Buy One Get One Free in Donegal (well, almost)

The Donegal windsurfing courses are drawing near - they start in September. So it's high time you made up your mind. They are definitely running, so it's just a matter of whether you are going to miss out or not.

And don't forget there are two - one for improvers (of any level) and one for wave heads. And, even better, we make it very easy for improvers to try a bit of wave stuff either with the big boys during the week or coming back for a second weekend of mixed flat water and some waves.

Actually, it's pretty near to being buy one get one free if you think about it.

And if you're wondering what the photographs here have to do with the course - the answer is absolutely nothing. I'm just back from Aruba, mostly on 5-6m plus the tandem. Sadly Miss Norway wasn't available...

The details are :

• The main flat water course is Fri-Mon 25-28th Sept – again with the option of some people just doing Sat/Sun
• Main wave course Tue 29th Sept -  Sun 4th Oct
• But the second weekend (3/4th Oct) allows the flat water people to come back and so some more - either flat or waves
• There is a price cap so that anyone who has paid for the flat water will pay nothing or almost nothing more to stay on for some of the waves or to come back for the second weekend
• Phil and Danielle to provide the coaching again – video feedback and all that

Those who have already paid their deposits don't need to do anything right now, but if you join us from now on you need to pay the full amount.

Bank details are unchanged from last year, but I can provide these if needed.

So don't muck around. You know how valuable coaching is, so get the money in and improve your windsurfing!

Spring Round Up

I have been too busy to put out any articles for a while, so below is a selection of photographs and a couple of snippets from the all the usual dramas, moaning and fabulous fun that's been going on.

As usual Ming was in the thick of it. He's had a couple of huge swims in. He does tend to go big, both in sail size and pints, with the result that he's had a couple of spectacular blow ups. His biggest was then the bottom of his mast exploded when sailing one of his enormous sails and he was miles out at Newtownards. So he developed a technique of pushing the kit ahead of him and then swimming after it. He was at this for over an hour, but sadly made it back to land.

And even more scary, he was sailing at Cultra (on his own as usual - I guess no-one wants to sail with him) when he saw his van stuffed with more kit than the rest of us can even dream about driving off! He set a new speed record to sail in, crash the board onto the beach and run to the road - only to find his van driving back down to meet him. It turned out the evil Shipman had spied him, sneaked up and driven the van off 'for a joke'. I'd have to say that Tony was lucky to survive the incident or that Ming blood pressure didn't cause him to spontaneously explode.

But it is good to see Shipman back - so be warned.....

The annual NSC speed challenge is on and appears to be a 3 way war between Ming around 34 knots, Wookie who is trying hard just to annoy Ming and that dark horse David Corkill who is trying hard just to annoy Wookie.

We had particular up and up day at the club which started on 6-7m (when Wookie did around 31) and ended up on 4.5m. And David overtook him that day too.

Andy fails to gybe 1 of 2

And we had a mad weekend at Magheroarty with a lot of people temped up by some big forecasts. So big in fact that Finn Mullan joined us. But it turned out to be almost too big.

We're all used to seeing huge monsters (waves, not Andy or Big Robert) rolling in from the Atlantic. But they normally don't break until they are near the beach. That's hard enough to get through, but this weekend they were breaking regularly in the middle of the bay.

So you'd fight your way out and then, just when you thought you could relax, they'd break and try to much you. Add a super high tide and a seriously strong rip and conditions were difficult to say the least.

Wookie coped with it well and scored some good stuff out on the reef. Others, notably Mark Herron, struggled to get out at all. I cheated by taking a bigger board and so could get out but was then stuck on a too big board to do a lot once out there.

There were a lot of spectacular wipe outs, swims and underwater somersaults.

Apart from the above it's been the normal mix of Kearney, Maghers, Newtownards etc with most people getting out when they can and Andy seemingly living on the water. That'll all change in a few weeks when he gets married of course....

And at the start of July Ming's improver course took place at Downings. Phil and Danielle provided the usual excellent tutoring while David brought his new toy up. No, not the one which arrived in plain brown wrapping, but his new drone. I wonder how long it will be before someone christens it Paddy?

His video is stunningly good and I know it's been widely circulated. But just in case, you can view it here.

Now - inspired by this, go and book yourself for the September/October courses!