by Amber, aka Defi Diva
just one more post and the adventure is over – savor the moment…… and in case you still need assistance pronouncing “diva” (click the link!) … ed.
The next day Els and Bart left early on their eleven hour journey home. We talked and plotted our next Defi before they left. I was as usual eager to come back and try again. Chris was too, but he confessed that it might be a couple of years as he would need to save up his pennies again. What? Isn’t that what credit cards are for? What if the Tramontane blows again next year and we aren’t here?!!! But of course… that would potentially always be the case. Bart mentioned that we should look into flying direct to Belgium next time instead. That way it would be a single flight without changes. We could even help him drive, and of course we could sample some of Belgium’s finer sailing spots (and beer).
After our goodbyes were said Chris and I again wandered, I have to admit rather leisurely, back to the DEFI Beach. Out of shear boredom I rigged a 6.5 on Chris’s board and tried to go out and bounce around in the waves, and that is exactly what I did, bounce. Until that is, I turned green and felt as if my morning pain du chocolate was about to revisit me. See, one of the reasons I enjoy flat water slalom sailing so much is that … well… I get sea sick. I blame my genes as both my brother and I will run for a bucket even at the sight of a swing set. But as nothing was scheduled for the rest of the day I figured I would have time to recover before the evening’s festivities and feast. And besides, after my crazy diet of Camembert and baguettes… I needed an alternate diet plan… In the end, thankfully, nothing came of it. I stood in the waves holding the sail up, waiting for the slightest puff of breeze and alas there was nothing… nothing at all. So I sloshed back to the beach, where Chris stood nonjudgementally (even though he told me it was not going to amount to anything) but still smiled at my lame attempt. I was desperate… what can I say?
That evening was the DEFI mussel feast. While it has been previously noted that the Diva does enjoy muscles, it should be quite clear that she does not enjoy mussels. So endeavoring to show good spirit and team camaraderie, Chris took up battle stations at the food line to make up for the lack of effort on my part. After five piled servings of mussels and copious amounts of free beer, he finally acquiesced and conceded defeat. It had been a gallant gesture on his behalf! A sacrifice among sacrifices! Way to take one for the team!
After dinner Philippe Bru took the stage and made an unprecedented (but not unexpected) announcement. The DEFI would be ending one day early. The rest of the evening was spent enjoying the music as well as watching some amazing windsurfing footage and stories. The most impressive included the account of two gentlemen that had windsurfed over vast distances on an island hop adventure. In a few cases they had spent 6-8 hours on a single tack!!! My hands and body just hurt with the thought, not to mention the aforementioned wave related nausea. But still how could you not be in awe and completely impressed with the feat! (closing party video and Defi Wind final video).
The next day poured rain and we spent the morning repacking our gear for the long journey home. Chris had brought copious amounts of packing tape, and with the extra noodles and bubble wrap available now that I was down one board we made extra sure to pad what remained exceptionally well. After we finished with the gear, Chris and I decided to drive over to Montpellier for some sight seeing and an evening dinner. A beautiful city, but eerily quiet in the rain. After a couple hours of exploring we found a small restaurant tucked away in the winding streets near the Palace de Comedie, and enjoyed one of the best meals of our trip. Chris decided to take the long way home, weaving in and out of little beach towns, and taking several opportunities to do some of the roundabouts multiple times. Bleh! Next time I will need to reconsider that, “I’ll Drive” offer…
did you enjoy the links? write a comment! ed.
