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Could a wooden surfboard change your life? It wasn’t a question I was expecting to ask when I travelled down to Porthtowan to meet James Otter of Otter Surfboards for the first episode of my Cornish omnibus.

I thought we’d be discussing the backstory of Otter Surfboards, finding out how James got into wooden surfboard shaping and design and delving into the history of this venerable practise

Of course, we did cover all that. But in the tradition of all the best Looking Sideways conversations, this chat took on a life of its own, and strayed into some wholly unexpected territory.

Like how we humans have a preternatural connection to wood, something which fuels our innate creativity. And how the business model behind Otter evolved unexpectedly, the meaning of which deepens for James with every passing year.

And, above all, how the simple act of building a wooden surfboard might just have the power to help you make sense of your life, as it has done for James and the countless others who have joined him in the act of creating their own wooden craft.

My thanks to James and Mat Arney of Hailer Media for their hospitality and help, and to my friends at the Watergate Bay Hotel for hosting me during this trip.

Thanks to Matt Ward for the theme tune, and to my editor Fina Charleson.

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