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June 26, 2008
Dear Readers,
Hi-winds competition is almost here again,2nd - 7th of July and though we're in the middle of a tropical wave right now, with just enough wind to plane on the big stuff, looks like competitors should have the wind gods on their side. Order forms for next year's gear have arrived and Mac and I will spend this weekend making sure we fill the center with your favorite, brand new boards and sails again.
It's been a turbulent season but we're excited about our plans for the future, a fresh start, a fresh look, but the familiar faces will still be here to welcome you back.
We have a 'feels like family' group here right now,Tony and Rose, the Jeanneau's, Steve and Janice Chaffin with their daughters. They're able to ease into things today, but with a forecast of 20+ knots I'm sure they'll need to pace themselves to make it to the end of their vacation without blisters and beautiful bruises..
I will ask one of them write the next wind report so you can get their perspective.
Off course the best thing would be to get on a plane and see for yourself!
See you soon.
Monique May 31, 2008
Dear Friends,
I'm going to start by sharing some good news with you!
As some, or maybe even most of you by now, have heard, we recently faced some uncertainties regarding our beautiful location here at the Marriott. I won't go into the details of what exactly transpired the past month, for the same reason we did not want to alarm you with news of our possible eviction; we had complete faith from the start that we would somehow reach a compromise with Marriott and come out ahead in the end. So suffice it to say that we have reached an agreement that offers lots of exciting possibilities for the future of Vela/Dare2Fly Aruba, windsurfing and kiteboarding in general in Aruba and for you as our loyal guests.
I do apologize if you felt we were keeping you 'in the dark' I hope you understand why we made that choice.
And at the risk of this sounding like an Oscar acceptance speech:I also want to thank all those who supported us and kept there fingers crossed in the past months, your encouragements made us even more determined not to give up and fight for what we love.
OK, the wind. What can I say except that during all of this I looked out over the water many times and thought that as long as this wind keeps blowing we can't lose, somehow we'll be on the water where nothing matters. (except I'm still not planing out of all my jibes on my new slalom board,pathetic,I only feel slightly better because I'm finally landing my 360's kiting.) It's been windy,windy, windy, and I know that's not a scientific term but i can't remember a day when we couldn't get out there and have fun. Granted, one or two of those days where on the stand up paddle boards but man,those are a great low wind alternative.
Exciting is that the kids club of local talent is growing as fast as the kids themselves,boy they are talented,little rough on the gear but luckily we're talking 2.9 sails. Also nice that most of the Vela Aruba team is out there again every chance they get, and they're getting paid for it?! Well good for them too to have stayed so positive throughout all this, a big celebration coming up soon!
So we'll be here, excited about our future and seeing you again soon!
Monique
March 08, 2008
Well, it's another beautiful day at Vela in Aruba, my hands are no longer good for the keyboard after 10 days of windsurfing on the blue highway- lots of long time Vela wind lovers are here- Karyn and Harry; expert boardsailing guru Tom L, and more. Windsurfers from Singapore, Rome and Vancouver were here last week. Vela crew is great a usual, Monique, Leo, Darwin, Mac are all awesome.
Winds were strong and very, very gusty for the last week of Feb. and first days of March- sailing on everything from 4.5 6.4.
Equipment is terrific this year, Starboards are David and Laura's favorite, after many days of cruising the outer blue highway Karyn and Harry tried the tandem board the other day with a 6.1 and 5.0 sail and moved very fast- that board has a very long fin for coasting!Larry has been going on long reaches to the wreck and beyond.
Tom L. has been doing all sorts of tricks - perfecting his Vulcan (he is really fun to watch) and riding the rail was a recent local favorites. Speaking of locals- Aruba twins Quincy and Wesley have been out on the weekends flying past the rest of us.
Gusts were incredible last week- hard to hang on, this week things have calmed down quite a bit due to some morning clouds, hasn't stopped the action though.
Seems like there are more kiteboarders than ever, new kites are lite and easier to learn. For now David and I are staying with windsurfing as long as the wind is strong. Well, hard to believe only have two more days here... tomorrow is a windsurfing and kite sailing competition stay tuned for the next update.
Laura and David February 22, 2008
My wife and I arrived in Aruba on Valentines Day to celebrate our 25th anniversary. The wind has been very good every day. The largest sail and board I've been on was a 5.7 and 110 liter board. Today looks like it is going to be the windiest day so far so I grabbed an 84 liter board as soon as I got here.
Tonight should be exciting as Vela is arranging for a moonlight sailing session. This will be my 1st moonlight sailing session, but others who have done it say it will be amazing – so I’m looking forward to that.
The staff has here has made our trip most enjoyable. They are hard working, friendly, and fun spirited. Sad to say this is our last day sailing in Aruba before we go back to the rainy weather in Seattle, but you can bet we’ll be back as soon as we can.
I’ve got to go now and meet up with my friend out on the Blue Highway.
Don Thompson February 15, 2008
Feb 15, 2008
Wind, wind, wind! We've had greater than 20 knots for at least the last 12 days straight. Arms are longer and blisters have changed to calluses (most of them). The guys have been using sails in the low 5's. Even Marty, who normally takes out a 7 or 8 metre sail, was out on a 5.7 with a 109 L board. The women stayed in the 4 metre range. Donna enjoyed Monique's super-fast slalom board and is now thoroughly addicted to speed.
Gary has really enjoyed the new Starboard Futura boards. Sue and Art regularly trade notes on the Starboard 104 and have enjoyed it's speed and agility in the high winds. Bruce likes the speed of the JP Super-Sport. All in all, the equipment has been great (as usual) and we have enjoyed the range and variety.
