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Austria E-mail
Written by Kevin Pritchard   
Wednesday, 06 May 2009
We have been racing here  in Austria and the wind has been pretty good for Austria... It is very tough racing out here. Not one person has made every final so the racing is really mixed up. I have been doing very below my expectations but that is racing I guess. Need to let it all hang out and get on it. I seem to have the speed but just cant put it together in the final. It has been super gusty and really had to make the right sail choice. I have mainly been on the 8.4 and my 133 and it has been going really fast. I have been using the R 16 48cm fin and it feels really fast. I just need to get a good start in the final and I will be there.. Need to get win.. anyhow I will give it my best that is for sure. I am going out there prepared and ready to do the best I can do.. I will keep you posted!

 
Made it to Austria With All my bags!! E-mail
Written by Kevin Pritchard   
Sunday, 03 May 2009

Well I made it to Austria with all my bags.. well all mine plus Jimmy's bags so that was cool. We had 11 bags, 10 windsurfing bags and one clothes bag and they all made it. I got a great rate on the excess baggage, only $900 bucks.. Not too bad.. I was happy because the people have really been getting charged a lot. Be careful if you are flying out of Maui with a lot of bags on United, they seem to be the worse ones at the moment. However it all really comes down to who you get at the check in...

Austria is beautiful, sunny, not a breath of wind but looks promising for the next week. So here we go!!


 
Off to the Races E-mail
Written by Kevin Pritchard   
Saturday, 02 May 2009
Ready or not, here we come, Austria bound for the first stage of the 2009 PWA World Tour. I have started my journey, Maui, LAX, New York, London, Vienna. Got all packed up yesterday and ready to rip it up in Austria. I got all my boards/sails/fins tuned up and am more prepared for this than I have been in a long time. I guess I got no excuses this year. I have put on 30 pounds of weight this year, and yeah I am a bit of a fatty but hey, maybe that will help me go fast. I have the Gaastra Vapors ready to rip, with my Starboard Isonic's...  Should be an interesting year!

 
Vapor Special E-mail
Written by Kevin Pritchard   
Friday, 01 May 2009
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Mom's Flowers E-mail
Written by Kevin Pritchard   
Thursday, 30 April 2009

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What do they say, you got to stop and smell the roses.. well my mom has an amazing flower garden and it is pretty dang cool how she can go out and plant these things and they come up looking like this. Well if you come and stay at my place and you are lucky, she usually puts a beautiful bouquet of them in there as  a welcome gift. So go ahead and book a stay on Maui with me :)

 

 


 
Check out this sick housing.. E-mail
Written by Kevin Pritchard   
Monday, 27 April 2009

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 So my friend Brian Caserio has been up to making some really cool water housings.. These things are the real deal.. Especially for anyone who is into video and photography then this is the way forward. I have been using mine for the last 5 years now and loving it. I can use one housing for two different purpose's, put my video camera in it, and then switch it up to my still camera. They are super sick and work really good. Just go to www.sideoff.com and send him an email. He is happy to make you something specific for your needs, although he is specializing in making housings for the Canon 50d 40d 30d and the Panasonic P2. 

And what is up in Maui.. Man today was something beautiful!! Amazing.. the sunset.. fantastic...


 
Wedding Shooting E-mail
Written by Kevin Pritchard   
Sunday, 26 April 2009

Had a fun wedding this weekend.. Working hard at getting better.. the more you click the more you practice the better you get.. hope you like some of the shots..

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GETTING STRONGER! E-mail
Written by Matt Pritchard   
Saturday, 25 April 2009

Hey everyone, it has been a while since my last post- I have been enduring and trying to stay sane! It has been tough being back home feeling all the buzz of everybody out windsurfing and having fun. I’m pretty much in my own little zone- I have lots going on the computer and I get out to the gym to get some sweat going in the late afternoons- those are the highlights of my day! Not much adrenaline there except when I almost trip and fall down a big set of stairs!

