Tatiana Howard from Maui has made a name for herself as not just a talented windsurfer, kitesurfer and surfer but the organiser of “The Butterfly Effect” – a unique social enterprise for empowering women through windsurfing and watersports. Talented on and off the water with entrepreneurial skills that have let her travel the world and spread her ideas, we sat down with Tatiana in her home in Maui to learn more about the gifted waterwoman and her innovative project.

Words & Photos  John Carter

Originally published within the September ’16 edition.

Roots
“I have been lucky enough to live on Maui my entire life. My parents were originally from California where my dad always enjoyed surfing but being the hippies of the 70’s they moved out of the city to Northern Idaho, where they married and enjoyed the more rugged country life. The story is that my dad missed surfing so much that he converted his old surfboards into windsurfing boards so that when the crazy winds blew over Lake Pend Oreille, he would be out there catching the waves on the lake. I guess it wasn’t consistent enough to satisfy him, so they soon moved to Maui to raise my three older brothers and myself. We could always be found on the beaches of Maui every weekend. I learned to sail at Kanaha Beach Park when I was 14 years old. In my high school there were several surfers but not a lot of local kids windsurfed. My family moved here for this sport and when I found out that Maui is one of the best places in the world to practice, I thought I should give it a try. It was difficult to learn on small wave boards and having no uphaul, but the challenge was fun and kept me coming back for more. Windsurfing has allowed me to meet so many amazing people and travel the world. It also inspired me to create a non-competitive down-winder, later turning into a women empowerment movement and global event called ‘The Butterfly Effect’.

Alpha Females
Being a women out amongst all the men at Ho’okipa these days is not too bad, because although guys can ride stronger and faster, if you catch the wave far out and upwind, the wave is yours and everyone is pretty good about following the rules out there since it is more of an advanced break. Lately, there has been so many women out there charging that we are all treated equally. Over the years I am excited to see so many new women windsurfing in waves. It is a tight community for all of us ladies and we get together for fun times off the water as well.

Butterfly Effect
I like to say “The Butterfly Effect” is an event of “Aloha”. Aloha is Hawaiian for love, respect, greetings, farewells and a conscious way of life. It is about caring for each other and for all living things on the earth. Aloha is felt and shared by the heart. The Butterfly Effect is about sharing the passion of water sports with the community, encouraging and helping others, leaving no trash trace behind. We are striving for a “green” event and leaving a big path of Aloha and inspired minds ahead. We focus on a non-competitive water sport event for women and then add in more fun and awareness like guest speakers, athletes, artists, music, healthy organic foods, drinks and more. The Butterfly Effect started at Ho’okipa Beach Park in 2007 with about a dozen women. I returned home from traveling the world competing and was excited to create a fun non-competitive down-winder with some friends. I told one friend and she told her friends and by the coconut wireless the first event was born. We launched at Ho’okipa and came ashore at Kanaha. This 5-mile coast run is fun to do with friends and can be challenging but is achievable with friends supporting you. I didn’t think of it as an event at first, but it grew into a worldwide movement with events modelled after the concept in 18 countries and 45 events around the world.

Global gatherings
Maui was the biggest event we have had so far with 450 women participating. Lake Tahoe is a newly added location that is growing fast because of the beauty, community and access for people worldwide to attend. I think this year we might have about the same amount or more participating. The Butterfly Effect has landed in Italy, France, Sweden, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, Morocco, Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, Fiji, Tahiti, Israel, Germany, Barbados, Dominican Republic, Canada, and the USA Mainland in both California and Oregon. I had no idea it would turn into what it has. I had no event production background and was just doing the ‘Butterfly’ out of pure passion and had support from my friends, family, community, and my personal sponsors at that time. I was studying business at University of Hawaii and working on my windsurfing career. These events allowed me to travel the world in the best way possible, meeting fellow water women, local communities, and discovering special locations being hosted by locals. It is an amazing service to offer around the world and deeply rewarding. But to pay the bills, when I am back home on Maui I now work as a real estate agent.

Girl power
I think women getting together and promoting not only windsurfing but also a healthy active lifestyle is important. The two come together. Windsurfing has given me so much happiness and joy. The concept alone is amazing; catching wind in a sail and gliding around the ocean effortlessly and dancing on waves is a dream. For me it combines all the elements and is truly magical. I have met so many amazing people through the sport and have travelled to so many cool places in search of wind and waves. It is encouraging to see that so many women are getting into the sport these days. Windsurfing is easy to pick up with the new learner gear and the basics of the sport can be taught in thirty minutes. Once you get the hang of it, you will naturally want to learn more and it becomes a healthy challenge to improve which can give you strength, determination, and confidence. I am happy that I can introduce windsurfing to people worldwide through my events. Windsurfing actually is great for women because it isn’t with strength that you advance, it is in the grace and fluidity of movement, which comes easy for many women.

“ Catching wind in a sail and gliding around the ocean effortlessly and dancing on waves is a dream ’’

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Drone and GoPro footage from Salinas Windsurfing, Puerto Rico 2017.

Via Jrpla Pla

The post SALINAS WINDSURFING, PUERTO RICO appeared first on Windsurf Magazine.

