Speed Week at ClubVass isn’t all about big guys with even bigger sails. While speed still caries that image, it isn’t true, comfort and control win out over size and brute force every time. This was the third speed week we’ve had at ClubVass, speed maybe be the underlying theme, but the reality is we should call it Confidence Week except that doesn’t sound so good.

After the introduction to the beach staff at ClubVass everyone heads off into there groups for the week. Some how I’ve always ended up waiting at the cocktail bar for the speedsters to join me and every year it seems the routine is the same. The majority of the group arrive quickly, while a few arrive, leave, come back again, and occasionally leave again.

The fully thing is, its these last few who really get to benefit, those who first arrive already come with confidence, those that can’t quite make up there minds tend to be worried it might be too much for them. Previous week have proved these are the ones who improve the most over the week.

This year was to be no exception. Mike Shaw is Vassiliki’s resident photographer and is always out there catching everyone at the best. This year he came over to tell me he’d talked to a guy last week that wanted to enter speed week but didn’t think he had what it took to join our group, could I have a word with him. Sure enough we soon had our newest and smallest member of the group.

You could never call Dave Richards a big man, but when you follow this link to YouTube you have to ask how was nervous about joining in our group. Dave was one of the skydiving red devils in the video; so there’s no doubting he’s got the balls, but somehow that confidence hadn’t translated to windsurfing.

When I first sailed out with him, I couldn’t keep my feet in the foot straps, he was planning but hardly moving at the same time. Now don’t think I’m being hard on him, his supper high boom won him a free holiday so I’m sure he’s happy with both the stance he arrived with and the one he left with.

ClubVass put up some great prizes, the biggest being a holiday for two for the most improved. There were also prizes for the GPS, Gun Run and the Tandem. By the end of the week there was only one choice for the holiday, Dave’s name was being picked out by everyone even his gps was voting by posting fast times on his screen.

A few of the guys said they would send me there stories from the week, so I’ll leave it till then to tell the full week, but for me my time here continues with the arrival of the rest of my family.

We’re all here for another week, plus we’ve brought out some friends that have never stood on a windsurfer, so I’m keen to see how they get on.

Just want to thank Mike for a few of the pix, but my big thanks must go to Colin, he always joins me for speed week, if nothing else, he translates my English. This time though I’ve got to blame him for some of the damage, but that’s another story.