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Posted: November 10th, 2009, 10:05pm CET
Here is a selection of music that was recorded in Radley bedroom studios many moons ago!
Andys old rock songs by
Andy Radley
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Posted: November 7th, 2009, 4:04pm CET
Reds Keys -1997
Russian Roulette -1993
South Beach
Darth Vader
Here we Go
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Posted: October 11th, 2009, 8:40pm CEST
Sunday 11th October
Its been a month since I posted last. I haven't sailed too much either. Maybe five times in four weeks. I was sick for a couple of weeks. The van is off the road at the moment for repairs and I'm getting home later due to the rail bridge rebuild at Malahide. Anyway I sailed today with Tom at the Burrow. We managed to sail for three hours, Tom on a 5.3 and myself on a 6.1 ,the only sail I brought with me as Tom offered the lift for me and the gear and there wasn't much wind forecast anyway. Lewis and Ryan were out and over fifty kite surfers so there was a nice buzz to the session. Its been a while since I rigged a 6.1 and the rig did feel big today. Still good to get out. Thanks Tom for the lift, even if you do drive on the wrong side of the road somtimes!
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Posted: September 13th, 2009, 12:48am CEST
Saturday 11th September
Looks like the summer is back for a while. I sailed a light wind session at Malahide today. Practised some duck tacks and switch upwind 360s among other moves. Forgot to bring a drink. If only I had a can of Solo!
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Posted: September 9th, 2009, 8:07pm CEST
Wednesday 9th September
Back to work or should I say school. I have been busy last week getting back into the routine of getting up early for work. It didn't help that the bridge at Malahide collapsed and I cant get a train directly into town. Anyway between work and bloggers block I have been slow to post anything over the last two weeks. Think I needed a little break from all things windsurfing. I did sail today at Malahide. The wind was light but the sun was out and I could not resist a dip in the soup. The picture above shows the bridge before it caved in!
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Posted: August 29th, 2009, 9:21pm CEST
Saturday 29th August
I had a couple of enjoyable sessions windsurfing this week. Dollymount was fun on Thursday. I seem to be making some progress in the waves now. Finding the best route out and jumping angles etc. With the strong westerly winds on the estuary yesterday I managed a quick blast on my 68l twinser. Looks like light wind tomorrow so its back to the sail throwing freestyle at Malahide.
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Posted: August 26th, 2009, 2:44pm CEST
Wednesday 26th August
Got back from Bulgaria yesterday. My parents were celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary and so we all went on holiday together. I didn't get to do any windsurfing while there but did enjoy the sun, sea, food and company. The cool little fella in the picture above is a 4"
praying mantis that was resting on our balcony wall on Sunday morning. Anyway when I got home yesterday I went for a light wind session at the estuary. You can't beat cold water for getting rid of jet lag!
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Posted: August 16th, 2009, 9:46pm CEST
Sunday 16th August
Another good day on the estuary today. Rigged a 5.6 but I should have rigged smaller as there was some big gusts coming through. Oisin rigged a 5.4 I'm getting a few faster conka tacks now. Still no sign of my Vulcans turning into spocks yet! Last night Helen turned me into a my simpson self. Doh!!
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Posted: August 15th, 2009, 8:23pm CEST
Saturday 16th August
Sailed for four hours today at Kilcrea on a 5.6 The sun was out and the wind held up for the afternoon. Great to see so many people out on the water.
Check out Bernard the Polar Bear as he tries his hand, (paw) at windsurfing. Looks like he should move that fin back a bit first!
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Posted: August 9th, 2009, 9:46pm CEST
Sunday 9th August
Another flowstyle display of Caesar Finies showing what can be done in light wind. There was Zero wind today in Dublin. The only freestyle I done was freestyle gardening!
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Posted: August 4th, 2009, 1:15pm CEST
Tuesday 4th August
Check out Caesar's 'flowstyle' v 'the Tango', courtesy Eduardo Loedel.
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Posted: August 3rd, 2009, 11:25pm CEST
Monday 3rd August
After a 10 year break Las Dominguez and Alan Early met up with me today for a session on the south beach Skerries. Las sailed on the Bat mobile which is a custom board made by Bill Canning in the early 90's I'm guessing. He managed to sail away from nearly all his gybes. Impressive stuff after ten years off from windsurfing. Alan sailed an AHD wave board donated by Bill C. Nice retro gear lads. We sailed for about three hours in and around the sand bar at Shenick island with some waves coming in at the top and loads of wind!! Tom Lotocki and Tom Slomski were also out practicing some freestyle. Looking forward to the next session.
(Click Picture to Enlarge)
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Posted: August 2nd, 2009, 12:44pm CEST
Saturday 1st August
Unexpected fun sail at the estuary yesterday. I started on my 6.1 in what looked like fading winds and ended up overpowered sometimes on my 5m . I even had the 84l out for a while. And it didn't rain!! I'm finding it hard to start new moves a the moment. Sometimes its hard to dive into the unknown. I did try some double upwind 360s. No luck though i did get into the second rotation a couple of times. Cool to see so many turned up for a sail.
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Posted: July 28th, 2009, 9:52pm CEST
Tuesday 28th July
(Pic: Alex and Dangerman grab an evening session)
I had nice jumping session at Dollymount today. I met up with Carlos and Alison in the early afternoon. The wind was side on, enough for 5.0 with plenty of ramps all the way out. I tried some forward loops but I am still rotating too slow and land down wind of the board with the sail on top of me. I'll figure it out soon! I managed a conka tack on a wave and continued the ride back winded before finishing with a back wind gybe. I was happy with that one. The wind turned more on shore in the evening and weakened. Good while it lasted.
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Posted: July 27th, 2009, 10:49pm CEST
Monday 27 July 2009
Richard Brannigan was fishing for prawns off the coast of Skerries, Co Dublin, at the weekend when he got more than he bargained for.
The skipper of the Ambitious trawler caught a porbeagle shark weighing 120kg.
(Taken from the independent.ie 22/7/09)
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Posted: July 25th, 2009, 2:01am CEST
Saturday 25th July
I just watched Rap legend Mattia Pedrani's new video 'Burners 'n' Choppers'. He does a great combo of spock into Kono at 1 min 43 sec. Nice move!
Check it out.
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Posted: July 23rd, 2009, 3:02am CEST
Thursday 23rd July
Here is a short video I put together of some light wind freestyle at Malahide Estuary. As you will see, I had a lot of fun with the editing.
Check it out,
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Posted: July 19th, 2009, 9:02pm CEST
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Posted: July 6th, 2009, 7:32am CEST
Monday 6th July 2009
Helen and Andy's Wedding party. I decided one day before the wedding to play a song with the band on the night. I knew it would be an interesting performance as I had not played with a band in many years and had no practice or rehearsal with the band and had several drinks at that stage on the night. It went down well even though I played in the key of A and the bass player player played in G# for the first verse! No one noticed as they were too busy with the attack of the air guitars : ) Thanks To George for the filming of this rocumentary!
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Posted: July 4th, 2009, 4:25pm CEST
Saturday 4th July
My self and Helen Tied the knot yesterday. We had an amazing day and night. Thank you to everyone who celebrated the evening with us. I don't have any pics as of yet, but there should be some very interesting ones on the way. I even managed to go windsurfing on the day with Oisin and Tom at the south beach Skerries.
Also check out this picture of Balbriggan Windsurfers taken in 1980.
Click picture to enlarge
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Posted: June 28th, 2009, 8:52pm CEST
Sunday 28th June
Thanks to everyone who turned up for my stag. I had a great night . Started with a Chinese and then over to Joe mays in Skerries for a drink or two. Tom Lotocki introduced me to the art of flaming sambuca. I had to hold sambuca in my mouth and make sure my lips where dry so they wouldn't catch fire as Tom lit it up! Crazy Pol! We then moved on to Shags nightclub for a bop and more devil juice. Finished the night with a swim at four this morning at the north beach. Great night!
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Posted: June 26th, 2009, 11:31pm CEST
Friday 26 June
Not much wind in Dublin at the moment. Cant really complain as the temp is way up this week with just enough wind for light wind freestyle or 'Flow style' as Ceasar Finies is calling it these days. He certainly does flow.
If you haven't seen him yet
check his style out here.
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Posted: June 23rd, 2009, 12:19am CEST
Monday 22nd June
I spent the evening making a garden bench from an old Tiga wave board that a friend of mine was dumping. Turned out nice.
Check it out,
Click picture to enlarge
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Posted: June 14th, 2009, 10:11pm CEST
Sunday 14th June
Yesterday Tom, Oisin and Myself scored another freestyle session at the island. Oisin packed his camera in a ruck sack and managed to keep it dry on the way over. Anyway it was a fun session while the sea breeze lasted.
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Posted: June 9th, 2009, 6:29pm CEST
Tuesday 9th June
I hope everyone had a good weekend of windsurfing. I know the speed boys did at the burrow. Oisin had a nice freestyle session there yesterday with good reports. I got home from town a bit later yesterday, and so sailed closer to home at skerries on 5.7 I'm feeling tired today after four days of sailing, so in a way I'm happy its not windy!
Check out pro windsurfer Yoli de Brendt with her latest video of her training in El Yaque - Venezuela
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Posted: June 5th, 2009, 10:56pm CEST
Friday 5th June
Sailed today at Skerries with Tom, Megan and Oisin. We sailed on 5.0 Tom and Megan rigged 4.7 Nice session. Theres plenty of variety sailing at the south beach in Skerries. The sand banks connected to the islands provide flat water areas for freestyle and you have waves on the way out for jumping etc. Also the water is nice and warm now after our mini heat wave. Looks like more North East wind tomorrow at Costa Del Skerries...and rain! See ya there,
Andy
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Posted: June 2nd, 2009, 12:48am CEST
Monday 1st June
Another super day. Went for a light wind freestyle session at Malahide. Tested the water and decided to give the wetsuit a rest. The water felt warmer than the air temperature! That's a first for Malahide. Anyway I managed to pull something in my shoulder from trying a jiz. Think I need to do some yoga before i try that again.
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Posted: May 31st, 2009, 12:22pm CEST
Sunday the bleeden hot 31th of May
Super hot day yesterday. I met up with Tom Slomski and Oisin at Skerries. We were hoping for a sea breeze to kick in. That didn't happen so plan 2 went ahead -Pimp Tom's ride! Tom had a load of boxed car audio goodies inc, speaker pods, tweeters, amp and crossover, and a bass bin big enough to double as a seat! We finally got the lot up and working . I could definitely see an improvement.. in my tan and Toms stereo is now pumping out polish classics!
Toms Van - Not
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Posted: May 28th, 2009, 11:12pm CEST
Thursday 28th May
Beautiful day today but zero wind. Not even enough for a light wind freestyle session. Great weather for cutting grass!
