Photo round up of the last week's action....

Grubby anyone?

This past week I have had a one-on-one clinic with Markus who came to learn grubbies and polish up his forward technique. We were once again blessed with ideal conditions (although it was even a bit too windy a couple of days at Punta!). Markus made great progress with the grubby, so nearly sliding his way out of a perfect one on his second last day! He will nail it in days when he gets back to Germany, I'm sure.
He learnt forwards only recently and was landing pretty wet so wanted to get his landings better. We spent two full days working on his rotation and trying to get a more lateral spin, which worked a treat and by the end of the week he was sailing away dry with a huge grin on his face- I love this job, haha.............

A lesson to us all............

Katie Mcanena just spent a week over here to learn to loop and she has chronicled her success in a short vid shot at Punta. Check it out- she was incredibly motivated and learnt very quickly after a minimum of instruction. I had to point out only the tiniest of details and she took it straight on board, ignoring the painful first few wipeouts and progressing superquickly! By the end her rotation was really sweet and she was evn stalling them- what a legend! Let this be a lesson to you all- if you can commit yourself like Katie did, you can achieve a huge amount in a very short space of time............

Katie McAnena looping in Fuerte! from Katie McAnena on Vimeo.

The same week, I had my good friend Kev Bambra over from the UK. We had some pretty good conditions for the whole week (see Katie's vid!) and Kev was in pieces by the end, haha, check out his hands in this photo!!!!!!!! Kev is a drummer with up-and-coming new hardcore band Faceshredder and garage punk legends The Coyote Men and has a busy schedule of gigs when he gets back home- ouch!!!!!!!!!

On the topic of injuries, my good friend, young shredder Stefan Ploum (Kauli), who has been on the island since February honing his skills (and improving very quickly, incidentally), broke his foot in two places a couple of days ago crashing a big forward and will now have to return home to his native Holland for an operation,cutting short his stay by six weeks or so and missing the summer trades. Bummer. He'll be back soon, though, and hopefully he'll have a video for me to post up soon (he's got alot of time on his hands now!). Best of luck, mate, see you soon.........

Punta today..........

Punta rocks!!!

In between my teaching I've been managing to get a bit of sailing in for myself this week. The waves have been pretty small at Punta but at low tide conditions have been awesome for jumping and freestyle. I'll have some nice photo sequences up in the next couple of days, for now check out my latest move for my "tricktionary"- the grubby diablo!

Grubby Diablo from Stephen Gibson on Vimeo.

Straight From The Horse's Mouth.

This is what Mark had to say about his experience in Fuerte...................The challenge was to see if me, my wife Niamh and our 17 month old baby girl Kayla could have a top notch family holiday combined with a few days of proper wave sailing – surely impossible? Now we get pretty good conditions at home, so the deal was I was only going to sail if it was as good, or better, than what we get here.

On the advice of Oisin van Gelderen, on an Irish forum, I got in contact with Stephen Gibson, who is a JP/Neil Pryde sailor based in Fuerte (http://gibboinfuerte.blogspot.com/), where he also has a restaurant, to arrange some coaching/ a clinic. (He also has a thread here http://www.boards.co.uk/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=25030 ). I wanted a laid back approach where I’d only go sailing on a solid forecast in the right spot, minimising time wasted driving around the place. I emailed him about two months ago and he couldn’t have been more helpful, was cool with our plans and gave advice on what to bring etc.

As you can’t get direct to Fuerte from my local airport we flew to Lanzarote, rented a car and got the ferry (Didn’t get charged for bringing my gear on the plane which was sweet.) We got a good deal on a really nice hotel at the edge of Corralejo near the big beach. My wife was able to go running out to the big hotels every morning at 7am, so she was really happy.

On Sunday 21st we called into Stephen’s restaurant in Corralejo (called Gibson’s http://www.fuerteventura.com/gibsons/index.shtml ), and discovered that he is a great chef, and one of the nicest guys you can meet. We tried a few other places other nights but kept going back to Gibson’s as it was the best we found in the town. One night we were eating in the restaurant and our little girl was acting up and Stephen came out and entertained her while we ate our dinner – totally cool guy.

Anyway, on to the important bit: windsurfing. I arrived on the 20th June and it looked like the trades were kicking in. I could have sailed three days the start of that week on 5.6 and maybe 5.0 at Glass beach. Waves were small, so I decided to hang on until it really kicked in (remember this is a family holiday so only looking for quality conditions). Big mistake. The forecast turned horrible with five days of no wind. I was getting a bit antsy and it looked like things were going to go pear shaped. I actually felt bad for Stephen as every time we called in he was apologising that the trades hadn’t kicked in. Then the forecast showed wind for the 1st, 2nd and 3rd of July. I decided to do a looping clinic on the 1st and the 3rd and go free sailing on the 2nd.

