Kevin Pritchard's Windsurfing Blog

Check out Pritchardwindsurfing.com !!!!!

2008-03-18T13:35:00.003-10:00

Time to Check out our new site. Head over to www.pritchardwindsurfing.com and check it out for my latest blogging... www.pritchardwindsurfing.com

Hey this aint Maui

2008-03-12T15:55:00.002-10:00

Well somehow I got lost in the air and ended up in the snow.. Dont know what happened there. I was trying to get back to Maui but when God gives you oranges make orange juice.. So I am off to go snowboarding and have some play time in Wyoming :)

Homeward Bound

2008-03-11T14:45:00.004-10:00

Well that is it for me and Cabo Verde. Sailed a good heat agains Thomas Treversa and Brazino but they just sailed a bit better. Brazino made a sick air taka on the wave and Thomas had the good wave selection going for him. I had some good waves I thought, nothing special but solid enough I though. I guess those new school moves I need to learn a bit better.

Just going through New York at the moment. Had time to smell the roses...so to speak..

Waiting around

2008-03-09T09:51:00.001-10:00

Terrible conditions today. Not to much wind, not too much waves.. they did run some super shaky heats, they did do the final in terrible conditions, Kauli won, Josh sailed amazing considering the conditions to finish 2nd, Jason third and Swift in 4th.

Forcast looks kinda bad but you never never know..

Day one down

2008-03-08T11:03:00.000-10:00

First day of the 2008 Cabo Verde World Cup went off today with great conditions. The wind was a bit light for me. I struggled a bit in the heats catching the waves. I was on my 5.7 in all the heats. I went out on my 6.2 but with the ligth offshore winds it made it too big. I think it is a bit of a disadvantage to be heavier but you just have to make do with what got. I ended up making it to the top eight and just lost out to Swifty and Kauli to make it into the final. I had some ok waves, sailed pretty good but they just sailed a bit better and caught better waves. Looks like they will go into the double elimination tomorrow.

Registration Day

2008-03-07T08:27:00.000-10:00

Today we got all signed up. In the morning there was not a sign of waves and by the evening, the waves were starting to roll in.. looks like we could get some action right off the get go.. They are calling for some more waves tomorrow but boy is that wind light.. light light light. I went out today on 5.7 but it was so offshore and so light it made it really hard to catch any waves at all. I got one but it wasnt that great and it was right on the rocks. Hopefully tommorrow will be bigger and a bit more wind!

Made it

2008-03-06T11:10:00.000-10:00

Made it to Cabo Verde. This place is pretty desolate and out in the middle of no where. I had some nice connections which made it fairly easy trip. Went Maui to LA, LA to Newark, Newark to Lisbon, Lisbon to Sal. None of my clothes made it but got my fins so that is a good thing. Still in the same clothes for the trip. Ok time to get some sleep!

Hard to leave Maui

2008-03-03T20:52:00.004-10:00

Had a good day today..I have been super antsy lately. Dont know why just feeling like I should be doing something more or different. Kinda strange.. Feelings are strange things. Hard to control sometimes.

Today went down and picked up my ticket, also picked up a new book for the road called Mindset. I hope it will ease my mind a bit and get me into the game of things. Getting on the plane at 10 tomorrow and on the road. Cant wait to go down there and start competing again. I just watched Kelly Slater win the first event of the year in Aus.. Pretty inspiring that he is still out there ripping it up and showing the younger boys how to get it done. I want to do that down in Cabo Verde next week.

Hana Bound

2008-03-02T19:54:00.002-10:00

Well what a weekend.. I have been trying to shed a couple pounds to get a bit lighter for Cabo Verde but it just doesnt seem to work for me. I have been cycling like a maniac to get some pounds off but no luck. Today weighed I in at the airport 194, Robby Swift was 182 and Jason was 179. Pretty interesting..

Anyhow been on the bike all weekend. Yesterday did a 32 mile ride and today rich and I made it all the way out to Hana. Haiku to Hana and back was around 62 miles, took us 4 hours 25 minutes, burned 3689 calories, and now I am nackered.. Ready for bed..

Finnally some sailing again

2008-02-28T16:44:00.003-10:00

The wind is back here on Maui with some nice sailing today. Got out on some new sails, boards, fins, testing to get everything ready for Cabo Verde. Sailed on a 5.3 and an Acid 80 today. Rode the twin fin vrs the single fin and the single fin felt pretty good in the bigger stuff. Little more stable and drivy through the bottom turns, but not quite as good as the twin off the top. I am definately going to take my single fin out there to CV. We will see what we are going to use when it gets going.

Three Sport day without windsurfing

2008-02-27T18:47:00.001-10:00

Had a three sport day without windsurfing.. that is impossible?? I went towing in the morning, stand up paddle in midday and a bike ride in the afternoon.. Boy Maui is beautiful!!!

Sometimes it just sucks you in....

2008-02-25T08:20:00.001-10:00

This ocean has been amazing!! It draws you into it..

Maui Burn

2008-02-22T08:07:00.003-10:00

There is a mini Burning man on Maui this weekend. Check out www.mauiburn.com for details. I rode my bike out there to check it out and here is what is in store. Great photo trip along the way!

No Words

2008-02-21T10:32:00.000-10:00

Stickers and more stickers

2008-02-19T16:25:00.002-10:00

Man.. hate to complain but I am still sickering up my new Gaastra sails. Since there has been no wind here on Maui it is a great time to catch up on things that you dont really want to do. So I have been stickering up my new quiver of sails.. What a chore.. Anyhow.. All is good. the weather here is amazing. Picture perfect every day.. There is so many shots that I want to take, I dont know where to start. I will try and get you something good for tomorrow.

Another amazing day here on Maui

2008-02-18T14:11:00.005-10:00

Wow.. .this is Maui.. I love it.. Still working on getting some good photos here and there. I did some shots of Ashley Baxter the other day and they came out pretty good as well as some water shots of the surfing today. Practice practice practice... Great time as there is no wind here and such nice beautiful weather.

Beautiful DayZ!

2008-02-17T20:38:00.005-10:00

So nice here on Maui.. Loving it! The weather is amazingly beautiful. Here are some of my latest shots.

New Maui Sails

2008-02-16T09:22:00.002-10:00

Well Josh has come over to get the new 2009 Maui Sails and they look pretty good. Well it is hard for a sail not to look good when they have someone as good as Josh out there ripping on it. That guy is amazing. He was out yesterday in such light wind and had so much power and explosions off the lip.I envy all the talent that Josh has, and his style is pretty amazing as well.

Anyhow, Sailing has been pretty good.. Also been out towing in a bit with Jason Prior and that has been fun. I have to say that I am a bit rusty on the old surfing but it sure has been fun trying to get a bit better at it..

Now it looks like we are in for a Beautiful Winter week here on Maui. We haven't had one of these yet and this is what some of my favorite times when Maui goes windless and gets beautiful!! Yes.. Sorry to all the tourists that are here but yest this is the best part of Maui living. It doesnt happen often but when it does.. it is amazing. Hope everyone is enjoying their weekend!

Good Sailing

2008-02-13T21:22:00.004-10:00

Today..was finally a great day on the water. Hookipa started off a mess and then turned epic. Was super fun. Jason Polakow seemed to be the standout of the day with some very nice turns and hits off the lip. Levi was riding really good, Kauli looked great as well. Wasn't very crowded and was really fun. Some nice waves every now and then...

Hmm.. not sure about today

2008-02-12T21:36:00.003-10:00

Well it started off with a nice bike ride on a Beautiful sunny Maui day... really nice.. Then went down to Hookipa and watched it for 45 minutes and thought that it was no good.. Went down to Sprecks but no wind down there.. By then it was almost too late to go out so I went into town and tried to get some new tires for my van. Went in and got them then they took my van and got the old tires off, and low and behold they didnt have the right tires. So I had to wait for nearly two hours to come out with the same old tires because they didnt have the tires that I wanted.. To top it off Levi called me and said it was really fun sailing at Hookipa... Oh life can be tough sometimes.. ha ha.. anyhow here are some shots of the day.. the one in the middle i have called it "Hookipa by Night"

Some Great Windsurfing dayz!

