The family Odyssey 2011,  now an iPhoto album of great memories…

Returning home and pouring thru the endless photos was a such a great way to relive so many great moments that have already been relegated to memory… a snapshot of our growing family, our beautiful little girls growing up…preserved in time…can’t help but share a few…

The adventure began with a Baja Ferry ride from Mazatlan to La Paz, 18 hours on a overbooked Ferry full of semi trucks and the Mexican Harley Davidson contingency….it wasn’t until the last moment, when i walked the breakfast buffet line,  land was in sight, and i was convinced that a swimming the rest of the way after a sleepless night would do me some good…

A quick stop in La Ventana and a  reunion of our favorite  surf breaks reminded us of  how much we love Baja. The van was our Sherpa, braving sandy roads scorching heat and washed out arroyos. The North winds started to blow after El Guerro Negro and we opted for a Windsurf session in  the warm waters of Bahia de Los Angeles. The family quickly recognized an SUP opportunity and another Pacific Paddle Surf first was in the making… SUPing with Whale Sharks…

We paddled onto a group of 4 fascinating creatures within a few minutes… My first encounter i could hear the Jaws music rumbling in the background as i approached a dark ominous object under the surface, and Vero yelled out to me “get yourself right in front of its open mouth and then slip into the water” i was like… really?? OK! I paddled out in front of the supposedly docile beasts and the face off began…. i remembered my previous encounter on a documentary shoot “Search for Nacho” , as our host mentioned if we should be accidentally swallowed, to make an escape before passing by the giant gills by tucking and rolling… I slipped into the water and was so overwhelmed trying to switch my Go Pro to record mode, that when i looked up all i could see was a dark chasm of the sharks wide open mouth…. it was a moment of tranquil panic… and in a blink of  my eyes (i may have shut them for longer…actually) the shark disappeared beneath me….wow what a rush… OK your turn Vero!!

A similar bout of “frozen anxiety” left Vero almost riding bareback, after falling off the board directly overtop the spotted caetesion. To our amazement upon returning to the boat our daughter Sofia was eagerly waiting her turn to swim with the Whale Sharks!! Unable to come up with a good reason why she should not.. and without any hesitation she slipped into the water and swam towards the whale with her goggles on and hand extended.. Wow the adventure is ON…..

Heck of a start.. After arriving to Hood River we  reunited our palettes with the  delicacy of hi wind windsurfing.  30 m/hr conditions of the river and sails in the 4.0 meter size range..Vero had her first ripping reaches on tiny gear, and i hit a windsurfing career landmark…the forward loop.. i can’t believe it took me this long…

Next thing we know the Big Winds SUP event was upon us, and Kai Lenny, Dave Kalama and Connor Baxter were leaving us in there wake as I tried to analyze their stroke techniques and learn any possible tricks. I decided that intestinal fortitude is the critical element of SUP racing. and MEGA condition..these guys hold down a stroke rate that the average person would consider torture…NEXT stop Battle of the PADDLE!!! stay tuned.

Enjoy the photos!!