a fresh start to a new year

Happy New Year!

Quick kitesurfing update: I'll confess that I've been putting off my initial kitesurfing session for the 2012-2013 windy season due to fear, nervousness, the holidays, and a million other excuses. But I ran out of reasons to stay off the water today, since our holiday guests have left, busy season hasn't officially begun, and the wind conditions were absolutely perfect.

So there I was, in the water at Barkers, trying to stay out of everyone's way (and out of view as much as possible), with N coaching me and making sure I safely stayed far from shore. I surprised myself and actually picked up where I left off last season in terms of ability, so it's a huge relief that I'm not right back at square one. I'm hoping with a few more sessions like today, I'll be a lot more comfortable in the water and actually looking forward to windy days on the beach.

Like I said, as a beginner, I was trying to stay out of view, but Maya had a wicked super telephoto lens on her camera today, and she managed to get a couple sneaky snaps as I ended the day. Here's a photo of me wrapping up the lines towards the end of the afternoon.

And for another "action" photo and blog post about kiting on New Year's Day, check out Maya's blog post here.

I hope you all had a great start to 2013! Wishing you all the best for the new year!