2008-02-11T21:08:00.000-10:00

The last couple days on the water have been great. Nice wind and waves. Sailed on the Manic 5.0 and tried out some new Starboard Twin fins which were working pretty good. I think it is pretty funny to watch everyone riding these new twin fins, myself included... you can just see that no one is really pushing the bottom turn as hard as on the single fin. Everyone seems to be really hesitant on the bottom and then just killing it off the top with huge cutback and sprays.

Today started out with a long bike ride, went from Haiku to Maalaea and back. Ended up taking a solid two and half hours on the old cycling seat. From then went out at lower lower Kanaha and had some super fun waves. It wasnt the "Showtime" of Hookipa but it sure was fun. I was out with my brother and we had a couple fun waves. On one wave he made a backside 360 and then I bottom turned around him and spun a sick taka on the wave. It was pretty cool.

After that went home for some nice home cooked Hamburgers at Mom's place. Was a super busy day filled up the way I like it.

All to myself

2008-02-08T15:54:00.000-10:00

had a fun day out on the water today. Got out at hookipa and it was light but still some waves left a best of all there was no one out. I had the place all to myself. I shared it for a while with a surfer friend of mine and that was it. Was on the 5.3 Manic and was having a great time. In the end Kauli came out for a bit and just as he came out the wind died... oh well.. Was fun.

New blog header and Beautiful Day!!!

2008-02-07T11:55:00.000-10:00

So what do you think of the new header? Anyhow.. .got to get out and enjoy the day. Check out how beautiful it is here on Maui after 3 weeks of rain... I guess sometimes you have to pay a bit more to enjoy a bit more!!

Made it home and look what I found

2008-02-05T16:37:00.000-10:00

It was Christmas time when I got home.. Wow.. my new Gaastra Sail order has arrived. All the masts and sails one could dream of. I got a bunch of Manic's, some Poison's to test out and all of the brand new 08 Vapors. Cant wait to get them out on the water.

From what I can gather Maui has been a raining mess. My driveway where people park on the grass is completely mud bogged out. My deck and entire house just feels like a mold magnet all moist and oversaturated!

Anyhow it is nice to be back. The trip that I just had was actually really fun. I wasn't looking forward to it too much but looking back on it now it was definitely fun times as well as great slalom training.

Made it out of Viet Nam with lots of pitcures..

2008-02-04T14:00:00.001-10:00

Shewww.... Next time I go there I am taking a sleep aid or two for the bus ride.. I can not believe how they drive there. It is like a video game. Everyone who drives there is driving like the way you would drive without any rules, like a race to get to the next spot.. and I mean everybody. It is so crazy. But don't take my word for it, go down there and check it out. Once you arrive to the sailing location it is nice, once you make it to the airport it is nice to know you are coming out alive!!

Now in Bangkok, went to the Starboard HQ dropped off the slalom boards and picked up two new wave Proto's. Stoked. Can wait to get back to Maui and start training to take that world title this year. My mom said that all my new Gaastra gear is ready and waiting, over 16 boxes of brand new Vapor's, Manic's, Poisons, and all the new latest and greatest Gaastra Masts. I dont know if you have seen any of the Gaastra masts, but you really should if at all possible. The masts that I have been using from my brother are amazing. They are super light and seem to be strong, as havent had any problems with them yet. I had one mast in my car using it everyday for a month and no problems so that is pretty good.

Hope you enjoy the shots and there are not too many of them!! You have time to check them out while I am sitting on the plane from Bangkok to Tokyo, Tokyo to Honolulu and then to Maui.. Whoo hooo!!!

More good wind!

2008-02-03T20:14:00.000-10:00

Yesterday we were able to test 8 boards, 101, 96, and 86 all Isonics and a couple of new concept boards. I think we came up with some great test results and these boards will fit nicely into the next range of boards for 2009. It seems hard to believe that we have to test the boards for the next season before we even start this season.. I guess it is all good!

Anyhow, we are on our way back to Thailand tonight. I am a bit nervous about the bus ride back to Saigon so wish us luck. I guess hold our breath and close our eyes.. this is the best way to get there safely!

What a great spot!

2008-02-03T18:43:00.001-10:00

Wow Vietnam is a great place for windsurfing.. We got there and I was instantly impressed with the place after the long long drive. We have been graciously hosted by Pascal who owns the best windsurfing store around here called Jibes. It is a must to at least stop in and say hello and get all the useful info on what is going on around this place.

Yesterday we were able to test 8 boards, 101, 96, and 86 all Isonics and a couple of new concept boards. I think we came up with some great test resutls and these boards will fit nicely into the next range of boards for 2009. It seems hard to believe that we have to test the boards for the next season before we even start this season.. I guess it is all good!

Anyhow, we are on our way back to Thailand tonight. I am a bit nervous about the bus ride back to Saigon so wish us luck. I guess hold our breath and close our eyes.. this is the best way to get there safely!

Thailand and Viet Nam

2008-02-02T01:16:00.001-10:00

Been traveling around alot over here. Was in Bangkok for a day, went out to Pattaya... boy what a crazy town that is.. Really too much to take all in. Got some great Starboard testing in. Managed to sail both days that I was there in great weather. Now in Viet Nam and boy that was one of the craziest drives I have ever been on. Five hours of just pure adrinaline of fingure nails in the dashboard kind of driving. If my mom was in the car, I dont think she could have handled it!! I have been around the world, and NEVER seen anything like it. Not Brazil, Not China, Not Indonesia... this place took the bacon for the craziest driving ever.. Anyhow, cant seem to log on to post some picts for you guys but will do that as soon as I can..

Thanks for all the Birthday Wishes

2008-01-30T11:17:00.000-10:00

Man this internet is really such an amazing thing. You can be anywhere in the world and have this mail box in the sky that is just waiting for you to log in and get all your mail ready and waiting.

Today I made it to Bangkok and had a nice mailbox full of birthday wishes, skype messages lined up with all of my friends around the world.. Pretty cool that so many people can be in touch around the world. What a small world it really is.. Here I am on the other side of the earth chatting it up with friends and family.. pretty cool really..

Anyhow here is to another year.. Thanks for all your guys support and continued reading of the daily blog.

Back on the road again

2008-01-28T21:11:00.000-10:00

Well I am back on the road again. I am off to Thailand to test some Starboards. Not really my favorite thing to do but sometimes you gotta work. It should be fun because I am going to Viet Nam for some sailing as well. I have never been there so it will be cool to check out a new place. I hope it is fun. We will see. I just hate the sitting on the plane for two days. To top it off it will be on my birthday all day on a plane. Not the best way to spend your birthday.. Oh well. I am sure it is not the worst thing either.

Trying to get back onto getting you guys some good photos that you would enjoy looking at. I will try and make it interesting with some Starboard Factory picts and stuff from Thailand so check back in for some photos..

Here are a couple that I have taken around town.. Trying to get some photo stuff going on again!! I thought the signal light photo was cool. I like it because it is opposite of my "Which Way" photo from before.. here it is telling you were to go. The path is there the direction is there.. all you got to do is follow it!

I chose Gaastra!

2008-01-25T11:22:00.000-10:00

Well after a couple weeks of debating what was going to be the best move for me, I went with Gaastra Sails. I am super stoked on the sails, they are working really good, and everyone at Gaastra is very supportive and ready to take the brand to the top. I am happy to be working with Matt again and feel like there is some real positive energy pushing us forward. Dan Kaseler is keen on designing some new fast gear, along with a great group of team riders, it will be fun to see where it can take us.
I always like a new challenge along with opportunity and the entire Gaastra program seems like the right spot for me to go.

