The Beginning
It all started with some Facebook messaging about how amazing an all-girls windsurfing week would be. After nearly a whole year of ‘will it/ won't it', the trip was finally booked and the count down could begin.
With about two days to go there was a Facebook and texting frenzy on how heavy everyone's bags were, what clothes were being packed and whether Factor 30 sun cream would prevent us from getting a tan!
We landed in Preveza about midday and hopped straight onto the bus which took us directly to Club Vass. Almost immediately after arriving at Sunwaves Hotel and meeting the owner, with his slightly disturbing Cheshire grin, we jumped into the pool to wind down and begin the important process of tanning.
As the wind picked up later into the afternoon, we ventured to the sea, which became more of an epic marathon swim, as the soon-to-be infamous Polkerris Beach lobster got blown right into the town harbour. After doing a walk of shame, in front of some very bemused Greeks, we decided to go out windsurfing, which looked like it would be intense.
We came off the water at 8.00pm, with huge grins (not dissimilar to the owner of Sunwaves), and marvelled at the wind and then went back to the hotel to get ready for our first meal out. Tomorrow the real work would begin!
Monday
Waking up bright and early, the only dilemma we faced was whether to wear short or long boardies. (As we later found out from Jo Scott, ‘it's all about the image'!) Everyone met at the Club Vass hotel at 10.00am where we were introduced to the Club Vass team and there were definitely lots of unsubtle winks, nudges and cheeky grins between the girls! The Divas were taken off where we properly met each other and Jo, Amy and Morgan. We then said a little about our level of windsurfing and were presented with some Animal rash vests, which was very exciting. After sorting out sizes, and which ones were most flattering, Jo, Amy and Morgan took us on a tour of Club Vass, showing us all the kit and where to go etc. We then went out as a big group on 144 Futuras, and smallish sails, to re familiarise ourselves with staying upwind and the importance of backwinding whilst fast tacking.
We met back at 3.00pm and were separated into different groups: Beachstarting, Waterstarting and Filming with Jo. The conditions were perfect, being really windy and very warm, so despite a few anxious looks about being filmed from the four of us in Jo's group, we were all extremely eager to get out there. We all ran off and grabbed a range of shortboards between us with 4.5's and below. The classes seemed to be really successful, although typically a few times when we blasted passed Jo on the video tower, there were some spectacular wipe outs, resulting in Lucy's toes popping out (and her putting them back in - that girl is seriously hard core) and the snapping of a bikini top! Everyone came off the water decidedly knackered but grinning to extremes.
That evening we went out for a meal as a group, where we were loaded with dishes of yummy Greek food, and although there were some bitter grumbles about tomorrow's early morning start, everyone was on a high!
Tuesday
Arriving at the bike shed, and seeing that each person looked as bedraggled as the next was quite amusing, but we all got into the bike ride with as much enthusiasm that could be managed at that time. In the end it was great fun and a fantastic way of getting us ready for a full day and actually seeing the landscape.
We met at 11.00am and were immediately put into two groups. The four of us with Jo went off for a freestyle session, and as the wind was pretty light it was a great opportunity to learn the tricks of the trade.
We hauled the Rio's out and we got ready to learn some proper moves. Jo set us the task of learning four moves, which she expertly demonstrated for us, and then we eagerly set about giving it a go ourselves. All morning we went through Upwind 360's, Cana Bravas, Clew First Heli-Tacks, Clew First Heli-Tacks to inside the boom and The Jizz. (Thinking we looked pretty damn ‘sick', we were promptly put in our places watching Friday night video when we saw these moves performed planing by the Club Vass instructors).
The afternoon session began with a demonstration on the simulator of the correct stances for your footstraps, harness and how to make the most of your kit in planing conditions. However as Jo pressed us with her motto, "A flat board is a happy board", the wind was not picking up. So after splitting into our groups again, Jo's group went off to watch a video on how to Duck Gybe and Bodydrag. After watching the video we were all keen to give it a go.
The wind however was not playing fair, so we took the Rio's out to practise the basics of these moves and go over what we had learnt earlier. Jo had emphasised the importance of practising all the moves in light winds to encourage ‘muscle memory'.
