Sunday 20 November 2011

New Eyes!

Wow-I can see amazingly! I've had my surgery, and my eyes are now 20:20 in my right and better in my left! Absolutely incredible! I had it done at Centre for Sight in Kent, so a bit of a trek from Plymouth. They gave me a sedative before to calm me down and some anaesthetic eye drops, and luckily some happy squeezy balls to squeeze while I was having it done! The worst part was the rings they push into your eyes to hold them open while they are lasered-there is quite a lot of pressure and its pretty uncomfortable. I couldn't feel the laser at all though, just a faint smell of burning eye, nice! It also worryingly sounded like a tattoo pen! The process was over in 5-10 minutes though and then I got given some funky goggles which I have to wear for a month in bed and for the first 24 hours to stop me rubbing my eyes and disloging the flap they had cut. I have lots of drops to put in and can't go in the water for a month, so this weekend I took photos of Stef and Doug surfing at Whitsands:

Stef:

Doug:


A bodyboarder:


My sisters came and visited for the weekend too which was really good, so we ended up playing around with funny photos on the beach!





Tuesday 8 November 2011

News, Polzeath and Laser eye surgery...

After the Gwithian event, a guy called Sam Fleet has made it his personal mission to get me as much publicity as possible! Its good for me but even better for the sport-windsurfing is not very well known, so the more it is put out there the more people will find out what its all about! So I had my radio interview, have been in a couple of local papers, and also had my first ever BBC news article on their site! Thanks Sam!



I also went to an XSWA event at Polzeath, where about 50 x-students gathered to do our own Aussie Kiss and celebrate the SWA. Awesome party and some nice clean but small surfing at Polzeath. Rob Nunan's photo of me catching a small wave:



Finally-I am having my eyes lasered on Friday! So things will be a bit quiet as I have to have 4 weeks off the water, after which I think it is time to go skiing! yay!

Tuesday 1 November 2011

Oh, and another thing-I'm on the Radio!!

Quick one: I am on BBC radio Devon tomorrow morning at 0630, early I know but I start work at 0730! Its with Gordon Sparks. Tune into 103.4 FM or 95.7 FM if you want to listen to me chat about windsurfing!

UK Wave Champion 2011!

Lots to report! So having not windsurfed for a while due to wind not coinciding with time of work, and getting a black eye from hitting my cheekbone with my surfboard pretty hard, I finally got a couple of really good windsurf sessions in!

First, at Aussie Kiss last weekend, a massive 500+ strong student crowd that gathers every year in Bude Holiday park and Roadford Reservoir. I spent Saturday at the lake holding a girls windsurf chat for FLOW with Jo Wright and Kirsty OCallaghan. There were about 25 girls, and I managed to convince one girl (Katarina) to do her first BWA comp at Gwithian last weekend! Success! We partied hard at the X-rated party then headed to Widemouth on Sunday in the SE winds and got 5 hours of gusty cross-off sailing and surfing in, it was pretty fun! We were exhausted afterwards!



Second windsurf: BWA Cornwall. There were a record amount of entrants, especially girls! 13 entered, with some convincing from Amy Carter in the pub on Friday! This is the most I have ever seen at a competition-in fact this is the same amount as was in PWA Gran Canaria this year! Conditions were good-cross off 4.2 weather with head to mast high waves at the end of the day. Unfortunately low tide brought some dumpy waves midday, but either side the riding was great. I had a bi on my first heat so only had two more heats and ended up coming 2nd to Lucy Robson-well done Lucy! I did well in my first heat but the second got windier and I was a bit overpowered on the wave, but it was fun all the same and great to see so many women into wavesailing! We went to the monsters ball on Saturday night then Sunday brought big waves but no wind. Thanks to Puravida, Franklin and Marshall and all the other sponsors and organisers!

All pics from Globalshots' Jay Haysey:
Gwithian BWA event:


The only windsurf shot of me I can find!


1st Lucy Robson, 2nd myself and 3rd Jo Wright:


Globalshots pics of a Franklin and Marshall sponsor shot! Pretty funny!


Firefly Energy Drinks sponsor:


The Chocolate Brownie Company sponsor, YUMMY!


So with a second in this event and first place in Ireland and Wales, it makes me Female UK Wave Champion 2011! I am very happy as I have trained hard this year!