1st July – Warm Up at Punta Blanca

We had a nice warm up day on the 1st at Punta Blanca – 5.6 weather. I had never been there before and it is a cool place to sail – amazing for jumping. The drive from Corralejo is funny, with a fair bit of dirt track.

There is volcanic rock everywhere and a tiny patch of sand. A bit like sailing on the moon. At low tide you walk out across the volcanic rock and chuck your gear into the water and jump in. Even with little swell, the place throws up big steep ramps. There wasn’t enough wind for looping so we canned the clinic and just sailed.



2nd July – Down the line at Lajos

On the 2nd the wind looked more Northerly so Stephen made the call to head down the east side of the island. Glass beach was busy so we drove down to Lajos, a point break, close to Puerto del Rosario, about 20 mins from Corralejo. There is no way I would have found the place without the local knowledge and it rocked. Boom to head high waves, powered up on 5.0 cross, to cross off wind. All local sailors plus me. A really sweet session at a really cool place.


3rd July – Forward Friday at Punta

I really wanted to learn something so we decided to head to Punta Blanca on Friday, my last day for a clinic on forwards. Arrived to see 5.0 weather with some nice ramps. The higher tide meant we could launch from the beach, which was a bit of a novelty.

This was the day I did a clinic and it began with a quick discussion by Stephen about technique. The clinic was one to one which I found perfect for learning, particularly in a short space of time. I have been trying loops for about a year without much success – lots of back splatting.

We went out and I went for one off a small wave with him sailing really close behind me.

We then sailed back and he corrected my technique. I went for a good few more off small waves, always with him sailing close behind me. After I had crashed he’d usually do a forward correctly right in front of me (or a push or back loop). Not sure if this was by design, but I found this really motivating.

After about 45 mins of practice he reckoned my technique was good enough to go off proper ramps. We sailed out, again with him behind me and I went for it off a boom high ramp, got proper rotation. Wow, what a nice feeling. Jump. Pause. Stomach flip. Splash down with all of the gear pointing the right way.

I felt like I was making real progress, but was getting tired. Doing a loop attempt on every run takes it out of you. We free sailed for a bit and then took a break. At this point I managed to get the hire car stuck in the sand. Thanks to Paul for towing me out.

After the break we resumed but I was back at the beginning. Embarrassing attempt:



The wind had picked up and I went for several but wasn’t getting decent rotation. I started to get a bit pissed off and we had a bit of a chat. Stephen pointed out that I was sailing a bit downwind for the good ramps. I sailed out behind him and he pulled one and I did one right after him. Much better:



After that I was in the groove with perfect ramps lining up on every run. I think I pulled three big (for me!) loops in a row with the board landing right underneath me. I know there are still things to be worked on but I am way closer after just a half days instruction.

Totally stoked. This was one of the best days sailing I ever had. I actually found it hard to sleep that night.


In short probably one of the best holidays we’ve had (my wife would have given it a 10, except the baby cried the whole 3 ½ hours home on the plane) plus some really good wave sailing, with Friday the 3rd July being one of my all time sessions. If you want to have a really nice family holiday combined with learning with one to one coaching then I recommend getting in contact with Stephen Gibson and going to Fuerte. I am going back next year to learn push loops.


Pretty stoked, I reckon.................

The summer begins!!!!!!!!

Well, the wind is here and my summer of windsurfing clinics has begun in earnest! Last week was a forward loop clinic with Mark from Cork in Ireland and once again I have to say it was a huge success! We managed to score a couple of good days including a great waveriding session at Puerto Lajas, but the best was definitely saved for last. On his last day we rocked up to Punta and the forward loop fun began. Mark already had an idea of what he was trying to do, and, after we tweaked his technique on the water, he was spinnig like a madman, hurling himself off every available ramp. His rotation was supersmooth after about an hour and by the end of the session he was landing with the sail out of the water and soooooo nearly sailing away!! Big respect to the fella- he gave it his all and was totally fearless, reaping the rewards for his great efforts- well done, mate! All in all, we had a great laugh and I can only hope Mark enjoyed it as much as I did- I love teaching forwards- they've got to be the most rewarding clinics I do, great stuff!!!!

What a week!!!!

Wow, what a week! I've just finished a full week of teaching with Pat O'Brien from the emerald isle and we had our fair share of action despite the fairly light winds for the week. Pat was a complete beginner and the conditions were absolutely perfect- Pat proved to be an amazing student and, despite the mishaps and accidents that befell us during the week( van smashed up by an articulated lorry, keys locked in borrowed van etc, you know, all the usual stuff, haha), progressed at an amazing rate, mastering all the basics in the first two sessions and quickly moving on to quick tacks and gybe variations, clew-first sailing, and using the harness. Well done that man! He is now back at home in Ireland with his shiny new windsurf kit watching the trees blowing through his office window and waiting for the weekend, I bet! All in all another huge success for all involved and great fun. See you next year, Pat?

