Over the coming months Jem will be showing 100 key windsurfing tips to help you improve so stay tuned. Check out the intro from our resident technique guru..

Top 100 Windsurfing Tips with Jem Hall – Introduction from Jem Hall on Vimeo.

JEM HALL TOP 100 WINDSURFING TIPS

More at www.jemhall.com

Top 100 Windsurfing Tips with Jem Hall – Introduction from Jem Hall on Vimeo.

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PRESS RELEASE

Day 4 of the Starboard Hatteras Wave Jam
Another early start paid dividends today, as Hatteras continued to provide a beautiful windsurfing canvas. The early morning showed promise once again, but unfortunately was not quite enough to run any Pro heats. After a free-sail to test the waters, it was determined that another Expression Session would be run. This one would be for the Amateurs and Masters to show their stuff. Winds were side-offshore, and waves were chest high on the sets. The scene was picturesque, with pure sun and clean lines rolling through to the beach.

Keith McCulloch

The Expression Session was great to watch, as everyone was pushing their limit. Local sailors Ian Stokes and Ken Ahrendt sailed well, putting up high scores with long wave rides. Ian was a wave magnet catching by far the most waves, but it was Jack Holladay with the one big score that took the win. Jack picked up one of the bigger sets of the day, and carved down the line, nailing a couple big turns and a clean aerial to seal the win.

Bill Bell

Immediately after the Expression Session, conditions were deemed sufficient to run the first round of the Amateurs. Waves were small but fairly consistent throughout the morning. We were able to run through the first five heats before the tide started to wreak havoc on us once again. The afternoon high tide combined with a relatively small swell is not a great combination. The contest was called off for the day around 3:00, when the waves shut down almost completely.
We will be back once again tomorrow with hopes of continuing the contest. Stay tuned for more updates, and be sure to check our facebook page for more photos and information from the event. More at www.americanwindsurfingtour.com/

Dan Thomson

Russ Faurot

<ENDS>

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CRETE – TRAVEL

Crete, the largest Greek island and the southern most island in the Mediterranean is well known for its archeological sites, Pythagoras, its excellent olive oil and warm climate. But it’s less known that the eastern coastline of Crete is an ideal playground for windsurfers, with strong Meltemi winds, especially in the Palekastro area. Pro freestyler Maarten Van Ochten went exploring and came back armed with this comprehensive spot guide.

Photos Alexander Zachen, Jan de Vriendt, Daniel Stano & Surf Island Club

(This feature originally appeared in the April 2014 issue of Windsurf Magazine. To read more features like this first, Print and Digital subscriptions are available. Prices include delivery globally for 10 x issues a year!)

I got to know Hannes & Rik from Freak Surfstation a few years ago during the European Freestyle Pro Tour (EFPT) contest in Palekastro. I had some good memories of this competition because I finished 5th and we had good winds everyday! When Hannes invited me back for another visit I was immediately excited! Back in 2009 we had a great mix of conditions, from flat 5.3 to bump ‘n jump 4.0. I was looking forward to these conditions, the warm water and the cool freestyle spots. Right after the Bonifacio Freestyle Project in Corsica I dropped off Steven Van Broeckhoeven at his place in Belgium and went home to change bags. 9 hours later I was on a plane to Crete. I was looking forward to it and after a 3-hr. flight my plane touched down in Heraklion. Jan from Freak mountain bike centre picked me up and after a 2-hr. drive with some incredible views, we arrived in Palekastro. We agreed to get up early the next day and have a session at Kouremenos beach, the main spot in Palekastro and shoot some pictures. Forgetting the 1-hour time-difference between Crete and Holland I was late and had to rush to the beach and sticker-up my brand-new 5.1 Wizard. After such a long winter I’d forgotten how great it is to sail in boardshorts. At Kouremenos beach, the Meltemi blows sideshore from the left. Close to the beach the water is completely flat and outside there’s some nice chop for jumping. Summer is the main season for the Meltemi. It starts to build from around 9 a.m. to reach its strongest point just after midday. Usually it’s windy the whole day and from 5 p.m. on the wind eases a bit and tends to get ‘smoother’.