In 1987 who would have thought that the small shack on the little known beach of Vassiliki would become the world renowned Club Vass? For 30 years the Club Vass team have perfecting the ultimate windsurf holiday! And to celebrate in style they will be holding an enormous birthday bash during w/c 2nd July 2017. By happy coincidence that is also Club Vass’s infamous Speed Week with the mighty Dave White. Remember Speed Week is for everyone and will boost your sense of control & fun even if you’re not a speed freak. Book soon, it’s filling up fast!

http://www.clubvass.com/pages/events

The post CLUB VASS HITS 30! appeared first on Windsurf Magazine.

Harty muses on the past and present strength of brand loyalty in windsurfing.

A  recent humorous telly advert featured a man in a photographic shop. He points to the camera he desires. The salesman congratulates him on his choice … but adds: “Is sir aware that this model here, a lesser known make I admit, has a much bigger sensor and is £50 cheaper with a lifetime guarantee?”
“Thanks but I’ll stick with my original choice.”  Replies the customer.
“… Even though this one has also got a more powerful zoom sir?” continues the salesman to no avail.
Cut to man with his new camera taking pictures of his daughter on a playground swing. Lacking a zoom, he creeps closer and closer until she swings down and kicks him in the groin.
My friend Pauline has a 1960s VW Combi, upon which over a decade she has lavished at least £60,000. The argument that with the same money she could have bought a brand new California camper with all sorts of mod cons like an engine that starts, a roof that doesn’t leak and a heater, falls on completely deaf ears. In her mind this collection of patched up panels (very few of which are original) is connected to her very soul. It’s a strong and reliable friend – even though she has been towed to more places than she’s driven to.
The two stories seem similar – they’re surely about misplaced loyalty to a flawed inanimate object or brand – but they aren’t. In the first the man with the aching jewels made an illogical decision in the face of overwhelming factual evidence. A camera is purely a functional item so why wouldn’t you go for the one with the most functions at the best price?
But the VW lady is different. Pauline is actually not a new age nutter tripping through the daisies on a diet of weed and fantasy. She runs her own successful business. She just happens to believe in the magic. The VW was her father’s. She holidayed in it as a child. It’s so much more than a means of transport. It embodies a thousand memories and it’s a trigger. When you put you’re dancing shoes on, you’re off dancing. When she gets in that rusted orange bus, she’s off on an adventure; a switch is flicked within her and she beams with joy … even as she calls the AA.

MAGIC OR PRAGMATISM?
Have you ever analysed what informs your kit purchases? Are you driven by head or heart? Is it all about the number of superlatives in the test report backed up by positive comments on the forums or the beach? Or are you more of a hopeless romantic who plumps for the one that looks right, and somehow represents something you’d like to be a part of? Do you feel a sense of brand loyalty?  These musings have been spawned by last month’s eulogy to Tushingham Sails (they are to stop production at the end of the year). The news triggered a torrent of dewy-eyed posts from old salty seadogs sharing tales about their favourite sails and their love of the brand.
John, from Sunderland, wrote a whole page to me about his 5.7 Project which powered him around his first carve gybe when he was on holiday in Barbados. He’d bought into ‘Tush’ after seeing the famous ‘Tushingham Surf Classic’ cartoon poster. It seemed, he said, like a no-frills company led by a group of British blokes having a good time. His Project now forms the roof of his garden gazebo and every time he looks up he says he is taken back to a time of unremitting joy. Interestingly he never mentioned the performance of the sail – just what it felt like to own one.
In the same era other major brands put out different but equally powerful messages, which elicited an equally fanatical following. Maybe it happened but I can’t remember ever seeing anyone with both a Mistral and an F2 in their quiver. You were either one or the other. Mistral were ‘reassuringly expensive.’ With their glorious branding and their outrageously exotic megastars from another galaxy, Robby Naish and Pete Cabrinha, they sold an irresistible lifestyle.
F2, by contrast, shrieked Teutonic precision. Their early stars, Jurgen Honscheid followed by the indomitable Bjorn Dunkerbeck, sold ruthless race-winning efficiency with just a touch of Hawaiian ‘hula hula’ –  F2, ‘Fun and Function,’ what a perfect strap-line.
And as for the boards, some were good, some were awful. Mistral’s production board the ‘Take Off’ was released with a glorious promo video featuring Naish ripping it around the sizeable waves off Diamond Head. You believed in it so wholeheartedly that it took us a year to realise it was almost impossible to sail. It was all about the belief.  So, are we today buying into the same dreams? Dave White, the distributor of RRD in the UK, believes it’s all very different.
“Back then it was all about creating stars. Today the market is smaller and the manufacturers are afraid to promote their top riders too much in case they ask for more money. But it’s the stars which create the magic. Look at Antoine Albeau. He’s amazing – on a par with Dunkerbeck. He’s been on the tour since the early 90s and he’s still at the very top. He should be up there as a total icon.”

COMPLETELY HYPE-LESS
‘Hype’ is traditionally a pejorative term – but windsurfing in the early days was full of it and it was a lot of fun. Bulging marketing budgets allowed for cinematic style trailers. “Coming soon – Tiga’s revolutionary race board.” Everyone was talking about it as Anders Bringdal turned up at La Torche with it under wraps. Only as he got to the water’s edge for the first race was it revealed … a THIRD concave – wow! It was a complete red herring of course, but who cares.
So where are we today? For a start kit is incalculably better. That’s really all you need to know. Substance has won over hysteria. People complain that the tests never say anything bad about anything – but that’s because nothing is bad anymore. The way kit is developed is through minor tweaks. Whereas once long and thin one year, gave way to short and fat the next, today we rarely stray more than a millimetre from something that works. Within that strict framework there’s not much room for hype – and if you tried, some well informed geezer on a forum would soon prick your bubble. However, if we want our amazing sport to flourish there’s no harm in sprinkling it with a little magic dust.

