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Next Days- KSPworld tour- Mauritius

NEXT DAYS MAURITIUS – pics are just insane & will be uploading some very soon so stay tuned . check any live footage www.kspworldtour.com/live


DAY 4 just felt like the perfect day on this island. Blue blue sky, 20knots & approx. 3mtr swell. My heat was up at noon against a Italian girl and Melissa Gill from Costa Rica- a girl that had never beaten me in a race but this was her discipline- so I was told. It was a 15minute heat which I timed perfect with my 1st wave – which turned out to be my highest score wave. The next 15 minutes of the heat were magic- easy to get upwind then all around me suddenly a squall  of dolphins & they followed me as I Set up for my final wave which was looking good until I was eaten on the inside in front of the judge tower. That was it – my 1st wave competition & my first heat at One Eye. I raced in to find I had won the heat & I was pretty stoked since  I saw Melissa get on a super decent wave at the end so I thought it would be close. Later in the day the judges asked me where I normally rode & where I spent the winter training. I then informed them that I was strapless & they told me that they needed to be informed this since the scores are normally higher.

One eye is really tricky to get the smack without straps since its so fast. The wave higher up at Manawa is slower so you have time to get well in front of the wave to make your cut back & stay in the critical section of the wave way easier. This is what the judges are scoring- properly being in the critical section & making commitment to get in the lip.

The rest of this day was spent just killing it at Manawa with some local legend windsurfers. I felt really in the zone at this spot, I had a couple of nasty crashes with board through lines, board leash tied around me with kite looping out of control towards the reef – but this was when I was being more committed & like anything- no pain – no gain. Well- talking of pain I cut myself out on the reef that evening  far too late. Ended up taking a wave at one eye when the heats were finished then with no way inn I sailed back upwind in a dying breeze then I thought I found a gap- went for it & crunch- fully got launched into reef, coral & fin taken off board etc. Since I spend the whole year wearing no shoes – there was nothing going to get stuck in my feet so this was pretty lucky. I used my board to protect me & scratched my way inn thinking I had been a bit silly to catch that last couple of waves- thinking I could get away with it!!!

So- a bit be-traggled I arrived back & realised that the knee strain I had picked up on the final wipe out of my heat suddenly started to look ma-hussive!!! Its amazing what adrenaline can do – I felt nothing of this on the water but that night I could not move it & it became so stiff & swollen!!!


DAY 5; RICE – rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation plus a fair bit of work on the computer . Pretty boring but I knew it would not be my heat & the waves were not as good. I needed to focus on getting this knee better since tomorrow the waves would be huge & I was in the quarter final with Kristine Bose.

DAY 6 did not exactly start well.  Near death experience in an incredible wipe out with kite down & the biggest set imaginable taking my kite & pulling me deep down & under the ocean for so so long. I got tied up like a mummy & could not get to any of my hands to get to the knife. I just tried to keep calm & not panic while being dragged backwards at mac 80 under the water towards the reef where I hoped my kite would explode. No such luck- dragged across the reef & into the lagoon- phew I was alive & could not believe it. The guys on the tower thought I was a gonna! My arm has a huge tattoo round it from where the lines tore it off- its pretty impressive. Suppose I should take a picture but I have so many injuries right now I would not know where to start!!

A quick re-rig back on the beach & I Rob Munro told me to ‘mann’  up & get the straps on to save the knee & get back on it. So- next heat up- first time in straps riding waves & that was a doddle! I just took the small waves & tried to get some smacks- easy & felt like I was cheating. I had to winn this event to get to the semi-finals & I nailed it- phew.

The last heat of the day was the semi final & I was not happy with this heat. I just did not find good waves & was underpowered. Strappless would have been easier since it was off-shore & needed to pump to get in the section. I lost to Nina – local girl who  kitted really well & for sure knew the waves like I know the tides back on the exe! When you have one eye as your back yard its got a few advantages.  So- next stop tomorrow is for 3rd or 4th place against Kristin Bose & for sure those straps are coming off. That is just wrong.