25th August, 2010

Hello!

I am on the greek island of Paros since the 20th of August, sailing every day with the meltemi winds in my favorite beach of Tsoukalia… It is like a dream to be back on the water after 6 months… I am so happy… We’ve had very good conditions, and although I still cannot go for it at all in the water, since my neck bone is still very fresh and I have to be very very careful, it feels great; just being on the water again, taking some waves and playing around on them and doing some turns seems unreal…

We’ve had some of the best days I’ve seen here in the last few years that I have sailed in Paros. On my first day here I sailed with 4.5 and 4.0 and started to get dialed into the beachbreak of Tsoukalia beach. On Saturday I had a mellow 4.0 session in the morning followed by nuking wind around midday; I was very powered on my 3.4 meter sail and broke my mast in the shorebreak, after a bad choice in waveriding. I was scared, and it was not so much fun for me to be sailing like that after the accident, so I waited for the evening when the wind went a little bit down and had a 2 hour session with my 3.7 and nice peeling waves, we could do 2-3 turns on them. Plus I was almost alone on the water as everybody was destroyed.

Sadly, we have no pictures from sailing here, as this trip was organized last minute, but we took some video so I can take some screen grabs from there… In the meantime, check out the 3rd girls windsurf camp video which is up on the internet already! Many thanks to Dimitris Maniatis for the editing!

6th August, 2010

Hello!

The girls camps have just finished and I must say that we almost turned into mermaids… half day on land, half day in the water. We started with the camps on the 17th July and the first weekend was so crowded that we had to do lessons also during the week for the next two camps. So literally we’ve been in the water every afternoon since then. It has been really fun, especially for me, to get back in the water after such a long time, even if it was with beginners/intermediate equipment… It was the best way to slowly get back into windsurfing and start getting over the fear of the terrible accident I had.

I’ve started uploading some pics in the gallery section and also wrote a little story which is up on the Brunotti website. There are loads more pics coming, and the video is coming out soon as well.

I would like to thank all my sponsors; Brunotti, F2, North Sails, ION and Funsports who always support me, and “Karavi Water Sports” for their hospitality in their very organized facilities. I would also like to thank Gianni Xefteri who was with me every day and Philippo Andrianopoulo who has been with us all three weekends, as well as Kosta Politaki and Dimitri Zografo who helped out some weekends. A big thanks also goes to all the girls that participated and everybody who hang out with us on the beach. We really had a great time!

29th July, 2010

The 3rd girls windsurf camp is running since the 17th-18th July. A lot of girls have participated in the first two weekends; there are so many girls that want to try for the first time on a windsurf board that we also have to give lessons on weekdays, because there is no time during weekends to have a full hour with every girl separately in order to show her the basics… About 40 girls in total have participated during these 2 weeks… It’s amazing to see some of these girls have their first try with windsurfing, do their first runs on the water, their first tacks and jibes… It reminded me what a great sport windsurfing is, and how much joy it gives to people who practice it…

I must say that all the beginners that have participated this year are pretty good. After the first lesson they are more or less independent, and can go out, tack or jibe and come in by themselves… proper sailors ! I really hope that some of them will get hooked with windsurfing and come back next year having improved a bit, so we can get into more advanced techniques. Some girls have already arranged to continue windsurfing lessons at the “Karavi” windsurfing school, where the camp is being held.

Besides my sponsors, Brunotti, F2, North Sails, ION and Funsports, who have already been supporting the camp, we have also started a new partnership this year; it’s with the dealer of the powerbalance bracelet, Gianni Karaxalio, who is with us every weekend doing the tests and trying the bracelet on some of the girls.

We still have this coming weekend to go!

Here are some pictures from the first two weekends, I have also started to put up some in the gallery section. Check them out!!

9^th June, 2010

Thank god !!!

After 13 weeks (a bit more than 3 months) wearing the hard collar all day and night long, like it was a part of my body, I don’t need it anymore. I only have to wear it in the car now for another 5 weeks. Outside the car I’m collar-free!

