johnskye.com News Blog

Cape Town

2012-01-13T08:39:00.003Z

Its been pretty quiet here in GC. No wind and not much surf either, but we are off to Cape Town in a week, so cant wait for that. I have all the new RRD boards and sails to test, so will be lots to do. I think we should have 4 new sail models to test and a new line of wave boards. Also at the end of the trip we are having our usual wave adventure experience. If you fancy joining us for a week and get to sail all the best Cape Town spots get in touch with Oceansource.net. And check the video from last years trip.

SA Adventure Wave Camp

2012-01-02T19:50:00.003Z

Last year I did my first Adventure Wave camp in Cape Town and it turned out to be a huge success. Despite a terrible forecast we were mobile and managed to catch every puff of wind in the area and sailed every day. The format worked great with a van, a trailer and a small group who all just wanted to sail as much as possible and have some fun along the way. This year we are organising the same thing and have just 2 spaces left. If you are interested in joining us, contact oceansource.net for more info.

Happy New Year

2011-12-31T13:45:00.003Z

Hope everyone had a great Christmas. Here in GC its not been the best for conditions, but still we have been on the water a lot. Mainly surfing and bit of SUP action too. This week looks much better with plenty of waves coming and maybe some wind with it too. Best wishes for 2012, hope everyone has plenty of wind and waves.

Busy, busy!

2011-12-19T08:55:00.004Z

Its been a hectic couple of weeks since getting back to GC, including a day trip to Copenhagen, plus 4 days in Italy at RRD HQ. In between however the conditions have been pretty good. A couple of fun 'summer' style sailing days at Pozo and Vargas, plus of course some good surf, on my very nice new RRD surf boards. Thanks to Julio Leon for the photo, there were also some good ones from Ele. Nayra also persuaded me to go for a trek in the mountains. Its true that we don't do much other than water based stuff, so it was really nice to do something a bit different. The mountains and scenery in centre of GC are incredible, which is a shame as most windsurfers don't get to see much outside Pozo normally. We climbed a few pretty steep hills and are now paying the price with some very sore legs. Still it was worth it.... but not sure I will be doing it again in a hurry!

Early Christmas and finally back home!

2011-12-04T20:48:00.001Z

Its becoming a tradition now that every year we have an early English Christmas with my family. It costs so much to fly home at Christmas, so we do a fake one instead. This year it was Sunday the 27th, and we had the full deal. Christmas dinner, crackers, presents and of course all the decorations up. Was a really nice day, with my sister and her family there too. Now finally we are back in GC and its great. Had some amazing surf already, and even a little sail on the Northshore. I missed the best of it whilst unpacking all my stuff and putting footstraps and fins on, but it was still fun. Today I have a 24 trip to Denmark, but then its straight back home and hopefully some wind and/or waves. Thanks to www.ffotosports.com for the photo.

Last few days in Maui

2011-11-22T17:24:00.001Z

Coming to the end of our Maui trip. We have had wind everyday I think, only problem has been slightly less waves than usual. Still cant really complain as we have been wave sailing nearly everyday, and despite taking a couple of rest days I think we must have sailed 24/28 days! The last few days look like they could be really good, so hoping for a few final epic sessions. Also have to say thanks to the guys at MAMBO. We have had a couple of really nice dinners there, plus they hosted the Maui Premier of the Minds Wide Open movie, which was amazing!

Nayra ripping

2011-11-13T08:30:00.003Z

Its been pretty nice out here in Maui. Lots of wind and some fun waves too. I think we could have sailed everyday so far, which is a pretty good stat. My lovely wife just put together a sick new video, check it out. She is ripping!

South Africa Wave Camp

2011-11-03T20:36:00.004Z

Ed from Oceansource has finally finished off the video clip from last winters South Africa wave camp. The wait was worth it though as he has done a great job. The week was a real success. Despite the worst possible Cape Town forecast, we went on the road and managed to sail everyday in the end, including some very rare starboard tack down the line conditions, plus of course the usual howling port tack. We have the same planned for next year so check out Oceansource.net for more details. And check out the video.

Italy to Maui

2011-10-30T22:33:00.000Z

Its been a very hectic week! Started off with a 2 day trip to Italy to RRD HQ again. Picked up loads of new toys. The final production FOUR sails, which are amazing, plus the new 91 Contest Hardcore Quad (which is also working great!) and a whole bunch of other stuff including the new freeride gear. The new Firerace, new lighter Firestorm LTD, The Fire freerace sail and finally the brand new Evolution, which looks fantastic. That was all very nice, but what wasn't very nice, was then having to carry it all to Maui! 8 board bags in total! So now we are here in Maui, with all the toys. Its been windy, with some fun sized head to logo waves so far. They are in the middle of the Hookipa comp, so have just been sailing Lanes, but its been a nice warm up and cant wait for the comp to finish and hit Hookipa hard!! Nayra joined the contest and was ripping. She was really unlucky in the semi, getting easily the best turns of everyone, but her waves never lined up to get multiple turns the judges were looking for. Think she will kill it in the double elimination!

UK going off

2011-10-19T12:07:00.002+01:00

3 nations in 3 days was a success. Wales was going off yesterday. Had some really fun waves with all the PuraVida crew and of course Timo. I dont get too much free sailing in the UK now, so really treasure the good days and that was certainly one of them. Looks like that is it for the next few days though, until next week!

Cornwall goes off (briefly)

2011-10-18T08:52:00.002+01:00

Despite only just getting back from the 10 hour trip from Scotland, I set off again for Cornwall with Timo on the promise of a good day at the Bluff. It didn't look too special from the beach, but when we hit the water it was insane. Probably the best waves I have sailed in at least a couple of years. Soooo glassy, and perfect bowls to carve and hit. Unfortunately it didn't last long as the tide dropped low and started closing out, but that 30 minutes was worth all the driving. Today it looks like we might be heading to Wales... 3 nations in 3 days... not too bad!

2nd Tiree…. arhhhhhhhh

2011-10-15T08:24:00.001+01:00

After waiting around all week in first place, the final day came and I had my 4th title striped away from me by Ben. Absolutely gutted! In the first final I fought well, had a really good heat and lost by a tiny margin I think. Then in the rematch super final the wind dropped off a bit and I was left wobbling around unable to even fight. Lost a load of cash but more importantly a massive broad sword and a record number of titles! Devastated to be honest, but nothing I can do about it now. Next stop Maui. Cant wait.

Tiree

2011-10-11T12:29:00.000+01:00

Since Sylt I have been on the road almost non stop, including a quick trip to RRD HQ in Italy. However now I am on Tiree and even better yesterday I won the double elimination! The single didn't go too well and I lost out in the quarter finals to Ben and Timo. Ben went on to win, but thankfully we managed to run the double. Its one of the toughest fleets I think we have ever had in Tiree and to get through the double I had to beat pretty much everyone. Jamie Hancock, James Cox, Phil, Timo, Bubble, Andy King, and then Ben. In total it was 8 heats and by the end I was so tired, but obviously very happy. Unfortunately its not over yet as today there is more wind and we are trying a new Triple elimination format! At least in the worst case I only have to sail 2 heats!

No wind Sylt

2011-09-27T09:45:00.001+01:00

Unfortunately it looks like, once again, we used all the wind up in Klitmoller. The Sylt forecast is looking shocking for the week ahead. Yesterday was the best chance and there was barely enough wind to start the racers. Obviously you never know here in Sylt as things can change quickly, but at the moment it only looks good for a cruise on the paddle board.

