“Oh man... Look at that guy... He is way up in the air, going for a backloop. Man, that’s HIGH! Niceeee landing too.... Is that how high I should go? I will start lower....... wait a minute.... that’s a red sail with a big T on it... Oh YEAH! Good job askim....” It was a great moment realizing that the sailor that I admired was actually my husband - as usual!
We had a great day on the waves. Backloops, REALLY high jumps, shove-it attempts, swell rides... Derek even helped one of our French friends in his waveriding. Good karma... He was definitely very grateful at the end of the day. We sailed into the sunset (5:34pm), finally catching logo high waves.
Today will probably be more of a freestyle day as the high tide will be even later. During low tide, we get good flat water conditions - especially by the dune. Sometimes, coming upwind takes up to 20 minutes but it is definitely worth it to go down the dune to practice as there is more room for everyone.
Friday, November 20, 2009
Thursday, November 19, 2009
More Freestyle, More Rest, More Waves....
We didn’t even realize that it’s been few days since we published our last blog... Well... We’ve been very busy with freestyling, resting and riding waves! :)
We were back at our lagoon last Sunday. It was blowing so hard that Derek was overpowered on his 4.0 and Nes was dying on her 3.7. :) However, we managed to find a smaller section of the lagoon where it only took 20 second to go from one side to the other. Of course, short distance meant that many more attempts on the moves we were trying. I was able to get in some shove-it practices along with my vulcans on both sides... And Derek almost got his e-sliders... We need just one more day on the lagoon...
We took the Monday off to get ourselves ready for the waves - as their sizes are getting bigger everyday. The best rest day ever! Our day started with me on the horse venturing the sand dunes by myself and Derek on foot taking our pictures. Despite the bruises I got from galloping, horseback riding was awesome. Then we scheduled our massages... One session of Osteopathy and one session of an hour massage... By the end of the day, we were the most relaxed people on EARTH! :)
For the last two days, we’ve been waveriding with (at least) 50 more windsurfers! We might finally get the waves for backloops today. Sarah-quita already found some yesterday. It is great to watch a 18-year old girl landing all her crazy moves while making them look like a piece of cake. As intimidating as it gets with all the pros in the water, it is a great learning experience. We already have several coaches helping us with the moves we are trying (Derek - ponch, flaka, grubby, eslider / Nes - shove-it, grubby).
We were back at our lagoon last Sunday. It was blowing so hard that Derek was overpowered on his 4.0 and Nes was dying on her 3.7. :) However, we managed to find a smaller section of the lagoon where it only took 20 second to go from one side to the other. Of course, short distance meant that many more attempts on the moves we were trying. I was able to get in some shove-it practices along with my vulcans on both sides... And Derek almost got his e-sliders... We need just one more day on the lagoon...
We took the Monday off to get ourselves ready for the waves - as their sizes are getting bigger everyday. The best rest day ever! Our day started with me on the horse venturing the sand dunes by myself and Derek on foot taking our pictures. Despite the bruises I got from galloping, horseback riding was awesome. Then we scheduled our massages... One session of Osteopathy and one session of an hour massage... By the end of the day, we were the most relaxed people on EARTH! :)
For the last two days, we’ve been waveriding with (at least) 50 more windsurfers! We might finally get the waves for backloops today. Sarah-quita already found some yesterday. It is great to watch a 18-year old girl landing all her crazy moves while making them look like a piece of cake. As intimidating as it gets with all the pros in the water, it is a great learning experience. We already have several coaches helping us with the moves we are trying (Derek - ponch, flaka, grubby, eslider / Nes - shove-it, grubby).
Sunday, November 15, 2009
My First Vulcan!
Friday the 13th... We decided to try out one of the close by lagoons that none of the other windsurfers wanted to share its name... Luckily our driver (kind of) knew where we needed to go. It was such a small but good spot, no wonder no one wanted to share it! Well initially we were the only windsurfers - flat water, 30-40 seconds from one side to the other... Then we were joined by about 6-7 more sailors - half of them being pros.
4 hours of pure freestyle sailing- trying moves on both sides, filming each other, trying to follow the other guys’ triple flaka attempts, disappointments, excitements, pain and happiness...
At the end of the day, I went for another 20 minute session as Derek was derigging. All day long, I got so close on my vulcans that I didn’t want to leave without one! Sure enough... My very last run of the day... I dreamt about my scream of success the night before, and when I planned out of my vulcan I screamed my lungs out just like in my dream! :) It wasn’t photographed but I had two solid witnesses - Derek and the driver - as I did it literally right in front of them.
(Meanwhile, we are constantly working on our Jeri movie...)
4 hours of pure freestyle sailing- trying moves on both sides, filming each other, trying to follow the other guys’ triple flaka attempts, disappointments, excitements, pain and happiness...
At the end of the day, I went for another 20 minute session as Derek was derigging. All day long, I got so close on my vulcans that I didn’t want to leave without one! Sure enough... My very last run of the day... I dreamt about my scream of success the night before, and when I planned out of my vulcan I screamed my lungs out just like in my dream! :) It wasn’t photographed but I had two solid witnesses - Derek and the driver - as I did it literally right in front of them.
(Meanwhile, we are constantly working on our Jeri movie...)
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Wildlife in Jeri
Today’s blog is all about introducing you the life other than sailing in Jeri - mainly the life of the animals and the insects. :)
The animals and the insects definitely live in harmony with the people in this little town. Every morning, as we are walking to the beach, we feel like we are living a farm.
Our mornings start with the roosters. Sunrise is their time to sing - 5:30 am. During our first few days, we got to know a rooster that was a little bit off schedule. He would start at 6:15 am and would continue until 7:30 with 15-minute intervals. He was a true SNOOZE (that you can’t turn off).
On our way to the beach, we first greet the horses that are just outside of our Pousada. Then we run into the donkeys on the grass knoll between the beach and the town. They are very calm animals when they are not trying to talk to you. Especially the little ones... They do everything not to get into the water. Next to the donkeys, there are usually some big horned bulls. They all feed organically on any grass they can find. We are very aware of their diet as we walk by their disposals constantly... :)
Of course you are always welcomed by the dogs and the cats of the neighborhood. Dogs are definitely more friendly than the cats.
Another regular in the town is the gecko. We have them in our bedroom walls (there are no solid roofs so there is an opening between the walls and the roof). Sometimes they even climb into our ceiling lamps. They can be a bit clumsy from time to time as we have experienced it tonight. We were comfortably reading our books, out on the balcony. All of a sudden we both felt something falling on us. I think I jumped about 6 feet away from the sofa that we were sitting within a second. That was when I saw one gecko jumping right back up to the wall and another one jumping down from my shoulder to the ground. We still don’t know what scared them the most - falling on humans or a jumping and a screaming woman!
We also have toads and frogs here. They only show at night time, mostly around the pool. The little frogs usually wait for us in our bathroom or the shower. They really can jump far and fast!
Well... these are the daily animals we see. As far as the insects go, one definitely becomes close friends with ants because they are EVERYWHERE at every size! The big ones are a little scary. If you accidently kill one, it takes only few seconds for the rest of the crew to come out, search the premises, and carry the corpse back home. Spiders... the ones we see are small (luckily)... And of course, as expected, they have already found me enough times - one walking on my arm and another walking on my leg. Those of you who know how much I don’t like spiders can imagine my panic at the moment when I had them on my body! The last insect that we met tonight was a worm... They are really small - actually so small that when they get under your skin you can hardly see them. Luckily we have a swiss army card (not the knife) to create miracles with. Surgeon: Derek Lueck, Nurse: Nesrin Umur Lueck, Patient: Derek Lueck.
We are definitely getting used to living with all our new friends in harmony...
The animals and the insects definitely live in harmony with the people in this little town. Every morning, as we are walking to the beach, we feel like we are living a farm.
Our mornings start with the roosters. Sunrise is their time to sing - 5:30 am. During our first few days, we got to know a rooster that was a little bit off schedule. He would start at 6:15 am and would continue until 7:30 with 15-minute intervals. He was a true SNOOZE (that you can’t turn off).
On our way to the beach, we first greet the horses that are just outside of our Pousada. Then we run into the donkeys on the grass knoll between the beach and the town. They are very calm animals when they are not trying to talk to you. Especially the little ones... They do everything not to get into the water. Next to the donkeys, there are usually some big horned bulls. They all feed organically on any grass they can find. We are very aware of their diet as we walk by their disposals constantly... :)
Of course you are always welcomed by the dogs and the cats of the neighborhood. Dogs are definitely more friendly than the cats.
Another regular in the town is the gecko. We have them in our bedroom walls (there are no solid roofs so there is an opening between the walls and the roof). Sometimes they even climb into our ceiling lamps. They can be a bit clumsy from time to time as we have experienced it tonight. We were comfortably reading our books, out on the balcony. All of a sudden we both felt something falling on us. I think I jumped about 6 feet away from the sofa that we were sitting within a second. That was when I saw one gecko jumping right back up to the wall and another one jumping down from my shoulder to the ground. We still don’t know what scared them the most - falling on humans or a jumping and a screaming woman!
We also have toads and frogs here. They only show at night time, mostly around the pool. The little frogs usually wait for us in our bathroom or the shower. They really can jump far and fast!
Well... these are the daily animals we see. As far as the insects go, one definitely becomes close friends with ants because they are EVERYWHERE at every size! The big ones are a little scary. If you accidently kill one, it takes only few seconds for the rest of the crew to come out, search the premises, and carry the corpse back home. Spiders... the ones we see are small (luckily)... And of course, as expected, they have already found me enough times - one walking on my arm and another walking on my leg. Those of you who know how much I don’t like spiders can imagine my panic at the moment when I had them on my body! The last insect that we met tonight was a worm... They are really small - actually so small that when they get under your skin you can hardly see them. Luckily we have a swiss army card (not the knife) to create miracles with. Surgeon: Derek Lueck, Nurse: Nesrin Umur Lueck, Patient: Derek Lueck.
We are definitely getting used to living with all our new friends in harmony...
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Sail, Sail, Rest, Sail...
Few more days have passed... We hardly even know what day of the week is today. :) Over the past few days, we wave sailed, we travelled to a lagoon about a hour from Jeri, we rested and we sailed some more...
We also finally had the chance to have some action movies done. Even though we are still in the process of editing, at least we have some footage of us throwing ourselves over our rigs, practicing our freestyle... The day when we went to the lagoon was just perfect! Nes on 3.7 and Derek on 4.0... Overpowered from time to time on almost flat waters...
After such a great experience on the lagoon, a day of rest was our reward. It worked out just perfectly as we also moved into a better room in our tiny little pousada. Now we have an ample balcony looking at the dunes and the water - not to mention the stars-full of sky during the night time. In addition to our promotion in the hotel, we also treated ourselves to a nice, well-deserved massages... Well... The ladies did a great job in working on our muscles, but I should admit that I felt like I was hit by a truck once I was done with the massage. I guess over the last 6 days we worked ourselves so hard that getting those muscles back to normal was not an easy task! Luckily day after our rest, we both felt like we got brand new bodies! :)
Our rest day also became our day to study our mistakes by using the 2.5 hour footage of us sailing. As a result, yesterday we were able to fix just SOME of those mistakes...
Today, some more of fixing is on the schedule!
(we are still behind with the action photographs as we are still too busy sailing)
We also finally had the chance to have some action movies done. Even though we are still in the process of editing, at least we have some footage of us throwing ourselves over our rigs, practicing our freestyle... The day when we went to the lagoon was just perfect! Nes on 3.7 and Derek on 4.0... Overpowered from time to time on almost flat waters...
After such a great experience on the lagoon, a day of rest was our reward. It worked out just perfectly as we also moved into a better room in our tiny little pousada. Now we have an ample balcony looking at the dunes and the water - not to mention the stars-full of sky during the night time. In addition to our promotion in the hotel, we also treated ourselves to a nice, well-deserved massages... Well... The ladies did a great job in working on our muscles, but I should admit that I felt like I was hit by a truck once I was done with the massage. I guess over the last 6 days we worked ourselves so hard that getting those muscles back to normal was not an easy task! Luckily day after our rest, we both felt like we got brand new bodies! :)
Our rest day also became our day to study our mistakes by using the 2.5 hour footage of us sailing. As a result, yesterday we were able to fix just SOME of those mistakes...
Today, some more of fixing is on the schedule!
(we are still behind with the action photographs as we are still too busy sailing)
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Our First Few Days in Jeri
As most of you would expect our first full day was full of adjusting to and learning about the place. First thing first, we found a great storage place for our gear. Then, in the fine sand we rigged our gear. Our first session was when everyone decided to take a break! :) @ 1pm. At 4:30 we came out of the water with sore hands. By the way, one thing to note about wetsuits, they save you from your board’s rough surface! :)
Our next few days followed a much consistent schedule. Timely breakfast at our Pousada, followed by an hour of preparation for the day a head (sun screen+water+vitamins+packing), then a ten minute walk on the sandy streets to the storage. Next, getting a morning session in for about two hours, then after giving ourselves a 45 minute water break getting back into the water for the afternoon session.