Local news: the Vela centre is getting a beautiful new thatched roof. In addition, there are more palapas, all have been re-thatched and offer greater shade. Lastly, there are new beach chairs that have proven to be very good for snoozing at lunch time.
The wind looks like it will continue through President's week so come on down and enjoy paradise.
Guests: Sue and Donna February 10, 2008
February 10, 2008
The return of the early February regulars (Art, Marsha, Marty, Jo-Anne, Judd, Amy, Terry, Francine, Gary, Sue, Bruce and Donna) brought amazing winds of 23 knots, gusting from 5 to 50. What a pleasure to sail the small sails and boards, some of which were fresh out of the box. Turtles have been learning to dive quickly in order to get out of the way on the blue highway. A few losses include Art's sun glasses, Donna's scrunchie and Marty's bandana.
The forecast is continuing to predict high winds. Even though we are all nursing sore muscles (and elbows), we can't sit on the beach. Sandy, the famous Vela windsurfing photographer for Aruba is here and is setting up her scaffolding at the red flag for a photo shoot today. We have to cut this short, because, well, it's windy! Come on down because we gotta go!
Guests Sue and Donna October 31, 2007
Hello Everyone,
Back from vacation, spend some time with friends and family in Europe and the US and visited the surfexpo in Orlando with colleaugues from other Vela centers. Got a look at some of the equipment we ordered for next season, some familiar faces there including the Icon himself Mr. Naish,I was like a teenage groupie had him sign a poster,pretty silly.
Well, a perfect "welcome home" present on sunday,first of all,the center looks great, a fresh coat of paint does wonders and we built and fixed palappa's so you can enjoy more shade when you get here this season. later that day we had a few hours of 18-20kts, onshore, with little baby waves so I hit the water and was instantly reminded why I keep coming back to this piece of paradise. Today again, a nice breeze woke us up and will be building to about 18kts.
Thank you loyal readers for checking the wind report eventhough it was quiet for a while. Promising you more frequent updates but offcourse the best way to check the wind in Aruba is to get yourselves down here!
See you soon, look forward to a great season!! Monique August 20, 2007
Hello Everyone,
The Staudenmaier's are back for a few days of relaxing (without the kids) and they reminded me it's time for a wind report. Well, thanks to Hurricane Dean off course, there's not much wind to report on. We did get lots of swell however, so the surfboards were dusted off for some playtime in the waves. Yesterday there was just enough wind to do some wave sailing but by now we're longing to have our flat blue water back and the kind of wind speed we're used to in august, somewhere in the 20's.
Meantime our roof is still under repair,but it looks great and this one's thick enough to prevent the little birds from picking holes in it so we can stay dry and shaded for a long time to come.
The "Vela kids" are back in school but they'll be here every afternoon showing off on the water and helping us clean up at the end of the day. They learned a lot this past vacation and with some new gear next season we expect them to excel even faster, a new generation of windsurfers reminding us how lucky we are to live on this windy island!
See you soon.
ps. We did actually have nice wind at the end of the day for a session on what was left of the swell. This morning the water nice and calm with a forecast of 20+knots I think all our guests will be smiling soon! ciao for now Monique June 26, 2007
June! and Hi-winds fever is here. Lots of visitors from other parts of the world are here to challenge the Aruba team of windsurfers and kiteboarders. Conditions should be perfect,blowing well into the 20's. Lots of familiar faces here again,the Chaffins and the Campanella family, all in for a week or two of great windsurfing and just chillin' on the beach.
And more good news..our roof is being repaired as we speak! It's a huge mess but we gladly deal with the dust and minor chaos as long as the roof is waterproof again. Mac and I finished the sail order for next season and we're sure there's going to be lots of great gear for all levels and preferences. ( we ordered the Zen AND the Hellcat,talk about options...) kind of strange to get so caught up in next season when this season is still in full swing. By the time the new stuff arrives we'll be all surprised again at all the new goodies. Like buying christmas presents 6 months ahead.
So lots to look forward to but nothing like the present to enjoy Aruba so come on down!!
See you soon,
Monique
June 06, 2007
Me again! I should really find a guest to write this because I'm simply running out of positive descriptive ways to give you an idea how windy it's been. The last few days have been some of the best of this season! Sails over 5.8 have been hanging around untouched and off course that's how it should be in June. The twins,Quicy and Wesley are preparing for hi-winds,the won the 'mini-hiwinds' this past weekend in freestyle and best plane-thru jibe,I could tell they were super nervous and so could their 'mentor' Maarten. Maarten finished his last day of work with us and is now training for Hi-winds as well,after which he will leave us for a while to compete but hopefully he won't forget us
Keith Moore is totally hooked on kiting,bought a new board(which he almost lost at Boca yesterday) and is out there before most of us have had our first cup of java.
Mac and I have placed the board order for next season already and hope that you all will have a chance to take advantage of all the great toys we picked out for you
The windiest months are still to come so hurry up and get here!!
Monique
May 23, 2007
Well, Keith, you should have been here the last few days. It's been awesome!
Equilibrium, harmony, speed and other wonders of windsurfing!
Anyway -- the last few days have been great for practicing all the cool winsurfing moves -- good wind, warm water, sun and lotsa toys to play with. (There's a reason that I leave home at this time of year. It's snowing there, if you can believe it!) The turtle watching has been superb here this year as well.
Parents -- if you have kids and want to introduce them to windsurfing, this is the place. You should see the flock of local kids out on the water having a blast. I haven't seen anyone have so much fun in a long time.
