Monday, March 14, 2022

2022 No Strings attached Wing Foil Regatta

 



22 years of going around the San Francisco city front course.

Somethings never change.

I managed a few good races Sunday after missing Saturdays light air racing.

Conditions were 12-16k and ebb tide.

I rigged my 90l board, 5m v2 wasp & ML 1100 foil

We got off 5 races & 4 of them in the top 5 in the fleet of 35. 

Racing was tight with an upwind start & upwind leg with 1-2 tacks to mix things up before an downwind leg & 2 reaches to the finish. I got off the line clean in race 1 & 2, made my foiling tacks, and kept my speed & position for 4th in both races with Johnny, Joe & Fonz at the top of the fleet. 

Race 3 I managed to fall after rounding the top mark after I breached my foil sending it downwind for speed. Crashing is never fast. A quick recovery and back in the middle of the back to finish in 12th

15 min break ashore to recharge.


 
Drone footage by Jamy Donaldson

Race 4- Good start with speed up the first beat. Alex goes down hard in front of me. Soon it's Chip and I trading crossings on the downwind leg, with Johnny, Joe, Fonz & Ben ahead. Luckily, I got the last crossing and slipped into 5th by calling the lay line early and pumping downwind. 

Race 5- Good start and speed up the first beat with the 1100 foil as ebb was lighting up and the flood starting on the inside of the course. I had one tack to make to round the top mark in  3rd but blew it. It was catch up from there but managed to stay in top 5 till last leg where Fonz pulled past me with better speed.  That's the difference between the 1000 and 1100 foils.

Overall fun racing format but think I prefer more slalom for wing racing.

Or maybe my tacks just need to get better!

Thanks to the 35 wingers who showed for racing, the St.FYC for continuing to push the envelope of board sailing, and the volunteers who made it happen + uptop media for the amazing footage.









Saturday, January 1, 2022

2021-A YEAR OF WING FOIING

In 2021, like most years before, I kept track of all my days on the water- including the number of times I sailed, where I sailed, how long I sailed & what I sailed. With the help of Twitter and Strava, it’s become second nature.

I’m not just curious about how I spend my time, but look at the data to see what I can learn.




This season, I was all in with wing surfing. For the first time in over 20 years, I devoted myself to one sport & one discipline. In past years, I’ve done most every discipline of windsurfing and kiteboarding, sometimes both or all at once.

In 2021 the quiver thinned out- no more kites, sails, booms, masts, lines or fins. For the most part, it was one board, one foil & a quiver of 3 wings.

Of course, it’s never that simple.

Looking at all the seasons’ data, I begin to see patterns of what equipment I used most at different times of the year, and where I spent the majority of my time on the water.

In 2021, I winged over 3000 miles, using 7 wings, 3 foils, 4 boards at 6 different locations.




84% of all my sessions (171 out of 220 sessions) came at one location-Crissy Field in San Francisco. In the 20 years of making this my home spot, sailing under the golden gate bridge never gets old. I often ask myself, what keeps me coming back session after session, year after year- chasing the wind, anyway it blows.





2021 was year 2 on the wing foil and the one of best years yet. 35 years of windsurfing & 8 years of kiteboarding got me here.



This year, the wind turned on early in SF. By on, I mean dozens of early spring days with 25–30k and several big spring days in 40k+ where I couldn’t even get to the bridge. The 4m wing was the most used size in the quiver with 107 sessions. In my wildest dreams, I never thought I’d be using a 3m rig for windsports but here we are with 38 sessions by the end of the year. It’s become my go to wing in over 20k. Not only is it less drag, but it’s easier to make transitions with. Once you realize most of the power comes from the foil, wing size almost becomes secondary. I tried a bunch of wings this season from the Duotone Unit and Vayu VVing but kept coming back to the Ozone Wasp V2 for the best range, stability and comfort.




The golden rule of windsports is never leave wind for more wind but by July, the marine layer was taking its toll in SF and I headed north for a 2 week Gorge bender. I managed 425 miles over 29 sessions spread over 13 days. The highlights- 11 downwinders form Viento State Park to the Event Site in Hood River where I found my flow, floating downwind like a butterfly, carving up and down mountains of freshwater peaks in 25–35k of breeze all while in a shortie wetsuit.

Halfway through this season, I devoted myself to learning the foiling tack. There’s several variations from toe side to heel side on both port and starboard but after several months of practice, I’m about a 75% success rate on the foiling tack on my best side. On the weak side, it’s lower, but that means more chances to get better!

