Top, that's me, for better or worse, trying a back loop while windsurfing off the coast of Cabarete in the Dominican Republic. (I didn't make it). At left I'm trying to show off my kiteboarding skills. What a fun sport.
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I enjoy stories that involve actually doing something. I've flown combat maneuvers in a jet fighter (as a passenger, though the pilot did let me take the stick for awhile), ridden a bull, windsurfed hurricane waves, bounced over the ocean at 100-plus mph in a national championship powerboat and blasted off in a jet-powered car, going from a standing start to more than 300 m.p.h. in less than four seconds. I also talked my way onto one of the fastest sailboats in the world to become part of the crew for an unofficial leg of the around-the-world Volvo Ocean Race. Additionally, I'm an on-and-off martial arts student, which is ... humbling. Why do I do this? It beats working the phone. These aren't words I want to create and sell, these are pieces of adventure, individually wrapped and opened with pleasure, each a reminder of the raw possibilities of life.
To get an idea of what kiteboarding is like, tie yourself to a bus and tell the driver to floor it.
Jet-car ride: From zero to very scared in 3.5 seconds
Eight seconds on a bull? Are you kidding?
Windsurfing: When Really Stupid pays off
As the hurricanes approach, the surf vibe ripens
Why the Coast Guard rescued me for the SECOND time
How did going slow in a boat get to be so much work?
80 mph in an 18-foot garvey - sideways |