We are busy getting prepared for the 2010 Canadian Windsurfing Championship right here in Dryden Ontario on Wabigoon Lake. Above is the artwork for billboards that will be displayed east and west of the city. The championship event will run from Aug 6-8 with parties planned for every night! We hope to attract up to 100 competitors making it one of Canada's largest attended windsurfing events in decades. We just need you to come and attend. Check back soon for updates under the regatta link.

Good winds,

Woody - CAN757

A story run in our local newspaper about The 6th Annual Moose Regatta.

Click HERE

Enjoy!

yes it's been sometime since my last post no doubt, but what not a better way to start the 'posting' season off with an update for our annual Moose Regatta.
You know, there are 'prizes' for the winners of a regatta, but then, there is THE PRIZE for the winner of the 2009 Moose Regatta. From the all time best windsurfer on the planet, a personally signed poster from the man himself saying:
"Congratulations to the winner of the 2009 Moose Regatta!! Aloha & keep rigging.
Robbie Naish US1111"
So, it doesn't get any bigger than this for us at this years Moose Regatta. Something to come and try and snag for yourself! A huge thank you to TBay Ray for getting the autographed poster from Mr. Naish himself while he was in Maui this past April. Very cool to have friends like that!
We are looking forward to another unforgettable regatta. Every year it just gets better and better. I have to thank my friends and family for for all their dedicated time and effort for our event.

Click on the regatta link above to check out the full schedule of events.

Good Winds....

Well the snow is on the ground now here in Canada, which means the windsurfing season has almost come to an end. It's always a sad time of year when you have to put the gear away, and for us this season, it also included our sailboat which we happened to have spent alot of time on the water with this past year. More gear it seems every year, but, more gear always makes for more memories.
A few years ago, a group of us had decided to get a yearly "last sail" in on Nov.11, a national holiday here in Canada called "Remembrance Day". Remembrance Day is a day of tribute to our fallen Canadian soldiers that have given there lives for country, and freedom as we know it today. We also use this day to remember the season that has passed, and how we charished the moments on the water together. Together in harmony of friendship, wind and water.
Our thoughts will soon turn to snowkiting, watching the kids whip around the lake on the snowmobile, sliding down the hill on the GT snow racer, and warming up in the ice shack. Good times can be had in every season of the year, you just have to make it happen.

Be sure to take the time for remembrance...

A few days ago our good friend Ulf The Swede made a heart-felt post on his blog that made me realize just how precious 'time' is. Time with your friends, and time with your family. Yesterday, I was inspired again by a comment from a great friend who use to windsurf with us alot. 'Link' taught me the finer art of railing a longboard upwind, and the longboard skills that I still use today racing. I'm inspired by Link everytime I hit the water. I'm also inspired by my wife Woodette for her unconditional love of our family, and the wonderful day we had together yesterday. Some days with your partner stand out more than others, and yesterday was one of those days for me. Today, I'm inspired by the rain. Just the sound of rain tapping on the roof sends a certain peacefulness through the house. Some of my most memorable days have been rainy days. Rainy days allow you to find more 'things' to do inside, and for me today, I'm inspired to write this post.

Inspiration comes in many different ways. Let yourself be inspired today...

Stay Cool

So here are some highlights from the past 2 months in no particular order:

- bought a new Phantom Race 380 raceboard. This board rips! The best raceboard I've ever been on period. I look forward to get it into a regatta environment to see how it makes out against the other longboards.
- gained 5lbs when I was in Germany. Slowly losing it now with the extra time on the water! haha
- my Woody board got smashed up and is need of repair. I'm thinking of sending it to the Board Lady. I'm currently without a good short board. I still haven't found my JP Slalom III that I lost when returining from Worthington, so windy days just aren't quite the same right now.
- our youngest son Jeremy is windsurfing in the straps now and wants me to get him a harness!
- I miss competing at regattas. No, I miss the comaraderie and community more than the actual racing. The last event I attended was our very own Moose Regatta (my last post!) in July. We have three regattas this month so it should be FUN!
- we now have our 21' tandem board finished and on the water. Riding on this board will put a smile on your face guaranteed!
- we've finished up our deck at home (looking outside right now) and have spent many nights in our new screened gazeebo with candle light and conversation.
- Josh is working full time now at The Lodge. He's going to work for a year before continuing his academic studies which we hope will be in Toronto so he can be close to my sister Guin.
- Stephanie is the social butterfly of the family, and we're happy to see her home again after spending what seemed like the entire summer on a "sleep over".
- our good friend Ulf the Swede who was living in Des Moines, Iowa, is moving back to his home country of Sweden this month. We will miss Ulf and his energy, but look forward to still many fun times ahead. Hey Ulf, you too need an update on your blog!!