I also decided today to spend more time trying port tack vulcans. I have been landing them on starboard for a while now. Its hard to carry over what I've learnt on starboard tack to the other so i set up my vulcan simulator again in the shed to help me gain some muscle memory. Also this is my more natural side for the back winded part of a spock so I need to land one soon!
If you haven't seen my simulator before, Check It Out.
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Posted: May 24th, 2009, 7:42pm CEST
Sunday 24th MayCracker of a day today. I got a little sunburn and that was with factor 15 applied! Helen wanted me to wear 30. Sailed for about three hours at Malahide trying light wind freestyle. I figured out the best angle for throwing the sail behind my back and retrieving it as it comes around. If you don't throw hard enough it lets you know by hitting you in the back! Great to see so many people on the water having fun.
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Posted: May 20th, 2009, 6:49pm CEST
Wed 20th May
More action from Victor Fernandez 2009. Check it out
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Posted: May 18th, 2009, 9:49pm CEST
Monday 18th May
Congratulations to my sister Sonia and her husband Martin who got married on Friday. Great day. Sonia is now 'Sonia O'Sullivan' . The only thing this Sonia ever ran was a bath! The pic is of me playing Van Halen's 'Jump' with the wedding band 'catch 22'.
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Posted: May 15th, 2009, 12:50pm CEST
Friday 15th May
More light wind freestyle. This time its Jersey joe practicing some light wind freestyle in front of Windsurf Inc. South Padre Island, TX with some moves he learned in Bonaire.
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Posted: May 13th, 2009, 9:49pm CEST
Wednesday 13th May
I sailed the last two days in Skerries. Nice small waves. Pity the wind was so onshore. Still great to have sun and wind at the same time. Saturday might turn out good for a session at Shenick island Skerries, or if its windy windy! maybe Lowrock. Looks like a day for sail spinning tomorrow in Malahide.
Andy
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Posted: May 11th, 2009, 12:30am CEST
Sunday 10th May
Here is one of the combos I was trying to put together today. I want to get them faster and a bit smoother. Very addictive! Thanks to Tom Slomski for his camera work.
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Posted: May 10th, 2009, 11:56am CEST
Loads of sailing this week. I even got to sail on my 68l and a 4.5 for a full session on the estuary on Wednesday. Yesterday had a bit of everything. Tom L was on his 4.7, I rigged a 6.1 and Steve Flanagan sailed a 9m! All sails made sense at some stage. Today Looks like a light wind sail spinning session at Malahide. Hope the sun stays out for a while.
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Posted: May 7th, 2009, 12:58am CEST
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Posted: May 7th, 2009, 12:58am CEST
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Posted: May 3rd, 2009, 7:52pm CEST
Sunday 3rd May
The Fleadh got off to a sunny start yesterday at Malahide with light wind. The lack of wind didn't stop people turning up and getting on the water. For myself and a few others it was a day for tricking around with light wind freestyle. I recently got a bigger board and have become addicted to sail throw tricks and combos. I borrowed the picture above from Pearse Geaney at
Bigsurf.ie. Thanks Pearse. There was also plenty of people out on S.U.Ps giving it paddle.
Denise worked very hard to make sure no one went hungry with her barbecued quarter pounders. Yum! All donations will go to CARI who help children who have experienced sexual abuse. Alan and the
Surfdock crew were very busy as ever getting people on the water and providing kit for testing. Oisin and the red bull girls provided wings! Great day over all.
Today was the same but bigger and better. More people, More wind, More crack and emm, more burgers. No wonder I couldn't get planning! I had a go at my first race. Didn't have a clue where I was going. Unfortunately I had plenty of people in front to show me the way. I also had a go at the speed event and clocked 26.6knots. Not bad for my first attempt. Well done to Steve who clocked the best speed of the day. Over 33 knots. He also does a mean rail ride but not at 33 knots! Looking forward to day three.
See ya there,
Andy
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Posted: April 29th, 2009, 11:59pm CEST
Wednesday 29th April
We had a classic skerries session this evening at Shenick island. Tom L, Oisin, Ali and myself rigged at 5 and sailed till 8 on 4.7 sails. In a south east wind you get small waves for jumping on the way out and dead flat water in the bay of Shenick island for freestyle. When the sun comes out as it did for a while this evening and the tide is on the retreat this place definitely has something special to offer. Oisin claimed his first Kono while trying to learn burners I think? He said he carved the other way, thats into the wind while switch stance and backwinded and just took off into the rotation! Couldn't believe his luck. Well done. I think he will be trying them off a wave very soon!
See you all at the
Fleadh Sheoil festival on the weekend!
Andy
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Posted: April 29th, 2009, 12:06am CEST
Tuesday 28th April
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Posted: April 25th, 2009, 11:01am CEST
Saturday 25th April
Home alone this weekend as Helen has gone on my sisters hen down the country leaving me and Sheba to fiend for ourselves! Looks like Sheba will be sharing the cat food. Yum! On another note I think I will try sailing at Skerries this morning. Might even get some small waves.
Also check out this vid of Erik Håkman and his Bonairean friends in a movie filmed during three sessions of sliding freestyle at Sorobon in Bonaire.
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Posted: April 22nd, 2009, 11:51pm CEST
Wednesday 22nd April
Got out for a session at Rush this afternoon. Sailed on 5.0 and had to use my 90l freestyle board as the wind was very light. Mikey was there with his first van. No more roof racks for him! Kidge and Jimmy were also out making the best of the light conditions. I had a fun sail. It's rare to see sun, wind and waves at the same time in this country, even if it was a bit light!
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Posted: April 19th, 2009, 1:48pm CEST
Sunday 19th April
There has not been much wind this weekend so I made a couple of mounts for my Camera. This clip has a boom extension mount so I can film sailing on both tacks.
Check it out!
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Posted: April 18th, 2009, 11:19am CEST
Saturday 18th April
I came across his video posted two days ago on you tube. Some nice action. Not sure who the sailors are. Anyone know?
(Update)
Flash back with this video made by Levi Siver, Andy and Kevin Wolff Ponichtera Ireland in autumn 2000. A road trip of about 500km on the west coast of Ireland and of images that were found by later in the dvd Resonance.
Thanks for the Link!
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Posted: April 16th, 2009, 11:37am CEST
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Posted: April 13th, 2009, 1:10am CEST
Sunday 11th April
Tom, Oisin and myself caught the sea breeze at Skerries this afternoon. With the sun shining and the tide on the retreat, The bay of Shenick island was the perfect place for a freestyle session. Looks like we will get more of the same tomorrow.
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Posted: April 11th, 2009, 1:47pm CEST
Saturday 11th April
Thanks to Mikeys dad for these pics!
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Posted: April 10th, 2009, 9:06pm CEST
Friday 10th April
After six days sailing in a row following being sick in bed for a few days before that, my body has now raised the white flag. I made several attempts to sail yesterday in rush on my 3.7 but after two or three runs I felt totally drained of energy. This morning I never thought I would be so happy to see two days of no wind. A rest at last! On the other hand we might get some southerly wind on Sunday for another fun session at Rush.
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Posted: April 8th, 2009, 12:05pm CEST
Wed 8th April
Heading to Kilcrea for twelve-ish. Looking good. Also after that Metal video here is somthing a bit more relaxing.
Enjoy
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Posted: April 8th, 2009, 11:30am CEST
Wed 8th April
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Posted: April 7th, 2009, 11:09pm CEST
Tuesday 7th April
Oisin-backloop
I had another fun session today. Oisin, Ali, myself and a few others sailed this evening at Rush. The wind turned more southerly at around four and kept building into the evening. Loads of nice ramps to be had. Five days in a row now. No wonder I'm feeling sore! Looks like there is more wind to come.
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Posted: April 6th, 2009, 11:03am CEST
Monday 6th April
Check out Normen Gunzlein's new crazy freestyle video shot in Jeri.
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Posted: April 5th, 2009, 10:42pm CEST
Sunday 5th April
Great to have so many people around this weekend at Malahide for the slalom event. I didn't race myself but enjoyed the company on the water. Unfortunately I destroyed The nose of my 90l freestyle board trying a planing push tack and hooking back in by accident. Ouch!
Not much wind for racing today at Malahide, however Oisin and myself did score an evening session at Lowrock. I sailed on 5.0 and 83l wave board. I am now truly wrecked. Good nightClick Picture to Enlarge
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Posted: April 2nd, 2009, 11:03pm CEST
Thursday 2nd April
I sailed a light wind session at Skerries this evening. The water seemed very clear with good visibility of the bottom. I Might try snorkeling over at Shenick island some evening. Sailed for an hour practicing light wind freestyle. Great to have the longer evenings now and nice to see the water is getting warmer!
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Posted: April 2nd, 2009, 11:03pm CEST
Friday 3rd April
I sailed a light wind session at Skerries yesterday evening. The water seemed very clear with good visibility of the bottom. I Might try snorkeling over at Shenick island some evening. Sailed for an hour practicing light wind freestyle. Great to have the longer evenings now and nice to see the water is getting warmer!
Anyway I couldn't sail last week due to a tummy bug so I decided to film the lads during a session at Malahide. I arrived a bit late and so didn't get much footage. However I did catch a nice rainbow!
Check it out
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Posted: March 29th, 2009, 7:04pm CEST
Sunday 29th March
Sorry I haven't updated much this week. Spent the last few days in bed with a virus that wont shift! Looks like I missed a few good sessions on the water. Anyway I came across this clip on you tube this morning. With all the talk and buzz of Slalom racing at the moment, I taught it would be cool to see some footage of the Dunkerbeck glory days.
Enjoy
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Posted: March 26th, 2009, 3:57pm CET
Thursday 26th March
click picture to enlarge I Had a nice session on Tuesday evening at Kilcrea. Unfortuanally I had to spend all of yesterday in bed with a tummy bug. Still feelin weak and dizzy today. I hope to be back on the water over the weekend.
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Posted: March 22nd, 2009, 10:58pm CET
Sunday 22nd March
Click to Enlarge
Good to see so many people out on the water today at Malahide. No one was expecting wind so everyone was happy except the mothers.
Also if you haven't seen it yet, check out Mikey Clancy's new video
'A Day At The Mullet'
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Posted: March 20th, 2009, 9:19pm CET
Friday 20th March
I tried to get a sail in this evening at Skerries. Unfortunately the sea breeze turns off as the sun drops so four o clock is a bit too late. When I arrived Oisin and Megan were finishing up after sailing in the bay of Shenick Island. I didn't want to waste such a nice evening so I went out anyway and played around trying to catch small waves back winded.
