Nico Prien continues his excellent series of videos with this latest clip which demonstrates some excellent technique tips on how to improve your flat water blasting skills. Are you ready to fly?
The post FLATWATER BLASTING WITH NICO PRIEN appeared first on Windsurf Magazine.
VERDICT:
Smooth power and ultimate control, the Blade is an incredibly easy to use high performance package for those looking for a 5 batten wave sail.
The Blade continues in Severne’s lineup as their 5 batten wave sail offering with Severne claiming, “The 021 Blade is the sail to choose for all-round high performance.” It sits alongside its 4 batten stablemate the S-1.
The Blade has seen some evolutions for the 2021 season with a lighter feel produced by a focus on reducing swing weight but also using their new eM4 material in high load areas such as the foot. Based on the eM3 material that has been consistently used in areas to reduce weight in Severne’s range, the eM4 material features twice the amount of X-Ply fibre and increased film thickness to increase durability. Thus allowing weight reduction while still maintaining puncture resistance and tear strength.
The clew has been strengthened but not at the expense of swing weight by continued use of Severne technologies such as their Spiderfibre load system. You also see this continued focus on reducing swing weight in the head where rather than moulded head reinforcement; the luff material is simply doubled up. Despite being a 5 batten sail, the Blade came out as one of the lightest on test.
Even though there is a push on weight reduction, there is a clear eye on durability too, for example the entire sail is X-ply and is entirely double seamed to maximise strength.
The Blade is available in an impressive number of sizes from 3.0 all the way through to 6.7. The smaller sizes up to 3.7 have adjustable headcaps and all sizes maintain the 5-batten layout. Severne also offer two membrane Sails the Blade Pro and S-1 Pro.
Rigged on the Severne RDM Blue mast, it’s worth noting that when using the aligned Severne extension that the sail rigs with the luff on the left to give you a taste of its West Australian roots, where port tack wave sailing is predominant. It downhauls easily with a bar through the tack block keeping the downhaul neatly in the pully system, and the bar can be removed if using a loop and go system.
There is positive rotation in the bottom of the sail and the Dacron along the luff panel offers an increased amount of stretch. On the water the Blade is incredibly smooth in it’s power delivery. It powers up easily, but in control, making use of gusts rather than letting you get caught out by them. The Dacron luff panel gives it a smooth rather than soft feel as the centre of effort drives low and forward. This locks the board down to the water and certainly gives an overriding feeling of control that is highlighted throughout the Blade’s use.
This controlled power delivery and ability to drive the board means the Blade felt one of the fastest sails, and certainly allows you to attack ramps or waves with as much speed as you dare. It has a good natural range with little more than outhaul adjustment really needed as the wind increases. On the wave the control continues with the Blade able to go light in the hands easily when needed, and remains light in the hands through transitions.
PRICE: £765.00
SEVERNE BLADE 5.0 2021 TEST REVIEW
The post SEVERNE BLADE 5.0 2021 TEST REVIEW appeared first on Windsurf Magazine.
I was born in Cornwall! Not like all these bleeding incomers! I travelled a bit with the family, and once I finished my education, I stumbled back to Cornwall and couldn’t leave! Something about the place draws you in, especially if you love windsurfing, surfing, the countryside, fishing and a nice life…or it might just be the crap public transport and traffic jams on the A30 trapping us!
I’m a sail and cover maker at RB Sails Ltd (www.rbsails.com). I started the business with a partner (now retired) about 12 years ago. I studied Geology at university in Cardiff and during my last year I started doing some work for a sail loft, mostly working on the windsurf sails and surf products. Unfortunately that went sour and I started RB Sails with a friend. I continued to make windsurf sails under the Ross Sails name, but the money just wasn’t there and I started to feel like I wasn’t enjoying going to the beach as much because I was always so critical of my sails, and wanted them to be better, but it was so hard to find the time to actually make my own. Now we mostly specialize in bespoke covers, upholstery, bags and canopies. Pretty much if it is made of fabric, we can do it! Oh, and we do sail and kite repairs, as well as supplying the local area with windsurf kit.
We have also been running the BWA Cornwall Wave Classic for the last few years. I started helping with judging and then head judging the BWA, but the travelling to all the events became a strain on work, so I ended up offering to run the Cornwall event. It is still time consuming and financially difficult to do, but I think Nigel and Geoff do such a good job voluntarily, that the least I can do is run the local event. It’s always great to have the best sailors here over the weekend and it’s usually a really intense few days.
Being the boss makes mixing things easier. And it was the reason for not following a real career path. I’m meant to be able to go sailing when I want, though it doesn’t quite work like that. I used to work all the time, 7 days a week, making the time to go windsurfing if it was good. Now I try to work almost normal hours, so probably only 10 – 12-hour days, 5 days a week. I definitely took the time to go windsurfing last winter as it was so good. ‘Family life’ fits in well as Nicky windsurfs too, although she gets a bit frustrated when I have been at the beach and she is stuck at work.
I used to ride my own sails and boards. It can be such a good feeling sailing something you made, but the time to make it can also be frustrating. When I decided to stop making windsurf sails, I chose Simmer sails. They seemed like a good fit and dealing with Farrel is always a pleasure. I use 3.7, 4.0, 4.5 and 5.0 Simmer Blacktip sails; they get me out in everything I want. Up until 2 years ago I was riding my own shape boards and loved it, but they came to the end of their lives and the Simmer Cortex was exactly what I needed, so I got one and now this year I have added a Flywave to my van. The Cortex is the perfect one board solution and is 78 litres and my big board. I added the 72 litre Flywave for the windy days as a smaller board.
My workshop is in Hayle, so I’m always keener to get out on the north coast as it’s closest. Any wind in the south to west-southwest works for the Bluff, Sandy Acres/Mexico or Gwithian. The best thing about being here is that we have plenty of options. Marazion can be great fun too and you can sail both coasts in the same day. It’s rare that I do that as I’m pretty lazy! In reality, I think I just look out for windy days as there is always somewhere to sail, and sometimes the unlikely directions can be just as fun (like northeast at Godrevy) as long as I don’t have to drive too far. Interestingly, I was joking with Timo and Steve Thorp the other day when they suggested going to Daymer. “You’re joking” I said, “that’s an hour’s drive”. And that is what happens when you spend too much time in Cornwall; you just can’t be bothered to drive anywhere else!