The biggest breakthrough has been my boot cast is no longer on the right side. The doc gave me clearance to start crutching in a normal shoe- that is some progress!! It is a little sore as you can imagine but the movement is nice to have- those boot casts are not very easy to use when you have 2 broken legs…… on the left side I’m still out for another 6 weeks till I can put some weight on that little baby.  For the moment I have been trying to move it with my own muscle power to start preparing for some weight- I don’t have much range yet but that is my focus everyday! Get it moving!!

While you guys are getting ready to learn new moves, I’m counting down the days till I can learn how to walk again. It is amazing how many people have emailed me talking about their injuries! There are lots of people getting hurt these days- it is amazing how we take for granted the simple things in life. Walking is one of those things. I can’t imagine how people that get in really bad accidents and have to live in the hospital for 3 to 6 months feel- nothing worse than being doped up on pain meds to merely exist. That would take a different mindset and it always makes me realize that I’m pretty lucky to be where I’m at! 

If you ever watched the movie, “Heart and Soul” (it was a Gaastra movie we did in the early 90’s) there is a famous quote of me saying- “pain is only temporary” so I keep  going back to that thought and realize this is going to pass and I’ll be stronger than ever.

Now all I need is time…… time to heal up. I have stopped counting the hours and gotten pretty used to the situation. I’m doing great and am not complaining at all. My advice to you guys is to get out on the water and have some FUN! The ice is thawing out and the wind is on the way- get some for me! I’ll keep you posted…….

 

PS- We just put together a newsletter- so if you haven’t received that be sure to log in and get signed up! There are some SMOKIN deals going on so don’t miss out on the spring clearance. Anything you need, let us know……..

 


 
SUP! E-mail
Written by Kevin Pritchard   
Tuesday, 21 April 2009

Well not only can I not spell, I cant add either.. oh well that is life.. so here is my new little poster..  just trying to figure it all out.. good thing I am a good windsurfer and not a writer or a editor or pretty much anything other than a windsurfer... lucky...

sup


 
More shots for your viewing pleasure E-mail
Written by Kevin Pritchard   
Friday, 17 April 2009

Hey here are some more shots for your viewing pleasure!!! Take by Resi Stiegler Oh and make sure to buy something from our store.. fins, videos, anything you want, we got it even if it is not on there.. YOU GOT TWO WEEKS LEFT to enter to win the 2009 POISON>>>  So enter and win BIG TIME!!

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End of Photoshooting.. finally E-mail
Written by Kevin Pritchard   
Thursday, 16 April 2009

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Well I think I went for like 20 days in a row of photoshooting and man am I glad to be over that.. finished.. finally.. so now it is back to the testing and training and focusing on winning! I cant wait... well today was sick fun at Hookipa.. Light winds, good waves, best swell of the season for windsurfing kinda.. and tons of fun.. here is a shot from Ross Williams learning how to use his new camera.. Looking pretty good..


 
Butterfly Effect 2 E-mail
Written by Kevin Pritchard   
Tuesday, 14 April 2009
If any of the girls are coming here to see there shots you can go to Photostock plus and get some awesome prints made up for you girls!! What a great event and hope you girls enjoy the shots!

 
Butterfly Effect E-mail
Written by Kevin Pritchard   
Sunday, 12 April 2009

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Well this Butterfly Effect was amazing. I am so impressed with the organization and all that goes into this event. Everyone that I talked to raved about how much fun everyone had. If you missed it this year make sure you look for it next year. This year the skies parted and the weather was just perfect. I was happy to be part of the fun and got to get out my camera and take some fun photos!!

 


 
Good Day at Hookipa E-mail
Written by Kevin Pritchard   
Tuesday, 07 April 2009

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Well I think yesterday was the first day at Hookipa that I have sailed all year long.. It was sunny, good swell, good waves and fun. Just so happens we had a Starboard photoshoot happening and so that was really fun. I guess I need to get on it with some videos for you guys because I went over to  GP's site and to Makani's and they are getting loads of visitors.. I guess my blog has been really slack and REAALY boaring these days.  But to tell you the truth I have just been staying off the computer a bit more and trying to be on the water and on focus for a vicotry this year. I want to be on top of that podium this year.. I did have an action packed day though with a nice wedding shoot in the morning then strainght into sailing in the Starboard Photoshoot then still working the kinks out of my neck with some Deep Relief from Samantha, and I can tell you that was not your typical massage. Too much pain for me but I am a wimp.. but I am getting more and more movement back so I can actually enjoy wavesailing again. Well sorry for the no posts lately.. here are some cool shots of the 0 10 stuff which they really dont want up on line but oh well. i figure it is everywere else on the web so why not here...


