Happy Cat-mas


You are looking at me because there's no wind. Happy Holidays.

Happy Cat-mas, season's greetings and happy holidays. We wish you well and hope that your family and friends are safe, prosperous and in good health.

For those of you not familiar with Cat-mas, it marks the end of one windsurfing year and the beginning of another. Its origins are lost in the murkiness of a time long ago but it has been said that great sailors of long ago - perhaps, Vikings, ancient Greeks or even Polynesians - may have started many of the Cat-mas traditions we have today. Others claim its inception was in the murkiness of a tequila haze but historical scholars are divided on the point.

In Atlanta, Cat-mas is celebrated with particular fervor. Since we live in a place where there isn't much wind and we participate in a sport that requires a fair amount of it, we spend much of our time on the subject of cats. It's not that we have special affection for cats (in our household, we are "dog people"), but it's how we attempt to keep a sense of humor in the dark times between periods of wind.

In cultures that don't celebrate Cat-mas, statistics show that when it's not windy, crimes of domestic violence increase. Usually, it's a spouse, friend or family member who tires of the whining about the lack of wind and pops an unfortunate windsurfer or kiter over the head with a skillet. But let's not dwell on the negative during this holiday period. A very happy Cat-mas to you and yours and may the New Year bring you warm winds.

Wind Altar
The Atlanta Boardsailing Club Wind Altar. Often seen during the feast days of Cat-mas, including the annual club holiday party.
Fall of 2014 Recap

We'll take this opportunity to recap the highlights of the Fall 2014 sailing season. In mid-October, the club held it's 36th Annual Fall Classic. The weather was warm and breezy - almost summer-like. We sailed in shorties or no wet suit at all. Then for the rest of the season...






nothing. Two weeks later, it was 40 degrees. It was stinking winter already. But, at least it was windy and Kevin Osburn took a whole album of killer pictures.

In brief, we went straight from summer to winter. End of recap.

Wind Altar
The Best Video of 2014

We came across this video a couple of weeks ago. It, in our minds, is the absolute best windsurfing video of the year because it features mostly the intermediate windsurfing we do. There is maybe a couple of loops but it's a middle-aged guy we can relate to. There are no freestyle tricks that you watch six times and still not have a clue what you just watched. No waves that would drown you in a minute. No insane sailing with a 3.2 sail that you would never own.

It was made at a small sailing center in Samos, Greece -just a bunch of buddies making a goof of a Transformer (we think) movie but showing windsurfing, instead. The shots are gorgeous. The location is just as gorgeous. Please don't blame us when you want to desperately quit you job and spend the summer in Samos. If you can possibly watch this on a big screen (we have a computer hooked up to our TV), do it. The are just a couple of NSFW words in the middle so be aware - nothing horrible but Europeans aren't quite as hung up about dropping a couple of F-bombs as we are. And, the comedy skit at the end? It's nonsensical, you aren't missing anything.

So, when the holiday period gets to be a bit much and you need to get your windsurfing jones on, pop open your favorite beverage, sit in front of the TV and enjoy.

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