crewroom’s kit to the West Country community.
Her clients, both instructors and first-time paddleboarders, frequently inquire about the appropriate kit for SUP, she says.
“Instructors always ask me what to wear and their clients also always ask what to wear. They want to know about clothes on and off the water to keep them warm. I love Crewroom’s kit and am always happy to recommend it,” she adds.
Lucy has always loved sports, taking part in lots of school sporting events from a young age. She qualified as a fitness instructor after leaving school, and soon discovered watersports.
After completing her instructor course in Greece, she has worked in the UK and abroad teaching windsurfing, and has also spent a couple of years in the French Alps snowboarding.
Despite her extensive European travels though, she had to travel to Cornwall to win her very special seal of approval.
If you’d like to find out more about SUP classes, in London or in the West Country, email SUPfituk@gmail.com.