Clinics in Punta San Carlos with SoloSports
Now it is off to Punta San Carlos for a week long wave clinic with the SoloSports guys! Cant wait!
See you on the water!
photo – Neil Foley
American Windsurf Tour in Santa Cruz, CA
Headed back to the Bay area for another week off, before the start of the first contest of the American Windsurf Tour in Santa Cruz, CA. I had been talking with Sam Bittner the weeks prior, getting stoked for the first stop on the tour. There is no better person than Sam to be putting all of this together! She deserves a ton of credit because she is single handedly bringing the stoke back to windsurfing in North America.
This years event brought in some big names, including Levi Siver, Marcilio Browne, and returning champ Nathan Mershon. It was amazing to see the level the tour is at right now. There are no easy heats. Your first heat might include some names like Josh Stone, Francisco Goya, Kai Katchadourian, Bernd Roediger, Kevin Pritchard, and the list goes on and on. I ended up making it into 11th place, having to sail through some really hard heats. Satisfied with my performance, but could have gone for a little more wind. Levi ended up taking the event winning the amazing 20 minute final heat. Congrats to all the sailors, as well as Sam Bittner for a solid start to the American Windsurfing Tour.
Once again, Hatteras delivered with amazing wind!
Last year we got some amazing conditions, sailing no bigger than a 5.0 for the whole week. This year, I didn’t know what we were going to get, but was ready for everything, even bringing a wave board, just in case the ocean side went off. Once again, Hatteras delivered with amazing wind! There was only one day when with no wind, allowing us to get in a fun tow in session on the dead flat sound side. We even got treated to a 4.1 day on the ocean with down the line, head high waves! I don’t think I have sailed for that many hours in a day in a loooong time. Put in a 4 hour stretch. Got off the water, took my wetsuit off, and was calling it a day. Walked back to watch the waves and other sailors. It was just getting better and better, so I ran back and put my wetsuit back on and sailed for another two hours, until my arms fell off. It was an amazing way to end 10 days of another great trip to Hatteras.
Clinics with Makani Fins and their freestyle team
After getting back from the DR, I had a week of down time again, before packing everything up and heading to Cape Hatteras, NC for 10 days of clinics with the owners of Makani Fins and their freestyle team. We also had three more people meeting us there. Pete Dekay, with Windsport Magazine, Sam Bittner, with the American Windsurfing Tour, and Jon Sassone, a Makani Team Rider. This has now turned into and annual trip with the Makani boys, to promote not just their windsurfing fins, but just windsurfing in general. Wyatt Miller and I gave several free evening clinics at the local shop Wind NC, covering everything from wave sailing to why a fin does what it does. It is a great way to get everyone stoked and back out on the water.
Clinics with the Vela Resort in the Dominican Republic
Just finishing up a crazy last two months! We got back from Mexico with only a week to unload the van and get ready for two weeks of clinics with the Vela resort in the Dominican Republic. I had never been there, so was really excited to check out a new destination. I had heard from everyone that I would have a great time and that the windsurfing is a lot of fun. I soon found out in the first week why everyone was telling me I would love this place. The warm wind and water for sailing, with a wave breaking on the reef outside was a blast! Along with the windsurfing, the fresh seafood and night life were like no other. Check out the dinner plate pic, caught that day, served right on the beach. Amazing!
We loved the place so much that before we left, Wyatt and I were already scheduling our return trip for clinics the following year. I have to say that if you have never been, I would recommend getting yourself down there for an amazing vacation.
