An amazing Christmas Day!

Hello Everyone,

Well Christmas day has been and gone and oh how good was it. All those new shiny presents to open, spending time with the family and eating as much as you can. For those of us out in El Medano we were granted the opportunity to go out on small sails ranging from 3.7 to 4.7 in starboard tack, cross-off and small waves. What a christmas day could not of asked for better to be honest.

Hopefully all of you out there enjoyed your christmas and are looking forward to the new year.

Here is a couple of photos from out here of the morning of christmas in front of the Kite Beach.
Thanks to Mali for the photos.

Christmas the time of south winds!

Merry Christmas everyone out there.

This last week leading up to christmas we have had very cloudy weather and a bit of south winds during the time it was not raining. The days have been still quite warm but the wind has been very gusty coming and going with the rain fronts that where coming through. Their was however still a few small waves still coming through enough to practice those ponches and goiters on the way in. Here is a picture from one of those days just out the front of the centre.

On Christmas day we were blessed with amazing sunshine and very windy south winds I was on a 3.7 and well overpowered in the gusts. Some pictures will be up soon of how it looked, but I must say it was a very nice Christmas present.

Laters Grey

Christmas comes early to El Medano!

Well with this month of December we have been blessed with South Winds here in Medano.

These winds come in from the opposite direction than normal over here so we have perfect cross offshore winds and normally flat water perfect for those learning to gybe, a bit of speed or for you freestyle guys out there. So we have had a week of South Winds last week varying in strength from 8.5 all the way down to 4.1.

I have had some great fun out there learning how to freestyle again though I can say I am impressed by what every one is doing now after getting out there and trying some things.

Every once in a while though we are blessed with a bit of south swell in these conditions as well turning Medano into a perfect cross offshore wave beach. On this day it just happened that I had it off so here is how my day went.

I woke up to Adam calling me telling me there is waves and I should get down there quickly to go surfing. So after running down the beach I ended up on the water at La Puntita (a spit of reef at the far end of the beach) about 10:15 the wind had started to pick up a bit but the surfing was still good with some head high sets coming through. After 2 hours of surfing I walked back to the centre to see the wind had filled in a bit more. So by 12:30 I was out there ripping it up on my 4.1 Goya Eclipse and my 75l Quatro Rhythm. After having a great day sailing with all the guys around I came in to get some food at about 3. 2 hours later I had been well fed and had a quick nap and then went surfing again till it got dark around 6:30 as the wind had dropped again.

Coming off the water I was totally knackered but one of the most fun days here in Medano. Check out a couple of pictures below.

The forecast is for more south winds right through Christmas so we shall hope we get some more waves.

Laters,

Graham

Thanks to Johnny for the pictures
To check out some more from the day visit http://www.stehsegelrevue.com/pod/20091219140946/

Goya Boards, Sails and Quatro Boards now in at the OTC

Hi Guys

Well we have been having pretty steady winds here in El Medano around 5.3 to 7.0m Days the past week up until the last few days where it has taken a break. The future is bright though with tomorrow forecasting 18kt on windguru we may be in for a couple of 4.2 days. Well lets hope so.

If the forecast is looking good and you want to try some new kit then I suggest you get out here we have recently received a whole host of new Boards and Sails from Goya and Quatro just ready to be tested by you. For a full list of all the 2010 stuff we currently have in check out www.otc-windsurf.com.

Hopefully see you out here soon. I will let you know how the wind is the next few days.

Graham

New Sponsors, New Blog, New Times

Hi Everyone

It has been a long time since I last posted anything but I was waiting for a couple of pictures to put up so I could announce that I have changed sponsor to Quatro and Goya Sails. I have managed to try all of the new sails out here in Medano and back in the UK where we had the Cornwall Mormaii Wave Classic.

The sails and boards are working amazingly well and I am super happy with them. Especially seeing as the first time on the new kit I managed to pull off 5th Place in the Event which hopefully is the start of some good results.

I am really looking forward to the winter out here in Tenerife, at the moment not so much wind but a big swell for surfing so I will keep you posted.

Graham

Thong surfing

Hey Everyone.

Have still been really busy out here though the wind has calmed down for a bit but it looks like it is coming back in full force from wednesday onwards and I mean really windy. Well lets hope.

Anyway here is a couple of pictures from a few sessions and also a comedy photo of Darren fulfilling his dare on the light winds going body boarding in his thong.

Enjoy 

Grey

Wind Wind Wind!!

Hey all

We have had a pretty good amount of wind here for the last two weeks.

With the average size of my sail being 3.4 I would say it has not been to bad at all.

