Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Olympic Incubator · Godspeed Sarah Hebert · WISSA · R ~ R



The Banana River Resort  in Cocoa Beach, FL is the first property north of Patrick Air Force Base on the river (west) side of A1A; it's situated on the narrowest part of Brevard County's 45 mile long barrier island. It's just a little under 350 yards ( a short par 4) wide, from the river to the ocean. The BRR, started in 1992, is still a laboratory for learning windsurfing. After 20 years of operation it still houses and nurtures aspiring Olympic hopefuls. Beth Winkler, aka Surf Mama, campaigned and trained almost continually from 1992 to 2005, long enough that all the effort of that lofty goal became her lifestyle and infused itself into the very DNA of the BRR. But time and tide wait for no one. She never reached her goal, but in her wake, others she touched have.

There's a sign at the BRR, Where men flip and women rip. A lot happens and has happened there: youth racing clinics, Olympic training from the IMCO to RS:X, private lessons, mega tons of recreational sailing, parties and weddings, windsurfing vacations and WindSurfing Mag board testing. At its very core, the Resort is all about empowering women to compete in windsurfing. The house specialty is the Olympics. Lanee Butler Beashal, 4 time Olympic ('92 - '04) windsurfing legend, trained there. And Ft. Pierce, FL local Mike Gebhart, twice Olympic medalist, has been there too, many times. Possibly the most famous Olympian, Nikos Kaklamanakis, who won the 1996 Gold Medal in windsurfing at Savannah, GA (sailing venue of the Atlanta Games) did a lot of training there. He spent months out of each of the preceding 3 years before Savannah preparing with a host of different Olympians from Europe. Cocoa loco Nancy Rios benefitted from Beth's tutelage and learning environment, taking it all the way to Beijing, China (Qingdao, the sailing venue) for the 2008 Olympics. Regular OCR events in Miami have added to the consistent flow of visitors for pre-event training; 6 BRR visitors that competed in the 2008 Olympics are: Ben Barger (USA), Demita Vega De Lille (Mexico), Diana Detre (Hungary), Sedef Koktenturk (Turkey), Nikola Girke (Canada) and Zac Plavsic (Canada). Farrah Hall, current U.S.Olympic Team member for the RS:X Class, has spent lots of time there too; and yes, fellow O-Team mate, Bob Willis, headed for this year's Olympics, was there in 2007.

French Canadian Dominique Vallée has made the BRR her winter home and training facility since 2000, attracting a crowd of friends and family for a snow free holiday every season. This influx of vacationers and the clinic participants always takes the resort back to its former glory of total windsurfing and water sports immersion. Dominique is an expert instructor who specializes in the RS:X gear and the Olympics. Campaigning for 3 consecutive quadrenniums, living the nomadic life of competition and travel for over a decade, easily defines her as driven. Almost an Olympian in 2004 for the Athens Games, she is totally immersed in windsurfing, arguably one of sport's more hidden corners. There is no doubt about her resolve. The quest for the Olympics brought the unusual opportunity of a part time job as a TV personality. Gotta pay the bills. Somehow there's also been time to write a book which is now in the hands of a publisher. She inspires by doing and her life exemplifies that the journey is just as important as the destination.

I got a call one February day 2 years ago alerting me that there was going to be a special guest at the BRR whose visit was a secret...The secret guest was going to get an introduction to the RS:X gear. There were people in her country, including her Mom, who thought she could represnt her country in the Olympics. But first, the trip to Florida had to settle the question: is the gear a good fit? Dominique would have the honor of introducing the RS:X gear and late that first afternoon, by the time they got ready to hit the water, what was left of a potentially nice day had turned into a cool overcast drizzle with no sunshine; the weather sucked. The rain and mid 60's temp were no problem for the drill sergeant instructor who insisted the weather was nothing because you have to race in every condition. If body language tells anything about your inner feelings, the guest from the tropics is feeling that the spring suit is inadequate for the conditions.

