Windsurfing Pioneer

The crew from the documentary Children of the Wind has been filming in Bonaire for the past few weeks. It looks like this is going to be a great movie, showcasing the amazing talents and accomplishments of the Bonairean windsurfers both young and old! Erwin was a pioneer in the sport on Bonaire, being the first Bonairean to try windsurfing and later winning numerous competitions but Erwin is probably best known for his long distance windsurfing adventures...including sailing from Bonaire to Curacao with a record time that held for twenty years! Erwin also windsurfed from Curacao to Venezuela and circumnavigated Bonaire. The photo shows Erwin just after his interview was filmed.
http://www.childrenofthewindmovie.com/the_film.html

More Sailing!

In the past two months, Erwin went out sailing a half a dozen more times on Sally's boat "Zahi". Last weekend Sally needed someone to sail her boat back to Aruba and our son Jason agreed to do it. Erwin was invited along on the trip. Erwin was so excited about this because in the old days he had sailed Sally's boat to St. Maarten, Aruba, Saba, Dominica and other islands in the Caribbean. They had a good trip over to Aruba and flew back two days later. A nice adventure to buoy Erwin's spirits!

"A calm sea does not make a skillful sailor"

Sailing

Erwin loves boats of any kind but his absolute favorite thing is sailing. Although we have gotten him out in motor boats several times, yesterday was the first sail for Erwin since he had his stroke. With the help of Linda and Martijn we got him aboard Sally's sailboat "Zahi" and they set off for a three hour sail. A very enjoyable afternoon was had by all. Thanks, Sally, Linda and Martijn!

Happy 50th Birthday!!

Today is Erwin's 50th birthday! Since his birthday falls on a Monday this year, we figured that yesterday (Sunday) would be a better day to celebrate the big event! The party was held on the beach at Sorobon and Erwin had a wonderful day surrounded by good friends and family, great scenery and plenty of delicious food. A big thanks to Jason, Marlene and her Mom and Dad who were a huge help in putting the party together and thanks to everyone who brought food and showed up to celebrate! It was a perfect day for Erwin!

I made a quick collage with some photos from yesterday. Click on photo for larger view.
Happy 50th Birthday to my wonderful husband, Erwin!! He has had the roughest year of his life but still has a smile for everyone! I love him so much!

Children of the Wind

Here are some links to the documentary, Children of the Wind, that I mentioned in the post on January 16th...
http://www.childrenofthewindmovie.com/themovie.htm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?gl=US&v=-CDgYcd4bZ8

Saturday Swim

On Saturday, Erwin and I had a very nice swim with Linda. Molly and Jason joined us, too! Erwin even got to see a Frogfish while he was snorkeling! He was a happy camper :-). Click on photo for larger view.

A New Year Begins

First the good news...Erwin's friend Stewart is back on the island. He picks up Erwin every morning and takes him along on his dive excursions. Erwin really enjoys this. Erwin was also interviewed for a documentary on the history of windsurfing in Bonaire and participated in a rally " Boneiru Activo" which promotes participation in sports and fitness activities. The attached photo is from the Boneiru Activo ceremony at the sports stadium. This photo was on the front page of the Extra newspaper. Erwin is on the far right with the other representatives of the windsurfing contingent. Photo courtesy of Ibi Piar..
Now the bad news...Erwin's younger sister (49) suffered a massive stroke on January 7th. She is currently in the hospital in Curacao but will probably be sent back to Bonaire next week. From all accounts she is not doing very well. More on this later.