It is a good thing that the winds of change are blowing, as that seems to be the only wind blowing lately. As many of you already know, there have been some rather significant changes regarding the two windsurfing shops in Kingston. Wind Addiction is proud to announce that on October 22^nd, Dave Marshall and Mike McGinnis signed an agreement that saw Wind Addiction purchase Windsurfing Kingston on November 7^th. Dave has chosen to persue other business ventures, and will be relocating to Vancouver in the near future. Like many of you, we have been friends with Dave for many years and would like to wish him and his family the best of luck as they make their way to Canada’s Pacific coast.

"I need new gear next year and I am confused on where to go to buy it. Is Windsurfing Kingston gone? Is Wind Addiction gone? What is Windsurfing Direct?" are all questions that you might be asking yourself. Windsurfing Kingston, its familiar logo and web-site are certainly not gone, only transplanted to the Wind Addiction store at Portsmouth Olympic Harbour. You will still be able to find the same great service, selection, and advice you have been accustomed to - just in a new location. You know, the one with ample free parking, beautiful waterfront location and all the amenities of a bright, comfortable modern store – including heat, running water, TV and famed couch! On that note, we are in discussions to expand and renovate our retail area to serve you better.

Windsurfing, kite surfing and wetsuits are the only product lines we will retail, though we do have remaining snowboards and clothing inventory up to ½ off and we pay the sales tax! Windsurfing Kingston and Wind Addiction will be solely focused on being a year round one stop windsurfing experience. By focusing solely on windsurfing we can dedicate all our resources, time and energy to promoting windsurfing and offering you the best customer service possible.

We will be structured so that Glenn is responsible for retail (Windsurfing Kingston) and Canadian mail order (Wind Addiction) customer service, while Mike will be responsible for U.S./International sales (Windsurfing Direct), marketing/web-sites, and strategic planning. Of course, Dwight is the glue that keeps the whole program together as our Financial Officer, devils advocate and conscience. We are also pleased to announce that noted Ontario kite surfer Colin Gowland is joining us as kite surfing guru/instructor, as well as enhancing our service as shipper/receiver and warranty person.

"Will I still be able to buy my favorite brands?" has been a frequently asked question of late. We will be making an official announcement regarding our 2001 selection in the weeks to come. We assure all Windsurfing Kingston customers that we intend to carry your favourite brands with the same level of commitment – if not more.

You might be asking yourself if there are any real benefits to you with one larger retail store versus two smaller competing stores? The answer is quite simply, yes! We believe there are many attractive benefits including a "one stop shopping experience" and a first rate, totally committed team that is open when you need us most.

Most significantly, we anticipate less beach politics and most importantly, a retailer committed to supporting the entire windsurfing community. Instead of promoting brands or purchaser loyalties at the beach, we can now promote the sport to the best of our collective ability. You are still assured of very competitive prices with our "lowest advertised price guarantee". To save you time, we check all Canadian windsurfing shop brochures and web-sites to match or beat the lowest advertised price on every item we carry. We will also have in store specials and closeout specials available throughout the season.

We are also very pleased to announce that we have entered into collaborative agreement with John Anderson and his new business venture – Kingston Second Wind. As the name implies, John will compliment our retail store by handling the sale of used and consignment gear, while offering essential maintenance services including adult lessons, clinics, rentals and board repairs out of his Collins Bay location. We compliment John on this initiative, as our agreement makes total sense. John can do a massively better job servicing used equipment and handling consignment sales, while we focus on what we do best – new equipment sales and service!

We have appointed John as an Ambassador to promote and foster goodwill for windsurfing in the Kingston area. John will assist Glenn with clinics, demos, and events in the region. We feel that Glenn and John represent a huge asset to the sport and will create an awesome windsurfing environment in the region. Please feel free to approach them at the beach regarding rigging/technique tips or about our demo/rental program. I plan to spend my time at the beach "product testing" and describing our experience on our web-sites!

The single most important point we wish to make is that we see a massive opportunity to redefine the windsurfing subculture in the Kingston region. Our number one priority is creating goodwill with existing windsurfing consumers and participants. At the same time, the windsurfing community now has an opportunity to create unified goodwill with the entire community, so we may share our passion for the sport we love (and curse on non-wind days). It is our collective responsibility to develop a community of windsurfers that eagerly welcome windsurfers of all ability levels to join us. There is no doubt that our most cherished customers will be beginners, however, we commit to offering equal customer service to all customers, be they recreational or superstar, occasional or totally addicted!

To that end, we invite you to offer your opinion on how we can be the best possible windsurfing shopping experience for you. We are developing a questionnaire that can be completed on-line or by hard copy

Please feel free to drop by Windsurfing Kingston’s new home in the Portsmouth Olympic Harbour to see the recently remodeled showroom and share your ideas with us.