Oh, and in case you are wondering what is with the german words, well, I really have to practice my writing. And since 50% of my audience is german.. that is a whopping 3 guys who can criticize my grammar. Sweet. So, watching my pennies, surfboard on one hand and camera on the other, we head out for the legendary Gold Coast. Starting in Sydney, from the legendary (and surely overrun by kooks) Bondi Beach to Byron Bay and the Great Reef Barrier, it sure promises to be an eventful trip.

No, not one of those.. those are easy. You just buy yourself a red Porsche and get a gym subscription. Been there, done that. I am talking about something far more serious and dangerous.

A Midwindsurfinglifecrisis.

(Sorry, that's my new knack for stitching really long words together. How German of me ;-)

Here is me.. an "old" picture. This was taken around November last year in Brazil. About 10 months ago. Eduardo pointing at my ass for some reason. I think I remember getting into some sort of competition over the execution of this Spock. Yelling obscenities on the water to your friends.. freestyling like you invented it under the scorching Brazilian sun. A regular day in the context of last year.

Little did I know, that perhaps, this moment. An otherwise "ordinary" windsurfing day during my last stint, could in hindsight be , the apex of my windsurfing career. That is it. That was as good as it gets.

I tried to reproduce the magic this year, destination: Tarifa. And only 1.5 weeks into the trip, I am pulling the emergency stop lever. Aborting, packing up and going back home.

I could do a spot report about it, but frankly, I think I am going to go with that old saying.. "if you can't say something nice about somebody, then .. just don't". For those of you interested, I'd summarize it like this: Serious wave or freestyle windsurfers need not apply. B&J is ok. Makes sense mostly if you are a young college student with more time than money, own a surf van and live in Europe. Then, you'd take a road trip with friends, camp it out, get stupid with one too many "cervezas" and go back home with epic stories of beach events that probably have little to do with the windsurfing you might manage to fit in during the day in between drinking sessions.

So, sure.. the conditions are not appealing to those fortunate enough to have experienced some of the primo places in the world.. but if you think I am being snobby, think again. To my old peeps back in Ontario.. A Sandbanks day is orders of magnitude better than any of the days I have seen here. I really can't see this place delivering the goods. Maybe winter might be better wave wise?... who knows.

Regardless, that's not what my post is about.. after one too many "accidents" on and off the water, I had to admit it just wasn't happening, and instead of bleeding money just for the sake of it, time to cut your loses, pack up, and regroup.

Everyone has bad trips.. I am sure.. that's not what worries me. What preoccupies me, is that on the water. The feeling was gone. Completely. I really wasn't feeling it *at all*.

So, now I am thinking.. ist that it?.. is it the place?.. or am I done with the sport?. The challenges are still there, but all I keep thinking while I was struggling to find a little patch of chop free water to at least attempt a humble Vulcan (hint: couldn't find it.. seriously), is how much I'd love to be in Costa Rica right now, earning my spot on the lineup , and waiting sitting on my surfboard waiting for my wave.

This sport changed my life. But I can't help but wonder, if like Buddha said, once you cross the river, there is no use hauling the raft on your shoulder further along the road. It would only hinder your journey. Is it time to let go?. And if so, what comes next?.

The trick it seems, is knowing when to let go.

Aloha!! 

How did I end up spending a Saturday by the beach photographing a bunch of frolicking young blonde windsurfer girls?...

.. Again?

Ok, total deja vu from the Butterfly Effect in Brazil, except that this time, it was all in German. In fact, last year in Brazil, as I fared adieu to Marie, Andrea and Anna, and we jokingly said that next year we'd get together in Germany for a Butterfly Event downwinder there, little did we know that it was all in fact, going to happen just so!.

But hold on a second, backtrack a little.. last time I blogged, I was in Costa Rica, surfing it up in Santa Teresa. Fast forward 4 months later, and I am living in Germany with very limited access to water and a fast fading tan. In fact, this last weekend was the first time since Costa Rica I got to hop, albeit briefly, on a windsurfer and to taste the sweet saltiness of ocean water.

It is all a long, convoluted, and borderline stereotypical story (and yes.. it involves a skirt!). But suffice it to say that yes, indeed.. I know speak a bit of German and am enjoying the best that Deutschland has to offer. It was quite simply amazing to see my windsurfing friends again from the Jericoacoara days, and to make new friends as well. Here is a shot with my favourite German windsurferin, the absolutely insanely athletic Marie.

I missed my windsurfing posé!. I find myself plotting and scheming on how to figure out moving closer to the north where I can participate on the wind calls from the Nordsee and those fabled big Denmark days. 

.. or beckon the siren call hailing all the way down south from Brazil.. hmm.. stay tuned. 

Oh!.. and don't forget to check out the Photo Galleries for some shots of the event!

I can't believe I spent what?.. 6 weeks here in Costa Rica, and I only have ONE surfing picture to show!.

The level here in Santa Teresa is pretty darn high. I would even dare to say that average, higher than Maui (gasp!). I had never seen so many consistently good surfers in one spot.

