En route to Tenerife.

Just a quick one as we are packing the van for PWA Tenerife! Two whole weeks of port tack waves - can't wait! It's been years since I did any real port tack jumping so I'm expecting to be totally rubbish but after two weeks maybe I'll get the hang of it...

Lucy will be competing in the event so she'll be stressed while I just cruise around on my jollies, hahaha. Anyway, got to go, here's a couple of pics from our last Punta session together at the weekend, next post will be from El Cabezo...

Tenerife Training.

   We're off to Tenerife this weekend for two weeks as Lucy is competing in the PWA event there so in between my clinics I've been trying to help her as much as possible with her preparations, although I've been so busy it's not been easy to squeeze her in (as I've been reminded on various occasions ;)). Lucy's waveriding is already right up there with the best but on the last day of waves at Glass this week we talked through the technique and timing behind aerials, a move which will make her waveriding stand out more in competition. Obviously it will be far more tricky in the onshore conditions in Tenerife but just the fact that she will be going for the sections is going to put her right up there as after watching the PWA Pozo event it was evident that only the top 4 girls were really 'on it' in the waveriding department. Anyway, the session went great and her riding was very fluid and aggressive, smacking all the decent sections and also boosting some great aerials back onto the wave - big smiles!!! Check out the pics below, impressive!

We have 8 days in Tenerife before the comp kicks off to get her in tune with conditions so I'm hopeful she'll get to grips with the spot and could do very well. Fingers crossed. We're going to spend those 8 days working on riding and back loops as it was also very clear that only the twins can do a proper back loop. That's the plan...

Back loop clinic.

My German pal Basti has been wanting to book in for a back loop clinic for quite some time now but it's been hard to find a space this summer as I've been pretty much fully booked but we managed to put a day aside between other clinics and headed to Punta early(ish) morning to work on his backies. Unfortunately, when we arrived the swell was almost non-existent, maybe waist-high in the sets with the tide fully out. Grrrrr. However, I've been slowly grinding him down over his last few visits about learning forwards and he's been stubbornly reluctant. I sensed my chance here. "We might not get another day for training together for ages". "You could learn forwards in one day, back loops can take a long time to master". "It's only water". You get the gist. Anyway, he succumbed to peer pressure and we did the beach theory then the water practice of the forward loop and got ready for that first, all-important attempt when BOOM the waves suddenly picked up, effectively rescuing Basti from his predicament and, with a big grin on his face, we spent the next few hours working on his back loops. Oh well. Actually, he made great progress with his forwards in the first hour and I think he got rid of most of the fear he had and will be ready next time I get him in my clutches, hehe. Back loop-wise he made great progress indeed and sorted out his take-off and rotation with a couple of tips, and eventually came quite close to landing a couple, just under rotating, which is much better than over rotating and means he's well on his way to back loop success! He got the last laugh anyway when his team lifted the World Cup last week. Again.

Anyway, check out the photos below of our session together...

Job done!

On Andreas' last day we made the call to head down to Sotavento as the wind was looking a little fickle up north, and also it seemed a fitting way to finish his two weeks of training as that was where we started on the first day. The wind was 2 knots onshore when we arrived and it looked as though we might lose our 100% wind record for the fortnight, but right on cue it swung and picked up to 4.5 weather within about half n hour! Good ol' reliable Sotavento. Andreas' wish list before he arrived was forwards and Vulcans and I have to say it made me so happy to see him on this last day - big, perfect, ankle-dry forwards (some stalled!) with beautiful lateral rotation and countless Vulcans on the flatter water inside! It was like watching a different sailor from the guy who had arrived only 14 days earlier. An incredible success, I hardly sailed myself as I was more than content to sit on the sun-drenched sandbar and watch him while giving myself a little pat on the back ;) . I got the camera out a bit later and took some snaps but couldn't get across the lagoon to get his big forwards and had to shoot on the flat water but I got some great spin loops and Vulcans. He grinned from ear to ear for the whole journey back and is probably still grinning now, although he's back at work in Sligo so probably not. Anyway, like I said, job done.

Sneaky little morning session...

With the tide a touch too low for Punta we decided to have an early look at Puerto Lajas as Andreas had never sailed there before and also because a little port tack riding would make quite a welcome change from all the starboard jumping we had had during his stay. The waves were pretty small but a few sets came through and Andreas saw the potential of the spot and also, with a few pointers, sailed very well indeed, getting the most out of the small surf. I took one for the team and did photos of him and Lucy sailing there, saving myself for the windy Punta jumping session that afternoon. To be honest, I was feeling a touch jaded from all the sailing so was quite happy to perch myself on a rock in the sunshine for an hour and snap away...

Forward and back loop training with Andreas.

After the hugely successful Surfdock week I still had Andreas here for another four days so with the wind still howling at Punta every day from morning till night it was time for some full-on back loop and forward training. We arrived at Punta at 10 am and sailed the tide up fully powered on 5.0s with perfect head-high ramps, ideal! His forwards are now totally dialled - nice, lateral rotation and sweet, soft landings and his back loops are getting closer and closer, although they will be an ongoing project for a while yet...

Check out the photo gallery below for the action!