There are a couple cool forums out there with some comments on me.. http://forums.windsurfingmag.com/showthread.php?t=309 and http://forums.iWindsurf.com/viewtopic.php?t=13930It is pretty fun to sit back and watch what everyone has to say about it all. You can also post a comment here as well, nice ones are always perfered!

Thanks to everyone for supporting me along the way! Check back in for some cool stuff later on and enjoy the ride!

Great Maui Sailing

2008-01-24T19:41:00.001-10:00

Wow, we have just had some really fun windsurfing over here. I love it when it is good out there. Today went for a great cycle ride out almost to Kahakaloa. If you dont know where that is check out Google Maps and have a look at how beautiful it really is out there. After that went to Hookipa for a super great sail, and boy did I have a good time out there. Made some frontside 360's backside 360's, in fact I have to brag, but yesterday I had my "dream wave" .. for me my dream wave is when you do a fronside 360 and then after that you unwind yourself with a backside 360 all on the same wave. Definitely a good time.

Some cool sites...

2008-01-22T22:08:00.000-10:00

Today was a great day for me.. Got up and went for an hour and a half cycle from Sprecks to Maalea and back at 8 and then straight to some slalom sailing, then a quick bite to eat and some sailing at Hookipa which kept getting more and more fun the later it got. The waves were small but the wind came in, the clouds dissapeared and it was good fun at Hookipa. Kauli was out and was riiping and did a super cool taka off the lip right in my face which was very cool, and Rich Foster was thorwing in some sick moves out there too. I saw two super sick waves of his and I was like man.. i got to step it up a bit...

Anyhow, isn't this world wide web so cool.. It had changed things so much these days. Then entire media has changed. Things get out so fast it is crazy... I wanted to give a shout out to some super cool sites and the people behind them. First one is Jeff at www.mauiwindsurfing.net/, this guy is a super cool guy who is always out to get some cool action on the water and onto the web. Sometimes I wonder how he can turn down good sailing to get good footage but I think most of the web crazy windsurfers eat his site up! It is cool and is great to see what Maui is up to every now and then.. When I am on the road I always check out this site to see if I missed anything..

The other cool site is Giampaolo's blog http://mauisurfreport.blogspot.com/ .. This guy is so stoked on windsurfing it is crazy.. I just actually got to talk to him a bit more than my usual wave on my way out to the water.. and man this guy is stoked on being in the water.. It is good to see someone so stoked on the sport you love!

Finnaly, my friend from Italy, Silvana, her site is www.surferworld.it/ and she is just starting out with a cool kiting and windsurfing site. Silvana has been here on Maui for the past two weeks and she has to be one of the best reporters on the planet. Her site is only in Italian but it is soon to go in english and it will be one to bookmark in the future.

There is more good stuff out on the web.. it is just finding it!!!

Enough of this computer stuff.. Time to get out on the water!!

Windy Day.. just not on the water

2008-01-21T21:31:00.001-10:00

Woke up this morning with some wind in the trees.. Went for a bike ride and anxious to get out on the water but once I went down there the rain had messed it all up. Dont know what happened just wasnt that good out there. Came home and had a wonderful massage for 2 hours.. yeah it is tough.. ate some dinner and just took it easy.. Lovin it!!

Looks like my new sail sponsor is right around the corner. I have tested all the sails out and know which one seems to be working the best for me. Now it is just up to the details!! Check back in for some new info later on in the week!

What a fast weekend

2008-01-20T16:35:00.000-10:00

Anybody ever feel like the weekend is over before it starts.. I cant believe it is sunday already.. And now it is on to Monday. Not that I really anything too much different from happening but I like the weekends.. Anyhow, Maui has been a bit windy. Went out sailing yesterday, today felt a bit under the weather so took a day off and sat around and relaxed. Watched the San Diego Chargers loose in football today. Other than that just relaxed. Not too bad!

Any web building gurus out there?

2008-01-18T11:12:00.001-10:00

I am wondering if there is any web site builders out there looking for a project to work on with me. I am looking for someone who is possibly looking for a project to work on that can be used in their portfolio or a school intern that is interested in building a web database type site. Send me an email by clicking on the boards for sale and let me know if any of you are interested in helping out!

Virtual Training

2008-01-18T08:33:00.000-10:00

I have been doing a little bit of internet surfing on training.. Found some really cool stuff from the Moto X guys. I guess maybe I just think it is cool cause I like moto x but check out www.racerxvt.com/

Here is one thing I thought everone could use..

Life Events Shape Your Attitude?
If you tend to be a negative person, you must first identify your poor habits and remove them from your life. Pay close attention to how you interpret events that surround you. Your attitude is formed by how you interpret different situations in life. By paying close attention to how you process the information around you, you will be able to identify whether you are a positive person or a negative one. When a difficult situation presents itself, do you look at the situation as a pessimist or an optimist? Do you see the opportunity as a chance to fail or to succeed? Your attitude is shaped by the way you perceive reality and ultimately your attitude is made up of your thoughts and feelings. Since your thoughts ultimately control your actions, the thoughts that you fill your head with are very important. Usually in life the quick easy way will give you instant gratification that fades quickly, while hard work and dedication have no immediate gratification but will lead to lasting success in the future. If you think negatively towards training and give into instant gratification, you are letting your negative thoughts control your actions. Instant gratification is a sign of a week attitude. If you condition your mind to remain positive, your actions will lead you down the path towards success.

A positive attitude is not simply developed by waking up one day and saying, "today I am going to be positive." Although your brain is not a muscle it acts like one in the sense that it must be conditioned over time to accept positive thoughts over negative ones. Developing positive thoughts requires a great deal of energy and time and will require you to live the lifestyle an athlete. Training, diet, riding and all of the other ingredients necessary to become a successful rider (or person for that matter) must be part of your daily life. You have to live the life of a champion to become a champion. I believe this applies to the guy fighting for a factory ride, right down to the weekend warrior. If you condition your mind on a daily basis like you do the rest of your body, eventually the positive thought process will become natural. A strong, positive attitude will replace the weak, negative one. But in order for this to happen, you have to be willing to make the commitment and work every day on your attitude.

So off to work I go! See you on the water!

Retro Footage!

2008-01-17T13:42:00.000-10:00

Check out some retro footage from Matt and I in Sylt, Germany back in 2002. Not the best footage and not the best conditions but thought you guys would like to have a look at some good ole footage! Looks pretty cold to me.. Good to check it out and see how far we have come. Hope you enjoy!

Three Sport Day

2008-01-16T22:18:00.000-10:00

Ahh.. I love three sport days. Woke up to a nice good morning wake up call from Jason Prior saying the waves are up lets go surfing.. so got the jetski together and out we went tow in surfing. Was kinda fun, nothing too amazing but some fun ones here and there. Jason was really ripping it up as he was hungry to get out on the water after spending New Years in Canada.

After a couple hour tow session, went back home and loaded up the slalom boards and went down to Kanaha to test out the Pryde sails as well as some of the new 08 Starboards. I went out on the 8.4 RS Racing with my 133 Starboard with the Sl2 Debiochet 44cm fin. The new 133 has really improved alot this year. After that I had the same fin in the 122 Isonic and was surprised that there was not too much difference in speed between the two. Last year I found a bigger difference but this year it seems like I could use either one. So we will have to test it out a bit more but it seems like if you are a bigger guy then you will be fine with the 133 without any compromise to the smaller narrower 122.

After sailing Swift and I went for a nice bike ride from Sprecks to Maalea and back and that was a nice easy flat ride on the bikes. All this was finished off with a nice meal from my Italian friends who came all the way from Italy to make us an excellent meal. What a great day!

Slalom Day

2008-01-15T18:32:00.001-10:00

Got out today on the new Gaastra Vapors and they are really nice. Had a nice soft feel to them and the speed was really good as well. My brother was cool enough to go out to Kehie with me and sail around on some new Starboards and test them out. I think we had a pretty good time out there and being on the water together. It has been a while since me and him were out testing slalom stuff together.. After that went for a hamburger at Carls junior and back home. Not too bad of a day considering there was no wind on the north shore. Tomorrow I should be out on the Pryde Racing sails so that will be cool to try them out and get a feel for them. I will let you know what I find out on the racing sail side of things.