PH 26th July 2016

The post PETER HART – THE PAST IMPERFECT… BUT MAGICAL appeared first on Windsurf Magazine.

Summer on Karpathos, Greece…. Windy as usual full power to overpower, sunny weather, good food, nice people and a lot of adventures. Few shots from the fun session when it wasn’t so windy.

Via  Andraž Žan

The post JUST A SMALL PIECE OF FUN ON THE WATER appeared first on Windsurf Magazine.

The 2017 Windsurf Calendar by John Carter

Don’t miss out on owning a superb collection of high quality awe-inspiring images from JC, all shot on location at the world’s best windsurfing locations.

The 2017 Windsurf Calendar – Give your wall a treat or the perfect gift for the windsurfer in your life.

Calendar Specifics: Size: A3 (297mm x 420mm).

Format: landscape, ring-bound with hanging hook.

Photographer: John Carter.

Riders: Victor Fernandez, Adam Lewis, Amado Vrieswijk, Philip Koester, James Hooper, Robby Swift, Thomas Traversa, Graham Ezzy, Timo Mullen, Sarah Quita Offringa, Ricardo Campello.

Get your copy here before they go!

International postage options below:

Please select your postal zone from the drop-down menu below depending on if you are in UK, EUROPE or REST OF WORLD.

The post WINDSURF CALENDAR 2017 – NOW ON SALE! appeared first on Windsurf Magazine.

It’s easy to imagine what life at the top of professional windsurfing is like – podiums, prize money and photo shoots – what’s not to like! But what about the struggle to get there?  Every master was once an apprentice and in sport the road to the top has tough lessons to learn along the way. Former youth world slalom champion, Maciek Rutkowski, is a 24 year old Polish windsurfer with his sights firmly set on breaking into the upper ranks of the PWA and here shares his candid thoughts on the challenges of following your dreams.

Words  Maciek Rutkowski  // 

Photos  John Carter, Andrzej Jozwik/Surfmedano.com

Originally published within the September ’16 edition.

Dream time
“Maciek, what you doin’ here so early?” At first I think it’s part of the dream, but it’s just way too normal. My dream world usually consists of shapes, colours, chicks, shady characters, heavy brawls, barrelling waves and flying objects. Oh, and my girlfriend. Somehow she’s always there. “You alive? Don’t tell me you’re sleeping here!” It takes my brain a few seconds more than my body to wake up. I look around, almost conscious now. I’m in the middle of a small equipment tent in Reggio Calabria, laying on a 9cm thick mattress with Patrik Diethelm, my sponsor, shaper and friend, standing over me. I share the tent with him and Karin Jaggi, his long-time girlfriend and the second half of the 2-year-old board brand mysteriously called “Patrik”. The hotels close to the beach were too expensive for my 20-year-old pocket so I decided to crash the equipment tent’s floor. It’s 2012 and I’m about to begin my first full year on the professional windsurfing tour.

Hard yards
I pretty much cleaned out my bank account with buying the ticket to Korea, the tour’s next stop. Here in Reggio Garbagia, as it’s quickly labelled due to all sorts of things floating around, we only get one round done. My very practical goal was to earn some prize money, but Taty passes me on the last jibe and I finish 6th in my quarterfinal. That puts me in 25th – one place outside the much-needed dollar. But no worries, I had a good time and learned a lot. I’m not starstruck anymore, like I used to be in 2010 when I first did a few events, but I definitely enjoy hanging out with pretty much everyone and listening to all they have to say. About equipment, racing tactics, travelling, parties, contracts et cetera et cetera. I sink it in like a sponge. You never know when certain information can prove useful. But I also simply like to feel a part of the group. The pros, y’know…

In Korea I tell Matteo Iachino, who’s quickly becoming one of my good friends due to a shared passion for silly jokes, “If I always pass the first round I should finish top 30, right?” Well… wrong. I finish 36th, a harsh reality check. First lesson of racing: don’t ever calculate, just race. That’s what I do in Costa Brava and finish 14th. I feel on top of the world. Everyone patting my back, the windsurf media wanting interviews and videos, enjoying my first PWA prize money, peers giving me the first bits of respect, industry starting to slowly notice the too small competitor from a too small market. “Let’s see how he does in Fuerte”, they’re thinking. The answer? Crap. Back to the drawing board.