Right before leaving home to come to Florida, the secret guest had tried the Bic Techno 293 and didn't like it. It wasn't a good fit. Was that trial of a larger race board a foreshadowing of what's to come? I've been watching this very first launch and wonder if this is the birth of an Olympic Champion? For the first few moments, she looked like many of us the first time we tried a new board, kind of awkward, but this quickly passed. For the next hour she sailed neck and neck with Dominique and looked good when compared to the more experienced RS:X veteran. They both had speed. After that first session with the Olympic Class Windsurfer everyone was smiling.

Dominique has introduced many Formula sailors to the RS:X and reflected that no one can compare to how quickly the guest understood how to make the board go fast. The rookie had reservations about the gear from the get go and the next day, with a little more wind, impressions changed: everything with the RS:X seemed too big: too much fin, too much much sail and the board didn't trim well. After 2 days of testing, it's a mixed review.

My wife and I spent 2 afternoons out of the 3 days she was here watching, hanging out and talking. My impressions of her: unassuming, soft spoken with a voice that is melodic and easy to listen to. I'm moved by her maturity and kindness. The one word description is sweet. Most impressive skill: functional in 6 languages. Early life: As a young competitive swimmer she remembers her 50 meter prowess of sub-30 second times. She played tennis and her natural ability in windsurfing surprised her parents. Good grades in school allowed the pursuit of her passion for windsurfing. Mom and Dad were surprised by her choice.

When she left to go back home we didn't know what was decided about the Olympics. WindSurfing Editor, Josh Sampiero, did a video interview with her but not a word was said about the the RS:X gear audition. So who was the secret guest? Keep reading and watch the interview.

How does a country get selected for the Olympics? They must qualify at a regatta. For the 2012 Olympics 75% of the field qualified at the 2011 RS:X Worlds in Perth, Australia. The remaining 25% of the countries will qualify at the 2012 RS:X Worlds in Cadiz, Spain, March 20 -29. Farrah Hall will try to qualify the U.S. for one of the 7 remaining country slots and even though insiders may consider this a shoe in, anything can happen at any regatta.To make it to the Big Show takes years of training and luck. To get your country to the Olympics is a pressure packed one regatta performance. You can qualify your country for the Olympics but not get to go yourself. PWA standout, Steve Allen, qualified Australia for the 2008 Olympics but did not make their Olympic Team.

Canada, the country, is already qualified in the RS:X Class, both men and women, for the 2012 Olympics. And just like the country qualifier and the actual Olympics, making Canada's O-Team is another pressure packed one regatta performance. After years of preparation, regardless of any previous good or bad record, the best performing Canadians, one man and one woman, at the 2012 RS:X Worlds will earn a trip to the Summer Games of the XXX Olympiad.



The secret guest was Sarah Quita Offringa. So why the big secret? Back in early 2010 she had just lost her Neil Pryde sponsorship even though she was the reigning 2009 PWA World Freestyle Champion. Afraid that the idea of an Olympic campaign might spook her sponsors, she just wanted some private time to figure out what the gear was like. I thought this was possibly history in the making. Sarah said no to the Olympics but...if you follow her career you know she's a pretty good racer now.

Hanging out with 18 year old Sarah Quita was fun. Remember this was back in early 2010. Even as the reigning PWA World Freestyle Champion, funding for her pro career was barely enough to keep her moving forward. She was certainly not putting anything into her retirement fund. To put it into perspective, Mom and Dad still helped out some so she could tour. Prize money just coverered travel expenses if she won. Mostly what she got from her sponsors was gear, but no real salary. What was a big surprise on the tour for her? How vocal some of the competitors were on the race course. They yell a lot out there. Seems loud voices can distract a racer in close quarters. Anything to win. Last year (2009) she got hit on the racecourse and then in the next race she hit someone. Sarah started windsurfing at the age of 9. She did her first vulcan at 11; her first spock at 13. She was relearning how to do a forward which she plannned to add to her competition moves. She rode an 88 liter Starboard Flare for all freestyle competitions. She wasn't real chatty about how to learn freestyle. However she did say learn the basics first: heli-tack, body drag and duck-jibe. Then learn the vulcan and everthing else will follow. She had no idea why Neil Pryde dropped her at the end of 2009.  New sponsor Gaastra provided slalom sails and Vandal sails for freestyle.

