November gets off to a Windy start too! Big Love to the South Wales Windsurfing Scene

What another amazing weekend! Admittedly Saturday was a little too much; windier than the supposed "storm" last week, and so I was left battling on the same size kit as my 90kg friends! But having had my leaving party the night before, a good dunking certainly sorted my head out.

Sunday was all time Rock Garden conditions. Unfortunately I made a massive error of rigging way too big; something i'm usually good at avoiding. And for anyone who has sailed here, by the time you clamber over all the rocks to get out, re-rigging isn't high on your agenda....aka, I was very lazy.
Luckily I managed to catch the lulls on a few waves and had an absolute blast! Still messing around with the go pro trying to figure out best angle, perhaps time to invest in a mast mount?
Check out the photo with the double rainbow!

Epic October in the UK

Usually it feels like it's windy during the week, and nothing at the weekend; stopping all working people from ever getting on the water. Even more of a challenge now that the evenings are getting darker and darker.
However, the last couple of weeks in the UK have been amazing.

Last Friday we got down to Cornwall to see amazing head high plus sets rolling in to Perran Sands. I had never been here before (which amazed me in itself), and I guess the dramatic cliff route down to water keeps a lot of people away.

Perran Sands

After a little paddle we were in the pub drinking cider by 8 surrounded with good friends.
We weren't aware of just how good the surf would be in the morning....so perhaps had one too many!

Saturday morning surf was even better! I have never surfed Polzeath so clean and fun; it didn't last more than a couple of hours until the tide and wind killed it, but that was enough to be stoked for the rest of the day. It is a well known fact that the quality of the conditions the next day are directly proportional to the amount of fun had the night before. Saturday night was a little raucous so we knew sunday would be epic! A little bleary eyed we headed to Gwithian, where the swell had dropped in size but the wind came through. Bearing in mind I sail port tack about twice a year I was fine with small waves whilst learning how to windsurf all over again!

This weekend we drove to South Wales, and I have been reminded of why the UK is such a fantastic place to live. This little guy cracked me right up en route to Horton:

We had an unexpectedly fun windsurf, cross on, small waves, and super warm! It's nearly november and it's still warm!

Sunday was the the beginning of the storm - the infamous storm on every news channel going.
My aim was to sail early before it all went a bit too crazy. I have never really seen Weston with waves, cross on port tack and tons of fun. I kind of learnt how to jump on port tack....finally, and the sun even came out.

Aside from missing the UK I also remembered how much I love my kit!! Quatro boards and Goya sails are the perfect combination for any aspiring wave sailor. My board turns seemlessly, my sails never feel too big, and even when I "should" be overpowered they just let the gusts out and I can keep on going. I haven't had anyone try my kit and not convert....yet. So if you see me at the beach next time, you're more than welcome to test it out :)

Baja Quatro Desert Showdown AWT 2013

I just got home from another amazing trip, this time to the AWT in Baja Mexico for the 2013 Desert Showdown Wave event. Going back to Baja almost feels like a second home to me now. It’s where I did most of my windsurfing when I was living in San Diego, so returning to the hospitality of Solo Sports is always pretty comforting.
It had been 2 years since I was last there for the 2011 AWT event and to be honest, having windsurfed twice since February, the reasons I wanted to go were to windsurf, but also to hang out with some awesome friends who I haven’t seen in a while. This competition is unlike any other, it has such a family vibe; everyone camps in close proximity so jokes are all shared, nothing is kept secret!
A few days before jumping on the plane the long range forecast showed a south swell of 3-4 foot at 18 seconds, in Baja this often materialises into logo to mast high walls of joy. I didn’t want to get too excited just in case it didn’t come through, but it did, and it was epic. We arrived just before the forecast hit, we were there as it started to pulse through with long gaps in between the sets, and we were there for the peak of the swell where every 10 minutes there came 4-7 wave sets of logo to mast high curling into the point.
I’m sure I must have written something similar to all of this 2 years ago, but it doesn’t get old, and I get equally as excited every single time I’m lucky enough to be back. Rolling out of the tent in the morning to face the Pacific as the sun rises, having breakfast whilst watching the glassy waves turn into texture as the wind picks up. Rigging up surrounded by some of the best windsurfers on the planet, and then being able to sail out and catch some amazing peeling beautiful waves, it doesn’t get old, I don’t think it ever will, and I will never take it for granted.

