Sunday 22 April 2012

Chile Video!

Here is a video of me and Stef in Chile. Footage was lacking a little as we only had 3 weeks and wanted to sail whenever the conditions were good, classic problem! I hope you enjoy it!


MPORA Action Sports

Windsurf 4 Cancer



Last year, Stef and I participated in the annual windsurf for cancer event at Llandegfedd reservoir, windsurfing from 8 until 8 and also setting ourselves the challenge of windsurfing the distance of the London Marathon. We raised over £300 for cancer charities and had an amazing day.

So this year, we thought we would raise money for the very important cause once again, challenging ourselves to teach a small group of non windsurfers to learn to windsurf and plane in one day! Not only is this a difficult challenge that is wind permitting, but it should also help some of our friends experience the adrenaline of planing in their first day (we hope!) and help them get hooked on windsurfing! We are raising money again for cancer charities through windsurf for cancer and hope you can support us and all the charities help through donating to: Our Just Giving Page. It is an extremely important event that is close to our hearts having lost two friends in the past year to cancer. Please help by donating or turning up and showing some support!

Back to reality with 7 second period swell...

I am now home from Chile and unfortunately regularly dissappointed with the English forecast having come from 12-20 second period swell to almost nothing here! I have still made the most of it though and went twice after work for small wave sessions at Bigbury, and surfed yesterday in onshore mush a Whitsands!

You may have seen our Chile article on Boardseeker, if not it is worth a read: HERE As the article has summarised most of our exploits I will leave you with a few photos which mostly speak for themselves!




























Tuesday 3 April 2012

Breakfast with a Chilean family

3 weeks have flown by and we now only have four days left, we leave on Saturday. It just isn't long enough when you are waiting for forecasts! Saying that, we have surfed or windsurfed nearly everyday, and luckily, our next three look awesome, with big waves and some wind. Hopefully we will get a good session at Topocalma, Matanzas and Pichilemu. The last few days have been ok, some wind came in the other night so we had a late windsurf at Churillos, but it wasn't quite enough with the rip. The next day we went to Topocalma for the third time, hoping to score a session this time. Well the wind died off again (I was wobbling on 58l and 4.2), and just as we were about to give up the wind built up to 3.4 weather, but really gusty and offshore, so it was really hard work. The tide was high so the waves were a little choppy, from head to logo. I could barely sail on 4.2 and got really tired quickly so I took a little footage of Stef. I was kind of frustrated with the wind but hopefully I will have a better session there tomorrow, its not the easiest place to sail.

The past couple of days we tried to surf, it has been spring tides and overhead, so I don't think it works that well here, everything was churny and rippy. We went early to Puertecillo this morning but on the way an old Chilean couple flagged us down and jumped in the car. We didn't really understand much but ended up driving them home. They then insisted we came into their wooden house with a mud built stove, sat us down and gave us bread, coffee and sweetcorn fritters. They asked if everyone in England was blonde and blue eyed and we said no, some are dark and some have orange hair-which they found hilarious! We were so full I could barely finish eating, but we had to out of poilteness. I was amazed at their kindness they showed us, giving us a lot when they seemed to have very little, even giving us bread they insisted we took for after surfing! We left and went to Puertecillo, so full and by then it was a bit rippy and onshore. We also gained a tiny cute kitten we had to return home!

The Castillo Flores family. Their house isn't actually the one in the picture, it is through the gap on the left under some fruit trees:

Matanzas rocks:

A nice swell coming in:


Puertecillo:

Navidad:

A lot of people work collecting tons of seaweed, piling really high on their trucks, wrapping it tightly and selling it to eat, I haven't tried it myself, it is a little strange!

Amazing BBQs:

Pisco Sour, the amazing local drink:

Trying to tuck into a barrel, but getting nailed by the lip as I didn't get low enough!

View of Puertecillo drive down: