Uncategorized – Page 5

by BABA News - May 15, 2013

Defi Diva – #803

by Amber, aka Defi Diva

I was back to #43 Bungalow again before noon, and having completed my main objective for the day I decided to rent a bike and take in the French country side in a more leisurely manner. I ended up riding my bike along the very well established bike paths back toward the city. The paths were for the most part dedicated for bike and pedestrian traffic, making for a very safe and easy ride. I went back to visit the afore mentioned “city center”, “ruins”, “castle”, “canal”, etc, but this time I took the time to stop and enjoyed them. My meanderings took me along picturesque flower strewn vineyards into the city where historic buildings edged small narrow streets. I road around the ancient castle that over looked the small town and over to the canal. I followed the canal again down to the race venue, only simply to enjoy the ride, then turned around and followed water front back through the city. The city water front is lined with restaurants, bars, shops, and apartments. I dodged
people and their dogs at every turn. It was a beautiful day and everyone was out enjoying it.

On the ride back to #43 Bungalow I found another grocery store and stocked up with a few more essentials before returning home. Camembert cheese for 1.30 euro!! Ohh! La! La! (Luckily I had thrown in my BABA canvas bag at the last minute, it proved essential for shlepping my cheese and breads as well as various windsurfing accoutrements.) I finally got back to #43 Bungalow later that evening and sat out on my porch to enjoy the “spoils” from my day’s adventure. The Greek yogurt was to die for. I made a sandwich from the fresh bread, thick in cheese and tomato. (Swoon!) And then I topped it off with a bowl of French Corn Flakes, only because the whole milk I bought was so delicious it was like having desert. I went to bed late that night with a full belly and looking forward to breakfast.

by BABA News - May 14, 2013

Defi Diva – “Lake”, “Castle”, “Canal”, “Ruins”, … Not in That Order

by Amber, aka Defi Diva

I woke up the next morning in my #43 Bungalow to bright sunshine streaming through my open window, and a mosquito buzzing in my ear. I covered my head with the blanket in hopes that he (or I guess “she”) would go away. It was 8 am. I had slept the clock around and still wasn’t sure I wanted to get up. The mosquito’s insistence in finding available skin for breakfast however soon convinced me otherwise. In fact, I was hungry and ready to have my own breakfast. The night before I stopped at the little store just out side the camp and bought a huge box of French Corn Flakes that would put Costco to shame (apparently the French like their Corn Flakes), some milk, and a few other tidbits. I fixed my breakfast and settled down out on the little porch to ponder my day ahead.

It was promising to be a picture perfect French spring day, bright sunshine, perfect temperature, and …. no wind. I had given myself an extra day in my itinerary up front to explore the area and hopefully find where exactly this race of some 800 windsurfers could be found. I also thought it might be good to give the waters a test ride, however with absolutely zero wind and none forecasted for the next day or two testing the waters was “right out”. I wasn’t exactly keen on driving the Thingy any more than I had to as it was unwieldy to maneuver in small spaces and everything around me seemed small. (Where is a Walmart parking lot when you need one?!! ) But the problem was that I had no idea where anything was or in what direction I should travel to find the site.

by BABA News - May 13, 2013

Defi Diva – Obstacles

by Amber, aka Defi Diva

Luckily the military had trained me well when during my first deployment to Iraq I was unceremoniously dumped on the tarmac in Kuwait with 6 military bags and a weapons case.

“Ma’am, you’ll need to check in at the terminal headquarters about a quarter mile down the road.”
“What about my gear?”
“…Yes Ma’am, you’ll need to check that in as well…”

So my quarter mile turned into about 3 by the time I arduously leapfrogged my bags to the terminal. I think they call these relived war stories “flashbacks”. And I indeed was having them at the Toulouse Airport.

After having sorted out my car rental and offering my house, 401K, and all my gold jewelry up for collateral to Hertz, I had found my luggage and began pondering the movement of it. The luggage came into the main conveyor system and was easy enough to throw on one of those luggage carts they have at the airport. The next stop took me to the oversized luggage conveyor and when I finally found it I was elated to see my three wonderful bags sitting there waiting for me. They made it!!!! The relief washed over me. It was like I found my long lost dog. I wanted to rush up and give them all great big hugs. But in respect for public decorum, I refrained and offered them a little pat and smile instead.

by BABA News - May 8, 2013

Defi Diva – In the Beginning

by Amber K

The first of a couple, or perhaps a few, but definitely not more than a some.