 
Butterfly Effect 2009 E-mail
Written by Kevin Pritchard   
Saturday, 04 April 2009

Check out Tatiana's event!! Looks like tons of fun for all the girls! Make sure you sign up early and have some fun! There is tons of prizes, tons of fun. Come out and enjoy!

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Spring Clearence Sale E-mail
Written by Kevin Pritchard   
Tuesday, 31 March 2009

Well it is time to get rid of some stuff again.. I got tons of stuff for sale. I know i need to put them in the shop so you can see them but oh well.. it is hard to work that shop thing.. so anyhow I got some dirt bikes, some surfboards, some sails.. i still have some great deals on 08 Gaastra Manic's as well as some Vapors. I also got some STarboard Futura's and Kodes and Isonics that I need to get rid of as well.

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Now it is really Blowing!! E-mail
Written by Kevin Pritchard   
Monday, 23 March 2009

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Well today was super windy.. Went out for a wave sail and got blown off the water on a 4.7 Manic but the waves were pretty fun and good to get out into the wave action again. Then went down for a slalom session and felt pretty good until I got lifted up and spit out by a gust and slammed my neck into the sail... so now I got a wrenched neck and hoping to get it all back to normal soon. The new Vapors feel really nice . If you want to get your order in for some, you better it in quick. They are moving pretty fast these days.


 
Finnaly a bit of wind E-mail
Written by Kevin Pritchard   
Thursday, 19 March 2009
Been out Slalom training for the big season. Been doing lots of testing and trying to figure out what is happening with the slalom stuff. Looks like we got some new fast big fins. I have been using the new SL6 and that seems to work really good for me. The R 18 also felt quite nice too. I have been also testing the 133 vrs the 122 and trying to figure out what combination that I will use for the new 6 sails 3 boards. For the sails I think i t is pretty straight forward with the new Vapor's I am going to go 9.3 8.4 7.6 6.7 6.0 and 5.5... that one is easy. Then for the boards I am going to go 83 101 and ?? 122 or should I go 83 111 or 133... tough choices cause you can only pic three boards for the entire year so you need to be sure... more to come on this..

 
Big Monday for Matt! E-mail
Written by Matt Pritchard   
Monday, 16 March 2009

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Matt’s Monday!

Hey Everyone-  I just wanted to give you guys a big update as lots has been happening in the life of Matt these days…… Where do I start???

When I realized both my legs were broken, my first thought was as long as they aren’t broken in the ankle joints, I’m stoked- easy fixes….. Well that was only the case on the right side. The night it happened, because it was a compound break, they fixed it up after only 9 hours of being transported around to get me to a hospital that had room for me. My first operation was on the right leg and they slammed a titanium rod through my knee and fixed her up.

My left leg was a different story. The big leg bone just exploded right above the ankle joint- I crushed the bone up into a bunch of pieces and put it all out of alignment. It was pretty nasty. The doctors down in So. Cal didn’t really want to attempt the fix. I went to a specialist in LA and his advice after checking out a CT scan and lots of X rays was to leave it in a cast for 12 weeks and it should heel itself! That in theory sounded pretty good- but deep down I could feel that my ankle was not right. I didn’t feel like this was the best solution. I went ahead and researched into it some more and talked to more and more doctors. Here is where things get interesting!

I got an email from a friend of mine up in San Fran- she is a anesthesiologist that has taken a couple of my wave camps in San Carlos. She said let me know if I can do anything for you- I said, yeah- can you pass my Xrays around to your friends and  see what they had to say about my left leg? As it turns out, she works with one of the best ankle docs in the country. He checked it all out and said, “I can fix this!” He said, you need to get this fixed! If nothing happened I would have major arthritis within a year and possibly face having to fuse it- NO THANKS! The more I learned, the more I knew that it had to be operated on.

