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A few months ago, Jaeger Stone dropped a knife onto his foot, the consequences; hospital surgery and 12 weeks off the water! Windsurf Magazine catch up with Jaeger for the latest prognosis.

 Photos: PWA/Carter

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 WS: We heard you are injured…Tell us what happened and how the recovery is coming along?

 JS:  Yeah, I accidentally dropped a sharp knife and it landed on my foot. Doesn’t sound like much but unfortunately it cut straight through a tendon that lifts my big toe (extensor hallucis longus). It was a complete cut and the tendon retracted a couple of centimetres so I needed to have it surgically repaired. Thankfully, I was able to get in within that first week of it happening and it’s been a bit of a waiting game since then. The first 6 weeks I was in a moonboot and wasn’t allowed to take it off for anything, only showering after 4 weeks. I’m at week 9 now and it takes at least 12 weeks for the tendon to be close to full strength again. The last few weeks I’ve been working on gently getting my range of motion back, exercising the injured muscle/tendon without pushing it too hard and doing whatever else I can to keep fit. I lost a lot of muscle in that leg so have been trying to build that up, along with doing some swimming and cycling.

WS: What have you been doing over the past few months?

 JS Prior to this injury I was windsurfing all the time. I only began sailing consistently again in late January after injuring my PCL and MCL in October last year so I was really enjoying windsurfing and getting my confidence back. I was booked to fly to Maui in the beginning of March but decided to see what would happen with Covid-19 in those early stages and the day after I was due to fly-out Australia closed its borders. We had plenty of conditions for sailing here though and it was fun to spend that time of the year at home. After missing Maui late last year due to my knee injury I was keen to spend a good chunk of time over there training starboard tack but it is what it is. Up until my injury in early June we had a good mix of everything, and I think I was sailing close to 3-4 times a week which is perhaps a little unusual for that time of year. We had late sea breezes, strong offshore and onshore winds and everything in between so it was fun, and I was so lucky to be in a situation and country to be able to do that. Since my injury I’ve just been trying to keep busy with other things, enjoy the down time and my time at home in WA with friends and family. I’ve been trying to keep fit and do what I can and have enjoyed watching Mark (Dad) shape a few boards in the shed. I haven’t really been able to do any Physiotherapy work while I’ve been injured but I’ve been studying a little online, revising and reading so that’s been nice.

WS: Are you allowed to travel anywhere at all out of Australia?

JS: Nah, there is still a ban on travel outside of Australia unless you get an exemption, which as far as I’m aware you may get if your travel needs are classed as essential along with other criteria also being met. Even within Australia travel is restricted, but I feel lucky to be at home in W.A.

WS: When are you hoping to get back on the water?

 JS: Hopefully in September I’ll be back sailing again, so it works out well with the beginning of the W.A. windsurfing season. The plan is to work with Severne, Starboard and TwoGoat Media quite a bit and I’m really looking forward to releasing the new gear with them so it should be fun! I’ll have to slowly get back into sailing after spending so much time out of the water lately.

WS: We heard the Gnaraloo camp is booked out at the moment, is everyone in Australia doing the staycation thing?

JS: Ha ha yeah, Scotty McKercher went in the other day and got told he couldn’t stay because it was too full. I guess it’s a combination of people not being able to travel outside of Australia, perhaps people who have lost their jobs, want to get out of the city for a while etc. Will have to see what it’s like over the windier months and how this whole situation evolves.

WS: How do you see this season panning out for you personally?

 JS:  It’s been an interesting year so far and there is still so much uncertainty going forward. Given this last injury, I potentially would have missed the Canaries leg of the PWA World Tour anyway. Injuries are always a little tricky to manage both mentally and physically. Covid-19 has changed the situation as well, but I’ve tried to keep things in perspective and think about what I can control. I’m in a very privileged and fortunate position still. This time has allowed me to slow down, reflect and hopefully approach sailing again feeling motivated to progress, learn and have fun. Personally, I think this season will teach me quite a bit.

WS: Do you miss the PWA tour?

JS: Yeah, the PWA Tour is fun. I miss the windsurfing community, my friends and being pushed by the best windsurfers in the world.