Go on, get editing!

   I just got an email from a friend in France this week about a video competition she is organising, check out the trailer above. There are loads of prizes to be won, plus a fair old wedge of cash so click on the following link, get yourself onto the facebook page now, and get editing! https://www.facebook.com/pages/Inseec-Rider-Movie-Challenge-IRMC/661463673898902

  On a slightly more self-indulgent note, here are some more nice pics of this week's action 'down the coast' and at Punta for your perusal. It's howling again here for the next few days (with showers, though :( ) so it looks like I could get a lot more much-needed practice in! To be absolutely honest, I'm actually pretty happy with the way I'm sailing now, it's all starting to come back together quite nicely, both fitness and technique. I'm starting to jump again and my riding is improving with each session, getting lots of  fluid turns and nice airs. It's great to be back...

Mucho viento!!!!

That amazing forecast we had came through pretty much spot on! I had a couple of days at Punta, then went down to Puerto Lajas for the next few days, stacked on 4.5 every day until yesterday when I foolishly rigged 5.3 and was overpowered all day again! They've all been really fun sessions with decent waves and I've started jumping a little more now, still with no hip-related repercussions so I guess it's onwards and upwards from now...
Today is windy again, but with the swell gone on the east coast I'm heading off to Punta for some starboard jumping for a little change. Hard life. Check out these couple of snaps from Puerto Lajas...

More action.

I've had plenty water-time over the past couple of weeks, a nice mix of windsurfing and SUP. Windsurfing-wise I had a nice session at Punta, did my first forward loop, backy and taka since the operation and my hip held up just dandy so I'm going to start pushing myself a bit more now, both on and off the water! I should be back up to full tilt by the Puravida Easter Clinic (dates to be announced soon!). We also scored a session at Lobos, just myself, Lucy and two good friends, which was very nice, although I missed the epic session the next day with flu (soft b*****d) and the next day at Flag. Oh well. The forecast is incredible for the next week, we are about to get hammered by wind and waves from Thursday onwards so I'll try to get some pics or video to post up if at all possible.

SUP-wise, the swell eventually dropped after New Year's enormity and I scored some nice days at Majanicho on my Fanatic Prowave- I bought myself some small fins to try and I'm getting some nice, semi-controlled slide in my top turns now, going to try to learn 360s next... check out the pics below of a session at Majanicho and the most awesome SUP pic I have ever had above, of myself, Lucy and Marina sharing a true 'family wave' at Rocky Point last week! Marina says to remind everyone that she's only thwee...

Carnage.

The side-effects of hurricane Hercules hit us yesterday with a mammoth swell hitting the northshore and making Rocky Point the only surfable spot here (again!). Check out these pics of the harbour and Rocky from Jerry Bligh!

I ventured out to the outer reef at Rocky Point and it was absolutely packed with surfers and SUPers, total madness. It was super difficult to paddle into the big, barrelling waves without running someone over. Check out this short clip of the chaos, people dropping in on me, hold-downs, slalom through the surfers, and without a doubt my dirtiest ever drop-in on someone- my apologies to the surfer in question (I tried to pull off as soon as I could but still almost killed him with my flying board, he wasn't happy), but to be fair this guy has dropped in on me windsurfing at Majanicho in almost every windsurf session we've had there over the past 20 years so I don't feel too bad. Karma...

 

 

Rocky Point mayhem from Stephen Gibson on Vimeo.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year! The weather here has been fantastic once again over the Christmas period- only a couple of days of wind but huge swell every day making for some fun SUP sessions. In actual fact, the swell has been a bit too large washing out the entire northshore and making Rocky Point the only surfable wave, which, in turn, makes it supercrowded at low tide when the outer reefs are working. Nevertheless, we sneaked in some great sessions both there and at the aptly named Tw*t Rock, where Andy had his first ever session on a SUP and was catching waves within minutes! On their last day both the brothers were comfortably paddling into some decent double-overhead sets on the outer reef- brilliant! We had a superb Christmas time in their company and that of Jim Puravida (who's still here for a couple more days) and family, thanks to all of you for the good times, SUP sessions, BBQs, photos, golf etc (and for the 'trophy' for winning the Corralejo golf cup. Again!). Check out the wee vid below we made from some GoPro footage from the last couple of days...

 

Christmas SUP sessions with the legendary Hobbs brothers. from Stephen Gibson on Vimeo.