I am not really a fan of the big storms. When I was younger, I used to spend all my time looking for new big wave secret spots and howling winds, but I think I’ve reached that age when you just feel broken all the time. My knees hurt, my ankles hurt, my lungs hurt, my brain hurts and I’m weak and it’s cold! However, I do still try and get stuck in occasionally, especially if it’s not too cold. I just got a new wetsuit and that has made a hell of a difference. It’s good to watch Blacky, Timo, Thorpy and everyone else when it’s big and stormy. They seem to love it and it does tempt me out.
The beauty of windsurfing is getting to jump on the way out, and ride on the way back in. I think that is why I fell in love with the sport. I learnt to forward and back loop quite young, then stopped doing them, then learnt again, then focussed on riding only for years and pretty much forgot jumping, but now I enjoy both. I’m not great at either, and I’m the most inconsistent windsurfer I know. It’s so frustrating that one minute you can do it all, and are ‘the man’, and the next you are totally out of control and can’t do a thing, but that is what makes it all great. You never stop trying and you never get as good as you want…well I don’t anyway! I love a good wipeout. I think I love wipeouts the best!!
I moved here to go to college. I studied at Falmouth School of Art for 5 years. The subplot was I just wanted to be in Cornwall to windsurf and Falmouth seemed to fit the bill. I have always worked for myself. Currently I’m running a bed and breakfast, before that I had my own shop. It is tricky to fit in windsurfing around family life and business. Although I do get a solid four months off in the winter, but it always seems to be epic when I have to go and fix something.
I’m using Witchcraft V5 custom wave boards, made in Fuerteventura. I’m using 68 and 74 litre tri-fins, both sizes are the HDD version, so they are super strong and ding resistant. I’ve been on Bouke’s boards for over 10 years now. Sails wise I am on the Witchcraft Slayers. Like the boards, they are designed to take a good kicking. I’ve been on the sails now for a couple of years and they pair up nicely with the boards.
The days I look out for are random. It depends on my mood. If I have lots of time I will try and find the best conditions I can, but if I’m a bit rushed it is a ‘Mazza’ (Marazion) job. I like the big storms. If it’s super windy then I enjoy Marazion. If it’s Gwithian and blowing 70 mph, I’m not so keen on navigating the cliff.
I have no preference to jumping or riding. I suppose a really good days wave riding includes big aerials, so I would lean towards that. Actually, now I think about it, a massive aerial has something a jump doesn’t. So wave riding if I must commit to an answer
I was born in Cornwall! I lived in Africa for twenty years and moved back in the late 70s when I had children and wanted them to have a good education and also rising security concerns. I chose to move back to Cornwall as I was born here, and it is a great place to live.
As for work, bloody hell! I’m 70 so I’m well retired, although I guess you could say I’m a full-time windsurfer! I was a mechanic for 50 odd years, but also helped out with sail and board development and testing for several of the Cornish brands when there were lots of them. It’s amazing thinking back to the 80s and 90s of windsurfing down here and just how big the windsurf industry was. Sails, boards, extensions, booms, harnesses and wetsuits all made on our doorstep. It always paid to help out in the lofts and board places to ensure a good discount! Now I help Ian at RB Sails, making sure he actually does some work rather than letting him daydream about windsurfing all day, and as a part of that I help with the BWA Cornwall Wave Classic each year. That’s a great event, and it’s cool to get all the competitors down and have a good laugh.
I go windsurfing pretty much whenever I want! Moira, my wife, prefers me out of the house anyway! I’m pretty much windsurfing or SUP’ing most days. When I worked as a mechanic it was weekends or rushing down to the beach after work and holidays in Fuerteventura every year. I must have been there 40 times or more, people thought I was a local! I got my children into windsurfing and Grant still windsurfs now on the south coast, occasionally returning to Cornwall for a session with his old man. Mind you I still have to caddy for him at competitions as he is useless with his kit!
For years I used all local Cornish equipment – Magic Touch, Lodey, Hy Jumpers, Open Ocean and Limited Edition! Now I ride Simmer Style boards and sails, partly as a deal through RB Sails and partly because Farrel O’Shea is such a legend to deal with. It was all wave kit for years – Blacktip Sails in 4.0 up to 5.3, and Quantum Boards. I really rate the Quantum 105 litre. I use it in everything and it’s like sailing an armchair, it’s so comfy and does it all for you. In the last couple of years I’ve bought some freeride kit – the Simmer Enduro and Simmer Freemove, which are great for getting out in the summer and blasting past all the old boys on their race kit. I don’t like to be overtaken!!
I look out for any windy day really! I have enough kit for everything! But if I had to choose, I love 5.0 metre days at Marazion. It’s a great spot, which is fun without being too full on, although last winter had some pretty big swells. I also took up SUP’ing a couple of years ago and that has really helped with my fitness and wave riding.
I like the big waves and storms. Unless it’s mast high and drift and ride, I struggle with that, but love a good 3.7 or 4.0 metre day! There’s nothing quite like that to challenge yourself against the elements.
I love wave riding! The buzz is amazing, especially if it’s a bit bigger and the occasional party wave is good with friends! But jumping is still a real rush. I learnt to forward at 61 years old and was landing back loops, but broke my leg doing those. I stopped doing them after that! My forwards became cheese rolls, and I still throw the odd one on the right day, and still come in shaking with adrenaline when I do. Not bad for a 70-year-old!
Jeez, I moved here something like twenty odd years ago! I really moved down for the waves and wind under the guise of doing an engineering degree. I’ve been windsurfing and surfing now for as long as I can remember and still feel like a little kid when I check the forecast and it’s all set to go off. The passion is still there for sure, having said that I do get more frustrated these days when the forecast says it’s going to be sick and it turns out to be a load of rubbish. I feel like it’s time I could have spent with the nippers or getting on with work.
Reality set in when I realised I was never going to make a living from competing. Don’t get me wrong, I had a great time cruising around to all the different locations and am grateful to all my sponsors who helped support me in the past. But you know, we are spoilt here in Cornwall, even an average day here would be day of the century at some of the spots we had to compete in. For me now time is the enemy, my business has grown and grown, I simply can’t justify disappearing for a week to do a competition when odds on we’ll have some good conditions here just around the corner.
