Sunday, December 22, 2013

2014 Calendar: Jan - Feb - Mar


North American Championship Regatta | Coconut Grove, FL | Jan 18 - 20
http://cgsc-nac.sailspace.net/


















Lord of the Wind Showdown | Los Barriles, Baja | Jan 22 -26
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lord-of-the-Wind-Showdown/142026572492055












Miami Pro - Am 2014/Spring | Miami | Jan 25 - 26
https://www.facebook.com/events/734884413201370/








ISAF World Cup | Miami, FL | Jan 25 - Feb 1
http://www.sailing.org/worldcup/regattas/miami_2014.php

ABK | Bonaire | Jan 27 - 31
http://abkboardsports.com/camps/details/292

ABK | Bonaire | Feb 3 - 7
http://abkboardsports.com/camps/details/293






ABK | Bonaire | Feb 10 - 14
http://abkboardsports.com/camps/details/294











2014 RSX - Techno 293 N.A. Championship | Cancun, Mex | Feb 20 - 23
http://www.puertocancunsailing.com/nawc/index.html

Windsurfing Classic | Sarasota, FL | Feb 22 -23
http://sarasotasailingsquadron.org/ai1ec_event/windsurfing-classic/?instance_id=313









Master of the Ocean | Cabarete, DR | Feb 22 - 27
http://masteroftheocean.com/

ABK | Bonaire | Feb 24 - 28
http://abkboardsports.com/camps/details/295

KONA/BIC/RSX Training Camp | Cocoa Beach, FL | Feb 25 - Mar 2
https://www.facebook.com/dominique.vallee.3766?fref=ts

Calema Midwinters | Cocoa, FL | Feb 27 - Mar 2
http://calema.com/events/

The Waterman Festival | Barbados | Mar 7 - 9
http://www.briantalma.pro/portfolio/water-man-festival/














Aloha Windsurfing Clinic | Maui | Mar 15 - 22
http://www.shawnacropas.com/alohawindsurfingclinics/

ABK | Bonaire | Mar 17 - 21
http://abkboardsports.com/camps/details/297







Cancelled PWA | Margarita, VEN | Mar 22 - 29
http://www.pwaworldtour.com/index.php?id=27

ABK | Bonaire | Mar 24 - 27
http://abkboardsports.com/camps/details/298
















S.A. WS Championship | Mendoza, Arg | Mar 25 - 27
http://www.internationalwindsurfing.com/windsurfing_competion_0393v01.htm


Canadian 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

Kona events

Curacao events

San Diego FW events

Calema events

Sunday, November 10, 2013

The 2013 Aloha Classic: Where Was the Windsurfing?


What does a former windsurfing magazine editor do ? Raise a super hero wannabe, run a large circulation magazine, get better at playing the guitar, learn to surf, enjoy family life and every now and then windsurf with the locals. Last time we sailed together, Eddy had Aloha Classic on his mind. He sent me the words below:

"The 2013 Aloha Classic: Where Was the Windsurfing? Ho’okipa delivered. The world’s best arrived. And what a show it was. The organizers, sponsors and competitors deserve our gratitude.

So it’s not without trepidation I offer what follows. It boils down to this: If the 2013 Aloha Classic was an event by windsurfers for windsurfers, it was an astounding success. If the event’s goal was to showcase our sport to the world, it wasn't given a chance.



My beef is the event’s judging format. It eliminated any hope of broadening windsurfing’s reach. With just two waves scored – and nothing else – competitors rigged small, limped out, and jockeyed for two rides that totaled less than thirty seconds of a 20-minute heat. To the non-windsurfing public, those brief seconds of wave riding look a lot like surfing with a sail. Neat, but not novel.

I realized this coaxing my non-sailing friends to pay attention. Ho’okipa on demand, the world’s best sailors on the water, a corduroy horizon, the sport’s apex moment and … my friends’ eyes are drifting. Worse, I can’t blame them. There onscreen, four sailors bob, and not due to marginal winds. Not in some earlier rounds.