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Posted: March 18th, 2009, 4:57pm CET
Monday 18th March
Its sunny! I managed to get out sailing every day since last Thursday. Not always enough to plane, but enough to have fun. On Monday Oisin and myself shot some video. I might have enough footage soon for a light wind freestyle video. A few people caught the south easterly sea breeze yesterday. With a bit of luck we might get some more of that this week.
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Posted: March 15th, 2009, 6:40pm CET
Sunday 15th March
Not much wind today at Kilcrea. Oisin went for a blast on some Jp/Neil Pryde race gear while I practiced some light wind freestyle. I did manage a vulcan and a couple of conka tacks and upwind 360s in the gusts. I think i even got some sun. Probably just dirt!
Check out this New school freestyle windskate video preformed by kids with strange sails and a mattress!
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Posted: March 14th, 2009, 6:54pm CET
Saturday 14th March
Up early this morning for a freestyle session at Kilcrea. Carlos, Oisin, Randal, myself a few others launched from kilcrea and made our way upwind to take advantage of the small ramps that were forming in the middle and the flat water area by the shore line. On the Malahide side the speed sailors were blasting on a downwind course from the club house to the viaduct. Nice session.
I came across this video of the Tiree Wave Classic 2008 that was put up on Vimeo today. Its 25 mins long so you might be better to let it load first. Check it out
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Posted: March 14th, 2009, 9:21am CET
Saturday 14th March
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Posted: March 12th, 2009, 5:05pm CET
Thursday 12th March
Ricardo pushes his 3,7 to the max at his favorite jumping spot Pozo Izquerdo on Gran Canaria filmed during the 2007 & 2008 PWA World Cup.
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Posted: March 10th, 2009, 8:15pm CET
Tuesday 10th March
Oisin Van Gelderen enjoying the scenery at the Irish Intervarsities Windsurfing Comp last weekend in Achill.
Click Picture to Enlarge
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Posted: March 9th, 2009, 9:07pm CET
Monday 9th March
I'm feeling a bit stiff after the weekends sailing. I don't think the cold conditions of yesterday helped and the fact I had to race against a teacher from another school up a thirty foot climbing wall today! I slipped but still managed to get to the top first!
Anyway, I'm just after watching Andre Paskowski's new movie of Gollito training in Jeri. There are some crazy moves in there like a double ponch and a Kono foward attempt!
Check it out.
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Posted: March 8th, 2009, 7:45pm CET
Sunday 8th March
Freezing cold today at Kilcrea but sunny. I rigged a 5.o and was nicely powered most of the time. The vulcans were coming better thanks to big Toms camera work. I crashed at least 7 vulcans in about seven minutes yesterday! Watched the footage last night and found plenty of things to work on. The speed sailors were blasting on the Malahide side. Not sure who ended up at the top of the speed wall but i did see some fast runs further down the estuary.
Check out this nice video made by Max Lesauvage over the winter in Hawaii
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Posted: March 8th, 2009, 12:22am CET
Saturday 7th March
Here are some pictures captured from my camcorder today. They were not very clear so i gave them the Monet treatment!
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Posted: March 7th, 2009, 9:58pm CET
Here are some pictures captured from my camcorder today. They were not very clear so i gave them the Monet treatment!
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Posted: March 7th, 2009, 6:23pm CET
Saturday 7th March
Here are some pictures captured from my camcorder today. They were not very clear so i gave them the Monet treatment!
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Posted: March 5th, 2009, 9:31pm CET
Thursday 5th March
Check out the amazing editing going on in Jason Furness and Aaron Hadlows kite video -RE:VOLVE. This doesn't mean I'm going to sell all my gear and get a kite!! so don't like it too much, OK!
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Posted: March 5th, 2009, 5:23pm CET
Thursday 5th March
Just on my way out to the shed to look for the saw. Check out this nice little vid!
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Posted: March 4th, 2009, 8:20pm CET
Wednesday the feckin freezin 4th of March
I decided to add a touch of Bonaire to my header pic. If only the water was that colour in the estuary!
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Posted: March 2nd, 2009, 9:02pm CET
Monday 2nd March
I didn't get to sail today. Had to put the van through the DOE test. It passed with two bald tyres! Anyway I was feeling a bit stiff after yesterdays session so the rest probably did me good. Looks like plenty of wind tomorrow for an afternoon session, probably at Kilcrea. The van is packed and ready to go. Does the excitement ever go away!
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Posted: March 1st, 2009, 10:34pm CET
Sunday 1st March
Oisin and myself sailed an early session on the estuary this morning. The sun was out and the wind was up enough for 6-1. I concentrated mainly on trying to turn my starboard vulcans into spocks and trying port tack vulcans. Oisin made a start on learning double spocks!! Anyway we both agreed that the water is still cold after too many duckings!
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Posted: February 28th, 2009, 9:41pm CET
Saturday 28th February
Great to see so many people out on the water today at Kilcrea having fun. I counted 20 sails at one stage. Hope we get something tomorrow.
Also check out this amazing base jumping flying squirrel style video below. Sell you sails and get a wing suit. I heard it doesn't hurt if you crash! You wont be alive long enough to feel pain!
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Posted: February 28th, 2009, 12:00pm CET
Saturday 28th February
Check out Kauli Seadi's interview as he reflects on the Cabo Verde competition.
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Posted: February 27th, 2009, 5:31pm CET
Friday 27th February
Check out Golitos Switch Air Kono. New film out 9th of March called 'Samba'.
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Posted: February 26th, 2009, 11:36pm CET
Thursday 26th February
Check out Gareth Allen and Dan Kealy windsurfing Achill Island. Nice video lads.
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Posted: February 24th, 2009, 8:32pm CET
Tuesday 24th February
Click picture to enlarge.
In his later years Claude got bored painting flowers and discovered old school freestyle!
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Posted: February 22nd, 2009, 8:00pm CET
Sunday 22nd February
I had another fun session today. There was seven or eight people out for a blast. I spent most of the time trying carving 360s. I need to carve a little further before i can claim one. More wind might help too. Big Tom was trying back winded gybes and Alison had a go at her first duck gybes. Looks like she forgot to throw the sail back before reaching for the other side in this one. Loads of splash points all round.
Click on picture to enlarge
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Posted: February 21st, 2009, 6:46pm CET
Saturday 21st February
Today I sailed at Kilcrea. Rigged a 6.1 with planing winds about 50% of the session. Great to see a few faces I haven't seen since last year on the water. Looks like spring is on the way.
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Posted: February 18th, 2009, 10:16pm CET
After defeating Kauli Seadi twice, Josh Angulo made sure the Cabo Verde crown returned to its homeland, winning the event for the second time in its history.
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Posted: February 18th, 2009, 2:05pm CET
Wednesday 18th February
Here is another Angulo film featuring some of the local talent on the Island of Sal. I think i will have to visit this island soon. Don't know about sailing Cabo Verde. That shore break looks mean. There looks to be plenty of easier spots in the area. Anyway enjoy!
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Posted: February 17th, 2009, 6:11pm CET
Tuesday 17th February
Here is some more action from Cabo Verde.
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Posted: February 16th, 2009, 10:35pm CET
Monday 16th February
Check out the new video on the PWA site featuring action from day one and two. There was no competition today due to light wind and weak ground swell.
Click here to view.
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Posted: February 15th, 2009, 8:24pm CET
Sunday 15th February
Check out the action from Josh Angulo on day one at Cabo Verde- PWA World Cup.
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Posted: February 14th, 2009, 5:05pm CET
Saturday 14th February
Love is in the air today as Helen and myself got engaged. This morning at seven o'clock I crept down to the van and brought in balloons and roses and placed them very quietly around Helen while she slept. This was not an easy task as balloons are a lot nosier than you think! Anyway we had a fun morning and she said Yes!
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Posted: February 14th, 2009, 1:47pm CET
Saturday 14th February
First possible start today is at 11.30am local time (GTM -1). To stay up-to-date with the events tune into the
PWA Live Ticker for minute by minute reports from the beach, or alternatively browse the event's official website at
www.caboverdeworldcup.com
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Posted: February 12th, 2009, 10:05pm CET
Oisin sent me this link today of Robbie Maddison jumping a Las Vegas replica of the french Arc de Triomphe monument. What goes up must come down. The descent looks insane!
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Posted: February 12th, 2009, 12:32am CET
pYep! Looks Like I need Help. Lack of wind has driven me back to the building blocks! No the one on the right, he's real. It's the other two are lego lads from Bonaire.
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Posted: February 8th, 2009, 11:57pm CET
What a great place to sail. You can sail starboard or port tack going the same direction at the same time! I think these guys are sailing in Skerries.
Click Picture to Enlarge
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Posted: February 6th, 2009, 9:16pm CET
Caesar Finies rocks! Here is his new ghost busters/ Jive bunny master mix styled video with head cam and back pack. Hmm, I wonder whats in the back pack? Anyway it would make a great Duracell add!
Check it out.
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Posted: February 5th, 2009, 10:49pm CET
I see the the Fleadh Sheoil Windsurfing Festival website is up and running. I look forward to sailing in mild may weather. The festival will take place on the May bank holiday, from Saturday May 2nd to Monday May 4th from 10:00 to 18:00 daily. Should be a great weekend.
Check out the site here.
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Posted: January 29th, 2009, 9:39pm CET
I managed my first evening sail of the year! There is just enough light now for me to be set up by 4.15 and sail for an hour. Today Tom and myself sailed in skerries. The wind was side shore, sometimes side off SSE. It was a tough but fun session with Tons of wind and small waves.
Check out Kiri Thode and Co in Bonaire. Unbelievable!
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Posted: January 26th, 2009, 5:21pm CET
Not much news at the moment. I didn't get a chance to sail last week. Roll on a warmer February.
Mikey has a new cool video edited. Check out his one handed style .
Click here
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Posted: January 19th, 2009, 7:48pm CET
Here is my new video shot in Rush on Saturday featuring seriously strong winds of 45 knots and upwards and temperatures of 6 degrees not accounting for the wind chill. I started on a 4.2 and rigged down to a 3.7 and was still way over powered! Anyway I had fun animating the titles in this one.
Check it out.
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Posted: January 15th, 2009, 8:46pm CET
Looks like another good weekend ahead for wind. It was great to see so many out at Rush last week. Hope we have as much fun this weekend!
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Posted: January 13th, 2009, 6:56pm CET
Today was fun. There must have been twenty people windsurfing at Rush. Loads of wind and waves, with a temperature of a pleasant 10/11 degrees! Oisin had his hands full further down the beach running a master class on ‘learning to fly’.
I'm told this was a great success with a few landing there first forwards! Its been a month since I sailed two days in a row and even longer in the waves. I was happy enough with my progress today. Roll on the longer evenings.