Becalmed..........

As is pretty typical for the start of June, the wind has been pretty light for the last couple of weeks. I scored a couple of good freestyle sessions in the south when there was no wind up here (local knowledge, haha) but, apart from that, there has been very little windsurfing action. I have been getting wet most days though, as I am teaching Caroline (again) and she is coming on in leaps and bounds now- look out world! Hopefully she'll be in tiptop shape in time for next year's Get High Or Die!
I have a free week now and then I am going to be busy for most of the summer with clinics so there should be plenty to report. For now, check out the latest move for my tricktionary, the double flaka. As usual, a full how-to will follow very shortly..........

Double Flaka from Stephen Gibson on Vimeo.

Carlsberg?

CARLSBERG DON'T MAKE BEACH SIGNPOSTS, BUT IF THEY DID........................................

PROBABLY THE BEST SIGNPOST IN THE WORLD.

Get High Or Die!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

On Saturday 16th and Sunday 17th of May, I staged the first ever wave event to be held at Punta Blanca in Fuerte. My main goals with this comp were to get all the local riders together for a fun weekend of windsurfing and partying, and also to get every single competitor to push their own personal limits and reach a new level of sailing. To this end I devised a system of judging whereby each heat was judged by the riders from a different heat, according to their ability, a kind of handicap system, with riders who pushed themselves the hardest progressing through to the next round. The result was phenomonal! I have never seen such radical action at Punta in my 14 years of sailing there! In absolutely perfect conditions, we had guys sailing away from their first ever forward loops after only a few attempts, guys throwing themselves into doubles at every opportunity and all done with huge smiles all round. Wow, it surpassed all my expectations!
Will impressed everyone with his suicidal double attempts (he really was determined to get high or die!) and came away with 1st prize with Victor in 2nd and big Pieter in 3rd. Really, though, I could have awarded trophies to absolutely everyone as there were so many who sailed better than I have ever seen before.
After the heats, I held two expression sessions, with 15 in each heat, resulting in a jumping frenzy with all the local island hillbillies trying their utmost to kill or maim themselves, haha. Check the video and you'll see exactly what I mean!
After all the organisation I did, you'd have thought the gods would have been smiling down on me but, oh no, 1 minute into my quarter final heat, my mast foot broke and I spent the whole heat swimming back to the beach as my fellow competitors jeered me good-naturedly from the water. With friends like these, haha...............oh, well, next year, I'll fix it so I win.............
After the expression session it was back to the UTurn in Lajares for the prizegiving, filled to the rafters, and it was there where it was evident just how successful the weekend had been. Everyone was super-stoked to have been a part of it, and not one person whinged or whined about anything, which must be a first in the history of competition!!!
All in all, a greater success than I ever dreamed possible, already planning next year's..............
Greetings from the sunshine,
Gibson.

Get High Or Die!!!!!!!! from Stephen Gibson on Vimeo.

Get High Or Die Photos.

SUP

Day 2 goes OFF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

As forecast, the wind filled in on Sunday and the comp was a huge success!! Everyone was giving it 110% and the action was insane! I am working on the video right now and I have 1500 photos to sift through so for now you will have to content yourselves with these low-res frame grabs from my video camera. Full write-up, photos and video this week, watch this space..........................

Get High Or Die, Day 1!!!!!!!

Well, that's day 1 over and, despite annoyingly light, gusty winds we managed to plough through the first round, leaving the quarters for today as the forecast looks much more promising. I'll leave ya with a couple of pics to show that there was still alot of good action- definitely much more to come today, though!!!!!!!!!!!!Full report and pics/video imminent.........................

LET'S GET READY TO RUMBLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

After months of waiting for the right forecast, it's finally on- the Punta Blanca "Get High Or Die" Wave Comp will take place this weekend at Punta Blanca on the northshore!

30 local sailors will fight it out on Saturday for the King of Punta title with man-on-man eliminations judged by the riders themselves to encourage a handicap-system whereby each rider will be judged according to how he or she pushes their own personal limits. On Sunday I will be running a super session with trophies for the most impressive jump, the most extreme wipeout/bail and one for the biggest chicken-out. Gonna be total carnage.

Sunday night will be an end of comp party in the U-Turn in Lajares with prizegiving and BBQ. Watch this space for photos, updates and, of course, THE video........................

More Clinic Success!!