Next up on the learning curve was backwinded foiling. I could not even wrap my head around this one despite seeing my buddies foil gracefully on the leeward side of the rig and float through transitions. 35 years of wind sports told me otherwise-pulling the sail or wing on the windward side was the most natural and obvious thing to do and teaching your muscles to push from the leeward side was the hard part. Once I finally got the courage to go into my first backwind while foiling, I was simply amazed. I’ve yet to only make a few dozen attempts before the season ran its course, but I’ve never been as excited to learn something as I am backwinded wing foiling.

2021 had the least amount of competition I’ve ever done. I raced just 4 races over the course of the summer with 3 Friday Night Wing Slalom races & the Ronstan Bridge to Bridge race. While I used to strive at racing, something changed at the end of 2019 when I stepped away from competing and found my flow off the race course. Frankly there’s more fun to be had the other 199 days on the water to take racing too seriously.

Turns out, you can still have the ‘Best Day Ever’ even when you’re not at the top of the pecking order.

Just as I keep evolving, so does the sport of foiling. In December of this year, I got my first sup foil session at Bolenas. The goal- to find as much winter stoke as summer.

Onwards & Upwards.




Sunday, December 27, 2020

2020- best year yet

I love statistics- keeping track of things and analyzing the data to see what I can learn. For the past few years, I've tracked all my kiting, windsurfing and winging sessions via twitter to see how many times I get on the water, what gear I use most, and where and when I sailed. 

Sometimes I got skunked. 

Oftentimes, it becomes the best session ever.


2020, despite it all, was one of the best years yet. I got on the water an amazing 202 times or 54% of all possible days. At its peak in July, I sailed 27 out of 31 possible days. At the trough, in January, it was only 5 out of 31 days. 

Compared to previous years, I'm up almost 30% in terms of time on the water, breaking 200+ days on the water this year.  

Previous years saw a switch from windsurfing to kiting, planing boards to foiling boards and now the trend from kiting to winging.

It was the first year for the wing, but the new endeavor took up nearly 60% of all my time on the water with 124 sessions compared to 78 sessions on the kite. 

Foiling dominated the year with 86% or 174 sessions on the kite and wing foils. The remaining 14% of the time was devoted to kiting with the surfboard or winging with the land board.

My quiver has changed over the years from one design sails, formula rigs, slalom rigs, foil kites, carbon race foils, pocket foil boards, no strut kites and most recently to wings. This year I used 7 foils, 5 boards, 5 kites and 4 wings. 

The 2 5m wings were the most used in the quiver with 104 sessions or 50% of all time on the water. It was my 'go to' wing from 10-22 knots of breeze.   





While I haven't given up kiting completely, all 78 kite sessions came in the first 7 months of the year before winging completely took over. The 6m single strut kite and pocket board still remain the most used combination in the kite quiver while the remaining foil kites get used a few times throughout the lighter winter months. This season I switched up the kite foils from the Moses 550 & 590 to the Moses 683S. Despite not having the overall top end speed, it's way easier in the transitions as it gives you time to shuffle your feet around. 



Windsurfing never stood a chance this year. It was the first year in 35 years that I missed out.
But on the flip side, I gained so much more.

I let go of that which defined me and welcomed in a whole new world.    

It was also the first year of no racing in more than 30 years competing on the water.

In a weird sort of way, it took a pandemic year to make me realize I had already had everything I needed. No competition to compare myself against others. No podium. No ego.  Just pure stoke.


I started off the season with the wing, the land board and an empty parking lot. The Crissy Field parking was restricted so that meant endless asphalt runs learning how to handle the new wing and making transitions on the land board. 

The first few sessions on the water were character building to say the least. If I fell 100 times, I got back up 101. The extra large Moses 1100 (2200 cm2) front foil wing was key to getting up early with a slow stall speed and lots of pumping glide in lighter winds. Having a big board also helped. I started with a 29" wide x 6'-0"/120l Camet board. 
But after a few sessions, I was starting to make foiling gybes and could see how this might be really additive just like windsurfing and kiting had been before this. The learning curve was steep and fast and I was hooked. 
By June, most of my sessions were on the wing with even kiting beginning to take a back seat. As I got more comfortable on the wing foil in, especially in the breeze, I switched up to the Moses 790 (1500 cm2) front foil with far more responsive & tighter turns compared to the bigger 1100 foil. 

