by Mike McCormick
On Sunday July 1st BABA teamed up with several other sponsors to hold the 6th Mayo Beach Fun Fest. July weather was out in full force with tons of sun, temps in the very high 80’s and a light southerly breeze. Everyone was looking for shade and we all couldn’t wait to jump in the water.
Offering Taste of Windsurfing lessons is a big part of this annual event. It is always fun to share in the excitement of the 18 windsurfing recruits as they completed new skills – up-hauling, 180 turns, sailing position and sailing away. Their confidence in practicing these skills on land quickly transitions into a big challenge – balancing on the board that is moving all around in the moderate chop, raising the sail that has a lot of water on it, and finally grabbing the booms and sailing. Big cheers go up as new windsurfers meet the challenge by balancing on the board through all of these moves and sailing forward and away from the group. Extra credit is a graceful turn and exit from the board before hitting the beach or another group.
East of Maui (EOM) joined us again this year offering Standup Paddle (SUP) board quick lessons and free demonstrations. The demo boards were in constant use with a lot of people trying out the equipment and this rapidly expanding water sport. Mark Bandy from EOM also had a windsurfing foil setup, which a few people tried in the very light wind.
BABA and Outdoor Architects provided food and drink for the event giving the 80-some Fun Fest participants a chance to cool down in the shaded picnic area of Mayo Beach 3 and to connect with long time BABA friends and to meet new people from all over Maryland, Virginia, Delaware, Pennsylvania and North Carolina.
This year we had over 77 Fun Fest registrants and drop-ins with 19 people participating in Taste of Windsurfing. Most of whom went into the water We were happy to meet a lot of new water sport enthusiasts from all over the world!
Thanks to all of our co-sponsors who made this event possible:
- Outdoor Architects http://www.outdoorarchitects.com/landscape/default.aspx
- East of Maui http://www.eastofmauiboardshop.com/
- Baltimore Area Boardsailing Association http://www.windsurfbaba.org/
- In Partnership with – Anne Arundel County Recreation and Parks.
And thanks to all of the BABA members who volunteered to set up, handle registration, feed us, mix up lots of lemonade and ice tea, provide Taste of Windsurfing instruction and in-the-water mentoring … in short make it all happen. A special thanks to Daphne Lathouras and Mark Sarrasin who led Taste of Windsurfing instruction and to Warren Evans our gear wrangler who made sure all of the gear was rigged and ready. All of the volunteers are listed below:
- Food and drink shopping & registration – Ann Jackson & Maureen Pritchard
- Taste of Windsurfing Land Lesson Instructors – Daphne Lathouras, Mark Sarrasin, Stuart Gray & Janice Emerling
- Taste of Windsurfing Gear Captain – Warren Evans
- Taste of Windsurfing Gear & Riggers – Daphne Lathouras, Mark Sarrasin, Janice Emerling, Stuart Gray, Steve Uhtoff, Christophe Waerzeggers, Helen Van Gelder, Feng Jin, Keith Wing, Bruce Doll
- Taste of Windsurfing – in the water mentors – Janice Emerling, Coby Leyden, Helen Van Gelder, Keith Wing, Stuart Gray, Pancham Patel, Mike McCormick
- Setup, Lunch and Cleanup – Maureen & Albert Pritchard, Ann Jackson, Janice Emerling, Mark Storch, Steve Uhtoff, Bruce Doll, Gordon Wells, Alice Mascette
- Promotion and SignUp – Mike McCormick
My wife Ann and I moved to Annapolis in 1991 having caught the windsurfing bug in central PA where the only sail-able water was at state parks with human-made lakes, which were drained in late September for flood prevention. We were over-the-moon ecstatic with all of the water in Maryland and when we found a relatively new group – the Baltimore Area Boardsailing Association – that provided races, trips and comradery. And BABA is still doing it some 27 years later!
It is always fun to get together with BABA friends and to share our fun sport with new enthusiasts.
