Santa dropped off a couple of corkers for Christmas, a shiny new van for me and front door to remind the wife where I’ve gone. I’ll confess to borrowing the idea for the door from Poole but without Kev’s dedication to detail it would still be just an idea. As for the van, well, the I couldn’t see me driving to the beach with a car roof rack stacked to the skies.

After ten years, its time to say good-bye to my trusty companion. So I though a quick trawl through my photography archive would pull up a few gems, it didn’t matter what the colour my lens was clearly more interested in where we were going than how we got there. From now on I’ll have to make to with the occasional meet-up at the beach, maybe I’ll get the picture then.

The first picture isn’t my take of snowy Britain but the frustrations so many of us have with those who just can’t drive. I caught up with Steve Thorp in Norfolk last week but the lightest snow dusting added nearly an hour to the journey, god knows what it must be like where it really snows, probably not that much colder than the North Sea.

Anyone caught out over night in the recent snowfall might find it hard to believe but it’s good to be home. Brightlingsea seems to have its own microclimate and while we welcome the warmer weather in summer, it just frustrated my kids this week. Aaron couldn’t wait to hear his school had closed because of adverse conditions.

Was I complaining about too many trips last week, ok, I’ll be honest I’d probably pre judged the out come before I’d even left. The only thing I know about Thailand was it was over laden with lady boys and lacked a good blow; fortunately I only experienced the light wind but I’ll admit this is another blog where you don’t get to see all the pictures and that has nothing to do with lady boys.

Can’t remember when I was home for a weekend, the family hadn’t forgotten though and were quick to make use of my home time. Actually it started the moment I got off the plane as Nikyboy (as close to family as it gets) had decided to go extreme land boarding, it would have been kitesurfing had he made it to the water instead of the hospital bed I found him in.

While Ant Baker’s windsurfing academy brought us here it was Craig who took centre stage as Maui’s windsurfing community came together to make a young boys dream a reality. From a simple meal with the biggest names in the business, chilling in there homes or simply watching then on the water, it seemed impossible to beat, that was until he Craig joined his hero on the water.

Watch this wave break it seems inconceivable that some will call this a small day, I’ve seen it break a few times and there’s never been a moment where I thought it fell short of awe inspiring, though on this occasion my travel companion topped even Jaws for its inspiration. I may been in contact with Craig Wood for over a year it’s only this week I really got to know him.

My cameras don’t always make it out of their box, and while sometimes it’s because there’s nothing happening, on this occasion it was a case of guilt as I’m in the air once again (not that Sally noticed my sacrifice as I was stuck on the computer all week). So I thought I’d pop up a few pictures from the last months to show that, in between the travel and trips we try to put in a little effort.

The continuation of light winds ensured Weymouth’s record books remained unchanged, not that the competitors lost any of their determination or enjoyment and for me it was a great time to get some practice behind the lens, thought I’ve got to keep the best for next months report in Boards. As if I didn’t have enough pictures for this week I stayed for the race weekend.

Well it’s the start of it at least. For what looked like a potential disaster the wind kicked in enough to start off the wind with some healthy results, really good news for the kids as they just have the weekend to post some results before heading back to school. That said I think we could all do with a lesson or to in motivation from them.

There are times when you know you shouldn’t but the forecast was just too good to resist. This was supposed to be a weekend at home or at least that’s what the wife said before Windfinder threw up another plan. The way the weather keeps changing its been hard to find predict more than a couple of days ahead, let alone string two home grounds back to back.

I’m sure there must but be a few twisted minds at the met office, no matter how many weather sites I scan I can never find one that delivers on its promises. Sure we all have our favourite and will come up with endless examples to justify its number one spot in our browser. Right now mine is windfinder.com and yes it performed impeccably during the Driven By Wind speed event, but…

Over here in the east the wind forecast looked more suited to windsurfing than cat sailing, though it was just the sort of conditions that Dad would have revelled in. For most it would prove too much but even though it was all expected over sixty cats turned up on Friday ready to race, the wind picked up so quickly I had to box the camera as our rib turned to rescue boat.

Finally made it home for more than a day and the kids are making me feel guilty and that's not just my own. To be fair they are supportive of my trips but that doesn't stop them making me squirm by dropping a few digs into the conversation "Dad's been on holiday, opps I mean working", but its not just my kids I feel guilty for.

My head had hardly hit the pillow after the National Windsurfing Festival at the weekend and I was off to the airport again but with WindFest just five days away it looked like I’d be in the air more that the water. We’ll what a welcome surprise, I’d arrived at the perfect moment, and time enough to catch up with old friends before the wind took our attention.

It’s not very often I’m happy to stay ashore but I’ve had a few great trips of late so it was only fair to let the rest of the team have some of the fun. To be honest I’m super lucky to be working with a team that not only lets me head for the airport at the slightest excuse but ensures Boards hits the shelves on time.