By July, we did a road trip up to the Columbia River Gorge- the mecca of wind sports in North America. It had been several years since my last visit and the first with the wing. I managed 18 sessions over 12 days buried deep in river swell making big dreamy foiling turns with the wing. There were moments I was just suspended between the swell and the wind, carving big S's into the water surface.   
If I wasn't hooked already, this was it.
To top it off, I got some amazing kite sessions with the surfboard and foilboard in the swell with the big breeze. 

I added a 4m wing to the quiver at the end of July when it became apparent kiting was cancelled and winging had taken over completely. 

August and September were spent chasing container ship wake under the golden gate with the foil board and wing. The huge inbound freighters made the perfect setup for getting into the flow. Once you're hooked in and riding off the side of these 10-story giants, you no longer need the power from the wind or the wing. Everything you need is generated from the foil and the wave as you coast along effortlessly down the bay.  

Pure stoke from the golden gate bridge all the way down to Alcatraz. At the peak, I managed to get 4 incoming freighters in one afternoon.

By September, I had upgraded my board from a 6'-0"/120l giant to a smaller 5'-4"/90l nimble whip. The swing weight was noticeable but the OMFG moment came when I plugged in a Mikes Lab foil into the wing board.  It was like going from a Ford 150 to a Maserati. The ML fat 90+ foil has an increased chord which gives it more pumping range without giving up the top end speed you'd expect from a carbon race foil. 

The fall of the year saw the swell come alive with several epic sessions at Fort Point in the ebb tide and big breeze with what seemed like endless Pacific sleigh rides under the golden gate.  After having windsurf foiled, kite foiled and now wing foiled, I can say, the latter is the most well matched for the swell. The wing is the easiest to turn on and off and not outrun yourself like that on a kite. Once you get on the wave, you can simply flog the wing out and rely on the foil for power. 

Some of the final sessions of the year came on the flip side of the king’s tide with the negative tide - opening up a big playground on the hard packed beach for the wing and the land board. We did runs from Kelly's cove down to the Zoo carving in and out of the foam that washed up along the waters edge. 

2020 bought some of the bet sessions to date.

In hindsight, I don’t think I’d do it any other way.

Some of the years' highlights.



     Winging it on the land foiler. pic.twitter.com/8Yu2J5DXnZ


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Monday, December 23, 2019

2019-the year of fun







An examined life is a life worth living.
If you don't know where you've been, you can't get to where you want to be.


2019 was a year of growth and development. I got back to what's really important- having fun. Racing took a back seat while enjoying every moment on the water was the real goal.




And boy, did I ever...

I got in 153 days on the water with 166 different sessions.


I kited on the Pacific, the Atlantic, tributary rivers and even the frozen tundra of the great north.


I discovered a whole new world of recreational kite foiling that led me to have even more fun than I ever thought possible and even made some breakthroughs like nailing the kite board than that has eluded me for so long.

I jumped back on the surfboard with the kite and found the joy of endless bottom turns in waist high shore break in bath warm water on the Brazilian coast.

The majority of my time on the water is still spent kiting but windsurfing still has a special place in my heart. I haven't quite been able to give it up- especially in the winter months when the wind isn't as consistent and swimming your gear in isn't part of the program.


With 166 total sessions, 131 were devoted to kiting while 35 were spent windsurfing.

More to the point, foiling has pretty much taken over my time on the water with 82% of all my sessions devoted to foiling. The novelty still hasn't worn off. It's almost as if I get the chance to rediscover the sports I love for a second time.


There's a certain zen like feeling associated with foiling- especially on the kite.

There's no sound of the hull against the water as you blaze 3' above the surface. Everything comes into balance with an effortless flow. The carves are dreamy with the kite pirouetting from one tack to the next.

In 2019, I got past one of the biggest challenges I've been struggling with- the kite board tack. It absolutely paralyzed me for years. I avoided it like the plague- getting to the edge of the diving board and not jumping in. It was bigger than just relearning muscle memory & movement to turn one's body into the wind vs tuning your back to the wind. I had to come to terms that windsurfing no longer defined who I was. Once I let go of that, a paradigm shift happened.

I went from thinking what could go wrong to what will go right.

All of a sudden a door opened and the kite board tack become possible.


For the first time in almost 30 years, I didn't focus my season on racing but having fun. Something changed. I no longer needed to affirmation of winning and recognition of my peers but rather pushed myself in learning new things. Getting on the recreational kite gear was the exact thing I needed after focusing on racing for so long. It brought back the joy of getting on the water and having fun with every session.