It has been a long long long time, the 6^th of March when I hurt myself seems like ages ago. After 2 CTIs, 1 MRI, various x-rays and lots of visits to the doctors, I am really exhausted, psychologically that is… I’ve had so much insecurity with my neck, if it’s sticking together properly, what’s going to happen with it, will I ever be normal again etc etc… I’ve been in the house most of these 3 months, just been out for visits to the doctors and maybe five or six times to see friends… It’s amazing when I think about how these 13 weeks went by… Thank god I didn’t go nuts!

Life goes on; I have a new collar bone now, just 3 months old. Have to take care of it and be really careful for another 2 months or so, until the new bone grows stronger. And then I can return to my normal life… I am really happy to say that, not a lot of people have the privilege to return to their normal lives and do all the things they did before after such a serious accident… Just thinking of it sometimes gives me the creeps.

I wish I could go in the water immediately and get all over this psychological shock I have been through, but I can’t… I have to be a little more patient and work with my neck muscles so they can get strong first, since they have been immobilized for 3 months and cannot support the bone, which is also still sensitive. Patience is a virtue, they say, and I have made good use of this lesson. For sure I can handle this to the end…

I can’t do much exercise yet and for sure I cannot lift weights for a while longer, but it is what it is and I can just be happy living without the hard collar for a start, and trying to look behind me –what I cannot do yet because of the anchylosis in my neck- :) .

But thank god it’s over…

7^th June, 2010

What’s up?

Mid-way through my rehabilitation, I have been organizing my windsurfing camps that will take place mid- to end-July 2010. This year I have decided to run them in Karavi Schinias , a beach club/water sports installation that has much to offer. Besides being equipped with the latest windsurfing equipment for beginners as well as advanced sailors, the crew there is already doing a great job teaching windsurfing.

Giannis Xefteris, my sister Irene, myself and the crew from Karavi water sports are all going to be there for three consecutive weekends, 17^th-18^th July, 24^th-25^th July and 31^st July-1^st August to run the windsurfing camps.

Girls of all levels are welcome, from complete beginners that want to get to know what windsurfing is about, to intermediate or advanced sailors that want to improve their technique or learn something new.

Book your place early so you can avoid congestion! Contact address: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Many thanks go to Dimitris Maniatis for his great work designing the camp poster!

See you all out there!

18^th March, 2010

Yes I did it… I almost died… But I am still here

On the 6^th of March I went sailing in the Korinthian Gulf, to enjoy a good day of North Westerly wind after a while of sailing in quite frustrating conditions.

I was looking forward to that day…

In the end, I almost killed myself (literally speaking) in the very beginning of that session and spent that and the next 3 days in the hospital… I had the worst and deadliest injury of them all and what saved me is my good physical shape and the fact that apparently, as the doctors said, I still have a lot to do in my life.

I had the worst injury there is, but got away with it with the minimum damage. My second from the top vertebra cracked in two places, but didn’t move in the least… My muscles helped a lot, and the fact that I spent 1,5 hour 5 times a week all winter in the gym certainly played its role. C2 fracture is also called “hangman’s’ fracture”, as it is the bone that cracks completely when you get hanged with a rope… Quite scary… I was held in the hospital for 3 days, as the day I hurt myself was a Saturday (not a good day to be looking for the experts) and also because cervical spine injuries are the most feared of all spinal injuries, since the potential for significant damage to the spinal cord is high. So it took one or two days to have a second (more specific) computed tomography and for the doctors to decide how they would immobilize the back of my neck.

In the end I got away with it with a hard collar (it’s called Philadelphia collar) with a head-band (I was afraid they would put screws and metal braces in my face because in the beginning they were discussing about it – horrible to even think about it) which I have to keep for 3 months (I am quite convinced it’s going to be good again sooner than that, but I’ll have to wait and see). Then I’ll switch to a soft collar, don’t know for how long –haven’t thought or asked up to that point yet as it’s a long way till I get rid of this thing on my face…

The doctors explained how lucky I am and kept discussing that it is a miracle how I do not have any neurological damage. Fracture of the C1 or C2 vertebra can be fatal and the higher the level of the injury in the spine, the higher the possible damage, since the greater the area of the body that may be affected is. Cervical spine fractures may cause instability, which can lead to spinal cord compression and neurologic disability, so I was really really lucky, as always.