So I'm off to the Waconia Wind & Wave regatta Sept 6,7 in Minneapolis, followed by the Windpower Championship Sept.13,14 in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, then The Crossing on lake Mille Lacs in Minnesota where 40 kiters will battle it our against 50 or more windsurfers - Go Pole Boarder's!!. This all means, the 5lbs of pure German cuisine I gained ove the course of this summer will be history by the end of the month! haha

Stay Cool...

Lisa Kremer coming into the first jibe buoy

Sunday morning skippers meeting

Kids race participants with their medals!

All the first place winners!

I love this picture from my bro Al. Sails from the windward mark to second jibe buoy.

Well we've just caught our breath from a busy month preparing and finishing up our annual windsurfing regatta "The Moose Regatta". The regatta got its name from our annual summer festival the city puts on called Moosefest. 25 competitors battled it out over two days completing 8 races. This year was our 5th annual, and what a weekend it was starting with our Friday night welcoming party at the Riverview Lodge. The Lodge atmosphere is a great place to chill. We all shared laughs, stories and caught up with friends. Day 1 racing was forecasted as rainy and WINDY, and the forecast held true with side-off winds in the 18-27 knot range. It took us over 2hrs to set the committee boat (our sailboat) and set the course. Mike Fox and I did this all while in the rain and battering waves. I was pooped and drenched even before the racing started. With the late start, we had lunch before hitting the water for the day. Now from shore, the water looked nice and flat with strong gusts moving across the surface, but out on the water (when we set the course) it was a totally different look and feel. I told everyone during the skipper's meeting, "whatever you're thinking of rigging, make it 1.5m smaller". So silly me, I take out my 9.5m sail and get smashed in the gusts...talk about not following my own advice! After 3 races we quit for the day to go dry off and get ready for our supper at the Pizzeria Italia Saturday night. Sunday morning saw bright blue sunny skies with straight offshore winds (very unusual for June) and an eager crew to get some racing in. We started the day with our 'race around the islands' where I scored a bullet on my trusty ol' Superlite and 9.5m sail beating out Steve Johnson from Minneapolis area by just a few seconds. We had a great race together and changed positions a few times. (Note here: my superlite is 2-0 on the island race as Paul used it last year and won! haha). After the island race we got off 4 course races before stopping to get everyone to awards on time.

Much gratitude goes to those who made the trip to Dryden, even with the uncertain forecast. It shows that the Moose Regatta is much more than just racing. It's about good friends, new and old, sharing good times together.

Full results here: Moose Regatta 2008

Picture Album in the works!

Stay Cool...

A-Fleet Open Class winners L-R: Jeff Adamski (3rd), Andy Gratton (2nd), Arden Andersen (1st), Ian House (5th), Woody (4th)

RSX/Hybrid winners L-R: Lisa Kremer (3rd), Richard White (2nd), Beth Williamson(1st)

Sport Class winners L-R: Glen Kremer (3rd), Woodette (1st), Randy Moon (2nd)

Group shot of all the winners. If you look closely you can see Allison Shreeve (3 time World Champion) from Australia, and Stefan Lidington (2004 Canadian Champion) now living in Oregon and many others