There has also been some really nice waves to enjoy even down here in South Bay at high tide, let alone up at the harbor wall.

There has been quite a bit happening out here with the Windsurf test team running from the centre. Then today Boards test team is also getting here as well.

So for the moment we have a new employee Sam Darkin who is helping us out over the next few weeks and improving his windsurfing while he is here.

Here is a couple of photos from a evening session at cabezo.

Ciao Graham

Small Session at El Muelle

Hey Guys

Well The wind has kicked back in here in Medano.

We have been really busy here at the centre with over 25 people in every day from the First of July. Which is a relief after a pretty poor June it is good to have some wind and people back in.

The wind has took a break for today but lo

oks to be coming back again on Thursday properly.

During the Pozo event we had some really good conditions here

 in Medano wit

h some good waves and wind. Andy King even graced us with his presence and reminded us we need to stop being girls and go f

or big forwards when it is windy.

Hopefully I will have a few pictures from Thursday and Friday pretty soon.

To be going with here is a couple of pictures from the Harbour wall a week ago quite light winds but with a bit of south swell.

Ciao Graham

New OTC T-Shirt's!!!

Hey Guys

Finally the wind is here!

It has been in for about a week now and the forecast looks good, not for amazing winds but enough to get out sailing on 4.7 and hopefully a few waves. We have had a few good days but it has been pretty gusty. I think this is because it is the first few days of the wind so it is still filling in a bit.

Anyway we have finally got some OTC t-shirts printed so if you want one put your name down for one or just come out and buy one. They are 20 Euros each and come in either blue or white. Have a look at them with my lovely assistant Adam sporting a blue one.

Ciao Graham

Sorry

Hey Everyone

Sorry for not really keeping you up to date with current events I can honestly say I kind of forgot about my blog. But from now on I am going to make sure that I keep you up to date with all the goings on.

I have come back to Tenerife from the UK in the middle of May after a pretty poor performance in the UK where I was plagued with quite a bit of bad luck. Hopefully next time I will be a bit more prepared and not quite so ill, what can you do about it.

Anyway it has not been the best out here recently so nothing really to report on. No waves for surfing well only a couple of sessions and no wind for windsurfing. Today had the first powered up 4.7 day but it was south winds so dead flat freestyle. Not going to complain as was pretty fun but I would quite like some waves.

In our time off we have acquired a few more items for the house to help with a bit of training on the no wind days but seeing as I don't have a photo of it yet I will tell you about it next time.

Ciao Graham

OTC Closure!!

Hey Guy's

Sorry for the lack of updates recently we have been having a few problems out here in tenerife with the centre. The police came down yet again to the centre about two weeks ago saying that we needed to get one more piece of paper but until we had it we could not be open. Well after everything that has happened before and how long it took us to sort it out last time this was not a good moment.

So we set about getting back open as quick as possible. I can now gladly say that we are open again as of Wednesday, and the future looks good for no more hassles. The police were really apologetic and said this was the last thing so lets hope they stick to their word or we are going to have to bring in the heavies.

Luckily while the centre was closed there was not to much wind so nothing really got disrupted though we couldn't go windsurfing there was a competition coming up so we needed to keep fit so we have been doing quite a bit of mountain biking out here. I have put a few clips together quickly so here they are of the Park in making behind Medano. Check out the legendary saying on Darren's first run of the day at the end of the video.

Medano Bike Park from Graham Woods on Vimeo.

Right well I will be back with an update soon as we have just finished the Competition here this weekend so will fill you in on my performances very soon.

Laters,

Grey

Hello everyone,

The wind has dropped a bit for the next couple of days allowing us to clean up the centre, and get it in a clean state again, after a really busy week last week. The shop Solent Sailboards from Calshot were out here enjoying a nice week in some wind and sun. It didn’t blow hard really but they managed to get out almost everyday, which is pretty good going. Then on the no wind day we enjoyed an amazing trip to the Siam Park. Hopefully there will be a few videos to follow on that. I would just like to say from all the staff (including Stitch) here at the centre it was a pleasure having you out here yet again. Hopefully we will be seeing you back next year or some of you again this year.

Well as I have said before we have not had much wind in the way of wave sailing out here but we have had a few freestyle days.  Not really much to say about them they were a bit of fun. Don’t really enjoy doing to much freestyle for a sustained period of time as it really hurts my ankles and knees. God knows how the pro guys can keep at it for so long. I have almost got a new move for myself called the toad. It actually isn’t that hard if done off a small wave just the landing, which is the hard part.

Well here as promised are a few photos. I hope you enjoy them. Check back soon for more updates.