2019 was one of the windiest seasons I can recall in my past 20 years living in San Francisco.  In just 6 months I used the 6m ozone alpha single strut kite 66 times+ almost double any other kite. It was the most used kite in my quiver along with the Moses T38 board and foil. The 2 are matched up like bread and butter especially when the wind is 15-25k in the San Francisco Bay. I've just started to use the 4m but think it will be better matched with a bigger surf style front wing in the upcoming year.


For windsurfing, all but 3 sessions were spent on the windsurf foil, the other 3 were devoted to slalom racing. The most used sail was my 8.0m severn glide 2- strictly for foiling. If it's less than 13k, Ill take the foiling windsurfer- just because it's the most reliable set of gear in the quiver for getting back to the beach without swimming.



If I examine the yearly calendar, most of my sessions came in April through November, with the exception of July when I was visiting family abroad. Now that I've got the small foiling kite gear, traveling with equipment just became a lot easier.


By far, some of the best sessions of the year came in November on the Brazilian coast. Jericoacoara is one of the windiest places I've visited. It's a bit hard to get to but once you're there, the magic happens. We got 12 out of 12 days on the water- foiling and doing down winders on the surfboard. I've never has so much fun in my life. For the full Brazil report- go here

Some of the years' highlights:

















Sunday, November 17, 2019

Finding the way- a pilgrimage to Jeri


Like any seasoned sailor worth his own salt, I'd been to the most of the wind meccas of the world. Maui, Garda, Hood River, Baja, Tarifa and beyond. 
I'd raced in world championships, Olympic trials, stood on podiums and agonized in defeat.
But nothing quite could prepare me for the paradigm shift ahead. 
The road to Jericoacoara is not an easy one. It's about as far removed from the modern world as possible. San Francisco to Miami, then to Fortaleza and finally a 5 hour drive north along the barren coast.  It sits south of the equator on a remote stretch of the NE coastline of Brazil facing out to the Atlantic.  But once you're here, the magic happens.

Countless pilgrims come here every year, pirouetting themselves down the coastline riding liquid roller coasters, propelled by the gale force breeze and abundant sunshine. I was no different. Walking down the sandy streets of Jericoacoara after the first days' down-winder, I recognized myself in every perma-grined, sun-drenched, board short wearing wind warrior- tired and salty after a full day on the water. 


 We were all here to find a connection with the wind, waves and water.  

The big draw in Jeri is the down-winders. 
The coast extends as far as the eye can see and so do the waves.  


I'd come from a racing background where the goal was to get around the course the fastest, making the fewest mistakes.
You'd follow a set of rules within a limited playing field. The objective "was to become a 'master-player'- who is perfectly skilled at the game and who can play it as if they already know the outcome," according to James Carse of Finite & Infinite Games.

Now, the game, if you can call it that, was just to enjoy the ride & find the flow in the present moment.
There was no winning or losing.
This was the 'anti-race' where the most turns, cutbacks & gybes comes out with the biggest smile.

This was a fundamental shift in thinking.

Day 1- Finding the Flow.
After getting a few hours on the foil & 6m kite, I was ready for my first down-winder to Jericoacoara. We set off from Prea ducking in and out of anchored fishing boats in the shore break with the wind at our backs and the sun blazing overhead.  The crowds thinned and pretty soon it was just the four of us making our way down the coastline.  Fisherman's huts dot the sandy landscape every few miles- reminiscent of a simpler way of life.

I was still in the mentality that it was a race and I had to consciously slow down to take advantage of everything that was offered.
Rounding the point at Jericoacoara, the breaking waves turn to ocean swell pumping like some liquid uproar. The swell slowly sneaks up behind you until finally you're on the crest and soon enough, barreling down the face like an out of control freight train. 

I feel like I'm one with the ocean, tapping into the waves' energy.


A quick down loop and a carve of the board for port to starboard, sends you flying in the other direction jettisoning you deeper and faster down the line until you cut back and ride it all over again on the opposite tack. 

Again and again and again.    

The sun was getting low on the horizon, melting into the sea. Gradients turned from yellow to red to pink and finally purple.  Each passing moment and wave was like an eternity, totally absorbed in the here and now of the present moment.



We land just past sunset dunes where flocks of people line up to take in the twilight. I hardly notice their silhouettes atop the rolling hills of sand.  15 minutes later with the kites and boards packed up, we all had caipirinhas in our hands walking down what looked like shakedown street from some 1980 Grateful Dead show. 

