Monday March 12th:
Morning in windsurfing paradise with my lovely wife, how perfect!! We get to share the amazing beauty of the spacious apartment and I get to relive the amazement thru her eyes, as she gets a look of the amazing views, and the awesome life that we get to indulge in for the next three weeks!!
I got up early enough to get some fresh café con leche from the Wind Guru Café downstairs and the usual meet and greet with Mary Luz teaching classes in her school room. Always fun to practice some Spanish with the bubbly Mary!! She is so full of life and energy, it seems it can’t help but rub off on you! Thanks for the hug and kiss, mi Profesora!
I chat with my pals at the Guru, as
they whip up a couple cups of the best coffee in town, full whip, with the
sunburst detail in the foam. Very cool. A short
walk back up to the room, and I wake Connie with the smell of fresh coffee, a
selection of fruit, and OJ for breakfast.
She is stunned with the open patio doors to the sea, and the
After a slow start to the day, I am watching the birds fly over the ocean, and it seems the pelicans are pumping a lot more than normal to do the glide thing they do so well. This shows there is not much upper air, and that means it’s not looking like a strong day, but this is fine for those beginners out there. And Connie needs to ease into the scene, so this will actually work out nicely.
I have been lacking on the occasional morning photo sessions, and decide to try a pre noon window of action shots for the beginners out there that can’t go out in the big air. It’s always so cool to watch those just starting, and see the progression in front of your lens! I relive the moments of learning each move that now seems second hand muscle memory, and thrill in their accomplishment. Very fun!
I also noted that with the low winds, the wave action was at a much more reasonable calm level, and I had so many more shots that came out perfect! So hard to have the ISO cranked to the lowest setting, but it’s the only way to get truly clear shots. I must stand extra firm, even with wave action, and lock on the target of the photo sequence. If I don’t track the moving sailor perfectly, the shot will be a huge blurry mess. Hence the high percentage of shots that must be tossed after each session. But not today! I was spot on, and many more shots made the cut! One of my highest percentages to date! See windsurf photos here.
With the wind relaxing even more throughout the session, I made the choice to run into town, and stock the fridge. Connie and I took a taxi to Sigo for groceries, and melted right into the culture of town. It is always such a treat to experience a tiny slice of the life of Margarita. We filled a cart with food, and hopped a Taxi back to the beach by 3:30. In time for happy hour!
After unpacking the food, and some computer play, we made off to the beach, to see what the wind was doing. Very calm, hadn’t missed a thing today, best wind was during the morning shoot! So we opted for chat at the beach bar, bare foot and chillin. Such a great time! Old friends like Lorenzo and David were back, and it’s like the fun never stopped!! So cool to be discussing with friends, and enjoying the life on the beach! Smooth tunes, great drinks, and the best company, life is sooooo Sweeet!
We had to painfully say goodbye to our new Danish friends Lisa and Jonas, but set them on their way with Kaparinas and dinner at the tables with us, as we shared their last hours on the island. These two are great examples of true windsurfers, friendly, fun, and very skilled athletes! (Great Duck Jybes you two!) And I even got Lisa to smile on camera! She is such a strong determined sailor, she hardly cracks a smile, but the past couple days she has been caught full grin! Glad you both had a good time, and really hope to see ya again next year!! Skoal!
We gather our group together for dinner, and hit Fuerza Sise for some quick chicken. The food was again awesome, and the group of Lorenzo, David, Rodger, Wayne, Connie, and me made the most of it! Full tummies, and it was off to check out Los Piratas and the chill-out.
The usual awesome night out of food drinks, pool, music, and general fun was again a blast, and we hit it hard, but early, and were soon back to home before midnight. A quick visit to the roof pool, for some final stargazing, made the night complete, and it was off to recharge for another day.
Timoteo y Connie