It does get depressing to watch sometimes.. but at the same time.. all I can think is, "someday". And boy, I know this feeling. Its what got me windsurfing hardcore 4 years ago when I first saw the good guys ripping in the Dominican Republic. So I will be the guy on this picture.. someday, you'll see. 

So now that its all over and I am starting my journey back to San Jose, and then off back to my beloved Great White North .. POLE! ;-) ... (I hear its -30C with the windchill back in Ottawa these days.. Ay Caramba!). Time for the spot report.

Costa Rica: Hmm... how can I put this without hurting any sensibilities?.. the surf?.. world class. Santa Teresa & Malpaís, Playa Hermosa, even Dominical for the more hardcore surfers.. epic. Surf towns with excellent vibe, your regular world traveler surfing types, tropical beaches... seriously, you can do a lot worse in a surf trip. If you are dreaming of a surf stint somewhere, think no more , and get your ass down here ASAP. Its a moral imperative.

BUT.. as I said.. trying not to hurt any sensibilities, the rest of the country.. mixed feelings. Sure, its a beautiful land. So rich in flora and fauna, and the geography is spectacular. The Arenal Volcano, the rainforests.. but as you might have read on a previous post, I found the local vibe somewhat of a put down. Sorry to say, but many of the Ticos I ran into lacked that whole "Pura Vida" spirit. I hope that's just the exception and I was just unlucky, but.. you've been warned. The whole country feels sometimes like a gigantic tourist trap. If I come back here, and I might definitely come back, it will be straight for the surf.

Prices are a bit high, i.e. North American prices for a Central American standard. Like I said before, I still don't know if that's just the effect of a dollarized economy, or if its just a hefty tourist tax. Take this place I am writing this blog from at the moment. Free WiFi for customers (yeay!), but my bill will be in the C$10000 (about CAD$23) for breakfast, some coffee and a sandwhich. Sure, there are cheaper more "local" places.. and the way I see it I am just paying for the WiFi tax.. but you get the idea. And this is not the most expensive place around here at all. I know its not a fortune or anything, but for the chronically unemployed, every bit counts, and there are cheaper places to surf. More on that on a future post.

Now for a personal note.. my surfing skills.. hmm... I definitely followed one of those progression curves so characteristic of a long term stint. I started just getting back into the swing of things, then about 2 weeks ago I was hitting one of those accelerated progression curves. I will take home some memorable rides, some late and steep drop ins, and a couple of "biggest wave of my life" rides. After those started happening, I thought this whole surfing thing was in the bag. Then, somehow, I started getting worse.. then worse.. instead of better. WTF?. The last few days were a nightmare. I am not sure why, but I suspect that, as usual,I  underestimated the effect of chronic exhaustion. But, those who have followed me thru my windsurfing adventures, know how I can have a hard time taking regular break days. I didn't surf about 3 days this month, and that was when I was traveling between spots.. so hardly "resting". Yeah, yeah.. I know.. told you so, blah, blah.. you try to sit at the beach when head high waves are peeling off in the horizon on a tropical beach, you hear.

I think my biggest problem are the stupid duck dives. I spend so much energy getting out, that so little is left to do the actual surfing. Sometimes I feel they work, but so often I just get sent all the way back to Jail, do not pass Go and do not collect $200. After a few times like that.. you don't give a rat about the next monster coming your way and then the house falls on you. Anyhow.. the usual with any of these ocean board sports. It will all fall into place. I just need more time.

Alas, thanks for reading guys and see you soon back home. I think next stop will be Brittannia for me. I will be in Ottawa for a couple of months trying to raise some cash for the next stint. We all gotta go to Loblaws eh? ;-) 

Pura Vida!

It actually happened yesterday, I walked to the beach to check out the surf, and the place looked unrecognizable. 15 knots blowing side on with shoulder to head high waves. My gut reaction was "F*ck!! stupid wind!".

What!?.. wait a second!.. only a month ago, upon the same sight, my heart would have jumped with glee. I'd have run to grab my wave board and rigged a 5.0. Instead, I walked back to the hammock to take a nap until the wind died and the surf cleaned up.

So, I thought.. sh*t, I really am a surfer now. LOL!

I am being a bit melodramatic, as usual though. Of course I am a windsurfer. You don't invest 5 years of your life, half your net worth in gear and travel, and countless personal sacrifices to train on something and then just throw it away!. I still dream of nailing the Flaka and beyond. In windsurfing, for me, freestyle is where its at.

In fact, I have started the mental process of hashing up a plan for my next windsurfing stint, sometime later this year. But now with another addiction to feed, as well as other trips to non ocean sports friendly destinations fueled by personal reasons, it sure is getting harder to fit in a 100% windsurfing lifestyle as I was so lucky to do in the past. Time and money are finite unfortunately.

Today was an awesome day. Dawn patrol surf session. Chill all day, sunset surf sesh, a bit chopped up but got a couple of backside rides, which given how crowded it was, was more than I could ask for. Back in the hostel, good vibes and the energy flowing freely all around.

Yup, it was a damn good day.