Tombstone Surfboards that I founded with Dan Kinnaird of Elite Custom Boards back in 1989 has now morphed into a bit of a monster. The premises we are in now has a pretty substantial retail outlet on the upper floors called West Cornwall Surf (www.westcornwallsurf.com) with the surfboard factory still underneath.
Like every psychopathic windsurfer, it is never easy combining work with family and sailing, but somehow, we all manage to do it! A lot of evening work catch-ups and Doris is pretty cool; she’d prefer me to go to the beach rather than pacing the floor like some sort of caged animal.
I’m an absolute wrecker when it comes to boards. We use our surfboard foam as the core, which is completely waterproof, and it just makes things so much less stressful. When you stick a board up on the rocks, you can just peel it off and carry on sailing. I’ve always struggled to find a production board to suit my height and style of sailing. Don’t get me wrong, I can see how the recent evolution of boards has allowed the sport to progress and become more accessible, but if you are a bit of a die-hard bottom turn fan like me, you can’t beat a gunny outline with a stack of vee, certainly for Cornwall anyway, where the conditions are always a bit rough and ready.
I was heavily involved in the sail brand 5 Oceans as you know, but Matthew has moved operations from here to Brittany and been up to his ears in setting up the workshop/sail loft and also basically building a house! I would feel so bad about asking him to do me a whole heap of kit. In an ideal world it would be great if everyone could have custom gear tailored for their own style of sailing, but know what, the majority of production kit is so good and versatile these days the custom market is relatively niche. Because of the business we have accounts with both Pryde and Tushingham (Starboard, Severne, Red Paddle Co.), so I’m lucky enough to get a go on the latest shiny kit. I’m currently into my ‘Blades’, those things are sick, but I don’t mind a spin on the Prydes, they are also flipping good.
I will sail with, whoever wants a slice! It’s great because the standard of sailing in Cornwall has gone through the roof and everyone has their own little strengths. It means you can go out in some pretty average conditions and with the boys that are pushing their abilities you can have a super fun sail. Ultimately though, it’s big Gwithian, or one of the reefs that we are all after.
As long as the old body is working, I don’t care whether I jump or ride! I do love the craic we have at Mazza. Because the beach is right there, it’s all a bit more relaxed, trading a few jumps with your mates, that’s probably the best fun we have. The big man, Danny Pollitt, will be there, taking the piss. He’s the ultimate twat magnet and without fail someone will get in his way or pile into him and we’ll be there keeling over on the beach waiting for the fallout. The other beaches tend to be more of a mission and the conditions more full-on, possibly less fun, but ultimately the psyche levels will be higher, nothing can beat that feeling when you drop into a bomb!
I love the big storms, who doesn’t! You against the elements. That excitement as you check the forecast and think ‘oh jeez’. Then when the storm hits, and you rock up to the beach and think ‘oh blimey’! That slight fear as you rig up thinking to yourself, ‘what on earth am I going to do out there’! It’s never that bad though as long as you’re not too far out with your sail size you can always find some sort of groove and get some moves in, yeah love it!
I have lived and worked in the South West since I was 18 years old. I went to University in Plymouth in the same era as Blacky and Fawcett; 30 years ago was the same but different as it is now, same peanut gallery in the car park, just different faces! My first job after uni was in Cornwall working for Gul wetsuits, so Gwithian again became my adopted home for a few years. I then scored a job with Animal, again based in the South West and drawing me once again back to Gwithian. I eventually got relocated back to Poole in Dorset, but my love affair with Gwithian had to be a long-distance affair, driving crazy miles to satisfy both my wave sailing lust and my wife’s demands to be back home for tea!
I remember the day clearly though when I made the decision to put down some roots in Cornwall, Blacky told me I was going to burn myself out with all the driving and told me I should just buy a place. Prices were still low and they were the only ‘words of sense’ Blacky has ever spoken! That night I googled ‘land for sale Gwithian’ and up popped the only empty plot I have ever seen for sale there. I bought that plot the next day and two years later I had built myself a house overlooking the main peak that we windsurf at Gwithian. I have now worked in Cornwall for the last ten years. I pretty much live here during the week then head back to the family and Dorset at weekends, avoiding the tourists but praying for no wind at the weekend! And I must emphasise though I am a ‘blow-in’! I am from Northern Ireland originally, so deep down I still call that home. I like to think I have 3 homes, which I guess I do – Ireland, Cornwall and Dorset.
I part own a natural skincare brand called Wideye and FoamLife, a flip flop brand. I am self-employed, so unless I have pressing appointments for work, my time is essentially my own so I can pick and choose my work around a dropping high tide! I think people’s perception of me is that all I do is windsurf! I have always had a full-time job, it is just that the only time other people see me is when I am at the beach!
Mixing windsurfing and family is something I am not so good at! I have been nearly divorced quite a few times! My wife is very understanding, but I am very obsessed, I need to find a better balance!
I ride all Severne kit. For boards I use Nano and Mako, and my sails are Severne Blades. For Cornwall my kit is perfect, particularly the Mako 91, that board is the perfect Gwithian one board does it all!
The days I look out for are the ones that hopefully no one else does! I am not so much a fan of the big storms! I always find them a bit of a letdown really; they over promise and under deliver. The good days in Cornwall are the days with a solid swell and iffy wind. The bottom line is that the waves have to be there, if the waves are rubbish that pretty much sets the tone for the day! I love jumping too, but I do get to do a lot of jumping at home in Poole so my time in Cornwall is mostly about riding waves!
I run Lagoon Watersports in Brighton. I moved to Cornwall in 1999, primarily for the waves. I work remotely for Lagoon Watersports doing the planning, marketing and administration. I look at the forecast for the week ahead and make a rough plan, trying to combine family, beach and work. My wife and team at the Lagoon will quickly let me know if I am spending too much time at the beach!
I ride Duotone, Fanatic and Witchcraft. My favourite setup is the Duotone Super Hero 4.5m or 4.2m. I prefer to rig my sails without too much downhaul and I tend to rig a size down from most people, as I am pretty light. I like my boards to be indestructible, as I seem to have a habit of ending up on the rocks. I prefer riding custom boards, as I like a bit more rocker in my boards.
