VANCOUVER ISLAND WINDTALK

There is an angel holding your left hand and another your right, may they guide you to warm winds and gentle waves and a place of comfort. You now begin a new journey and I am smileing with you. I thank you for your friendship and wish you a safe and wonderful journey. Tim

Sad news. Andrei had a great smile, and was always friendly to me when we met, mostly at Columbia Beach. I enjoyed his wry sense of humour. I loved reading some of his posts, roughly translated from the original Russian. A poor day will always be remembered by me as "meh". He battled hard against the cancer and raised money to continue the fight. He continued to post throughout his treatments, which must have been difficult. He had lots of good friends. He was a huge contributer to this community and I only know a small part of his efforts. Everybody was hoping for him to get better but it appears that was not to be.

I forwarded this forum thread to Elena and have just received the following email from her....

"Thank you for the kind words guys! I have printed out the bwd postings for Andrei and will read them to him - I hope he'll understand how much support he has and that his friends are wishing him well"

Thanks everyone for your words of love and support.

I never really got to know him but he was smiling when ever I saw him in the last 6 months.

I will never forgot you Russian-dood!! My hope is that with your passing the windsport community that you were such a big part of becomes even closer. I will miss you.

I found myself thinking a lot about Andrei yesterday.... I remember the time we car-pooled out to JR in his van and he forced me to endure 2 hours of Lady Gaga all the while trying to convince me that her music was complex and the work of a talented, legitimate artist - only to sit at the point for several hours for wind that didn't show up, just to do the same thing the whole drive home!

Andrei is always good for a laugh, he's just one of those people you get along with real easy.

Oh, and who can forget his pink crocs?

- Tony

Missing you, my friend!

"...and who can forget his pink crocs?" - Nanmoo

"They're not pink! They're salmon." - Russian Dude

Andrei/Elena:

Thank you for sharing the afternoon with you both over Japadogs in May. It was my absolute privilege to be witness to the tender moments you shared that day and an absolute delight to see how much love you have for each other.

While we chatted that day I mentioned to Elena that when we first met, you struck me as being so welcoming and such a gentle soul. Thank you for that my friend!

I am very thankful for your friendship and for that visit.

I came across this poem a little while ago and shared it with Andrei privately. I am posting it here in case it might offer comfort to others now. It made me think of Andrei/Elena and how there are some parts of a person that cancer has not and cannot touch.

"What Cancer Cannot Do

Cancer is so limited..
It cannot cripple love.
It cannot shatter hope.
It cannot corrode faith.
It cannot eat away peace.
It cannot destroy confidence.
It cannot kill friendship.
It cannot shut out memories.
It cannot silence courage.
It cannot reduce eternal life.
It cannot quench the Spirit.

~~~~Author unknown"

It was always my hope and prayer that there would be different outcome, but cancer cannot take away the love, respect, and admiration I have for you my friend.

May your journey be peaceful! I will sail with you in my heart at Pistol River and will still make the trip to sail at Gordon's! See you on the other side!

We love you Andrei! We will miss you dearly. I hope your passing is peaceful and you are surrounded by those you love and those who love you.

It is hard to explain how much you have meant to me. When I first began windsurfing I found it somewhat intimidating. Such a new crowd of people (mostly older guys), and I tend to not be good in crowds anyways. In fact I can been downright terrified of new social situations.

I don't know how to explain it, but whenever you were there it was easier.
I wasn't as intimidated or afraid - as long as you were going to be around I was always more excited to be there. I felt more confident in my abilities.

The laughter you inspired and the strength and confidence you fostered in me are things that go far deeper than I ever expressed to you. I always wanted to make you proud of me or impress you. I can't quite explain why out of this whole big community you were my rock, but you were. It could be that having lost my father at a young age, I found in you someone who shared with him so many of the qualities I miss so dearly.

The trips Chris and I had with you to Oregon are some of my fondest memories. I feel blessed that I was able to be there for the "salmon" crocs and the "meat cookies", not to mention the countless Russian army stories. Because of you, I will keep pushing and challenging myself to go beyond what I think I am capable of. Maybe one day I'll even loop, but while I do I will be thinking of you.

With much love for both you and your family.
May you go in peace.
Janet

We will miss you Andrei, and never forget you. Sail on where ever you are buddy - always go for it. The tears hurt right now, but I am glad to have known you and shared the times that we did. Windsurfing has brought so many of us together, and your contributions and friendship with so many of us has been a glue that can't be undone. I will never forget the time we first really met at Nitinaht lake when I returned your boots i found on the road - you brought beer and a smile. I'll also treasure the last summer trip on the coast with you before all this madness. Thanks for being a great friend and my deepest sympathies to all of your family. You are missed! Keep enjoying those meat cookies....

I don,t write much ,or say a lot . Sometimes i post a session.
Andrei ,you have inspired me with your stoke ,not just windsurfing but your attitude about life. This is what i saw when we first met and each time after.You mastered the sport so fast I was envious of your skill, now i will think of you for any inspiration to achieve the next level ,you have touched my life and made a difference .Always a beer waiting for you Dude
Chris

You are always the the happiest, friendliest, most accepting, dude at the beach. Big crocs to fill. I miss you Andrei.

I am very saddened by this news.

Thank you Andrei for all of your helpful technical windsurfing advice and your kind company at the beach. You have made the world a better place and have particularly enriched this community greatly.

Like others have mentioned, your sudden ailment has caused me to appreciate more each healthy day I have been granted, and I am further compelled to take time to enjoy life more (more windsurfing!) and connect with friends and family. Thank you.

Today I was fortunate enough to visit one of my favorite beaches, the Florence South Jetty. It was here that Andrey had his last sailing session and again I was fortunate enough to be sharing the water with my friend that day. It was a stellar session, logo, the odd 12'er, 25knots sideshore, glass faces and sun. It is only too fitting arriving here today by myself (literally noone there) that I was denied. Pelting rain squalls, the odd sunny break followed by rain again. The swell in the river was also near 12 feet, rarely have I seen it pounding in there with such vengeance and speed. The period was 13 secs. It should have been magic but the wind was slow in switching to NW from predominant WSW, dead onshore, close out sets and clashing with the swell, making a huge mess. In the 15 knots I would have been spending lots of douching time. So it was here that I remembered our last sailing moments together last year in August and today drove away bone dry and without sand crusting every piece of gear.