Ricardo and Gollito - An Epic Battle in Spain

Hello everyone - past, present and future guests of Casa Nora. I hope you've all had a great summer. Big Al and I surely have, travelling Europe and Canada. But more about that in a future blog. Upon returning to El Yaque a few weeks ago, after being away from home for 7 weeks, I was astonished by how much I missed being home. The garden looks great, the pool is cool and refreshing, and the desert is lush and green. And the windsurfing has been pretty good, due to the stormy winds generated by the hurricanes. It felt so great to be back out on the water! While Al and I have the opportunity to grab our gear and head out to the water to get our windsurfing fix, many of you guys cannot, due to such annoying things as work........

To get your juices going, I present a pictoral collage of the "Battle Royale of Spain" between Ricardo and Gollito in the Canary Islands this summer. (For those of you new to the sport of windsurfing, these two - Ricardo Campello and Gollito Estredo - are natives of El Yaque beach and are currently battling to be Number 1 in Freestyle on the World Tour.)

Ricardo (left) and Gollito (right) take a moment to mentally prepare before competing.

Gollito performs for the crowds - beachside.........

.......while Ricardo executes a double front loop.

Gollito executes a jibe at top speed.......

...... while Ricardo prepares for his next manouevre.

Gollito executes an aerial trick.......

...... and so does Ricardo.

Some hang time by Gollito........

....... is matched by some serious air by Ricardo.

And then it happens. After a series of complicated, aerial free-style moves by Gollito......

....... in an unparelleled display of daring, panache and spectacular talent, Ricardo attempts the first ever TRIPLE FRONT LOOP in competition.

But, he had to bail.

After this unbelievable display of showmanship and talent, both Ricardo and Gollito earned spots on the podium. Currently, Gollito is Number One on the World Tour for Freestyle, while Ricardo is Number 3. Congratulations to both!

I hope you enjoyed the photos! They make me want to head to the water, to work on that pesky carve jibe........

Next blog: Our trip to Europe