The evening entertainment saw a band playing at Wildwind - they were awesome. It was a great way to end the day and meet some other windsurfers, and after a mini exploration to the infamous Zeus Bar, we crawled ‘quietly' back to the hotel to get at least a little sleep for the early morning ‘Brisk Walk' or wakeboarding. All in all, it was a fantastic day!
Wednesday
The early morning starts were not really that bad, although a few of us were feeling it from the antics the night before. However the pace was brisk, which woke us up a bit quicker. There were only six of us doing the walk as the rest of the girls had opted for the wakeboarding, but that did not stop our guide Linda's infectious enthusiasm. As we walked along she loaded us with facts about herself and Lefkas, and then quizzed us at the end, which did reveal the extreme competitiveness of us all. However it was interesting listening to what Linda had to say, and it was really refreshing to hear how much good she does with her Lefkas Animal Sanctuary. A definite thumbs up to her for all the work she has done!
After breakfast we met and separated into our groups again, Jo's group went out on the water to learn her trademark move, the Push Tack. However, the wind remained light the afternoon, so we called it a day and went out on the paddleboards before enjoying a sunbathe!
Thursday
This early morning activity held the most anxiety from all the girls - yoga. We all proved our inflexibility and giggled pathetically through the session, but we all knew how beneficial the stretching would be for our windsurfing.
We met slightly later than usual, (probably to give us more recovery time), and Jo's group moved on to learn and practise Push Tacks, Duck Tacks and Flip Gybes.
Eager as we were, the constantly changing wind made practise pretty hard, but we all ploughed on, determined to master the moves on the big boards. In the end we paddled in and the wind backed off for the day.
From here, it was another afternoon of ‘soaking up the rays' and then prepare for the Wii Boxing Tournament. After some victories and some humiliations, we all went on to Zeus to enjoy what we had been told was called ‘Thirsty Thursday'.
Friday
This was the morning we got our much anticipated lie in, which was much needed after the night before. After wiping mud (and blood) from our feet (it must have been a good night), we wandered over to Club Vass for RACE DAY!
Before the races, we got an on land freestyle master class from Colin ‘Whippy' Dixon, which was brilliant. He showed us a variety of moves including The Cowboy, and then got us to put them into a sequence, whilst pulling the widest smiles we could muster. Only one word could sum him and the session up: Insane!
We then all gathered for the briefing, where we were told to get into pairs and prepare for Race 1, which was a simple sailing relay race. It got underway, and soon became obvious that everyone was happily cheating by paddling rather than sailing! Race 2 was the freestyle race, which involved sailing past Jo and doing some freestyle for the camera. Not at all camera shy, there was a huge frenzy to get to the camera first and be in full view for some old skool lightwind freestyle: sail 360's, sail and body 360's etc.
The third and final race was a simple paddle race, where everyone piled onto boards and tried to get around a buoy first. Being less tactical than the other teams, we put everyone on the board, legs askew and desperately tried to paddle our way around, until we realised that small 7 year olds were beating us by being pushed!
With the races finished, and no wind showing for the afternoon, we headed back to the hotel to prepare for the evening fancy dress BBQ: Bond night! The BBQ was awesome, showing a video compilation of the week and some interesting performing from the Vass instructors! It was brilliant entertainment and a great way to end the week.
Saturday
Although no official windsurfing sessions were planned, we all met at 2.00pm for a Team Diva photo shoot. After a small amount of primping and pampering we turned up ready to pull some poses. It was great to see everyone having a laugh, all in our rash vests and the end result looked brilliant.
After the photo shoot we all went out on the water for a last windsurf or paddleboard. It seemed surreal how quickly the week had gone!
As we had to leave early next morning, we packed when we got back to the hotel and went out for our last meal. It was a gorgeous evening which ended with some hardcore karaoke at our table, as we tried to drone out the sound of the singers on the table near to us. After finishing the evening with a final trip to Zeus, we headed back to the hotel and said all our goodbyes to each other, with the promise of it happening again next year.
A HUGE thanks to Jo, Amy and Morgan for putting up with us for the week, and teaching us so much. It didn't seem possible to learn so much but they have proved it is, and not only has our windsurfing improved but we have all made some awesome friends!