Money, money, money.
Before Costa Brava I received the second part of my energy drink sponsor money hoping it will last until the end of the year. Lesson two: when it comes to money, hope for the best, prepare for the worst. I use the last of my funds to pay for my Turkey trip. The contest goes average. At the same time IFCA announces their World Championships will take place in Paros a week after Alacati. I change my ticket to fly to Athens instead of Berlin and literally scrape coins from the bottom of my bag to pay for the ferry to Paros. There’s good prize money for the top 3. With only 4 pros going I’m pretty confident. I’m in 2nd for the most part of the event, but on the last day disaster strikes and I fall to 4th. How the hell am I gonna get home now? Gonzalo Costa Hoevel, who’s took me under his wing since day one and happens to win that event, pays for my flight home. The only problem – the flight arrives at Berlin-Tegel airport and my car is in Shoenefeld, about 2 train and 3 bus-rides away. I decide not to carry the 150kg of gear with me, but since I don’t have any money to pay for the storage, I hide the gear in what seems to look like a deserted corner of the airport. After almost 2 hours I come back just to find that same corner empty. I go into full panic mode. The sails aren’t even mine, I got them on loan from Loft Sails. I already have a vision of not going to Sylt and cleaning Monty’s floor for the next 2 years to pay for the set of sails and masts. Police tell me I should look around as thieves often only look for money and passports and dump the rest somewhere around the airport. So I’m running around like crazy asking everyone in broken german if they saw some very big bags somewhere. After an hour or so I hopelessly drag my feet back to the police station just to ask if there’s any news. As I’m passing by the left luggage storage I see some weird massive shapes sticking out of one of the alleys. My gear! I’m saved! Someone just brought it in! Only one small-time problem though – how am I going to pay the 150 euro bill for the 3-hour stay? “Hey dad”, I almost whisper to my worn out pre-smartphone cell, embarrassed out of my skin (because of having to ask dad not because of the phone), “Look, umm, there’s a bit of an emergency…” Within an hour the money pops up on my account and with a sigh of relief I drive home to prepare for Sylt. Lesson three: do not leave your baggage unattended.
Before leaving to Germany I sell my small board. Just enough to pay off Gonza, dad, and the fuel. Steve Allen gives me a lift to Sylt in his campervan and despite no great overall result again, I leave the island happy with a new trophy and a second Youth World Champion title to my name.

The breaks
“Mache, you’re snoring like a pig!!” I look at my iPhone. It’s 4am which means I arrived an hour ago. On the other side of the room lies a not very happy and very jetlagged Ricardo Campello, once my childhood idol, now my teammate and friend. We’re in Denmark the night before the beginning of the Cold Hawaii PWA World Cup. A lot has changed since 2012 and doing waves as well as slalom is probably the least of the changes. No more sleeping in equipment tents and crashing hotel dinners – finishing 16th in 2014 means free accommodation in 2015.

No more girlfriend (“how can I be with someone who’s never here?”) and no more university (“how can we pay a scholarship to someone who’s never here?”).  No more getting excited about 14th places. I was sitting at the gate with Josh Angulo once and he told me: “As a slalom sailor all you have to do is be top 4 every heat”. And that’s pretty much been my motto ever since. Some guys love winning first round heats even risking everything to get from 2nd to 1st. And a lot of the fans were more excited when I won a first round heat in front of Antoine in New Caledonia then when I got 7th overall in Sylt, which to me is absolutely ridiculous. I’ve even been branded “The Worm” by Finian due to sliding through heats Kevin Pritchard style. Offence to some, but an honour if you ask me.  No more hanging out for no reason. I realized that hanging around and talking to people during the contest actually takes a lot of the energy and focus away.  Sounds like a veteran? Well, not really. That hasn’t changed at all. I still feel as young and as fresh as in my teens. I still learn every day, the hard way a lot of the time. Like every year when negotiating contracts for example. Every year it’s different and every year, new circumstances come up. It starts the same with all the brand/team managers coming to Sylt for the PWA contest in October and sitting down with all their present and possibly future riders. From there they chase the biggest fish, the top 3, top 5 riders in each discipline. Then they move onto guys like me, which means between the nice chat you had in Sylt to the actual agreement, can be a 2-month gap sometimes. 2 months of not knowing what gear you’ll be riding next year, when you are going to get it and what your future is going to look like in general. The first year this happens you panic, as if the silence or the stalling means you’re not going to get picked up by anyone. Then you sort of get used to it and then start to use that time to improve as a windsurfer and as an athlete, which definitely won’t harm your negotiations. You can’t control everything, but control what you can control. This year I signed with GA/Tabou in December, after 4 years on Patrik and 3 on Point-7. As much as you would love to be loyal and be on the same brands forever, Ross Williams style, you learn that windsurfing is a business and you just have to approach every situation with an open mind, just looking at it as the way it unfolds.

Think big
At the end of last season I asked myself – “What’s the big picture?” The answer was simple, to be a world champion. “So what will move you towards that direction the most?” I pondered. Probably the one that supplies the best gear with a sufficient amount of money to be focused on training 100%.  Or like when you’re testing gear. You think you know a lot, but you learn every single session. Boards, masts, sails, booms, fins, battens – the further you get into the game the more of this stuff you have and the more money you can spend on having even more. And that means countless hours of testing, tuning, measuring, modifying, sanding, laminating etc. And every single time you learn something new. A softer batten tip does this, a 3cm longer tube that, but it only works on a mast that is these numbers and it might be too stiff in choppy or too soft in flat. I often get asked why those 40 year olds are still kicking our butts. Well, that’s exactly why and there’s no shortcut. Only learning by doing. Sounds like a grind? Well, maybe sometimes it is, but it’s well worth it.

