Crocked.

As I sit here writng this with one finger of my left hand, I am left to ponder the wisdom of sailing with a slight injury. Last Friday, the wind kicked in for Punta and, although I was struggling a bit with ligament damage in the top of my foot, I was determined to get out there. Topped up with painkillers I hit the water where, after only a few minutes, it was obvious that my foot was too painful to sail properly. Instead of just returning to the beach and heading home like a normal person, I carried on, falling on every move as my foot wouldn´t go in the strap enough then BOOM- I crashed a big shaka, landed on my sail with my elbow and destroyed my shoulder! After almost a week (of constant 4.7 weather at Punta, I must add) of continuous pain and discomfort, the blackness and swelling have just started to subside enough today for me to actually get on with stuff. Still can´t lift my arm though.
Anyway, I´ve been using my time to do some videoing at Punta (torture watching from the beach), so should be able to put together some clips of this week at the weekend. I´ll leave you, in the meantime, with a few shots (thanks Tom/Paula) from the last few days at Punta before my "accident". Please send all grapes, chocolates and flowers to the normal address ...

A bit of everything...

I´ve just got back from a week (in the freezing cold) in the UK visiting friends and family, which was great as always, and while I was away the Fuerteventura Wave Classic was on over here. It looks like once again they had big, big waves but no real wind (pretty typical for February I have to say), which is a shame. They did get some pretty decent video footage though, particularly from Puertito again- it seems as though Yannick was the man of the moment, flying the flag for the local posse. He is definitely the man in waves over here (although you probably haven´t seen much of him as he´s not big into self-promotion and tends to just get out there and do it)- you´ll always find him out wherever the waves are biggest and gnarliest, often alone, and always making it look so easy. Check him out in this short vid...

Fuerte Wave Classic 2011 - Day 10 from ROX Production on Vimeo.

Just before I left for the UK I got my new SUP- a Fanatic Fly 10´, and I had some awesome sessions getting to grips with it. It´s so much fun to be a total beginner at something again. I struggled a little on the first two days due to the wind (I now realise that even the smallest bit of offshore breeze makes it difficult to catch waves on an SUP!), and also due to the fact that I misjudged the size of the waves before going in- 4m is too big for learning, I now know. The last day before I left was amazing though, only me out on the outer reef at Rocky Point, breathless, 25 degrees in shorts, and 2.5m waves. Probably the best surfing I have ever had (not including on a windsurfer obvoiusly!). I am looking forward to more days like this, I would recommend it to everyone.

While I was back, I heard about an indoor wave machine in nearby Gateshead leisure centre and quickly convinced my brother and his kids to book a session together on my last day. What a laugh! We were part of a group of 8 so only really got about 10 minutes each, most of it on a bodyboard in the beginning, but we all got it reasonably dialled in this short space of time (although none of us mastered turning it). My niece, nephew and brother have booked their next one already and will be popping airs and 360s with ease by the time I take my next shaky steps on it, haha. My pa made this short video of our wipeouts, hope you enjoy it...

Looks like some wind is coming for this week so it´s back in the footstraps again, yeehaw. All you people who have been in touch about clinics will be getting emails in the next couple of days, now that I´m back in action so sit tight.
And a last reminder that there are still a couple of places left in our luxury villa for the Puravida Clinic in April which promises to be the best yet. Grab ´em while they´re there....

PuraVida Windsurf Clinic in April!!!!!!!!

It´s been a while since I posted anything on here, not because of a lack of wind (although we did have a 2 week wind drought over xmas and new year), but mainly because I have been laid low for almost the whole of January with an extreme case of "grippe del hombre" (or man-flu). I´ve felt pretty shitty for the entire month, but am starting to feel better now, and with an epic forecast for next week hopefully I´ll be back and get some pics, news and video back on here again.....
Anyway, the real reason for this post is to let everyone know that the Puravida Windsurf Clinic is now on for April!!! Any regular visitors to the island will know that it is one of our best kept local "secrets" that April is normally the best month of the year here for sailing. It´s not uncommon to sail every single day of the month on sails of 5m and less. For that reason we have organised a clinic for intermediates and above from the 16th-23rd April, 2011. If conditions are typical, we should get everything from flatwater blasting in Waikiki, bump n jump/freestyle at Flag Beach, to full-on wavesailing on the northshore- we´ll just pick our spot for the day depending on abilities and personal goals.
The clinic will be run in very much the same way as the September Clinic
http://gibboinfuerte.blogspot.com/2010/09/puravidaboardriders-fuerte-windsurf.html , with the emphasis on sailing, tuition and FUN with BBQs, meals out and a Saturday night party! The accomodation is in two luxury villas
http://www.ownersdirect.co.uk/canaries/c1619.htm . For more details on this not-to-be-missed event, get in touch with myself or Jim at www.puravidaboardriders.co.uk , places are going fast, (one of the villas is full already!), you will most certainly not be disappointed.

Epic Session...

To top off what has been one of the best Autumn/Winter periods I can remember I scored an epic session at Hierro a few days ago. Trundling along the northtrack on my way to Punta I passed by Hierro to be greeted by the awesome sight of mast-high, perfect sets rolling into this inhospitable spot, with the added bonus in the shape of a flat channel in the middle due to the extra high tide. A couple of friends were rigging and convinced me that it was "doable", so I rigged my 4.7 and, with more than a little trepidation, ventured out for my first ever session here. All I can say is WOW!!!!! The channel made getting out fairly easy (I only had to chicken gybe once!), and you could get some decent ponches and forwards if you timed it well. Once out the back, the sets were lining up constantly and, with only myself and three friends in the water, it was non-stop- wave after perfect wave, fully over powered on 4.7 on the wave but definitely my best sail so far this winter. You can´t beat the thrill of sailing a new spot for the first time, especially when you score it so perfect and with just your friends. A day to remember, thanks to Bob for the photos...