Klitmoller 9th

2011-09-14T14:57:00.002+01:00

That was quick! 2 days and its all over. I managed 5th in the single, but then dropped to 9th in the double. I had a super close heat with Kevin Mevisen and lost on a 3:2 decision. I think thats the 4th time this year that I lose so close and its starting to get frustrating. Still its my best result of the year and still have one more chance to step up. Fingers crossed for wind.

Klitmoller RED alert

2011-09-12T17:48:00.001+01:00

Its all go at Klitmoller and tomorrow looks like being one of the gnarliest days of PWA competition in a long time. Wind is already 4.0 weather and its supposed to pick up another 10-20kts!!! I have my 3.3 primed and ready to go!! Check out the live streaming @ http://www.worldcup.coldhawaii.eu/live-mashup/

NWF and Klitmoller

2011-09-09T18:17:00.001+01:00

Its been a busy week. The National Windsurf Festival was another huge success. Massive turnout and some good wind too. I did the racing and finished 4th, equal on points to 3rd place, so I was pretty happy with that. Not raced much recently, so it was super fun. 4th place in the night sailing too, thanks to my dads old raceboard! After that it was straight to Klitmoller with Brawzinho, via Camber sands with Nik baker and timo. Had a really fun session there with 4.5's before jumping on the ferry and driving 13 hours through the night. Arrived in Klitmoller to fins more wind and sailed 3 days in a row. Bit too tired to enjoy it fully, but nice to be on the water and get used to it out here a bit. Forecast looks insane for the contest, Nayra is bringing my 3.3 because from from we had this week, I will be needing it!

New Video - Spring 2011

2011-08-22T16:36:00.001+01:00

Its taken a while to put together, but finally here is some action from this winter/Spring. Same spots as usual, but hopefully you enjoy it.

John Skye - Spring 2011 from john Skye on Vimeo.

Offline

2011-08-05T07:52:00.000+01:00

Just came back from an amazing adventure. A week long boat trip to the Salvage Islands. It took 24 hours in a boat to get there and nearly 30 to get back and once on the islands they have almost nothing. The biggest has one house and is relatively luxurious, with a toilet and a mattress. The small island really has nothing. Just one wooden shed for the Park Rangers, no toilet, no shower, but a nice beach to camp on. We crossed the 11 miles between the islands, me, Nayra and Alexandra windsurfing, whilst the others went on SUP's. Its strange in this modern day to be completely offline for a week. No phones, no internet, no nothing! Anyway we are back now, so time to catch up on whats been going on!

Tenerife Double

2011-07-15T21:20:00.001+01:00

Today we ran the double and I finished 13th. Pretty gutted as I sailed pretty good I thought. I got my best double ever in my first heat and probably my next best one in the second heat. Unfortunately I lost to Boujma by the tightest of margins. In the same way that I scraped through my single heat on a split decision, today I lost out on a split decision. 2:1 with the deciding judge being exactly equal, and therefore Boujma's best wave one it on a tie break. To make it even worse, I had about 4 people say they thought I had won it! So that is it now until Klitmoller. My ranking is pretty shocking at the moment so I really need to have wind at the last 2 events. Fingers crossed they go well and I can creep back up there, but its going to be hard. The positives are that my doubles have sorted themselves out a bit. I was struggling to get a good landing on them in Pozo, but here they were more controlled. So anyway now its holiday time.... 5 star Sheraton Hotel styley!

9th Tenerife single

2011-07-15T09:03:00.001+01:00

Things went a little bit better here in Tenerife. I finished 9th in the single. My first round heat I went against Adam Lewis and it was probably the closest heat I have ever had. 2 judges sheets were equal and the final sheet I scraped it by 1 point. Adam was ripping, but I think he crashed his best wave which made my life easier. Against Swift the conditions were awful. I just beat him on waves, but at the end of the heat when I needed a good jump I had no power and no speed, so he slipped through to the next round and I now have to wait for the double elimination. Still 9th is definitely better than 24th, so right now I am happy!

Solo session

2011-07-12T09:38:00.000+01:00

Its not often you get a good session in Gran Canaria on your own, especially when the tour is in town, but yesterday I headed to a semi secret spot and had the place to myself. It needs a lot of wind, so when I saw Pozo was 3.3 weather again, I preferred a more relaxed 4.5 day instead. Turned out to be a really fun session and great practice for Tenerife, which hopefully goes better than Pozo for me! We are heading across on the ferry right now and the forecast looks good for the next 2 days. Thanks to Carlos Amado for the shots.

Pozo Double Disaster

2011-07-10T07:49:00.001+01:00

Today they ran the double elimination, so I had my second chance to prove myself. The first heat started well and I advanced, but in the next heat the wind picked up again and I spent the whole heat overpowered and out of control. I probably should have grabbed my 3.3, but again I tried to fight on and again the result was not great. I went down to Jaeger Stone, who was ripping and went on a solid run of 4 heats. So now I have to settle for a very poor 25th place, my worst result in ages. Hopefully Tenerife goes a bit better! Tomorrow will be the final of the double elimination, so it should be a good show. The forecast is for more nuclear winds and slightly bigger waves, so the action should be insane!

Pozo disaster

2011-07-06T08:53:00.001+01:00

The high of the wedding came crashing down today in my first heat at the Pozo comp. Had a bit of a disaster and lost straight away. My jumping was good, but I crashed every single wave. The wind had picked up to about 50kts and I should have changed sail, but was trying to be a man about it and carry on. I now have to hope we get the double done and hope I can pass a few heats to redeem myself a bit. The forecast looks good though, so hopefully it goes well.

Married!!!!!

2011-07-03T12:57:00.000+01:00

Friday 1st July, Nayra and me got married. It was the most amazing day ever and thanks to everyone that helped make it so special. From the ceremony to the dinner right through to the party, everything went absolutely perfect! Thanks also for all the emails and messages of congratulations, its been so nice to hear from everyone! We have loads of photos coming, but for now I think this is my favourite or us leaving the chapel!

Red Bull Rockets

2011-06-24T22:55:00.001+01:00

I have to be honest and say I am totally broken right now. Today was the Red Bull Rockets contest. Conditions were not epic, but the action was still pretty amazing. I managed to get a lucky ramp in the 2nd heat and posted the highest jump of the day with 32ft, which at the time was nearly 10ft higher than anything else. I then lead the whole day and at one point the day was almost cancelled, but then they had one more go and in the final 5 minutes of the last heat of the day, the wind picked up a few extra knots I lost out by 4ft. Pretty gutted as there was a nice healthy cheque to be won and I had already been working out where to spend it! Still congratulations to Dario, who was putting his new RRD boards to good use. The best move category was won by Philip and Ricardo took the best crash.

Tenerife

2011-06-22T11:59:00.001+01:00

Just had a very heavy stag weekend in Tenerife. Managed to get a sneaky sail in on Friday morning before my friends arrived, which was probably the best session I have had so far this summer. After that though it was pure holiday time. I think I got off pretty lightly really, so very happy. Upcoming weekend looks like it could be fun. They have the RedBull big air comp going on I think. I wasn't planning to do it, but the forecast does look good now, so tempted! We will see.

RRD HQ

2011-06-16T21:24:00.001+01:00

Just got back from a quick trip to RRD HQ in Italy. It was the first time I went in the summer and the place is amazing! I even went sailing with our shaper Aurelio and his brother Atilio. Now I am back in GC where finally we have some semi decent wind and waves. Still not had many crazy "pozo" windy days, but hopefully it will come soon!

Back home

2011-06-07T08:54:00.000+01:00

In the end Moulay turned out to be a great trip. The wind was not quite so reliable as normal, but we still had plenty of good days on the water, including 2 or 3 really classic days. Now we are back to Gran Canaria and it looks like the summer winds may have finally kicked in over here now. Its not been the best early summer, but finally the NE trades are starting to settle a bit. I have 1 week to get some sailing in before I am off again, this time to Italy, to RRD HQ. Going to pick up a load of new toys for me and Dario, so pretty excited!

