There’s a hurricane of activity around the office today, as the issue is finally taking shape. The piles of slides and negatives are finally being wed with the stacks of  manuscripts that have been filtering onto the editorial desk for two months. The printer is churning out proofs and as the completed files are put to disk, it is once again time to thank our contributors.

To Captain Allan Gabel, of the Air National Guard New Mexico Tacos: Thank you for jumping through the bureaucratic hoops that allowed American Windsurfer to take a 2.25 hour flight with you in an F-16.

To Mark Archer, (page 52) the 30 year old Brit who now  calls Aruba home:  You’re a hell of an  instructor. Your instructional pieces, A Beginner Lesson and Driving Your Board are uniquely effective. Your eight years of experience should help bring more newcomers into the sport through these pages.

To Karen Engler, a former standout against the sport of windsurfing: Thank you for getting talked into a trip to Bonaire and for making the best of a tricky situation. Congratulations on being converted. Your words should inspire more couples to visit Bonaire for a new windsurfing vacation.

To Michael Aldridge, proud father and computer graphics master and  photographer: Thank you for your ghostlike coverage documenting  Karen Engler’s Bonaire windsurfing experience.

No doubt, while you work behind your computer as  the Director of Marketing for the Lake Placid Vacation Corporation you will dream of returning to Bonaire again soon.

To Kelly Moore, pro windsurfer and voice for our oceans: Thank you for action in addition to words. Your Gulf crossing is an inspiration to get out and do something and a reminder of the responsibility that we have as global citizens.

To Darrell Jones, veteran windsurfing photographer: Thank you for standing behind Kelly’s crossing and for providing us with birds eye view drama of her crossing.

To Stéphane Arfi, editor of France’s Wind Magazine: Thank you for alerting us to the phenomenon of Arnaud Jacques, the six year old shredder in Martinique. Consider the day  when you interview him again, perhaps as World Champion?

To Jean-Marc Lecerf, Wind photographer: Thank you for making truth stranger than fiction with your photos of young Arnaud.

To Brian Thompson, Los Angeles windsurfer and actor: Thank you for your insight in developing the Keeper of the Flame column. Your inaugural profile of Paul Hill is exemplary and will be a hard act  to follow.

To Tim Werleman, Marketing Director for the Aruba Tourism Authority: Thank you Tim, for your groundbreaking concept of a government supported advertorial as a tribute to a tenth successful Aruba Hi-Winds Pro Am. It is the first of its kind to ever appear in a windsurfing magazine.

I hope that I got everyone. A special thanks to the Academy, my mother (especially since she translated the Baby Shredder article from French), anyone I missed and of course to all of the behind the scenes people who bring this magazine to life each issue.

 

Signing off,  ED