In fact, to my non-sailing friends, the Aloha Classic’s highlight moment might have been a push loop performed by a 50-year-old. Only, the video coverage didn’t catch it, the judges didn’t count it, and that’s where this rant was born.

My friends’ interest peaked during the event’s promo ad. The one between heats with archived footage of the original Aloha Classic. The neon nirvana, nonstop, high-flying circus. Where was that sport?

The wind made it vanish this year, but not in every heat. Not when Robby Naish can throw a 20-foot push loop on the way out. And not when gear makers boast bigger, better light-wind wave gear than ever before.

What eliminated any chance of the circus was the absence of an overall impression category. Something, anything that encourages sailors to focus beyond just 30-seconds of riding, and instead, put on a show for the entirety of a heat. That mindset is in Robby’s hardwiring. Ditto for Josh Stone who threw a non-scoring forward.

Sure, the wind’s appearance was fleeting. But why not leave a door open to its arrival? Why not offer a judging category that encourages sailors to grab bigger gear and pounce on available wind, and yeah, get on with the show? You know, the one that’s unique to windsurfing?

When an event’s most spectacular selling point to the public isn’t part of the event itself, it smacks of a fatal flaw. Leave the two-wave-only judging format to surfing, where you MUST sit and wait because that’s the nature of the sport. But that’s certainly not our sport. Windsurfing is more than surfing with a sail. The original Aloha Classic showcased that to the world, and the world tuned in. Keep the circus in the mix and, who knows, maybe they will again."


Eddy Patricelli in Florida
 

 
The Aloha Classic  ran from 1984 to 2006. It returned to its home at Ho'okipa Beach Park this year. Here are a  few videos from past events.
 



Wednesday, October 23, 2013

AWT ~ PWA: JP Aloha Classic ~ Live Webcast


Sam Bittner and the American Windsurfing Tour, that she started and runs, have done what no one else has been able to do: bring the PWA back to the USA !!! The JP Aloha Classic will run at windsurfing's most famous wave venue, Ho'okipa Beach Park from October 24 - November 6. Maui is 6 hours behind the east coast US: Noon, New York City = 6:00 AM Maui. Watch the Live Webcast on the AWT JP Aloha Classic Website and  PWA Live. While you're here, watch it below (zoom your screen for a better view) on the fully functional, mirror image, iframe of the official JP Aloha Classic website.

Robby Naish, Kevin Pritchard and Josh Angulo  have each been automatically entered directly into the main PWA event via a "Champions Wildcard". Bittner reports that as many 15 AWT competitors could qualify for the PWA side of the event. Depends on how many PWA riders actually show up and register. For the latest event info, go to the AWT JP Aloha Classic Updates. And as usual, DaNews will be linking you up to the latest reporting from Ho'okipa.

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Sunday, September 29, 2013

PWA: Sylt Germany Live


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The PWA is live webcasting from Sylt Germany. Germany is 6 hours ahead of New York. 8:00 am New York = 2:00 pm Germany. Generally, competition starts early in the day, local time. Visit the PWA Website for the complete reporting. Zoom this page to view the above iframe better. This event runs September 27 - October 6. Previous PWA Live Broadcast were accessible on Smart Phones and Tablets. The Home Page above (iframe) will default to the Live Page when they broadcast. On the PWA Live page, expect the full suite of streaming video, written Live Ticker, live scoring and audience interaction via Twitter and Facebook. To mute the above iframe, click the Pause Button to stop the video player. Organizer's Website

Sunday, September 15, 2013

PWA: Kia Cold Hawaii ~ AWT: Hatteras Wave Jam


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The PWA will live webcast the Kia Cold Hawaii from Klitmoller, Denmark. Cold Hawaii event organizers offer a livestream page and a how to follow Media Page for those that want to share or embed the broadcast.  Denmark is 6 hours ahead of New York. 7:00 am New York = 1:00 pm Denmark. Generally, competition starts early in the day, local time. Visit the PWA Website for the complete reporting. Zoom this page to view the above iframe better. This event runs September 16 - 22. The last PWA Live Broadcast was accessible on Smart Phones and Tablets. The Home Page above (iframe) will default to the Live Page when they broadcast. On the PWA Live page, expect the full suite of streaming video, written Live Ticker, live scoring and audience interaction via Twitter and Facebook. To mute the above iframe, click the Pause Button to stop the video player.