A worthy journey
Apart from winning which is the absolute best feeling in the world for me and having fun on the water every single day, the experiences we get along the way are absolutely priceless. Show me another sport, or even another business where a person has the opportunity to learn so many different skills. I just finished laminating battens; now I’m writing this piece, before leaving to the gym and then going full travel-agent-mode to get all my flights for the next events. In bed instead of watching a film I’ll try to edit one but will most likely crash out the minute I touch the pillow.

So yes, the road to the top is long and winding. And yes, I believe, actually I’m pretty confident I can make it all the way. But if for some reason I don’t I’ll be ready to take on any new challenges in life. Only because of windsurfing and how much it’s given me. And I’m still “only” 24. So thank you windsurfing. You’re the best!”

“ When it comes to money, hope for the best, prepare for the worst ”

The post MACIEK RUTKOWSKI – ROAD TO THE TOP appeared first on Windsurf Magazine.

Located on the south side of Maui, La Perouse is one of the best waves on the island to surf or sail. Back in the 90’s it was the hot spot to windsurf during the summer months, but with the rapid increase in surfing’s popularity, it has been effectively shutdown for windsurfers for the last 15 years. With a huge south swell forecast however, Jason Polakow couldn’t resist the lure of a session there. Read on as Pozza tells us more in his inimitable style!

Photos  Jason Polakow

// Photos  Erik Aeder

Originally published within the September ’16 edition.

The Spot
“The water at La Perouse is a beautiful turquoise colour making for an amazing contrast against the black lava rocks that consume this entire bay. Watching this wave break when it’s big is one of the most beautiful sights you will see anywhere in the surfing world. It can also be one of the most dangerous places if you wipeout in the wrong spot. Razor sharp lava rocks cover 90% of the beach with only one small cove where you can make it back in safely. The wave has two parts to it. The ride on the outside is fun but the money part of the wave does not start till it hits the inside. It’s a perfect peeling barrel that starts breaking close to the lava rock point and then peels across the bay into a nice deep channel. It’s almost too good to be true but the wind plays cat and mouse with you all day and to make things more difficult, it is not that easy to find the right wave on the inside. You really need to be on the lookout for a wide set that extends out across the bay and these types of swells are very rare unless you have a perfect swell direction and size.

The call
Erik Aeder, the local photographer, blew my phone up the morning of the swell saying “I’m here shooting surfing and it’s the biggest I’ve ever seen it and it’s WINDY, come now…” Within 5 minutes of getting that text I was on the road heading over, hoping I was not the last person to find out how sick it was.  Arriving at La Perouse I saw perfect 8 to 10 foot surf breaking with 30 knot gusts pushing huge amounts of spray off the back of the waves.  I totally freaked out and went into hyper mode, rigging as fast as I could and sailing upwind to the break. It wasn’t till I got up there I realized I was the only windsurfer, however 25 to 30 surfers littered the line-up. This is always a difficult time for a lonely sailor, as they don’t take kindly to non-surfers at this amazing spot. Luckily for me, I knew most of them, so I gradually made my way out the back waiting for a set wave.

Game time
The first set came through just minutes after getting to the outside and it was a screamer with a long wide wall stretching across the bay. I knew this was going to be an epic set so I decided to go even though I had only been there a few minutes. Dropping into my first wave on the outside was amazing and my adrenaline was pumping. The outside was a solid 10-foot but I knew the real wave wouldn’t start until I got to the inside.  I dropped into the inside ledge and found myself in the perfect spot. A surfer was caught inside and was paddling back out and directly in my path. I had to manoeuvre around him, which now put me too deep. I pumped like a mad man and was so lucky to get around the section and into the safety of the channel. After that close call I spent the next hour feeling the place out and sharing set waves with the surfers.

Score!
By 1 p.m. the wind had really increased in strength and the surfers slowly started to come in. Usually they just stay out all day like at Ho’okipa when it is good but for some strange reason they all just paddled to the beach. Maybe they were freaked out by this windsurfing nutcase catching too many waves but for whatever reason it was, I liked it. By 2 p.m. I had 8 to 10-foot La Perouse all to myself. No one out at all. I could not believe my luck. Situations like this happen once every decade. You have to be in the right place at the right time and this was one of those occasions. The day kept going and by 4 pm I knew I would have this session all to myself. I had so many great waves that day it was pretty much a blur looking back at it now. For me personally, one of the best things I love about this wave is the anticipation. There is a small window between the outside wave and the inside wave where you can just relax for a few seconds, lean the sail back and look down the line and watch as this amazing wave begins to take shape. The wall of the wave extends out a long way, so you always think you are too deep. You have to hold yourself back a few seconds and trust that the wave will not close out. The wave is crystal blue in colour with a perfectly shaped tube to match and a long wall that you can set-up an air or cutback. It’s really an amazing place. As to be expected I got a little too comfortable and went down at the end of the day. Even though I was cut-up from head to toe, my gear obliterated from the shore-break and it was a 30-minute walk over sharp lava rock to get back to the car, I was smiling from ear to ear. What a day and a crazy session I will always remember; thanks for that phone call Erik!”

“ Watching this wave break when it’s big is one of the most beautiful sights you will see anywhere in the surfing world ”

The post JP CHRONICLES – SOLO PEROUSE appeared first on Windsurf Magazine.