Well, just said goodbye to Alan and Emmet from Ireland after another fantastic week of coaching. The wind was a little marginal this time but we managed to make the most of the conditions and even played a trump card heading south to sail 4.5s when there was a force 1 up here. Anyway, this is what Al said in a forum post....
"Just back from my week in Fuerteventura, thanks to all for the advice given.Just to share my experiences.........I took you up on your advice Oisin and booked a clinic for a week with Stephen Gibson (http://gibboinfuerte.blogspot.com/). I felt like I've crammed a years worth of progress into 7 days and avoided all the usual hassles with gear rental/service/transport/local knowledge. Couldn't recommend him highly enough for all sailing levels and will defo be back again. Picked up some nice gear too for a song thanks to Stephens contacts." Pretty happy, I reckon.
Also, read here what Nick, my student from two weeks ago, and an absolute beginner (until now) had to say.......
"I have just got back in from 7 days of 'flat out' fun with Fuerteventura legend Steve 'Gibbo' Gibson.
I hooked up with the man from the toon via a friend of mine for a week long , learn from scratch course. Being a total novice to the wind, although I can hold my own on a surfboard, snowboard, skis I thought it would be a nightmare to grasp wind surfing. NOT the case. Gibson explained everything in a 'canny' manor that was easy to understand and take in whilst making me feel totally at ease.
From the moment we hit the water at Waikiki beach, he was next to me or behind me talking me through, then showing me the how's, if's ,why's do's and don't do's. As part of my package all the kit was supplied. I feel there is no better way to learn than actually having the teacher out there with you talking you through everything that is going on piece by piece. He can then show you the correct way in close up as he is actually doing it.
I don't wish to give it the large one but by day 5 I was out in a good strong wind with a 5.0 up (not hooked in) screaming back and forth at speeds that felt like a ton although Gibbo reckons it was only 15mph! tacking quickly and Jibing.... Hope i have spelt it right.
The evenings were spent in Gibbo's bar .... 'Gibsons' eating cracking scran, downing beers, talking about the days fun and watching vids of the man himself whacking out a whole armory of tricks, loops and huge airs.
The highlight of my days on the water..........?
Gibson screaming out behind me, 'way ay one scoop man ', hitting a head high wave at half tilt and forward looping over my head about 10 feet away.... ! A proper giggle.
If you need to contact him to verify that I did actually have 2 scoops of chocolate ice cream get him at gibboinfuerte@yahoo.co.uk ". Bit bizarre, but very complimentary, haha.
And lastly, my advanced student from April, Alex's pa had this to say......."Hi All,
I can't recomend Steve's clinics highly enough. Not only for his professional instruction but in ensuring the best beach is hit for the days wind direction. Fuerta may be very windy, but it does need someone who knows the place to ensure that you end up in the right spot to make the most of the conditions - get it wrong and it may not be windy and you can spend all week chasing. Local knowledge of where to go and where not to sail when you get to the right spot can also ensure that you don't trash your kit in the first five minutes.
We've just come back from Steve's first clinic (Alex) and he has ensured that we have been able to make the best of the conditions on each day. Alex's sailing has really improved through Steve's tips and all in all its been a really good crack.
If anyone reading this is planning on going to Fuerta to improve their windsurfing or to just get some time on the water - get in touch with Steve. I promise you will not regret it. Top local knowledge and professional instruction - with video - which really helps get things dialled.
Thanks for everything Steve - Alex will be back. "
Pretty positive feedback so far, looking forward to my next one already............

Old Dog New Tricks.

As I mentioned, I've dedicated the last two days at Punta almost entirely to learning double flakas and am finally starting to get a feel for them. Yesterday, I took the video and we filmed for an hour to see if I could get my first one on camera and the result is this short video. I edited out the 55,000,000 crashes and was left with this little bit, haha. Check out the last double on the vid, though, can't believe that's me. Stoked! There's even a cheeky little one-hander on there.....

Double flaka session!!!!! from Stephen Gibson on Vimeo.

Glass Beach Photoshoot

While I was doing the clinic with Alex at Glass Beach, a friend of mine, Serge, took a few pics.

We were training flakas but conditions were pretty good for ponches aswell (as you can probably tell from the pics!). Today, it's off to Punta in search of the elusive double flaka! Got a few yesterday, one cracker, so I'm gonna try to get some video done. Enjoy the photos and watch this space.............

One-Handed Flaka Diablo.

This week I did a beginner course with Nick from the UK, which went amazingly. Once again we were blessed with perfect learning conditions and he soon progressed from uphauling and falling to planing around Waikiki tacking and gybing! Amazing progress. To be fair to Nick he was very determined and refused to give up no matter how difficult the next step seemed, and therefore progressed very, very quickly indeed. He is coming back again and we will have him in a harness and footstraps by the end of his next week which is not bad going at all for someone who will have, by then, been windsurfing for a grand total of 2 weeks! Bring it on..............
For now, I leave you with another addition to my "tricktionary"- the one-handed flaka diablo! Watch the vid, I will post a how-to very soon.................

One-Handed Flaka Diablo from Stephen Gibson on Vimeo.