The forecast for Friday and Saturday is on fire……….WindGuru is calling for 31 kts…….that means 40 to 50kts in the 2nd Lagoon…….

The biggest battle of the event is shaping up to go down………5 Frenchman - Bila, Taub, Cattelan, Caizergues, Prin Guenon, 1 South African - Bredencamp and 1 American…………standing toe to toe with the world record speed sailing trophy on the line……….40 to 50kts of liquid smoke………..F One, Genetrix, Naish kites vs.  Cabrinha ……………a no holds barred event that will leave one man standing………..”King of the Strip” and the “fastest man on the planet”

I continued to get the #1 Amundson board “Hells Bells” ready yesterday…………Ian P. at Cabrinha sent 2 new top secret speed boards …..extra small dimensions……they Arrive Fedex Thrs AM…………will they want some action during the battle????

The Cabrinha 7meter Crossbow IDS was kicking dirt and snorting in her stall for hours last night……..”easy girl….easy now”……..damn, she is ready for the start too…… 6th gear……. the needle in the red…..501 meters and 19 second later…….

The rest since Saturday feels good…………Shoulder and ankle feeling better……..the water will be blowing sideways this weekend………..1430 probable start on Friday…….everything is ready!

Feels good to have a few days off to plan the next phase and get the gear ready………trying to fight off the need to think about home base on the Vineyard………….way too many battles lay ahead here in 2nd Lagoon………less than 2 weeks to go!

I have the feeling something big is going to go down here………….there is just too much talent here and so much wind…………

The body is healing………and so is #1 …..I will reinforce her front foot strap plugs today for the final stages…….I fit her out with new Dakine foot pads and straps……..much better……I have her name now……”Hells Bells”………. after the AC/DC song…………she is holding together……….”come on girl just a few more runs” I keep saying at the top as I point here down the course in the 35 to 40 kts…..the high speed chop just aching for a shot to break her…..you can do it”.

# 2 keeps whinning to come off the bench……..she gets her daily work outs but Hells Bells she is not……….just a bit too stiff, slightly less rocker………better looking and sexier cause she is thinner by more than a 1/4 of an inch but she has not been through the rough stuff like # 1.

Broke the harness in a crash a few days back but we have a brand new Dakine Fushion ready to go………….the new harness felt great……….crisp and ready to connect the power.

More wind is coming….tons of it on the horizon…….the forecast is stacked…the calm before the storm………I can feel it.

Well, I broke my own rule and tried to muscle the course and she slapped me back………..I stuffed my arm and shouloder into the mud at 43kts and tuned up my shoulder nicely……..

The wind has been very broad or side shore for the last few days……………the Cabrinhas that fly at the edge of the window because they are efficient, like the course when it is more square or the wind is blowing more offshore……….when the wind is deep down the course the Cab’s are not flying deep back in the window and that is proving difficult here……..not enough horse power with the deep angles………

tested all 3 boards, 3 fins..2 different 7’s and the 9……….still not breaking 45kts……in the 30 to 35 kts of breeze.

After the crashes I came ashore pissed…….43kts is all I can deliver……….I shut it down early yesterday………..Mike says communicate, problem solve and look for solutions……..I say sarcasstically, “yea, ok…..right,  pal”……….not good at that kind of stuff….mike says its the Kappa in me………I say, “fix the problems……….crew chief!”………..and Mike does.

Over the last 2 days, I’ve finished 5 and 4th……..not very good but this event is about one thing…….max speed wins here and we are still sitting pretty…………we will hit it hard over the next few days testing ideas, bigger kites and getting ready for when the wind goes back to her normal direction.

Mike comes up with a solution to tune the kites…….tested it today………..shows some promise……..ideas and testing will pay off.

The course will open up again and we will be ready to make our runs……….we wont try to take 50kts from this course………we will capitalize on what is presented to us.

Forecast looks light till next Friday…………..tuning, testing and getting ready to fend off the French will be our orders for the upcoming days………new boards, fins and kites will be delivered early next week……………perfect timing as we prepare for the final stages…………defend the crown at all costs!

We had dinner at Cattelan’s house last night in Table View South Africa……..beautifull house overlooking one of the best kiting spots in SA and Table mount in the distance…………..we left our hotel at 0530 and flew back to Luderitz this morning…………..assembled the boards and sailed for 1.5 hrs in 2nd lagoon this afternoon……..the modified board is a bit stiff but she will break in nicely…………….#1 is back……….we fixed the tail and fin box and she should be able to finish the 2nd half of the Luderitz event easily………..I’d love to win this thing on #1………..

Flew the back up 7m Cabrinha Crossbow……..it is different than the race kite but worked well…..

Time here is flying………..finding that the world speed sailing record is an akward crown for me at times………amazing, but with it I feel responsibility that was not there before……. pressure to perform as well………..Mike says the pressure is self generated………and it can be a positive or negative force…learning to enjoy it, not sure how long it will be around……………looking forward to sailing at home now with the brothers and friends.

