Back at home…….the conditions here welcomed me back.

Sunday had 35 to 40 kts NE…..54 degrees….the flattest and best conditions of the year.  Racing cars only a few feet away on state road………..and the look on the drivers face as I passed him at 45mph………priceless! 

Constantly thinking back to Luderitz and the good times that we had there.

Today, I started the planning process for next year……..budgets, equipment, training………the NASSP will have new members next year……… this could get very interesting!

TEAM NASSP will have to get faster……..the French will!  Caizergues, Cattelan, L’Hydroptere………..the big French Tri is talking about breaking 50kts over the 500 meters this year.  But be carefull Hydropter, kites are coming for your 1 nautical mile world record. 

Will the worlds fastest windsurfers - Albeau, Maynard and Dunkerbeckchange equipment……..are they kiting now……………..I hope so!

US-55 had some good results in ‘08 but we will return for the 2009 PKRA speed season…..bigger, stronger and with better equipment.

The arms race has started!  Who will take the crown from F-21?

The three fastest sailors on planet earth!

The 50 knot club

Sitting in a very nice B&B…….Casa Velencia……over looking the famous Table Mount and Dolphine Beach, one of SA best kiting spots………Great place to stay!

Almost home now…………cant believe it is over……….suffering withdrawals from the lack of adrenaline………..Luderitz is a great place and currently the fastest piece of water known.

As I prepare to leave SA……the one thing that must be said is that every competitor that I met in Luderitz was an amazing person……..I miss them already……….what a bunch of good people, on and off the water!  In wrestling, I learned to dislike my opponents………….but it is different in the sport of Kite Speed…….  Sebastien Cattelan, Alex Caizergues, Christophe Prin Gruenon, jerome Bila, Sylvain Hoecini and Manu Taub…………and all the rest…….they are fierce competitiors who I respect and admire tremendously……. I look forward to the future as we prepare to break 100km per hour and push the limits of kitesailing…………

Its over…………amazing………..Many special thanks to Cabrinha Kites, Black Dog, Lynch Associates, Amundson Customs, NPX wetsuits, Dakine and Curtis Fins………..

In Namibia, Team NASSP set a new world record, becoming the first kitesurfer to hold the overall speed sailing title…………..we set a new American Speed Sailing record…….  We were defeated and battled back to within .03 kts/ .01 seconds or 26cm of the World Champion………..we broke the 50kt barrier and joined an elite group of athletes.

I broke 50kts on old #1……..an Amundson Custom speed board with Cabrinha Sync bindings and a fin from Curtis Fins, a 9 meter Cabrinha XBow IDS kite….Dakine Fusion harness and support from Lynch Assocaites and The Black Dog………

During the event I experienced the emotions……….. battled back from loss and staired down the spector of  defeat by losing the Overall world speed record………..we answered back with determination and made our runs…….again and again and again!

After a horrible few races on the weekend of the 3 and 4th of October…………I was in a bad spot……….riddled with doubt, bad decisions and excuses……………..a decsion had to be made…………..Pack it in and shut it down or continue sailing.  After discussions with Mike, a few brothers and 3 days of searching……………it became clear…………I had to cast away the fear of debilitating injury……….override the little voice of caution………..and trust my instincts.

A few equipment changes promted by Mike were the final adjustments that I needed in order to trust the new voices of perseverience.

ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE

A new Curtis fin….thanks Curtis and DHL……big, thin and shinny (dimensions: classified)………coupled with the new a set of Cabrinha Synch bindings allowed more power from the 9 M XBow kite to be applied to the board over the rough water……….

The speed run can be seen at Luderitz-speed.com or on Youtube…………look for the 2 little blibs (breaks in the spray off the board) on the run about 2/3rds down the course …….this prevented the run from being the world record run……

As Mike and I rest in Cape Town we have already started the next phase…………..next years goals are:  Overall PKRA Speed Champion and new world speed sailing record……….

Thanks to all the sponsors for the help and for building great equipment.

October 8th was a better day for the NASSP team………….50.54kts on #1 and a 9M Cabrinha Xbow IDS………..   .03 kts behind the world record holder Alex Caizergues. 