Moulay produces the goods again

2011-06-02T09:47:00.000+01:00

Me and Nayra are out in Moulay for our annual Wave Camp. Unfortunately the first week was pretty light, but the guys still had plenty of time on the water surfing and suping. The second week has been great however with 3 days of solid sailing with yesterday having some really nice head high plus waves. Everyone has been loving the sailing and plenty of people stepping up which is great to see. Boujma is back on the water again and ripping like he never stopped, even landing a forward backloop thing on his first proper day jumping! Its really nice here now that the new Lawama restaurant and rooms are all finished. When not on the water you can sit in the bar drinking an ice cold beer whilst watching the sailing and the food is great! So all good, and wish we could stay longer!

Slow summer

2011-05-18T15:27:00.001+01:00

The usual consistent summer wind hasn't really kicked in yet in Gran Canaria. Normally by now you would expect to be sailing at least 50% of the time, but so far its been a little slower than that. Had a few good days last week, with some fun sailing in Pozo and Vargas, but otherwise not much. No real complaints though as the surf has been epic. First we had a rare south swell at the weekend. This even came with a tiny bit of wind to at least get the sails wet. Had about half an hour sailing with Nayra and Philip Koester in some head to logo high, long down the line conditions, with wind from the right. Very rare over here. Unfortunately loads of surfers came out after to ruin the fun, but I swapped the sail for a surf board and enjoyed it all the same. The next day the wind had vanished completely but the waves remained and gave some of the best surf I have ever had here. Really long waves, possibly more than 100 metres long. I think I must have paddled about 10kms that day. We then headed to the North shore for the next couple of days for more epic surf. My shoulders are dead from paddling, but it looks like the wind will be back tomorrow, so really looking forward to getting out sailing again. Plus we are off to Morocco for our wave camp on Sunday and Moulay never fails to produce epic conditions!

New Video edit

2011-05-08T23:21:00.001+01:00

Animal asked me to make a shorter more dynamic cut of my last video and as I just bought a new computer I got quite into it. This is the first time I got a bit tricky with After Effects. Note the Maui in the clouds at 2:00 and the logos at the beginning. Anyway, like always, hope you enjoy it!

Skyeboy's Year 2010 - Part 3 (Animal Edit) from john Skye on Vimeo.

Morocco Wave Camp - Places still available

2011-04-28T19:54:00.001+01:00

For the last couple of years we have run a Wave Camp in Morocco and seem to have scored amazing conditions every time. Hopefully that will continue this year and to be honest I cant wait to get out there again. Its a great spot that suits most levels of wave sailor, from those getting used to waves for the first time, right through to Boujma style triple loopers! A few places have become available for the 2nd week, which will run from the 29th May to the 5th June. So if anyone fancies some top sailing, with plenty of like minded wavesailors and some top tips thrown in too, check out the full details at www.oceansource.net and book it up.

Amazing week in England

2011-04-24T19:04:00.001+01:00

Wow, what a week in England. The weather was unbelievable, especially when you consider it was April! Perfect blue sky and 25 degrees. No wind at all, but great to spend some time with my family. Went on the water with my dad, me on the SUP and him in a canoe. Then headed up with my mum to visit my sister, her husband and their wonderful son Jack. He is a super cool kid and its great to get some time with him in between the travels. Ironically when I arrived in Gran Canaria it was actually raining. I dont care at all, but the poor tourists were devastated. Imagine paying money to leave a hot England and arrive in a cold raining GC. Still it has already warmed up a load here so sure they will all be happy. I am starting some spanish classes this week. Need to step up a bit really, so whilst there are no comps I will use my time wisely. So Hasta luego....

UK SUPing

2011-04-20T17:42:00.001+01:00

Back in the UK at the moment and the weather is unreal. Its almost as warm as Maui, but unfortunately there is not a breathe of wind. Still its perfect in Poole harbour for a bit of a SUP, so I grabbed my board and headed over to the other side. It was so glassy and really nice to cruise between the yachts. Off to GC on Saturday carrying just about every piece of gear I own! Hopefully the check in goes well... bit scared!

Hookipa session

2011-04-10T06:12:00.001+01:00

People often joke sarcastically that its nice sailing Hookipa just you and your friends, when really there are over a hundred guys out. Today however, for a short time it really was just me and some friends. The day was a bit weird, with cloud and the light winds. We waited around for a while at the beach, before Nayra decided to give it a go. As she hit the water there was frantic rigging from everyone, but for half an hour it was just us and friends. Timo 'jinxy' Mullen, Phil Horrocks, Boujma, Klaas Voget, Kauli joined us for a bit before grabbing his SUP. Was nothing classic, but for a while was really fun, before the rest of the world turned up and hit the water. I know Jimmie Hepp was on the cliff and hopefully he got a picture of me making something this time!

Crashing too much

2011-04-08T22:53:00.001+01:00

Had some really good days at Hookipa this week, with 3 days in a row of solid waves and good wind. Had some good waves, but unfortunately all my shots seem to be crash shots! Check out the best of Jimmie Hepp's crash shots! Today looks weird and rainy, but hopefully the wind kicks back in and we get a final golden week before we head home.

Maui update

2011-04-04T00:48:00.000+01:00

Well the swell did arrive and it was just about enough for Jaws to break. We headed to the cliff in the morning to take Nayra's mum to see it. Not massive Jaws, but pretty impressive watching the guys paddling into it. Also Kai Lenny and Laird Hamilton were out on the SUP's and catching a few of the lefts, again pretty impressive to see. The Starboard team apparently sailed it later, with Scotty, Boujma and Kev getting a few waves each. Hookipa was a bit of a mess, so Nayra and I headed to Kanaha, where it was small, easy and a lot of fun. Had about 50 waves which was nice compared with Hookipa which would have been about 3! The next day was really fun though, with the swell dropping a bit and the wind staying around. So far its been howling windy everyday. It is forecast to drop a bit this week, but at the moment its showing no signs of backing off. Thanks to Rossi from the Tricktionary for the photo.

Maui

2011-03-29T05:55:00.001+01:00

Back on Maui and although the conditions have not been great, its very nice to be back. Lacking waves at the moment, but plenty of wind and the swell is forecast to pick up this week. Was hoping for a few medium days to get warmed up, but looks like we will be thrown in at the deep end with a pretty big Jaws type swell. 3.3 metres and 16 seconds, which means pretty big out here! Lets see. Stayed tuned.

New Video

2011-03-20T22:46:00.003Z

Its really late, but finally I managed to put together a video clip from the end of last year. The autumn is always a busy time for contests and last year I was on the road for over a month solid. This video has footage from Klitmoller, Tiree and finally Maui. The voice over ended up a bit cheesy, but hope you enjoy it anyway.

Skyeboy's 2010 - Part 3 from john Skye on Vimeo.

Freeriding

2011-03-19T23:24:00.000Z

Not a great deal of wind in GC at the moment, but enough to get out on some freeride gear. I have a set of RRD Evolutions to test and a new Firestorm to put them on. Was really nice to do some blasting and get a good feel for the gear. Today there was no wind at all, so we had a pretty nice surf in the north. Nothing amazing but for a while just myself and Nayra on the water and loads of waves for us both, pretty rare out here. Tomorrow the wind is hopefully picking up a little bit so I can get out on the freeride stuff again.

