Big Action

My home away from home was Haiku, Maui, Hawaii, where I based myself half the year. I lived at Donna's Place at Chameleon Gardens. The outdoor setting was paradise. Donna's place was inspiring to me it was a true home away from home.

The windsurfers train at Hookipa. But a few times a year, Jaws rises up and it's the daring place to go. Big, dangerous, mighty, this is the ultimate Hawaiian wave. One of the biggest rideable waves in the world, it's deAction!

Dropping in on the massive waves at Jaws was like walking the fine line between being in control and totally out of control. Accepting the consequences of being eaten by a 50 foot monster wave gives you that feeling. The rush of Jaws energizes you for days after the drop.

My first drop-in at Jaws was fresh with every move of water and puff of wind. I had some fear at first and was unnerved by the unusual chaos; jet skis buzzing around everywhere, helicopters blaring over head, cameramen peering from all angles, strap surfers dropping in, windsurfers scattered through the break and then the star, Jaws itself.

Time passes without the big wave's arrival and many windsurfers leave. The helicopters return to base and tranquility sets in. The mood changes from chaos to peace. My confidence boosts and my body relaxes after I take a few drops on the smaller waves. The positive vibes wash over me and I'm ready to drop in on a big wave set.

After waiting almost the whole day, suddenly a set appears in the deep blue. I jibe on to the first wave, calm and confident and commit to this power ride. The further I drop, the larger the wall jacks up. I realize I'm on a 50 foot wave and there is no turning back. I'm fully in the pit, waiting for the section to line up and searching for the smoothest spot to drive off the bottom. I calculate this turn and I'm propelled toward the lip with a monster of a barrel crashing towards me. As I arc off the top of the lip, it comes thundering down with a sonic bang! The excitement rushes to my brain and explodes. The force of Jaw's breath sends spray and wind slapping across my back, reminding me of its power.

I slide back down the face, climaxing the ride and carving up the remaining shoulder of the wave. The ride injects me with electricity. I'm pumped and firing for more action. The confidence builds with each drop. I'm at ease with the beast. But knowing this surge of confidence could be lethal, I choose to be thankful for the experience, the feeling it gave me and to have survived Jaws.

As I cool my head in the boat, my mind in awe, I float into another world, just feeling the feeling. I satisfied my inner quest for adventure and felt the natural high. I'm smiling from the heart! The feeling lingers for days. I constantly smile, reliving those power rides.

Antigua

Spotting Anguilla from the air we see white caps circling the tiny island and white beaches meeting amazingly rich turquoise waters.

The mood and feel of this northernmost Leeward island suits the intermediate sailor. I hit Shoal Bay on the north point of the island first. The bay was crystal blue water with pure white beaches, and even the dry outer reef had surprisingly enormous waves crashing down on it. Ideal conditions for my 145 board and deAction Super Freak Hot Sail. The intensity of the bay's backdrop was perfect. The sun beaming, the palms waving, sea grapes hugging the beach. Everything I envisioned became real. When I glided through these unbelievable turquoise waters with my blazing yellow, red, orange, fuchsia, green and blue sail, it was perfection. Yeah, man, the passion electrifies me. This is why I love windsurfing.

I want to revitalize beginner to intermediate windsurfing with more color and passion and Hot Sails Maui really captured my vision by producing the kind of sails that reflect my Caribbean personality. Each panel of the retro Dacron sails radiates bold, daring colors framed in yellow. My intermediate board is great for lighter winds with its 145 liter volume.

Anguilla's population is scattered in little villages. While the tiny capital, The Valley, is barely a town, there's a carefree feel with chicken and ribs stands all around, roots reggae music in the air and dominoes slamming everywhere. The main road runs through the island center instead of along the coasts so most adventures are off-road, where you find beautiful secluded beaches at almost every turn. With Anguilla's many outer reefs, the windsurfing potential is virtually unlimited, and the island's small size lets you move around easily to catch the best wind.

Traveling one dirt road we come to a building made of old locally made boats. It looked intriguing. An old windsurf board hung over the big entryway. Over the doorway hung a guitar. Above the stairs frames of the wooden boats line the roof. Upstairs, the open room replicated a recording studio. Off to the left was a bar with lots of driftwood and old bottles. It looked like a storm had washed all this stuff up, yet the aura of the place pulled you in.