After 2 new PWA World Titles in 2011, Freestyle and Slalom, hopefully, funding for her pro career has improved. Sarah Quita represents the best of windsurfing.




Sarah Hebert will start her transatlantic journey very soon. Tentative start date is Feb 21 with a 48 hour notice before departure. Hebert has been the focus of much European media attention, including a 4 page spread in Paris Match and numerous TV interviews. Via her latest GPS coordinates, you can Follow Sarah Live.  Or play an interactive game pitting your decision skills against Sarah's actual course navigation to see who gets to Guadaloupe first; win prizes: Live Skipper. Background and reporting are found on the Sarah Hebert Website. This FB page, Windsurf Transatlantic 2012,  posted photos on Feb 18 from Sarah and the team on Neptune's Car in Dakar. Sarah's Twitter page will be used in reporting. French language  Windsurf Journal has been on top of this story from the very beginning in 2010 and should be a good source of news about the crossing.

I'm not sure if there will be daily reporting or just GPS coordinates. The French to English robotic translators are a challenge...

TheTransatlantic quiver: 4 Naish Grand Prix Boards: 135, 128, 110, 95 - 5 Naish Indy Sails: 8.4, 7.1, 6.4, 5.8, 5.2 - Sonntag Fins




WISSA · The World Ice and Snow Sailing Association is getting ready to start the 2012 World Championship but not where you might think. The competition will not be held in a Scandinavian country, but right here in the U.S. The event is set to run in St. Ignace, Michigan from February 20 - 26. The 2012 Championship will be the 32nd annual celebration of this exciting contest. The last time a WISSA Championship was held in the U.S. was 1995 in Madison, Wisconsin. Organizers claim that this year's event will be televised in over 86 million households on numerous sports networks. They will use a zamboni for smoothing 11 acres of ice for slalom racing. Competition is in 3 basic classes. One is powered by traditonal windsurfing gear above the board; one uses kiting gear; and one a hybrid class using a kitewing. Check their Facebook Page for the latest and the website for all the basics.

Last year's Championship from Finland:





Rail to Rail · The Movie - Enjoy in HD; 40 minutes of action captured around the world with some of the best windsurfers in the world. Visit Jaws, Ho'okipa, Cape Town, Spain, Mauritius, Brazil and Egypt with angles and on-board views of maneuvers that will blow your mind. Hit "Play" now to take the ultimate ride with 2010 Wave and Freestyle World Champions Victor Fernandez and Jose 'Gollito' Estredo plus many more international team riders!

Sunday, February 12, 2012

Learn It Good · Robby · Windsurfer · Interviews


ABK Boardsports is "the oldest professionally run windsurfing school in the United States. Since 1982 it has never stopped its circuit of instruction, holding nearly 1000 multi-day camps across the US and the Caribbean. Having been with ABK since 1988, Andy Brandt bought the company in 2002 and is continuing their tradition of excellence. Because of his exposure with ABK he has become one of the best-known instructors in the USA"...Windsurfing Legends

Windsport editor Pete Dekay credits Andy with this pearl: 'The mastering of windsurfing is the realization that you can’t.” The Windsurf Loop Blog reports: "We just got back from a week in Bonaire a few days ago. It was just wonderful, as usual, except that the wind was even better than before - we were planing every single day without needing big sails, and had only half a day of light winds (too little for Nina, who would have liked to practice light wind tricks for a couple of days). We met old friends and made new friends at the ABK camp, and learned a few new tricks...full report." If you want to see more of what ABK camps are like: The ABK Alumni Blog

The ABK tour will be doing a bunch of camps in Aruba and Bonaire until early April. They return to the U.S. landing in South Padre, TX April 19 and will head to Hatteras and then up to Long Island, NY. For exact dates, find them on the schedule.