Well, the wind has died off now perfectly coinciding with the arrival of my "xmas friends" who can only look at the photos of the last couple of weeks and pray that the wind-gods send us some similar conditions over the next couple of weeks! The forecast is for some south wind tomorrow so we may get a wee blast at Flag, then I´m hoping we´ll score La Caleta on Wednesday. Let´s hope...

Port Taka...

Anyone who has been following my blog will know that this summer I became moderately obsessed with learning the taka at Punta. I managed to get some level of consistency in the end on starboard tack and was looking forward to trying them out with wind from the left. Anyway, I´m pleased to report that I´ve had a fair degree of success! I´d love to say that I´ve got takas on both tacks but that would imply some sort of consistency/control, so I´ll just say that I have done takas on both tacks now, haha. Still quite chuffed, though. Anyway, check out this one below caught by the camera of Emmanuelle at Punta, you may have to click on it to see it properly.

This morning I scored a super good fun session at my favourite spot again- small waves, shoulder-to-head high, but great fun starboard tack riding with just two others in the water! Epic. The "real" wind is due on Friday so that was just a wee bonus before the proper wind and waves arrive...

A Few More Pics of Last Week´s Action...

Yesterday I got the rest of the pics from last week´s sailing at Punta in the southwesterly "storm". The wind has dropped off now, giving me time to heal a broken toe, and is forecast to return with a vengeance on Friday, from the southwest again, so it´ll be back to Punta and/or La Caleta at the weekend. Enjoy the pics...

Windy,windy,windy!

It´s been a while since I posted anything so you may suspect that there has been a bit of a wind drought over here- au contraire mes amis, we´ve had one of our best winter spells so far and it´s still blowing as I write! Last week we had a bit of a SW storm which brought 35kt winds and a good size swell. La Caleta, Hierro and Punta were the places to be with a couple of decent sessions to be had at Shooting Gallery thrown in for good measure. Photos are filtering in, here are a couple from a day at Punta on my 4.7 Ice and 86 Twin- small waves on this day but great fun with only three in the water and plenty of little ramps about. I should have some more pics up in the next couple of days so watch this space. Oh, and for those of you reading this in the snowbound UK or spanish mainland, it was a cool 30 degrees. Sorry.

Hammered Again!

Well, got two more days at El Martillo, great sessions indeed although the wave got smaller every day. On day 2 we managed to get a few photos so you can get an idea of the fun to be had at this great spot... no pics of Paul unfortunately, as he trashed (and lost) his sail this day and then missed the last day altogether...

Hammer-Time!

What a week! I´ve been out for the last five days solid- all on my 86 twin, joy! The first three days were at Punta with 6m waves making it a bit messy to say the least. I used my "local knowledge" to the max and got there early on the last two days to catch high tide when the wave reforms on the inside and cleans up (the first day was a bit hardcore at low tide when the wave tends to barrel when it reaches the outer reef!), making it a great session for jumping and riding. Check out the couple of pics that were emailed to me by an innocent bystander...

Yesterday the wind swung due east and I had an epic session in the morning at Majanicho- three people in the water, 5.3, logo-high waves and straight sideshore. Down-the-line perfection. Today the wind swung more southeast and, after watching all the monkeys trying to catch waves at Majanicho for an hour in flukey offshore wind, I was persuaded by my mate Wieberen to try a new spot called El Martillo (the hammer). Well, I was in for one of the best down-the-line waveriding sessions I´ve ever had- logo to mast-high glassy sets breaking in the middle of nowhere with peaks for aerials (if you had the balls), 25knots and beautiful sunshine. The only downside was the fact that every now and then I´d see almost dry rock in front of my wave when I dropped in on the set ones, a bit hairy but what a buzz! Typically, there was no-one taking photos so you´ll just have to take my word for it. Or you could ask Paul, who broke his UJ on his first wave and spent the best part of an hour getting aquainted with the rock formations on the inside before reaching the safety of terra firma, haha. The forecast is similar for tomorrow so we´ll be back and Paul will be armed with a new mast-foot, ready for revenge...

This was the beautiful sight which greeted me on my arrival at Punta yesterday (well, obviously my kit wasn´t rigged ready, that was staged....). It was the day I´ve been waiting for all summer, and now I had a brand new Fanatic Twin 86 burning a hole in my van aswell so I was chomping at the bit to get amongst it. A swift phone call to Caroline and she agreed to come along with the trusty video camera to document my first session on my new wave stick! Excellent! She videoed for 40 minutes and I´m pretty stoked with what we got in such a short time...
What can I say, the board surpassed all my (high) expectations- fast and loose, great control on the wave but loose enough to slide around for takas, I LOVE it! Anyone who has been following my blog this year will know that I have been fairly obsessed by learning takas this summer. Yesterday I got more than ever before, even a couple on video, although on small waves- the best one I got, though, I disappeared behind a friend´s sail, aw shucks (check out the vid at the end). Three sails in the water and that happens, oh well, hopefully I´ll get some more video done in the near future and be able to show off my new-found taka skills, haha. For now, I leave you with this short video of Punta yesterday- my first day on my new waveboard. Enjoy....

Christening the 2011 Twin 86l at Punta. from Stephen Gibson on Vimeo.