I am at home now, with a new posh bed whose upper part goes up and down, standing as still as a stone (as far as my neck is concerned) for the first two weeks that are really critical for the bone to start healing… quite a challenge I must say, but can’t do otherwise… I am thinking that I will recover 100% so I am happy, because things could have turned out VERY bad… and I think the bone will heal very fast.

p.s. check out the photo, it’s not my own neck, but just to see where the fracture is… 

27^th February 2010

pics: Fotis Papadopoulos

This has been the strangest “winter” in Athens. It’s not even cold, the North wind has disappeared completely and we haven’t been sailing more than once a week, in average conditions mostly, with very few exceptions. We’ve had quite a few days with South wind, though, which is both rare and good because we could sail with high temperatures (around 13-16 degrees) – whereas with North wind it’s around 6-11 degrees -. The bad thing is I haven’t landed pushloops or tried any new moves for a loooooong time. It seems to me that we’ve been sailing in average conditions for ages; not much wind, not much waves to jump off of or ride…

Last week we were in the Korinthian Gulf again, as it was blowing from the West.
Thanks to Fotis Papadopoulos who always stays on the beach with his camera for a little while before he hits the water, to take some pics.

Let’s hope that the spring which starts in 2 days will hit Athens with good conditions for a change, otherwise we will have to organize a trip very very soon !

Today we’re off to the Korinthian Gulf again, fingers crossed for a good session!

6^th January 2010

pics: Mixalis Papadopoulos

Another full day at work, this time in Athens, Schinias beach. The wind was really gusty, especially in the morning, turning from South to South-west and back to South all the time, which made the water very choppy and the waves really messy. At some point it got good, but for me it was a really bad day in the water and one I will always remember when I lose my motivation, because I really wasted that session… Our friend & photographer Mixalis turned up to take some pics…

2^nd-3^rd January 2010

pics: Marouska

Happy New Year!

We are in Methoni, a village in the Southwest of Peloponnisos, for the beginning of the new year. The forecast predicted strong westerly winds, which usually build up quite good waves over here, plus wind from the west blows side/side-off starboard tack on this spot… Perfect conditions to ride waves, plus it is my favorite side for waveriding. Methoni is a really beautiful spot, about 4.5 hours drive from Athens and the scenery is fantastic, as we are sailing next to the old castle. Last time I was here a few years ago I didn’t enjoy it so much, because the wind was gusting up to 50 knots, the waves were choppy and we couldn’t really control the sail to make good turns on them. It was a survival really. This time it was mellow weather, I was on my 5.0 Ice and 71lt Rave and when I would get a good wave I would make 8 turns on it. Then I had to go over it otherwise I would end close to the rocks, with no wind to go out…  Not a good idea! We had two days of down the line conditions, and although the wind was quite light and didn’t last the whole day, we still had two really fun sessions both on Saturday and Sunday. To be honest, such waveriding possibility is quite rare in Greece, so everybody was really excited about the conditions. We stayed altogether in a village nearby and overall it was a really nice weekend, with good friends around, lots of motivation in the water, lots of fun and some bad wipeouts, as the wind was really light on the inside –sometimes zero- and the sets were up to 2-2.5 meters. It has been a while since I felt so motivated in the water. First time I broke a mast in my life as well… quite an experience…

Thanks a lot to Marouska for the pics, I’ve put some up here just so you can get an idea of how good it was, of course there are a lot more pics, hope I’ll get them soon and upload them in the gallery!

Let’s hope we’ll get more sessions like these!

pics: Fotis Papadopoulos

30^th December 2009

Hello !

We finally had wind here in Athens. I was sailing the other day with my 3.7m Ego and 63liter board after quite a long time. We sailed in good-sized waves, at times 2 meter high and I must say it was a perfect riding session, although the wind was strong and a bit gusty. Once you took the right wave, everything was perfect! I’m getting more and more used to my new equipment. Next days look really good too, perfect for New Years’ Eve and first days of the New Year. Fingers crossed that the New Year will be windy and wavy!!!

Happy New Year to everybody!!!