Aloha Clinics are ready to start their first of 5 planned events on Maui this year. Matt Pritchard and Shawna Cropas will kick off the first event set for March 17 - 24. Clinics accommodate all skill levels. The following month, Matt and Kevin McGillivray will do the first of 3 planned Baja Wave Camps at Punta San Carlos' Solo Sports. The first week long camp is set for Aptil 21 - 28. The SOCAL Windsurfing Blog wrote about Matt's Wave Camp: "I can’t describe how productive this clinic is. The conditions are ideal, the instruction is very refined, the camp is comfortable, the food is excellent, the equipment is top of the line, and the staff is great. I was a little worried about the number of participants in our clinic (16) and how that might dilute my ability to get personal attention. That was not the case. I felt Matt and KMAC were all over us, and the evening reviews proved they didn’t miss a thing, even if it had not been captured by a photo or video." Find the blog here and page down for each of the PSC Wave Camp's 4 parts.

Wyatt Miller and Tyson Poor are headed to Cabarete, Dominican Republic for 2 one week clinics: Learn from the Pros.  Clinics will be catered to each groups ability but can include jibes, tricks and wave sailing, in addition to SUP and Surf Trips. First one starts March 19. Wyatt adds, "Getting super stoked for the trip, we have all the toys lined up from Vela and access to the Van for downwinders and surf trips. Not to mention one of Vela's ex-instructors will be heading down with us to make sure we find the best activities for the conditions." You can hook up again for more tutoring with Wyatt and Tyson at the Makani Fins, OBX Clinics on Hatteras April 16 - 27. Another planned event is scheduled with Wyatt and Tyson at Solo Sports for a week of wave and freestyle instruction, May 19 - 26. If you miss this one there's another clinic in October. More about the duo on their website.

Guy Cribb adds another Maui learning opportunity for March 17 - 28. He tees up the Surf Gods advanced to experts Clinic: "For those brave enough or experienced enough to have already sailed in rough water or waves, this course is designed to transform you from an advanced windsurfer into a successful wave sailor, and make the locals at your beach turn their heads when they see your wave knowledge and skills in action - finding the sections to hit wave riding, blasting out effortlessly but aggressively over the white water as though it wasn't there, gliding through jumps and loops with confidence and control and demonstrating an experienced understanding of the waves that would otherwise take years to discover." Guy's next stop is a Freeride Clinic for intermediates to advanced in Corpus Christi, TX, March 30 - April 2. Unfortunately, Worldwinds reports the clinic is already full.

If you want to improve but don't have the time and or money for a clinic, the next best, IMHO, is to take a look at the Instruction section of the Learners guide... where you will find tons of help from all of the above. Don't forget, the only North American windsurfing events calendar is located at the top of the Blogroll on the right side of this Blog.




Robby Naish ·  If surf culture grabs your interest, take a virtual stroll through Oahu's Surfer, The Bar at the Turtle Bay Resort (keep paging down, there's a zillion videos). Whether you see him as the Godfather of Windsurfing  or simply The King, when he talks, you gotta stop and listen. And when Robby talks history it's always interesting. Now, fast forward to Robby's newest Facebook Page Started December 2011, the real time life of Robby is being recorded one post at a time. Robby's first generation FB Page has almost 34,000 fans. It's only fitting to follow up with Kai Lenny from the same venue. After all Robby's sail number is US 1111 and Kai's is US 1112.






Click the photo...read the mag.


Interviews ·  Sofie Louca is super stoked about her new blog, The Fish Bowl Diaries. She does the writing and both she and husband, Paul take the photos. Sofie says,"we shoot high end weddings with a fashion, contemporary style for a living and you can see some of our work on our website, Amorphia Photography."  She brings a fresh and different perspective to the interview format and as you might expect, amazing photos. 

Her first interview was Matt Pritchard:  Here is a taste: "Tell us about an event that changed your life or your character? Having a kid! Talk about a life changing experience!!! WOW- I was amazed that they let you walk out of the hospital with this thing- no license, no real training, just dropped right into the battlefield armed with a couple diapers….. Man oh man! One of the greatest experiences you could ever have! Words can’t really describe it."