I hear the leaves moving and the trees are starting to sway. Time for another session on the blue highway.
"...There is never a superfluous movement, super-relaxed, flying through the water. She is a child at play. The perfection of her sailing shows composure and concentration far beyond the ordinary."
Happy sailing,
Eric May 12, 2007
Wow, just realized it's been a month since I teased all of you with stories of wind,sea and sun. I apologize but am happy to know that you're faithfully checking so you can live(windsurf) vicariously or better yet get psyched for your next windsurfing vacation!
I actually have a "salt-water hangover" from last nights kiting session,could barely hold on to my 9mtr but when I did boy was it fun to jump and be up there long enough to look down and see the bottom of he Caribbean sea pass below.
It had been too windy for me to get my 5.8 wet but everyone else had a fantastic day, Francois' enjoying his early retirement and is out there every day. Guests have been sailing in the low 5's and small JP supercross/sport. Maarten training twice a day for his competitions this summer( he's decided to stay and do hi-winds first) Jani's really getting "hooked" now and Paulien, who used to work for Vela when it was still at the Holiday Inn! is back helping us a few days a week and better yet, has decided to rekindle her relationship with board and sail,doing great.
The coming days look excellent should be blowing well into the 20's and hey,sunny every day!
We look forward to seeing lots of familiar faces such as the Staudenmaiers the end of this month, bring your camera's there's a fresh turtle nest right in front of the center!
By the way, Darwin did become a daddy on April 14th. It's a Beautiful Girl and her name is Jazlynn Romelia.
See you all very soon!!
Monique
April 10, 2007
Easter weekend is behind us and boy was it busy! We did sneak in a staff easter breakfast before the crowds which was nice. Wind has been great,last night Mac Maarten, Pascal and I had a great after-hours session, small sails and a 9 meter kite cruisin' on the blue highway.
Should be in the twenties for the next few days so ok for me to take a break tonight and rest my bones and muscles but tomorrow it's back on my new slalom board and 5.8.
We're all waiting for Darwin to become a daddy which should be any day now,probably the same day that Maarten will land a clean air chacho(or whatever they call that crazy move). The champagne is chillin' and so are we.
hope you'll join us one of these days.
Monique(from the freshly painted PINK office). March 29, 2007
Hello from Aruba,
Well, a few light wind days are upon us,the satellite image tells me another day or so. But luckily, Tom Lepak is here and working with Maarten he's put together a one day freestyle clinic and he's doing his magic on the simulator as we speak. Lots of participants because: "you don't have to go fast to have fun" is our motto for today.
In the meantime I can finish up some projects and get ready for the Easter crowds (and Bunny?). Not sure if anybody will ever find those hidden eggs in the sand...
See you soon!
Monique March 14, 2007
We've been here a couple of weeks now and the wind has been speedy!!! I've been sailing on a 5.0 to 5.4 and Karyn has been on a 4.2 to 4.7. It's dropped off a bit in the last couple of days and it's shifted to a more northerly wind. This means we are on bigger gear but it also seems this shift has allowed 2 to 3 foot surf to run between the red flag and the wreck. It's really great to watch Maarten out there doing the big tricks on the new swell.
It is cool that there is a much bigger presence of local kids this year. A few of these have only been sailing for a few months and they are already doing tricks we've never seen before.
Other things we've noticed this year are more turtles out on the blue highway, tons of beginners, and extra clear blue sky and water.
As always the staff at Vela are spectacular! They are always there to help figure out what gear to put on the water.
We've already booked for next year and hope to see everyone then! Guests: Harry & Karyn February 15, 2007
Another incredibly excellent windy week in Aruba of shredding, jibing, eating and drinking. The wind has been blowing 15 to 20 knots every day, with the occasional pause in the action. Sue has assumed the position of rabbit being chased by the greyhounds: Donna, Gary, Bruce, Marty, Judd, Michael, Dave and Art along the Blue Highway. Progress is being made by all: Karen had her first harness lesson. Caution: Lizards may appear in beach bags from time to time, both real and plastic, resulting in back flips off the beach chair! Too bad - no video!
Vela staff have gone out of their way to make our stay fantastic, helping us choose our sails, boards, and helping us out of the water with our gear at the end of the day. It just doesn't get any better than this. Can't wait till next year! We're all coming back. Come on down here! Guests: Donna, Gary and Sue February 07, 2007
Hola everyone,
Hope that it's not too cold where you are reading this!
Here things are just great! The regular gang of February is back so there's a lot of action on the blue highway.
We are still in a good stretch of wind, although the weather has been a little bit funky for this time of the year.
The wind has been blowing in the high teens to the low twenties and that trend should continue in this coming week.
We're quickly approaching President's week and it looks like it's gonna be a busy one. Looking forward to seeing everyone again and some new faces.
See ya on the water! Francois January 24, 2007
G'day sailors!
I'm really starting to think that we are in June! Seriously, I don't think I've sailed as many 5.0 days in January as I've done this year.
There were a couple of days when you would get out of bed and it was already blowing 20 knots. Then you know how windy it's gonna get.
A little swell has rolled in, making things a little bit different on the blue highway.
The forecast is still looking pretty amazing for this time of the year. We'll probably have over 20 knots everyday in the next coming week. WOW!!!
So hopefully you're all packed and ready to hit the water.
See you on the blue highway. Francois. January 12, 2007
Hello everyone!