I’m not going to re-write a day by day account of the event, I already did this for boardseeker and you can find it within the following links:

http://www.boardseekermag.com/news/awt-baja-the-arrival/
http://www.boardseekermag.com/news/awt-logo-high-and-glassy/
http://www.boardseekermag.com/news/awt-day-three-goes-off/
http://www.boardseekermag.com/news/awt-the-final-showdown-camille-rules-the-desert/

Instead I just wanted to write how thankful I am to have such wonderful and fun people in my life. I also feel super lucky to be able to take part in the contest; being back with the AWT crew who all do this professionally (and full time) re-energised me. We all make choices in life, and whilst I made a choice not to windsurf full time I feel truly blessed to still be able to spend time and compete alongside those who do. They continue to inspire me and remind me why I love this sport. There is a healthy number of women now dedicating their lives to windsurfing and as a result the standard has massively gone up in the last 2-3 years. I got to meet Fiona Wylde, Sarah Delaunay, and Kate Barker during this trip for the first time, all of whom I loved getting to know and had a blast hanging out with. Miss Bittner, as usual, did an incredible job of pulling off another fantastic event AND found time to compete too! I finished 4th in the Womens, and also competed in the Mens Ams finishing equal 9th.

Photo Kevin Pritchard

On the water highlights for me were sailing heats at the point with only 2 or 3 other people, hearing the crowd cheering from the cliff, catching some decent sized waves and watching everyone else kill it.

Off the water laughs....there were too many to mention all of them, but Bittner re-conditioning her iPhone down the outhouse certainly ranks near the top. We even managed to laugh the whole way through the 4 hour border crossing thanks to Darin, Chris, and Pete - thanks for making the most mundane 3 miles highly entertaining.

Kevin Pritchard once again not only competed but managed to juggle taking still shots and also filming. I can’t wait to see the final official event video for 2013; Kevin’s videos are always so awesome. Until Kevin posts the video I'm just going to share again the video from the last AWT event I was at: http://vimeo.com/27459461


Andre and his family were in our thoughts the last 2 days as we heard the tragic news, and Sam rightly dedicated this event to him. His legacy will live on with everyone he spent time with during his precious years. He was taken far too soon but will forever be in our thoughts. Just like this photo from Jeri, your energy is infectious and inspires us all in your wake.....

WINDSURF KIT FOR SALE!!

Willing to consider offers because I need to shift it asap....I don't want this poor kit sat here being uneglected collecting dust for any longer! Please e mail me for more info or pics, or to make an offer tanyak297@yahoo.co.uk


2012 JP twinser quad 68 litre - ₤680
In amazing condition, abosultely no repairs or anything. This is a great board, sick for wave riding and really light for jumping

2012 Neil pryde Fly2 4.8 in pink/blue - £300
Used less than 10 times, no repairs or damage. The Fly 2's are a really versatile sail easy to use and they feel great.

2011 Neil pryde Fly2 4.2 and 3.6 in green - £240 & £220
Good condition, no repairs, great sails (as above)

Naish Aeromax mast 430cm 75% carbon - £40
This was only ever used a few times, it's a regular diameter at the bottom which tapers into a skinny at boom height. So you can use your old extentions but get the benefits of a skinny.

The Marshall Islands

Back safely and in 1 piece! It really was such an amazing trip, there is too much to mention and I'm still a bit overwhelemed thinking about it. We crossed the Ocean and didn't see land for over 15 hours. We surfed endlessly for 2 weeks with only us and no one else around. The water was crystal clear, we fished, we swam, messed around, but most importantly we laughed. We laughed so much and non stop, so more than anything I'm honored to have spent the end of 2012 with such an awesome group of people in such an un-real place. The new kit was amazing, I used a Quatro LS 78 litre and even on the logo high sets I felt like the board had so much control and I could really trust it. Combined with a 4.7 Banzai and the whole set up was unreal!! Will definitely write more specifics in the next few weeks but in the meantime here's a few pics :) HAPPY 2013 to ALL