So far we walked up to the Sunset Dune only once. Usually after a whole day of sailing we are more than ready to come back to our room and munch on some cheese and bread. :) That one time we did the hike up to the dune, we realized that we picked the PERFECT day for it. As soon as the sun went down, the FULL MOON came up from the exact opposite direction. It was a great moment to watch...
Conditions so far:
4.2 for Nes and 4.5 for Derek
Waves are up to head height
Wind can be gusty near the point as it comes over the dune but at the outside it is very steady - about 24 knots on average.
Today is our 5th day and our plan is to sail to a flat water spot that we discovered yesterday. Time for some freestyle practicing...
Our next few days followed a much consistent schedule. Timely breakfast at our Pousada, followed by an hour of preparation for the day a head (sun screen+water+vitamins+packing), then a ten minute walk on the sandy streets to the storage. Next, getting a morning session in for about two hours, then after giving ourselves a 45 minute water break getting back into the water for the afternoon session.
So far we walked up to the Sunset Dune only once. Usually after a whole day of sailing we are more than ready to come back to our room and munch on some cheese and bread. :) That one time we did the hike up to the dune, we realized that we picked the PERFECT day for it. As soon as the sun went down, the FULL MOON came up from the exact opposite direction. It was a great moment to watch...
Conditions so far:
4.2 for Nes and 4.5 for Derek
Waves are up to head height
Wind can be gusty near the point as it comes over the dune but at the outside it is very steady - about 24 knots on average.
Today is our 5th day and our plan is to sail to a flat water spot that we discovered yesterday. Time for some freestyle practicing...
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
The Journey to Jeri
Picked up at home at 7:45am... After $100 per each gear bag, we were already checked in at 8:45am, leaving us enough time to enjoy some coffee with my parents.
First leg of the trip was to New York. Thanks to American Airlines wireless internet in the plane, we didn’t even realize how fast 6 hours went by. Our second leg wasn’t as easy as the first - 9-hour flight to San Paolo. Other than 15-20 minute naps, we were way too addicted to the personalized TVs. It’s amazing how much TV one can watch even when the choices are not that exciting.
The main stress of the trip developed when we found out we had to declare customs in San Paolo and recheck all the bags afterwards - which meant carrying two 70-pound gear bags and two 45-pound luggages across the airport within an one and a half hour layover! Well... after sweaty runs, sore forearms, trying to communicate and renegotiating for the gear backs (didn’t end up paying anything), WE MADE IT! We even managed to sit together. :)
Our last leg of the flight was a little over three and a half hours. I slept about 1.5 hours while Derek ended up making friends with the guy on our row. Coincidentally, he was also headed to Jeri and he was very interested in driving with us - more cost savings! :)
Three and a half hour ride from the airport in Fortaleza followed by a 25 minute ride over the moonlit sand dunes AND finally... Arrival to La Villa-Jeri at 6:30pm... Our driver was definitely trying to get back home as fast as possible.
Total journey from home to the hotel - 30 HOURS!
First leg of the trip was to New York. Thanks to American Airlines wireless internet in the plane, we didn’t even realize how fast 6 hours went by. Our second leg wasn’t as easy as the first - 9-hour flight to San Paolo. Other than 15-20 minute naps, we were way too addicted to the personalized TVs. It’s amazing how much TV one can watch even when the choices are not that exciting.
The main stress of the trip developed when we found out we had to declare customs in San Paolo and recheck all the bags afterwards - which meant carrying two 70-pound gear bags and two 45-pound luggages across the airport within an one and a half hour layover! Well... after sweaty runs, sore forearms, trying to communicate and renegotiating for the gear backs (didn’t end up paying anything), WE MADE IT! We even managed to sit together. :)
Our last leg of the flight was a little over three and a half hours. I slept about 1.5 hours while Derek ended up making friends with the guy on our row. Coincidentally, he was also headed to Jeri and he was very interested in driving with us - more cost savings! :)
Total journey from home to the hotel - 30 HOURS!
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