We've had a great end of December (with lots of fireworks as is the Aruban tradition) and an incredible beginning of 2007 (with our ears still buzzing). Monique and I started the year as usual by being the first on the water to celebrate the New Year. What a way to start 2007!
The wind as dropped a little bit this past week, averaging in the mid teens. There were a couple of days when the wind would pick up late in the afternoon to give us a great way to end the day.
The forecast is looking more promissing for the next few days with wind in the high teens, which is great considering that this is January.
All the new gear is great and again, if your looking for used gear, we've got a lot of 2006 equipment available for you to bring back home. Just bring a board bag.
Wish you all a great 2007, with lots of wind and time on the water wherever you are. Francois December 23, 2006
Merry Christmas everyone!
Have to say that we are spoiled this year! First we got all our brand new gear all rigged up and just waiting for you to try. The stuff looks really great! Got to try the new JP 106 Super Cross and the new Starbord S-Type 93. They both rock!
Second, the wind is finally kicking in. This past week we had winds in the mid teens, so very good for december. Yesterday we had 18 to 20 knots, so I was finally able to try my new JP FSW 78 and I'm in love!!!
Today, the wind is already in the high teens and the forecast looks really great for Christmas week: we should have many days in the low to mid twenties! Yes, we've all been good!
Also, all brand new Cabrinha kites and boards. Mike and Mo have been working hard in the off-season to organise a brand new kite room. They are eager to teach you!
Also, we have a lot of used 2006 gear for sale. So bring a board bag and bring back a nice souvenir from Aruba.
Got to go and rig my new 5.0. Today's the day to be on the blue highway. Francois. December 09, 2006
G'day everyone!
November as come and gone, leaving us with some good days of windsurfing. Typical of that month, we still had some rain, but overall it was way better than last after that horrible hurricane season. We had a nice swell that rolled in at the end of that month to give us some logo high waves at Westpoint and some 3 feet rollers at the shipwreck.
December saw the same trend continue with winds in the 12 to 15 knots.
The forecast is looking decent for this time of the year, with winds in the mid teens. We still have some occasional showers, which makes the island very green.
Christmas is coming fast and it looks like we'll be very busy during the holiday. Hopefully we'll all get the best gift: lots of wind!
All the new gear just arrived on the island and we'll be busy all week getting everything ready for you to play on.
See you all on the blue highway soon! Francois October 24, 2006
hello from Aruba where after a few rainy days we're back on the water. Light winds, 10-12 knots,enough for our guests to play around a little and to teach some beginners. meantime we're still brightening up the shack and getting ready for next season,new staff members are arriving and getting used to our stressfull workenvironment...
hope you'll all get to meet them soon!
Monique October 06, 2006
Well it's usualy around this time that I start thinking about that free golf clinic but guess what:It's still Windy!! and the forecast looks great for the coming weekend,around 20knots. So try and get one of those last minute flights will you? Jetblue will get you here for around the price of a value meal. We're a little lonely and would like to share the end-of-the-day-afterglow from windsurfing and kiting with some of you here. It's a good time because the beaches are empty,you don't need restaurant reservations and the cheesy souvenirs are all half price until the cruise ships start rollin' in.
meantime, we are painting and hammering and cleanin'up, getting ready for all the brand new gear to arrive in a few weeks! Hope to see all of you soon.
Monique
September 25, 2006
hey everyone,
It's september,and when it's windy we cancel everything else to hit the water because we start getting that feeling that low(er) wind season starts tommorrow.But someone's playing a game with us,because it just keeps on blowing!Yesterday was the first day I was out kiting on a 9 meter, ventured out to the blue highway and thought: "I should have gone windsurfing!". Either way it's great to get these little fall presents from the windgods,we have a few happy guests and we don't have to rent dvd's just yet.The forecast looks great for the coming days, guess it's windsurfing at lunch time and kiting after work,boy, life is rough here.
come put yourself in our shoes (footstraps)if the fall weather gets to you.
Monique August 22, 2006
Hi everyone,
No complaints from this side of paradise!
We've had a pretty good week of blasting on the blue highway with winds between 16 and 22 knots. The Italians have now discovered our beautiful spot and they are already planning their trip for next year. Gianluca,Marco and Alessandra are making great progress. The kids, Nicole, Andreas and Filipo started as beginners and are now in control in the harness. Let's not forget Flavio, Fabio, Riccardo, Federico and Paolo.
The forecast is looking a little lighter for the coming days with winds between 12 and 18 knots.
See you all soon on theblue highway! Francois. August 11, 2006
Hey everyone,
Hope you are all doing fine and enjoying a great summer.
Down here, where it's always summer, the wind goddess has been treating us with pretty decent trades. Although the wind was lighter in the mornings, people were happy to have a warm up session in the morning, go for lunch and then downsize to a smaller sail in the 5.0 to 5.9 range.
Forecast is looking very good for the weekend, with 20 to 25 knots in the afternoons. Looking at the long range forecast, the wind will drop to 15 to 20 knots, still very decent, but that is also far ahead and it could well change to stonger conditions.
So if you have a few days of vacation left before the kids go back to school or you just need a break from the office, we're all here waiting for you!
See you all on the blue highway! Francois. July 26, 2006
Hello everyone,
July is almost coming to an end but we are still having some good windsurfing days.
Although the wind did drop a notch this past week, people were still sailing between 5.0's and 6.9's. Yesterday was are lightest wind day in probably a month and we even had some rain, which is very rare for this time of the year.
The wind is back a little today, with 12 to 15 knots. As the week goes by, we should have more days in the 15 to 20 knot range.