Classic days for me are a medium size swell with a good period, tides playing ball and moderate cross-off winds. But you really have to accept whatever Mother Nature throws at you and you can’t be too fussy. For me the best days are the ones you don’t see coming. The sun comes out and it gets a bit windier than forecast and the swell is bigger than predicted. A few messages fly around, work gets canned and we end up heading to a spot on the off-chance. Sometimes it’s as much to just meet up and have a cup of tea. Every now and again the stars align and it fires out of the blue. Four hours later you can barely walk you are so tired. On those days you feel you have won the lottery.
A big storm can be great but frequently the day after is cleaner and I prefer that. I am all about wave riding as my jumping is rubbish.
I learnt to windsurf in 1982 in Christchurch harbour, I remember seeing a tall skinny kid with blonde hair on a short board doing duck gybes; I found out later it was Duncan Coombs. I worked at Grand Prix windsurfing, now Boardwise, with Ian Gregorelli and Doug Foden and I aspired to move to Cornwall as I had visited a lot through the late 80s and loved the atmosphere and the conditions. Through them I had connections with Paul Lodey and did a deal with him to work on a house he was renovating in Porthleven in exchange for a board and a quiver of sails.
I taught myself to forward loop in 1990 and sailed in the Pripps Energy (remember them?) wave series and competed at Rhosneigr, Cornwall and Tiree, eventually coming 13th in the pros if I remember correctly, a long time ago!
I moved to Cornwall in 1990 when it took hours to get here before dual carriageways, I liked the isolation and simple way of life. Sadly with the county becoming easier to get to and constant development, it has become overpopulated and lost a lot of its charm. In recent years it has been busier on the water as well.
I became friends with Ian Black and Andy Fawcett, and we sailed regularly in the early 90s across all the breaks in West Cornwall including the reef at Porthleven. Chris Calthrop (R.I.P.) turned up in 1991 and slept on my sofa for a while and sailed the reef with us along with one of the biggest days I have seen at Gwithian. The 2nd December 1992 delivered a storm with a low pressure of 935 mb, one of the lowest ever recorded over Cornwall and may still be! It had similar conditions to the Red Bull Storm Chase held at Gwithian. It was waist deep in the water at the shoreline to launch, but sucked back to bare sand such was the amount of water moving. The whitewater was mast high and chicken gybing to try and get out was the norm. I remember Andy Fawcett sailing in on a swell the size of a block of flats! No lifeguards, life vests or jet-ski rescues, when men were men!
I have worked offshore on oil and gas rigs since 1995. Finding decent jobs in Cornwall was, and still is, tricky. My job gives me approximately 230 days off a year to sail when conditions are right, and it allows me to pick the days I want to sail and gives me plenty of time to do other interests, including gym work to keep fit for sailing, spearfishing in the summer on calmer days and track days in my 911.
I live in North Cornwall these days and sail at Daymer Bay on a NW and other directions if the conditions are right, along with a few other less well-known breaks. I sail Ezzy sails and masts, and have done since 2005, I like the construction and they suit my style. I still have some of the smaller sails from 2005 they’ve lasted that well! Being 6’5” and 115 kg I need big power and equipment that can take the punishment.
I use Fanatic boards with my latest being a 105 FreeWave STB TeXtreme®, which works so well on the jumping side in cross-on conditions. We get a lot of that here, despite everyone thinking it is down-the-line day every day in Cornwall!
I enjoy the banter at the beach, we can all have such a laugh with Dad, I mean Dale, and other locals, sometimes at other people’s expense, but it’s all in good fun. Sometimes it’s better than the sailing! I pick my days now, especially on the bigger days at 50 years old and after two near drowning experiences. Harvey Dawkins rescued me at Gwithian after a heavy winding landing on the tail of my board on a cutback and unable to breath with lost kit and overhead surf, without him I was gone. It opened my eyes to how easily it can happen even in average size surf after sailing in much heavier conditions for years without incident.
I like jumping and wave riding, no preference; it just comes down to the particular day and the conditions present. I am too heavy to be a good float and ride sailor, I prefer to be powered up and like nothing better than a big one-handed forward and also the old school moves that you don’t see much these days like a cheese roll, which do seem to be making a bit of a comeback though.
The post KERNOW: CORNISH CREW appeared first on Windsurf Magazine.
Team GB windsurfers Tom Squires and Emma Wilson are relishing a forecast for big breeze as they take on the RS:X World Championships – one of the last major events before Tokyo 2020. Photos: Joao Costa Ferreira/RSX Class
Squires is known for excelling in strong winds, and that’s just what the 46 male and 30 female athletes have in store over the course of the five-day regatta.
The current forecast in Cadiz, Spain, suggests winds could hit more than 30 knots at times as the best of the best battle it out to go into the Olympics as world champions starting tomorrow.
“My favourite conditions are always going to be stormy high wind days, and it looks like there’s a storm on the horizon!” said Squires.
Squires and Wilson have been training in Cadiz ever since the European Championships in Vilamoura, Portugal, at the start of March.
But with the rest of the British Sailing Team windsurfers already switched to the iQFOiL, the equipment for the Paris 2024 Games, both athletes have had to adapt their training plans.
For Squires this has meant joining forces with a handful of international rivals including reigning world champion Kiran Badloe from the Netherlands.
“This month I have been doing a large training block in Santa Pola, a nine-hour drive north of Cadiz, with the Dutch, Spanish, New Zealand and Norwegian lads,” said Squires, 27, from Kingston Bagpuize, Oxfordshire.
“With all British RS:X windsurfers migrating to the new iQFOiL this kind of training setup is new to me, but it’s actually been a great.
“It’s had some logistical challenges, but the tight knit ‘Dutch training bubble’ includes Kiran and some other outright legends. It’s been perfect for me to get up to speed in all conditions.
“This world championships will be the last competition before the Olympics and I’m feeling good on and off the water. It’s been a while since I’ve felt good on the water – it’s taken four years to get to a standard I feel confident with both my environment and my equipment.”
Wilson, 22, narrowly missed out on a podium spot at the European Championships last month, coming home fifth.
With Tokyo 2020 less than three months away, she is planning on making the most of the opportunity to face her international rivals one last time before heading to Japan.
“We’ve had some great training in Cadiz in some glamour conditions,” said Wilson, from Christchurch, Dorset, “but for the regatta it looks like we might get some good old British weather. That means plenty of opportunities, and I’m looking forward to the challenge. The worlds could possibly be my last competition until the Olympics so as always I will give it my all and enjoy it.”