We got approval and were scheduled to be on the operating table on Monday- that was 2 weeks after the accident happened.  Without question, we loaded up the truck and made the 6-hour drive North. We were treated with amazing care and all the Docs knew me up there because of my friend Linh that had set this all up! I felt like a superstar. A couple of the docs were windsurfers so I fit right in…..

To say the least, I was pretty nervous about the surgery.  From what I was told, there were only a handful of Doctors in the world that could pull it off. I had to wait all day long with no food or drink until it was my time. After talking with the Doc, he assured me this was the right thing to do and I just put my head down and entered the zone- not my favorite competition zone, but my healing zone. My new reality for the next 3 months!

Anesthesia is the greatest thing ever! I was gassed out slowly but surely. What they ended up doing was cutting me wide open, going in and taking out all the broken bones and then rebuilding the joint. They threw away the little broken pieces and then used the larger pieces and screwed them all back together nice and tight. They had to build a wire cage to keep everything all in house and then sandwiched that with some plates to keep it all together. The wire cage came out once all 15 screws were in place along with the custom made contoured plate…. Pretty cool huh? It took almost 5 hours for this little fix up! I wish I could watch it all on TV one day- I had a rough day in recovery- They put a block on my nerve so when I woke up I wouldn’t feel a thing! It was awesome until 4am when that block wore off. I had the magic pain button to inject myself with pain killer- I could do that every 6 minutes if I needed. I was pretty out of it.

Just when I thought it was all over, the next day the doc came in and said we needed to go back in and adjust a few things- nothing major, just a little tune up to suck one of the bigger bones tighter in. The good news was that they checked out my right leg and noticed that the original repair was done well but if they plated my fibula then I could start putting weight on it much sooner than expected. At first I was told I would be non-weight baring for 10-12 weeks…. OUCH. But this “good news” was that if while my left leg was getting tuned up, they could go in to my right leg and throw in a big plate and some screws and I could walk out of there- COULD being the operative word I have now come to learn.

I had another day to wait to get back in the operating room! I was pretty comfy in the hospital. I had a great support team and some awesome drugs! I was in la la land in San Francisco! Another day of no food or drink and I was back on the table. That went all well and just as planned. I had some even better pain medication for this recovery and was feeling pretty good after another day of recovery and lots of drugs in the hospital. Our time ran out and I had to man up and get out of there- I was getting spoiled with the pain meds and needed to get back to Santa Barbara! My wife was by my side the entire time- she has been amazing through all this!

The 6 hour drive back was not pleasant at all. The last 2 hours were excruciating!   I wish I would have waited another day but what don’t kill us makes us stronger right? So now I’m officially on recovery road.

I can’t say enough about how great our windsurfing community is. Everybody has really been supporting me and helping me out in this whole adventure. I have gotten so many emails and words of “Get Well Soon” that is just blows me away! My docs have been incredible. They took a real interest in my situation and fixed me up like they would if it were there own family.

Thanks to everyone for all your great support- keep it flowing! I’m going to get some pics up for you guys to show you how intense this surgery was! I now have a total of 26 screws, 2 plates and a titanium rod holding my legs together- watch out Bionic Man, here comes Bionic MATT!!!!!!!

 Can’t wait to get back on the water and sailing with you guys! As for now, my immediate goal is to get on crutches this next week. Nothing like challenges! Keep tuned in- I now have time on my hands to keep you updated. 


 
Didn't go as planned E-mail
Written by Kevin Pritchard   
Sunday, 15 March 2009

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Well the wind came kinda, and waves were there but not too much fun happening. I went out and just didnt have that great of time.. Well in actualality i had a terrible time. I got a couple waves but then broke my mast, lost my sail, base, board, came apart, went on the rocks and I got swept out to sea and had a great fun swim coming in. Took about a half hour to get in, with a channel sucking out like that there is only one way to come in and that is through the main peak. So had a long swim in and called it a day.. an expensive day.. oh well live and maybe learn..


 
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