The Topper worlds finally got under way, I couldn’t stay for the hole event but managed see few of the racers before heading home, not that I got to stay there long. Friday started the longest trip of my year. Namibia looks far enough on Google Earth, but adding the flight to Germany and the six-hour coach trip at the other end soon adds up.

The number of Toppers that entered the Worlds surprised me, but it’s the quality of the coaching that really stands out. I spend some time on the water with head coach Dave Cockerel, too races back to back went by, and the enthusiasm of the man couldn’t help rub but off on the kids, he really has a great way to make sure they enjoy and learn at the same time.

In the UK alone over two hundred kids in Toppers will be coached during the year, if we had that sort of commitment in British windsurfing we’d have a lot more champions and future Olympic contenders. A coach will have around twenty sailors in a squad, and everyone was is a squad with a rib and coach at hand.

When I left Andy Brown had one every race with comfort, should he continue to hold his pace he’ll be the only World Champion to win the title back to back. Apart from Andy’s extended lead, the rest of the racing was hard fought with close racing from start to finish.

I got to for fill a schoolboy dream while I was there. I always wanted a Triumph Bonneville as a kid but by the time I brought my first bike everything had gone Japanese. Charles not only ran the sailing at the school, but also had a Triumph tucked away in his Garage. The ride lived up to my dreams and could only have been bettered if my Granddad had been riding with me.

The two days at home suddenly passed with the blink on an eye. I was back at an airport again, at least this time I had some travelling partners. Farrell and Bob Cunningham had already checked when I arrived at Stansted. But before we could stand on Namibian soil we had to fly through Germany where we would join the rest of the world’s speedsters and travel as one.

Including over six hours sitting in a coach, the whole trip took thirty hours door to door, but in the last hour the temperature dropped dramatically as we came closer to the water. This is Namibia’s winter, it feels more like summer inland, but here at the beach I started to regret not bringing winter wetsuit.

Its started to be a tradition, every event kicks off as Mac seminar my, with the majority of pro’s dropping windows for OS X there’s always something for me to do. Now everyone has more resources at their fingertips they have more questions, though a logical look at the screen would answer most of them. But at least it gives us something to do before the opening party.

Today was registration and practice day and the last leg of our journey, once we cross the water to the speed course its time to experiment. The last two speed events have been disastrous for me; everything seemed a struggle, but finally I think I’ve got the bottom for the problem.

Everything went better, but until the course opens for real will I know for real. Was I quicker, or were others having problems with their experiments, I just hope it’s the first.