It is pretty funny to be testing out all these sails. I think the guys at Windsurfing Mag should hire me to do some of there testing.... While being a free agent I guess I could make some money somehow..

Rain comes in...

2008-01-13T21:24:00.000-10:00

I got up, checked the swell and bang straight over the the west side where Steve and Dave were nice enough to clue me in to the good conditions. Got there and was the only one out for a while just having a great ole time out there by myself. Was on the Gaastra Manic today and boy is that a nice sail. To me it seemed to be a balance of the NP Zone and the Maui Sails Legend. For me the Maui Sails is a powerhouse. It has all the grunt you need to get through the bottom turn but more difficult off the top. The Zone is light in the hands on the bottom turn and really amazing off the top with very easy control off the top. The Gaastra Manic seems to have a little more power through the bottom turn than the Zone but still manages to smack the lip really hard off the top without so much power due to it's nice and soft luff curve.

After a nice 2 hour sail went for a nice bike ride from Maalea to La Perus, so nothing like making the full day out of what could have been a lazy day.

Here are some shots of me on the Zone NP the other day.. Looks pretty different to see me on a NP after all these years.

Photos are from Darrell Wong. Please do not use without written permission from Darrell. Actually Darrell just launched a new version of his web site and you can check it out at www.darrellwong.com

Another Beautiful day!

2008-01-12T21:09:00.001-10:00

Wow.. what a day on Maui.. Just love it.. the wind was gone all day long.. so amazing.. the views were incredible.. the surf was firing.. ahhh this is Maui.. I love it..

Woow.. what a great day

2008-01-12T00:09:00.000-10:00

I love Maui in January.. So amazing.. so much fun. what more can you ask for. Today I sailed with 4 people out mast high side offshore winds.. I think the best session I have had all year.. So much fun. It was me JP, and Robby Naish the only guys out there for a little bit.. Super fun. Super glassy and clean waves.. Gotta love it..

Anyhow, today I went down to Hitech and bought a Maui Sails boom.. Yep you heard it here.. I paid cash money to buy a boom that I developed myself, pretty much paid for myself and had to go down and buy a boom from HiTech.. Felt kinda wierd to be buying windsurfing gear but I only bought it because it is pretty much the best boom out there that I have sailed on and so I thought it was worth it. Kevin Ozze at NP Maui hooked me up with a Zone 5.2 and a mast which was super cool of him to do and I was on my new Starboard custom twin fin which was amazing and just had a super sick session. It is funny how one company will give me free stuff to use and one company takes the gear away..

Check out my new fins

2008-01-09T08:24:00.000-10:00

Well it is time to start working again... No rest for the strong.. Check out my new wave fin line up. Best of all you can buy them right here on my blog!

Here is whats up with this

MFC and Kevin Pritchard, wave world champion, developed this new fin concept also in G-10 construction. The straight outline allows for very early planning and radical upwind ability, but the fin is incredibly manoeuvrable due to its narrow outline and cord. The profile is the fastest, generated by our SL model and adapted to this wave model. Ideal for all around wave conditions can be use also for freewave conditions.

So that is a bunch of jargon for this fin rips!! Gotta go out and get one. We put this together using some slalom foils on a wave shape. Our mission was to get more speed out of the fin than any other wave fin with out sacrificing the turning and looseness!

Check out some photos! or visit the MFC website by clicking here!

Maui Sails Press Release

2008-01-08T16:30:00.000-10:00

Well, I guess it is officially and end of an era. After 15 years of working together with Barry and Phil it is time to take on new challenges and take the other side of the road. Disappointing to say the least but it is time to move on and go into the brave unknown. As for now, I dont have a new sail sponsor and I am currently looking at all other brands. I have some offers from other brands but at the moment I have not committed to any. I am going to go out and test all the brands that will loan me some sails and we will see what happens. I think it will be fun to get out on the Prydes, Gaastras, Norths, maybe some Goya's, Severn also look to have a good range this year so it is all kinda up in the air. I just hope to get some gear soon as it looks like the wind is going to come back and the boys at Maui Sails came and grabbed all the gear that I have been riding, so I have nothing to sail on at the moment. I guess I better go down to HiTech and get out the credit card..

Here is what they had to say about it...

MauiSails and Kevin Pritchard End Alliance
8th January 2008
(Maui, Hawaii, USA - January, 2008)
MauiSails announced today the departure of Kevin Pritchard, who left the brand to pursue new opportunities.

Phil McGain, President of the company, commented on the new direction for his sailing partner of the past fifteen years; “We wish Kevin the best of luck. We have all enjoyed working with him over the years. It’s always challenging to end long partnerships, but sometimes change is invaluable and must be accepted with gratitude and appreciation.”

Designer, Barry Spanier commented, “Working with Kevin and helping him to become a World Champion has been very satisfying and personally rewarding. His participation will be missed. But sometimes it’s like Yogi Berra once said, ‘If there’s a fork in the road, you have to take it.’ I certainly wish him the best in his new circumstances.”

Two no wind days!

2008-01-07T22:51:00.000-10:00

Boy Maui has been Beautiful!!! After two weeks of storm and rain, now it is amazing and all the green is just jumping out of it's skin! Went for a stand up paddle and a bike ride and had a nice and busy day. Just how I like them.

Tough day at the office

2008-01-05T21:02:00.000-10:00

Today was a tough day for me. Went down to Hookipa and there was no one out. Kinda strange really as the wind was blowing the waves were up and still not too many surfers out. I had a day off from sailing today but it looked pretty good out there. I actually got out on the water on a Stand Up Paddle board and did a down winder from Maliko Gulch to Sprecks. I am not a huge fan of the stand up thing but maybe with a little practice it might go a bit better. I think it is really good for the core muscles and that is what I am trying to some strength in.

Supercross was on tonight which was fun to watch.. no not windsurfing supercross but the indoor motocross racing. It was really fun to watch those guys and to know what goes into wining a championship and all that it takes for those guys. It really shows some dedication to go out there and succeed with so many other guys out there and pushing the limits. Chad Reed from Australia ended up wining against James Stewart who came from dead last to come second. Looks like it is going to be an interesting season.

Anyhow it is all good when you wake up and look out from your living room window and see this....

Terrible editing I know

2008-01-04T09:05:00.000-10:00

I just threw this together.. I know I shouldn't really post something this bad but what the heck.. I am sure you guys will get a kick out of seeing something new up on the web. Also check out Keith Tebule on his new Goya Sails! Haven't seen a press release on this yet so maybe I am the first to get it out of the bag..

New Video Clip coming up tomorrow

2008-01-03T22:03:00.001-10:00

Well I got out the ole video camera today and took some clips for you guys. I put them all in one very poorly edited video but I hope you guys will enjoy watching some hookipa footage. The wind today was not that great, but it was sunny which was really nice for a change. I had some fun waves and was out on the Twin fin and the 5.3 so it was great to be out there. I will post the video hopefully tomorrow, so check back in!

Back on the training

2008-01-02T17:34:00.000-10:00

Well I figure that I should get back to it and start the focus of being the champ again in 2008. That is the goal is to win that dang slalom title and take it away from the mighty frenchman. It will not be an easy task as Antoine has had some very good speed over the last few years but I think with a little bit more tuning and practice this season I can give him a better run for his money.

We will have to wait and see.. Today went out on the water and did some sailing with my bro which we were the only two guys out there which made it fun. Other than that all is good!

Happy New Year!!!

2007-12-31T10:28:00.000-10:00

What do you do when you get to this point in the road?? Well the time is now to take one of them!! Happy New Year!

Since Maui is the last to celebrate the new year i guess it is time to wish all my European Friends Happy New Year. Here's to a super successful and happy 2008!

Out with the old...

