What was, imho, always an issue - pricing. He never really even gave his best customers a break. $600 for an original Superlight? A bunch more examples, too. You can pay close to those same prices and get boards 15 yrs newer. Maybe there's a bargain okay deal there somewhere but haven't seen one yet that compels me.
Yes, probably retirement sale, I'd think. That's been a tough spot to do business lately with other stuff encroaching on the launch and the big swing towards first kites and then wings. Wings (and foils in general) are a dime a dozen there and I'm not sure they've adapted as others like NB have.
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--- The Arrogant Jerk: Crabby and irritable since 1998.
He started Calema in 1983, so that's 38 years. Not that many windsurf businesses around for that long. How many other WS schools are there these days?
That's definitely a career. Pure schools? Don't really know of any in the US other than the ABK travelling show. Lots of shops still teach even in FL - notably North Beach and all the teaching Alex Morales is doing in Miami. Ocean Air is stubbornly hanging on in OBX and I even saw this in Nova Scotia after a 1500 ft climb from sea level.
Been meaning to post this for a while. Climbed for about a half hour up from sea level and the further up we got, the more it started to rain and fog in. We ended up descending the other side in full on rain and rode in that for the next four hours. Fortunately, body heat was sufficient to keep it from being totally miserable.
As valuable as a resource as Calema has been (both my kids and wife learned there), it sadly illustrated that schools and lessons aren't enough to sustain a windsurf community, imho. You actually need community. It didn't help that the area, in general, was a good place to kite but being at the edge of a large metro area (Orlando), one would have imagined a hardier legacy. All the same, much credit to them for lots of lessons and years of Midwinters.
What was, imho, always an issue - pricing. He never really even gave his best customers a break. $600 for an original Superlight? A bunch more examples, too. You can pay close to those same prices and get boards 15 yrs newer. Maybe there's a
bargainokay deal there somewhere but haven't seen one yet that compels me.Yes, probably retirement sale, I'd think. That's been a tough spot to do business lately with other stuff encroaching on the launch and the big swing towards first kites and then wings. Wings (and foils in general) are a dime a dozen there and I'm not sure they've adapted as others like NB have.
--- The Arrogant Jerk: Crabby and irritable since 1998.
He started Calema in 1983, so that's 38 years. Not that many windsurf businesses around for that long. How many other WS schools are there these days?
What happens in a black hole stays in a black hole.
That's definitely a career. Pure schools? Don't really know of any in the US other than the ABK travelling show. Lots of shops still teach even in FL - notably North Beach and all the teaching Alex Morales is doing in Miami. Ocean Air is stubbornly hanging on in OBX and I even saw this in Nova Scotia after a 1500 ft climb from sea level.
Been meaning to post this for a while. Climbed for about a half hour up from sea level and the further up we got, the more it started to rain and fog in. We ended up descending the other side in full on rain and rode in that for the next four hours. Fortunately, body heat was sufficient to keep it from being totally miserable.
As valuable as a resource as Calema has been (both my kids and wife learned there), it sadly illustrated that schools and lessons aren't enough to sustain a windsurf community, imho. You actually need community. It didn't help that the area, in general, was a good place to kite but being at the edge of a large metro area (Orlando), one would have imagined a hardier legacy. All the same, much credit to them for lots of lessons and years of Midwinters.
channeysurfer