Here’s a little clip of my recent trip to Maui, fun in the sun with the girls. We’ve been really pushing our limits on some heavy days in Hookipa and sepcially during the PWA ALoha classic. But this clip is made only from footage that we filmed with our Go Pro on some fun days around the beautiful Island of Maui, hope you enjoy watching as much was we enjoyed living it 😉

The post LENA ERDIL MAUI WAVES FRIENDS FUN appeared first on Windsurf Magazine.

ULTIMATE CONDITIONS FOR 2017 LANCELIN OCEAN CLASSIC

Four time Lancelin Ocean Classic Windsurf Marathon Winner, Steve Allen places first in Windsurfing Marathon Race, closely followed friend and viral Patrik Diethelm.
Female world windsurfing speed record-holder, Karin Jaggi (Switzerland), first female to cross the finish line.
Alty Frisby took first place for Kitesurfing narrowly missing out on fastest on the water to Steve Allen.
Brendan Rice takes out first in the Ocean Paddle for the second year running
Photo finish for line honours for Windsurfing and Kitesurfing Marathon.
The notorious Lancelin Wind finally came through just after lunch time yesterday, with competitors anxious to get in the water at Ledge Point and compete for the title of fastest Windsurfer, Kitesurfer or Paddler in the Lancelin Ocean Classic, Ledge to Lancelin Marathon.

Kitesurfers and Windsurfers entered the water at the same time, delivering an absolute spectacle on the horizon for onlookers on the beach.

The competition was tooth and nail between Steve Allen, Windsurfer and Alty Frisby, Kitesurfer. Allen eventually taking the lead and the competition for the Windsurfing Category.

Karin Jaggi of Switzerland, proved she holds the women’s title for a reason, being the first woman to cross the line on Lancelin Beach.

Another competitor to hold on to his title is Brendan Rice, the 26 year old paddler winning his second Lancelin Ocean Classic title in as many years.

“2017 Ledge to Lancelin Ocean Classic went off perfectly this year. The wind kicked in at 12 noon giving us plenty of time to check our gear before the start. I chose my 8.6m R8 Severne sail with my 115 Patrik Air Inside board which felt just perfect, so easy and fast, I really look forward to the 2017 season. I am stoked to win here again with such a huge fleet of fast racers. I was also happy to pass all the kite surfers after they started on the water 100m ahead of us and had a 200m shorter first reach. Just one caught me back at the finish when I slowed to check where to go through the last marks. Thanks to the whole team making the race possible again.”
Steve Allan, Pro Windsurfer

The results for the Windsurfing Marathon are as follows:

WINDSURFING MARATHON – MEN
1 Steve Allen (101) 0:27:07 (–)
2 Patrik Diethelm (102) 0:28:47 (+1:39)
3 Rowen Law (107) 0:29:15 (+2:08)
4 Jesper Orth (105) 0:29:57 (+2:49)
5 Daniel Engdahl (106) 0:30:13 (+3:06)

WINDSURFING MARATHON – WOMEN
1 Karin Jaggi (132) 0:31:47 (+1:29)
2 Justyna Sniady (147) 0:42:25 (+12:07)
3 Kirra Pallant (175) 0:43:20 (+13:02)
4 Lok Yiu Wong (148) 0:44:06 (–)
5 Lina Erpenstein (210) 0:45:51 (+15:33)

Windsurfing Wave Event results

Women’s
1. Jane Seman
2. Justyna Snady
3. Lina Erp
4. Maeli Squeaker
5. Kirra Young

The post 2017 LANCELIN OCEAN CLASSIC appeared first on Windsurf Magazine.

Adam Sims gets his first vlog on from Cape Town
Music
1: Joakim Karud – dizzy – https://theartistunion.com/tracks/b5d4da
2: Joakim Karud – Rock Angel – https://soundcloud.com/joakimkarud/ro…

*yes, I had a cold*
Additional filming – Flo Ragossnig, Olli Anderson, Raw Ham
Follow :
on http://instagram.com/instasimsk72
on http://www.facebook.com/adamsimsk72
on http://twitter.com/adamsimsk72

The post ADAM SIMS MY FIRST VLOG appeared first on Windsurf Magazine.

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In 2015 Fanatic surprised the windsurfing market with a new and completely different looking board, the Stubby. For 2017, Fanatic is extending the concept into their FreeWave and Freeride lines. Fanatic Wave R&D Manager and PWA Pro Klaas Voget gives us the lowdown.

WS: What’s so different about these short-nosed boards?
KV: It’s the feeling under your feet. These boards are an exciting and unique ride. The shape of the nose is the first thing you recognize, but the concept behind this design is more than just a chopped off nose. Fundamentally it’s the idea of maximizing the effective rail line and reducing the board to its functional length. The more parallel rails provide excellent control and fast planing characteristics. The straighter water flow around the board produces less drag when compared to a rounder outline, which increases overall speed. The much wider tail and nose gives a lot more stability to the board, whilst the narrow centre balances out the extra width under your feet. Our first board in this direction was the Stubby. Long before we launched it last year, we knew it had what it takes to be loved by many, rather than being a niche product for a handful of hard-core wave freaks. It’s the easy planing, the control and speed the board delivers in average conditions and less than perfect days; it’s so impressive. With the compact length and overall trim – which is much further back than usual – the reactions are super responsive and quick, making these shapes feel alive! At the same time the short length feels natural and not as weird as you would expect. But the real winning characteristic of these boards is their huge range! The Stubby is super fun in smallish side-onshore conditions, but I can easily take it out in 4m side shore Ho’okipa and still love it!