2007-12-30T16:58:00.000-10:00

Well we made it another year. One more day left and it is over. Was a great year, had tons of fun, good results and now it is time for something new. Cant wait to bring it on.. The wind finally calmed down over here. We had some super windy days but the sailing still wasnt very good even though all of Maui was feeling the wind. It was too east for the island here and made it super gusty and offshore and not that great for sailing. I had a couple days at Sprecks that was fun but other than that was a waist of all the wind!

Anyhow Happy New Years everyone! Be safe and Have fun! Just remember you only live once!!

A windy day

2007-12-27T21:47:00.000-10:00

Had a struggle of a day today.. went to go slalom sailing and got all rigged up to test out some new boards but my testing partner's batten was broken.. So canceled that mission and went for a wave sail. Went up to Uppers was bad, went down to Lower Kanaha, was terrible and then sailed all the way back up to Camp one where it was kinda fun. Was powered up on the twinzer and the 4.7 and in the end had a pretty fun time. Waves were small and blown out but still had a frontside and backside 360. So in the end that made my session a bit better!

Day After Christmas... EVERYTHING IS ON SALE

2007-12-26T20:59:00.000-10:00

Well just like everything else around here it is time to get rid of some boards. I have tons of Isonic's I need to unload. I just got all of my new 2008 ISonic Racing boards and I need to make some room!! I have 87 94 101 122... all prices to go.. Send me an email and lets get you one of the best boards on the Planet. All the boards are solid and race ready. All in great shape... I also have 2 93 stype's left and a bunch of red hot custom wave boards for sale!!

Merry Christmas

2007-12-24T19:50:00.003-10:00

Happy holidays! Hope everyone has a safe and happy Christmas. Maui is setting up to be some great sailing.. Lets see if it comes in.

Sailing could be a bit better

2007-12-23T22:28:00.001-10:00

Been Sailing a little bit but has not been very good. Today had a fun session at Sprecks with some jumps and some fun little smacks ripping around. Friday I had all of Hookipa to myself with some fun little smacks on the new twin fin. Was fun to throw that thing around a bit. This week looks like it is going to be a good week on wind guru so we will have to wait and see what comes up.

Hope everyone is ready for Christmas as it is nearly upon us...

Happy holidays everyone.

Bike riding day

2007-12-20T21:05:00.000-10:00

Today went on a two hour bike ride through Maui's Winery in Kula. Went up at 7:30 in the morning and it was amazing. Was so beautiful. The ride was great on the way down with nice hills all the way down. Went for 40 minutes down and had a nice long ride back up. Was different for me but fun none the less. Looks like there might be another swell coming tomorrow so we will have to wait and see. I would love to get a nice day in at the Hookipa soon.

Wedding Shots and some bad conditions

2007-12-19T17:45:00.001-10:00

Well the conditions here on Maui aren't being too favorable for windsurfing.. there is wind in the air.. but just isn't that great for windsurfing out there. Went sailing and had some alright waves but other than that not too much. Anyhow check out my latest wedding shots..Wasn't my most fun wedding every but none the less it was good to get back into weddings and learn some new stuff. The more you do the more you learn.

Maui is Amazing

2007-12-18T07:09:00.002-10:00

So beautiful here in the wintertime. I am doing a wedding shoot today and really excited about that. I will share some photos with you tomorrow.

I am back

2007-12-17T10:46:00.000-10:00

After an internet free vacation in Brazil I am back on line! I just got back to Maui and it looks like a fun and windy day. Cant wait to get back on the water. I will be back updating you with some new fun blogging..

Bogging on the blogging

2007-12-04T11:11:00.000-10:00

Yeah I know it, I have been slacking on the blog... I dont really know why..I think i was getting oer the top on the blog thing and just needed a break from it. While I was away from it I still haebeen thinking about how to make it different. I have been doing it for about a year now and I think it is time for some sort of change to it.. Well with a new year on the way, maybe I will stop being lazy and start getting on it..

I am back on the road now and finding my way to Forteleza Brazil. I am going there for a road trip with some friends to discover some new sailing locations. Time will tell as to how good we can score it. It is pretty hard to leave Maui during this time as the conditions have been on fire lately.

That is all for now. I am about half way into my 21 hours of travel. I have 4 hours just sitting in Miami.. then another 8 hours to Sau Paulo and another 4 hours back up north to Forteleza... Ahh the joys of travel.

Travel travel

2007-11-21T22:32:00.000-10:00

Back back back... on the way back to Maui. Been in Bangkok for a day and now in Japan to Kona then to Maui. Should be fun. Just in time for Turkey dinner!!That is all.. Just flying and watching the time tick away...

Leaving Aus

2007-11-19T17:00:00.000-10:00

Well that was a fun trip, short and sweet.. Now I am on my back to Thailand and then to Japan and then to Kona and then to Maui.. fun fun.. Not my best trip for photos, but that is just cause I gave all my ideas to John Carter who was on the trip.. ha ha.. just kidding..

Can you believe this one?

2007-11-17T16:32:00.000-10:00

Man, first it is my blog that gets me into trouble now it is my photos.. check out this email we got from the Maui Sails France importer.. pretty crazy dont you think??

"I was informed today by Fabrice that the June issue of Wind Magazine carried a small article that Kevin had performed the Photo Shoot for Gaastra and Tabou to the angst of the Pro Photographers in the market and the general media community was intending from that point forward to ‘boycott’ images of Kevin. By being a pro windsurfer AND a photographer, Kevin upsets all the pro photographers, and they respond by not taking any photos of him or not publishing any shots of him.
There was an article in “WIND” magazine about that called “Boycott”."

Well maybe in France but it seems like my coverage this year is pretty good. I actually just saw some shots of mine in Wind Magazine, one of Robby Swift and one of Robby Naish.. So that is pretty cool.

Anyhow just sitting around in Aus now waiting for the wind. We had some sick days down in Margrets with Mast high plus waves. Was pretty big and knarly and scary, especially on the opposite side waveriding than I am normally used to.. Thats all for now..

Good and big here

2007-11-16T22:52:00.001-10:00

Been Sailing Margret River and had some big days.. Now heading up the coast and driving around Aus.. Pretty fun. All for now.. conection not the best... but all is good.

Made it to Perth

2007-11-14T03:45:00.000-10:00

Wow, that was a long flight plan. Maui to Oahu, Oahu to Tokyo is 9 hours on the plane, 6 hours in Tokyo, Tokyo to Bankock which was around 7 hours, Bangkok for 8 hours, Bangkok to some place I have never heard of called Bandar which looked like it could be a nice place with some tropicalness to it 3 hours sitting around in a transit hall, and then another 5 hours on the plane to Perth.. Needless to say a bit nackered but all is well. Down here with Scotty Mckercher and he is going to show us a bit of Western Aus. Should be fun!

Boy I love airports

2007-11-12T18:46:00.000-10:00

Well not really.. But I do love it when I go to an airport that has a free internet connection and an Admirals Club.. I guess it does pay to fly around the world with American Airlines. I dont think they have the best planes or service sometimes but when you get an admirals club in Tokyo you are pretty stoked. Nice shower, a nice view, nice connection.. what more could I want...except to be on Maui!

The shots are from the last day on Maui.. I am just reminising about it..

On the road again

2007-11-11T21:41:00.000-10:00

I am back on the road again. Heading down to Thailand then to Australia. Looks like there is going to be a nice swell in Western Aus with nothing too big on the horizon here so I am going to blast down there and have some waveriding in. Man, it is like summertime here in Hawaii... Too flat.. I heard something like this winter isn't going to be too big?? We will see. Anyhow, should be without connection for a while... So bear with me on the posting!! See yah!

2007-11-10T16:14:00.000-10:00

Tr 4 sneak picts

2007-11-09T06:31:00.000-10:00

Been out there slaloming away. Here is a couple sneak shots to check out the newTr 4.. They are getting really fast! The red one is tr 3 and the white one is the TR 4.

Wind is on it's way back.

