Windsurfing with TWAR - Weymouth 2018

The past year has not been easy with my body. During the spring I ran on all different specialist about the grip in my right hand. It felt simply not strong enough. The first thought was carpal tunnel syndrome, but I am still not sure about the reason, maybe something in my spine, they said... But none gave me any advice to do surgery, so I got a PT and started with swinging kettle bells. I gained some strength. In June I went to Fuerteventura and finally got the World Championship Trophy Super Master. But the sailing conditions where over the top, down there. Gosh it was choppy in the end of the runs. 

But in early August I got a cold... After 3 weeks I thought it was a sinusitis, and started to get treatment for that thru an Internet doctor, but god, it went 10 times worse. Then my back got very bad, so I went to all ortho-therapists worth the name, it became 10 times worse. After 2 months, I went to a real doctor, after one second he said, - I understand that you have had problems with breathing and your back, since you at least have pneumonia. 

So I got antibiotics and it felt some better. Went out windsurfing to test my back, but cut my right hand badly on the back of a fin (waterstart with fin stucked in the harness-lines, and the rig flipped while I lifted the fin). A week later at the Swedish Speed Championship I took 10 pills to reduce fever, pneumonia and betapred for the head, duct tape on the hand, and after 4 heats I ended up second overall, even won one heat. Felt great. The back and the hand were OK after the event. So I decided to go to Weymouth 2 weeks later. This time not with the goal to win, but to participate and enjoy. 

The first 2 days in Weymouth/Portland we had a harbour course with winds 20-45 knots. I had tough days, fever and hard to breath. The chops where crazy and my 7,8 m2 sail felt big enough, but my speeds where terrible (I was not aware that everyone else was on 6.3. The third day, my body felt great, and everyone where on the same sails as myself. 

In the mid of the week I got the test result from the lab. Mycoplasma Pneumonia and TWAR... So I am in the middle of the legendary Weymouth speed week, and I am in pretty bad shape... 

But my speeds where competeable and life felt pretty great. The super strong wind really did not come back, but winds around 15-30 knots where a lot better for my unfit body. 

To my conclusion. Should I lay down on the bed and wait to heal, or should I do something that I enjoy? Life is quick, so I prefer to windsurf, and really no doctor will ever keep me off from the water, I think the best medicine to heal is windsurfing!

Vice Swedish Speed Champion 2018

From early August to late September I have been struggling with my health. Pneumonia, sinusitis, a finger cut and maybe the worst, a very bad back. But since I am responsible for the speed class in the Swedish Windsurfing federation, I had to take care of the event. At the skippers meeting I told everyone that I probably will not attend more than one heat. But the more I sailed the better felt my in my back. And my kit was flying better than ever. We sailed four 90 minutes heats and I had avarage runs around 35-36 knots in every heat, even won one heat. I followed my normal strategy to sail with one size bigger than the rest of the fleet, and in the last heat, take a chance and sail small and go for a win, or in worst case discard that heat. The wind went weaker and I was SOOOO HAPPY, beating the great fast boys Johan, Erik and Marcus, that all finished on equal points behind me.

World Championship 2018 - World Super Master Champion!

The windsurfing year 2018 in Europe was very different to start with. The summer in the north was not warm, it was hot... From April to mid August, 20-32 degrees C everyday where I live and no wind or rain. The event in Fuerte, was in this POW the same. 9 days on the island and we sailed 4 times... There is some to say about the event in both good and less good. But since I am myself an event organiser, I know how much job it could be and when it comes to permits and red tape, nothing is easy. To hold a GPS-event can also be a technical challenge. So with this in mind, we sailed two days, in hard, difficult conditions at the south of Fuerte. I used 7,8 m2 sail in most races, when the rest of the fleet was on 6,4 or 7,0. With the late switch of events venue, Cartbon Art sent me a used small slalom board that was made for a light rider, the foot straps was far too much forward, about 6 cm. A good board but, my stance was terrible.
I did not really have the strenght to do the runs that far out from the beach in the 2 metres chop, so finishing 9:th at the prize giving was far better than expected. I also got the award World Champion Super Master 50-54. With that said, I hope the event will return to the format in Matas Blancas we had 2016-2017
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