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The Colin Dixon Column
My name is Colin Dixon and I’m a pro coach. I work for Club Vass and have done for the last 4 to 5 years. In the winter I also do a bit of private coaching around the world and in Club Vass centers.
Hopefully my column will give you some insight into my life as an instructor and maybe inspire you to take some time out from ‘real life’ and instruct for a few seasons. Or it could put you off ever sending your kids to a trainee instructor course to gain their essential RYA tickets! |
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·Look at you, looking at me I caught you. |
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Bajan Love
So here we go! I kicked the New Year off in lovely Barbados for a proper holiday. I'd been teaching for the majority of 2007; on the water every day, so you'd think I would want to give it a rest but it's so different being the 'instructor' on the water and just being a 'free sailor' only thinking about yourself for a change. I don't do this every season (not on instructor wages that's for sure) but when I can it really inspires my windsurfing and makes me ready & fresh for the new season. Barbados did not let me down. I sailed most days on 5.3/5.8m with one day of mast high waves and 4.7m weather. But the real bonus about the place is that there is so much more to do than just windsurf. There is surf pretty much every day for long boarding and short boarding, and with the wind pretty light, it's good for a little kite surfing too!
Thanks goes to my contact, a total legend called Steve Camble, the owner of Redeye and Surfers Bay beach bar. The bar is real chilled and Steve has given the place a real cool atmosphere with boards strapped to the roof and playing windsurfing DVD’s every night- just what you need after a sick day on the water!
So it was time to move on after a windy New Year in Barbados so I hoped on a flight to Margarita for some private coaching out there and to catch up with the team at Club Margarita. |
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Margarita Down Time
I am writing this from Margarita and it’s been going off! Ok the season is a little less windy than last year, but last year was unbelievable for wind. The actual level of sailing this year is so high. You have three world champs (Ricardo, Gollito and Brawzino), EFPT champs going sick, Russian champs going off, our own British Bubble ripping it apart and of course the Club Margarita Team always keeping the level world class. I’m here as a little bit of a working holiday (top secret at the moment) but as the year goes on I will fill you in. But I can let you know what the new moves for 2008 are going to be; mainly clew first Ponches, but with a duck in mid air. Ricardo is training really hard this year, because of the new PWA Freestyle format and it’s going to be very interesting to see who comes out on top.
Coaching wise I have one of my clients coming out here and I really plan to push him into forwards this year! Last year, when I first taught him, I got him to sail like a slim man instead of trying to sail like he weighs 110 kg’s. Now after a few good sessions of whippy magic he can jump with control, plane in very light winds and stay upwind on a board with a small fin. As well as relaxing a lot more on the water and on the dance floor - bring it on!! So my guy will be here for week, and if he brings his balls I will have him looping no worries! I will let you know how he gets on! |
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Margarita roof tops and part of the night time lifestyle. Don't say we didn't warn you..
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Smooth operator. The
question you should ask
yourself is would you
trust him with your
daughter. No?. |
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Film crew here, film crew everywhere, when you go to a freestyle beach there a more video cameras than Dixons..
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Cape Verde Boat Trip
Guys I must tell you about what I am getting up to when I leave Margs; I am really excited about it. I’m going to Cape Verde to work for Club Vass on the Itoma Catamaran. Its 70 foot long with all the windsurfing sails rigged up at the back. We are going to be running it for two weeks as a trial, each week I pick up 15 clients and off we sail to go and find some wave action. The level of the guys will be high so it should be really good fun and I’m sure we’ll have some crazy stories to tell. I will be coaching and entertaining them. I’m not sure what they have let themselves in for - a week with me on a boat!! Ha-ha only joking I’m going to make their holiday fun for sure. I will let you know how that goes next month with a few stories and hopefully some sick photo’s.
Right I’m off!
Colin |
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COLIN THE BEGINNER I started windsurfing because my dad used to do it. But it was sister that was first interested after doing on one of those activity weeks with school. My dad bought her a board and she went out at the coast, forgot everything she’d learnt during that activity week, couldn’t and get back to the beach, freaked out and the windsurfing kit was resigned to the shed to collect dust. Until one day in 1980 I asked his dad if we could have a g, but in those days the kit was so big, I had to wait until I was 13 until I gave it a ‘proper go’. I did some local windsurfing rallies and I was hooked!
COLIN THE TEACHER I started teaching in Cornwall at Sliblyback lake in 2001 just after my first trip to Western Oz. I nearly failed my level 1 instructor course because I didn’t have the confidence back then but by the end of the season I did my level 3 course and taught my Level 1trainer who was going to fail me - funny hey!! Anyway I went to Oz again and then the Lake didn’t want me back so I applied for Club Vass they turned me down straight away. But then I sent them a photo of me doing a one-handed spoke and another photo of me drunk and I got the job! I worked in Dahab for 14 months then went to Vass and passed my Level 5 course with flying colours (of course)!
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