See you all on the blue highway! Francois July 05, 2006
Hi everyone!
The curse is gone! Yes, there was plenty of wind for the Hi-Wind windsurfing and kiteboarding competitions this past week. And the good news is that it will keep on blowing for this coming week.
Today's forecast is just incredible: 25 to 30 knots in the afternoon with logo high waves at West Point. Guess where I'll be spending my lunch break?
For the rest of the week we should get consistent 20 to 25 knots, so that will bring a lot of big smiles on all the sailors.
See you all on the water! Francois. July 05, 2006
Hi everyone!
The curse is gone! Yes, there was plenty of wind for the Hi-Wind windsurfing and kiteboarding competitions this past week. And the good news is that it will keep on blowing for this coming week.
Today's forecast is just incredible: 25 to 30 knots in the afternoon with logo high waves at West Point. Guess where I'll be spending my lunch break?
For the rest of the week we should get consistent 20 to 25 knots, so that will bring a lot of big smiles on all the sailors.
See you all on the water! Francois. June 20, 2006
Hi everyone,
As my good friend Clint likes to say: "We're in a good stretch of windsurfing!"
It's just been day after day of great conditions down here. The wind has been blowing in the high teens in the mornings and in the low to mid twenties in the afternoons.
A lot of the same faces are back here this week, the kids growing up and following in their parents footsteps. Also some new faces who are truly enjoying our great windsurfing conditions.
The forecast is looking good again for this coming week and hopefully it will keep on blowing through the Hi-Winds event that will be celebrating it's twentieth anniversary this year. Good luck to all!
See you all on the blue highway!
Francois. June 02, 2006
Hi everyone!
I'm starting to have no more imagination to describe the wind conditions we've had this past month!
Yes, there were some moments when we had to sail on 6's, but for most of this past week it's been in the 5's. Yesterday was just screaming!!!! People started early on 5.7-5.0's, but by 11am a lot of guests were coming back to downsize on 4's!
Forecast is still looking good for this coming week. We'll get 18 to 25 knots until Tuesday, then a little bit lighter on Wednesday and Thursday, but it should pick-up nicely for next weekend.
Hope to see you all soon on the water! Francois. May 24, 2006
G'day sailors!
Anyway you look at it, it's been windy!
Great! Awesome! Fantastic! Wow! Tired! We are in a great stretch of what Aruba is all about in the spring: 20 to 30 knots everyday, with gusts sometimes in the mid 30's.
Forecast is looking great again for this coming week. Gotta go now so my fingers don't get too tired from typing!
See you on the blue highway! Francois May 13, 2006
Hola sailors!
No matter how you look at it, any day on the water in Aruba is another day in paradise. This past week as been below normal averages (and the forecast was wrong!)for this time of the year, with the wind blowing between 12 and 18 knots. The windiest day was wednesday and the wind to a nap on Friday morning.
Today, the wind was already blowing at 13 knots at 7am, with clear blue skies and low humidity, which means that we'll have a great day with probably 18 to 20 knots in the afternoon.
If you can't come next week, don't look at the forecast or read the following lines. For those who are coming down or those thinking about it, it's gonna be a fantastic week! The forecast is calling for 18 to 30 knots all week!!!! We'll be spending a lot of time on the water, trying to break speed records, learning new tricks or simply hanging on for dear life....
See you all on the blue highway. Francois May 05, 2006
Hi everyone,
The sun is still shinning but the wind is not cooperating!
It's been very light wind this past week but it still beats any day at the office. The forecast is looking nice for this coming weekend with winds in the 18 to 22 knots. People will be very happy to sail below 6.0!
So what's new in Aruba? Got two brand new rescue boats which is cause for celebration since it's an event that happens about every ten years.
So come on to see us for all your windsurfing and kitesurfing addictions.
See you all on the blue highway! Francois April 24, 2006
G'day to you all!
The wind Goddess came back with a vengeance this week.
After a very light Easter weekend, the wind came back this past Monday. Everyone was happy to sail with 15 knots and people were anxious to see if the forecast would hold true. The following three days we had 18 to 22 knots.
Friday morning and it was already blowing 20 knots. By midday, we had over 30 knots. Saturday and Sunday were even windier! When Mac is over powered on a 4.7 and I can barely hold on to a 4.0, it's crazy!
The forecast is looking pretty good for this week with 18-22 knots on most days. So come down and play with us!
Francois April 17, 2006
Happy Easter to everyone!
These past four days were really not what we should expect at this time of the year with extremely light winds. The beach is packed with locals for Semana Santa and things will quiet down this week.
The wind is slowly coming back today, blowing 12 to 15 knots. As we get closer to the weekend, the forecast is looking very good. People will be anxious to switch their 7.0's for 5.0's!
So if you're coming down soon, you'll be spending a lot of time on the water.
See you on the blue highway!
Francois. April 03, 2006
Hi everyone!
It's been a while since my last report and some of you may think that it hasn't been windy! But to the contrary, I've been spending quite a bit of time on the water with all our guests.
It's always fun to watch people improve, no matter what their level. Take for example Joey, 9 years old and already in the harness after five days here! Or Tom who's been crashing for the past 2 weeks and finally is making some planning reverse monkey jibes!
We've had many days in the 20-25 knots range and a few exceptionnal days at over 30 knots.
The forecast is a little bit on the light side for this coming week, but we still have some days in the upper teens.
See you all on the blue highway!
Francois. February 25, 2006
Yo to all the windsurfers!
I know I'm starting to sound like a broken record, but it's been another good week of sun, sea and wind.