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Posted: January 9th, 2009, 1:07am CET
Oisin took a spin by the estuary today at Kilcrea. Apparently a huge section of it was frozen over. He managed to get a few pics on his mobile. Unfortunately he forgot his ice skates!
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Posted: January 6th, 2009, 6:08pm CET
Here is my latest test shot. This was taken with one camera angle. Need a steady cam! Don't think my €149 camcorder is up to this fancy stuff. I would of liked to have me moving in very slow motion in front of the sun and the background not so shaky. Maybe next time! I think this might work well on a jumping move, back loop etc.
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Posted: January 2nd, 2009, 1:30am CET
I spent the last two days trying to figure out different ways of editing in premiere pro using footage of Oisin that i shot during the summer. I didn't set out to make a short film but two days later, here it is!
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Posted: January 1st, 2009, 12:48pm CET
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Posted: December 30th, 2008, 7:56pm CET
Today i decided to have a go at editing something similar to the last shot on the Simmerstyle video. I used some footage of Oisin IR777 doing a flaka. It all very rough and only took a half hour to put together but I think with the right footage and two camera angles of the move it could look good.
If you haven't seen the simmer style video yet
check it out here.
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Posted: December 30th, 2008, 7:56pm CET
Today i decided to have a go at editing something similar to the last shot on the Simmerstyle video made by Gregoire Scherpe. I used some footage of Oisin IR777 doing a flaka. It's all very rough and only took a half hour to put together but I think with the right footage and two camera angles and a lot more time spent on small details of the move, it could look good!
If you haven't seen the simmer style video yet
check it out here.
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Posted: December 30th, 2008, 7:56pm CET
Today i decided to have a go at editing something similar to the last shot on the Simmerstyle video made by Gregoire Scherpe. I used some footage of Oisin IR777 doing a flaka. It's all very rough and only took a half hour to put together but I think with the right footage and two camera angles and a lot more time spent on small details of the move, it could look good!
If you haven't seen the simmer style video yet
check it out here.
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Posted: December 28th, 2008, 7:55pm CET
Not much wind today. I met with Oisin and Tom at Kilcrea. Thought there might be wind for a freestyle session. There wasn't enough for a sail so i gave my new camera a test run on anything that moved(ducks and swans)etc! Tom invited us back to his cool new apartment overlooking skerries south beach where we had a meal prepared by his mam and girlfriend of some very tasty Pierogi, a native polish dish.
Thanks Tom, Nice grub!
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Posted: December 24th, 2008, 9:26pm CET
I would like to wish friends, family and everyone I have sailed with over the last year a Merry Christmas. Eat drink and be happy and I hope to see you on the water soon.
Andy
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Posted: December 23rd, 2008, 11:35pm CET
Both Oisin IR777 and Mickey IR253 caught some big waves over the weekend. Check out Mikey's new video set in Donegal.
Click HereAlso I'm just after watching Mattia Pedrani's new video on you tube. That guy has some serious moves. Its a pity he didn't wear a Santa hat. That would have looked cool. You'll see!
Click Here
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Posted: December 22nd, 2008, 9:51pm CET
Here are some photos that Oisin kindly offered to take of me sailing on Saturday.
Click Here
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Posted: December 21st, 2008, 9:04pm CET
Santa was seen on the estuary today. Looks like
he was out getting some last minute training in
before the big delivery on Wednesday night.
There was about ten people out but unfortunately the wind never really filled in. I enjoyed the session and pulled off my best boomerang gybe to date with a planning exit!
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Posted: December 21st, 2008, 11:00am CET
Oisin Mailed me this shot yesterday from his Friday session somewhere over the west. The camera did'nt focus well due to spray and rain. I dont know where this shot was taken exactly. Looks like Jaws to me!
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Posted: December 18th, 2008, 7:28pm CET
I'm looking forward to the holidays and a chance to go sailing. The weather looks good for the weekend. Loads of wind and a respectable temperature of 10/11 degrees.
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Posted: December 16th, 2008, 10:31pm CET
A short video of the 2008 Long Beach Flatland Jam. Enjoy
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Posted: December 14th, 2008, 6:54pm CET
I had another week without windsurfing. The van battery went flat after sitting on the drive for three weeks. I decided to make the most of the cold weather and do a few repairs. I finally finished the graphics on my 90l freestyle. Took two years to get round to that one! Turned out ok. I also waxed the zips on my sail bags to stop them seizing. Think its time to join a gym for a month or two.
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Posted: December 9th, 2008, 7:16pm CET
This months babe award goes to 'Pearl Beach Barbie'. She hasn't been windsurfing long. You can tell by her boom height. Get that boom up girl! I dont like that foot strap, or should i say ankle support configuration. It could cause trouble during ariel moves. While i'm at it get yourself a new mast. That's way too long for your 3.5 inch sail and you need to update your board. That cut out of the tail is so last century. Wait a minute, don't cry! I was only trying to give you some advice!
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Posted: December 8th, 2008, 10:04pm CET
Looks like we might have some warmer weather for the weekend according to the gods at windguru.
And check out another cool freestyle vid made at the Hatchery in June, 2008. Like the moves. Not sure about the Miami vice music.
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Posted: December 6th, 2008, 10:42pm CET
If you haven't seen this video featured on the Simmerstyle site yet, check it out. It makes the hair stand up on the back of my neck, it's so cool! Featuring Yann Sorlut, Victor Fernandez and Jonas Ceballos. Look out for the matrix shot at the end.
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Posted: December 5th, 2008, 11:45pm CET
My foot is on the mend, but now i have the toothache from hell. It started on Monday and several packets of painkillers and a trip to the dentist later, it's still bangin! I haven't sailed in two weeks and, and, and its just not fair!! Maybe i'll take up bathroom surfing.
Check out this looney.
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Posted: December 2nd, 2008, 7:40pm CET
Oisin's buddy Steve made a new freestyle video in Fuerteventura. Looks like the weather is a little bit better than what we are getting at present!
Check it out
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Posted: November 30th, 2008, 1:19pm CET
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Posted: November 29th, 2008, 12:54pm CET
No sailing for me this week. I have decided to rest the strained muscle in my foot. Don't think I missed much due to the drop in temperature and lack of wind this weekend. Check out the picture of my car roof this morning.
Brrrr!
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Posted: November 25th, 2008, 11:12pm CET
Freestyle training on the beach, O'Neill Surf festival. Caesar Finies shows us some sail spinning freestyle tricks. Estonia, Rohuküla 2008
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Posted: November 24th, 2008, 9:44pm CET
Check this out. Oisin mailed me the link today. Crazy! Think this is the trial run. Rumor has it that they managed a spock a couple days later, ha ha!
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Posted: November 23rd, 2008, 11:11pm CET
Feel a bit like an old man tonight after a great day at Malahide. I sailed on my 5m combat well powered up a lot of the time. There was a lot of heads on the water and plenty of cold hands at the club house. Oisin had a new 'Hero' helmet mounted camera for some on the water action. Later in the day I done the camera man thing which was a bit of fun. Not so easy belting along while looking backwards for a long period of time trying to catch someone else's move. At one stage while sitting in the water filming , Oisin decided to jump over my board! Cheeky bugger. John Kenny was out getting some seriously fast runs. Kidge and myself were busy dredging up the bottom of the estuary on failed vulcan/spock attempts next to the slipway. Great to see so many people out giving it socks on a cold Novembers day.
Goodnight.
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Posted: November 22nd, 2008, 8:56pm CET
I went for a sail this morning at Malahide. I had an ok session. Landed a few vulcans and tried some more boomerang gybes. I only managed one and after a bad dose of the re-heats and failing wind, I decided to call it a day. It looks good for tomorrow. Root out your flask. Could be a cool one!
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Posted: November 20th, 2008, 9:49pm CET
No exercise or bike riding the last few days. Looks like i strained something in the arch of my left foot. I think i got it from standing on one peg of the bike while learning to scuff. It's not too bad and wont stop me windsurfing over the weekend. I'm looking forward to trying more boomerang gybes. This is a good move for anyone who can carve fast into a gybe. It doesn't seem too hard to learn and the crashes are not bad.
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Posted: November 17th, 2008, 8:25pm CET
I went out for a quick sail this evening at kilcrea and completed my first boomerang gybe. I had no plans on trying this move until i let the sail slip on a planing gybe and it hung in the air for a moment. This gave me the idea to try a proper boomerang gybe. After four attempts i nailed one. The trick seems to be to carve fast downwind, throw the sail forward with a little more strength in the back hand. Keep carving with your weight kept forward and over the inside rail. If all is going well the sail will swing around and come back up to you. Cool!
(This is the only pic I could find on the net for a Boomerang gybe)
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Posted: November 15th, 2008, 9:01pm CET
Came across this clip of Andy Brandt doing some cool sail spinning stuff on you tube. Looks like light wind tomorrow. Maybe i'll give it a go.
Check it out
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Posted: November 12th, 2008, 10:11pm CET
Here is a cool Vid of Terry Adams who is probably the top Red Bull Pro Athlete, disciplined in BMX Flatland.
Check it out
TERRY ADAMS...Red Bull USA Pro Athlete from
Captured Life Productions on
Vimeo.
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Posted: November 12th, 2008, 9:16pm CET
My brother mailed this to me today.
Andre, I borrowed your windsurf gear last week when you were out on the bmx, I hope ye don't mind. Thought I'd skip trying to land vulcan's (they're old school) instead I landed my first Niagra....check it out.
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Posted: November 11th, 2008, 8:51pm CET
Congratulations to Tom Slomski on landing his first Vulcan over the weekend. Tom started trying this move in the summer and after plenty of vulcan head dips has finally landed one. Way to go Tom. Take your time with your spock attempts as i want to land one first!
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Posted: November 8th, 2008, 11:13pm CET
I had a good session today in Rush on my new twinser. Jonas, Oisin, myself and a few others were out. I sailed on 4.5 first and then changed down to a 3.7 The board is very forgiving and has great grip due to the twin fins. I feel like I'm making some progress sailing in waves at last. Tonight I will be dreaming mainly of waves, waves and more waves!
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Posted: November 6th, 2008, 11:20pm CET
I landed my first tailwhip footjam tonight on the bike at last! I am trying to do a half hour each night. Most nights I notice a small improvement and it fills the void of not windsurfing so all is good. Rather than explain the tailwhip footjam, check out the vid of this guy on you tube showing the process of learning the move.
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Posted: November 2nd, 2008, 2:34pm CET
I started scuffing on the back wheel of the bike this week. It's a bit scary as your facing backwards with one foot on a back peg and scuffing the back tire with the other foot going backwards on the back wheel only with the front lifted. I have had some interesting falls and so far have only managed to scuff the tire four times before coming off. Also you can't use any brakes with this move.