Well we've been back for almost a week now, but it's taken me this long to recoup from the gruelling 5 days of racing we had at the US National Championship held in our favourite regatta town, Worthington, MN. We were treated as "exaulted rulers of the universe" by which the local organizers greet their guests who travel to the sleepy little town of Worthington, which is so far south in Minnesota, that it's almost in South Dakota. We were also treated like slaves (haha) on the water by Kevin Gratton & crew of the race committee who raced us hard, giving us 17 races over 5 days in winds gusting to 35 knots! The strong and determined like Woodette kept pace with the conditions ending up at the end of the regatta in 1st place of the Sport Fleet! So stoked for her to challenge herself like that and not lose focus in the big events. Way to go!! I also sailed hard to a 4th place finish in A-Fleet Open Class with my good friend Jeff Adamski edging me out for 3rd place. Arden Andersen and Andy Gratton both of Fond du Lac, Wisconsin placed 1st and 2nd respectively. Those two guys are from another planet I'm sure! The whole Team World crew had a good showing at the Nats on the water. So many stories from the 5 days it's hard to put into words. We met and hung out with the editor of Windsurfing Magazine, Josh Sampiero during our time in Worthington. He is a really cool guy who likes what we represent with our Team World concept. I'm sure we'll be seeing him again at events in the future. This event will be embeded in our memories for a lifetime. Things like screaming arm pain going downwind in 30 knot winds, to thigh muscles that felt like they were melting on the same downwind legs, staying up all night because of Chinese food rejection my body went through after day 3 of racing, hanging out with friends, making new friends, listening to the shoreline jam at night, taking cover in the Kremer's lake house basemant because of Tornado's in the area (one touched down just 10km away!) and of course, all the gas stops we had with the Blue Moose!!

To wrap, like it was on our trip, when we pulled into our driveway at home after the 12hr drive back from the Nats, I looked to the top of the trailer and discovered that 2 of my windsurf boards were no longer there!! They must have wiggled themselves loose on the drive back and slid out from the straps. One board was found and returned which was my Mistral Woody Screamer now with a 3" hole on her deck...[sob]. Very thankful about that the Woody is back! Still missing is my new JP 134 Slalom III. I'll try and get in a plane and fly over the HWY to see if I can spot the silver bag from the air. I'm sure it's sitting in the ditch somewhere on the remote HWY to Dryden, but not visible from the road. Keeping my fingers crossed on that.

I'll create a photo album from the Nats in my Gallery when I get some free time. In the meantime, check out Woodette's blog for story and pics, plus Dan Norman's website for over 800 professional pics of the whole event.

Good Winds...

Paul, Woodette, Josh and I made the fun trip to see our friends and compete at The Dam Jam! It started with packing the trailer full of windsurf gear (lots of gear!), then making the 12hr drive to Des Moines, Iowa down Interstate 35. When we left Dryden, there was no green in the trees or grass hardly at all. But as the hours passed by driving south, we felt the air warm, and could see the earth come alive with the rich colours of spring. What a treat for the soul after our long winter.
We arrived late Thursday evening and hung around and caught up with friends. Friday we woke to warm sunny skies with wind! We eagerly rigged the gear for our first rides of the season. It was so nice to be on the water again, I could hardly believe it! Windsurfing in 80 degree weather after leaving our still frozen lakes. Friday night we went to this cool pub called Harbour Grill. It's actually a floating pub that serves food, gas and booze. Lots of boats and people in the marina made for a fun atmosphere. Jeff 'Eagles' Adamski sang his fellow windsurfing faternity "Hotel California" and almost brought the house down! Great times!
Saturday we woke to sunny skies again, but zero wind. No problem though as we sat around and socialized with everyone until just around 1pm, when it looked like someone just threw the fan switch on high, and we watched Saylorville Lake go from glass flat to full-on whitecaps in about 2 miutes. The wind just kept buillding as the day went on reaching gusts of 35knots! Crazy stuff! The Race Committee tried to do some course racing, but with the building winds and bigger waves, it was hard to manage race gear in those conditions, so they decided to do figure 8 slalom the rest of the day getting seven races in after day 1. On the second race of the day they had a "dash for cash" race where I got $50 for 3rd place! First time being paid for a regatta. Hmmm, does that make me a pro now? LOL! Oh boy, we were all exhausted from the extreme racing conditions. Saturday night we partied again at the Harbour Grill til around midnight. We presented Kevin, Don,and Ulf with 'Canadian Survival Belts' for the efforts with us as guests of theirs over the years. We had so may laughs with the belts!
Sunday saw lighter winds in the 10-20 knot range where we managed to get in 4 course races before 2pm. We packed the trailer back up and went to the awards. I placed 6th overall in the regatta, Margot sailed great to grab third in Sport Fleet, but our son Josh was the ripper of the family on the weekend snagging FIRST in Sport Fleet! We are so proud Josh for his efforts during the regatta. It was very cool to have three Woody's on the line! Huge thanks go out to Ulf, Larry, Randy and families for helping out putting on a first class regatta, and looking after our sleeping quarters! Very much appreciated!