The second interview with Kai Katchadourian: Sofie starts the interview with, "I have the worst memory ever but occasionally there are a few things that stay with me quite vividly, one of which is Kai Katchadourian’s MASSIVE aerial back in 1997 at the Dakine competition at Ho’okipa. I can’t even begin to describe the sound of the gasp let out by everyone on the beach as he hit the lip on a mast high wall of water and just went up and up and up. That aerial was in the final heat of the competition against Josh Angulo and it played a big role in winning him that event..."

Continent Seven did a monster interview with Micah Buzianis: C7: Since 1997 you could make a real living on windsurfing. Is it still enough nowadays and how many more years do you plan to continue?

Micah: It is certainly a lot harder to make a good living from windsurfing, less prize money dollars, more expensive travel and less industry money for sponsorship. I am still fortunate to be making a living from it, but I have had to get creative to also generate some other sources of income. I find it very hard to understand how some guys make it in windsurfing, when you talk to guys and find out what they make it is amazing that they can even afford to live let alone travel around the world and compete. I guess I did it similar to that in the early days though so it can be done. My plan right now is to continue for three more years giving it my all and then see where I am, you never know though that could change and it could be longer or shorter it depends on a lot of different factors.



"Postscript · Sarah Hebert recently reported: "Finally, after two years of preparation, I am only a few days away from realizing my dream...like a horse in his stall before the race, I want out... The team and I will leave France on February 18 to reach Dakar, and the great departure will probably take place on February 21st. Until then, we prepare the final technical details...and I chomp at the bit..."

Calendar: June - 2012


Spring Get Together & Clinics | Port Bolster, ONT | June 1 - 3

Maui Race Series | Kanaha | June 2
http://www.mauiraceseries.com/

Cattail Regatta | Toledo, OH | June 2



Original Windsurfer Series | Traverse City, MI | Jume 2 (7/7 8/11 8/25)

Cancelled PWA | Bonaire | June 4 - 8

St. Francis YC Twilight Series | San Francisco | June 8
http://www.stfyc.com/Default.aspx?p=v35Calendar&title=Events&view=l3&ssid=241602&vnf=1






ABK | San Luis Reservoir, CA | June 8 - 10
http://abkboardsports.com/camps/details/249

Gorge Cup Race 2 | Hood River, OR | June 9
http://www.gorgecup.com/gc/ 

East Coast Windsurfing Festival | Long Island, NY | June 9 -10
http://www.ecwindfest.com/East_Coast_Windsurfing_Festival/ECWF_Home.html

Worthington WS Festival | Worthington, MN | June 9 - 10





BABA: Gerry Brown Regatta | Essex, MD | June 12

PWA | Catalunya Costa Brava, Spain | June 12 - 16












AWT: Pistol River Wave Bash | Pistol River, OR | June 14 - 16

ABK | San Luis Reservoir, CA | June 15 - 17

Maui Race Series | Kanaha | June 16

Grosse Pointe WS Regatta | Lake St. Clair | June 16
  

Cancelled PWA | Marseille, France | June 20 - 24
Great Lakes Demo Tour | Otsego State Park, MI | June 22

ABK | San Luis Reservoir, CA | June 22 - 24
http://abkboardsports.com/camps/details/257







Cal Cup 3 | San Francisco | June 23
http://www.calcupevents.com/

Gorge Cup Race 3 | Hood River, OR | June 23
http://www.gorgecup.com/gc/schedule.htm

Slalom Clinic with McGain & Buzianis | Kanaha, Maui | June 23
http://us2.campaign-archive2.com/?u=2acb175da36cc93c5769be720&id=54ddaac6ae&e=d9e8c2f056

Moose Regatta | Dryden, ONT | June 23 - 24

Kona East Coast Championship | Quebec | June 23 - 24

Cancelled PWA | Costa Teguise, Lanzarote | June 26 - 30 
http://www.pwaworldtour.com/index.php?id=27

Higgins Lake Demo | Higgins Lake, MI | June 27
http://greatlakesdemotour.com/

CMWA Championships | Morpeth, ONT | June 28 - 30
http://upcoming.yahoo.com/event/8559021/ON/Morpeth/Annual-CMWA-Championships/Rondeau-Provincial-Park/

St. Francis YC Twilight Series | San Francisco | June 29
http://www.stfyc.com/Default.aspx?p=v35Calendar&title=Events&view=l3&ssid=241602&vnf=1

Door County Breeze Regatta | Ephraim, WI | June 29 - July 1
http://www.mowind.org/wp/?page_id=47

ABK | Rio Vista, CA | June 29 - July 1
http://abkboardsports.com/camps/details/251

Maui Race Series | Kanaha | June 30

Aloha Clinic | Maui | June 30 - July 7




Canadian events.

More Team USA junior events.

Mowind does a detailed schedule for the Great Lakes / North Central U.S.

Calcup covers the west coast U.S. races and more.

Maui Race Series.

Gorge Cup  schedule

CGWA Events

ABK continuous tour schedule.

U.S. Windsurfing National Racing Tour.

Southeast U. S. events will be found here.

iWindsurf Events page.

Solo Sports events.

PWA World Tour Events.

American Windsurfing (Wave) Tour.

BABA events.

Matt Pritchard & Shawna Cropas Aloha Clinics

Techno 293 calendar

Windsport events

Sunday, February 5, 2012

Transatlantic · Shops · Digital Uprising · Stoke


Sarah Hebert is getting ready to embark on a transatlantic adventure. According to her most recent interview, February 2, a mid month departure is most likely. The adventure starts in Dakar, Senegal and is planned to finish in Pointe-A-Pitre, Guadeloupe. Over the course of 25 days, the plan is to sail an average of 7 hours a day. She will sleep at night on the 50 foot trimaran, Neptune's Car. At the end of each day her GPS position will be recorded so she can start the next day in the same place. Sarah is the first women to attempt to windsurf across the Atlantic using production gear. Her onboard kit options for the trip include 4 different Grand Prix boards and 5 Indy sails from her sponsor, Naish.

She will be supported by a 3 member crew on the boat. This is not the first time a windsurfer has crossed the Atlantic from western Africa and sailed to the Caribbean. Frenchman Christian Marty, a Concorde Pilot, was the first to windsurf across the Atlantic using a 9 foot board. He lived and slept on the board and was supplied food and drink by an accompamying yacht. His crossing took 37 days in 1982. Two Frenchman, Peyron and Pichavant, on a 31 foot custom self contained tandem windsurfer, made the crossing in 1986 from Dakar to Guadeloupe in a little over 24 days. They continued their epic voyage sailing all the way to Miami Beach and then up the eastern seaboard to New York. In 2000, Raphaela Le Gouvello from France, became the first woman to windsurf across the Atlantic from Senegal to Martinique on a custom 24 foot, self contained board. Her trip took 58 days on the live aboard sailboard.

Godspeed Sarah Hebert !!!  http://windsurf-transatlantic.com/en/ 
More: Transatlantic ambition








Lessons & Gear ·  Andy McKinney reports: "After Hurricane Irene impacted Hatteras in the Fall of 2011, everyone has been busy getting things ship-shape for Spring 2012! Wind-NC will be moving into a brand new building, together with our friends from Hatteras Island Boardsports. The new spot is just one lot north of the old location, still right across the street from the Avon Pier. For those of you who have visited us in the past, you'll be happy to know that we won't be hiding in the back anymore. And who knows - we may even get a bigger sign! ;-) We're truly looking forward to seeing everyone soon!!"

Don Jackson's Worldwinds in Corpus Christi, TX is expanding. Is it a dressing room or their new taco stand or maybe just more storage space? No matter. When a business expands, one thing is clear: more confidence in the future.