Everyone seems to want to hear about this little adventure I’m on. So while I don’t “blog” or “facebook” (yes, little Johnny, that is right I don’t have a facebook account…nor do I want one) I figured I would do this the story the “old fashioned way”… gasp! EMAIL… well ok, so maybe in real live print would be even better, but I’m having problems finding groceries so post offices are right out for the moment. Besides I don’t think I have enough euros to post a potential demi-tome to all of BABA’s members…(“Did she say demi-tome, Alice?!” yup break out the wine and reading glasses, I’m sure this will be excellent evening pre-bed read.)

by beckman12 - May 6, 2013

My Visit To the Texas Coast and Windsurfing at Bird Island Basin and Rockport

In early April, I windsurfed Bird Island Basin on the Laguna Madre, North Padre Island, 10 miles south of Corpus Christi, TX. I also took a jibing lesson from Randy at Worldwinds Windsurfing. I have windsurfed here several times. I have dealt with Don, Angela, and Randy at Worldwinds. They have a homey hut shop next to the water. I told Randy, “When I get that carving jibe, I’m going to call you.” It’s all in the head, the procedure, the feet moves, the hand moves, the sail flip. I can feel it coming soon. Every minute on the water is a good minute. The Laguna is a hyper saline lagoon, so when you get a gulp, you feel like you have just gargled with super strength salt water. So keep your mouth closed as you go down! It is a beautiful place, and Worldwinds has great equipment to rent.

by rogerfitzgerald - April 29, 2013

Avon Sailing 2013

Early April in Avon was windy once again, with sailing six out of seven days, including three days on 4.7’s. The week started off with 4.7 winds on Saturday when we all arrived at Island Thunder at about noon and wasted no time getting on the water. Saturday was cool with 5/3 suits and drysuits worn by most, after the light wind SUP/hike/rest day on Sunday the wind shifted to the Southwest for Monday through Thursday. Many sailors wore shorties and there was even one refugee from Canada spotted on Friday sailing in her bikini bottom with a wetsuit top. I suppose 62 degree water feels warm when you have driven from snowy Canada. Peak SW winds were Wednesday afternoon with the 4.7 and small kites (8 and 9 meters) getting a workout. Friday started with some wind and mid-day rain, some of the more eager sailors were out on 6.5’s and 7’s in the morning, but in our house we waited for the afternoon clearing. We started on big kites and 6.5/5.9 as the rain moved out. By the time the wind built into the evening we ended on 4.7’s once again, a perfect end to a great week. Saturday morning was windy from the NE but we packed up and moved out fairly early. This is at least the seventh consecutive year of five or more sailing days in early April. Part of that is just good luck but it also seems to be a time when the weather patterns are changing and the result is lots of wind. There are always plenty of empty houses available that time of year. There were several Island Creek houses available so we used the extra driveways for parking since Island Thunder has limited spots. Ocean Air and all the shops were open, traffic was light, and there were always some kiters and sailors on the water but never a crowd.

by BABA News - March 29, 2013

BABA Season Kick-Off Party

by Mike McCormick, BABA Chair

If you missed the BABA Season Opener party on March 16^th, you didn’t miss any action on the water. The day was gray and calm with just the slightest hint of spring approaching. No one got their gear or themselves wet in the Severn River that day. We’ll all be doing that real soon!

If you missed the BABA Season Opener party, you did miss a great time reconnecting with friends. About 40 folks showed up to kick-off the season. Everyone shared home prepared and “bought-along-the way” treats and beverages. My personal favorite was Jack Ames’ pecan pie – my timing was off and I only got one piece – can’t wait until next year.

It was fun remembering the many windsurfing highlights of 2012. We had two great Hatteras trips and mother nature spared us the nail-biting travels we had in fall 2011. We were fortunate to get good wind for a number of our race series events and we had a good turn-out for the East Coast Championship – I want to try Myles Borash’s new board! (ed note: for those of you who didn’t see him at the BABA ECC last fall, Myles was riding an Exocet D2).

2012 was especially exciting for all of us as we watched BABA member Farrah Hall represent the US on the Olympic sailing team. It was a special treat to welcome Farrah home at an East of Maui party, to hear about the competition and to give her the first ever life-time BABA membership. The decision to keep windsurfing in the 2016 olympic games in Rio was welcome news. Many of us had written letters asking that the kiting decision be overturned and it turned out that “Windsurfing will not be cancelled”.

Farrah at the start of Race 7 in the 2012 Olympic Games.

Daphne and Mike present Farrah with a life-time BABA membership.

Windsurfing Will Not Be Cancelled. Official BABA East Coast Championships slogan.