 
Meanwhile, back in the USA, the AWT Hatteras Wave Jam runs September 16 - 21. Event reporting will be posted to the AWT FB Page and the AWT Website. Visit the Wind NC website for Event Info.
 

Monday, August 19, 2013

PWA Live: Alacati, Turkey


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Live PWA Webcast from Alacati, Turkey. Turkey is 7 hours ahead of New York. 7:00 am New York = 2:00 pm Turkey. First possible start is 11:00 am local time. Visit the PWA Website for the complete reporting. Zoom this page to view the above iframe better. This event ends Saturday, Aug. 24. Live broadcast are available for replay.  The Live Broadcast is accessible on Smart Phones and Tablets. Home Page above will default to the Live Page when they broadcast. To mute the page, click the Pause Button under the video player.

Saturday, August 3, 2013

PWA : Tenerife Live


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Go To  PWA Live for the full scale page or zoom this page for better viewing. The above iframe automatically goes to the Live page when they broadcast.  Live coverage underway...this event ends August 9.














Sunday, July 7, 2013

Live Webcast from Pozo ~ Radar


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Live Webcast from Pozo, Gran Canaria !!! The PWA high energy wave contest, July 9 - 14, is open to men and women. Only 32 men will compete with the final 6 selected from a group of 12 on opening day. 15 women have been selected including Sarah Quita Offringa, competing in her first ever wave contest. Pozo is 5 hours ahead of EDT. The above image is an iframe, the mirrored interactive live copy of the real PWA page. It will move to the Live Page on game day. PWA Website

Is Pozo the most extreme windsurfing event of the season? It's almost always the windiest. Competitors come weeks before to practice and prepare for the conditions. Injuries are common. Robby Swift broke his leg in 3 places just days ago. If anyone will ever do a triple forward in competition, it will likely be here. The pre-event buzz is huge.

Here is the always entertaining  Ben Proffitt reporting from Pozo with all the latest on the build up to the big event:










Radar

Former editor of the now defunct Windsurfing Mag, Josh Sampiero, has been writing for energy drink maker Red Bull since last year. He covers all their varied sports interest.

Windsurfing Magazine subscribers who were pissed by the decision to replace their cancelled subscriptions with another Bonnier magazine, might find some weird solace with the announcement that Transworld Surf is ending their print edition.

The AWT will try a new event and format on Lake Champlain this September 28 - 29. The event will include demos, clinics, a long distance race and windsurfing, kiteboarding, and paddleboard exhibitions. And this, from the AWT FB: The former AWT Maui Makani Classic has been renamed the Aloha Classic. The PWA has been invited to join the 2 week contest window. If the PWA does accept, top Pros from the AWT brackets will advance as wildcards to the PWA contest. PWA Tour Head Judge, Duncan Coombs, will be Head Judge for the AWT event. One more item, the Pacasmayo Classic in Peru has added slalom racing to the schedule. AWT Website

The National Geographic Extreme Photo of the Week of Levi Siver was extreme because in that session he set a new world record for highest windsurfing jump. More info about the photo shoot on the Michael Clark Blog. More photos of Levi from the Red Bull Windboost. Mouse over the photo to click for more photos.

Did you see the video of the one arm kid doing a jibe in Bonaire? That's Theo and he lost his arm to cancer. Thanks to Taty Frans for giving him some love and attention. Theo needs financial help for additional medical attention. You can donate here.

Show me the waves. Kuma Movie has been shooting from the freestyle capitol of the world and ~~~  Part 8  Part 9.

You took the advice and bought the mast recommended for your new sail. The years rolled by, the sail wore out but that carbon mast is still good. Want to try a different sail brand? Find out what sails work the best on your  old mast with the Unifiber Mast Selector.

A few hucking videos from Bruce Peterson featuring the King of the Huck, Dale Cook.