Racing starts on Friday April 23 and will conclude on Tuesday April 27. Follow the action through the British Sailing Team social media channels.
Full results from the regatta can be found here.
The post TOM SQUIRES AND EMMA WILSON READY FOR BATTLE appeared first on Windsurf Magazine.
With some help from Fanatic Duotone team rider, Sarah Jackson, Lucas Meldrum has his first try at slalom!
Lucas Meldrum “Before this video I had never tried a sail bigger than a 6m, let alone with cams. Find out how I got on with the big kit with help with K66 team rider Sarah Jackson”
The post WAVE SAILOR TRIES SLALOM: LUCAS MELDRUM appeared first on Windsurf Magazine.
The EFPT first international event of the season has kicked off in Austria! The freestylers seem pretty happy to be competing again with a few heats and the first round of tow qualification completed!
The post EFPT AUSTRIA SURF DAY ONE appeared first on Windsurf Magazine.
Sandy Clunas takes us on a tour of the event site at the EFPT Austria event and also checks out all the highlights from the days action.
Produced by
The post EFPT AUSTRIA DAY TWO VIDEO appeared first on Windsurf Magazine.
Neil Pryde and JP Australia have released their awesome 2021 collection video.
“Every year we strive to improve and progress. Widening our horizons through constant development, closely critiqued by our amazing team of athletes. The 2021 collection is our broadest ever, offering the very best performance equipment for everything from flat water lakes to 60 foot waves at Jaws.
During these challenging times, our worldwide team had to collaborate like never before to make this movie a reality. It was a new and challenging approach and from it all, the overwhelming feeling from everyone was how amazing our sports are and how much energy you get from spending time on the water!
We hope you enjoy watching it as much as we enjoyed making it!”
CAMERA: Christian Walter, Jace Panebianco, Matty Schweitzer, Stefan Lehmann, Paul Karaolides, Adam Sims, Philip Mackenbrock
SOUND DESIGN: Tobi Bugl
TEXT: Luisa Point
RIDERS:
Andi Lachauer, Andy Laufer, Daniel Dingerkus, Greta Marchegger Ita-193
, Jason Polakow
, Leon Jamaer
, Morgan Noireaux
, Nico Prien, Robby Swift
, Rocco Sotomayor, Sebastian Kornum, Seba Vannini
Sophie Steinlein, Sven Feuer
, Theresa Steinlein, Yentel Caers B-16
.
The post NEIL PRYDE AND JP AUSTRALIA 2021 COLLECTION VIDEO appeared first on Windsurf Magazine.
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I would be hard pressed to say that I have ever considered myself to have ever been “the best” at anything. I have certainly tried my damnedest to be “one of the best” in the things that are important to me though. I am not really one of those people that enjoy things, especially sport, just for the sake of doing it. If there is a measure of ability or talent or speed or whatever, I want to be good at it, or at least see the potential of getting good at it, or I do not really enjoy it. With all due respect to how other people may view the world, I have never been happy to get a ‘participation award’.
I avoid doing things that I know I’m not good at. And I focus and practice and work hard at the things that I really enjoy doing in order to maintain a respectable level and a level that is high enough that it remains fun for me. That is going to be a continuing challenge as I get older…. but for the most part, so far so good.
Excellence depends on the context. But at least in our world it usually means checking all the boxes… that you have worked really hard, you have stayed focussed, avoided distraction, and have done everything possible to set yourself up for good luck and to be ready and prepared in every way (physically, mentally, and technically) to deliver in whatever it is you are doing, and then give as close to 100% to it as possible while in the process. Some people have to work harder than others to achieve this. Some people never do. And to others excellence is never really the target. It’s all good though. I set pretty high standards for myself, but I try not to judge other people.
Defining moments? Everything. Every day. Every little thing growing up, and the big things as well. And I like to think that I am still evolving and growing as a person to this day. But without a doubt it was all about luck, and being in the right place at the right time many many times over while having an open mind. Having my parents decide to move to Hawaii when I was a little kid and moving to Kailua rather than many of the other places that they could have ended up was fortunate. Being lucky enough to have a sporty mom and dad that loved the ocean too. And the big one… having the chance to try windsurfing one day when I was 11. From a ‘career’ standpoint, that was a big one. But the luck continued as I got older. Graduating from high school right as windsurfing turned pro was lucky. Having a father that made awesome boards was lucky. Being of the size and physical build and personality that I was self-centred and self-driven was lucky. Not being afraid to work my ass off and to try new things, and to avoid distractions all played a part. The people I have met along the way have also shaped who I am. And on and on. I do not really have a big “I got struck by lightning” moment, just a whole lot of little ones.
I didn’t really have any sporting heroes when I was younger. I was focussed and self-centred and really did not follow any other sports too closely. I was not interested and did not have time. But as I have grown older my mind has opened up. I still won’t watch a football game and will usually only check out highlights of most sports (other than F1), but I have a lot of respect for many other athletes in a wide range of sports now.
“Life’s what you make it.” and “Treat everyone you meet the way you would want them to treat you.” And probably the best one that my dad taught me a long time ago is, “Don’t piss into the wind.”
I think that life balance is likely a little different for me than it is for most people, but it is super important to me. In order to do what I have done for as long as I have done it at the level that I have wanted to do it at has required a fairly “selfish” lifestyle. I have spent a big portion of my life on the water, for the most part doing things on my own. I have also spent a large portion of my life on the road. Much of that time also spent alone. I have friends, but likely not the close ones that most people have. I don’t really ‘hang out with the boys’. And I almost never ‘have people over’ or ‘go out with friends’. But I do have friends, and I have them all over the world. I am close to my family, and to my girlfriend, more so now than ever because I am not traveling as much as I used to. I have a nice balance between work and play. Luckily much of my work is actually play… and my time on the water has always been a priority above all else. Sometimes the business could surely benefit from me parking myself behind the computer for more hours… but that is not how I want my life to be. I love what I do, and I have been blessed to be able to keep this balance of business, family, friends, independence, and sporting ability for as long as I have.
