Preparing for Spring 2013 and the new season

Yes, in preparation for spring, I do go over my equipment as i did in a previous post AND I review my technique or lack thereof. Every spring what i have also been doing is losing weight. People have MANY different methodologies for this. For me, it works best if it is simple and repetitive. A long time ago i discovered that sauerkraut has very few calories and i can eat it from the bottle. That became my snack a long time ago. It is not for the weak of belly, as fermented cabbage can have deadly side effects !!


The rest of the regime is quite simple:

1) reduce fat - NO french fries, bacon, mayonnaise, cheese, etc
2) reduce sugar - NO chocolates, ice cream, candy, etc
3) increase water intake - about 4 to 5 glasses per day
4) increase exercise - jogging and weight training for me {and  i HATE jogging }
5) keep a record of food, exercise and weight by day, meal, etc

{i do NOT drink alcohol and those empty calories never were an issue for me}

One meal i discovered that is nutritious, not expensive and not too many calories is Vietnamese Pho soup. I found a new restaurant within walking distance that has rare beef Pho soup for $10 with taxes and tip included !!! I have been having that about 2 to 3 times a week for lunch !!

http://newfinmysoup.blogspot.ca/2009/10/daring-cooks-october-challenge.html
At work they started the "Biggest Loser" idea where we are in "teams" of four(4). My group was the heaviest at over 700 pounds to start. One fellow eats nothing , but raw salad and has lost about forty (40) pounds. This is extreme and perhaps even dangerous. I was surprised at my weight loss over the last two(2) months and since the 40 pound "loser" lost 20 even before the contest , people are thinking I am going to "win". This is irrelevant to me since my true objective is to plane earlier with less windsurf equipment :-)

At work they talk about counting calories, wearing digital devices that count calorie loss, etc , etc. That's too complicated for me and sounds like work !! My methodology works for me and is simple !!!

Here is a graph of my progress over the last two(2) months:

The good news is the objective of 215 pounds has been passed. The bad news is, a weekend like Easter can skew things quite a bit !! Once i passed my objective i stopped jogging since it is the least favourite of my sport activities. I will do ANYTHING to replace that as an activity #$%^&*(

The windsurf season is around the corner now and i would already have been on the water if not for my cold and crappy weather. However, i can taste it and can barely wait any longer. The local maniacs have been out on Lake Champlain for a couple of weeks now !!!! Just sent in my Canadian passport renewal so that i can go check that place out !!! It is highly recommended with spots for people with all skills - since i am still an intermediate struggling with water starts and foot straps... There , we touched the technique part too :-)

..............................KONA Worlds 2013.............................

KONA World Championships are coming to Trois-Rivières, Québec, CANADA this year !!!


Details can be found at: http://www.konaone.com/event/62/world-championship-2013

This means it will be much bigger than last year at MultiVoiles 4 Saisons :-)

This picture was taken in 2012 during the East Coast Championships at the same place...
just before the open class races.


I documented the start of that event here:
http://joewindsurfer.blogspot.ca/2012/06/kona-east-coast-championships-2012.html



Summary of my 2012-2013 Winter Season

As you may know - if you read my blog or know me, I windsurf on ice and snow - or at least try. I have two(2) sleds and will post a pic here. These are sleds that I designed and built for not much money ...
 

I use three(3) sails - 8-oh, 7-oh and 6.3. This year i tore the monofilm on my 8-oh. This is my most used sail - winter and summer and will be replaced - it is patched, butt that is not a repair in my book ....

Sessions were tried on the snow in December and were a complete FLOP.
Sessions did not get better until FEB when ice started to be available in the area.
There were a total of 14 sessions in all.
9/14 sessions were on the 8-oh.
3/14 sessions were on the 6.3
2/14 sessions were with the 7-oh.

Ice sled and snow version were used 50 % of the time each.

Only one session was marked as completely fantastic - on ice with ice sled and 6.3.
Seven (7) were considered GOOD of which 50 % were with the 8-oh.
About four(4) were ho-hum and December 2012 just SUCKED.

Conclusions:
The monofilm probably tore because the sail may have been wet and cold. RIG right away !!!
Do NOT start trying the toys until ice is available ie my sleds are NOT good for snow.
YET two(2) versions are required for no snow and some snow - another required for real snow.
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I did get a GoPro ONE in about November 2012 and tried some experiments - to be ready for summer.

The best videos - unedited - seem to be - mounted on board facing back for speed and on boom upside down for perspective - will post them here again ...

You can increase quality/resolution and FULL screen them if you wish - and if your computer/network can handle it ...


Go to about the 2 minute mark on the next video - started in a wind shadow ...


Maybe you like it that angle better with some funky tribal music??