Thanks to a rainy Sunday, I edited the video I shot with the camera on the front of my 7.10 windsurf board. Enjoy.
Just one more minute to mention that after the rain I scored an epic surf session at Hookipa. Way overhead, a bit crowded, but glassy and beautiful...
Gorgeous sunset too. I took some photos, but I can't post them, because right now I'm cooking some pasta with zucchini, broccoli, mushrooms and mozzarella... new recipe! Shoots, it's almost time!! Got to go... I'll lose my passport if I overcook it.
Allright, dinner was delicious. We saw it watching an old classic: Body Heat.
Here's a quote from it:
Matty: You're not too smart, are you? I like that in a man.
Ned: What else do you like? Lazy? Ugly? Horny? I've got 'em all.
Oh, and here's a photo of the sunset. Actually two, I can't decide which one to pick. The reason is that none of them renders how beautiful it really was...
And now, the webcast part...
An anonymous comment on my last post inspired me to write this.
I know some people will to get all sensitive about it, but I see it as a constructive suggestion to do something that, in my not so humble opinion, would mean a huge shift in the windsurfing industry.
Who am I to say that, what credits do I have? Nothing, I'm just a guy with a blog. Everybody can do that...
So, here's the answer to that comment.
Anon,
and you don't think that with this blog I'm publicizing the sport of windsurfing?
Not all my readers are windsurfers.
Some of them could be involved or be friends with potential non-windsurf-related sponsors.
Plus, I'm not only criticizing, I'm suggesting actions: webcasts.
The ASP reaches literally millions of people with the webcasts.
I barely knew who Kelly Slater was. Now thanks to the webcasts I can mention at least 20 pro surfers (and quite a few brands of board shorts).
And often the surf contests can even be boring because there's big lulls in the action.
Still, have a look at this to understand the magnitude of the advent of webcasts.
Instead, the heats of a wave sailing contests are action packed, because there's wind and nobody is ever just sitting and waiting for waves.
Plus, the two-three minutes transitions between heats in a PWA wave contests would be perfect to run a 30 seconds board shorts ad or something like that.
Did you know that PWA already has a live event ticker (btw hey Brian, how are you doing and what do you think about this?)... now, who in the world is going to follow that?!
Knowing that somebody on the other side of the world is watching a wavesailing contest and has an internet connection and a computer in front of him and writes in real time on a web page:"Wow, Kauli just did an amazing double forward!"... pisses me off more than anything.
I don't want to read it, I want to see it!!!
All it would take at that point is a couple of videocameras, a higher speed connection (eventually via satellite) and a few big servers. We're in 2007... those things are available. Google webcasting and see how many companies offering solutions there are.
Set up one for the first wave event of next season, let every magazine/blog know well in advance that it's going to be webcasted and you'll see how many windsurfers will suddenly pop up from all over the world.
That would mean a HUGE shift for the whole industry. Just imagine the impact it would have had if they had it for the Cabo Verde event... what a incredible missed opportunity! ALL windsurfers in the world would have seen/loved it!
I know for sure that PWA is already thinking about it. They were already thinking about it one year ago in Maui...
I'm surprised (well, that's a mild word...) that it still hasn't happened yet! What's the big deal about it? Money, I assume.
I tell you what. If I was the HONDA CEO I would not invest not even a few grands in buying advertising space in a PWA event the way it is now. What for? To have the logo appear on the background of the photo of the winners? And what return would that bring...?
Imagine instead a webcast with hundred of thousands windsurfers online from all over the world and an ad running every few heats that shows how many boards you can stack in the new Element and how cool it is that you can hose the inside to wash off all the sand and shit like that...
And make sure all the heats (with the ads) will be available on demand so that even the people on the other side of the world could see it without having to stay up at night.
Wonna know what I would do if I was Jimmy Diaz? (other than rescuing my canoe... thanks again Jimmy!)
I would send the dvd of the Cabo Verde event to the CEOs/marketing managers of Billabong, Quicksilver, O'Neill, Rip Curl, Rusty, Hurley, etc... together with a note that says:"This is what a PWA wave sailing event can be. We need help to set up a webcast for our next contest. Any interest in sponsoring?"
But I'm not Jimmy Diaz, so I can only kindly suggest it through this blog. And since I don't think he reads it, if you know him would you be so kind to send him the link to this post or email me his email address so that I can personally do that? Thanks!
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