PRO SESSIONS MAUI
Next it was time to join together with a group of pros and practice and re-test and hopefully improve in a realistic racing environment. There seems to be three real slalom hubs or destinations where you can go and find this required criteria. One is in Tarifa where my team mate Benny Van der Steen lives and trains usually with a group of French sailors and other top European pros. Secondly there is Tenerife with the TWS centre. This mainly consists of a younger crew from throughout Europe representing all the major brands that are keen to prove and establish themselves as contenders and push the old guard out. Thirdly is Maui with the top guys while they are spending time on the island for photo shoots and also the local crew of sailors. I chose Maui, mainly due to the fact that I was getting married there at the end of February!
My wedding was the best moment of my life to date and I can’t help but feel that settling down with my wife has brought me some balance and focus in the run up to Korea, something that may have been missing in past seasons. I do believe in the psychological power of happiness and that a balanced life can help bring your performance level up in whatever you do.
SHAPING UP
Looking back into 2015 it was the first year of my career when I started to carry some injuries through the PWA season. This was not to say I hadn’t been injured before, it was just more the case that these injuries were not getting better with time. In fact they were doing the opposite. Probably not helped by my run of wavesailing and traveling up and down the UK throughout the autumn and winter. I had wavesailed my ass off in some of the best conditions I can remember, winning the British wave title, while also running the UK Gaastra/Tabou agency. I believed my body was slowly losing the war and in need of help. Knee, back, neck and elbow were all getting worse, so as soon as I got to Maui I started the athlete-training program with Sam and Kyla at Deep Relief Maui. For me the most important thing was to get back my full range of movement, break my body down to zero and start afresh again. This time focusing on flexibility and proper recovery so that I was protecting the longevity of my career.
HOMEWARD BOUND
After about a month or so at Deep Relief I was starting to see the fruits of my labour, sailing everyday along with a good gym/recovery program. I was feeling great, 100%. But then work was calling me back to the UK, so I made a return trip back home. It was time to see some shops and be present at the first UK slalom event, which I was sponsoring. Again I have to say sometimes I feel a little stretched and dream about chucking it all in and just going surfing! But this is now the reality for me and my career, a salesman and a sailor. If I am honest, it’s the hardest thing I have ever done. Bringing Gaastra and Tabou back into the shops in the UK has been frustrating and time consuming. But somehow I feel it’s my duty to bring the stoke I receive from windsurfing across to shops and die hard British sailors. I love a killer day at home sailing and rate UK spots as some of the best places to sail in the world. But of course you need to take the rough with the smooth.