Snow

2011-03-13T09:05:00.002Z

Just come back from an amazing week in the snow. Before windsurfing, skiing was all I dreamed about, but until this year it had been 8 years since I last hit the slopes. It was so nice to go back and after a bit of a sketchy first day, it all came back, like riding a bike! Thanks to Animal I had all the gear to keep me warm and I must say a special thanks to Nayra's glasses sponsor Zeal, who sent me a pair of their latest goggles. I skied the first few days and then swapped for a board at the end. The skis have changed so much. In windsurf terms it was like getting off a 1990's slalom board and jumping on a modern FreestyleWave board. Everything was so easy and fun. It was Nayra's first time and by the end of the week she was ripping. Not the fastest yet, but really nice style down the mountain. Only problem was that 1 week wasn't really enough. It always used to be, but I guess we have got used have long windsurf trips, so one week just flew by. Have to wait another year now probably, but already planning it!

SUP session in front of our house

2011-02-27T10:41:00.001Z

Last week Animal rider Kirsty Jones was staying with us in GC and shooting with Nayra for an SUP article. One of their sessions was right in front of the house, so I joined them for a few waves and Dani Miguel took a couple of shots of me too. This spot is really nice and literally 100 metres from our front door. Its right on the town beach, so there is a view of the whole city on one side, and the north shore on the other. And best of all its still warm enough to SUP in shorts and a wetty top! My new 9'2 RRD Diamond tail LTD is working really nicely and had a few good sessions on it recently. The week ahead looks like more of a windsurfing week though, so looking forward to that.

GC summer sailing

2011-02-25T12:39:00.001Z

This week we had a couple of nice "summer" sailing days at Pozo. Nothing too special, but good to get on the small gear and do a few jumps. Even had some swell on one of the days, although we arrived a bit too late for the best tide. Next week looks like we could have some more fun sailing, with a really good forecast lining up.

Fuerte Classic

2011-02-18T09:32:00.001Z

Less than 8 hours after touching down in Gran Canaria, I was on the move again, straight out to Fuerte to see Nayra. She was competing in the Fuerte Wave Classic. They haven't had such a great year this time, with really light winds. But what they have had is plenty of swell. Its been over mast high everyday this week since I arrived. Yesterday they sailed Puertito at about double mast. The wind was soo light they had to get a jet ski out to the peak, but everyone caught some bombs. Check out the pics on the Continent 7 face book page. Me... I went for a surf in the south! We are back hom on Saturday, and looking forward to finally unpacking my bags and washing some socks as I ran out a few days ago! Maybe we get some good wind early next week, so looking forward to a good Pozo session if it comes along.

End of a great trip

2011-02-11T06:32:00.002Z

Cape Town once again produced the goods. We had so much good sailing, it has been great. The last week was the Wave Camp and despite a shocking forecast we got on the water 5 days out of 6 and had a huge mix of all conditions. Wind from the right, wind from the left, light wind riding, through to full power "Cape Doctor" style 4.0 weather. Also thanks to the variety of conditions we sailed a different spot every day. Plus we did a fair bit of tourist stuff on the way and finally, after probably my 10th trip out here, I made it up Table Mountain and saw the legendary Chapmans Peak. So all in all a great week, with a really great bunch of people.

On top of all that its just nice to be out here. I didn't get too much time on the water with all the brits, but from what I did see of them they are all loving life. Ben Proffitt is pretty much running a hostel for the entire BWA fleet and their house looks a lot of fun. On the water they are all pushing themselves to destruction. Ben is ripping, pulling everything, including push-forwards. Bubbles wave sailing has stepped up and he will surely be a threat this year on the tour. However I think the real standout/most improved is Sam Neal. When he arrived here he was more of a starboard tack rider, but in the last 3 weeks his level has shot up, with both really nice riding, and good jumping too, plus he is still pretty young. I think he will do well this year on the BWA, but probably do very well within the next year or 2.

Anyway, for me its now a long trip back to Gran Canaria, before jumping across to Fuerte to meet up with Nayra at the Fuerte Wave Classic. There is some swell coming and it looks windy, so should be pretty good I hope.

Wave Camp kick off

2011-02-03T21:27:00.001Z

Just about to start my first ever wave camp out here in Cape Town. We have a mini bus and a trailer and the plan is to cruise the cape searching out the best conditions and giving everyone the best time possible. The forecast was looking horrific, but thankfully it is slowly starting to improve. Hopefully everyone will get enough time on the water, and if not, there is plenty to do, see, eat and drink out here! Maybe I will even finally make it up Table Mountain! Will be a good week for sure and cant wait to get going with it. In the end seeing everyone go for it (which is what always happens) is a great motivator.

Sight seeing in Africa

2011-01-31T09:14:00.000Z

Cape Town continues to blow. Its been pretty much non stop since we arrived. It did drop down slightly for a couple of days, but rather than take a much needed rest we decided to go on a little sight seeing adventure into Africa. Was really fun, but arrived back even more tired, and it was full power wind again! My Wave Camp starts in a week so trying to enjoy the last few days of "relaxed" sailing, before everyone arrives. Looks like the south Coast sailors have a treat in store. The last forecast I checked said it would be starboard tack for a day when they arrive!

Cape Town going off.

2011-01-18T14:55:00.001Z

I have been in Cape Town for 4 days now and its been going off. Yesterday we had a pretty big swell and had 2 great sessions. Firstly towards Cape Point at Scarborough and then later in the evening at Haakgat. Both spots over mast high in the sets and some pretty heavy go downs at both spots. We had the RRD team of myself, Andrea Rosati and Flo, plus Team Fanatic were there and of course semi-local Phil Horrocks was on hand to demonstrate how to sail each spot the best. Everyone was ripping and it was super fun sailing. Scarborough was probably bigger, but Haakgat was more punishment. Got hammered so many times trying to get out! The pic is from some video that Jem shot... thanks Jem.

A New Year

2011-01-09T22:52:00.003Z

Its now 1 week into the New Year and its been pretty mixed. It all started so well with 3 days of perfect surf in the south of the island. The waves down there are smaller but are super long, so its really fun surfing. Nayra got a new Fanatic 7'4 mini mal board and was catching so many waves, so after 2 days solid I busted out my old long board and went cruising on that, which was great fun.

Unfortunately it all went very wrong on day 4 of the new year with both of us (and Nayra's whole family) catching one of the nastiest virus's I have had in ages. We both spent 1 night being very very sick and took 48 hours before we could move outside the house. I lost 3 kilos in 48 hours, so its one of the best weight loss programs out there! Since then the surf has been a bit average. We both head off to Cape Town in 5 days and I really cant wait to get sailing again. I always find that the time here in the winter is perfect to recharge the windsurf batteries, and now I am so fired up to go sailing again. I have a list of things I want to try and want to learn, so hopefully South Africa will provide the goods like normal.

All surfed out!

2010-12-27T12:28:00.000Z

Its been an amazing Christmas period for surf. Had 2 sessions everyday since the 23rd in some of the best conditions I have had here. Including some big nasty days in front of the house. Some chunky sessions on the North shore and then the last 3 days we had a big west swell, that wraps around really nicely to the south shore and gives some of the longest waves on the island. Boxing day (26th) means nothing over here, but we had one of the best dawny sessions ever on the south coast. Perfectly glassy and at least head and a half high waves, long and perfect. I think I must have paddled about 50 kms in the last 4 days, or at least it feels like it, exhausted! More of the same coming in the next day or 2 soon and maybe some wind with it too hopefully for some sailing. No pictures of the surf, but check out a couple of shots from last week in the north. Thanks to Julio Leon for the shots. You can check more at his facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=585497608

Wave Cult quads

2010-12-23T14:46:00.000Z

I have now had my new RRD Wave Cult quads for 3 months, but have hardly sailed them. Firstly we didn't have much wind for all the contests through the Autumn. Then in Maui I was only using the Hardcore 84. Anyway I have now finally had a few fun sessions on them and am super stoked. Getting the fins set up well is really important on all the quads and thanks to Jem's advice I moved the back fins a little further forward and it made a load of difference. For those that have the same boards the front fin is right at the front and the back fin is 34cm from the tail. In this set up the board was working great. Also if you are using the Super Styles, I am really liking them with hardly any outhaul. That seems to power the sails up nicely. If its getting overpowered just put a touch of outhaul to give more control. Looks like we could get some classic summer Pozo conditions this week, so I cant wait to try the boards there... see how they will go for this summer.

