KP GOES NUTS
Kevin Pritchard may have become some sort of underground surfer on this trip and, as this first day evolved you could see him lose that windsurfer surf style and blossom into his own self. We both joked amongst the locals and stayed in our rotation getting back into the swing of things at Pt. Preta. Such a great warm-up for the sailing we were about to have. As the wind filled in gently, it came in side-shore – which is rare for Pt. Preta – and it was enough to sail effectively for just a few people out on 5.3, but also shut down the kites pretty much all day because of some serious holes in the wind. By the time we were done, Si had collected a treasure of smooth sailing at this historically perfect canvas, made famous by movies and competitions in the past, where now, it was mostly just KP, Josh and myself trading off, hardly a care in the world about horns and heats. Just wave after wave reeling down the point for 200+ meters. We stayed camped for Pt. Preta, clearly the focus of this trip. It seemed like old times for sure. Kevin seems to be quite dedicated to coming here now, this being his second trip in a year.
Kevin: The swell for me came just when I needed it. I was in Europe for Christmas and New Year and I had lugged all my gear over in hope of a super swell coming. I was in touch with the ‘Flykatcher’ hounding him for surf reports. We were checking the maps – and BAM! Hercules appeared on the charts. It was time. Perfect timing. Get there on the 6th, swell on the 7th, lets go. For me Punta Preta is one of my all time favorite places to windsurf in the world. I can still remember my 2007 aerial off the lip, which sticks deep within my soul. We woke up to swell pumping, but not too much wind. Time to bust out the surfboards. To me surfing Punta Preta is almost as good as sailing it. The waves are easy to get into and long, fast and fun. I am not really a true surfer. I love to surf, but only when the conditions are firing. I stayed out on the water for 6 hours. Enough said. My smile was ear to ear. I couldn’t paddle any more, the swell was only getting bigger. We had epic surf the entire trip. It was perfect. A couple days surfing, a couple days sailing and I was happy. Best surf trip I can remember for a while. I was so truly blessed to be able to go out there and have some fun with the boys. What a ride!
Si dared to swim in the impact zone at Pt. Preta with solid swell on a few occasions with his water housing. Most of the time he was in the zone getting the shot, a few times riding on the ‘bubble’ that pulls you out of the impact zone or into the pit depending on the tide swing. Si pulled the trigger on several of our best moments from the water perspective and it seemed like the best-case scenario with such an easy feeling of getting the right wave and then just lining up with no hassles.
Even when things got hectic with the various watercraft out there, Si held tough and we all see the results here.