Last week this place seemed amazing with it’s near perfect long waves, we’ll this week I happy we can drop the “near” as these aren’t only the best waves I’ve ever seen they’re perfect regardless of your ability. While it was fantastic to see the good guys were attacking the lip like it was there last, you didn’t need to be a wave legend to feel like one.

Am I loosing the plot, crawled out of my tent at 5am to watch the sun coming over the mountain before heading to the water with a SUP board. To be honest I thought my camping days were over and as for the SUP boards, well lets just say I tried it but didn’t understand what all the fuss was about, why paddle when a rig will do.

It won’t take much guessing what birthday present I got for myself, we’ll that’s me excuse. Picked up a mini HD camcorder, pocket size if you’ve cargo pants on, not actually sure what I’ll do with it but thought my trip to the launch of the new Pryde and JP gear would be a good test, though it only took me a second to realise I hate my stumbling voice.

The mast mount is finally finished and with Guy Cribb racing the Extreme 40’s on the Isle of Wight it could have proved an ideal opportunity to try it out. We’ll its not often that something breaks me but the forecast changed to ensure there was no wind for the allotted race time, yet enough to ensure I was frustrated when stuck on the shore with nothing to shoot or sail.

We’ve been testing a second version of our mast mount and while it looked all good to go, the last day in Vass provided the perfect conditions for testing its durability and stability on the mast. It’s worked out even better than the first one and now we have the clamps worked out it doesn’t slip on the mast yet can still rotate with the sail.

No mater how many times I go back to Vassiliki it has that familiarity of home while offering a new experience every time. We the numbers increasing every year at speed week and the extra friends from home joining me I think next year will be for two weeks with the family joining me for the second week, though the boys are already calming they’re coming out for both.

It’s always nice to get a bit of a suntan going but I’d take a rainy summer anytime so long as it was windy, fortunately we didn’t have to forgo the tan when the wind kicked in this week. With the whole country firing it would have been a perfect opportunity to head off and find another story for my “Home Ground” in boards, but bigger things were calling.

After such a long wind drought it was no wonder the country turned out in such numbers, I headed for the BSA slalom even at Hove but from all the calls and emails I had it seems that anyone with a board headed for the water. I’ll confess to only staying until lunchtime before heading off to find stronger winds, keep saying it, I’ll never make an event photographer.

Pointing the finger at our World Cup team would be too easy, though it did put a dampener on our WC barbeque; the truth is I had a wakeup call on my own. Blame it on the lack of wind or too many hours behind the desk but I was out on what has become an all to rare bike ride when I got over taken.

The magazine doesn’t stop but guess I could also be accused of running away, or at least keeping busy. In fairness I didn’t arrange everything, Jason and Levi dropped into the UK the end their European tour, though I was expecting a trip to Cornwall rather than spending a few hours in Southend with Wet ‘n’ Dry before heading into London for a few drinks.

I’m not sure sorrow and pride sit so well but no matter how much it hurts to loose my Dad, he’s left us a legacy to be proud of and while I’d give anything for another day, I wouldn’t turn back the clock for a second as every moment gained would be a memory lost. Tomorrow will be the hardest day of my life but I hope it will be a celebration of his.

Sometimes you just want to stay at home but with the testing going on and no one behind the lens I headed off to Prasonis in Rhodes. Guess the results won’t be shown for a while but I’ll apologize now, light wind and low motivation had me jumping on a plane home a couple of days later.

On Thursday night my father crossed the finish line for the last time. With his racing pedigree I guess that’s an appropriate way to describe his passing but never could a truer word be said. His life has been an adventure that would fill a dozen books so I guess we shouldn’t have been surprised by his storybook ending. As he crossed the finish line his last words were “nice evening and not a bad race”.

After last weekends light wind in Wales it was off to Ireland to what looked like a repeat performance, sure it never lived up to the legendary Dingle bay that we’ve come to expect but at least luck ran with us long enough to separate winners from losers. No if you’re expecting to see a gallery of windsurfing shots you’ll have to forgive me, I needed to get myself out of the shit.

Spent the week glued to the weather sites as I was heading up to Rhosneigr for the start of the wave series, though after last year you wonder if this spot runs under the same rules. Three days before that event and the forecast looks the same as this, nothing, but last year it turned on like a switch and howled all Saturday before returning the predicted calm on Sunday.

When I was in Egypt we took so many pictures that never see the light of day, we end up saving them for the magazine and yet come the moment we only need one out of the hundreds that fill my hard drive. So having spent the week clearing out my inbox I though a few windsurfing pictures rather than shot from the two weddings that bracketed my week.

What a week, had a little luck on the trip home, even made it in time for my wedding anniversary, not that the rest of this week helped to keep the wife calm. OK, she loves a wedding and Shaun’s fitted the bill on Friday but the last dance had hardly finished and I was off again. Windsurfing 4 Cancer Research or Sunrise to Sunset, whichever way you call it I had to be in Hayling Island.