What motivates me to go on the water each day is ‘fun’. Plain and simple. I also know full well how lucky I am to be able to do this. I get paid to do what other people dream about doing…. and do in their limited free time and on their holidays. I know that most people have it a lot harder than I ever have had. I appreciate that. And I am incredibly thankful for it. No motivation necessary.
I have been having more and more of a difficult time with stress in recent years. Mostly the stress of responsibility and business. Competition nerves were also always there… even in my later years of competing. I would always get nervous. I hated losing, and that fear was always there… even when competing ‘for fun’ in things like the Aloha Classic or indoor events. But to me, getting nervous means that I still care about it. It lets me know that I still give a shit, it still means something, even after all the years of doing it. I think that’s a good thing.
I am a bit more mellow than I was a few years ago, but I still enjoy getting pumped up. When I was competing at the top level of windsurfing I loved the pressure. I loved that I was good at something. I loved that it was constantly changing and challenging me in different ways. I thrived on riding and competing in different conditions…. side-shore, onshore, windy, crappy, cold, rainy, hot and sunny, big waves, small waves etc. etc. Anyone can sail Ho’okipa every day and get good. But being good at Ho’okipa and Omaezaki and Sylt and Scheveningen, on a wave board, a slalom board or a course board… that was something else. I loved the challenge of staying fit and focussed and competitive and competing against new crops of young talented guys every few years. It never got (gets) boring.
I think that I am pretty driven. I am also very loyal and dedicated most of the time. I am also quite stubborn and I hate losing. I hate losing much more than I enjoy winning. Luckily I have some natural talent in the kinds of things that I like to do… like board riding. I have always had pretty good natural coordination athletically too, which has not hurt for sure. I would learn things methodically rather than with reckless abandon… both as an athlete and as a person. In the end that has worked out pretty well for me.
I kept my distance from pretty much everyone most of the time. I was not unfriendly by any means. I was just not very social. If I was at an event, I was there for one reason. At home I would be more interactive with friends and rivals than when I was at World Cup events.
I respected and enjoyed competing against everyone, from the days competing against Ken Winner, Jürgen Hönscheid etc., to Stephan van den Berg, Pete Cabrinha, Alex Aguera, Nevin Sayre, and then Nik and Ant Baker, Bjorn Dunkerbeck, Anders Bringdal, Jason Polakow, the Angulos, Kauli Seadi, Francisco Goya and Antoine Albeau,
There were only a handful of guys over the years that I was worried about losing to… and that list slowly grew over time. Now that competition is not really in the picture anymore, I still enjoy it just as much today. Just being out there mixing it up with the new crew out at Ho’okipa is rewarding. It is different. And I am not able to push as hard as I once could. But it is still fun and I have total respect for guys like Levi, Brawzinho, Ricardo, Swifty, Jake and Morgan and many more that are taking the sport into the future. There are several others I admire too. Anyone who loves the sport, rips hard and doesn’t have a big head gets my thumbs up.
I escape from being a pro windsurfer by cooking, spending time with the ones I love, watching Netflix sometimes, watching Formula One, working on cars and thinking about working on cars.
It depends on the circumstances. For the first several years competing, there was no money. Winning was winning and a trophy. And that was more than enough to keep me motivated. Money came into play in 1981 when the sport turned professional. For the first few years it was winning and money… traveling all over the world to various independent events. It was not until 1983 with the formation of the WSMA (World Sailboard Manufacturers Association) which later became the WBA and later the PBA and later the PWA… that a professional world tour with a world ranking for each discipline was formed. That kind of changed things and made it a bit more serious. Winning was always important. But as a professional your measure of success is also in money… since this now becomes your job and your means to make a living. There was also the ever looming realization that this amazing career might last another six months, or maybe a year…. and I worked my ass off to try my best to make it last. But there were no guarantees… and no path laid down for a future by past professional windsurfers to see. Knowing that it could all come to a screeching halt at any time via injury, a change in the economy or change in trends or whatever, made the money side of it even more important. I had no other skills or talents. I turned pro rather than going to university. So I took the dollar side of things pretty seriously. And winning meant more money. Fortunately things lasted another year, and then another, and another… and I am still riding that wave hoping that I do a good enough job and remain lucky enough that it keeps going. I’m now 57. So luck has been on my side for quite some time.
You don’t want to know what I eat. Really. I eat like a teenager. I eat well, but do not have a training regime. I drink lots of Red Bull, eat lots of Mexican and Italian food, take a B-Vitamin every day, don’t drink protein shakes, still enjoy junk food, and I don’t drink any alcohol, smoke or do any drugs.
I guess that I would say that much of my ‘talent’ is natural. My ‘success’ and being able to capitalize on and perpetuate that talent took a lot of hard work though. But I would still say that even with talent and hard work….it’s been at least 50% luck.
I don’t run at all. I used to jog the beach once in a while when I lived right on the sand in Kailua… but I will not just go run. I also very seldom go to the gym. I lift weights, use the gut wheel and use my TRX at home pretty frequently between sailing etc. just to balance things out. But 90% of my training is on the water. Between windsurfing, kiting (which I am doing a bit less of these days after two pretty big injuries back to back), surfing, SUP, foiling and wing surfing, I get a pretty good balance of workouts and more than my share of time on the water. Riding for fun aside, there is almost always something that needs testing or shooting as well. With no travel away from Hawaii due to Covid-19 since early spring, my water time has gone up quite a bit this year… getting out nearly every day in one way or another for at least a couple of hours. But there is no routine. If conditions suck, I may not get in the water for several days sometimes.
In all honesty, I have not really had many rocky moments. And sitting here thinking about it, nothing really comes to mind… at least in terms of on water activities. I could give you a few examples in business or personally… and maybe reflect on the broken pelvis or foot injuries that took me out for a while.. (both of those sucked big time…), but I’ve bounced back pretty well from everything that life has thrown at me so far. And like I said earlier, I am pretty sure that most people’s lives are a lot more difficult and challenging than mine has ever been. I am not a ‘woe is me’ kind of person. Nobody wants to hear me complain or talk about my ‘hard times’. You fall down, and you get back up, brush yourself off and try again. That’s the good thing about windsurfing. You can fall down an awful lot and just keep getting up and trying again. Water is more forgiving than most things in life.
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The extremely talented Japanese sailor Takara Ishii takes us through a day in his life in windsurfing paradise…Maui, Hawaii! Words are in Japanese but some great action if you do not understand!
