Brazil Surfari & Coaching 2016 has just drawn to an emotional, but fittingly debaucherous close. The team from Jo Wilson Coaching have just had the good fortune and incredible pleasure to spend the last 2 weeks with this crazy rabble!!
From flat water river mouths, to lagoon sessions with the pro’s, oceans to ourselves and downwinders in the ‘swell of the year’ I can hand on my heart say that this was what everyone including myself was hoping for - The best Brazilian Kitesurfing Coaching Holiday to date and dare I say it the best Jo Wilson Coaching holiday to date too.
Over the course of the trip we had conditions for all 12 of the crew and most of the crew rode double sessions every single day for 2 weeks. Never have I seen so much kitesurfing from one group of people.
Memorable moments include watching Rich drag his knuckles on the floor as he walked back to the top of the lagoon multiple times, eeking the last moments of the dropping wind at sunset on Cauipe. Mark R who sucked up a sore rib and learned to unhook when only earlier this year he was working on his first back rolls.
Mark G taking on 8ft swell on the downwinder, Nick working on his shiftys, Alex landing his first crow mobe, Bee throwing down a raley to blind, Sarah rocking out huge unhooked raleys and Zoe throwing down hard and fast toeside landings out of her back rolls. This just names half of my highlights and half of the people of the trip. Everyone was on impressive form and landed an incredible array of tricks.
Brazil Surfari & Coaching has been so fun both on and off the water. Dinner times have been full entertainment due to the lively crowd and we have had a couple of well timed spontaneous debaucherous nights too.
I sit here writing this feeling full of emotion as its my first trip back after almost 18 months. Ive been planning it for months between looking after Finn who is now 11 months old and the focus was to create a trip bigger and better then before without losing out on the focus of the kitesurfing coaching.
After an incredibly funny & late last night it seemed as though the last of the crew closed their airport transfer door with a happy smile on their face which can only be a positive sign of a good trip. My son barely grumbled, never forgot to smile and shared the love for life that people passionate about life tend to do. He had special high 5’s for Rich, toys to present for Sharon, goodies to discover from Sarah & full body smiles for George.
All I can say is how grateful I am to Brazil for being such a magical place and the 12 incredible crew members who made up an energetic, banterful and adventurous collective of now ‘friends’. Im grateful to Nanette, George & Chris who complete the Jo Wilson Coaching team who worked tirelessly from 6.45am and were still the last people standing at the end of the evening no matter how late that occasionally became.
There wasn’t a person who did not throw all their energies in to this trip and the laughter that echoed from the breakfast table, over the waves & lagoons, through the wind on our buggy journeys at dusk and still at the bar in the evenings.
Brazil will 100% be on the menu for next year! Please enjoy this selection of photos which in themselves demonstrate just how enjoyable this trip was from start until finish.