 

Sunday, June 23, 2013

Summertime Gorge ~ Windsport ~ Radar


Nick Allen, Casey Hauser, Tyson Poor, Ingrid Larouche
photo by Trudy Lary
Strong consistent wind, a unique opposing river current and a local support community that caters to a visitor's needs for gear, food and shelter are why the Columbia River Gorge is one of our national windsurfing treasures. In the Gorge it's easy to rent gear, feed your face, enjoy a post sesh beverage and find a place to spend the night. On mainland USA, there is no other place like it where the windsurfing industry is so well dug in and able to offer a cornucopia of gear. This year, the volume of Gorge reporting in social media seems elevated; or maybe it's just the summer revival that happens every year when the area swings back into full throttled action mode. If you're planning a visit or have moved in for the season, here's a guide of sorts to help you get connected.

Speaking of guides, your first stop for news should always be Temira Wagonfeld's The Gorge is my Gym. And what's the biggest story everyday? The wind. Temira does a daily forecast plus a full sports spectrum report of upcoming events, happenings, food reviews and gossip. You can subscribe to her daily reports via email.

The most active and engaged organization in American windsurfing is the Columbia Gorge Windsurfing Association. They actually pay their president a reasonable salary. Their signature event and major fundraising source is the Gorge Windfest which features gear demos, clinics, free beginner lessons, swap meet, food and drink, music, windsurfing glitterati and the Blow Out Race. This busy organization also puts on the goofy King of the Hook multiple swap meets, runs the Gorge Groms program and now offers a weekly board member notes blog.

After a 5 year hiatus, the Freestyle Frenzy is returning to the Hatchery thanks to the AWT, Xensr, and the CGWA.















Over here on the mainland, there is no other place with this density of retailers where you can see, touch, try on and demo the product before you buy it. One of the Gorge retailing ancients (started 1987), Big Winds, is fully engaged in teaching, renting and selling gear. Two ways they promote their business and the popular water sports of the area is with their blog and Facebook. Big Winds is a worthy business model to emulate because of their success at blending making a living and the passion for water sports. Below is an inside view of their richly appointed store.
 

 
Check out the Gorge Community Guide, a directory of all things windsurfing with 28 different listings.
 
 
Windsport  ~ The Photo Issue, a Special Collector's Edition, arrived in my mailbox a few days ago. Of all the categories of news items shared on DaNews FB, photos and their albums get the lowest traffic so I was a little concerned about a photo issue. But once I started thumbing through it, I found it full of how to technique, gear reviews, travel features and a few extra photos. The 98 pages of this issue also got me wondering about the impact of the closing of  Windsurfng magazine almost a year and a half ago. What happened to all those subscribers? Real subscription numbers are a closely guarded secret but Windsurfing probably had around 10,000 subscribers. Did they all abandon print media? Or did most of them subscribe to both? It would be nice to see Windsport expand its number of issues and or the number of pages per issue. But for that to happen, the Mag probably needs more advertisers and subscribers.
 
 
Radar ~ Good news from the PWA: they expect to be Live Streaming from Pozo, Gran Canaria, July 9 - 14. Pozo is only 4 hours ahead of the east coast US, so grab your coffee and link up. Just in case you've been off planet for a couple of decades, here's why Pozo deserves your attention. And for some exciting build up to the event, stay in touch with Ben Proffitt's brilliant video reports via his Training Diaries

At the recent US Kiteboard Nationals held in San Francisco, 7 of the top 10 finishers were riding Mikes Lab Boards. Out of the entire fleet of 75 competitors, 47 rode Mike Zajicek boards. Don't worry, Mike still makes windsurfing boards.

There is nothing conventional about Made Boards. The additive manufacturing process seems like  science fiction. Their promotional campaign has been more poetic than informational. Now they are raising capital for their business via the internet. Have a look at their latest video on Kickstarter.

Kuma Movie is shamelessly laser focused on freestyle. No one else comes close to their volume of video reporting They are currently on Bonaire, where else, completely engaged in what they do so well.

The Kona Worlds are set for June 28 - July 3 at Trois-Rivieres in Quebec. Visit the 2013 Kona Worlds Event Website for details.

