The English Nomad: A James Parry Profile | Vans Duct Tape Invitational

Cornwall native and Duct Tape competitor/photographer speaks all things European longboarding, including Zarautz, as well as his desire to explore every nook and cranny of European coastline in search of waves and adventure.
"Anybody who thinks the English don't have charm, hasn't spent enough time with them," said Van's Duct Tape founder, world traveler, and renowned style master, Joel Tudor.
It should be added that if stylish, perennially smiling, multifarious board riding surfer and photographer James Parry were the only Englishman you'd ever met, you'd be a firm believer in the redeeming character of the Queen's subjects.
While Parry cultivated his smooth glide and casual approach around the small, but unimpeachably surf-mad village of Sennen Cove near Cornwall, his rambling nature has led him on a nomadic journey around the globe, an odyssey that’s included extended stays in Southern California, Australia, Morocco, and elsewhere.
"As a grom, I'd see all my heroes just kind of disappear for the winter," Parry said. "Then they'd come back with all these amazing stories. That got me thinking and wondering what's out there."
James recently rambled his way to Zarautz in the Spanish Basque Country for the Duct Tape Invitational--an event in which he's become an annual favorite, over the years--where we caught up with the English Nomad to talk about his upbringing in Southern England, his love of photography, and the roots of his itinerant nature.
Music: Out Among The Sheltering Pines by The Helio Sequence and Never Belonged To You by Genders