All the regulars (and of course so new faces) were back for their february winter break and they were not disapointed. Maggie is making some port jibes (she'll work on her starbord side next year!), Niko is learning new tricks, Alex (7) is now staying upwind, Shelagh started as a beginner and now is in both footstraps, David is now king of duck jibes, Greg goes so fast that I can't video him, Karen and Harry are blasting away on the blue highway.
Forecast is still looking great for this coming week, with winds in the 17 to 25 knots. Of course the water is always warm and the sunsets incredible.
See you all soon on the blue higway. Francois February 14, 2006
G'day to you all!
What can be said about this past week? That it rained everyday and very light wind? Would that make you feel better if you were at work? The truth is that people were having a blast on the water!
The February crowd is back in force: Marty, Susan, Gary, Art, Jo-Anne, Judd, Terry, Francine, Bob, Bruce, Donna, Peter, Jodi and many others that are on their first visit to this windsurfing paradise.
This month were back to the real windy Aruba of old with lots of days in the low twenties.
This morning we woke with some dark clouds above our heads and a few drops fell, but by 10:30 the wind picked-up nicely. Most of our sailors are on 5.0 to 5.9 ( just Marty is on a 7.2 this afternoon but he's a little crazy about speed!).
Again the forecast is looking good for this coming week. Don't wait for my next report to find out what you missed!
See you all on the blue highway. Francois. February 07, 2006
Hi everyone!
It's been an incredibly windy week!
Only one day did people have to sail with 6's. For the rest of the week, people were sailing in the 5's. The best days were Friday and Saturday when the wind was in the mid 30's!!! You know it's windy when all the sails below 5.0 are all out.
This week's forecast is calling for lighter winds, between 14 and 20 knots. So still a lot of sailing to be done in Aruba.
See you all soon on the blue highway. Francois January 29, 2006
Hi everyone!
It's been a great week!!! This is no joke!. It's true that we've had some rain this past week, but who cares when the wind is blowing?
So how hard did it blow? Monday was the windiest I had seen in Aruba in a long time: over 30 knots in the afternoon. So I rigged my 4.5 and headed to Westpoint where the waves were breaking at logo high. Following day was 23 knots and there were 3 feet waves breaking from the shipwreck to the red flag: never did I do so many bottom turns in a session in Aruba! Then Wednesday, wind dropped to 20 knots and Westpoint was sometimes peaking at mast high! The waves took a break on Thursday and Friday and the wind was on and of between 15 and 18 knots.
Late Saturday afternoon the waves came back, although the wind was a little bit lazy.
This morning the swell was strong and nicely breaking all over. The rain put a damper on the wind and all our anxious sailors, but at noon the sky was clearing and the wind slowly building.
The forecast is looking pretty good for all this coming week, so they'll be lots of action on the water!
See you all soon on the blue highway! Francois January 21, 2006
Hi everyone!
Not a bad week at all!!!
We've had a little bit of everything this past week: couple of days with 10 to 15 knots, a few days with 15 to 19 knots and two days with over 20 knots. Also a swell has been breaking on the outside, which was a change from the beautiful flat water that we are so accustomed too.
People are getting excited over here as the forecast is predicting a few days with over 20 knots, which is great for January. The rest of the week we should get 15 to 20 knots.
So if you need a break from the winter or from your job, come on down and play with us!
See you all on the blue highway. Francois January 05, 2006
Happy New Year everyone!!!
The year started with a bang if you've ever seen fireworks the way Arubans do it. I personnally started the year being the first one on the water with my 78 FSW and 5.4. What a way to celebrate a new year!
Monday was still good with an average of 15 knots. Tuesday and wednesday saw showers and very light wind.
Today, we are starting to come back to normal for this time of the year. The sky is clearing, there's a light breeze and it will only get better. The forecast is actually looking pretty decent for this coming week, so if you are coming down, you should be spending plenty of time on the water.
See you all on the blue highway! Francois. December 22, 2005
Hi everyone,
As Christmas is almost upon us, we got an early Christmas present today as the wind started to blow at around 18 knots.
This is great compared to the last ten days, where the wind was blowing between 10 and 14 knots.
The next few days are looking great where we should have more days in the low 20's.
The new gear is great, just waiting for you to come down and play with us. Don't forget that if you're interested in used 2005 gear, everything is for sale! Just bring a board bag!
Merry Christmas to all of you! Francois December 09, 2005
G'day to you all!!!
As the stroms are dumping snow in the the north, things are looking better here in Aruba.
I have to admit that's it's been a very long slow season for us with a lot of light winds, even more than usual for November. December started light also, but we're starting to see the wind at the end of the tunnel. Yesterday, it was blowing between 15 and 20 knots and people were finally sailing on smaller sails and boards.
Talking about gear, all the new 2006 equipment is here, rigged and just waiting for you. If you're looking to buy some used gear, everything from 2005 is available. Just bring a board bag!
The forecast is looking good for this coming week (compared to what we've had!). Today should be the best of it all, although a little overcast, but we'll get definitely over 20 knots. For the rest, we should expect 15 to 20 knots.
See you all on the blue highway soon!!! Francois. October 19, 2005
Hi everyone,
Well, it's mid-october, so everyday with more than 10 knots is a little gift and we treat it as such. We're keeping ourselves busy preparing for next season,smells like paint around here. Chatting with our guests,Chad and Lisa who are on an "active" honeymoon,hey,I mean windsurfing ok?They're having fun,we'll have to break open that $5.00 bottle of champagne soon. So we clean the paint off our noses by going out there on a little bigger gear,6 and 7's,cruising comfortably.And offcourse those new Cabrinha Crossbow Kites keep us on the water while everyone else looks on from the beach,we can have fun on a 12 meter kite,incredible!