A final highlight of the year was a BABA first – the Watersports Fun Fest held at Mayo beach and jointly sponsored with AACo Recreation and Parks, East of Maui and Outdoor Architects. The 75+ friends and family who showed up definitely had fun – most everyone got a SUP demo and around 20 people got a “taste of windsurfing” lesson. We will be doing this again in 2013 on July 14^th.

The Season Opener party was also a time to thank some special people. Tom Sargent was awarded the Pat Pugh Service Award for his many years as race director keeping the spirit alive and as a windsurfing instructor spreading the spirit to young people. Chuck Schnee was also recognized for his early years at the BABA helm teaching us how to find the right balance of organization and fun as BABA grew. And finally, we all need to thank those members who volunteer to keep all of the BABA activities that we enjoy afloat year after year.

Our goal for the new year is to “share the work and spread the fun”. See you on the water soon.

picture of party attendees — Afi, Ariel, Coby, Chris and Eugene

Becky, Mike, Eugene and the Belogay girls.

by BABA News - March 26, 2013

ABK Boardsports – New BABA Sponsor

When I started windsurfing I took 3 ABK camps in quick succession, and that gave me a great foundation. Over the years I’ve done a few lessons or short clinics here and there, but nothing as thorough as ABK camps. I think lots of windsurfers are like me – we get a solid foundation and get comfortable with our skills and don’t think anything about taking an intensive clinic again.

It had been 15 years since Steve and I took an ABK Clinic. I jokingly referred to our trip to Bonaire in 1998 as our prenuptial agreement, since I started windsurfing before I met Steve and he had some catching up to do. This winter I revisited ABK Bonaire along with Janice Emerling and her cohort of Chicago friends (her Caribbean windsurfing buddies going back many years). It was great to work with Andy Brandt again, and his instructors Brendan Quinn and Derek Rijff really know their stuff. It’s amazing how they can break down every windsurfing move into understandable pieces, and how they can offer constructive critiques on body position tweaks that can make all the difference in completing a move. Even when Andy and Brendan were busy talking to other students about their technique issues on the water they could see me sailing in for critique and pick up on seemingly minor missteps that lead to improvements all around. They have unbelievable passion and enthusiasm for teaching windsurfing.

Taking an ABK clinic in Bonaire was a great way to get the most value out of a Caribbean trip because we worked hard every day. And even if you don’t score ideal planing conditions during a clinic the ABK team has lots of moves to teach everyone. I was a little disappointed that it was too windy for some beginner freestyle time on the water because I was so stoked watching the advanced freestylers hone their craft.

I heartily welcome ABK as a BABA Sponor. Thank you Coby for starting the conversation with Andy last fall. I encourage everyone to jump on the ABK bandwagon and take your first clinic, or your 5th, or your 10th. ABK will be in Dewey September 27 – 29. They have lots of other camps between now and then, including August in Bonaire, and spring and fall options in Hatteras. Check out their website for the full schedule. Time at an ABK Clinic pays huge dividends.

ABK generously donated tuition for a clinic to BABA. The drawing was held at the Season Opener Party on March 16. All BABA families (one entry per membership) who had renewed their membership by the party were included in the drawing. Long-time BABA member Roger Fitzgerald won. Congratulations Roger!

http://abkboardsports.com

by BABA News - March 26, 2013

Thank You Sponsors

Our friends in the windsurfing industry were very generous with their sponsorship again this year. We had fun with the name-drawing at the Season Kick-Off Party a couple of weeks ago. The big winner for the event was longtime BABA member Roger Fitzgerald. Roger’s name was drawn from among all the BABA members who have renewed for 2013 and he won the free ABK Camp. He tells us that he’ll be sending his teenage daughter to ABK camp to hone her windsurfing skills. Roger is making a shrewd investment in the future of our sport by giving his daughter the best possible windsurfing instruction available. Having just completed an ABK camp myself (after my 15 year camp hiatus) I know that she’ll learn a lot and have a great time in the process. We look forward to her report!

BABA member Dave Iseri is serving as Sponsorship Coordinator and he did a great job securing lots of products and gift certificates to help BABA promote our sport. Thank you to (in no particular order) Dakine, Chinook, East of Maui Annapolis, Wind NC, Avon Sail House, Delmarva Board Sports Adventures, US Windsurfing (go get a membership!), Ezzy Sails, ABK Boardsports (take a clinic!), Aerotech Sails, Maui Fin Company, WaterStarter, East UpHaul, Windsport Magazine (subscribe before we lose them too!) and Ocean Air Sports. Lots of goodies found their way to new homes. If you won something please remember to thank the sponsor. And remember all of our sponsors when you’re shopping for gear. You can find links to all of our sponsors’ webpages on the SPONSOR tab above.