Life is good.


Day 2- The Ocean is Love.
I awake at daybreak with the sounds of tropical birds and swaying coconut trees.
I greet the day with sun salutations and a few moments of meditation suspended on a swing, staring out at the sea.
My mantra of 'the ocean is love' melts me into a morning bliss.

Breakfast is a spread of fresh fruit- mangos, papayas, water mellows, passion fruits & kiwis.  
My hungry body takes it all in.

The late morning foiling session quickly turns into a frothy tizzy of white caps and blowing sand. I’m quickly over powered on my 6m ozone alpha single strut kite and moses foil.

Time for the next down-winder. 

If I did 1000 turns on yesterday's down-winder, I must have done 2000 today. I found the flow right away and got more in tune the shore break. Each wave was an opportunity to cut back, carving the board and throwing spray over my shoulder.  I took a wider surfboard & 8m kite which let me really send it. It was all coming together. I was learning to put a few maneuvers together to make some decent turns up and down an incoming set of waves. I see my 3 companions frolicking in the waves, spread out like some marching ants feasting on a surprise pick nick in the middle of the woods.

At the end of the line, waits our 4x4 buggy with a cooler of beer and fresh fruit. The mangos hit my parched salty, sun drenched lips like butter in a hot frying pan.


I could get used to this lifestyle.

Day 3 Rinse and Repeat

Day 3 is a repeat of the previous 2 days. Late morning foiling followed by a down-winder as the sun liquefies into the horizon. 
I'm humbled by the beauty of this place. 
It oozes with colors and smells.
I'm totally absorbed in the moment of it all. 
Waves seem to stand still, building up in slow motion and come crashing down in a flurry of white water spray. 
My confidence builds as I spend more time in the shore break riding endless sets.
Heel side. Toe side. Rinse and Repeat


Day 4- The Tatajuba Express

The wind is slow to build but get a quick session on the foil board with bigger front wing. It adds some lower end grunt like walking on water instead of flying over it. The real breakthrough today comes in the down-winder. We add a coach to our program and all of a sudden, I'm being fed instructions into my ear about proper board technique and kite trim.

I can't believe I haven't done this sooner.
Receiving good coaching is a game changer.
It's quickly becoming apparent kiting is all about one fluid motion and being in harmony with your board and kite. 
It's not three separate items but one fluid dance.


The 25 mile downwind run to Tatajuba seems to last forever as I'm riding like a completely different kiter with the help of Andreas of Uncharted Kite Sessions. I begin to carve the board from rail to rail with my knees bend and leading with the shoulders and following through with my hips. All of a sudden, my turns and transitions are fluid. I'm holding the bar with just my finger tips and trimming the kite with center line pressure & coming out of turns with pressure. The death grip I once had on my bar from years of windsurfing seems to soften with every turn.  I become one with kite and board as I dance gracefully between incoming sets.


We head back upwind in the 4x4 with the boards strapped to the roof and the kites packed away until we reach the river mouth of the Guriu river. It's inaccessible but crossable with the help of the most primitive barge I've ever seen. 2 wood planks are laid out and we drive up onto the barge for the crossing. 2 minutes later, we're on the other side and blazing up the hard packed sand just as twilight permeates the sky. 

 

 Day 5 Best Day ever on repeat

My mantra changes to 'best day ever' and it's on repeat.
Yesterday's down-winder to Tatajuba is replaying in my mind. I can recall every turn and cutback even though it all dissolves together into one dreamy hallucination. 

We line up to do it all over again.
Tatajuba bound from Prea on downwind express

If I did 2000 cutbacks yesterday, I do double that today. 
I began to enter the flow state. It's a feeling of full immersion and complete absorption of the process. Time and space seem to standstill.  I'm feeling at one with everything rather than a set of components.   Every wave is an opportunity. Every gusts is a blessing.
Crossing the Guriu river mouth on the downwind run is like some amusement park. Waves start breaking 1/2 mile from shore and I dance gracefully between every incoming set. I'm hardly doing anything at all but floating around like a butterfly. 
It's pure bliss.

I can tell I’m getting tired after almost 3-1/2 hours on the water when I start to revert back into my old habits. I'm quickly spat out and dumped on my head in the shore break. Life has a way of keeping you humble.


We stop for a late afternoon lunch in Tatajuba. It's nothing more than a simple fishing village with a few huts at the river mouth set above the high tide mark. Wind junkies sit on the shoreline waiting for their next session. We nod to each other as if nothing more needs to be said. 30 minutes later, we are feasting like kings on the local seafood, rice, beans & vegetables. The Bohemia pilsner goes down like water. 