So we're keeping things warm here for you and looking forward to a great season.
See you soon on the blue highway.
Monique September 01, 2005
Hi everyone!
Labor day weekend and the wind is still blowing in Aruba. My last predictions were pretty acurate. We had a few days in the low twenties and a few days in the mid teens. Of course I could predict that the wind will blow between 0 and 25 knots all of next week and that would make my predictions acuracy at a 100% !!!!
But things are still looking good for this first week of september. As it's the end of the summer, things will be slowing down, but there are still some of you that will be coming down soon.
As for our recent guests: Keith has found spiritual guidance in Aruba, David is fine tuning his jibes, Pam and Caroline will be in the harness after their lesson today (hopefully with not too many catapults!), Emidio is in love with the JP Super-X, Peter is getting things under control.
See you all soon on the blue highway! Francois. August 20, 2005
Hi everyone!
This past week wasn't a typical windy week for August. We did have two pretty low wind days on wednesday and thursday, but then things came back screaming yesterday and today. I really love when the forecast is wrong: Friday they were predicting 15 knots, but we got well over 20! And today... let's just say that a 4.5 was just perfect for me and my 76 liter JP.
Should we trust the forecast for this coming week? It's not that bad, but I have a distinct feeling that we'll definitely have a few days in the mid to high twenties. I'll let you know about my predictions in the next report.
See you all soon on the blue highway. Francois August 09, 2005
Hi everyone!
Can't believe that it's already August 9th. It seems that the summer just started (well that's for most of you!). Here in Aruba, the weather doesn't get any better than this: clear blue sky, beautiful warm water and the wind blowing everyday.
I have to admit that we've had a pretty nice run of windy days that came to a small break this past saturday. It only blew 14 knots. But most of the time it's been in the high teens to low twenties. The forecast is looking pretty decent for this coming week too!
So all the kiters and windsurfers have been spending a lot of time on the water. Jim and Lisa are hooked! The Staudenmaiers are here once again: Janet is all smiles even after crahing hard in her jibes, Adrian is going fast, Fabio is even more daring and Bertram is a rocket and a jibe technician. Let's not forget Alisson,Richard, the Dicksons, Andre, Dagmar, Cathy, Max and Julie. Everyone is having a blast!
See you all soon on the blue highway!
Francois. July 30, 2005
Salut a tous!
You're all probably thinking that it hasn't been windy since I havn't written a report in a little while, but you're mistaken!
The second half of July has been great and the forecast is looking good for this coming week.
Since huricane Emily left us with a few puddles, the wind has been consistently in the upper teens to lower twenties and we havn't seen a drop of rain since. The best by far was this past wednesday when the gusts were definitely around 32 knots. I have to admit that I was fully powered up on my trusty Search 4.5
For some it proved to be a humbling day and were happy when the wind blew around 20 knots the following two days. Some people have been sailing for the past ten days, fine tuning their duck jibes and finally mastering them. Good job Mark and Alan!
A lot of you are coming down this week and we'll have a blast in sunny Aruba.
See you soon on the blue highway! Francois. July 16, 2005
G'day to you all!
Huricane Emily has come and gone, leaving us a little bit wet (that's good for the plants) and with a day and a half without wind.
Previous to this event, we had enjoyed great windsurfing conditions, typical of July in Aruba.The wind was between 18 and 25 knots six days straight before the huricane past way northwest of us.
Most of the regular July crowd were back in force: Tony and Rose, Lauren, Taletta, Bob, Steve, Janice, Courtney, Kelly and many more. We did miss the Jeanneau's and hopefully they'll be back soon.
Today, Satrurday, the day started a little bit overcast but the wind is back, blowing 15 knots and we should expect 20-22 knots in the afternoon. The good news is that the forecast is looking great for this coming week, so if you're coming down soon, you'll enjoy the beautiful water of Aruba!
See you on the blue highway! Francois. July 05, 2005
Hello everyone!
Like any reporter, I have to report the good and the bad (although the medias prefer to focus on the bad!)
This past week has been good. People were able to sail everyday. True that some days it was on bigger stuff, but it still beats a day at the office or sailing Lake Michigan in November!
But we did have a couple of 5.0 conditions and that's what dreams are made of. Unfortunately the wind went on vacation on Sunday afternoon, right when the freestyle competition was about to begin. They were still able to run the event, with Choco Frans from Bonaire winning.
Today, the forecast is looking grim (although the sky is blue) with very light winds in the forecast for the next few days. Things are looking good for the weekend.
See you all on the water! Francois June 27, 2005
Hi everyone,
We are definitely in June and things are ripping! It feels so good when you wake up and the palm trees are dancing in the breeze. You know it's gonna be a good one.
The weather has been amazing this past week with clear blue sky and the wind blowing in the 18 to 25 knots range. Everyone that are here right now are have a blast on the water: Katie got into the harness, Jim is in both footstraps, Janice is getting her groove back, Ben just wants to go faster, Peter is fine tuning his jibe, John is working on his laydown...
The forecast is looking good for this coming week with winds in the low 20's. So it looks that we will have great conditions for the Aruba Hi-Winds competition that is starting on Wednesday.
See you all on the blue highway. Francois. June 15, 2005
G'Day to you all!
Well, where to start? All I can say is that it's been really up and down these past ten days. One day you're blasting on a 5.0 and the next your out with a 6.5.