Here is a cool flatland vid i came across on global-flat.com of Michael Sommer showing his style in Vienna.
Check it out!
Fluere in Autumnum - Michael Sommer video 2008 from
sevisual on
Vimeo.
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Posted: November 1st, 2008, 8:56pm CET
I had a fun session today on the south strand in Skerries. I was on my 6.1 firefly and JP 90l freestyle. The tide was in with some small waves to play around on. I even got a short spin on my new 84l twinser, but the wind was not strong enough so that didn’t last long.
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Posted: October 31st, 2008, 10:54pm CET
After a long wait the twins-er arrived today weighing in at 6.1kg hand delivered by Oisin. Father and 84l twins-er are doing very well. Hope Helen doesn’t mind sleeping on the couch!
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Posted: October 29th, 2008, 3:09pm CET
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Posted: October 28th, 2008, 12:13pm CET
Boards mag was way better this month! Carlos, Trish, Fionn and myself had our mugs printed on page 128 as part of an article written by local sailor Sue Honan. Here is a small segment of the article.
The great thing about windsurfing is that everyone has a different experience of the same day at the same sailing spot. There you are having a survival session while someone else is just grooving along enjoying the view. It makes for good conversation afterwards while you're having a smoker and a strawberry Yop (THE best sailing food) in the van. Maybe later in the pub you can compare more notes with others who were out. Windsurfers love to recount their session to understanding souls, and we listen and feel your joy -and sometimes your pain! Sailing on your own (yes, we all do it at some stage) obviously reduces the opportunity to share. This is a problem if you have a non-windsurfing partner (NOWP), because NOWPs simply do-not-understand-you. It's a windsurfing fact. You come home massively excited about a session and start gabbling on about how it was the best sesh ever and you should have been there "cos it was mast-high [okay, over my knees] and it was really windy - at least Force 5 in a couple of gusts maybe - and I caught this in-cred-ible wave [all 30cm of it] and I sailed so fast and made three gybes and all my tacks were dry".
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Posted: October 27th, 2008, 7:28pm CET
I had a good session today at Malahide on my 5-0. I landed most of my vulcans and had a few long sliding ones. I will have to root out my hat and open palm gloves tonight as the temperature has taking a dip over the last few days.
I came across this fin in a surf magazine. The turbo tunnel fin. It is designed like a sail and works by redirecting the water coming in the front of it. They claim that it increases speed over a normal fin and will turn better. I couldn't find any ref of windsurfers using them.
I'm currently working on a booster cape to be worn around the neck that will help me learn to Spock! I reckon with my cape and a turbo fin i could probably take over the world!
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Posted: October 25th, 2008, 9:32pm CEST
The clock goes back an hour tonight and with it the chance for most people to have a quick evening windsurf session. So make the most of this long weekend if you can. I had a good session today and also my first time on my JP 68l twinser. It was a bit of work in the lulls on a 4.5 but great when the wind was up. It really does turn very fast on the tail. Can’t wait to sail on it again!
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Posted: October 22nd, 2008, 9:02pm CEST
Earlier this week local sailor Oisin Van Gelderen became the innocent victim of a malicious attack from a flock of adolescent crows. One bystander said that the crows had been gathering in the trees at Kilcrea and didn’t seem happy with the freestyle action going on. One crow expert said that the crows might have mistaken Oisin's new Neil Pryde 'fly' sail with the Brazilian colours as an aggressive spinning tree.
Partners of windsurfers are recommended to keep there windsurfing other half in over Halloween to avoid repeat incidences.
If you do feel the urge to go sailing experts recommend you to keep your hair short in order to avoid nesting and bring a sliced pan!
And remember. Beware the Crows of Kilcrea!
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Posted: October 21st, 2008, 10:14pm CEST
Sorry, I haven’t been blogging much in the past few days. Busy with a sore throat, cold and loads of windsurfing. Hope you are all having fun on the water this week. No point complaining about the cold cause it's only going to get colder from here on in!
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Posted: October 17th, 2008, 5:39pm CEST
I came across this Churchill quote in a magazine . " Success is the ability to go from one failure to another, with no loss of enthusiasm." Thats pretty much how i view windsurfing. So what if you can't do it now, keep trying with the same enthusiasm and some day it will happen. And remember, lifes about fun!
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Posted: October 14th, 2008, 11:03pm CEST
Dear Santa.
Thanks for the new Neil Pryde Fire Fly 6.1 that I got today from surfdock to replace my Expression 6.1. Great looking sail and i'm told that its super to sail. Can't wait! Think i'll be going for a light wind session tomorrow. I also ordered an Jp Australlia 84L twinser wave board. Should have it in a couple of weeks. Yes, I was a good boy all year and deserve these new toys.
p.s Sorry about the vid not working at the moment. Something got to do with you tube, Blogger or the matrix imploding!
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Posted: October 12th, 2008, 8:23pm CEST
Looks like another day for the bike. No wind. Not even a breeze. Maybe it will improve later, just enough for a light wind session. Here is another clip of Caesar Finies showing what can be done in lighter winds.
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Posted: October 7th, 2008, 11:24pm CEST
No sailing today. I spent the evening in the shed trying to balance on the bike. Here is a trick called the Lawn Mower. I managed to get into the position but cant get out of it yet.
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Posted: October 6th, 2008, 11:24pm CEST
Today I sailed at Rush beach. I had an enjoyable session on my 5m combat and 91L JP freestyle. There were only two windsurfers on the water and plenty of kites. My back survived the session after tweaking it last week. The sun was shining and one kiter was out in a pair of shorts and rash vest! Not bad for October.
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Posted: October 2nd, 2008, 8:55pm CEST
It’s great to have a week of wind at last. I had some fun on Monday and Wednesday trying to learn ‘Shove-its’ on the estuary. I managed to kick the tail out a couple of times. Most of the time I didn’t even leave the water and took a dip. One attempt on Monday I over rotated the tail and landed clew first switch stance. I managed to flip the sail and continue the other direction.
As a bonas from trying Shove-its I also figured out how to slam gybe when overpowered. I hope this will come in handy in waves. The downside to the week is that I tweaked my back a bit from all the twisting so today I gave it a rest.
Here is Ricardo showing how it should be done.
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Posted: September 29th, 2008, 11:49pm CEST
‘Africus’ the god of south west winds did well today. We had a good session at kilcrea. Most of us rigged 5m which worked well most of the time. Oisin and Carlos were buzzing around on there new Neil Pryde ‘Flys’. Carlos got his in purple and was looking as cool as prince. Looks like tomorrow will be even better.
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Posted: September 28th, 2008, 8:57pm CEST
Jonas and myself went to Malahide for a light wind session today. We practised clew first helitacks and clew first upwind 360s. I managed a triple sail spin yesterday taking my back hand off for the second two spins. Good fun!
The van is packed and ready for tomorrow. Better clear the cobwebs from my footstraps. Looks like i'm going to need them. Don’t let me down Mr Wind Guru!
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Posted: September 26th, 2008, 9:02pm CEST
No wind this week. Next week should be better. I spent yesterday evening fitting a back brake to the bike. It took about three hours as I had to drill, tap and fit gyro tabs and a gyro system to allow the handlebars to swivel. I have it set up now and working. Fingers crossed!
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Posted: September 24th, 2008, 11:34pm CEST
Today I brought the bike over to Skerries. Oisin wanted to give it a try. Here is what we got up to. All teeth are still in place!
Oisin won a rosette for this trick. The flying Seagull!
One leg, no hands. Yes I'm proud of this!
Spin those bars!
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Posted: September 22nd, 2008, 10:27pm CEST
Yesterday I had a light wind session at Malahide estuary. Good fun until I put a hole in my expression 6.1. I repaired it last night as I taught we might get some northerly wind for a sail today.
I met up with Oisin in Skerries for a sail in the afternoon but the wind wasn’t strong enough. We decided to go out anyway and catch some small waves coming in. Oisin was on an S.U.P with his new Fire Fly 6.1 (nice sail). I was on my JP freestyle 100l with my repaired 6.1. It was a fun session trying sail 360s on the wave, clew and fin first on the wave, sailing backwinded etc .Check out the picture above. It shows why windsurfers and Kiters dont mix too well!
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Posted: September 20th, 2008, 2:04pm CEST
Wow! It’s a nice day today. I’m meeting Jonas at Kilcrea for three o’clock for some light wind sailing. Think ill bring the shorty. Hmm, the water might not be so warm. Maybe ill leave the shorty.
(update)
Jonas and myself ended up sailing at Skerries expecting a non-planing session. There was a steady sea breeze and I could see what looked like stronger wind over towards Shenick island so I sailed over and ended up having a nice session planing into the flat water bay of shenick island on my 6.1 expression. Perfect for practicing freestyle.
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Posted: September 17th, 2008, 10:51pm CEST
I haven’t windsurfed in a week due to the lack of wind. The last few evenings I have been in the shed prasticing different rolling balance positions on the bike. It’s very hard to get used too but I am making some progress each evening.
I managed to fork glide a few times. This is where you start riding as normal and spin on the handlebars till you are facing backwards standing on the front fork pegs. I also tried a tailwhip foot jam. This is where you jam your foot in the front forks, Endo onto the front wheel while spinning the frame 360 degrees around the front forks. I’m making some sense of it but haven’t landed back on the bike. Could be a while!
Check out sakata seiji showing how it should be done.
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Posted: September 15th, 2008, 8:40pm CEST
This is for anyone who thinks they are too old to learn new windsurf moves. Check out this 70 year old windsurfer trying to improve at the Quiksilver Windsurf School in El Tur, spring 2008. He tried chop hop, upwind 360 and vulcans!
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Posted: September 13th, 2008, 3:07pm CEST
Day one on the bike was interesting. Definitely beats going to the gym. I went over the handlebars within five minutes! First I tried some endos into rolling backwards and some bar spins. Had some success with both. At the moment I’m trying to get comfortable rolling forward on the front pegs facing the saddle. Easier said than done.
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Posted: September 10th, 2008, 11:39pm CEST
Yesterday I sailed at Rush. It was heavy going. I was on a 4.5 and over powered most of the time. I should have rigged a bit smaller as I felt old this morning when I got up. When I got home my flatland bike had arrived in the post. Today I decided to skip sailing, rest the body and try and figure out how to assemble a bike. Cant wait to go over the handle bars!!
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Posted: September 8th, 2008, 8:28pm CEST
I’m back to work this week after two months off. On Sunday I sailed at Portmarnock first and at Skerries in the afternoon. There were plenty of people out on both beaches enjoying the waves. Looks like there might be some wind tomorrow. I hope to get out after work.
I came across a flatland BMX video of a guy doing his new trick called 'Galvatron'. Name taken from transformers. Looks cool!