Fanatic’s Klaas Voget and Dani Aeberli show off the fruits of their work.

PHOTO Manu Grafenauer

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WS: How did the idea come about and how did you get this concept working so well?
KV: Sebastian Wenzel and I are constantly looking into different surfing concepts, yet the actual input for our first board in this direction came from inside the Boards & More group in early 2014, when the R&D Team of North Kiteboarding showed us their latest protos. Their excitement gave us the initial push to build a windsurf board with a similar idea. I think our intense research and input from North Kiteboarding, in combination with the huge database of shapes Sebastian has built over the years, all played a part in our first design. We kept the R&D process totally under wraps from thereon out, and developed it for more than a year when we launched the Stubby. The big success was that we didn’t focus on making this board something for certain conditions or a certain type of rider. We spiced it with a pretty flat rocker line, a controlled V bottom and all the user-friendly elements whilst fine-tuning the shape. The result was so good that my teammates and I use the Stubby in PWA competitions. Its carefree yet secure character, as well as its outstanding upwind ability make it a huge success. It felt natural that the FreeWave STB and the Blast should follow this path.

WS: The compact shape concept originated from the world of surfing. You’ve now taken it to flat water with the FreeWave STB and the Blast. How does that concept work in a totally different environment?
KV: There has been a lot of exploring with parallel rail concepts in the surfing world. The main benefits of these so-called ‘modern planing hulls’ is their ease of use and the speed these shapes generate. In windsurfing we have completely different forces working the board and fins when compared to surfing. The board doesn’t just have to work on a wave, it also has to perform in a straight line and in jumps. During the R&D process we found the concept worked well not just on a wave but was especially efficient on the way out through the break. The new FreeWave STB and the Blast are the logical consequence of our findings from our different Wave protos. We explored all the segments throughout our range and found the perfect fit in the FreeWave, and the sporty Freeride range. The STB is the next level all-round performer! It’s so crisp and fast. It just wants to jump and fly around. On the wave it’s slashy and forgiving at the same time. A bit like the classic FreeWave, but with lots of extra hp! And the Blast, I must say I can’t remember having so much fun on flat water and open seas just blasting around! It feels almost as fast as our Falcons and is an effortless ride. I’m sure the Blast and the FreeWave STB will put a big smile on a lot of windsurfer’s faces!

WS: So who should grab one of these modern shapes and who should stick to a proven ‘regular’ board?
KV: Generally it’s much more a question of personal taste rather than ability, location and conditions. In our range, we’ve placed the Stubby-Style boards in the ‘next step up’ category of each line. If you’re an experienced wave sailor facing a lot of ‘average’ days, then the Stubby is what you want. If you’re a wave newbie, the extra length and width of the TriWave will give some additional stability. The Quad targets the experienced wave sailor who gets to sail in ‘better’ waves more frequently. The FreeWave STB is the next level cross-over shape from flat water to smaller waves, mainly for the rider who wants one board that fits all. If you prefer the classic outline rather than a crisp, sportier ride, or you’re looking for that extra forgiving length and smooth turning, then we still offer the classic FreeWave. The Blast is placed right between the easy going Gecko and the lightning fast Falcons. If you want the next step up from your Gecko or classic Freerider, but don’t want to fight with your gear and bring the physics to the limit, then the Blast is your board! It’s made for the rider who wants to overtake their buddies with ease and nothing but a smile on his face. Sporty Freeride 2.0!

“ Fundamentally it’s the idea of maximizing the effective rail line and reducing the board to its functional length ”

Main Photo Victor Fernandez puts the Freewave STB through its paces in Maui.

PHOTO JC

The post LOWDOWN – FANATIC STUBBY, FREEWAVE STB & BLAST appeared first on Windsurf Magazine.

Gaastra and Tabou introduce the UK freestyler, Nic Hibdige, to the international windsurfing team!

instagram.com/gaastra_tabou_international
tabou-boards.com
gaastra.com

Via Gaastra

The post INTRODUCING – NIC HIBDIGE appeared first on Windsurf Magazine.

Scenes of the most windy days of late ’16 winter in Greece, Athens, Nissakia spot.

Via BeachEye.gr

The post WINDSURF – HARDCORE appeared first on Windsurf Magazine.

Continuing on with some freestyle tips in our #top100tips series. Here we cover a vital tip throughout the whole Windsurfing Heli Tack; LOOK FORWARD!
All clips are courtesy of #jemhallcoaching and this was performed in Prasonisi, Reliable Rhodes.
Learn this move and many many more on one of my coaching clinics 🙂
jemhall.com/jemhall-windsurfing-clinics.html

The post JEM HALL WINDSURFING HELI TACK appeared first on Windsurf Magazine.