Perched on a platform overlooking the bay was a graying dreadlocked bearded man sitting on an old couch made from a boat hull. He was the focal point so we joined the conversation. The man was legendary Anguillian, Bankie Bankx, internationally acclaimed musician and recording artiste known for his bluesy fusion of Caribbean reggae. Suddenly the many symbols we saw when we entered made sense.

We were in the historic Rendezvous Bay Dune Preserve, a bar and restaurant and music center built by Bankie. From my Caribbean travels, this place definitely had substance and represented the authentic strong Caribbean beach culture feeling.

With St. Martin as a scenic backdrop, this place was one of the best windsurfing and kite surfing spots on the island. With a good breeze you could sail to St. Martin in about 20 minutes.

Anguilla surpassed all my expectations. It's a very safe destination with beautiful beaches and amazing water colors. Yet the most surprising thing I found was the authentic soul and character of the people.

Windsurfing Camp - Barbados

"It was really good. I had a lot of fun. I learnt to jibe and tack. I want to be a cricketer when I grow up. Gabi is really good and I think Ricky has to practice more", exclaimed Kobi, five years old and one of the youngest participants in the Cave Shepherd Windsurfing Camp. The free camp sponsored by one of our leading retail stores ran for two weeks in July, followed by a paying clinic for the month of August. Anita Elms, regional marketing manager for Duty Free Caribbean, said: "Cave Shepherd is always willing to help the youth and Talma is a role model to whom they can look up to." I had worked with Cave Shepherd and the Minister of Education and Culture, Mr. Reginald Farley to promote Beach Culture in the primary and secondary schools, targeting children between the ages of eight and sixteen. The objective of the World tour is to promote Beach Culture internationally, but it is important to also work in Barbados. Minister of Sports, Reginald Farley said: "Windsurfing is an activity that promotes individuality and Barbados is one of the top ten windsurfing destinations in the world. Therefore we should promote it by producing more Brian Talmas and help to get them onto the world stage."

My vision of tourism for Barbados is to position it as having the best beach culture in the world. We are fortunate enough to have the natural environment which produces some of the best conditions for watersports. It is very important to enrich our beach culture by having major sporting events in windsurfing, kitesurfing, surfing, etc. We need to invest money into these types of events and create the necessary infrastructure to accommodate these sports for Barbadians and visitors.

Vera, a twelve year old from Norway spoke for a threesome who became know as the purple girls, "We think the camp is really cool, everybody learnt a lot of stuff. Girls surf better than boys... we went on TV." Keaneau, a ten year old Barbadian said, "I like this beach culture thing, I can blow the conch shell now. Do you think I can win the competition now?" Maybe one of these children will become a professional athlete but more importantly they will have a greater appreciation for the sea. Now that tourism is our number one industry, this would help to bridge the gap between visitors and locals. One problem is that a lot of Barbadians, including children can't swim and therefore can't appreciate the sea as much as they should.

I believe if Barbados nurtures it's beach culture it will directly stimulate the influx of visitors. This will be reflected by the exposure generated by watersport events, creating a strong image base and by having natural world class condition so that these sports people will be visiting Barbados for the great conditions. As the children are getting more involved in these sports, I believe that in 10-20 years the Barbadian beach culture wouldn't just be a small subculture but a major part of Barbadian culture. This would have a direct impact on tourism and give Barbados a stronger identity. Besides learning to windsurf, it is also important is allow children to dream and to articulate these dreams. They should be helped to find their passion in life. If you never try you will never know.

All the children also had to express themselves on land and give presentations about any topic. It's important to know how to windsurf, but education and the ability to express yourself gives you the freedom to live your dreams. If you live your dreams and combine this with getting paid, you are a lot more passionate and effective at your job. The job market is changing, just like life. Nothing stays the same. If you told somebody you wished to be a professional windsurfer 30 years ago they would laugh at you. Now it's possible. Children should be free to pursue untraditional career alternatives. This relates back to the tourist sector in Barbados. The more passionate children are about beach culture, the more energetic they will be when they enter the job market.

John said that "Windsufing is a really great sport and everybody should try it!!"
Watersports is an excellent way to relax and enjoy yourself. The clinic provided a safe environment for the children to learn new skills. Also it's about bridging the gap between visitors and Barbadians as they interact in activities related to the sea. Ricky shouts, "I got a lot of scratches. The camera is music. Fullmoon is the boss... can I go windsurfing now." Chris joined in, "I want to go to camp every day and next year I want to do the camp again. I want to learn how to kitesurf and surf too."