For lots of pictures of the weekend click here: The Dam Jam

Next up: The US Nationals in Worthington, MN June 11-15

Stay cool...

Slip slidin' away!

We were the only boat in the harbour this day

Getting ready for the big speech

It was a real pleasure to be speaking in front of so many people from the club

Following the hallowed tradition of renaming a boat

We poured a bottle of champagne on the bow after the ceremony

The name says it all...

We had our boat denaming/renaming ceremony over the weekend along with a season opener party at the Dryden Yacht Club. We ate, drank, and dance the night away with close friends and comrades. What a load of fun that was!
When we bought our Tanzer 22 last year, the first thing we decided was that she needed a new name because the old name just didn't reflect Woodette and myself in terms of personality, or where we were in life together as a family. So, before we put our boat in the water this year, we wanted her to have her new name, and 'HappyOurs' was it. Now there is a great deal of superstition with renamng a boat. You must follow the hallowed rituals of the sea and wind, or you may bring unlucky karma to the boat. So we followed "the law" to a tee to make sure she continues safe passage to port. And as I said in the closing of the ceremony; "Every hour will be a happy hour, on HappyOurs"!

Have fun in life...

We woke up to this on Saturday morning!

Look at my awesome shovelling form!

Just two days ago, we were in the middle of redoing the deck to compliment our new BBQ which we've been enjoying for a week on our snow free deck. Heck, we had the yard all cleaned after a long winter, put away our snowkiting gear and was looking forward to the ice melting so we can get on the water windsurfing. Well, Mother Nature around these parts has been playful it seems the past year, so why not give us another 40-50cm's of snow to deal with! Crap! Just when we thought we were in the clear, whamo!

Our first regatta of the season will be the 'Dam Jam' in Des Moines, Iowa May 17-18 and I'll bet that will be the first time we'll be on the water this year too. The Dam Jam promises to be a hoot this year with live band, free beer, limo rides to and from the event site, massages after each day of racing, big comfy chair to watch the Stanley Cup playoffs, meals brought to your chair side, tucked in at night...ohhh baby...wait a minute, I got off track there a bit, that's home I'm talking about! haha Really though, the Dam Jam will be a riot! Can't wait!!

Stay Cool...

Strat and Brenna having fun

Woodette with her 6m Flysurfer '2Cool' enjoying the blue sky

Guin showin' some style

Dr. Evil jumping to the frickin' moon

Tommy from Shaw TV doing a story about local snowkiting

Kites filling the sky

Coming down from a jump

Smiles all day long

Allen snowkiting for the first time

Powered up and lovin' it

That's right, it's April and we're still snowking in awesome conditions on Wabigoon Lake! Just last year we windsurfed April 20, but that doesn't look like it'll happen until mid May this year. So to take advantage of the conditions presented, 6 of us headed out snowkiting on what was a sunny warm day, with steady wind. My younger sis Guin along with fiance Allen, were in town from Toronto to celebrate our Dad's birthday, and, just so happened to bring their kites, skis and snowboards with them. And with the conditions on the lake right now being just perfect for snowkiting, it was a smart decision on their part. We all had lots of laughs, spills and thrills during the day. It was a real nice way to wind down the snowkiting season as a group like we had. Strat was pulling his daughter around on the sled, Allen was cruising for his first time on a snowboard, Paul was hucking some huge jumps, Woodette was cruising for hours, Guin was having a blast and I was just soaking it all in...very nice!

