the Atlanta Boardsailing Club
windsurfing, kiteboarding and wingsurfing in the Southeast

This is an open note to the Gainesville/Hall County Community who are new to the area and, perhaps, to our country. Okay, I'll be more direct, if you say or hear "Goooooooooooooooooooooooooooool!" when your favorite team scores, this post is for you.

Part of the challenge of being in a new community, culture or country is learning the traditions and social pattern of your new home. This process of assimilation isn't meant to erase your culture but to ease your way into the broader social fabric of the community. In case I'm not being clear here, it's about fitting in.

"Someone once asked me if I have a plan B, I said, 'No, I don't have a plan B. I number my plans.'" -Demetri Martin

I must regretfully say that I've decided to scale back my windsurfing this fall. Quite frankly, this 'waiting for wind' business has convinced me that I really need better things to do. After all, this is Atlanta: Where Wind Goes to Die™. As webmaster for a windsurfing club, I realize that this puts me in an awkward spot but I do believe that many of you, too, will come to this conclusion as you wait in vain the parking lot for any signs of wind.

Instead, these are some of the things I will be doing this fall:

I've decided to marry my love of cycling with a desire to see Georgia from a different perspective. I've ordered this clever camper from a company in China. It has a bed, small kitchen and a dining table. Of course, it's bigger inside than it looks.

Originally, this article was about the PWA Tour event in Alacati, Turkey. Thanks to the miracle of the intertubes, slalom racing heats were being broadcast live during the event. Quite fun to watch and a big difference from the dark ages when you saw two pictures in a magazine three months later or maybe a clip on a new VHS video.

One thing that struck me was that jibing is even hard for the pros. Of course, they are trying to jibe way overpowered in a small space between another board and the mark through the wakes of the boards in front of them. Nonetheless, my ego found it comforting that I'm not the only person to swim while trying to get a windsurfer to go from one direction to another.

As the event is finished, chances are you won't be seeing any more live video. (I'm smart that way, aren't I?) We'll leave the link up because it has links to videos from the event that you may want to watch if you missed the live action. And, because we endeavor to entertain and I don't want to delete or change the title of the article, we present a video Chris Voith shot last spring (April 2012) featuring himself and Scott Spreen (Scott is on the yellow board).

Boogie on the Beach April 2012 from Chris Voith on Vimeo.

Our original Post:

Türkiye Live

PWA Alacati, Turkey through Sept 1. They are seven hours ahead of us. Enjoy. If it says unavailable, it's probably finished for the day.

And, you don't talk about the forecast.

Since a few a-wipes (I'm looking at you, Gene and webguy) decided to start yakking about the winds from Tropical Storm Isaac, I'm staring out a window at rain and no wind. Apparently these guys didn't get the memo. Like Fight Club, you don't talk about the forecast.

To amuse myself in my depressive state, I decided to reread some of the more entertaining posts on this website, including this one: Windsurfing Needs a Better Soundtrack. It's quite funny, mostly because I wrote it.