I melt into my bed that night; still salty & crusty but completely satisfied. 

Day 6- The breakthrough.
I finally set my focus on tacking the kite board. It's something I've wanted to do for years but set up a mental block in my head. It's as if I've been standing on the edge of a diving board and not jumping it. I was paralyzed with fear. Something in my ego was not letting me overcome this.
With the help of Andreas, we broke down the tack into several understandable and easy steps. I watched him tack with ease.
Ok I said me self, just do it. I ran through the steps in my head. I was overthinking it. I stumbled. I fell. I picked myself back up.
I tried again and again until finally it began to click. I made it.


I was overwhelmed with joy, accomplishment & pride.
I was ecstatic, beaming and radiating with such a personal happiness.

Everything shifted when I changed my mindset from what could go wrong, to what will go right.

The kite floated overhead and to the other side in one fluid motion.
The board rotated under my feet.
I came out on the other tack with line tension.

OMFG, I got this, I thought to myself.

We set off on our afternoon down-winder and I was ecstatic. 
Still beaming, I began tacking on the down winder just to prove to myself I could do it.
It felt great knowing that you can set your mind to something and achieve it.

Don't let fear guide you. 


Day 7 Dreamy Bliss
By 10 am the wind was already a solid 20-25. I opted for the 4m ozone alpha kite on the foil board. It took me a few moments to get comfortable but oh, my, this was fun. The small kite pivots so easy in the big breeze and just whips you around. Some of the lessons on the surfboard translate easily to the foil board. Bent knees, foot switches. If you can do on one. You can do it on the other.


The down wind session on the surfboard & 8m kite to Guriu was dreamy- in and out of the shore break, gybing every 5 seconds to stay in tune with the waves. I switched my stance to put my back foot over the kick pad and really was able to snap the board around.  The flow really started to happen when I stopped thinking about everything and become the action itself.  I could have kept going forever except the sun was melting into the ocean.


Day 8- All tacks. All Day.
I put my focus on the tack and having had a lesson the previous day. I told myself I wouldn't stop till I got to 50 tacks. It took me 93 attempts but I made it. I'm simply amazed at the power of the mind when you put your attention to something. 


It's pretty simply actually- sheet out, bring the kite overhead, hold the bar with the back hand while opening up the body with the front hand, bend knees, rotate the kite to the new side, turn your back to the wind while turning the board through the wind and voila, you're on the new tack.

I had a huge sense of accomplishment after having hidden from this for so long. It's like a weight had been lifted from my shoulders. 

I spent the rest of the afternoon trying to unravel the duck tack. It's a bit different than the regular tack in that you keep your body facing into the wind vs turning your back to it. It took me several dozen attempts just trying to get the kite through the window and over to the other side without being totally disorientated. I'm a hot mess but on the path. With enough practice, I become the path. I keep trying. This one's not going to be as easy but I know it's achievable.

Day 9 Harmony
I get some practice tacking before the big down winder to Tatajuba. My confidence starts high after making a few tacks. 
Off we go, loosing ourselves in the down wind flow. I'm feeling more alive then ever. The 8m kite turns on a dime like an extension of my body and I seem to nail every transition. The board carves from rail to rail. My focus is intense with my mind and body completely absorbed in the process. Everything is in harmony.  The shoreline goes by like some blurry mess with all my attention on the waves in front of me and puffs above. 


Day 10-11 Lift off to the Mothership.
The days blend into each other. I’m pretty sure I achieved lift off to the mothership. Bliss, Kharma, Divinity I'm not sure what you call it but I got there. Everything I need is right here, right now. I sleep like a baby and do it all over again the next day. 

'Best Day Ever' is becoming a repeating mantra. 

Day 12- Ciao Baby. Obrigado.

It's the final day here but we manage to squeeze one final session in. We take off early and foil & upwind several miles where the wind builds quickly to 20-25 knots. The swell in unrelenting. I’m getting over powered with the 6m kite but then turn down wind where it all comes together again. I'm floating on a cloud. Everything that I learned the previous 11 days seems to all make sense. 


Something tells me this was more than your average surf trip. I’m humbled at the opportunity to have learned so much in such a short time. My mindset has shifted to all the possibilities of what could go right vs what could go wrong. It’s a simple switch but makes all the difference in overcoming obstacles we set for ourselves.