Thursday, September 11, 2008

Toucan Open

Another Toucan Open has come and gone and once again we were lucky enough to have decent wind and weather. It only rained at night and the sun came out most of the weekend! You just never know who will show up at the Toucan and this year was no exception. Pete DeKay, editor of WindSport magazine stopped by on his way back to Toronto from Hood River, bringing PWA freestyle sailor, Phil Soltysiak with him. Who knew that Ogallala, Nebraska is exactly half way from Hood River to Toronto? Bobby Nabors, owner of Liquid Surf & Sail (with shops in Ft. Walton Beach, Ft. Lauderdale and Miami, FL) came up to escape from the stress of owning three windsurfing shops and hang out on the beach with us. Britt Viehman from North Beach Windsurfing in St. Petersburg, Florida also came to hang out with us and get back to his long board racing roots - actually he thought he was coming to race formula, but the combination of light wind and an F2 380 course board was all the convincing he needed.

We had most of the normal crowd from the Denver area and across Nebraska - it seems like a lot of our friends stayed home this year-I'm sure the cold, rainy forecast put a few folks off. On the other hand, participation has been on a downward trend for the past three or four years. So...does that mean everyone is losing interest? Are high gas prices to blame? Forecasts for cold weather? Or maybe we aren't promoting the event enough and everyone forgets when it is? I don't know what the reason is - but I do know that the Toucan is a pretty special event in a special place and I would hate to see it not happen.

In the last few days I've come up with this vision of the Toucan getting back to its roots. An event that just happens because everyone wants an end of the summer camp out/windsurfing party. No one would really have to organize anything. Anyone with a good idea for a shirt would have a couple dozen made up and bring them out to sell, everyone would bring a flag pole and raise a flag of some kind over their section of beach. The windsurfing clubs of New Mexico, the Rocky Mountains and Nebraska would decide to run a race. A few people from shops and magazines and windsurfing manufacturers would show up with a few things to give away and maybe the kiters would venture down and hang out with us.
Who's in?