Pics of the day

2010-12-11T19:40:00.003Z

Another day of waves on the north shore. We started early and had a really nice session at Boquines. I had a few nice waves, but there were loads of people so I grabbed the paddle board and went up to the left on the other side of the bay. It was really nice, totally glassy and I was on my own. The water was so clear you could see fish swimming around under the board. The wave was fun too, with a heavy take off, going into a long ride all the way to the beach. Thanks to nosolosurf.blogspot.com i have 2 pictures from the day. One surf shot and one SUP shot. Need to work on opening up my body on the top turn, but otherwise pretty happy! Loving the new Animal wetsuit. So comfortable and looks amazing.

Loving life in GC

2010-12-09T17:49:00.001Z

After the trauma of the snow and the air traffic controllers strike, its been very nice to get to GC and enjoy a bit of down time. So far I have had a couple of really good surfs, some starboard tack sailing in the south and a killer big SUP session. Right in front of the house we had some chunky sets, maybe triple over head and I took my new 9'2 RRD Diamond tail out for the first time. It was an amazing session, with some huge drops. The wave was not perfect, which made is pretty scary at times, but really good to get the heart pumping a bit. The board felt amazing, so cant wait to get more time on it. The sailing session was at a new spot for me, with a fun little riding wave. I tested some proto types for a possibly new 4 batten concept sail. It felt amazing and was only the first try, so looking forward to working more on that. Now it looks like more of the same for the next week... Surfing, supping and sailing!!! Perfect.

Bad end, to a good week

2010-12-05T10:05:00.002Z

The week started off well. We delayed our return to Gran Canaria to stay and help Animal with their product launch. Mainly our job was to model the clothes which was a terrifying prospect, especially when you know Timo is in the audience waiting to take the piss. Turned out pretty good though, and was actually really fun. Plus we met all the UK sales guys and international importers. Unfortunately it all went wrong when we tried to leave. We were flying from Gatwick which was closed all week. Luckily it opened 24 hours before we were due to take off and following a very early 2am start, plus a nice smooth check in with 10 bags, we boarded the plane and set off for the Canaries. Nayra even commented how easy it had all been..... That was when it all went wrong. An hour into the flight, the pilot announced that the Spanish air traffic controllers had gone on strike and we had to return to the UK. So after 2.5 hours of travelling we arrived back where we had started at Gatwick. Initially they told us we would be getting off the plane, then as we taxied off the runway they told us the strike was off and we could fly again in 1 hour. 1.5 hours later having been stuck on the plane, they then announced the strike was back on and we had to finally go back into the airport. So we eventually disembarked the plane at Gatwick, at almost the same time as we should have been getting off in Gran Canaria. We were then told to wait until the afternoon for announcement which when it finally came, was the bad news that the flight was cancelled and we had to collect our bags. That meant the 10 bags we had smoothly checked in, now had to be dragged back out again! Back on the wrong side of check in, we were told to come back tomorrow afternoon for the flight.... only problem was what to do with the 10 bags. So after another few hours trying to sort that out we eventually had to pay £64 to leave most of them in left luggage, before trying to find a hotel. Even that went wrong as the taxi the hotel ordered never came, and the new taxi we paid for took us to the wrong hotel.... Eventually however we got a room and could lie down, 20 hours after waking up and a lot out of pocket! Now today we have to do the whole thing again, but hopefully this time we make it!

Congratulations Victor

2010-11-23T10:35:00.000Z

Its officially all done here in Cape Verde. The 9am skippers meeting confirmed that there were no waves on the island and therefore the event is over. It means that we have a new World Champion. Congratulation Victor Fernandez. Victor has been close a few times, so for him to finally get the title is really nice. Definitely the peoples champion, maybe he even celebrates with a beer tonight! Also massive well done to Ricardo for 2nd place and Philip for his 3rd. Quite a different look to the podium this year! So that ends the year, Me 11th. Not bad, but as my teachers always used to say, "could do better", so lets hope next year is a good one.

Over and out (probably)

2010-11-22T21:46:00.001Z

Its not quite finished, but it probably is! We still have 2 more days to go in Cape Verde, but the forecast is for less wind and less waves, and already yesterday it was tiny. So I think that is it for this event and therefore for the year. If it does stay like this I finish 11th. Its my best finish for a few years, but cant help thinking it could have been a lot higher. Normally my best event is Sylt, (which had no wind) plus here would have mixed things up a bit, being the only starboard tack event. 11th at least gives me a good seed for next year, so hopefully I can build on this year and move further up the ranking. IF we do get some wind and waves, I am laughing as my opponent has already gone home, but actually that is probably the best move now. Back to the UK in 3 days and then off to GC next week.

Cape Verde half way through

2010-11-18T18:22:00.000Z

I think tomorrow will be the half way point of the contest and so far we have just one heat completed. Its not been too bad though as we have surfed everyday so been in the water loads. Conditions have always been just under what we need, with really really light winds and then today the waves dropping too. Tomorrow looks like a full rest day, before the next swell hits on Saturday and we should hopefully get fully underway. Stay tuned!

Contest on!

2010-11-14T21:49:00.001Z

Inscription is done and its all about to kick off. Not sure if we get going straight away tomorrow, but everything is ready to go. Remember if it is on at Punta Preta, it will be on the live streaming. Check out www.pwaworldtour.com.

On our way to Cape Verde

2010-11-10T04:55:00.000Z

Off to Cape Verde today and cant wait. The forecast looks amazing for tomorrow so hopefully we get some good practice sailing. There should be full live streaming and maybe even live scoring too, so make sure you check it out in a few days on the PWA site. The contest starts on Sunday and it looks like there could still be some waves around then. Hopefully we get straight into it! Stay tuned.

Good day, Jaws and dinner at Mambo

2010-11-03T19:05:00.002Z

Today is my last day in Maui, but its been another great trip. Sailed 14 days out of 16, and one of those days had great surf anyway. 2 days ago we had the best day of the trip at Hookipa, with the swell growing quickly from logo when I hit the water to well over mast when I came off it. Thanks to Anita for the pictures.

Yesterday the first proper massive winter swell arrived. Jaws broke for the first time of the year, so we cruised down to see it. NO wind for sailing, but we think we saw Francisco Portcella and Kia Katchadourian catching some bombs. This picture we think is Cisco.

Lastly we had another super nice dinner at Cafe Mambo. If ever you go to Maui, you have to check it out and I can thoroughly recommend the Duck Burger. Its a bold call, but I am saying its the best burger/sandwich thing I have ever eaten.

Cornwall goes off.... Gutted!

2010-10-30T21:05:00.003+01:00

Its hard to be broken when you are in Maui, but I have to admit looking at the pictures from Cornwall, I am gutted I missed it. Over the years I think I have been to every UKWA/BWA Cornwall event in the last 15 years and this one that I missed was without a doubt the best! Oh well. I guess we had similar conditions here yesterday (thanks for the pic, Jimmie Hepp), but still I would prefer to score the UK going off!

