Tony, Flavia, Nikola, Marina, Romy: On one of our days off we hiked up a mountain to an old lighthouse to get a stunning view. Pictures of the girls and finally from my last day, a quick tour around Rio on the way to the airport. These pictures were taken from the top of the Sugar Loaf... what an unbelievably beautiful city.

Hello and Happy Holidays

I just returned from my training trip which was in Buzios, Brazil, about a two hour drive northeast from Rio, a beautiful peninsula which is one of the most sought after spots in Brazil, boasting 23 beaches. We sailed from BimbaWind Club on the protected waters side, yet just a 15 minute walk would have us on the other side of the peninsula on the beach with open ocean (cold water) and great waves for surfing. We were 5 girls in total, from across the globe (Italy, Spain, Greece, Germany and Canada), meeting here for training. There were also several guys training here as well as the Brazilians and several youth kids, which made for a great turnout on the water. We trained diligently both on and off the water, it was a fantastic environment to be in! I thought I was in windsurfing heaven.

The first few days of our staywe sailed in sunny 20 knots with rolling swell in really warm water. They said that it is typical wind and weather and that this could last for 20 days. Wow... Then the weather changed; a "cold front" came which brought high humidity, no wind and temperatures still in the 30's. We had several days of "no-wind" training in anywhere from 2-5 knots and over the course of the next 10 days we saw all conditions but strong wind. Although it rained and was cloudy, I couldn't have asked for better training conditions: offshore, shifty, gusty windsranging from 7-14 knots. I was able to work on my board handling, pumping and my racing skills. A few days before I flew back home the wind picked up again, but this time to 25-30 knots. There was a weekend regatta in these extreme windy conditions, with 5 races total. Having not sailed in these conditions recently and not often, I was fighting my rig and board. I had great speed and the guts to go fast... but then I'd loose control as the wind would get underneath my board and I would blowup. Pretty scary when this happens. I finished 4th in this regatta.

I had one day left to train before I flew home... and I really wanted to sail, to figure out how to stay in control in this crazy wind. I changed a few things with the tuning of my sail, and I picked up some pointers from the other girls on how to sail the seconditions. We did a 45 minute upwind to an island and then back downwind. It just got windier and windier, peaking around 35 knots on the downwind as we got closer to shore. I have never sailed in this much wind before on the RSX. I was so happy with my sailing that day, I was in control both upwind and downwind the whole session and nevergot "chucked". It was the perfect end to my three week training camp in Brazil.

And now home for Christmas! In January I will be off to Miami for both the RSX North American Championships and the Rolex Miami Olympic Classes regatta. I wish you a Merry Christmas and all the best for the Holiday Season. Best Wishes, Nikola