The new year begins

Los Barriles, Baja, Mexico on the southern shore of the Sea of Cortez is getting ready to start the Lord of the Wind event. It's been awhile since we've seen $19,000 in prize money and to set the tone, Confradia Tequila is offering a limited bottling with the event name. Woo hoo, party hearty dudes and dudettes. Get dialed into the schedule because Epic Sessions TV will be there to livecast. If you've never seen a David Troup live video broadcast, please visit his site beforehand to get the right Apple software. The action starts on Thursday, Jan 13. Check this iWindsurf sensor for the local wind conditions.

Meanwhile, Florida gets ready for the start of its race season with the Alex Caviglia Bluewater Classic in Miami, from Jan 15-17. The Rolex Miami Olympic Class Regatta, RS:X, is set for Jan 23-29. The heat is on this year because the final stop of the OCR World Tour will be the country qualifing regatta for the 2012 Olympics. Neil Pryde has gone all in on the RS:X with a new version of the board ready for the 2016 Olympics. This year they are providing charters for the World Tour and $50,000 in prize money for next year's 2012 World Championship. More on the just launched NP Racing website.

Maybe the longest running windsurfing event in the U.S., the Calema Midwinters is cancelled this year. The PWA has scheduled, in that same time slot, a mega event in Vietnam. In Sarasota, Florida, Feb 26-27, catch the Master/Seniors Island Style Classic, traditionally held the week before the Midwinters. Replacing the Midwinters this year is the Banana River Windsurfing Regatta and the North American Kona Windsurfing Championships, Mar 4-6. Information for all of these events: DaNewsBlog Calendar

Is WINDSURFING doing some belt tightening or is it just the growing pains of the venerable institution as they adapt and adjust to the demands of the digital media age. Got my upteenth notice for subscription renewal offering only 4 issues this year. If one less issue has got you bumming, there are plans for a stronger internet presence with some new and different features. To get the flavor of what's coming, check out the mag's 2011 Media Kit. Their forum is down for maintenance which most likely means it's closed, a victim of the lack of resources required to regularly monitor a public forum in the Age of Spam. iWindsurf remains as the only general purpose windsurfing forum in the U.S.