Check it out
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Posted: September 8th, 2008, 8:28pm CEST
I’m back to work this week after two months off. On Sunday I sailed at Portmarnock first and at Skerries in the afternoon. There were plenty of people out on both beaches enjoying the waves. Looks like there might be some wind tomorrow. I hope to get out after work.
I came across a flatland BMX video of a guy doing his new trick called 'Galvatron'. Name taken from transformers. Looks cool!
Check it out
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Posted: September 4th, 2008, 1:06am CEST
Yesterday there was a strong west southwesterly wind early in the day. I went to Kilcrea to check it out in the evening after work. The wind and anyone who sailed it had gone!
Check it out
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Posted: September 4th, 2008, 1:06am CEST
Yesterday there was a strong west southwesterly wind early in the day. I went to Kilcrea to check it out in the evening after work. The wind and anyone who sailed it had gone!
Check it out
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Posted: August 31st, 2008, 2:01am CEST
Not much wind again yesterday. Jonas and my self went for a light wind session at Kilcrea. There was only about 10 knots. Anyway I left the camera rolling in the van. Here is what we got.
Check it out
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Posted: August 31st, 2008, 2:01am CEST
Not much wind again yesterday. Jonas and my self went for a light wind session at Kilcrea. There was only about 10 knots. Anyway I left the camera rolling in the van. Here is what we got.
Check it out
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Posted: August 29th, 2008, 10:56pm CEST
Not much wind this week, even for a light wind session. So today I put my boom back together. I got it regriped in the UK a couple of weeks ago. They did a neat job. I then washed Rush beach off the van and continued on to the car and then the house, windows, front door, drains! Etc.
Looks like much the same weather for the weekend. I might try and get out on the landboard tomorrow.
Check out this guy on his Buhala board.
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Posted: August 26th, 2008, 9:23pm CEST
Yesterday I sailed at Kilcrea. I didn’t get out till four. The wind was a bit light but enough for 6 metre. I practised some vulcans, conca tacks, upwind 360 diablo and worked on finding the position for jumping into a shaka. I enjoyed the short session and have a sore shoulder today from sheeting in hard.
On another note, Oisin posted a Video he put together of footage he shot while in Fuerteventura a couple of weeks back.
Theres about 80 moves from the World's best freestylers as they practise and compete in the final day of the Sotavento Freestyle World Cup.
Check it out on the surfdock website or click the link below.
www.surfdock.ie/docknews.php
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Posted: August 24th, 2008, 1:49am CEST
I had a good sail today. Tom, Oisin, Tricia, Bill, a few others and myself sailed at the south beach Rush. It was 5-metre weather with some nice waves building. I seem to be making some progress with my starboard gybes in waves. I managed to plane out of a couple which is new for me in waves. It doesn’t help that I have been trying vulcans on starboard tack for the last year.
I wasn’t too adventurous today but did enjoy the ramps. Tom practised some cutbacks and vulcans. Oisin went through his list of loops, flakas, wave riding etc and a nice 360 on the wave.
Hope we get some wind tomorrow.
Goodnight!
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Posted: August 21st, 2008, 11:03pm CEST
A friend of mine is selling his board. See below for details.
‘2005’ JP Australia Freestyle 100 PRO EDITION Inc board bag
€499. (Good condition)
Original price €1,499
Contact: Tom - 0874114554
Email:
tom.slomski@yahoo.co.ukDeveloped jointly by the triple world freestyle champion Ricardo Campello and Werner Gnigler,The only board on the market, that wins Pro Freestyle competitions and is still a great beginner short board.
*super easy to sail
*big speed potential
*very stable during moves
*great carving and jumping
Length: 241 cm
Width: 64.5 cm
Volume: 100 litres
Weight: 5.9 kg PRO Edition
Fin: (PowerBox) FS
Shaper: W. Gnigler
Sails: 4.7 – 7.2
PRO EDITION TECHNOLOGY
*Foot Pad
*Double Heel Pad
*Full Carbon Standing Area on top of the Wood
*Wood Heel Reinforcements
*Full Carbon Standing Area underneath the Wood
*E.P.S. Core
*Carbon / Kevlar Deck
*Glass Bridge
*Carbon Rail
*Sandwich with Full Carbon Bottom
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Posted: August 21st, 2008, 11:03pm CEST
A friend of mine is selling his board. See below for details.
‘2005’ JP Australia Freestyle 100 PRO EDITION Inc board bag
€499. (Good condition)
Original price €1,499
Contact: Tom - 0874114554
Email:
tom.slomski@yahoo.co.ukDeveloped jointly by the triple world freestyle champion Ricardo Campello and Werner Gnigler,The only board on the market, that wins Pro Freestyle competitions and is still a great beginner short board.
*super easy to sail
*big speed potential
*very stable during moves
*great carving and jumping
Length: 241 cm
Width: 64.5 cm
Volume: 100 litres
Weight: 5.9 kg PRO Edition
Fin: (PowerBox) FS
Shaper: W. Gnigler
Sails: 4.7 – 7.2
PRO EDITION TECHNOLOGY
*Foot Pad
*Double Heel Pad
*Full Carbon Standing Area on top of the Wood
*Wood Heel Reinforcements
*Full Carbon Standing Area underneath the Wood
*E.P.S. Core
*Carbon / Kevlar Deck
*Glass Bridge
*Carbon Rail
*Sandwich with Full Carbon Bottom
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Posted: August 20th, 2008, 2:40pm CEST
Yesterday I went for a sail at Malahide. The wind was light so ended up practising some light wind freestyle.
Oisin had a new waterproof camera/video recorder that he bought from surfdock. Comes with loads of different mounts and records an hour of video. Anyway Oisin managed to capture my good side in the picture above!
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Posted: August 19th, 2008, 1:40pm CEST
Had a good session yesterday. The sun was out and the wind southeasterly. Kidge, Oisin and myself went for a sail in Skerries. Rigged 5.0 – 5.3 sails on 90l JP freestyle boards. We sailed upwind to Shenick island where we spent most of the time sailing into the bay into almost mirror flat water. Perfect for practising freestyle. We also sailed upwind from Shenick to catch some waves coming in.
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Posted: August 18th, 2008, 12:46am CEST
Yesterday I became a Rockstar. No I didn’t take up singing. I ended up on the rocks twice! while sailing at Low Rock Malahide. All part of the learning curve i guess. Kidge, Stiffy, Oisin, Dave, Sideshow and myself turned up for the session. Strong south-easterly winds and non-stop rain were the order of the day. The waves were well spaced and ready to be ridden. Sails rigged were 3.7 - 4.5
Check out the action!
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Posted: August 18th, 2008, 12:46am CEST
Yesterday I became a Rockstar. No I didn’t take up singing. I ended up on the rocks twice! while sailing at Low Rock Malahide. All part of the learning curve i guess. Kidge, Stiffy, Oisin, Dave, Sideshow and myself turned up for the session. Strong south-easterly winds and non-stop rain were the order of the day. The waves were well spaced and ready to be ridden. Sails rigged were 3.7 - 4.5
Check out the action!
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Posted: August 13th, 2008, 2:59pm CEST
Good weather for ducks today but no wind. Keeping busy doing a bit of D.I.Y around the house. I should have my bike next week. I am looking forward to trying some tricks.
Just got a text that the Trickionary book two is in stock in Surfdock. I have book one and its a must have for anyone wanting to improve there windsurfing. Covers everything from waterstarting to a Gozzada Spock 900!
On another note, last weekend the Prova Cup flatland BMX competition took place in Japan. Hiro Morizaki came first. Those guys sure know how to spin.
Check out the action.
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Posted: August 10th, 2008, 8:16pm CEST
Another session at Kilcrea today. There were a lot of people on the water. The wind was very up and down with people rigging anything from 4.7 to 7.5! I rigged my combat 5.6, which handled the gusts and lulls nicely. Well done Kidge who landed a spock but unfortunately I didn’t get to see it. Tom.L is landing a few good vulcans now and Tom.S is definitely getting closer to landing one.
Oisin was just back from Fuerte and was out on his new 2009 JP-90l (I think) freestyle board. Nice board. New graphics look cool.
Moving back a few years, there was a guy out sailing on a board that he built in the 1980’s. It was a copy of a Lightwave. It even has carbon down the middle and didn’t feel very heavy. He said its still going strong after twenty years but needs new straps.
That’s what I call value for money.
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Posted: August 9th, 2008, 8:34pm CEST
Sailed at Kilcrea today. There were plenty of bodies on the water. Tom rigged his new Expression 6.1 and was very impressed with the performance. I spent the day trying conka tacks, vulcans, upwind 360 diablos and backwind gybes. Kidge was out looking for a spock and is still working on something that starts like a slam gybe into breaking out the fin. He’s not sure where that’s heading yet but its good to see someone trying something new. It starts like a ‘Reverse’- Ricardo’s new trick.
Looks like southwesterly again tomorrow.
See ya on the water.
Check out Ricardos 'Reverse'
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Posted: August 7th, 2008, 3:06pm CEST
I was hoping to go for a sail yesterday. Dublin airport was showing 15mph southeasterly so I went to Skerries to check it out. There looked maybe enough wind out towards Shenick Island but I didn’t feel like sailing out at the island on my Todd so I drove to Rush to have a look.
There were a few kiters out on big kites but not really enough for a sail. Today looks like light northwesterly wind so I’m going for a light wind freestyle session at Malahide.
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Posted: August 4th, 2008, 10:38pm CEST
No wind today so I decided to clean the shed and build a workbench. Sheba gave me a hand. She has a sore ear at the moment, hence the strange collar she is wearing.
I have also become obsessed with a sunflower that I planted from a seed. It’s taller than me now and still no sign of the flower head!
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Posted: August 2nd, 2008, 5:48pm CEST
I sailed for about an hour today at Kilcrea. There were a few people out having fun. Rigged my 6.1 expression and practised vulcans and upwind 360s. It was good while it lasted.
Check out hiroya morizaki and York Uno from Japan. Hiroya was ranked no.1 in the world last year in flatland BMX. This clip was filmed in Berlin in 2006.
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Posted: August 2nd, 2008, 5:48pm CEST
I sailed for about an hour today at Kilcrea. There were a few people out having fun. Rigged my 6.1 expression and practised vulcans and upwind 360s. It was good while it lasted.
Check out hiroya morizaki and York Uno from Japan. Hiroya was ranked no.1 in the world last year in flatland BMX. This clip was filmed in Berlin in 2006.
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Posted: August 1st, 2008, 7:23pm CEST
Oisin mailed this picture to me the other day from Fuerteventura. He has a hole in the top of his foot from too much freestyle windsurfing. A local sailor recommended this as a solution.
