Incalculable Loss, Epic Action, and Busted Bones

Don't feel much like writing today. Leukemia has taken one of the most positive, happy, and loving human beings I've ever met, my Uncle John Bachman. I miss him dearly. Aunt Sue, Claire, Kevin and the rest of my family: I love you, guys! See you in a few days.

Keeping up with the daily routine will help me get through in the meantime, so here goes:

Here's what happened at the end of last week:

Big swell, light winds Wednesday and Thursday. See more, much better pictures here. And here. And here.

Racing the section
Cranking southwest wind hit on Friday. I sailed Ego Beach with a bunch of other windsurfers and kiters. I felt on fire for the first hour, sailing out of big stalled forwards and carving some good turns on the head high wave faces.

When the perfect back loop ramp popped up right in front of me, I went for it, went big, stayed solid, and came down with the sole intention of sticking it and sailing away! Something went wrong on landing, I was too balled up and on top of my rig, and on impact, all the force of the landing transferred through the board, into the mast, into the boom, and into my back hand. I then transferred all that power through my hand squarely into my jaw... Long story short, I almost knocked myself out by punching myself in the face. I broke my ring finger metatarsal in half, in the classic "Boxer's Break." My jaw is ok, two days later. Anne has been kind enough to feed me soups and soft foods like rice and beans to limit the chew factor. And lots of chocolate chip cookies, the perfect soul food for a physically hurt, grieving psyche!! Thanks, sweetheart!

My last bottom turn for a whileBroke!
So, I'm out for a bit. I find out Monday if I'll need surgery or if the doc will just set it and forget it. Regardless, it'll be quite a few weeks before I'm back in the water. Time to revert to some other meditation, coping, and healing tactics, like yoga, and the simple art of breathing.

In the meantime, I will not coop myself up and sulk. When I return from some much needed quality time with my ever-optimistic family, I plan on continuing the Hatteras action documentation. At least everyone else will have a dedicated, one handed videographer for a little while!