From the “baby elephant” to a stand-up ski

June 2024. I watch the sunset and realise I want a stand-up ski. On the way back I tuck in behind a ship — a one-and-a-half-metre wake — and manage a few jumps on the “baby elephant”. Still, 300-plus kilograms is a lot.

At the end of the month, on Madeira, I rent a light Spark. After the big one it feels like a kids’ bike, but it is fun with the trim cranked all the way up.

In July the Yamaha SuperJet break-in begins — “more fun than the Spark”. Then come early sessions, wet falls and, by late August, the one I had been waiting for: the 180° turn finally works. And sometimes it goes like this — refreshing.