I’m told it works a treat.
p.s Thats one super long big toe!
-
Posted: July 31st, 2008, 7:00pm CEST
‘2007’ JP Australia PRO EDITION Freestyle 100 III
inc boardbag and fin.
€650 Euro (Good condition)
Retail price €1599Developed jointly by the triple world freestyle champion Ricardo Campello and Werner Gnigler,
The only board on the market, that wins Pro Freestyle competitions and is still a great beginner short board.
*super easy to sail
*big speed potential
*very stable during moves
*great carving and jumping
Specification
Length: 239 cm
Width: 65 cm
Volume: 100 liters
Weight: PRO: 6.1 kgShaper: W. Gnigler
PRO EDITION in Technora® Kevlar Technology. Super Limited Finish on bottom, top and rails.
Contact Andy 0876362098
-
Posted: July 31st, 2008, 7:00pm CEST
SOLD
‘2007’ JP Australia PRO EDITION Freestyle 100 III
inc boardbag and fin.
€650 Euro (Good condition)
Retail price €1599Developed jointly by the triple world freestyle champion Ricardo Campello and Werner Gnigler,
The only board on the market, that wins Pro Freestyle competitions and is still a great beginner short board.
*super easy to sail
*big speed potential
*very stable during moves
*great carving and jumping
Specification
Length: 239 cm
Width: 65 cm
Volume: 100 liters
Weight: PRO: 6.1 kgShaper: W. Gnigler
PRO EDITION in Technora® Kevlar Technology. Super Limited Finish on bottom, top and rails.
-
Posted: July 30th, 2008, 9:14pm CEST
Today I sailed at Rush beach. Wasn’t expecting to go sailing and only went there to practice some freestyle dirt boarding. I ended up a bit overpowered on a 5.6. There were some nice waves. On shore wave riding certainly sucks the energy out of you but feels great when you get a couple of tight turns. There were plenty of kiters out ripping it up too.
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Posted: July 29th, 2008, 11:39pm CEST
I went for a sail at Kilcrea today. Practised a few vulcans. I managed to clamp my shin between the mast and the board. That finished me for the day. Seems ok now. Think I have a nice bruise on the way.
Here is a video from 1988 of Eddie Fiola, a Bmx teen hero of mine doing a flatland routine to a Michael Jackson track.
Check out his moonwalk!
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Posted: July 29th, 2008, 11:39pm CEST
I went for a sail at Kilcrea today. Practised a few vulcans. I managed to clamp my shin between the mast and the board. That finished me for the day. Seems ok now. Think I have a nice bruise on the way.
Here is a video from 1988 of Eddie Fiola, a Bmx teen hero of mine doing a flatland routine to a Michael Jackson track.
Check out his moonwalk!
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Posted: July 28th, 2008, 11:20pm CEST
I ordered a flatland BMX today. I decided to go for a KHE ‘Da Function’. This is a dedicated flatland trick bike. It seems to have the best ratio of weight to price that I could find. The difference between a flatland bike and your average bmx is that it has a shorter frame to help with balancing on one wheel. It also has a free coaster that allows you to roll backward without having to back pedal.
The front sprocket is smaller than usual. The gearing makes it easier to ride away from tricks and the small sprocket will not get in the way. There are front and rear wheel axle pegs and a hollow compression bolt on the front forks for the front brake cable and rear brake gyro. This allows the bars to rotate without tangling the brake cables.
Perfect for a windless day!
-
Posted: July 27th, 2008, 10:13pm CEST
It’s great to come back to good weather for a change.
Got back from Costa Teguise on Thursday. Helen and myself had a good holiday. Our hotel ‘Barcelo de Galea’ was located next to the main beach ‘Las Cucharas’. This is a horseshoe shaped beach with a small harbour to the right and hotels to the left.
The wind blows from the left over the hotels so it is a bit tricky getting out. Once out of the harbour the wind fills in. I got to sail every day and used 4.7, 5.0 and 5.6 while there.
I rented gear from windsurf paradise. They stock all JP and Neil Pryde. There set up is good but it cost me a small pony! The resort seems to be popular with families with loads of nice places to eat. Probably a bit quite it if your looking for late night rave mania!
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Posted: July 20th, 2008, 12:13am CEST
Had a good sail today at Los Cuchares beach. Loads of sun, wind and good food. I wont be posting much for the next few days. I hear there was wind back home today. I hope ya all had a good sail.
Good luck from Lanzarote
Andy
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Posted: July 16th, 2008, 7:42pm CEST
I had a look at some BMX bikes today. I think I'm going to splash out and get one. Check out this guy Scotty Cranmer pulling off some serious jumps! Think il try slightly tamer moves.
At least we go splash, not crunch!
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Posted: July 15th, 2008, 9:57pm CEST
I had a good sail today, woke up to the news that I’m now an uncle. Baby Alex Levi was born at four this morning. Well done Tina and Cathal!
The sun was out so I packed a shorty and went to Kilcrea. I met with Jamie who was having good success with his duck gybes. I decided to rig my 5 metre as Ive been sailing on my 6.1 a lot lately. 5.6 would have been better if I hadn’t jumped through it last week. Sailed for about an hour and a half until the wind shifted more north west.
I then moved to Malahide side where there would be some flatter water near the slipway for practising Vulcans. My starboard ones are coming together now. I haven’t landed one on port tack yet but managed to get a slide today.
Maybe we will get more of the same tomorrow!
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Posted: July 14th, 2008, 1:29am CEST
Yesterday was quite good after all. I met Tom and Oisin at Kilcrea. Tom had sold his 6.5 sail. I brought with me a "UP" 6 metre pink and yellow sail that was about eleven years old so Tom could do some retro light wind freestyle. After a hour and a half of sail flipping on water I met with Oisin on the south beach in Skerries for some dirtboard freestyle.
Not bad for a light wind day after all.
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Posted: July 13th, 2008, 2:25pm CEST
"A sure, ill give it a go". 11 knots here I come. Anyone going for a light wind sail at Kilcrea?
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Posted: July 12th, 2008, 1:32am CEST
I got new sail number stickers yesterday. My brother came up with the design and a friend printed them for me. I suppose I better renew my I.W.A membership. I keep forgetting. The form is sitting on my desk a couple of months.
"No Sheba (
our cat) you can’t drink my tea. I’m trying to type something". "Down!"
Anyway thanks lads.
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Posted: July 11th, 2008, 1:21pm CEST
Yesterday was a day for ducks. I spent the morning in the shed removing the yellow scale from my JP 100. I used Harpic power plus toilet cleaner. Put it on with a sponge scourer pad and leave it for a few hours. Rinse it off and job done.
That evening I watched some BMX flat ground tricks on You tube. Some of them guys are amazing. I'm very tempted to get a bike!
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Posted: July 9th, 2008, 8:59pm CEST
No windsurfing today. I sat in and watched some of the Pozo freestyle live through a link on Boardseeker. Sarah-Quita Offringa defended her first place finish from the previous day's single elimination, to outright win the double elimination.
I also watched a lot of Flakas on continent seven. Hopefully I can execute something that resembles a Flaka soon!
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Posted: July 8th, 2008, 1:28pm CEST
I had one of those days yesterday. Collie and myself went for a sail at Malahide. It was blowing north westerly and was a bit up and down. We both managed a few Vulcans and Collie came across a new way to break the fin out into a slide that might turn into something in the future. Anyway there I was standing in a lull still in the harness when in slow motion I lost my balance and fell forward ramming the nose of the board through the main panel of my 5.6 combat. Ouch! That hurt the wallet. Soon after that I decided to call it a day and discovered I forgot my towel!
After loosing two rounds to Murphy’s law and feeling a bit disgruntled I got a call to say my cat Sheba who had been lost, was found with nine lives still intact.
So the next time you rip a sail, don’t be too upset because by the law of nature you have just allowed a lost cat to be returned to its owner!
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Posted: July 7th, 2008, 1:52pm CEST
Mast foot Max has travelled the world and worked with many of the pros. He is taking a break at present after a heavy training session in South Africa and wants to share some of his knowledge with you.
Over to you Max!
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Posted: July 7th, 2008, 1:52pm CEST
Mast foot Max has travelled the world and worked with many of the pros. He is taking a break at present after a heavy training session in South Africa and wants to share some of his knowledge with you.
Over to you Max!
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Posted: July 6th, 2008, 2:57pm CEST
Yesterday I arrived at Skerries. Carlos, Oisin and Keith had been out on 5.6 sails. When I arrived the wind and rain disappeared and the sun came out. Keith had a stand up paddleboard with him and so the lads decided to try and catch the last of an easterly swell.
Later the wind filled in and we sailed for two hours at Kilcrea. I landed Some good Vulcans on starboard tack. Still no luck on Port tack.
Check out SUP session.
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Posted: July 5th, 2008, 1:17am CEST
There wasn’t much wind yesterday so Oisin and myself decided to try some dirt board freestyle on the south Beach in Skerries.
Oisin figured out how to do a back to sail switch stance Vulcan. Unfortunately the camera ran out of juice by then.
By the way it hurts a bit more when you crash!
Check it out.
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Posted: July 2nd, 2008, 9:57pm CEST
I asked some of the local wildlife in Malahide estuary What they thought of windsurfers and how we affect their habitat.
They had some interesting things to say!
Check it out.
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Posted: July 1st, 2008, 7:33pm CEST
Yesterday we sailed at Rush. I rigged a 5 metre but the wind was very up and down. There were plenty of kites on the water. The waves were good for jumping and so I decided to try and learn loops. All was going well until my board and rig got separated as I was attempting one. That wasn’t the result I was hoping for!
Anyway Carlos has them sussed and I caught one on video so here it is.
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Posted: June 30th, 2008, 1:46am CEST
Check out the electrifying action from Sunday’s session at Kilcrea.
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Posted: June 29th, 2008, 9:21pm CEST
Today turned out to be better than expected. It started off with dark skies and rain but ended up sunny and windy. There were people out sailing on 5 to 7 metre sails. I was on a 6 metre and overpowered at times. It was a good day for practising moves. Oisin landed a nice Flaka diablo and a one handed flaka which I caught on camera. I will try a post the clips tomorrow as I’m going to watch the match tonight. Anyway I have put together a clip showing the right and wrong way to Vulcan/ Spock. I’m the Guinea pig showing the wrong way. Watch my hand movements compared to Oisins just after take off!
Check it out
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Posted: June 28th, 2008, 10:14pm CEST
The wind was light today. Tom and I sailed at Kilcrea and managed to get planing some of the time. I landed four Vulcans . Still have a lot of work to do on my port tack attempts. Tom was also trying them. Its hard work trying to pop when you are sub planing!
Looks like a similar day tomorrow.