2007-11-07T20:54:00.000-10:00

Looks like it is going to be a good week here in Maui. I cant wait to get back out on the water. Went today on 8.4 and was fun to go fast! Tomorrow looks to be some waves coming with some stronger wind so hopefully can have some fun at Hookipa!!

Not too much wind around these parts

2007-11-06T16:32:00.000-10:00

Well yesterday was a stoker day, got to go Tow in surfing, then paddle surfing, then wavesailing, all in one day, A "three sport day", that is what I tell my mom.. we go on rating of days by how many possible sports you can do in one day.. So Monday was good. I love being so busy that I dont have time to take pictures or write on my blog. It gets scary when I look back and have these long rambling posts on my blog because I know that there has been no wind or I have not used up enough energy to be in bed instead of being on the computer.

Today was pretty good as well. Got up at 6 to go for a surf. My initial idea was to get up early and go look for some good picts because I have been slacking on getting some good clicks lately but then when I saw the surf I couldn't hang on the beach any longer. I went over to the south side for some small but fun rippable waves. It was one of the biggest south swell's of the season and in NOVEMBER>>> geeze.. oh well I wasn't complaining. I had some great uncrowded waves and had a great time out there. It stoked me out because as of lately I have not been too into surfing because I was kinda over it. I would rather take pictures than go surfing so that was fun to go out and enjoy the water and the surfboard.

Looks like there is some good windsurfing on the forecast. Lets hope!!

How do you think this would work for windsurfing?

2007-11-04T10:05:00.000-10:00

Flat and no wind

2007-11-03T20:12:00.001-10:00

Well I dont mind it when it is no wind or when it is flat... but when the combination of the two get together it really pisses me off. So today that is what it was.. flat and no wind. IO still had to get out in the water and go for a swim and these are the best shots I could get for you today. Will try and spice it up a bit more tomorrow.

Looks like the wind is gone for a bit

2007-11-02T19:56:00.001-10:00

Just when I was starting to get into a good rhythm the wind shuts off. I missed it a little bit today but wasnt too good. I am sure we can find the wind somewhere but we will have to look around. Today, did some errands, washed my van and my truck, cleaned up the garage a bit but still not enough, went into town and got a new battery for my motorcycle and that was about it. Oh I took a couple snap shots at the Ioa Needle and some surfing shots. I was playing around with a new water housing port and was trying out some new techniques on keeping the water spots off the lens. I tried having water on the port the entire time but it didnt seem to work very well. Had some shots that were blurry due to too much water on the lens. I did have a sharp one or two but I dont think that is good enough. I need to have a higher ratio of shots. I guess I will go back to the RainX.

Another month goes by

2007-11-01T16:47:00.000-10:00

Well another one down and that went quick. Had a fun day at Holoween looking around at all the people walking in their small outfits on. Seemed to have a good atmosphere at Front Street this year and was a nice time with fun for all. Today sailed on some more TR 4 prototypes and they are getting a faster as time goes on. The wave sailing was pretty good out there today but it looks like the wind is going to back down a little bit over the next week.

Having some fun

2007-10-30T20:41:00.000-10:00

Well the sailing here has been great. We have been testing racing sails, wave sails, all of the above... It has been super windy and super fun. Sailed today testing out the new TR 4's and they were going great. Also got in some Hookipa sailing as well as some picts for you guys. Tomorrow is Halloween over here and they call it the Marti Gras of the Pacific.. Should make for a great night!! Not sure if I am going to take my camera over there, too much responsibility.. But here are some shots from the last few days..

Traveling with gear

2007-10-29T06:43:00.000-10:00

Well traveling with windsurf gear isn't that fun I can tell you that. The best part about it besides getting to your destination and getting unreal conditions is the comments that you hear from other people at the airport. "WOW what is inside of those bags?" "Are those hang gliders?" "Kayaks?"

The worst part about it is the stress of checking in.. It can go either way... one time you can get a super nice check in person, the other time you can just get reamed. And in reality it just comes down to pure good ole fashion luck. I used to try and find young gay guys because they were usually the nicest to me especially when I was younger. As I got older, I tried to look for the older women, like just out of there prime, not too old to be old and grumpy, not too young to think that you were trying to hit on them. Nowadays, I just go for it and hope for the best. Try to be super friendly and talk to them as much as you can. Try to make them feel like they are amazing, and I usually try to talk the most when they are trying to find out how much it is going to cost me. My favorite one is "how is has the weather been here?" or "you guys been busy here" and when all is going wrong I go with the "you guys are amazing how you know all these codes in your computer, why cant they just make the system with windows on it.." My brothers favorite line is "man I took up the wrong sport, I wish I was a tennis player! all I would have is a racket bag!" I would really like to learn all the codes on their system so I could bring up the PNR or the itinerary when they cant.

To make matters even harder, I just heard that British Airways wont be taking any more surfboards or windsurfing equipment on their flights which is a real bummer. American Airlines is charging $330 per two windsurfing bags to Europe, so if you go with one wave quiver to Europe, you are going to get stung for $660 bucks with just four bags. Iberea Airlines is not really the best airline to travel with as they love to charge alot, especially out of Gran Canaria. There is a guy that works there that will not budge on the gear. He knows the rates and charges the charge, by the book. That is usually the spot were we have the most gear out of all the places so that can get expensive. Asia is one of the most difficult places. Singapore Airlines charges $12 per kilo or something like that, which can add up fast. JAL can be ok, but can also be expensive if you are not traveling to the USA. Quantas has been ok with me but I know that you can't have too heavy of bags as they are really strict about that.

On the good side, Ryan Air is pretty good on excess, I think it is $30 Eu per sport equipment, they cant be over 32kg.. they pretty much cant be over this anywhere in Europe. On American you can have it up to 100 pounds, but this doesn't do you very good when you are coming back and you only have four bags but they all are overweight and they wont take them on the check in at the other end. I think Berlin Air is really good for bags, and $20 for a windsurfing set, Turkish Airlines have been really good as well. Usually the Charter Airlines are great for taking gear to the Canaries, but in reality it is just a gamble and you got to be ready to pay to play.

To me, Blogging is blogging

2007-10-26T06:48:00.001-10:00

Some interesting comments from yesterday I have to say. I have to agree with most of them. I dont really like conflict and I dont really like politics. I like the comment about stopping with all the picts of nothing but it is hard to have picts of windsurfing all the time because, when it is windy, I like to be out windsurfing, not taking pics. So when there is no wind and I do have time, I like to take pictures. Hopefully that is ok with you guys.

This blog is actually been getting me in some trouble lately.. I have reported about some people with too much honesty and not enough politically correct statements that it pisses people off. It baffles me sometimes to hear that people get uptight about things that I write on here because I dont really read anybody else's blog from windsurfing except Tatiana's now and then, and people are like how could you write that about me... I am like wow.. your reading my blog.. that's pretty cool.. And have any of you guys seen the latest Surfer's Journal. Can you believe that my little old blog made into Surfer's Journal.. Well the only way it did is that the did an article on Josh Angulo and they took my comment right off my blog from our run in that we had in Cabo Verde.. That was pretty cool I guess, but it surprised me once again that so many people look at this blog. And get uptight or whatever about it.. I am just writing my thoughts down, trying to bring some background, some insight into what I am up to and how I see what is going on in my world. I think that is one of the problems that makes windsurfing magazines so boring, is that they can never write the truth about what is happening sometimes because someone might get pissed off or is not "PC" enough.

So lets bring it back this discussion back to what we all can agree on and that is windsurfing. Having the wind in the sail, the power in your hands, being whisked across the water... how about when you are so excited to rig up cause it is going off, and people are trying to talk to you and you can barely answer there question because you are in such a hurry to get out there that you can only think about rigging and getting out on the water.. .This is the sport that I love.. Every time I get like this and get all excited to get out there on the water, it really blows me away to think after all these years of doing the same thing over and over again, that I still get excited to go out and get on the water.

Anyhow, here is a shot of my friend from Japan out ripping it up.. though you might enjoy a shot of how good Hookipa has been lately...

