Page 59 of Deep Blue Lies

FIFTY-EIGHT

My first attempt lasts less than a second.

The moment the boat starts to pull me, the board rears up under my feet like it’s being pushed up from below, and I let go of the rope and scream.

At least Sophia is right about the water, it’s not cold.

My second go I manage a few seconds before the board does the same thing, and I’m in again.

Third time lucky doesn’t seem to apply either, and after that disaster Sophia circles the boat closer again, for some more shouted instructions. I try to focus on what she says – to keep my weight a bit forward, and not to panic. But it’s easier to say than do.

My fourth attempt I last what feels like a long time, but I suspect is less than ten seconds.

But in that time something clicks, and when the board rises up beneath me, I bend my legs to absorb it, and for a moment I’m actually balanced, flying in the air.

Then I’m flying through the air, and crashing headfirst into the water.

I come up puffing from the effort, and swim back to the board.

On my tenth attempt I get it. We’re only going slowly, but that’s all it seems to need.

I don’t understand how it actually works – but it does work.

And it’s not even that unstable once it gets up and balanced.

And then it’s – fantastic, like nothing I’ve ever experienced before.

I’m literally balanced on this board, a metre above the sea, which is flashing by beneath me.

And I can almost think myself into little movements left and right.

If I put my weight backwards I go higher into the air, but I have to be careful because too high and the foil itself leaves the water and then it all comes crashing back down.

I think I only manage thirty seconds, but it feels much longer.

When I surface Sophia has the boat beside me, laughing but clapping too.

“That’s it, you were doing it!”

I want to do more, but it’s Leo’s turn. Apparently it’s his day off, and for the next twenty minutes I have a rest, sat at the back of the boat, while Leo flies behind us, crossing from one side of the wake to the other, and even pulling little jumps.

I watch him, trying to pick up clues as to how he makes it look so easy.

Finally he falls again and swims back to the boat.

I turn to Sophia, asking if she’s going to have a go, but she shakes her head and tells me to go again.

“This is to distract you, right.”

I look at her. I’d actually forgotten this time.

It is tiring though. I only manage a few more runs before I’m so exhausted I can’t do any more, but I’m pretty thrilled to see where we’ve got to.

My last run I must have done a half kilometre or more actually flying in the air above the water.

Leo drives us back to the beach, and Sophia finally has a go.

Her technique is different to Leo’s. She doesn’t try the jumps but her style is much smoother, carving up and down the wake almost like she’s dancing above it.

I struggle out of the wetsuit while Sophia and Leo put the boat away, then I walk down, hoping to help, but it seems there’s nothing left to do.

“That was amazing, thank you.”

“There’s a client meal tonight,” Sophia says, then she goes on quickly, “Once a week we all go out to eat with them in the fish restaurant in the harbour. I wondered if you wanted to come?” She looks at me hopefully. “You know, a bit more distraction? ”

“OK, yeah,” I say after a moment, though I’m not quite sure what she means. Am I a client, or is this something else?

“That would be cool.”