Yeah! Four weekends in a row with windsurf sessions... and this weekend didn't end yet.
Today it was different from the other weekends. South wind, as usually it was warm but gusty. And fun. Lot's of fun.
Lets see what tomorrow brings... It looks like the north wind is coming back but not that strong.
In the beginning of this Autumn we made a trip to Romania, and boy was it nice.
We were even lucky enough to see some snow in the high Carpathian Mountains when driving though the Transfăgărăşan, the same wonderful road Top Gear enjoyed (check the video, it really is worth it).
We started our stay by staying in this great mountain house. Doesn't it look great?
That was our base for going around, either by foot or by a old Suzuki Samurai.
We went to see a cave where there was Ice frozen for some thousands of years (or something like that) and to see the great Alps like mountains scenery.
If you have the opportunity to visit Romania do go around, don't stick to the cities. You'll enjoy it.
Three weekends in a row with wonderful conditions for windsurfing.
Today it was another great day. North wind, 25 knots (13 m/s) with gust reaching 30 knots (15.5 m/s).
Spent the entire afternoon, from lunch until sunset, riding. Perfect afternoon.
Unfortunately, again, I have no photos to share. Got to get a water proof camera...
After the storm that hit most of Portugal, with strong wind and heavy rain, comes a great day for windsurf. At least that what happened today.
Monday is usually a working day, but today it's a holiday (a religious one) so I had a free ticked to go and ride.
The ocean was to ruff to go inside, although it wasn't as bad as yesterday (photos are of yesterday), therefore I (and others) decided that the Ria de Aveiro was a good choice.
This time I don't have any pictures of the windsurf session (no photographer available) but here is my report:
In one jump a classic board and rig goes with the wind, rider goes down happened to me, with the front foot locked in the strap and being twisted in abnormal ways. It hurts a bit, but with daylight saving time gone (meaning sunset it's around half past five) and the wind forecast being rather dull I'll have time for it to get well.
After almost one month without any windsurf conditions were finally good for getting back on board.
It as a good opportunity to meet some friends int the best set possible with the good north wind providing for the fun.
Days like this make me feel alive and forget all the bad of the world at least for a while.
A great afternoon. Ride until night. Muscles aching, tiredness setting in. If only all days could be as fulfilling as this one.
I was so eager to go and windsurf that I woke up really early, before even the sun rosed from behind the mountains. I went for a walk in the beach and enjoyed a warm, windy, start of the day.
As the wind blew still too strong for my gear we (what was left of the team, as some already started their trip back home) decided to follow a tip about some spots that were less windy and off we went to the east side of Tarifa.
After going up and down the mountains we arrived to the first spot. It looked too commercial. A parking park with more people to received money than cars, houses and constructions until the beach. Not nice, not our vibe at all. So we kept going until we arrived at the second tip: Palmones beach.
Now, I was rather disappointed with the wind at the spot so my feeling about the place can be totally wrong. It was a bad smelly and horrible wind place. The wind was funneled in a tight channel by the Gibraltar Rock. In 10 m you would have some wind and then there would be a total stall. Then there was the current caused by a river that made strange, very short period waves. All this mixed with a constant sound of big engines (it's very close to harbors and industrial installations) and the smell of oily, badly burned fuel.
We were supposed to stay for another day but after this bad experience, the rain and cloudy sky we just decided that we would better start the trip back.
And that was it for this trip to Tarifa.
"Be careful of what you wish."
After a day of playful waiting the wishes for wind were soaring high and what do you know, they were answered. The
The focus of my photos and videos were the members of the team that had gear for such conditions.
Look in those pictures. Look at how the wave foam is being blown away by the wind.
This was the second time this year that I really felt that a smaller sail is needed. I think I have to get my hand on a 4.2 m² sail. Maybe a 85 l board would also be a good idea. Time to go out shopping...
The day of wind change, from
For most of the day only the slightest breeze would be felt. The wind was taking it's time to inflate the huge lungs that would then blow the strong
Without wind, and without one of our companions, has she had to take a trip to Faro to get a friend, we sat in the beach doing mostly nothing, looking at the nice scenery and building sand dikes...
Let me explain the motivation: two Dutch guys seeing the ocean tide rising to their spot on the beach. Moving is out of the question. A Dutch would not be a proper Dutch if we would not build a dike in such a situation. So a wall of sand must be built, thick enough to keep the tsunami waves out.
Well, the valiant efforts were not enough against the rise of the tide. It's was as if the biblical story of the great flooding was taking place. The pictures well attest the horror of the situation...
In the end of the afternoon the wind started to gather some strength. It was almost possible to go out and sail. Alas, it was but the wind gods breathing. The wind would blow for half and our to then stop for another half. It's something the for our kite surfers was a PITA. As the wind blew they would be happily riding out. Then, as the wind was all but gone, they would have to drag themselves and gear (kite, bar, board) to the beach, landing quite far from the departing place, looking forward for a big walk in the beach.
It wasn't a great day for sailing. But it was a great day to get the batteries all charged up and ready to go. Just look at the next picture! Don't you thing being in such a place is a bliss?
The best day. The best wind, the best weather, the best feeling. If only all days were just like this one...
