Sorry for the long stretch with no news – it’s not that nothing has been going on, it is just been hard to find the time to put it all down. So here’s the quick recap:
In late October Joanne, Ryan and I drove to Ft. Walton Beach, Florida for the Liquid Surf & Sail Fall Showdown. We drove 24 hours straight through to New Orleans in the pouring rain (because Ryan had never been to New Orleans) and stopped at Café du Mond for hot chocolate and beignets. A quick tour of the still hurricane ravaged gulf coast and then we were on to Ft. Walton Beach. We had three days of racing and it was tons of fun. From there, Joanne and Ryan flew back to Denver and I drove down to St. Petersburg beach to leave my van for the winter.
The next trip down was for the women's clinic that Dominique Vallee and I ran at the Banana River Windsurfing resort in Cocoa Beach, FL. We had great wind (but it was a bit chilly) and the women who made the trek down from Colorado had a great time and improved a ton. A special bonus was the night-time space shuttle launch that took place during the clinic. And, as if getting to see a night shuttle launch wasn't enough - Dominique and I got to be on the water, windsurfing when it happened! It was by far one of my most memorable windsurfing sessions ever!
Finally, the week between Christmas and New Year's we held a youth racing camp. 14 kids from the US and Canada spent four intensive days working on their racing skills. Each day started with a run and stretching on the beach before breakfast and most days the last board wasn't off the water until after dark. The kids worked on their pumping skills, racing strategy and tactics, did lots of start drills and even held a mock protest. It was so exciting to be able to sail with and coach these kids - I'm confident that several of them will be finishing well at future world championships and we may even see them at the Olympics in 4 or 8 years! You can see more about what's going on with the kids at www.teamusa-windsurfing.blogspot.com.
And to make me feel even luckier than I usually do.... I got to spend a big part of New Year's day on the water, blasting around on small gear in the morning and my RS:X in the evening. Sunshine, wind and good friends to sail with - I can't imagine a better way to start the new year!
