I write this with a ripped ligament in my knee that I picked up in a competition. These are the hardest moments in every athlete’s life, when your most important asset – your body, is not working. It takes weeks to learn how to walk and get back into shape, but I hope to come back stronger.
These down days give you the time to reflect, to appreciate and see things from a different perspective. Life is a constant flow of waves that goes up and down. With each wave we ride we have experiences - good and bad. In the end it only matters that we take challenges as a reason to evolve. These are probably the most precious lessons, or at least it’s the best way to tell myself that everything happens for a good reason.
Due to this injury I had some time to go through pictures from recent trips and came across a photo of a beautiful boat anchored next to a tropical island. For me that picture tells a personal story of why it’s so important to go out there and really go for your dreams and be the captain of your life. Looking back I am really grateful for each of these experiences.
MAKING A CHOICE
A trip to the South Pacific, especially Fiji, was on my bucket list for years. I read various interviews of people that had circumnavigated the world. French Polynesia and the islands of Fiji always seemed to be the highlight of their journey – there had to be something special about it. That’s why I wanted to see it first hand.
When you look at ticket prices to get to Fiji from Europe you need to budget at least €1800 per person. Once you make it there you need a boat in order to get to the spots and discover this unique paradise. To cut a long story short, I simply didn’t have the money. I tried to find sponsors and ask the tourism office for support. But to be honest, I failed. Maybe that was due to the fact that I wanted to take my family with me as well!
Esta historia es de la edición Issue 392 - January/February 2020 de Windsurf.
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Esta historia es de la edición Issue 392 - January/February 2020 de Windsurf.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
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New School
Slingshot’s windsurfing brand manager, Wyatt Miller, has noticed that kids are drawn to playing with wings and puts forward an interesting case as to why he thinks this could help entice them and others into windsurfing.
Changes
Wave sailor Flo Jung reflects on our changed world during his lockdown in Germany.
THE LAST WAVE
Lockdown stirred the creative juices of reader Björn Alfthan, who peers into the future to present a fictional story set in the wild waves of Norway, five years from now.
STILL IN THE GAME
After a horrific fracture in his leg from a crashed aerial in 2018, Alessio Stillrich is back! John Carter talks to the highflyer from Gran Canaria about his move to the Simmer team, recovering from injury and how he learned to windsurf in Gran Canaria!
MOVE ON UP - GET ON THE FRONT FOOT
This month we look at how our front foot weighting can affect and improve different aspects of our main windsurfing moves.
SOUTH' KIPA
Nik tweaking it over home waters.
A NEW NORMAL
On a trip to La Tranche-sur-Mer in France last year, Tris Best estimated over 80% of the windsurfers were foiling. This summer in Portland Harbour, foiling activity has increased dramatically too he reports. With the market offering plenty of choice to recreational windfoilers, our test team check out some of the latest foil offerings.
TACKING – THE SEQUEL
Having given you time to practice, Harty concludes his tacking series by critiquing various tacking options, including the carve tack, as well as offering solutions to common slip-ups.
‘NO VAPOUR TRAILS TO SCAR THE SKY' *
Realising we may be about to enter an extraordinary period in our lives, Harty decided to keep a windsurf-centric lockdown diary. Here are some of his choice excerpts.
REDEMPTION DAY!
Renowned for its windsurfing and variety of spots to sail at, Kimmerdige Bay is a wave sailing jewel on the south coast of England. Timo Mullen gives a guide to its shores while reflecting on why a recent session there was a reminder that there is no place like home!