The wind was blowing from west, what the locals call "Poniente". It's was a nice wind, not gusty and not too hot. It's not that it was particularly strong, it wasn't, but it was rather constant. I used my 6.9m² sail and was comfortable sailing with it, so I would say the wind was something like 25 knots (around 46 km/h, or 13 m/s).
Now the great thing of such constant wind is that it provides you with enough energy to just get on the board, pump the sail twice and plane on!
There aren't many pictures of this days: everyone was in the water having a good time...
and you can see it in my big smile. A great good day it was.
For the third time this year I find myself driving south on the way to Tarifa and what a good feeling it is.
The trip starts early in the morning (as I usually do) and takes about 8 to 9 hours of easy driving. The most demanding part of the trip is when driving on the mountain roads of Lousã, Melriça, Marvão and others. None the less the view is sometimes spectacular and as the sun rises over the mountains you feel yourself powering up for a great day.
The worst part of the driving, not because of any driving skill being necessary, but because the highway and the landscape makes it utterly boring, is the long way south from Cárceres, passing Sevilla and arriving to Cadiz. The landscape doesn't change much, the road is mostly a straight line and apart from a tunnel (Tunel La Media Fanega north of Sevilla and the city parts of the way (both in Sevilla and in Candiz) are a test to boredom survival.
At last, at around 16:00 local time, I arrived to Tarifa and met with the rest of the wind team. They were already enjoying the good life of Tarifa, kitesurfing and enjoying the sun and the good weather.
I enjoyed staying around the beach but eventually it was time to set my camping. We all stayed at Camping Tarifa a nice and comfortable place to stay - lots of shadow, not crowded and quiet (not that many kids around as classes already started for them).
Tomorrow I'll continue with the story of some great days.
Is has been a long time without any blog posting but time has been well spent.
At work I had two "quick paced" projects keeping me at work for 14 hours a day. I like this (some times) as it's a escape from routine. One of the projects was related to performance (I'm a freak for speed) the other was related to a user interface (via web). Some three weeks went really fast.
In the real life (out side work) I managed to travel a bit and practice my windsurfing. But I'll post those adventures in their own posts.
In another part of life (the surreal part?) I went back to University. I did my degree in 5 years, before the Bologna Treaty was sign and the my the degrees become 3 years and the master became 2 years. For me to get the equivalence to the master I need only to do two classes (actually one and a half, according to the amount of ECTS that are required). One, a mandatory one, is about management, the other (chosen by me) is on system integration (looks more interesting).
The real good part on this two classes is that I don't even need to go to the classes, as long as I keep up with the assignments and study. Very good for me.
At last some wind!
Yesterday was a great day! North wind blew in the Ria de Aveiro again and I could go and play with my board and my 5.4 m² sail. I was a bit overpowered at the beginning but as the wind dropped to the evening I think it was just fine.
Let's hope today the wind will come again.Sorry for the lack of any photographic evidence. Everyone was inside the water enjoying, no one wanted to stay in dry land to take pictures.
Today someone at work strongly suggested that SQL interfaces to a database are hard to keep and we should only use XML interfaces... (It doesn't even make any sense!)
SQL is a language for querying (as the name implies) information and XML is defined for structuring information. SQL interfaces are the norm for RDBMS. All other interfaces always (as far as I can tell) use the SQL interface to query and retrieve data from the database. Using XML would simple add another layer of complexity, another layer of latency, another nail in the performance's coffin.
Reminded me of when Dilbert asked the Pointy Hair Boss what colour the proposed database should be. Or the story of a "software architect" insisting that using Corba would be faster than TCP for data transfer...
...save us from such knowledge people,
Part of the events organized for the BEST Coimbra LBG Summer Course was a weekend at Foz do Arelho with accommodation at the Volunteer Firemen gymnasium at Caldas da Raínha.
As you can see by the photo above the weather was not that great at the seaside. The sun was blocked by low clouds. It tricked lots of people into just falling asleep without any sun protection, waking up some hours after with patches of burned, red skin.
Dinner was a nice barbecue, with lots of food for everyone, some beer and juice. Rather calm as you can see.
It was the birthday of one of the participants, Martin, so we sang him a "Happy Birthday" song and gave him a cake to kiss. The next photo shows that it was a passionate kiss...
Some girls we making really weird faces when on camera but still manage to look good.
The place were everyone was staying was really a nice place. The Firemen were friendly and fun, the gymnasium had stuff for us to play and huge mattresses were people could lay down for sleep, and even a football table.
At every international BEST event there is always one dinner that is dedicated to the sharing of what the countries better/stranger have to offer in terms of drinks and food.
The organizing team usually have the advantage of easy supply of goods...
... but the participants make it up with sheer number and drink power.
For me it was a great change to be with friends that I didn't see for a long time and to get to know more people.
For example the Coimbra LBG Summer Course main organizer, a girl filled with energy and spirit.
All in all it was a very good party. A great way to end a tiring and upsetting week (sometimes work just isn't fun at all...).
As promised here are more photos of my new board:
It's a 2008 RRD Frestyle-Wave 100l Limited Edition board. Now I'm just waiting for the wind to come...Let's see if I'll manage to do a push loop.
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