From what I have heard it looks like the double wont get completed in Cornwall, so well done to Phil for the win. He has had a pretty unlucky time in contests recently, so good to see him back on track. Also I think Ben did enough in the double to guarantee his BWA title. Massive well done to him. Also by my (probably wrong) calculations, Muzza will take the number 2 spot... A well deserved podium position for him as he has been sailing really well and putting 120% into everything!

Out here there is a massive swell arriving on Monday, peaking on Tuesday with what could be a full on Jaws size swell. Not sure if I will be making the trip, but sure to be some intense sailing where ever we go.

Hookipa

2010-10-24T08:35:00.003+01:00

So far its been 3 out of 4 days sailing, which is pretty good by any standards. Yesterday was really fun, with head to logo waves and enough wind for a 5.3/5.0. I finally got some quality time on my new RRD 84 Hardcore quad and I love it! Been looking for a board like this for years. Its fast on the wave, turns great and best of all, when the wind drops on the inside I can still float on it. A board that feels small when riding, but is big when not. The perfect combo. The forecast for tomorrow is for more of the same so cant wait to get on the water some more and learn how far the board can be pushed! Thanks to Jimmie Hepp for the photos and check out his gallery from everyone.

Video - Part 2

2010-10-20T20:38:00.002+01:00

As promised here is the second part of this year's video. It features action from Morocco and Gran Canaria. Morocco was a really good trip. We ran two Wave Camps with Oceansource.net and had superb conditions for both weeks. Gran Canaria, as usual, was good all summer. Hope you enjoy the film. Right now we just got to Maui and the swell has just kicked in, so looking forward to getting on the water.

MPORA Action Sports >>

3rd place Tiree

2010-10-17T10:18:00.001+01:00

The final day produced the goods to save the event, giving us some fun sized starboard tack wave riding conditions. Things started well for me with a good first heat, but when it mattered in the semi finals I didn't put together a good enough performance and lost out to a on fire Ben Proffitt and a ripping Bubble. Bit gutted that I didn't make the final, but that is how it goes. Ben went on to win, and with it pretty much takes the UK title. A well deserved win as he has been sailing so well this year both in the contests and outside too. Bubble shocked even himself with his performance in Tiree, but showed some great style in his riding and looks likely to be a tough competitor next year. In the losers final it was a very tight heat with James Cox, but in the end I took the final podium place. For me that is it for the UK contests this year. I had already made the decision to miss out on Cornwall in order to train for Cape Verde, and as the UK title is now out of reach it looks like it was a good decision, so I am off to Maui on Tuesday.... Cant wait!

Tiree

2010-10-13T22:43:00.001+01:00

Well its been a long windless event so far, but a lot of fun. Plenty of time in the lodge, some football, a bit of SUP. The forecast does look good for Friday for some starboard tack wave riding, so looks like Thursday will be an early night, ready for a busy day.

Year video - Part 1

2010-10-06T14:57:00.004+01:00

Finally got my video finished from this spring. Here is the first part featuring South Africa, Fuerteventura and Maui. Part 2 is almost done as well so watch out for that in the next week.

Skyeboy's year 2010 - part 1 >>

Sylt caddy action!

2010-10-03T23:03:00.001+01:00

With no hope of waves in Sylt this year, I offered my caddy services to Finian. The wind was offshore and the course area was miles away, so having your spare gear on hand was a huge advantage. After 3 days of racing and 5 rounds Finian was in 3rd. I wish I could take all the credit, but it was mostly him! Unfortunately disaster struck on the final day. First his fin snapped when he was leading in the quarter finals. Nothing I could do but watch. Then in the final race of the day it came down to the wire with Cyril for both 3rd in the event and 3rd overall. Finian had a killer start and looked to have had it all sown up, but Cyril got stuck in a lull and the race director cancelled the heat. In the re-run it didn't go so well for poor Finian and Cyril took all the glory. Devastated for him as he really did everything right to win, but sometimes it seems things dont go your way. I expect he will come back even stronger next year. For me... no wave action at all. Didn't even take my sails out of the tent! Next stop Tireeeeeee...... Forecast is insane all week, so hopefully it stays good for next week too.

New RRD Quads

2010-09-30T07:56:00.000+01:00

I have been getting loads of mails asking about the new RRD Quads and how to set them up, so here is a link to a mini interview I did for 2XS.co.uk. Its still really early days and I need to play around more with the set up, but hopefully it will help a bit. Plus if you do have any specific questions feel free to send me a mail and I can try to help. Anyway... Check out the interview here

Sylt LIVE

2010-09-26T10:38:00.002+01:00

Sylt is not looking that great at the moment for wave sailing action, but there is always something going on with racing, freestyle and loads of promotional stuff. We now have live streaming running, so make sure you check it out.

Klitmoller goes off

2010-09-22T08:12:00.001+01:00

Today we head off to Sylt after an epic stay here in Klitmoller. The contest was obviously a huge success, but it didn't stop there. The wind blew straight for 9 days solid, peaking with a couple of 3.7 days. We had waves the whole time and around the corner in Hansholm we had side shore conditions and some of the best jumping ever. I am absolutely exhausted having 2 or 3 sessions everyday, but it was so much fun. Thanks to Oliver for the photos.

Klitmoller goes off

2010-09-22T07:01:00.000+01:00

9th in the double

2010-09-16T14:19:00.001+01:00

Today we ran the double elimination and I unfortunately had to go against an on fire Victor Fernandez. I had a really nice heat, but he landed a perfect double and in the end that made the difference. It was super close though with him winning by about 1 point on each judge, so I was pretty happy with my performance. Victor then went on all the way to the final, eventually finishing 2nd. So that leaves me 9th for this event and 11th overall for the year. Sylt next week, which is always a good event for me, so hopefully I can repeat a good performance there. Right now though it looks like we should have a couple of really good days here, so should be sick.

5th in the single

2010-09-15T07:35:00.000+01:00

Today we ran the single elimination in Klitmoller. Conditions were pretty good, with the occasional logo set coming though. In the morning the wind was light for a 5.8, but by the afternoon it was enough for a 4.9 and then it was really fun. I had a pretty good day, advancing through to 5th and eventually losing to Kevin Pritchard. I had some good heats, but against KP I got stuck a bit too far downwind and struggled to end to the best spot for the riding. Still I am pretty happy and tomorrow it looks like we should have the double elimination in even better conditions, so looking forward to that. we have live video, so check out the www.pwaworldtour.com to watch the action live. Congratulations to Kauli for winning today and to Ricardo for making his first final in the waves. Lets see what happens tomorrow.

Klitmoller

2010-09-10T11:01:00.001+01:00

We made it to Klitmoller. 24 hours traveling after we got on the ferry in England. Through Belgian, Holland, Germany and finally to Denmark. Best of all, was we had to then drive 3 hours just to go sailing as the wind was from a strange direction. Still its been good and I am cruising with Boujma and Brawzinho at the moment so its been fun. Forecast looks insane for the contest so looking forward to seeing what Klitmoller really has in store for us.

National Windsurf Festival

2010-09-06T09:27:00.002+01:00

This weekend was the National Windsurf Festival and it was a huge success. It brings together the whole of UK windsurfing onto one beach. Beginners, pros, racers, wave sailors, freestylers... The main event is a the 300+ master blaster. Pros and freeriders start together off the beach, pros do 2 laps, freeriders just 1. It means that everyone is out on the water at the same time, fighting against everyone else. So much fun. Plus there are junior races and night windsurfing too. This year we did night tag racing with the juniors which was a lot of fun. I was partnered with James (who finished 2nd in the juniors) and bascially he did the first lap, then I jumped on his gear and did the second lap. Only problem was his sail was a 3.8! Ben Profit had a 3.5 and we were pumping around the course with our booms around our knees! The pro night race didn't go to well, definitely needed a raceboard for that. The slalom went a bit better and I finished 4th, just off the podium, but it was a fair result since I was counting 4x 4th places! As a team RRD did really well. We were 2nd in the Team Tag race, I think we had 4 guys in the top 10 of the slalom, and 3 of the 4 freestyle finalist were on RRD too. Best thing about the whole weekend was seeing so many friends. Their were people there from almost every walk of windsurfing life. Guys from Brogborough lake where I learnt, friends from Uni, friends from the old racing days, plus loads of new freestyle kids that I didn't really know before. (the pic is actually from last years event, but you get the idea.. Lots of people, great mix of old and new gear... just great fun really).

