Had one last surf on Sun and since then I have been sheltering from the rain and getting ready for 2 months in Switzerland.

For those of you who don't know Big Blue have rented a chalet and are running Winter holidays, Snow kiting courses and trips throughout Feb and March.

The chalet sleeps up to 8 and costs £200pp for 7 nights self catered. Individuals are welcome.

I will put a blog entry up with some pictures as soon as I can.

I will also be on my phone and checking e-mails if you fancy a last minute trip. All the details are on the website below.

www.thebigblueexperience.com

First sail of 2009

2009 has already brought novice and experienced, plus those in between, Welsh sailors together as part of the Challenge Wales project. So, what is Challenge Wales? Challenge Wales is a project of Maiden Voyage Ltd, a Welsh based charity dedicated to providing young people, and the young at heart, with a chance to develop team working and communication skills through the experience of offshore sailing.

After breaking through the unexpected layer of ice on the Ely River and locking out of Cardiff Bay barrage, the first sail of 2009 gave us cold, light airs.

Most of the 18 crew had not sailed a 72 ft 'Round the World' yacht before. Of course, the basic principles are the same as sailing much smaller boats except you soon realise how much heavier the mainsail is to hoist. Taking a couple of crew to pull the main halyard (the rope that hoists the mainsail) with two on the winch to bring the mainsail to its full height. After the Christmas and new year frivolities it seemed the physical activity was welcomed.

With the mainsail, staysail and yankee set, we sailed past Flat Holm as we headed down channel and after a few hours returned to Cardiff. The light airs didn't dampen anyones enthusiasm but made it more apparent of the potential of the boat, which could be achieved with more adrenalin pumping, stronger wind conditions.

Over the coming months there will be regular training trips on Challenge Wales as she prepares for the Tall Ships' Race in the Baltic in July 2009 and other sailing events. We will keep you posted in this blog of her activity and share log extracts as her career as a sail training vessel develops.

The last week or so has seen a return to normal Welsh winter weather. SW winds lots of rain and pulses of big swells. Gotta love the winter if you have the time to travel to find some gems- see below. This coming weekend is no exception with SW-W gale force winds and 3-4m swells predicted for the next four days or so.

Bit too windy for kitesurfing tuition- on an exposed beach like Newgale the surge from the waves will knock you off your feet and make mincemeat of a crashed kite. Better to find some shelter and go surfing.

London Boat Show around the corner!

Preparations are under way this week for Wales Watersports with our stand partners that include Plas Menai, Cardiff Marina, Milford Haven Port Authority, Cardiff Harbour Authority and Challenge Wales to exhibit at the London International Boat Show which is held at ExCeL in the London docklands. We are located on stand N59L situated in the North Hall (just around the corner from the Main Stage "Powered by Fairline") - if your planning on visiting the show then please call in on us.

The show is currently being set up this week with press day on Friday 9th January and the public days running from Saturday 10th to Sunday 18th January 2009. Opening times are 10 am - 7pm each day with the exception of Thursday which is open until 9pm.

There are live web cams streaming the build up of the show and you should see our stand being constructed this week by clicking here.

Happy New Year!

The surf over the last couple of days has been glorious-although particularly parky. A solid period with offshore winds is expected for the next four days or so. Yesterday was 3-4ft at Newgale although probably the coldest I have ever been in the surf. The moderate wind and lack of sunshine combined with a hangover made for a bone chilling session. It took ages to warm up afterwards and a second surf was completely out of the question. Today although smaller is much warmer thanks to the glorious sunshine and lighter winds.

I was lucky enough to get a new surf board for Christmas which is definately board of choice at the moment. I have been eyeing up one of these for ages and it certainly fills a gap in my quiver. Its an old school single fin which is lovely to surf. Loose when you want it to be generating loads of speed and then solid and stiff creating smooth carves when you step back over the fin. I had to show it off so here are some pics.