Another year, another set of goals:
Better wave riding. Catching the waves (more), bottom turns (on the wave, not in the flats), cutbacks (with some velocity from better bottom turns). That goes for SUPing as well as windsurfing.
Jumps…more attempts on starboard still, and on port be more Pilot than Projectile.
Freestyle as conditions warrant. If I can plane on 5 meters, then loop and duck tack. If it’s lighter, then other carving freestyle. If it’s nonplaning, then get an anklebiter.
Stay healthy. A lot of the guys had down time this year due to on-the-water injuries and tweaks, and I’ve got an old shoulder injury that’s been complaining to me lately. As I have no interest in sailing less aggressively, this means taking plenty of breaks/advil/ice packs as needed.
How’d I do on my 2009 goals? I made 3 out of 5, but the big misses (and one success, let’s be fair) were due to the confluence of conditions and the calendar):
Sail Demo. Failure… Never got there. One day the stars will align for me (and Pete says I'll like it more than the Bowl!)
Sail Hatteras (ocean side). Success! The wind and waves were nothing much to write home about, but I scored (and there were dolphins!) Next time will be better, though.
Jumps (better control and height on port, any jumps at all on starboard.) Success, though no exclamation mark. The big gains were on starboard, where I’m jumping with more frequency and occasionally getting some modest height. On port the gains were small.
More sessions with my wife. Failure. Blame the wind (again.) Summer was terrible for wind.
Improve on freestyle. Success. Got my first planing exit out of a backwinded jibe, but more importantly making serious efforts to loop.
Here's to the New Year!
(Photo: Contemplating 2010 after a wintery sesh.)
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