Now I am about to leave for Klitmoller. Boujma is with me and after hopefully getting a sail in the UK somewhere today, we are off on the ferry tonight. Cant wait... first continental road trip in ages.

New Toys

2010-09-01T11:06:00.001+01:00

Just picked up all my new toys and they look SICK! I am like a kid at Christmas! I have all 3 of the new Wave Cults, 92, 83 and 75. I think those will be my main boards for the UK, Canaries and all the comps. Then I also have the 84 and 76 Hardcore Wave Cult, which are the more rockered pure riding boards. These will be the weapons for those rare proper riding days, like Maui or Cape Verde. My new Super Style MkIII's look sweet too. Bit more power than last years, which I prefer for all conditions, onshore and side shore. Plus I finally have the SUP that I have been waiting 6 months for. Its the 9'6 Diamond tail Ltd edition. It looks beautiful, and I already rode it in Maui so I know it works as good as it looks! Now all I need is some wind, or waves... or both!

Moulay Wave Camp Week 2

2010-08-26T14:18:00.002+01:00

This is the video from the 2nd Week of our Wave Camp in Moulay, Morocco. It was an amazing time, with great people and great conditions. The last day it was over logo high at times and 4.0 weather, enough to test everyone! So check out the video below and if you want info on next years camp go to www.oceansource.net.

More Windsurfing Videos >>

Vargas Championship

2010-08-23T15:28:00.003+01:00

Every year around this time Marcos Perez organises a competition at Vargas. The emphasis is on fun and it includes a kite contest, wave contest and long distance race. The waves is left to the local guys and was won this year by little Animal rider Alesio. The race however was open and it ended up being a neck and neck fight the whole way around with Philip. We were pretty even and I should have beaten him to the upwind point, but I missed the layline by a few metres and had to put in 2 extra tacks. That gave him an extra hundred metres on me, which in the end was what counted. I caught him back up and over took him down wind, but it all came down to a drag race over the last 500 metres. I dont think I have ever been so fast on my wave board, but unfortunately it wasn't fast enough and I couldn't hold him off. In the end after 22 minutes of racing we finished about 2 metres apart. He is getting a bit good at winning at the moment!!! Anyway the whole weekend was really fun including a good party and my first night sleeping in the new van conversion. Back to the UK next week, so have 1 more week to enjoy the constant wind! Thanks to Mario and Maria for the photos.

Some fun sailing after the race.

The podium with Philip 1st, me 2nd and Mario 3rd.

Erizo Point

2010-08-15T09:55:00.005+01:00

We always seem to get a couple of really good days around this time of year. Typically conditions should be dying down as we move into August, but the last few years it has almost been the opposite. Yesterday we scored a really fun session at Erizo Point. It doesn't work very often, needing quite a bit of swell. however we had a few almost mast high sets at times and it was great to get some decent down the line conditions to break up the normal onshore sailing. As the tide pushed up we sailed Vargas for a bit too, but it was a little bit too out of control, with some pretty heavy shorebreak sections to hit. Nayra and Philip like always made it look easy and were both clearly loving having their home spot firing. Thanks to www.elgransurf.com we have some great photos, so thanks Julio. More of the same forecast today as well.....

Little air off a punchy inside section.

Nayra tweaking it and showing everyone how to sail.

Philip loving life in his home spot.

End of Cowes week

2010-08-06T10:46:00.001+01:00

What a great week we had. VIPing it around in the Extreme 40's lounge. The last day the wind finally came through strong enough to get on a 5.3 and show a few tricks that the boat definitely cant do. Amazing how a nice forward close to the beach for the public is still worth more than a double burner gozzada, which was lucky because I cant do double burner gozzadas, but I can do a forward! Ross once again dominated on his slalom board, and Cribby dominated the smooth talking, so all in all a good week for everyone, and hopefully windsurfing gets a boost too. Hopefully I can catch a day 'south coast' wave sailing too before heading back to GC for the rest of the summer.

Cowes Week

2010-08-03T23:47:00.001+01:00

This week I am at Cowes week with Ross Williams and Guy Cribb taking on some big catamarans. Today we got to race them which was pretty intense. Over 100 boats on the water in the Solent so it was super choppy and really hard just to sail in a straight line! Luckily Ross, fresh from his 6th place in Fuerte, was able to still put his foot down and beat the boats. I held my own, but racing 8.2 sails is not my specialty. Few scary moments too out in the Solent slaloming around 60ft Yachts! Best bit about the event is hanging in the VIP lounge afterwards, mixing it with the stars of the sailing world! More wind tomorrow, so lets see how it turns out.

The shot is of the GAC Pindar boat that we are against. Skippered by Nick Moloney who is in the Guiness Book of records for crossing the Bearing Straight in 22 hours on a windsurfer. What a legend!

Boardseeker "Day in the Life"

2010-07-23T11:34:00.001+01:00

Straight after the Pozo contest Boardseeker video guru, Alfie Hart, came to stay for the day and shot a "Day in the life of John and Nayra" video. It worked out pretty well because it wasn't exactly a normal day and ended with Spain winning the world cup. Anyway check it out on Boardseeker.com.

Morocco Wave Camp-Week 1

2010-07-22T18:31:00.002+01:00

Back in May we had an amazing 2 weeks in Morocco running a Wave Camp. Not only did we get great conditions, but we also had a really good crew of people. This is the video from the first week, with Matt, Luke, Dominc and Harry. Week 2 coming soon!

More Windsurfing Videos >>

BS 360

2010-07-20T10:16:00.004+01:00

Got a few more shots from Varags from a good friend Manolo. Included was a nice Backside 360 sequence. Some moves you just get really easily and others become a nightmare. The Backside 360 has been a nightmare for me to learn. Not sure why, but its taken a very long time, so it feels good to get a good one on sequence. Check out the movie sequence.

MPORA Action Sports >>

I also got a frontside 360, but its was not so pretty. The beginning looks good, but when you see the middle shot its not quite so impressive. I somehow managed to get upright and sail away still on the wave though, so it counts!

Thanks for all the shots Manolo!

Vargas

2010-07-19T12:46:00.002+01:00

Had a couple of really good days out here in Gran Canaria. Sailed Vargas with 3.7 and 4.1 and some pretty nice head+ waves. Its almost the perfect size for here, if it gets any bigger it starts to get a bit heavy and out of control. So really good fun session, particularly on Saturday. Check out a few shots from Andraz Zan. He is pretty handy sailor himself, check out his video from SA

Recovery

2010-07-18T09:36:00.001+01:00

Its crazy that despite the contest only being 4 days and despite only sailing 5 heats, it seems to absolutely drain you. I guess its stress of it all too, but after the contest my body was dying. I guess it probably didn't help going large at the closing ceremony, but still its only now that I feel back to 100%. Had an amazing night last week when Spain won the world Cup. Obviously Las Palmas went off! Would have been slightly nicer if it was actually my country that won, but still being part of it all was really cool. Every car had flags out the window, horns beeping, the roundabout in the centre had thousands of people celebrating, really quite a spectacle. Alfie from Boardseeker had asked to do a "day in the life of" with us and it kind of worked out pretty good. A sail in the morning, followed by the party of all parties. I guess there are probably not too many opportunities in a life time to be in a country when it wins the World Cup (unless you are from Brazil!!) so it was a pretty special night. Anyway look out for the film this week on Boardseeker. Here in the Canaries right now, its going off, so I am off to the beach!