USWA President, Karen Marriott, says demand for windsurfing lessons is good. She should know 'cause she teaches with Britt Viehman at North Beach Windsurfing in Tampa. Karen also hears from schools across the country and says windsurfing is still very popular.

David Wells' new shop Surf Sports 101 is busy. He writes: "Waterhound (his multi-water sports news service) is currently on hold - I am slammed at the new shop and need to catch up. Hoping for resurrection in March."


Game on !!   The print era Boards Magazine was an expensive yearly subscription for Americans. If you were familiar with the old website, the new online era Boards is more content rich and trying to earn our renewed interest. Publisher, Adrian Jones, is wasting no time building the new website. Adrian writes, "Like many of us, the print magazine used to be my only source of windsurfing media and information, but now, for better or worse, the web has taken precedence. If we want information, we go to the web and find it within seconds."  (BTW:  Former Boards Editor Dave White is now working for RRD)

So it has begun...they want our eyes on their website. From the print perspective, they're looking for subscribers.  Boards immediately reskinned their website. If you're familiar with WS websites you know they change their look fairly often. Besides the need for a fresh look, new content is paramount in sustaining and growing and audience. If they want us to come back, we need a reason. Today, websites are not only primary sources for information but also link us to their related subsidiaries: most commonly Facebook and Twitter. Facebook amplifies social connections, feedback and shared interest of the website's viewers. It also allows fans to bring their own content to the larger group. Twitter is mostly seen on websites as an embedded widget. The brevity of tweets allows a steady stream of input in real time from Team Riders or gung ho fans. Old school email is still being used to alert loyal fans about upcoming new content on websites. Do you receive any newsletters?

Today, making a profit as a free to view website requires a multi platform approach. Advertising income is directly related to bringing an audience to the advertiser's product. With such a large array of ways to communicate in the digital world, it's easy to understand why the print media is scrambling to find a plan for the future. For us who love the sport and can't get enough, this digital uprising is going to be fun to watch.

Meanwhile back at the proverbial ranch:  Boardseeker is working harder, doing morning and  afternoon news reports. Are you busy but still need a few moments with the latest windsurfing news; winddub, the recently updated news aggregator, boils each story down to one line. Windsport is also busy; Pete Dekay has turned up the news volume on their website. And if the online WS media is new to you, get both feet wet here.



Stoke ·  Inside the Micah Buzianis van. Micah is a new team member for Maui Sails.














Dana Miller reports from Crescent City, OR: Finally... a couple opportunities to air out the new 4.2. This after what seemed like an interminable stretch of either not getting or totally missing the conditions to try out that new Nano prototype. Sure it was more like ultra wound 3.7 weather both days, but I certainly did get to explore the sail’s upper end. And I’m impressed. It handles unreal too...Megazine

Jimmie Hepp Album: Best of Hookipa Sprays


Calendar: April - May - 2012


ABK | Bonaire | Apr 2 - 6
http://abkboardsports.com/camps/details/233





SDFW | San Diego, CA | Apr 7
http://sandiegowindsurfing.homestead.com/events.html

St. Francis YC Twilight Series | San Francisco | Apr 13
http://www.stfyc.com/Default.aspx?p=v35Calendar&title=Events&view=l3&ssid=241602&vnf=1

Midwest Speed Quest | Worthington, Mn | April 15 - Oct 15
http://www.midwestspeedquest.com/












Makani Fins OBX Clinics | Hatteras | Apr 16 - 27
wyattmiller525@gmail.com

Alum Creek WS Regatta | Columbus, OH | Apr 19 - 20
http://www.mowind.org/wp/?page_id=24






ABK | South Padre Island, TX | Apr 19 - 22
http://abkboardsports.com/camps/details/235













OBX Challenge | Hatteras | Apr 19 - 21
http://blog.makanifins.com/2012/02/02/makani-fins-ocean-air-challenge-2012-april-19-20-21/

PWA | Reggio Calabria, ITA | Apr 19 - 24
http://www.pwaworldtour.com/index.php?id=27