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Some awesome action from Fraisthorpe in the North East filmed by Louis White!
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Robby Naish heads on a freeride slalom downwinder from Ho’okipa all the way down to Kanaha on the north shore of Maui. Just so we can join him for the ride his rig is loaded with point of view cameras! Robby is riding a no camber Lift RN 5.4m sail and 96l board, enjoy the ride with Robby on a windy sunny Maui day! He is definitely flying!
ROBBY NAISH
“Come with me on a blasting downwind run from Hookipa beach park to Kanaha. Ride along in some strong winds and choppy seas!”
The post ROBBY NAISH: POINT OF VIEW appeared first on Windsurf Magazine.
This is often the time of year where we reflect on what has happened in the past and what we may go about changing in the future. As a coach I look to help people change or review their ‘on water’ strategy, their technique and their tuning. Hand on heart, I can say that one of the hardest changes I ask people to embrace is to their sailing lines! Our sailing line is where we are sailing in relation to the wind; in the main this is across the wind, upwind or downwind. A great example of a change in your sailing line might be sailing broader (more off the wind) into the gybe, as opposed to just unhooking across the wind and carving immediately. Another change to our sailing line might be not just sailing upwind a few degrees but really sailing upwind, and taking it from 5 degrees to 20 degrees upwind. A further example of how we change our line is to jump more across the wind, rather than into the wind, this can make a huge difference! I’ll explore now in more detail, how we can make changes to our sailing lines for the better.
The all-important trinity of skills that will help you to try more moves and have more fun are: plane early; sail fast (from under to overpowered) and get upwind. Here are some simple tips to help improve all three of these skills:
People who join my clinics have many different targets, but the main thing they improve is across the whole trinity of basic skills and they really expand their skill range using all of the above tips.
Big improvements in many basic skills can be found by changing our sailing line, especially in transitions such as tacking and gybing. Here are some tips:
The post MOVE ON UP: JEM HALL CHANGING LINES appeared first on Windsurf Magazine.
Check out the latest video from Starboard which has a real feel good vibe around sharing the passion for windsurfing!
Starboard say…Our Dream Team received ‘The Call’ have you? Temperatures are getting warmer, thermic winds are slowly setting in, and our excitement for summertime is at an all-time high! To ramp up your excitement even more we have asked our team what they love about windsurfing and what makes them most impatient to get back out there. Going faster, the freedom of making your own decisions on the water, sharing sessions with friends or just feeling close to nature were some of their answers. Now it’s your turn, let us know what makes you want to pick up that call, comment below or share your answers on social media, tag us in your photos and videos using #windiscalling #livethetikilife
The post THE WIND IS CALLING: READY TO FOLLOW THE CALL? appeared first on Windsurf Magazine.
Let us check the antics of Sarah Quita Offringa and Oda Brodholt during a fun day of action in Aruba, including gym, windsurfing and tennis!
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Nico Prien from Starboard battles the weather in Germany to deal with some very choppy conditions in Germany!
The post BLASTING OVER BIG CHOP: NICO PRIEN appeared first on Windsurf Magazine.
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I had a plan to go to Portugal for two or three weeks in November for several months. When they announced the lockdown was going to happen in France, we were still in Brittany! We wasted no time and drove home, and the next day packed everything into our camper van and drove to Portugal. We did not want to be stuck in France in case they would close the borders! I saw that the forecast was looking good, solid waves and strong north winds for a couple of days… but we were going anyway. So, I guess that was kind of lucky to get there just in time for the swell!
My friend, Mat Pelikan, had been on the water at Nazaré the previous week, taking pictures of the surfers during that huge swell episode from hurricane Epsilon. While driving to Portugal, I called him and told him that I wanted to try to sail Nazaré again. He helped me to organize jet ski safety and, in a few hours, everything was set, one jet ski for safety, another ski for him to shoot video from the water, and another friend filming from the cliff.
Usually I like to keep my sailing plans simple and spontaneous, but for Nazaré it is a different story, you need to be prepared. The conditions looked really promising with strong cross-off winds and a reasonable swell. Nothing too big! Riding Nazare when it is really big is something I am not sure I want to do, so one of the challenges for me is to be there with waves big enough so the spot works, but not too big either! I also called Alex Mussolini to ask if he wanted to join me for 2/3 days of epic sailing. He was up for it, but did not want to sail at Nazaré so we planned to go to Peniche once I was done in Nazaré.
Of course, all this preparation and anticipation adds extra pressure! Once the jet ski guys were there as well as the video crew, I kind of had to go no matter what the conditions would be! In the morning, the wind was already howling, but the waves did not look that big. I thought it might be kind of too small to really work. But we prepared at the harbour anyway, and I sailed upwind from there, with the two skis by my side. As we were getting closer to the cliff, I quickly realized that the swell was much bigger than what it looked like from the beach!
I decided to keep sailing upwind to the north of the cliff, to start the session as far as possible from that scary chaos happening at the bottom of the lighthouse! I think I took at least 10 to 15 minutes before committing to my first ride. With the low tide the waves were breaking far outside, so I was extremely nervous. With the waves coming from everywhere and without any real pause between sets, it felt scary to finally drop into the first one. After a quick turn on the shoulder, I kicked out and got out the back as quick as I could!
The wind was very strong, probably 25/30 knots on the outside, making everything even more crazy with the big chop, but once in the inside I was glad I could plane to go back out in no time! There wasn’t a moment when I felt comfortable during that session, I kept dropping into waves not knowing what was going to happen, but at the same time I wanted to place myself as deep as I could and really use the steepest part of the waves.
At one point I was in position to catch a big wave on the outside, it had a soft section to roll in on, and then a large wall down the line waiting to transform into a heavy section; but the softer part of the wave broke earlier than what I thought it would and a huge lump of whitewater suddenly came very fast towards me and hit me from the side! I found myself holding onto my sail thinking I just dropped into the most stupid and dangerous section ever! Somehow, I did not fall and managed to emerge from the whitewater after a few seconds, only to find myself going down an 8 metre wall that was about to throw a giant lip on me! I just managed to clear the section and kicked out feeling like I just escaped the worst wipeout of my life, my heart was beating to the max, I even felt my legs shaking!