It’s a late evening, brooding sky in Gran Canaria as I carry my gear over dulled, slippery rocks in Pozo. Conditions aren’t perfect, far from it, the crowds have gone and there’s just three sailors left on the water, one of whom is coming in with a sullen face. “I wish I hadn’t gone out”, he says, lamenting his last blast in unison with a darkening cloud forming overhead. I’m here to bookend a day of work with a refreshing sail, there’s no debate, I’m going out. I’m holding a boom, that’s good enough for me. Out to sea I sense a kindred desire in a sailor blasting back and forth over the chop beyond the break. Inside the surf line the third remaining windsurfer is moving effortlessly around the confused waves and gusts. There’s a purpose in his sailing beyond the failing light and wind, there’s no apparent glory in what he’s doing now, that will come later. The lone professional’s contorted rotations on the sea’s broken surface are flawless. In a relatively flat ocean for Pozo, he’s planing between the bumps and ramps with an almost sixth sense, the mark of a champion. In case you’re wondering who the sailor is, he’s deservedly on our cover and his name is Victor Fernández Lopez, sail number E42. Victor has reached the PWA final in Pozo ten times over the last ten years, it’s a remarkable achievement but in the context of his sailing this evening, his remarkable record has context. Dedication breeds success.

The proving grounds of our sport lie in every wind speed and water state. Every windsurfer, be it in the wet of seas or lakes, meets a challenge every time they sail. How we manage these challenges can be inspired by sailors like Victor or the Moreno twins, who have an even more incredible record of success than their compatriot. Achieving such a level of consistency in a sport where the only constant is variation of the ‘playing field’ is almost impossible to fathom when you consider the performance standards required to master the complex dynamics at work. “Show me another sport where a person has the opportunity to learn so many different skills… There’s no shortcut. Only learning by doing,” muses a reflective former youth world slalom champion, Maciek Rutkowski. In ‘Road to the top’ this issue, Maciek gives us a candid insight to the realities of chasing his dream of breaking into the upper echelons of the PWA. Most sports have champions that reign at best for years; windsurfing seems to specialise in uber talents that dominate for decades. Dunkerbeck, Naish and Albeau sit alongside the Moreno twins as examples of the prolific yet it seems their accomplishments aren’t always recognised as relevant to the grass roots of our sport. They should be. “It’s the stars which create the magic,” says Dave White as he contributes to the debate within our pages.

The lines of our proving grounds are common, we all interact with wind and water and if it weren’t for those at the extreme boundaries of those lines, windsurfing would still be a sport in a shed. Instead we have a sport that thrives on innovation, athletic endeavour and can be savoured in the myriad of ways on display this month. Flat water in Vassiliki, tubes in Tahiti, storms in St Ives; as windsurfers we revel in proving to ourselves that the only limits we have are how much we wish to grow within our sport, that’s a healthy pursuit, that’s windsurfing. The stimulation, excitement and adrenaline, it’s common to us all. At this time of year the brands release fresh goods to furnish our addiction further. Just like our prolific champions, it’s too easy to dismiss the relevance.

We test this month the cutting edge of current wave board design, the ‘compact concept’ but learn in this issue how Fanatic have took the ‘Stubby’ idea from their wave board line into their freewave and freeride range and how Neil Pryde have rebooted their iconic V8 sail by transposing technology from their high end racing line. What happens on PWA and elite proving grounds is being brought back to the basics of planing in ponds, I like that. It’s a cycle that I hope never ends because it tells me our sport is alive, evolving and vibrant but of course that’s not everyone’s view. Cynics have their own ideas on kit development and that’s ok too but before we close our case, we have some evidence from the honourable Peter Hart I’d like to present. In his ‘affairs’ piece this month, ‘The past imperfect’, Harty examines in his own inimitable gifted style our somewhat misguided nostalgic notions about ‘old kit’ and brand loyalty as well as a humorous look at the marketing hype of windsurfing’s glory years.

Thankfully the hyperbole of those days has gone and our sport has matured into a period of genuinely worthwhile development. “People complain that the tests never say anything bad about anything – but that’s because nothing is bad anymore.” Harty sagely notes. But of course the real test lies on the water not in words and whether you’re a cynic or kit junkie, vintage or proud 2017 board and sail owner, all are welcome at the court of windsurfing, just make sure you are sailing with criminal amounts of fun, that’s all we ask you to prove. Next special sitting at the court of wind junkies takes place at the National Watersports Festival, 2-4 September 2016, Hayling Island, be there and see for yourself kit and sailors of every age, all embracing the greatest sport on earth – windsurfing, the ultimate proving ground.

Words Finn Mullen  // 

Photo John Carter / pwaworldtour.com

(Originally seen in Windsurf Magazine / September Issue 2016 )

PHOTO  Pozo is a tough proving ground but Daida Moreno has the talent to match. Tweaked to the max table top forward from the 2016 PWA Gran Canaria champion.

The post FINN MULLEN – PROVING GROUNDS appeared first on Windsurf Magazine.

Matt Holton captures Ho’okipa uncut,warts and all as the pros, vistitors and locals enjoy another slice of paradise – a good insight into a day at one of the world’s most famous windsurfing beaches.

The post HOOKIPA UNCUT MIX appeared first on Windsurf Magazine.

Footage of Adam Sims and Balz Müller in South Africa, March 2016.

Via  Windsurfmoves

The post ADAM SIMS AND BALZ MÜLLER SOUTH AFRICA appeared first on Windsurf Magazine.

Louis Morris rides the waves at one of his home spots in South Wales while dodging the rocks in January 2017.
Camera: Ben Bulson and Olly Woodside.
Music: Philip Martin, Funky Lovin’.

The post LOUIS MORRIS SOUTH WALES WAVES appeared first on Windsurf Magazine.