The best explanation for this day is : Grey. Maybe i should rate it higher but it was a day of desperation. Action day or distarction day. Whatever. It started off looking like another no wind day. I was starting to doubt whether Europe actually had any wind. But we had bigger problems than no wind at the time. It had rained the previous night nad the whole beach was flooded. The wind was from the wrong direction and the course had to be moved. Problem was there wasnt a dry spot for miles around. Someone came up with the idea of putting the timing etc in a caravan and putting it on a trailor and fetching a local farmers tractor. Voilà. Plan of action. Everyone was helping with this mission, because if the wind came we had to be ready. It started raining again but by some miracle the guys managed to get the caravan on the new speed spot. The wind started coming through and we all headed to the Centre Nautique to get a boat ride over to the speed strip. It was Cold …. Again, i know its starting to get old but i come from a very warm south african summer and im not used to this kind of weather.
We riged up our bigest kites, mine was a 12m RAven, but i did see some 16’s and 18’s ! Ah its so amazing, in south of France, its raining, its pouring …lalalalalaa !! Did our first heat. The course was super downwind. You go into the run super fast but 200m in you slow down like something bi gis holding onto you, you try to go faste rand get away from it but there is just no power. I actually got a 37.8 amx speed but i twas just before the start, alex and a few others even had 40 knot max speeds. But same situation , reached in the runup towards the start. We tried and we tried, i even enjoyed myself after a while, you are soaked to teh bone and you are actually on the water. Once that realisation set in i was pretty stoked. Disdain turned to Exhilaration and i had the most fun on the water i had in ages, its not worth much coz i stil didnt go very fast but it was good and for a while there its seemed all taht mattered was to actually enjoy the moment. The wind started its slow death at the start of the second heat, the bigger blokes started struggling to stay upwind an dit all came to an ubrubt end when the wind gave its last breath and left us. Every single kite fell out of the sky. If you were lucky you had a short swim and a long walk. This was all very nicely rounded of with the heaviest rainshower i have been in since living in Joburg.
Or not. Little did i know that i was about to spend teh next hour standing inthe rain. A few of us were dropped off, (please note, not by choice) at the start of the run nstead of the end. As we packed up we saw all the boats rush away , within 15min the rest of the riders were on their way back to land and warmth. We stood, we waited and nobody came to fetch us. Man o man, i was nearly in tears, i was so cold, i stood there thinking what have i done now to deserve this. I stood there amoungst a few french guys, who all stod laughing and having a chat about the state that i was in. Needless to say i was not very happy at the time.
Finally a boat came and we tied our bags to a raft that was supposed to be pulled behind the boat, but then the left it there, i tried to get what they were saying and all i figured was that the next boat was going to bring it !ok cool, whatever just please hurry up ! Its all good, 7 happy fench dudes wrestling on a boat in wetsuits and one freezing girl observing the insanity, in the middle of somewhere in the water of port saint louis… then… we run out of fuel >F*** everyone swears in some type of language. Thankfully we have some spare fuel. Everyone calms down. But now the boat doesnt want to start. The poump it and fiddle ith the choke for a further 15min in which i hide inside my big jacket to hide the expresion on my face. What do you call it when frustration meets desperation and you have PMS ? I was a woman on the edge and i couldt go fast no matter what i tried and here i am surrounded by guys in wetsuits now converted to humping eachother. ..aiaiai ! We get back to the centre nautique, everyone has either gone home or had a shower and nw checking out their times. As i walk in alex tell’s me to grab a shower and get a lift home with his brother because him and taro had been waiting and wanted to go home and shower and i stil had to wait for my bag. Man. Next step alex’s brother tells me im third overall and that i was super close to Fabienne and Charlotte, while he is leading me towards the showers. My hands are in a death grip Ra egyptian style. Im Holding my chest like its gona burst open. Alex’s Brother John Batist( a legend i met in leucate and my emotional savior in port saint louis) pushed me inside the bathrooms told me to cheer up and have a shower, then he a slammed the door. I struggle out of my wetsuit, if anyone had seen this battle they would be lauging their heads off. It was like a half paralyzed chicken getting out of a jelly bag. Wat the ?
I jump in the shower, first it burns me and i spend a few seconds away from its glorious heat and then im in. Its probably one of the best feelings ive ever experienced. And then,………. It stops. The amazing ray of warmth and hapiness stops and leaves me. Dam nit. I furiously push the button and slowly the water returns. Then after 45 second it disapears and i push the button again. Every time i just start heating up its cold again. I burst into tears and somehow manage to finish up. Put on some dry clothes and look at myself in the mirror. It seems i got atan evemthrough all the rain and clouds, wopee ! I smile and from here on i leave the litle depressed me behind. Its gona be a good night, i heard someone mentioning that we going to the Irish pub in the port. Yeah ! I get a lift home with alex’s dad phillippe( the mayor of port saint louis) get home attempt undread my hear, decide to leave it and go as is, jean,s boots sloppy t-shirt,no make up, knotted pitiful hair but i feel good nananaana !i feel fine ! nanananaaa yeah !! We head to the party and from the second i arrive i know its gona be a night to remeber. Momo dishes ourt some mussels and chips to everyone and every rider gets a free draught . From there on evry rider should be ashamed. I taught ian’s( expix photographer and dissing king) son sam( super intelligent and cheeky teenager) to do the boogie and cha cha. The dj come out with the best selction of golden oldies and everyone hits the dancefloor. Manu rips his belt, goes kung fu, then goes S&M and then climbs the bar. Nigel( Lord wellington) hand out clear shooters of bacardi to anyone wiling to believ its stroh rum, (there is no stroh rum in France nigel !).
We dance, we salsa, we arm wrestle we take out road signs, we pull funny faces, taro disapears with a chick, frenchi disapears with a chick, i kinda feel left out but save nigel from being ubducted by a greek freak. I then get a lift home with ian and his family. Time i get to bed 03 :30. I pass out in my clothes and probably snored the night away with a big smile on my face.
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