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Posted: June 27th, 2008, 10:22pm CEST
Congratulations to Carlos who landed a couple of spocks today for the first time. Unfortunately I couldn’t get out myself due to work. I'm sure he is buzzing after today’s session.
Well done.
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Posted: June 26th, 2008, 9:24pm CEST
Balbriggan, the Dahab of North County Dublin! My girlfriend found this picture on the Balbriggan community website. It is from 1980.
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Posted: June 25th, 2008, 11:54pm CEST
I had a good sail today at Kilcrea. I am starting to feel how a Vulcan becomes a Spock. Carlos is getting very close to claiming one with several close attempts. Oisin also had a good session and is now adding diablos (ducking the sail) to his Spocks and Flakas.
With a bit of luck we will get more of the same tomorrow.See ya there!
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Posted: June 24th, 2008, 7:04pm CEST
Now there is a question. Taty Frans from Bonaire says, "Just do it" on one of my dvds. He goes on to say imagine a move over and over in you head and then "just do it". Taty doesn’t seem to have a problem executing all sorts of freestyle manoeuvres.
Most of us windsurfers in the real world have a different subconscious message that plays when we are blasting at full tilt. "Abort, abort! don’t do it, not the right time" etc. Like space exploration, the launch is the most important time of the mission. So next time you want to learn something prepare beforehand by going through the move on land and watching the move over and over until you can imagine it clearly.
On the day, get you mind on Taty's wavelength. Turn off worry. Turn off panic. Turn on relax, smile and just do it! And remember the secret to success is to double your rate of failure so don’t be afraid to dip your head more often.
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Posted: June 24th, 2008, 12:10am CEST
Here is a move i would love to be able to do. On Sunday at Kilcrea, Oisin landed a planing Flaka and continued on to try a clew first, switch stance spock. Check out the clip. There is also a nice foward loop at the end.
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Posted: June 23rd, 2008, 12:01am CEST
We will all sleep well tonight after a hard day of battling the elements. Plenty of people on the water getting blown around like rag dolls. Did anyone know that the N.H.D.C took place today?
Check it out
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Posted: June 21st, 2008, 10:01pm CEST
Today was the longest day of the year, or should I say the wettest day of the year. I arrived at Kilcrea with my exhaust held in place with a cloths hanger. That guy at Wind Guru had stuck three stars up so Oisin and my self decided to check it out. It was definitely a three bucket day and after a half hour talking about sunny windy places in Oisins van we decided to rig. To cut a short story even shorter we sailed for about a half hour in mostly sub planing conditions. As most people were struggling to plane due to lack of wind, Oisin still managed a nice mid summer Spock. Check it out!
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Posted: June 20th, 2008, 11:23pm CEST
Not much wind today so I went for another light wind freestyle session at Malahide Estuary. It was a good fun session with plenty of head dipping. I did manage a light wind switch stance duck gybe with a pirouette as I ducked the sail. Seen Ricardo Campello do it on one of the vids. Only my second time to pull that one off. It did take me about fifteen tries. Anyway drove home and just as I parked the van outside the house my exhaust fell onto the driveway. Guess what I will be busy doing tomorrow!
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Posted: June 18th, 2008, 5:50pm CEST
I decided to try and learn vulcans last year but found it very hard to take the first step. Jumping at full speed and trying to land going backwards was just not on the list as far as my survival instincts were concerned. So I came up with the idea of a training device that would allow me to gain some muscle memory and get a feel for the move.
I made the board first and based the measurements for footstraps and Mast track on my JP freestyle 100L board. I wanted to keep the board as light as possible so I could pop it off the ground. The rig consists of an old mast cut down, a short boom and rope to keep it all in position.
To simulate wind I used exercise bungies attached to the boom extending to the wall of my shed.
My first attempts worked but I needed something better than solid ground to simulate pop. An old mattress was the answer and also added an element of balance and movement under foot.
It all looks a bit mad but it works!
I have now started landing vulcans and hope to be trying spocks soon. Hmm how will I get the board to spin? Maybe an old washing machine will come in handy!
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Posted: June 15th, 2008, 6:33pm CEST
Went for a light wind freestyle session at Malahide Estuary today. Didn’t last very long. Wind went from light to zero. I did manage some sail spin things like Caesar Finies from Bonaire. That guy is cool. Check him out in the clip below. Im going to work on that stuff over the summer.
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Back to work or should I say school. I have been busy last week getting back into the routine of getting up early for work. It didn't help that the bridge at Malahide collapsed and I cant get a train directly into town. Anyway between work and bloggers block I have been slow to post anything over the last two weeks. Think I needed a little break from all things windsurfing. I did sail today at Malahide. The wind was light but the sun was out and I could not resist a dip in the soup. The picture above shows the bridge before it caved in!
Got back from Bulgaria yesterday. My parents were celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary and so we all went on holiday together. I didn't get to do any windsurfing while there but did enjoy the sun, sea, food and company. The cool little fella in the picture above is a 4" praying mantis that was resting on our balcony wall on Sunday morning. Anyway when I got home yesterday I went for a light wind session at the estuary. You can't beat cold water for getting rid of jet lag!
Sunday 5th April
Oisin and myself sailed an early session on the estuary this morning. The sun was out and the wind was up enough for 6-1. I concentrated mainly on trying to turn my starboard vulcans into spocks and trying port tack vulcans. Oisin made a start on learning double spocks!! Anyway we both agreed that the water is still cold after too many duckings!
I had another fun session today. There was seven or eight people out for a blast. I spent most of the time trying carving 360s. I need to carve a little further before i can claim one. More wind might help too. Big Tom was trying back winded gybes and Alison had a go at her first duck gybes. Looks like she forgot to throw the sail back before reaching for the other side in this one. Loads of splash points all round.
Love is in the air today as Helen and myself got engaged. This morning at seven o'clock I crept down to the van and brought in balloons and roses and placed them very quietly around Helen while she slept. This was not an easy task as balloons are a lot nosier than you think! Anyway we had a fun morning and she said Yes!
What a great place to sail. You can sail starboard or port tack going the same direction at the same time! I think these guys are sailing in Skerries.
Oisin took a spin by the estuary today at Kilcrea. Apparently a huge section of it was frozen over. He managed to get a few pics on his mobile. Unfortunately he forgot his ice skates!
Not much wind today. I met with Oisin and Tom at Kilcrea. Thought there might be wind for a freestyle session. There wasn't enough for a sail so i gave my new camera a test run on anything that moved(ducks and swans)etc! Tom invited us back to his cool new apartment overlooking skerries south beach where we had a meal prepared by his mam and girlfriend of some very tasty Pierogi, a native polish dish. 
I would like to wish friends, family and everyone I have sailed with over the last year a Merry Christmas. Eat drink and be happy and I hope to see you on the water soon.
Both Oisin IR777 and Mickey IR253 caught some big waves over the weekend. Check out Mikey's new video set in Donegal.
Here are some photos that Oisin kindly offered to take of me sailing on Saturday. Click Here
Oisin Mailed me this shot yesterday from his Friday session somewhere over the west. The camera did'nt focus well due to spray and rain. I dont know where this shot was taken exactly. Looks like Jaws to me!
I'm looking forward to the holidays and a chance to go sailing. The weather looks good for the weekend. Loads of wind and a respectable temperature of 10/11 degrees.
I had another week without windsurfing. The van battery went flat after sitting on the drive for three weeks. I decided to make the most of the cold weather and do a few repairs. I finally finished the graphics on my 90l freestyle. Took two years to get round to that one! Turned out ok. I also waxed the zips on my sail bags to stop them seizing. Think its time to join a gym for a month or two.
This months babe award goes to 'Pearl Beach Barbie'. She hasn't been windsurfing long. You can tell by her boom height. Get that boom up girl! I dont like that foot strap, or should i say ankle support configuration. It could cause trouble during ariel moves. While i'm at it get yourself a new mast. That's way too long for your 3.5 inch sail and you need to update your board. That cut out of the tail is so last century. Wait a minute, don't cry! I was only trying to give you some advice!
No sailing for me this week. I have decided to rest the strained muscle in my foot. Don't think I missed much due to the drop in temperature and lack of wind this weekend. Check out the picture of my car roof this morning.
I went out for a quick sail this evening at kilcrea and completed my first boomerang gybe. I had no plans on trying this move until i let the sail slip on a planing gybe and it hung in the air for a moment. This gave me the idea to try a proper boomerang gybe. After four attempts i nailed one. The trick seems to be to carve fast downwind, throw the sail forward with a little more strength in the back hand. Keep carving with your weight kept forward and over the inside rail. If all is going well the sail will swing around and come back up to you. Cool! 
My brother mailed this to me today. 
Congratulations to Tom Slomski on landing his first Vulcan over the weekend. Tom started trying this move in the summer and after plenty of vulcan head dips has finally landed one. Way to go Tom. Take your time with your spock attempts as i want to land one first!
After a long wait the twins-er arrived today weighing in at 6.1kg hand delivered by Oisin. Father and 84l twins-er are doing very well. Hope Helen doesn’t mind sleeping on the couch!
The clock goes back an hour tonight and with it the chance for most people to have a quick evening windsurf session. So make the most of this long weekend if you can. I had a good session today and also my first time on my JP 68l twinser. It was a bit of work in the lulls on a 4.5 but great when the wind was up. It really does turn very fast on the tail. Can’t wait to sail on it again!
Earlier this week local sailor Oisin Van Gelderen became the innocent victim of a malicious attack from a flock of adolescent crows. One bystander said that the crows had been gathering in the trees at Kilcrea and didn’t seem happy with the freestyle action going on. One crow expert said that the crows might have mistaken Oisin's new Neil Pryde 'fly' sail with the Brazilian colours as an aggressive spinning tree.
‘Africus’ the god of south west winds did well today. We had a good session at kilcrea. Most of us rigged 5m which worked well most of the time. Oisin and Carlos were buzzing around on there new Neil Pryde ‘Flys’. Carlos got his in purple and was looking as cool as prince. Looks like tomorrow will be even better.
Jonas and myself went to Malahide for a light wind session today. We practised clew first helitacks and clew first upwind 360s. I managed a triple sail spin yesterday taking my back hand off for the second two spins. Good fun!
Wow! It’s a nice day today. I’m meeting Jonas at Kilcrea for three o’clock for some light wind sailing. Think ill bring the shorty. Hmm, the water might not be so warm. Maybe ill leave the shorty. 
A friend of mine is selling his board. See below for details.
Yesterday I went for a sail at Malahide. The wind was light so ended up practising some light wind freestyle.
The wind blows from the left over the hotels so it is a bit tricky getting out. Once out of the harbour the wind fills in. I got to sail every day and used 4.7, 5.0 and 5.6 while there.