After that intense moment, I had some more solid drops, but I felt like I didn’t want to risk too much! I told the guy on the ski that I had enough and I was going to stop. I decided to drop into a final wave closer to the cliff, a mean one! But as I was going down the face, I realized that it was closing out on me, and just chickened out in front of the wave, trying to go as fast as possible so as to not get caught by the whitewater. I finally reached the beach and felt really blessed to be in one piece!
Alex came down to help me carry my equipment to the camper, where Sophia was casually having lunch with our two daughters. I was really happy that nothing bad happened, I did not go crazy and hit a giant lip but I felt like I did my best! We then went to Peniche as planned and we were hoping Supertubos was going to be good. When we arrived, we could not believe how epic it was! Heavy mast-high barrelling ‘A’ frame waves, 25 knots side-off, not one surfer in the water, it was simply perfect!
The waves were so clean, glassy, fast and heavy at the same time. It was one of my best sessions ever in Portugal, and after sailing Nazaré in the morning, I was in the right mind to enjoy and commit to hit the lip on some bombs. It was so good that we sailed until it got completely dark.
So much happened in one day, it was one of the scariest and then one of the best sessions ever – heaven and hell, but I was over the moon to have scored.
The post THOMAS TRAVERSA: HEAVEN AND HELL appeared first on Windsurf Magazine.
On May 8, the Canary Island will host the Lanzarote Foil Challenge, the first ultra marathon windsurf foil race around the island.
The first Lanzarote Foil Challenge international regatta was presented yesterday to the media at an event organized by the Cabildo of Lanzarote and the City Council of Teguise at the Hotel Los Zocos attended by Francisco J. Aparicio, insular sports councilor; Héctor Fernández, CEO of the Lanzarote Foreign Promotion Society (SPEL-Turismo Lanzarote); Gerardo Rodríguez, sports councilor of the Teguise City Council; Daniel Martín-Arroyo, president of the Windsurfing Club Los Charcos, and Rafael Lasso, CEO of Marina Rubicón.
The regatta will be held on Saturday, May 8 and will go around the island of Lanzarote in the Open Foil discipline, which consists of a board with a hydrofoil attached enabling it to fly over the waters’ surface.
This challenge is one of the main events to be held throughout this year on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the Windsurfing Club Los Charcos in Lanzarote, which together with Marina Rubicon, the Canary Islands Sailing Federation and the Real Club Náutico de Arrecife are the organizers.
Lanzarote Foil Challenge will have 16 participants among which are the main figures of international windsurfing as the German Sebastian Kördel, iQFoil World Champion; Basile Jacquin, from New Caledonia, IFCA Junior World Champion; and the Brazilian Mateus Isaac, Champion of Brazil and America; in addition to local sailors, who will sail around the island in just over 9 hours. The race will consist of regatta sections and free sailing sections and the sailors will sail with joint starts in each of the sections.
The route will consist of 6 legs, starting at 9 am on the coast of Playa Blanca, up the coast of Janubio to El Golfo with a total distance of 12 miles. The second leg will take place once all the participants have crossed the finish line of the first leg, leaving the fleet grouped together to cover the 13 miles that separate this point from La Santa. In the third leg, the sailors will sail along the Risco de Famara to the beach of La Caletilla, above the port of Caleta de Sebo, on the island of La Graciosa. Here there will be a half-hour break for lunch and to adjust the material before tackling the downwind leg. The fourth leg will be the longest, with a distance of approximately 20 miles, in which the fleet will leave Punta de Fariones behind to head for for Arrieta and reach the beach of Las Cucharas. In the next leg, the participants will pass in front of Los Charcos beach to go to Guacimeta beach in Playa Honda, where the last leg will take place until Punta de Papagayo and the arrival at Marina Rubicón.
Regarding assistance at sea, there will be four escort and safety boats, which will monitor the regatta and assist any participant who needs it.
Only the participants who complete all the sections of free sailing and in regatta will obtain classification, which will result from the combined positions of each sailor in each of the sections, not scoring the free sailing sections.
The Lanzarote Foil Challenge will be sponsored by the main institutions such as Promotur – Turismo de Canarias, dependent on the Ministry of Industry and Commerce of the Government of the Canary Islands; the Secretary of State for Tourism of the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Tourism; the Cabildo de Lanzarote through the Ministry of Tourism and the Insular Sports Service and the Department of Sports of the Teguise City Council. The Tinajo City Council, Cicar Canary Islands Car, Hotel Los Zocos Impressive Lanzarote, Hotel Boutique La Isla y el Mar, IES Blas Cabrera Felipe, Enac Ingenieros Consultores, Blank Publicidad and Sol57 Illustration also collaborate.
The race around Lanzarote with Windsurf Foil will become the first regatta of its kind to be held in the world, putting on the map the island of Lanzarote in particular and the Canary Islands in general, as an idyllic setting with the best conditions for windsurfing. Not surprisingly, there are many international professionals who come to Lanzarote looking for the best sailing experience and the island has been for years the venue for the World Championship of the Professional Windsurfing Association (PWA) and the European Freestyle Pro Tour (EFPT).
This international regatta will undoubtedly be an opportunity to showcase Lanzarote as a premier destination for the practice of water sports with perfect weather conditions, mild temperatures and trade winds, as well as, unique volcanic landscapes as the ultimate backdrop.
The post LANZAROTE FOIL CHALLENGE appeared first on Windsurf Magazine.
Check this clip of Bobo Gallagher who is just 12 years old and already making waves in Maui as being one of the most talented up and coming Watermen on the island.
“At 12 years of age, Maui’s Bobo Gallagher is one of the youngest Watermen on the Island, with a strength and focus far ahead of his age. Bobo is already an accomplished SUP racer, having done countless downwinders off the coast of Maui, he is a top Wing Foiler and SUP Foiler and recently became the first person (while he was still 11yrs old) to cross the dangerous Alenuihaha Channel in Hawaii. He is also a keen Surfer and Kitesurfer, an “Allround Waterman”. Bobo’s goals are to participate in Foiling, SUP Racing and SUP Surfing competitions and he is training every day for it (whilst still attending school obviously!). Rumours are Bobo could be Maui’s next famous Waterman, stay tuned!”
Check out this clip by Mangohatmedia about Bobo and his amazing world!
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After driving 300km to Tarifa, Nico Prien was greeted with 2.5m waves and holwling winds. Check out his mission here:
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