Maui has always been my favourite windsurfing destination but I not having been back for five years I wondered if those memories had been boosted in my mind. Well I’m just about to leave and I can tell you Maui not only lived up to expectation but also exceeded it. I was on the Island for twenty-eight days and only missed one days sailing because the body could take no more.

Wake up, answer emails, go sailing, eat, more emails then crash out. Maui is unbelievable, we haven’t missed a day yet and the biggest sail I’ve used was a 6.2 and that was only one morning at Ho’okipa. That should wind my mates up back home, while true, there’s also a bunch of work that fits in-between answering emails and going sailing but who’s going to believe that.

After last week I said it seemed impossible to take a bad shot at Jaws, I just wish that were true for everywhere on Maui. The action at Ho’okipa is so close in my 600 lens seems to big and to make it harder the guys throw a lot more moves than I’ve photographed before. It’s a learning curve and I’ve got a long way to go but having my camera break down isn’t helping.

It’s been five years since I was last on the island of Maui and I wondered if I was looking back though time with rose tinted glasses as I claim it’s my number one favorite spot. Well I arrived a week ago with word that Jaws would be could be working for my first day and true to my memory Maui didn’t disappoint.

An early update this week as I’ve been given my orders. Last night was my little girls 21st birthday and while the party was in full swing I had to hang on to my camera. It will come as no surprise that all the pix this week are from last night, it’s also the reason why this weeks update is early, thought still cant believe she’s 21.

An early update this week as I’ve been given my orders. Last night was my little girls 21st birthday and while the party was in full swing I had to hang on to my camera. It will come as no surprise that all the pix this week are from last night, it’s also the reason why this weeks update is early, thought still cant believe she’s 21.

I’m not complaining but it is possible be looked after too well. We stayed with Neilson during our two weeks in Dahab, if we’d made it three weeks I think I would have popped the food was so good. Doesn’t seem right talking about good food and Egypt at the same time but not only has the hotel stepped it up but the Thai was as good as you’ll get.

Grabbing the doctor firmly by the hand wasn’t a gesture of thanks but a polite way to stop him inflicting any more pain, though he’d probably say that was down to my own actions than his. Having got infected it looks like a dog’s been having a go at it so much so the wife has banned me from putting it on the web.

Actually that should the be “the toe cam off” ok that might be talking it up but with this trip going so well it feels like it. Nine stitches later and the doc has banned me from the water, not that the boys are unhappy about the situation as that puts me permanently behind the lens which I guess has its merits but…

Sunday was the first day I was allowed back on the water, strangely enough that just happened to coincide with the next Boards test. I’ll admit I may have had a little influence on the date but the way things have been lining up it looks like lady luck is sitting on my shoulder, from the moment we arrived at the airport it has just been too easy.

It looks like the wind’s due to return Sunday, ok that might be optimistic but it’s the first day I’m good to go, though the doc’s already said the right ear is booked in for the same treatment. It seems impossible that I’ve only missed a couple of sketchy days but hopefully this weekend snow will be the last we sea for another year.

Never though I’d be so lucky, I was worried about missing out on sailing with the ear operation but even though I still have to wait two more weeks this weather is frustrating me. There’s only so many things you can shoot before I need to catch a friend sailing in my lens, Aaron and his mates have always been a good fallback but really scooter smacks of desperation.

When I joined Boards no one said that excluded me from winning the golden ticket. With flights to Maui for two, plus a Goya board and rig to take home makes it the biggest prize given away in windsurfing. Unbelievably it doesn’t just end there, not only do you get to sail in the next Windsurfing Movie II but back on the beach it’s your party everyone is turning up to.

With my son turning 13 next week he wanted to have a few pictures with his mates at the local indoor skate park, my lucky day you’d think. Not much come easier than taking kids full of Kodak courage, point the camera at a ramp and the rest will take care of its self. How wrong can you be, if I ever collect all the necessary signatures to get me in he’ll be 21.

After a wintery break here’s the second half of my 2009 gallery and there’s a few pix in there that tell what my new year will be about. I’ve talked about my surprise about being asked to join the Boards team but add the change to Factory Media and I couldn’t want a better start, this really is new year, new start.

I always consider myself lucky but since I started this six-week abstinence from windsurfing the weather has played along with me. Not only did it snow but it was the fluffy stuff we expect to greet us at the top of foreign mountains, add the daily routine of donning the ski gear and the closing of the schools and it stared to feel more like a holiday then an exam week.

Well that’s the festive season over but seeing everyone on tv is looking back at the last year I thought it was time to join them, anyway I don’t think a dozen pictures of my ear dressing being changed is going to be very entertaining. Had you told me how this year would end up I would have been happy to bet everything I had against it.