Laters,

Graham

Pics By: Simon Crabtree

Thanks A lot 

Carnival

Hi Guys,

It has been going really well out here the at the moment other day we had 21 people out on the water which is really good to see again. We have also had a reasonable amount of wind the last week, though unfortunately not strong enough for waves but there has been plenty of freestyle to be had so some pictures will be put up soon.

This little update for all you readers is about the Carnival! This is held in Santa Cruz every year and is basically a massive party in fancy dress. Every year there is a general theme but most people do not take notice of this, this year it happened to be about horror unfortunately we did not stay to this theme. Normally all the guys go as drag and all the women stick to the general theme, so this is what we did. Well combined with Tris's 30th birthday it was a very entertaining night! 

The only way I could explain this event is if you imagine London, and then every street you turn down is packed with people so tight that you can not even walk down them, and everyone, I mean everyone! Is in fancy dress.  To picture this event you kind of just have to be there so I have put a few pictures so you can make your own mind up and I thought you may find it entertaining. Though if you are ever in Tenerife towards the end of February then you have to go.

I will apologize if the photo's offend you but we thought it would be pretty funny to dress up quite badly as drag, it was also very cheap ha ha. Well enjoy.

Laters,

Graham

Short Boom Cam Clip

Hi Guys/Girls

Sorry I have not updated my blog in a while but we have had a reasonable amount of things going on out here. This will all follow in the next few updates. I do warn you though some things you may see might be disturbing if you don't like guys dressing in drag badly. More of that to come in the next update, along with the goings on at the OTC this time of year.

Well onto what I have for you today, it is of course the one and only Sam Neal a fellow competitor from the UK. Who if you have visited recently, will have met him helping us out at the centre on busy days, and generally shredding out on the water. He is out here for a bit of a training holiday and has recently been away to Jeri and Cape Town, so he is sailing pretty well. I have put together a very short video of him just doing a few flaka's on the Go-Pro Hero Cam that some one brought down for us to try out. Unfortunately it was not windy enough to try it in the waves, maybe next time. It is a pretty cool piece of kit and can even put it on your board. The guys round here are using it a lot for mountain biking so I might try and get a bit of footage of that to put up later on.

Sam Flaka Session! from Graham Woods on Vimeo.

Sam is Sponsored by:

JP Australia

Neilpryde

FC Watersports

Animal

Pryde Group UK

Webanywhere.com

Right then guys check back in the next few days for some more updates.

Laters,

Grey

Jelly Fish in Medano!

Hey guys 

There has not been a lot going on over here in Tenerife to do with windsurfing, although we have had a few freestyle days and two good wave days. Unfortunately I haven't got any pictures for you, though I can say I have discovered a new enemy out on the water...

"Who can this enemy be?" I hear you say. Well it just so happens to be a Portuguese Man of War, or a Blue Bottle depending how you want to call it.

This last week we suddenly had a massive influx of jellyfish floating through El Medano. Luckily I only ran into one of these balloon like things and only got stung very minimally. What happened was that I was sailing at the Harbour Wall and fell in. As soon as I hit the water I felt a small electric shock in the back of my knees. I then jumped onto my board and in doing so I must have kicked a tentacle because it then stung me on my big toe. I had no idea what had just happened but my legs hurt and my toe hurt A LOT! So I thought to myself it must be something in the water. Sam Neal then sails past and notices I am in pain and shouts over to see if I am all right. He notices the jellyfish around my boom and points it out to me. In seeing this, Sam then continues to sail in the waves and never came back to check on me again! (The waves were really good though, so I won't hold it against him!) Well, now I was in a predicament - what do I do with this jellyfish, which obviously has a powerful sting and its wrapped around my boom? Being in pain and wanting to get back to the beach I did the only thing that came naturally and just dipped my sail into the oncoming swells to shake it off. Eventually it got loose and I made it back downwind to the beach. Coming up the beach, Tris, being the fountain of knowledge that he is, gives me three remedies - vinegar, hot water and of course the old favourite ... pee! Well, I was in quite a bit of pain so I tried all three (it was my own pee before you ask!) and it worked luckily, so all turned out well.

The jellies have now drifted on down the coast and out into the Atlantic to bother some other poor soul, so hopefully we wont be seeing anymore of them.

Graham K-51

Hello and Welcome to my blog!

As with most other blogs I will be trying to keep you all updated with pictures, videos and stories from my life as a windsurfer.

I have recently come back from South Africa and now back working in Tenerife in the Official Test Centre, On the way back I managed to put together a little video for you of my windsurfing from the Cape.

Hopefully you enjoy it and feel free to tell me what you think.

South African Holiday from Graham Woods on Vimeo.