Pozo Day 4

2010-07-09T20:31:00.002+01:00

Today was the 4th and final day of the 2010 Pozo PWA. We ran the whole way through the double today in fairly decent conditions. Not epic, but not too bad either. For me things went pretty well in the first heat. My opponant Anxton ripped his toenail off freesailing before the heat and therefore didn't sail, giving me an easy route to the next round. Next up I had Swift, who to be fair has been ripping. He beat me in the first heat, but a wave conflict meant I got a second chance. It was closer in this heat, but he still beat me. I was missing my double, which may have made a difference, but for some reason it wasn't happening today. I tried about 4 in the heat and they all ended in disaster! Well done to Swift though who went on to finish a very respectable 6th place. Me I had to settle for 13th, which although not great is my best result for the last few years. For some reason, despite living here for half the year, Pozo is always my worst result. Hopefully this year having improved slightly, my overall ranking will show the same improvement at the end of the year. As for the winners.... It came down to an epic battle between Philip Koster and Victor Fernadez. Both sailors were insane and a clear level above the rest in my eyes (except maybe Ricardo, who as always was nailing some insane doubles). In the end after 3 finals it was Victor who came out victorious, so massive congratulations to him. Now its time to chill a bit and sort all those things out that have been on the back burner for the last month... like putting together a video or two. So coming soon (hopefully) my video from the last few months. (pic JC/PWA)

Pozo Day 3

2010-07-08T18:27:00.001+01:00

Finally some solid Pozo wind and a few waves. We got all the way through the single elimination today. I got through my first heat against Jagaer Stone, but then had Ricardo Campello in the next round. I had a good heat, but it was not enough. It means I am 9th at the moment, but they will for sure run the double tomorrow so it will all change. Hopefully I can move up the ranking a bit. My first heat tomorrow is against Anxton Otaegui and its an early start, first heat at 8.30, so I will be on the water before 9am. Hopefully it will be good conditions.

Pozo Day 2

2010-07-07T19:28:00.001+01:00

A long day at the beach, but still I have not had a heat yet. At times today it was pretty good and they got through a few heats, but I have to say some of the heats were pretty sketchy. I guess its the same for everyone though. Tomorrow looks a lot better though so fingers crossed it will be a good day. I have Jagear Stone first round so it wont be easy, but then not many of the heats are here! Lets see what happens and you can always follow the action on the ticker at www.pwaworldtour.com.

Shot from JC...

Pozo Day 1

2010-07-06T09:09:00.001+01:00

Well its finally here, but things aren't quite looking right down at Pozo at the moment. The usual howling trade winds seem to have gone on strike. Check out the glassy surf, tempting out the paddle boards! Hopefully the forecast is right and the conditions will improve thursday and friday. Need everyones fingers crossed for this one. In the meantime check out www.cutre.com and follow the webcam link. I think you need to register to see the live version, but its free and gives you a sneak peak of what is happening on the water.

Pozo time

2010-07-03T11:13:00.000+01:00

Its not been the best week here in Gran Canaria, but never the less we have sailed everyday. Nearly everyone is here now and there is the usual pre-contest buzz going on. The forecast was looking shocking, but has suddenly improved considerably and although we have a relatively short event time, fingers crossed we should get some conditions, certainly the last day looks really good. I have been desperately trying to learn shakas. All the kids are busting them out on every wave and its a pretty good trick once you have it nailed. I still have some way to go, but they are getting there. More practice needed over the weekend! A few nice shots courtesy of Oli at www.comoceanmedia.com. Thanks Oli!

GC warming up

2010-06-21T18:36:00.001+01:00

Its been a pretty decent week out here in Gran Canaria. A few fun Pozo and Vargas sessions. Slowly getting back into the mega high winds. At first its always tricky, but once you get dialled in the 3.7 starts to feel like a 5.0! Check out a couple of pics courtesy of Julio Leon at www.elgransurf.com

Back to GC

2010-06-17T21:29:00.001+01:00

Finally back to GC and it feels good. Not the greatest conditions at the moment, but nice to feel at home again after almost weeks on the road. Forecast looks good for the weekend and everyone is here already so should be full power on the water. Cant wait.

Bye bye Moulay

2010-06-09T02:18:00.001+01:00

Wow... what a trip. So much wind I could barely walk by the end. Moulay is amazing and thanks to all the guys at the Bouj centre for all their help. A few days off now, which are definitely needed. One last memory of Moulay. Thanks to Phil for the sequence.

MOULAY GOES OFF!!!

2010-06-06T00:33:00.001+01:00

To finish of the clinic in style the conditions turned on big time for the last couple days, climaxing today with over mast high lines and 4.0 weather. The guys were all tested to the extreme and most came out with flying colours. I managed to have a couple of really good sessions too, sailing with Boujma, Fettah, Sofian and of course Nayra and all the guys on the course. There were definitely some big jumps, but no matter how high I go, the locals go higher! Definitely good for pushing yourself!! Check out the pics from Rod and Phil.

Moulay week 1

2010-06-02T12:24:00.003+01:00

Just had a fantastic first week in Moulay. 4 really nice days sailing out of 6 was enough to kill the whole group, who went home with hands bleeding!! Had a couple of guys doing their first loops, and Harry's riding was insane by the end of the week. Our week 2 clients also got in on some early practice and it looks like we should have a really good second week too.

Matt getting cheesy for the first time!
Luke throwing a backy over his brothers head

Harry Polakow, ripping another wave to pieces.
Forwards4cowards blog writer, Rod, stepping up with his loops.
Star looper Dominic showing the way.
Nayra demonstrating how it should be done.
Me having some fun on the water too.

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Final result: 2nd

2010-05-23T01:35:00.002+01:00

In the end I had to settle for 2nd place. They managed to run 3/4 of the double elimination, but the wind dropped right at the end and that was it for competition. It would have been nice to have another go at beating Ben, but still 2nd is a good start to the year. We had a couple of really good surfs on the last day, some of the best waves I have ever had. Next stop is Morocco. I have a nightmare journey from ireland to Gatwick, with almost no sleep and over 24 hours of travel!!! should be fun once I am there though.

2nd in Ireland

2010-05-20T11:53:00.000+01:00

After a disappointing no wind event in Rhosneigr, we came to Ireland with a pretty good forecast. The swell didn't really kick in as we had hoped, but still there was enough to run the contest. Conditions were pretty hard for competing, with inconsistent waves making it a bit of a lottery. The first couple of heats went well and I found some good waves, but the final didn't go quite so well. Until the final 5 minutes I was really struggling, but had a couple of good ones right at the end to sort me out. Final results were Timo in 4th, Phil 3rd, myself 2nd and Ben 1st. Congratulations Ben, he was ripping all day. Now we have to hope for the double elimination where I get a chance to improve the result and hopefully have another go at Ben.

£50 off our Wave Camp for last minute booking

2010-05-19T14:20:00.000+01:00

We have the last couple of places available on our Morocco Wave Camp if anyone is interested in a week away for some fun wave sailing. Moulay is such a good spot, especially for any south coast sailor who likes wind from the right. Whatever your wave sailing level we can hopefully help you step it up a bit and give you some pointers to get you sailing better.

Check out http://www.oceansource.net/moulay/clinics.asp for more info.