Tomorrow is a good forecast and the wind will be good……..i’ll get up early, 0630 and listen to music and then go eat breakfast at Diaz Coffee Shop….my new little favorite place……..then back to the hotel to organize the gear and spend some time with the boards………….the more time I spend,  the better………..sanding, modifying deck pads, watching TV with the feet in the straps thinking about the start……….over and over till it is clear.  Mike handles all the fins and the installations…….we now have more boards to work into the mix………….3 more boards in route as well.

Flatter water will favor the modifyed board off the bench but #1 will be there for the normal conditions of 2nd Lagoon……..Mike improved the rocker during the 1st repair and with 3 hard days on her she has broken in perfectly………..

Cant wait to push her past 50kts!

Mike and I have been in Cape Town for the last 2 days working on the boards………met Angus, the owner and board builder at Cape Doctor ands his assistant Sam.  We rebuilt board #1, remodified board #4 and built a brand new board with ABS rails…….Cabrinha boards and 2 more “small” kites and lines ship DHL to Luderitz today……..Curtis is sending more foils and the Doctor is sending our new board with flex by Friday………..we will have more tools as we march towards 50kts………..this ability to call in good equipment from good sources and have it dropped into the area of operations is a huge advantage for us………..will it pay off?

Great time in Cape trown………learned about ABS and PVC board construction………vacuum bagging and free bagging………

The new board will give us some more “flex”ability if it gets rougher on the course………..we will continue to test as we race in 2nd Lagoon.

We have spent the last 2 days preparing……….the event is almost half way done and we are ready to enter the 2nd half……….

Cape Town is beautiful…………windy too but we did not sail…we spent 17 hrs in the last 2 days on the boards…………springtime here……..rainy and damp in the Am followed by cool bright sunshine

We fly back to Luderitz tomorrow at 8am and will have 30 hrs to prepare for the Friday start……..the forecast looks good 30 to 35 kts……..

Our key for the second phase of the event is to maximise out starts….and stay flexible physically and with the equipment……we have been a bit slow at the top of the course…….we need more speed off the line and Mike has assured me the  boards wil respond and hold the power that I will deliver to them…………here we go!

Organized all the gear today after a few days of racing in 2nd lagoon. No wind in the forecast until later this week………tide looks bad too…………Friday looks to be the next start.

Finished 1st yesterday in sub record breaking conditions………48.1kt was my top speed of the day.  The conditions here change so quickly, we are forced to sail even in 30 to 35 kts……..the record run can come at any moment………..with the speed talent at this event one good piece of wind and a flat spot will do the job……………who will break 50 first?????

Had brunch today at the Nest Hotel with Christophe, (F-9)  2006 PKRA World Speed Champion, Manu (F-13)  the first kitesailer to break 40kts and former kite speed world record holder, Alex (F-21)  2007 PKRA World Speed Champion and former kite speed record holder………….lots of laughs and good food.

Gebi and I are flying off to Cape Town for some RR ………..will also include fixing and modifying the Amundson’s and picking up some new Dakine pads and straps………one of the keys to successfully breaking 50kts - footpads and straps and the Dakines are the choice of NASSP.

Team NASSP defended its Overall World Speed Sailing title today in the 2nd lagoon……..top speed of 48.1 kts in gusty 30 to 35kts…..

Today felt good………got off to a slow start….few crashes and bailed on a few runs due to gusty conditions and the wind being too broad…we sailed 2 different 7 meters and a 9m…………we have a nice 4 to 5 day rest now as there is now wind in the forecast.  The brain is fried from way to much adreniline and the #1 board is in need of some serious TLC…..tested some new fins today and we could be on to something really special here.

TEAM NASSP goes 49.84 kts!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Thanks to Cabrinha, Black Dog, Amundson Customs, Curtis Fins, Dakine, NPX/NeilPryde wetsuits…..

The fastest sailor on planet earth!

Special mention to Lynch Associates and Cabrinha for the support and belief………..from the start.

I felt that yesterday was going to be different from the first minute…………all day………….one of the strangest days of my life………..I have never seen something so clearly in my mind before it happened and was wondering if someone more powerfull than us was testing me?

What does Capt. Diaz think?

The NASSP team did it!  We have more to do and must get back to work in only a few hours……….

I Listened to the following song all day yesterday…………..it has become the anthem for team NASSP

“I have sailed to many lands, now I make my final journey
On the bow I stand, west is where I go
Through the night I plough, still my heart, calculate and pray
As the compass swings, my will is strong, I will not be led astray
Mysteries of time clouds that hide the sun
But I know, but I know, but I know

I see the ghosts of navigators but they are lost
As they sail into the sunset theyll count the cost
As their skeletons accusing emerge from the sea
The sirens of the rocks, they beckon me

Take my heart and set it free, carried forward by the waves
Nowhere left to run, navigators son,
Chasing rainbows all my days

Where I go I do not know, I only know the place Ive been
Dreams they come and go, ever shall be so,
Nothings real until you feel

I steer between the crashing rocks, the sirens call my name
Lash my hands onto the helm, blood surging with the strain
I will not fail now as sunrise comes the darkness left behind
For eternity I follow on there is no other way
Mysteries of time clouds that hide the sun
But I know, I know” - Iron Maiden

Thanks to all the sponsors……….

Dedicated to the filly  ”8 Bells”-