I try to take my training off the water pretty serious, first of all, obviously to not get out of form when it’s not windy/wavy, but also because if you just windsurf you only improve your physical ability very gradually.  However if you isolate and dedicated train certain aspects of your physical ability you can lift your whole windsurfing performance a lot.

One of my favourite tools for this alternative training is my MTB and lately I have stepped up this training.  Amongst several routes I got a fixed trail around the nearby lake “Vandet Soe”, which I ride many times every month.  To push myself I often time how fast I can ride the trail.  As my form improved I got super keen to beat this trail record, and tried several times recently.  Despite putting lots of efforts into it, I’ve kept missing it.  So that’s been quite disappointing, but I kept at it, and yesterday I finally beat my 4 year standing MTB trail record!  It was a pretty crazy ride, I rode with the highest puls I’ve ever ridden with for that long being in the 170s and 180s for longer periods.  It was just 13 seconds improvement from 39.40 min to 39.27 min.  But man, it felt sooo good!!!  Almost as good as learning a new move!  It’s always nice to see what you are working on is going in the right direction! 

The last week has been very still here in Klitmoeller with almost no water action, so I’m really starting to get keen to replace the alternative training with some of the real deal! 

Here a little report and a few shots from yesterday.  The wind was only blowing in the south in the beginning of the day, so my buddy Christian and I went down to a sandbank south of Krik, which provides nice speed sailing conditions in Northwesterly directions. I was out on my 45cm wide JP Australia Speed needle for the first time this year and fairly powered up on a NP RS EVO II 5,5. Water was okay flat, but the angle of the wind wasn’t perfect though, as it was straight offshore without any angle. Still a really fun session and I was able to get a 69,8 km/h peak on my best run.

Feeling the need for speed!  ;)

After a good rest we went up to Middles in the evening, where we were greeted by light wind wave conditions.  I rigged a 5,8, not my favorite size of sail, but the wind direction was nice and a few decent sets came through.  Despite the sun not shinning we decided to take the new water housing for a test run, which we have been eager to take for a test shoot.  Not the most fruitful shoot, but the new housing is working great so now we are looking forward to the next chance of sun and waves!

Throwing some spray in a bottom turn.

....

Also took the GoPro out for a little spin

It’s been a long time since my last update here on the blog.  But as the saying goes, no news is good news!

Let me start with where I let off back in mid January. The remaining bit of the winter was simply insane! It was day in and day out with waves for surfing and SUP.  In February we also started getting wave sailing on a regular basis, and that was some fine sailing with lots of my favourite side offshore conditions!  Okay, it was raw and cold, but with such great conditions you tend to forget the cold.  Here are a few shots.

Clean side off in Middles

These pictures are from a day in beginning of February, where we had a super nice swell with a VERY long period.  Notice how you can’t see any wave in front of the one I’m riding.  The waves were spaced out like I’ve rarely seen!

There were also some days great for jumping.  But these shots are from a stalled forward, that I wish I hadn't gone for, as an overrotation resulted in a couple bruised rips!

Paradise for Aerials!  Hollow waves and side off is a great combo for launching off the lip

SUPing in Bunkers on a beautiful winter day.

A couple more shots from the winters endless string of swell.

Mid March I went on the annual Maui trip, which included the JP Australia 2012 video shoot.  As always it was a pleasure to visit the little island in middles of the Pacific, and it certainly didn’t disappoint in terms of wind and waves!  The JP shoot also went very well, and I believe we collected the best footage to date! Christian Gøbel came over for the shoot and we were working as we were possessed! It was fun filming full time from morning till evening.  BUT, normally being able to get in the water when I want, and then all of a sudden not being able to get in, that was really hard though! However, I guess I can live with these 14 days a year!  ;)  That made me remind myself about how lucky I am!

Late afternoon session in Hookipa

Spreckersville

Right now I’m enjoying my usual routine in Klitmøller!  I love this time of year, it’s comfortable warm and there’s still a lot of wind and waves around. I would probably say that about any time of the year, if you ask me at that given time.  In fact if I don’t control myself, you would regularly hear me say THIS WAS THE BEST EVER this and that.  But hey, noting wrong in appreciating what you get in life right!? 

Big thanks for taking pictures to:  Christian, Jens, Sebastian, Marc, Annette, Martin and Tommy!

Finally for the first time in a long long while the air temperature got over 5 degrees today, AND it was windy and wavy!  With a southerly wind direction there was no doubt about the battle plan, we were off for Ørhage (the Cold Hawaii world cup spot).

3,9 was the ideal sail size and accompanied with a sideoff wind direction it was great for down the line wave riding. Yet not too offshore so the wind was also filling in on the inside, so I could take my smallest board, my favourite little Quad 68!

Plenty of sections today to do Aerials off

And a few bigger sets came through

It actually wasn’t cold on the hands despite using open gloves - well, as long as you didn’t crash and got the hands in the 1 degree cold water!!!  It’s weird despite having had the wind from south and west since more than 2 weeks the water still haven’t gotten warmer!?  Normally it would rise to somewhere around 5 degrees.

Trying to stay dry! ;)

A bit more Aerial action and a lonely seagull - well, there was actually a zillion of them inside and I almost ran them over a couple of times, apparently they haven't seen windsurfers for a while, and not used to the traffic anymore!

This day was worth gold, and I can live off this for a while.  I was not the only one feeling this way and it was so good to see the wide smiles on everybody’s faces!  A session like this makes spring feel like its not that far away any more.

Hang in there and keep thinking those positive thoughts!  So long.

Thanks to Tommy for taking the pictures