The Luderitz Competition is over and we had a good event……

Received some new fins today from Curtis Fins…………big, narrow and ready………will they help me unlock the 50?

Forecast looks good for Wed/Thrs……….40 to 45kts…………..the tide is high in the AM so racing will be short and sweet……..1200 to 1300 local ????

Preparing to get back on track for the final 2 days after a very bad personal performance this weekend. 

Special thanks to my wife Jackie for helping me to remain focused on the job at hand….

I picked a bad day to learn some important things yesterday…….

The worst companion of defeat is fear……….plotting and methodical, it probes my mind for all the crevisis’s where the remaining bits of hope can hide………eager to snuff out the last remaining light of strength………it easily illuminates all the ingredients of failure……. injury, doubt, mortality, humiliation, and anger.

This ultimate struggle raged yesterday…..fear vs. hope………..

Learned 2 more other lessons also…………never sail for a result and never get off the 7 Xbow (even in 48kts)

Congratulations to Alex…………an amazing competitior with massive amounts of determination.

Next Wednesday looks like the last good forecast for the event…………..I look forward to applying the lessons learned.

It stings………defeat…….if it was a fight they would have stopped it……never got out of 4th gear………….not sure if its the low angle on the course or my riding style.

Cattelan is an a amazing rider…….talent, drive and a passion for speed!

you know the crashes are bad when you can feel the fire blast down to your fingure tips………..nice headache still this AM………………and now I have to find a way to get up and put the harness back on for more runs……….

The “Attitude of Gratitude” requires us to realize that we are still healthy and that we have everything we need around us to make another run at it.

A positive mind set reaffirms to us that we can create our own reality…………well, then I need the wind to go more SSE so we can counter punch and get back into this fight.

“I dont know what to say really…..3 minutes to the biggest batttle of our professional lives …all comes down to today……..now either we heal as a team or we are going to crumble….inch by inch, play by play…. till we’re finished.  We are in hell right now gentlemen, believe me……and we can stay here and get the shit kickout out of us or we can fight our way backinto the light…….we can climb out of hell, one inch at a time.”

Racing starts at 3:30 local

Windy all night…….windy this morning…….15 to 20 kts………..40 kts will  be had this afternoon.  If the directiion is South, we will see very good speeds………if the wind goes SW then speeds will be lower and the course will be more demanding.

Yesterday sailed 11m Cabrinha XBow IDS……….20 to 25 kts…….2nd fastest time over the course ……..the wind was very broad……….SW and gusty……….sailed the new ABS board that Mike and I built with Angus Welsh in Cape Town last week.   More flex…..felt good….took a while to get used to it………….might try to throw it in a few races today if conditions allow.  Sailed #1………the light lively feel of the flat rocker feels as good as always………just like a miniture slalom board……

Here we go………

After a party at our house last night that Mike put on for everybody, I got up early this morning…….The sun just starting to rise……flat calm on the harbor…..Mike still sleeping, opens an eye and mentions something about stretching and drinking Living Fuel…………..I half hear his words cause  JTs’ on the ipod.  I say, “Ok kid, later.” 

On my way to Diaz Coffee Shop, I stop by the barn to see all the equipment.  Inside, the 7m Cabrinha XBow is all pumped up, pacing back and forth….. ready for action.  The Curtis fins are jumping around like school kids…. “Oh…..pick me, pick me”……. there is new board that arrived yesterday……Fedex….same outline as #1 but ABS construction and more flex. I’ll put the Dakine pads and straps on today just in time for a few test runs this afternoon…………….old number #1 is there too……. looking at me with her scars…….no words exchanged……she is ready to do 50 kts and I know it……….

I look forward to bringing her home……back to the Tavern where she will have a nice place to rest… high in the overhead… looking out at the harbor……breakfasts……stories……October’s light and West winds….And when the strong northerlies visit the Vineyard,   I’ll take her down and give her a few easy runs up into the low 40’s…..we’ll think about all the good times we had in the 2^nd Lagoon of Luderitz Namibia.

Less than 30 hours to the start………..forecast still holding strong……….just hours to the biggest battle of my professional life………and it all comes down tomorrow and Sat!