Kashy Fins WS Festival / WET Regatta | Yorktown, VA | Apr 20 - 22
http://www.kashyfins.com/








Matt Pritchard & Kevin MacGillivray Wave Camp | Baja | Apr 20 - 28
http://www.solosports.net/Wavecamps/Mattclinic2012.htm



Cal Cup 1 | San Francisco | April 21
http://www.calcupevents.com/

Texas State Championship & WS Festival | Dallas, TX | April 21 -22
http://www.ntwr.org/events.php

Shawna Cropas & Tati Howard Aloha/Butterly Ladies Clinic | Maui | Apr 21 - 28
http://www.shawnacropas.com/ShawnaCropas/Maui_Clinics.html












FWC Windfest | Hatteras | Apr 27 - 28
http://blog.makanifins.com/2012/02/08/220/

ABK | Corpus Christi, TX | Apr 26 - 29
http://abkboardsports.com/camps/details/236

St. Francis YC Twilight Series | San Francisco | Apr 27
http://www.stfyc.com/Default.aspx?p=v35Calendar&title=Events&view=l3&ssid=241602&vnf=1

PWA | Podersdorf, AUT | Apr 27 - May 1
http://www.pwaworldtour.com/index.php?id=27

Jacksonville Windfest | Jacksonville, FL | Apr 28 - 29
http://jaxwindsurfing.blogspot.com/p/registration-and-schedule-jacksonville.html












AWT Santa Cruz Classic | Santa Cruz, CA | May 3 - 6
http://americanwindsurfingtour.com/california/

SDFW | San Diego, CA | May 5
http://sandiegowindsurfing.homestead.com/events.html

Elvstrom Zellerback Regatta | San Francisco | May 5 - 6
http://www.stfyc.com/default.aspx?p=v35EvtView&type=0&ID=2770491

PWA | Ulsan, KOR | May 5 - 11
http://www.pwaworldtour.com/index.php?id=27

ABK | Hatteras | May 7 - 11
http://abkboardsports.com/camps/details/237

St. Francis YC Twilight Series | San Francisco | May 11
http://www.stfyc.com/Default.aspx?p=v35Calendar&title=Events&view=l3&ssid=241602&vnf=1

Walleye Wagata | Fond du Lac, WI | May 12 - 13
http://www.mowind.org/wp/?page_id=43











Curacao Challenge | Curacao | May 17 - 20
http://www.curacaochallenge.com/

ABK | Long Island, NY | May 18 - 20
http://abkboardsports.com/camps/details/238










Gorge Cup Season Opener | Hood River, OR | May 19
http://www.gorgecup.com/gc/

Saylorville Dam Jam | Des Moine, IA | May 19 - 20
http://www.mowind.org/wp/?page_id=741











Wyatt Miller / Tyson Poor WS Camp | Baja | May 19 - 26
http://www.solosports.net/Wavecamps/Wyatt-flash/wyatt-camp-2012.htm

Cal Cup 2 | San Francisco | May 19
http://www.calcupevents.com/

St. Francis YC Twilight Series | San Francisco | May 25
http://www.stfyc.com/Default.aspx?p=v35Calendar&title=Events&view=l3&ssid=241602&vnf=1

Matt & Shawna Aloha Clinic | Maui | May 26 - Jun 2
http://www.shawnacropas.com/ShawnaCropas/Maui_Clinics.html

Cancelled PWA | Aruba | May 26 - Jun 2
http://www.pwaworldtour.com/index.php?id=27


Canadian events.

More Team USA junior events.

Mowind does a detailed schedule for the Great Lakes / North Central U.S.

Calcup covers the west coast U.S. races and more.

Maui Race Series.

ABK continuous tour schedule.

U.S. Windsurfing National Racing Tour.

Southeast U. S. events will be found here.

iWindsurf Events page.

Solo Sports events.

PWA World Tour Events.

American Windsurfing (Wave) Tour.

BABA events.

Matt Pritchard & Shawna Cropas Aloha Clinics

Techno 293 calendar

Windsport events