Sunday, August 19, 2007

What difference did 10 years make?

I first learned to windsurf at the Berkley Marina and after work in San Francisco I would take a cable car, BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) and a bus to my lessons. You’d think between the skanky water, the commute and the damp wetsuits that I’d have given up, but no, I loved it!

I finally got my own gear and while I was always a tentative sailor, still had fun dodging the metal shite jutting out of the filth at flying tigers. I looked forward to the weekend excursions searching for wind and because I wasn’t that good, was happy even if the air streams were elusive.

Let’s see, tortoise or hare……what can I say I’m the tortoise in most things. So how I got the misconception that moving to Maui would make me a 'windsurfing hare' is beyond me! As a scapegoat for me quitting the sport, my ex-husband came in quite handy. Sure he was unsupportive, critical of my slow progress and uninterested in everything associated with my sailing day, but (truth be told) walking away from the sport had more to do with quitting him than anything else. Not to mention the fact that it was way more difficult to sail on Maui than anywhere else I’d tried and I couldn't fucking jibe, no matter how many lessons I took from John Crews!

So I did the only sane thing anyone would do, I divorced ‘the unhelpful one’ and bought a mountain bike!

Fast forward 10 years and the windsurfing gods sent me another opportunity to play. I started hanging out with good sailors and the desire to hook-in came back. Ego and age were my only obstacles as I was the oldest beginner I knew hanging out with those who had stayed in relationship with the sport for the last 10 years. I keep wondering "if I'd stuck with it surely I could have at least mastered the jibe in that time"? Oh little tortoise, at your speed, not necessarily!

Wotdafuck, on some level it was easy, I just threw myself under the bus for the laugh and went for it (how quickly one forgets the pouty tantrums!). I’m still sailing like a girl, but most importantly I’m now having fun. My good mate Giampaolo did the honor of filming me prior to my going into dry dock for a month. So, this diatribe is my l.o.n.g. introduction to the masterpiece you are about to witness.

So, what difference did 10 years make? Proficiency wise-not much! The tortoise is basically at the same stage she was 10 years ago, but with a new enthusiastic audience and a much better attitude, it’s an entirely different world.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Great video! Makes me wish I was there windsurfing with ya - shitting in and managing a chicken gybe or two!

=)

Sharon said...

I just had a thought, maybe Cammar is so good at the ‘pee-jibe’ because he’s an expert at ‘shitting-in”?!

Nancy said...

That was great entertainment!!
I can not wait until you can get back out there....

Lano said...

Wont be long before you are back out there sista!

Nice freak!

I have posted up a new entry for you, thought you might like it.

Anonymous said...

I am in Awe of you woman! You've got big brass ones and they clink when you walk. You go girl!

mattblog said...

great video, inspiration for my next windsurfing vacation

what is the music?

cammar said...

I'm puzzled about the expression:
"you have big brass ones and they clink when you walk"... which I never heard, but I can guess the meaning.
In this case I'd change brass with breast, though...

Sharon said...

Lano: The freak looks like nothing on land, but its beauty really comes to life the water. BTW, great post on your end 

Hey George: Thanks for the bloggy high five, but as now I technically only have one Kahuna, I’ll be a stealth clinker from now on!

Matt: Artist: Jake Shimabukuro CD: Dragon Track: Circle of friends.

Cammar: The phrase is actually “brass balls” applied when you do something that takes guts. So given that I sail like a pussy and am a chick Mr. Millers choice of phrase was probably meant tongue in cheek (oh boy I hope you know that one)!

What is funny is that Nancy R. and I have always switched that phrase around for ourselves saying we have “brass ovaries”........which in my case must now be used in the singular!

Anonymous said...

Meh, jibing is very overrated (well, I can actually do them most of the time now but its taken far too long); you are having fun blasting along and look like you aren't scared of not making it back which is the stage where windsurfing gets to be pure fun. At least some of the time you are clipping along at at good rate of knots, I must admit to being flumoxed by the pull in over the board harnessed-in. Those happen to me when I hook in by mistake while gybing or used to spinning out before I figured out how to re-attach.