Most of us think new gear means made in 2013 and we would be happy to have some. If you'd like to see some 2014 gear, check out the blog Freewide WebKeep paging down for the windsurfing stuff, he also likes bicycles and...   

Sunday, June 9, 2013

Santa Cruz Recap ~ Pistol River Next


The Competitors' Edition ~ The first event of the 2013 AWT season, from Waddell Creek near Santa Cruz, was followed by every windsurfing news outlet from Europe to Australia and even some non windsurfing, sailing focused websites. Pete Dekay, editor of Windsport, wrote the summary of competition for each day.  If you were too busy to follow the news while you were there, below is what the world read and saw about you at the AWT Goya Windsurfing Festival:
Participants: 2011 - 75 ~ 2012 - 80 ~ 2013 - 65.

The videos below are listed in the order they were published. Even though it's been over a week since the event concluded, new reports continue to get published. I will add them to this post when available.






































For the latest developments about the next AWT event at Pistol River, look on the: AWT Website and/or AWT Facebook. This FB link is where all the AWT photos from Santa Cruz 2013 were posted. Only the AWT can post to this FB page. Some of you may have noticed that there are actually 2 AWT Facebook pages. The second AWT Facebook page, which is actually the one linked to from their website, allows everyone to post to the page but is not well supported by the AWT. That means not very much official AWT reporting gets posted there. This page has 3,294 friends. And the first, official 'cause of its content, AWT FB page has 2,067 likes which might explain why Sam is reluctant to lose either one.
 

Friday, May 24, 2013

Radar ~ Peter Hart


ra·dar is used here to indicate that someone or something may not have come to your attention. 







 

Robert Bruce Swift, Jr passed away May 16 at the age of 63. His obit reported "Bruce was fluent in three languages, traveled extensively in Europe and the United States, while enjoying hiking, cross-country and downhill skiing and camping. He was also an avid windsurfer, played hockey and enjoyed biking, swimming, reading and listening to French and German radio." If you frequented iWindsurf Forums over the last decade, you might have been  tricked by one his demented rambles. Take a close look (left) at Mo's satirical cartoon eulogy. Those names in the background are the many personas of, perhaps, America's most famous forum troll.

When I ask the racerhads here in Florida why slalom isn't more popular, they always say it's not windy enough. But on the PWA, they race in 7 knots. At this year's recent Korean event, a chronic light wind venue, the average big sail was a 9.5. Finian Maynard had the biggest sail at 10.0. Check it out.

American Ben Barger, ISAF Athlete Representative, reported from the ISAF Mid Year meeting that President Carlo Croce would ask the IOC for an 11th medal for Kite Board Racing. Olympic sailing is now only permitted 10 medals. Ben added, kite is widely supported among the meeting participants. ISAF President's Report

AWT Tour Director, Sam Bittner, revealed in a recent interview that she's working on bringing the AWT and the PWA together for an event at Ho'okipa.



The Jason Voss website JRV Windsurfing is back online. Somebody forgot to pay the server rent. His website was incorrectly reported, by this blog, as having passed away.

Mike Godsey, from Weatherflow, reported what it's like at a new sensor location on the south tower of the Golden Gate Bridge 746 feet above sea level. The new sensor will be used to help forecasting during the upcoming America's Cup competition beginning this year in July and ending late September.  

The America's Cup is by far the biggest sailing story in San Francisco and the United States. There is a mountain of news, discussion and opinion ably and thoroughly covered by Florida based Scuttlebutt.


Windsup for Florida
 Alex Morales is offering Formula, Slalom and custom designed boards. All are built in Miami by his new company, Tilo International.

Mark Angulo has been very busy ever since his arrival last year here in central Florida. Catch up with his latest work on his FB page Mark Angulo Custom Maui.


134 L 8'9 x 30 15.5 lbs w/o deck pad


Dwight Fisher on windsurfable sups: "I think a lot of industry have been puzzled by the flop of the windSUP. Most thought it would be a big hit. Now most brands have dropped the windsurf option from their SUPs. Well its the rocker folks. Change the rocker to a windsurf rocker and strapless rocks."

