VANCOUVER ISLAND WINDTALK

Ahhh - RD - blessings to you in the difficult times and so glad you're with family back home in your culture, although you surely feel how your adopted home misses you. You'll leave a hole in our community that can't be filled.

Didn't ever have the pleasure to meet Russian Dood. Feeling it from the community, and I lost my father similarly. Hopin' there is a chance the community will welcome him again.

Wow, how do I follow so many touching messages except to say that I am wistful that I never had the chance to get to know you a little more, Andrei. I really only saw you from a distance or in groups of other people so I am not really sure if you will remember me. However after seeing you a few times I had the chance to speak with you one on one last summer at Nitinat and you were so friendly and comfortable to speak with. I would have liked the opportunity to get to know you more. I am saddened by this lost opportunity which reminds me to take every opportunity I have to enjoy life and the people around me. For you I wish the best in this journey and that you can feel and enjoy the warmth and love of everyone in your life. Tenderly ~ Lea

I loved that post Kus. You too are a good man.

Andre I sailed with you on many occasions and shared some of my best days on the water with you Though we both used different weapons of choice, you saw past that and made a happy vibrant atmosphere for everybody at the beach You have contributed so much to this website and community and it would not be where it is at now without your help! You will be truly missed at the beach and today we are going to have another airshow in your honor Comrade!

RD - regardless of the fact that we never met, I have thought about you many times during my ongoing bout with cancer. I've been in chemo every two weeks since mid January, and often gain strength by knowing I'm not alone. I'm very sorry to hear about your downturn. Hope to catch some waves with you in a better place, with warmer water then here. Good luck comrade.

It is with a very heavy heart that we received the news this morning from Elena that Andrei passed just before 10 am St. Petersburg time. Elena requested links to photos of him windsurfing. If any of you have favourite photos of him sailing, please post the link to them in the thread marked "Andrei Windsurfing".

Andrei, you'll be missed very much my friend. Your fearlessness through your battle with cancer was so inspiring, as was your gentleness and humour with those around you who found your illness so difficult to accept. Thank you for your friendship, and I hope we get to sail together again some day in perfect wind and waves. May the wind carry your spirit to a place of peace, beauty, and contentment.

Chris

This is sad, sad news.
Andrei was a pleasure to be around; his humour, shining personality and positivity will be sorely missed by many. My heart goes out to Elena in this difficult time of grieving.

I doubt he knew it, but in his last days Andrei really was the inspiration that finally got me to stop making excuses and pull the trigger on the loop, as many of us have realized during the past couple weeks, we never know how many days we have left on this earth, so its best to say and do the things we want now while we are healthy and able.

I hope we can all get together for some sort of send off from the beach for Andrei, either here or down in Oregon. I'm sure he'll be right there with us, perfectly powered on one of his Super Freaks, ripping back and forth while his salmon colored crocs wait patiently for him on the beach.

- Tony

Such sad news. We will miss you Dood but never forget you!

I was thinking about this the other day and realized that it was within a week or two when we were all in Gold Beach windsurfing last year. Everything thing fine and normal. How quickly a life can change.

-Mark

The news is not good, it was expected now I suppose. So why can I not stop the tears...they just keep coming as I relive happier days. Looking at old photos makes it much worse, so maybe more later.

Oddly I was listening to "Shanghai to Shenandoah" by Cliff Stansell of the Pistol River Trio my new friend James Lundin shared with me last night. The album is fittingly named Crossing the Pistol and reminds me of a sad tribute, Cliff's fiddle weeps and soothes at the same time.

I have to think of the turkey vultures sweeping turns in the updrafts at the Rock, majestically soaring one moment, in another playfully chasing, then zooming beyond the next hilltop only to do it all again. There can be no doubt they are loving every minute of it.

I wish this for you Andrey, may your soul fly free like those birds.
You left us far too soon.
I will see you again when it's my time to cross the Pistol.
Be at peace my friend.

Thanks Kus, that was beautifully written. Such sad news, he should have have had so many more years of joy.

One less spark in our community

I'm really sad to hear this. Like Mark said, it seemed like yesterday we were all hanging out in Gold Beach without a care in the world. It seems unbelievable that all of that can unravel so fast. We'll miss you Andrei.

Such a good dude with a great spirit and a thirst for windsurfing. May his soul ride mile long waves for eternity.

Elena:
We have never met, I lost my wife to brain cancer Jan 17, 2010. Yours and Andrei`s battle was very similar, treatments, surgeries, hope found and lost. During this overpowering dark time it is impossible to see any hope of happiness. Take it one minute at a time, remember to breath, I can tell you that you are not alone. I consider myself a cancer survivour, I found a way through the dark. My thoughts are with you, if you wish to contact me please do so. May you find strength in knowing you were Andei`s whole life, yet he is only a chapter in your`s.

Joost Buijs