Another good day of wind and waves

2007-10-24T21:09:00.000-10:00

Today Maui was firing... not like in LA, but was really good conditions. Sailed on 4.7 and was pretty good. I am just starting to get my rhythm back a little bit but was for sure still a bit rusty.. Hopefully will continue getting great conditions.

YES!!! Amazing day!

2007-10-23T21:07:00.000-10:00

Well the wind and waves came back with a vengance today.. It was firing.. Wind, waves, and good fun. Felt wierd to get on the water and definately felt rusty and a bit out of shape. Haven't saild waves like that since probably April. I guess that is what you get when most of the tour is port tack or sitting.. Pretty fun though being out there on those waves.. Good to be back on the water and having fun!

Back home!!

2007-10-22T09:16:00.000-10:00

Wooooowww.. that was a long trip.. nearly two months of sitting around waiting for wind.. Pretty crazy.. Had a great trip in California.. went up along the coast to San Fransisco where I shot another wedding that was really cool. These guys were definately the best couple that I have shot and we had a lot of fun getting the shots. The only problem was that it was a bit chilly in San Fran this time of year so it was a bit difficult to get the shaking out of our shots. We had fun none the less and the shots came out great. I would have liked to get a bit more creative stuff but it just didnt come around. Maybe next time.. I think with the cold and the timing just didn't allow for it..

Weddings are pretty fun to shoot. Everyone is so happy and it is a bit of a rush because it is a pressure situation. I love to rush of getting in there and being so focused on your work that you cant even remember to eat or drink or anything.. good fun. Drove back down from SF to LAX on Sunday and now back home.. It is beautiful here... oh yah.. there is no wind on Maui right now.. Maybe I am the curse or something??

Story of my trip

2007-10-19T02:31:00.000-10:00

Well yesterday I had it all together, the board, the sail, the wetsuit, harness, everything and the swell was pumping.. I was in the right spot, just the wrong time.. not enough wind today. Went to the spot and there wasnt enough wind.. just as I pull up I see a guy that I met a couple years back and he told me how great it was... YESTERDAY... Should have been there yesterday.. oh well. To make things a bit worse, I kept getting calls from all my buddies on Maui... "Lets GO!!! It's firing!! or the last message I got was "Where were you out there today... it was SICK!"

Well all I got to do is hope that there will be more wind and waves coming this winter. I guess this just builds up the hunger to get home and get on the water. It is probably good for me to have a break from windsurfing after a year of it on the road focusing, training, testing, and traveling... but man it is hard to be off the water for so long.. like a caged animal or something.... Cant wait to hit that lip at Hookipa..

Anyhow, here are some more photos.. the only thing that has been keeping me sane with all this non windsurfing.... Getting any better?? Check out the series here Just to let you know I dont think the comments on the web gallery work so dont write anything in there.. or at least I dont know how to make them work.. Sorry the shots are so small. All a learning expirience...

Some more shots of Santa Barbara

2007-10-18T06:19:00.000-10:00

Well I dont know if I completely captured all the beauty of this place but I did give it a good shot. I really do like it here. There is also an amazing camera shop here. I was like a kid in a candy shop, they had everything there from lighting to tripods, lenses, books, printers.. ahh it was so much fun.. I think I spent over an hour in there just looking around at all the nice toys, and dreaming of them being in my hands. I managed to get out of there with only some camera cleaning stuff and a monopod. I have never tried a monopod before but I think I really like this one. I am tring to get my shots a bit more crisp and sharp and think that this could really help me out a bit..

It is windy here and I dont have any gear, yesterday was howling and some surf and Jalama beach was firing.. I could only just dream about it getting out on the water. And believe me, I am ready to be out on the water. Only sailing 9 days in the last month and a half is driving me insain. I am off to Cambria today to check in with my friend Brian Caserio at Side Off Video and see if I can use some of his gear. Looks like it will be windy again so maybe I might get some action on the water today.. Will see..

The smell, the crispness of the Air....

2007-10-17T07:27:00.000-10:00

California bound... I arrive to such a beautiful day, a nice breeze in the air, the fall evening temperatures, the people full of life and energy.. I guess I have just been on a Island in solotude of Scotland, but there is something about this place here in Santa Barbara that I love.. I could feel the jitters I once had as a young boy when I arrived to a blustery evening. I can remeber what it was like to be so excited to wake up in the morning with a forcast for wind and swell, the feeling of fall coming in, Christmas just around the corner... it was good.. it makes me want to windsurf being here. I guess it is just in my mind but it definately was a strange feeing being here after all these years..

On the Road..

2007-10-15T21:16:00.000-10:00

Well we are moving.. had an early check in today at 4 am in Glasgow.. Man the people there sure were really friendly. Super nice. I actually really like Scotland. The people seem to be really friendly and helpful and the country side is amazing. I wish I new some better places to take photos in Glasgow but for most of the free day that we had there it was raining and didnt work too good for taking too many shots. Next flight is London to La.. Nice and long!!

Oh I almost forgot..

2007-10-14T21:36:00.000-10:00

THEY FOUND MY FIN BAG!!!! Yep.. they found my fin bag in Germany.. Only took two and a half weeks but they found it! So happy. They also sent it all the way back to Maui for me.. I guess I should have never even packed all that stuff because I never got to use any of it.. I think for the next trip I will change bags!!

Here are some of my shots from Scotland so far!! Let me know what you guys think!

It is over!

2007-10-14T21:12:00.000-10:00

Well that 2007 PWA year has come to an end. Not a bad season for me.. not the best, but definitely not the worst. My Maui Sails Starboard combination was working great for me all year long and I was happy with the performance that they gave me. I would say that I gave it my best as well, moving up in the racing but down in the waves. It is pretty hard to really make huge gains when you are at the top of your game. This year was the longest season so far to date since I have been on the tour.. Cabo Verde which was the best wavesailing I have ever had, to Korea, Brazil, Portugal, Spain, Germany, and Scotland, which were all pretty fun events. The 2007 Aloha Classic is not happening this year which is a real bummer, no one had the sponsorship to step it up and make it happen. This is a bummer but what can you do.

As for me I am back on the road home. I am in Glasgow at the moment and then to London, Los Angeles where I will do some wedding photography up in San Francisco. I am super stoked to go up there and get some more wedding shots in a different location than Maui. Cant wait. I will be heading up the Cali coastline looking for some good shots along the way. I am wondering if there is going to be any wind or waves this week, if so I might bring my gear as I have been sitting on my butt all week waiting for wind here in Scotland.

Sorry for the lack of posting this last week. I had the worst internet connection and was just too hard to sit through it all. Plus there was nothing really to report. Sitting around waiting for wind.. The story of every windsurfers life.. Man I cant wait to get back to Maui and go sailing.. Whoo hoo.. almost there..

Days of No wind

2007-10-11T00:45:00.000-10:00

Well we have been sitting around in Scotland with no internet, no wind, no waves, but beautiful weather. I got a couple of nice shots around here but not too many. Hopefully we will get some more nice weather to try and get a couple more good shots.

Bad Connection

2007-10-08T02:54:00.000-10:00

The connection here is so bad, it just gets frustrating to even try and go on the net. It seems to me like the people with the mac's seem to get connected but for me it just is on and off and not really working. I can find the signal but then it goes to limited or no connectivity.. pisses me off. I have tried to make it go manual but it just doesn't seem to work for me. SO that is why you don't find any updates.

So far it has been not too much wind. Today finally there is some wind but there is no waves. Kinda a bummer..The place here is pretty nice for some solitude but other than that I am ready to get this contest on with. Get some sailing in and get back to Maui.. Forecast is looking ok on Thursday and Friday but we will have to wait and see.

Scotland is Amazing!

