9ft at 23 Seconds

So this is how our Baja story came to an end: a huge swell came in and we had heaps of fun. 12 foot faces and a lot of carnage. The sets we made up of 8-12 waves - it was insane; there were enough waves for all of us to have at least one each per set.

Having looked back I guess we were pretty lucky with the conditions we got - this place is super special and I just hope we get it as good next time.

Baja, Sweet Baja

I have wanted to make the journey to Punta San Carlos since I first picked up a windsurfing magazine 9 years ago. Now that I am here I cannot believe that I didn't come sooner.

It is hard to describe this place. It is like a rugged desert but by the sea, warm by day out of the wind but cold at night. There is no civilization anywhere in sight, and the nearest shop is 2 hours away. The nearest hospital is 6 hours away.

The wave is a long right that goes on and on, turn after turn, slow and super soft. There are 3 breaks - one on the beach, one at the point, and then the Chilli Bowl further down wind. The wind is cross off, perfect for down the line sailing. The first couple of days we had a decent size swell, perfect to get used to the place. The fact that there are hardly any people here means that you can have all the waves you want, and a 2 hour session is exhausting as a result of all the waves you can get.

I'm just so happy to be here after such a long wait and the place is living up to everything I had hoped. Solo Sports have made the journey far more relaxing so that when I'm not on the water I can totally chill out.

There is a big swell due to come in the next couple of days - fingers crossed we will get some awesome.

Let it snow - Navarra North of Spain

Whilst spending the last few months working in the north of Spain I decided to make use of the fact that I was so close to the Pyranees; so I substituted windsurfing with snowboarding for a couple of months. It was super fun to cruise up the mountain every weekend, but it doesn't even come close to windsurfing. Mountain was just a temporary substitute for Ocean, and windsurfing is massively back on the agenda.

My Favourite Socks

Sounds completely random but after bumping into Nick at Hayling Island during the Fat Face Night Windsurf, I now have quite an affection for my socks. Nick is an Entrepreneur (sp?) who has started this business whereby he personalises socks. Basic, yet affective and they're only made out of the softest cotton ever. I have total and utter respect for anyone embarking on their own business, and this one's pretty fun and makes awesome presents so check it out -
www.myfavouritesocks.com

Big Salty

For UK Weather check out the recently launched Big Salty site www.bigsalty.co.uk (see link to the right). Made by windsurfers for windsurfers means you no longer have to search 5 different sites to get a reliable forecast.

Jericoacoara

I haven't really managed to get as much sailing as I wanted done this year, so I decided to head out to Jeri for 3 weeks before Christmas. Last time we came here was 4 and a half years ago and needless to say it's changed considerably. There is still wind, but it's super crowded on the water. Whatever, I'm not complaining, it's such a chilled way of life, you leave your kit on the beach, you don't have to drive anywhere and you can windsurf for 5 hours a day.

Thanks to Anna Persson for the pics.

Llangenith - after a 5 year wait

Getting a message from Savage saying the forecast was right for Llangenith was such a long awaited call. I'd wanted to sail there since living in Bristol but never managed to make it quite that far.

When we rocked up and caught our first sight of the sea through the sand dunes we kicked ourselves for net having been there sooner. The most amazing waves I had seen in months peeling across a long sandy beach, cross off shore wind, you know the rest - leg it to the car, rig up, and start the mammoth walk across the sand.

It was tricky getting out with light winds on the inside, but catching the first real wave I had been on since december eliminated every single negative thought. After about half an hour, however, the tide started coming in, and the waves started jacking up with hell's mouth-esque lips. So eventually we decided to cruise an hour down the coast to Porthcawl for a quick sail before the tide came in too far. Awesome day, love checking out new beaches (even if the tide ruins things).

As always ,- Chris, thanks for taking the pics - I'm amazed you could see anything through the lens based on the fact it was pissing it down.