The mercury’s been falling, the footy is in full swing, and from all reports most parts of Oz have enjoyed more than the odd good day this winter.

From the Gold Coast to Tassie, and from Vicco to Birubi and beyond, there’ve been some seriously fun days for those prepared to put the effort in.

Australia’s sole competitor in this year’s Beijing Games regatta, former PWA Champ Jessica Crisp, is literally counting the days until her Olympic campaign gets underway.

While Beijing will be the 39 year-old’s third Olympic Games, it will be the first time she (and the rest of the fleet for that matter) have vied for medals on the new RS:Xs.

The Olympic Windsurfing regatta is being run at the Qingdao Olympic Center from the 9th to 21st of August.

After some debate and deliberation Tasmania has gotten the nod to host the next Wave Nationals (Tuesday 3/2/09 – Sunday 8/2/09).

It’s the second year running for the Apple Isle and after last year’s all-time conditions at Marrawah hopes are high that history will repeat itself.

For more details check out the Nomadic website (accessible through “Wide Brown Land”)

The Canary Islands leg of the PWA World Tour sees some serious jockeying for position at the top of all the ranking ladders.

Very little separates the top three in all three disciplines of both the mens and womens fleets and given the region’s reputation for wind each and every event is sure to be fiercely contested.

To keep tabs on your favourite pro’s progress log on to the “live ticker” at: www.pwaworldtour.com.

Although many are sweating on the arrival of the new season’s kit just as many others are snapping up some serious bargains as shops across the country start quitting superseded stock.

From boards to sails, and quite a bit of gear in between, there certainly are some good buys to be found if you’re on a bit of a budget.