2007-10-05T23:11:00.000-10:00

Well we made it to Scotland and it is absolutely beautiful. Rolling green hills, beautiful mountains, beaches, and sea! We flew from London Stansted to Glasgow Prestwick, got in our rental car, drove to Glasgow main airport where we met up with the event organizer to get some insite as to how we can get to where we were going and we were on our way. Drove for 3 hours to the ferry port where a couple other windsurfers were at and they waiting for the ferrry. We did however come accross a delima, all the windsurfers were up for camping in their car, we were in our rental car with a sweatshirt and the seats rolled back or pay $150 for 5 hours sleep and get up at 4:30 get on the ferry.. Of course if any of you know me, I opted for the cheap and hard way of sleeping in the car. It was actually brutal. We slept in the front seat of the car, it got freezing in the middle of the night, then got up at 5am to get the ferry, 5 hour ferry ride, had to sleep on the ferry as well, and was just a long trip. But we made it, got here, got an amazing place to stay, organized our equipment, and then went for a sail. We went to a place called the Maze which was pretty fun. It definately had it's moments and it was really nice to have wave sail which I havent really had since Brazil... and you guys thought that us Pro's just got to sail all the time. It has been almost three weeks since I had a proper wave ride, so it definaletly felt nice.

We are all sorted out now, we have a great place to live maybe the best place on the island. I will post some picts of the place when I get some of the place and the location. As for now i am just checking out the internet and if I can actually post anything.. So we will see.

Some shots for you

2007-10-03T21:38:00.000-10:00

Yesterday we went to the biggest shopping mall of Europe, Bluewater. Impressive but since I am from the good ole US of A I have seen malls like this one all the time.. Anyhow, now we are really on the way to Scotland so I thought I would post one more time before we go into the unknown..

Traveling

2007-10-02T21:30:00.000-10:00

Welll we have started our journey to Tiree. First a train for 5 hours, then a taxi, then a plane, and now in the UK for 2 more days before we get another train then car then boat to Tiree. Should be fun. We are staying with Robby Swift which is nice to get some time to get the laundry done and have some time to relax. You dont really know it but throughout that entire contest there is stress going on in your body. You are thinking or worring about the next race or wave heat, no matter what, even if there is no wind, you still need to be on hold and on your mind. So a couple days off is not all that bad.

Ok all for now. Not sure how the connection will be in Tiree so if you dont hear from me in a couple days you will know why.. I am on a small island off the coast of Scotland.

Racing is over for the year

2007-09-30T08:15:00.000-10:00

Pict by JC/PWA

Just finished with a pretty hectic day. I had probably one of the best races of the year with Bjorn and he just edged me out for the 3rd place. I had an amazing start right at the boat but just wasnt fast enough to out run the big boys from down low. I came into the mark in 3rd but Bernd Flessner rammed me at the gybe but we were both able to stay up and on it... But Bjorn snuck infront of me.. then off to the next gybe where I went inside of Bjorn and would have had an amazing pass but my foot got caught in the footstrap again.. I managed to get it out without crashing but couldn't make the pass stick. Going into the last mark I made another amazing gybe but it just wasnt enough to get around him. SO he beat me in the event by .3 of a point. Pretty close racing that is for sure.

In the end I finished 2nd overall in the racing for the year. Pretty stoked about that. Antoine did an amazing job this year and much respect for his season.

Tough Day

2007-09-28T06:31:00.000-10:00

Picts by Carter/PWA

Well they were supposed to start with the freestylers but it was too cold for them. They tried to start but no one would go out for their heat. Thats what I am talking about.. Let the sailors make the decision.. ha ha.. good for the freestylers.. they didnt want to compete in the shaky conditions so they didn't.. So we went racing.

And we didnt mess around. We started at 1030 on the button and didn't stop until three. Back to back for four rounds in a row. Was tough but was nice that we didnt have to stop and start in the chilly conditions. It was offshore from the right and was 22 to 28 knots of cold Sylt winds. I was on 7.6 and was powered, with my 101. I had good first round finishing in 3rd. The next one I went into the semi final and I was in qualifing position and my front foot got stuck in the front foostrap and just could not get it out. I had to crash to get my foot out. It was really annoying and pissed me off. So I didnt make it into the final. In the next round I went into the semi final and crashed again on a gybe but got up quickly enough to make it into the final again to finish third. In the last round of the day, it was blowing pretty good and they went for a half fleet race. So it was a semi final and a final and that was it. I made it through to the final and had a great start and finished in 2nd between Antoine. So all in all a good day for me.

You guys wanted to know about what it is like to prepare for this sort of racing. Well the night before the racing, I started thinking about what I needed to do. I made a mental note of where my gear was, where my race watch was, what sails I thougth that I needed to rig up, and what fins would go where. So once the morning hits, it is check the conditions to see what is going to happen, and start focusing on what the job at hand is. Today was a bit hectic for me cause I still dont have my bag with my fins or footstraps so I was running around trying to borrow stuff for my small board. I would have done it earlier but it is a pain to ask for everything unless you need it and I thought that we would be doing freestyle in the windy stuff.

Once you are out on the race course, you have to try to get your focus. Mentally today was tough for me because it was cold, choppy, windy, I was a bit in a rush, and it was hard conditions. I needed to get into the racing and focus on going fast. I needed to focus on the start and the gybes instead of thinking about what was happening with the weather or whatnot. So many things goes through my mind when I am out on the racing course, I really need to get it together and focus. It is also super choppy and cold and you are racing around and you forget to breathe. I had to remind myself, Breathe, Relax, Focus....

Not too bad of a day for me and currently in second place with 2 days left of the event. Looks like it should be lighter tomorrow. We will see.

A long day at the beach

2007-09-27T08:54:00.000-10:00

Well today kicked off at 7 in the morning with a nice fresh walk down to the beach.. Next announcement at 10am. Then from 10 till 6 on the beach on the edge waiting for the racing to happen. They tried at 5 to send out the racers, then they called it off, and then they did one race and it was the looser final of the first round. The wind was so bad that the guys were pumping for quite some time around the corners and just didn't make it look too exciting from the beach. They called it off after that.

Tomorrow is meant to be a dreadful day of freezing cold rain and wind. We will see. Maybe only the tough will survive?

Sunset Shots

2007-09-26T10:52:00.000-10:00

I guess Sylt isn't too bad!

A whole lot of Nothing!

2007-09-26T09:41:00.000-10:00

Wow, what a beautiful day here in Germany. Nice fall weather at it's finest. Today, I guess the highlight of my day was an autograph signing session at the NDR radio booth. Other than that, not too much to report. Had an amazing sunset here on Sylt.

Tomorrow's an early skippers meeting with a 7am meeting time. I hope I can get out of bed that early. Still no bag happening and I am in need of my racing fins. Chances are high that we will be doing some racing tomorow so it would be good to get them soon. I am loosing faith!

Wave Dayz... of waiting

2007-09-25T09:32:00.000-10:00

Today sat around all day waiting for wind. I think today the crew did a good job of being patient and trying there best to wait for the wave riders to get the right conditions. They managed to pull of a womens wave elimination which the women really needed to get a wave contest in as they only have done two other events so far for womens wave. Nyra Alonso was ripping it up and took the first position ahead of Iballa Moreno. The biggest suprise of the day was Steffi Whall taking out Diada Moreno. Moreno was so pissed off that she kicked the judges stand which sent her to the hospital for some stitches. Bad luck for her.

Anyhow, I wanted to show you guys some of the wave prototypes that you guys might be seeing in some production boards of the future.. The future looks like Twin Fins are here.. For how long I dont know but nearly every board brand has a rider on the twin fins. Here are a couple of the shots from around the beach. I hope you enjoy. Based on some of the feedback earlier from you guys saying that you were interested in EQ stuff so I figure I would fuel the fire.. Enjoy!

Boards For Sale in Germany

2007-09-23T23:12:00.000-10:00

Just wondering if anyone out there is looking for one of my racing boards in Europe. I have a 101 and a 122 for sale after the event. If you have any friends or anyone looking for the best Isonics you can get let me know. I might have some possible way of getting them to you somewere in Europe.