His latest creation, a strapless windsup with a windsurfing rockerline, has exceeded all expectations: "This board wave-sails, so much better in typical summer conditions, than a true windsurf wave board, or a windSUP... Light on the inside, honking outside. Side off wind. You come smoking in toward the beach. Searching for a wave, find one, and try to surf it. It turns into a lame ride, as the sail power goes away, and the true wave board, bogs like a dog. This is where this new board kicks ass. It doesn't bog on the inside. The tail floats and flies. I could get on the tail, spin without bogging, flip the sail, sail clew first out of the bottom turn, smack the lip and redirect and the board takes off again. Repeat, again and again. Jibe in light wind right in front of a set, and still not bogging down. Just effortless and fun. So ideal for our summer conditions... Find out more on the blog, SUP SURF MACHINES

Internal structure of the M 1
Perhaps the newest, most nerdy and interesting idea of the last decade in board building is additive manufacturing or 3D printing. When we use CNC machines, the shaping process is subtractive. Router bits carve away a solid slab of EPS foam. 3D printing uses a heated coil to drop plastic material on multiple levels to create a 3 dimensional object. The process allows for internal space and structure, meaning, you can make a hollow board with ribbed internal structure or whatever else you could imagine. I think one challenge will be for the shapers who must translate good shapes via CAD software into finished products. Large printers are very expensive. If you want to make something as large as a windsurf or sup board, most likely it will have to be made in sections. But worry not over the details, there are board builders who are pioneering this new technology: Made Boards.  If you're curious visit their Facebook Page for more photos and information.

Peter Hart ~ If there was a contest for "Best Instructional Communicator," Harty would win. He has a special gift of putting you at ease, making it painless to laugh at yourself and getting to the core of what you need to improve as a windsurfer. Thanks to Windsurf Magazine for sharing many recent articles. Peter Hart Website

Peter explains why and how the sailing sup will teach you the skills of wave sailing: Wave Riding - The Long & SUP of It
 

If your windsurfing is stuck, the rut you're in may be physical as much as technical. Peter Hart suspects the wrong body parts are being used at the wrong moments in the wrong way:  Plateau and Body Parts

How big? It’s the hardest decision the buying windsurfer has to make. There’s no easy answer but Peter Hart helps you unravel the volume conundrum: Understanding Board Volume

There are contrasting ways to describe the challenge of completing a planing carve gybe. Peter Hart, who has helped millions off this over-crowded plateau, offers advice – and not all of it technical: Completing a Planing Jibe

The harness, the lines and you are windsurfing’s single most important relationship and, like all relationships, you have to work at them to keep the sailing smooth. Harty suggests that another level of comfort and joy beckons if you’re prepared to experiment: Harness Issues

You use your whole body windsurfing, but, is there one key part? Harty reckons so: The Long Front Arm of the Law

Looking to get one in the bag or improve them? Peter Hart describes the intricacies of his favourite transition – the Duck Gybe: Ducking the Issue

It’s the most powerful of human emotions, which both inspires and incapacitates. But in windsurfing, it’s usually the latter. Peter Hart suggests that, unless you understand, confront and conquer your fears, the learning of new techniques is, at best, impossible: What Are You Afraid Of

SIZE – so VERY important. Have you got the right amount of the right kind? Peter Hart examines the element that has the most immediate influence on your performance: A Sizeable Question 

Sunday, May 12, 2013

Life and Death on the Internet ~ My Media Empire

 
.During my end of the year update to the Learners guide to windsurfing, I noticed the photo on the left (maybe the last artifact of teamcoyote in the public domain) was missing from its usual place on the California Community page. Buried in an off topic iWindsurf Forum thread was the obituary of Mo Gunn's website: "After 16 years of creating and maintaining a website that had more than 1400 pages of windsurfing and kiteboarding content — only one of which was cartoons — I decided its time was over. I toyed with the idea of recoding the site to make it more "web 2.0/interactive" but my desire to continue waned. If you're interested in a particular cartoon (they're all alive and well) I'm happy to share. Anything new would require the "narcissist in our midst" to provide fresh material — something he hasn't done in years." I'm sure many of you remember Mo's wickedly brilliant cartoon creations which unfortunately are now missing from the public domain with the passing of the teamcoyote website. Other California website passings: Waterhound, JRV Windsurfing, Pappasrock, Caliwindsurf.
 