Thanks to my big bro Al for shooting some 140+ digital images of the day. Great shots!

Have fun in life!

I know it's been a long time since my last post, but I've been desperately trying to find some 1987 vintage shorts (like the ones in the photo above) for my upcoming windsurfing season. NOT!!

OMG can you believe that Woodette actually even batted an eye at me in St. Lucia (where we met 21 years ago), let alone fall for me!? I mean look at me for gosh sakes! Ankle sneakers, white socks, giraffe legs, long sleave checkered shirt (I was extremely sunburnt in this photo) and the standard tourist camera around the neck. I did have Ray Ban sun glasses, BUT a freakin' MULLET underneath that backwards ball cap! What was I thinking! This picture is currently on our fridge after Woodette found it in our picture box, so I thought it was worthy of a post. hahaha!!

So other than me still being a bit of a mullet wannabe and Woodette looking better than ever, I'm REALLY looking forward to getting back on the water soon!!

Stay Cool...

Some of the kiters for a group photo. Look at the shine off my goggles!

Marg and I before the race

The Champ in her playground

Paul coming down after a 20' jump! haha

Margot and Rob "The Professor" Evans (Men's ski champion)

We are back from another terrific weekend spent with friends and fellow wind junkies at the 4th Annual Kite Crossing. This years event with over 100 registered kiters made it THE largest snowkiting event in North America! And who else better to represent the woman ski class as Champion? Well, non other than our very own Woodette! Holy cow eh!
The winds were forecasted all day Saturday to be steady in direction and speed, but good ol' Mother Nature proves us wrong again, by mixin' it up just a bit with a 40 degree wind shift 5 minutes before the start, failing winds halfway through a 32 mile killer thigh burning course, all the while with sunny blue skies above. Paul and I after crossing each other on a few tacks, to get to what was now, the windward mark (remember the 40 degree wind shift?), decided to stop for a 'rest' after the international 'beer signal' of a hand raised high in the air tilting back n' forth was seen. I had packed some emergency beer in my backpack for such an occasion, so stopping made sense to us! We decided when we ran out of beer to just head back to the event site and cruise around with some of the other no-competing kiters. Good choice because later, better than half of the racers decided to either turn around, walk, or get picked up on the lake (remember the failing winds?). I was looking for Woodette on the return trip, but with kiters spread out all over the place and just trying to focus on the terrain in front of you, I must have passed her by.

Time passed by back at the event site by trying new gear manufaturer's had to demo, kiting, chillin' and socializing. I took my binoculars out to look for Woodette and spotted her still a few miles out struggling to keep her kite in the air with he lack of wind. I contemplated flagging down a snowmobile to go pick her up, but decided to just let her be... Sometime later the wind started to pick up, kiters were out and about then I grabbed everybody's attention pointing to the sky and Margot's kite heading to the finish line saying " now let that be a lesson to all of us!" 3-1/2 hrs later she was cruisin to the finish that none of us made! Awesome stuff!

In the end, it was Woodette. The only woman to finish the race! Back-to-back Summer & Winter Crossing wins! Wow, that is still so unbelievable! By no means is she the most talented kiter or windsurfer, but determination? Well, her wins prove her will to finish!

Put your hands together for our Super-Champ Margot "Woodette" Woodworth!

Hey, we're off this weekend to Garrison, MN for the 4th Annual Mille Lacs Kite Crossing. The weather is shaping up real sweet with warm temps and steady winds forecasted. There's already 65 pre-registered kiter's with proabably that many signing up on event day, so this years Crossing should be epic! Paul, Woodette and I will be hooking up with some of the other Team World members for a weekend of laughs, thrills, spills, chill time in the hot tub and full-on dancin' at the Blue Goose where the, "what happens on the road, stays on the road" motto holds true!

Have fun in life!