I know I keep repeating myself, but it's been a very strange year. Take this past Sunday for example: I wooke up to the sound of thunder, lightning and pouring rain. My puppy Kika was going nuts. And it rained until 11am. Now that is very, very not normal for Aruba in June.
The last three days we've seen light wind in the 12 to 15 knots. Fortunately the forecast is looking very nice for this coming weekend, with some 20 plus knots days for sure. If you're comin down, prepare your hands!
See you all on the blue highway. Francois June 04, 2005
Hi everyone!
We've finally had a normal week in Aruba! I don't know what is happening in the weather in the world, but things are messed up! In some places it was even snowing in June! No chance that this would happen in Aruba.
So I have to say that it was really great so see the wind blow in the low twenties for the whole week. A lot of the regulars who had been reading my latest wind reports were here this week and they had a blast! Finally Eugene, Carolyn, Bob and Marsha were able to be here at the same time (they are neighbours!), Lee is still improving is control, Thierry is smoother in his jibes, Lou attained his goals of super fast tacks and body dragging, Tina spend probably more time on the water that anybody else and I could name many others who made this past week a great week.
The forecast is calling for lighter winds by mid-week, but hopefully this will change when we reach that point.
See you all on the water! Francois. May 24, 2005
Hi everyone!
I have to admit that it's very hard to write a wind report when there is no wind! I have never seen a dry stretch like this in the three years that I've been here, not even in October.
The weather has been nice though!
Fortunately, the forecast is looking favorable for this upcoming week when we should get our easterly wind back. It should start wednesday with around 15 knots and building nicely for the weekend, just in time for Memorial day!
Hope to see you all on the water soon! Francois. May 13, 2005
Hello everyone
Well, it finally feels like spring is here finally!
The last few days have just been incredible, with average wind speed in the mid 20's. This should continue for this weekend also. The forecast is a bit on the low side for after that, but things can (and do!) quickly change in Aruba (except that it's almost always warm and sunny!)
See you all soon on the water Francois. April 26, 2005
Hi everyone!
I'm back and the wind is back!
Yes, it's true, I went to Canada to visit my family (first time in three years! Nice to be cold and to see rain) and the wind shut down during that period. There was even days when the wind was on-shore (but only about 5 knots), which is very rare for Aruba.
Today started quite light , but by 2 o'clock it was blowing at around 17 knots. The forecast is calling for about 15 knots for the next few days, but it should pick up to around 20 knots for the weekend.
See you all on the blue highway! Francois April 02, 2005
Hi everyone,
Sorry about the delay, but I have to say that with Spring Break and Easter, things have been pretty hectic these past couple of weeks.
And we had some wind!
Remember that in my last report that I was predicting days where we would need to rig some smaller sails? Well there was two consecutive days where I was fully powered up on 4.5! And on one of these days, West Point was breaking with logo to mast high waves! It was pretty sick.
The wind dropped a little bit this past week, but the average has been between 17 to 20 knots daily, which was great conditions to teach all those beginners and intermediates. For the most advanced, they were cruising on the blue highway, with no policemen in sight!
The forecast looks very promissing for this coming week.
See you all soon on the water!
Francois March 09, 2005
Hello everyone!
It's still sunny and warm down here. The trade winds still havn't really kicked yet, but people were still able to sail everyday this past week. Our best days were on Tuesday and Wednesday when the wind reached 20-22 knots. For the rest of the week its been averaging 15 to 18 knots.
The forecast is still promising for next week and I see on our bookings that a lot of you are coming down next week to enjoy a great Aruban vacation both on and off the water!
See you on the Blue Highway or around "the Oasis". Francois. February 14, 2005
G'day to you all!
It's been a good week down here in Aruba. We still don't have the typical 18 to 222 knots wind that we normally have for this time of the year, but the good news was that we didn't get any rain this past week until a few little drops this morning.
So yes, the wind has been light, averaging 14 to 18 knots everyday, although there was a few times where all the 5.0 to 5.9 were all out instead of the 6.0 to 8.5 sails.
The weird thing was that the wind has been coming a lot more from the northeast (side-off) and some nice little waves on the outside.
The forecast is looking better as we will get closer to the weekend, so let's cross our fingers.
See you all on the blue highway. Francois. December 31, 2004
Hi Everyone
Christmas has come and gone (hopefully everyone had a good one!), leaving us some wind, but still lighter than normal for this time of the year. Yesterday was our best day in a while, with people sailing in the 5.8 to 7.0 range all day.
The forecast is still predicting some lighter winds for this coming week, with an average of around 16 knots.
The new gear is really great. I was on a JP Super-X 96 and a Combat 5.8 yesterday and had a blast on the blue highway!
See you all soon!
Francois.
Sunday, September 26, 2004
Well, for a few days of being forced to play volleyball in the beautiful
white sand,a backdrop of azure blue water perfect sunsets and palmtrees
providing some shade, I know, you feel for us. But now,the wind has returned
for some more late summer waterplay. We definitely felt the effects of
Ivan,Karl,Jeanne and other systems that are to remain unnamed,we were
without wind for a while and some of us were just starting to put on that
low-wind-season-spare-tire but luckily today we have a nice 15 knot breeze
seducing us to come and play. People are back out there on 5.7's 6.0's.
The forecast looks good for the foreseeable future,which in Aruba language
means at least a few days. I expect people to come off the water this
afternoon with that plesantly exhausted look,hope they leave me some wind to
go kiting!
See you all soon,
Monique |
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