Almost 2 weeks ago, DaNewsBlog came under fire when malware warnings were generated to a few of you who came to read the Skills post. DaNewsBlog was not infected but the source of the problem was a blog on the Blog List from Sunset Sailboards. Kevin Kan's website had been hacked and was generating malware warnings. The hack finally took control and replaced his website with the image on the right. Kevin has repaired his website  and Google has stopped their warnings. You can also visit Kevin and Sunset Sailboards on Twitter or Facebook.
 
Just recently, DaNews was caught up in a minor kerfuffle with a San Francisco Boardsailing Association news story. Here's the tick tock: SFBA posted, to their Facebook page, a link to a Coast Guard Safety Bulletin concerning kayaks and boardsports in the Bay area which was picked up by DaNews. In support of the original CG Safety Bulletin, they next published a related background document, amplifying the need for safety, also picked up by DaNews. Safety is very important but unfortunately the background document reported a remarkable and alarming, albeit fictitious, number of US kiting deaths in 2012. Taking the SFBA at their word, after all they are a kiting and windsurfing organization, I took the story to the iWindsurf Forum where a vigorous discussion ensued. Postscript: All sources of the SFBA background document have been removed from the internet. 
 
Windsurfing culture, like much of popular culture, finds a voice, educates itself and celebrates via the internet. Hacking a website is an act of terrorism. There will be no grave markers for your website when it's gone. Some loyal followers may never know what happened. Newspapers and magazines leave themselves as artifacts. And mistakes happen in reporting. Sometimes its not easy to fix them but we should always try.

 
As mentioned in the opening paragraph, the Learners guide... has been updated. All the links now open in a new window which makes a quick look at the material and the return to the guide much, much faster. The guide has many new videos, mag article embeds, a new Intermediate Skills page and lots of other new material. The Windsurfing Mag's Intro to Windsurfing page, formerly excerpts from a brochure, has been replaced with a most excellent video series, created the year the Mag went out of business, featuring Josh Sampiero, Wyatt Miller and Fiona Wylde. The US Sailing WS Course, created circa 1999, a Fundamental Skills tome offering a deep dive into beginner skills, survives on a US Sailing server but is not linked to on their website. In fact, many magazine articles referenced in the guide are no longer accessible via their respective websites. If you've never visited, please take a look. If you like the effort, share a little love and let people know if they wanna learn windsurfing, they'll find help at the Learners guide...
 
I was recently asked: why publish DaNews on Facebook? For one, it's free to use. Free server space for my 2 other media projects: the Learners Guide...and DaNewsBlog was why I chose to use the Goggle sevices: Sites and Blogger . Most importantly, FB does an incredible job of automatically scraping the content of the link you want to share. You provide the link, they do the rest; plus, if it's not quite what you wanted, you can edit their info synopsis. This allows me more time to focus on finding the news. FB also keeps the reporting job cleaner, by directing attention to the original source. There's no conflict about stealing the thunder from someone else's work. DaNews is just directing more attention to it.  Finally, the best part is you don't have to be a Facebooker to see DaNews.
 
Since you're reading this on DaNewsBlog, just a reminder, the calendar on the right (the real links are page right at the top) is the only all in one place North American Windsurfing events calendar on the internet. The Blog List, just below the Calendar, recently deleted blogs that hadn't posted in 2 years leaving 117 still reporting.

Finally, all 3 projects in "My Media Empire" are "not for compensation" efforts. Why do it? For the love of the game; it's an enjoyable give back to a sport that continues to provide a challenging source of fun. So, if you like: a windsurfing news source focused on North America, easy access to a convenient connection for learning and improving windsurfing skills, a North American Community Directory and this reporter's occasional rambles on windsurfing culture, please let your circle of friends know about these sites.

Will this be the most gear on a beach in 2013 ? Photo by Windsurfjournal Le Defi Gruissan