Completely starved afterwards, Hannes took us to a nearby Taverna and ordered me a Greek salad with a huge Souvlaki (Greek meat stick) on the side. The food in Crete is generally really tasty, the vegetables are always fresh, the olive oil’s homemade, there’s fish, chicken, lamb – delicious! A second sailing session followed and I promised I’d keep to the regime of sailing at least twice, mixed with the occasional MTB trip here and there too.

SPOTS

KOUREMENOS
Kouremenos is the closest beach to Palekastro, in the beautiful Kouremenos bay. This is the main windsurfing spot in the East of Crete, probably even on the whole island. The summer Meltemi accelerates between two hills, meaning the wind here usually stronger than anywhere else in the region, especially if it’s from the W or NNW. Big sandy beach, no hazards or dangers. Very safe spot. The Meltemi blows sideshore from the left. The water’s very flat close to the beach. Further outside there’s nice chop for Bump ‘n Jump! If the wind direction’s more N than NW, some waves make it into the bay too. The Freak surf station’s located in the middle of the beach, offering lessons for every level from beginner to advanced.
www.freak-surf.com

CHIONA
Located just downwind from Kouremenos, behind the ‘Castri’ mountain, Chiona is sailable in a Meltemi but is gustier than Kouremenos. But the occasional S wind, unusual in summer, bring perfect conditions in lovely surroundings with the Castri mountain and a nice sandy beach. S to SW is really good here, SE can be very gusty. Your best call when staying in Palekastro and S winds are forecasted. Flat water conditions, with some deeper chop than Kouremenos.

XEROKAMPOS
A small village on the SE coast, just down the road from Zakros. Xerokampos is a 30-min. drive from Palekastro. Probably the best spot in S wind. The Meltemi is also sailable, but gusty. WindGuru’s not the most reliable website for forecasting South winds. It’s better to check for these on www.poseidon.hcmr.gr. 

The beaches are fantastic here with white sand and Caribbean-like colours. The water’s also a few degrees warmer here. S winds are side-on from the right and produce a mix of deep chop and playful small waves (max 1 m.) but the surf never gets very powerful. Overall it’s an easy spot to sail. Winter, autumn and spring are the best times of year here while the Meltemi’s quieter and the S wind has more chance to blow. No real hazards or dangers, apart for some small rocks in the middle of the bay, which are all visible at all times.

SITIA (CITY)
Sitia is the biggest city in the region. It’s about a 15 to 20-min. drive from Palekastro. You can windsurf in the bay of Sitia. The conditions are similar to Kouremenos for freeride, freestyle and bump ‘n jump (wind from left). Outside, the chop is much bigger than at Kouremenos. The best wind direction here is Meltemi (W to NNW) although there’s no venture effect to accelerate it, so expect to use bigger sails than you would at Kouremenos. A good option to check on the days when Kouremenos is too windy where the largest size you’ll probably use is a 5.3. Expect full beaches and much more developed tourism. The port of Sitia is charming and nice to walk around in. Again, no hazards or dangers.

SITIA (THE HOTEL)
On the road between Sitia and Palekastro there’s a big concrete skeleton of a unfinished hotel. In very strong Meltemi wind this spot offers 4.7 or 5.3, side-on wind from the left. It’s rare to score a session here and know when to call if it’ll be on.Conditions here are wavy with pretty powerful waves for jumping and even some riding. This is NOT a beginners’ spot as the very small beach is surrounded by cliffs with a tricky launch. When it’s very windy at Kouremenos (7 Bft. or more) this spot is definitely worth checking out!

FANEROMENI
Next to the monastery of Fanaromenis (Exit 10, Sitia) is where the largest and most powerful waves in the region break. This spot only works a few days every summer after a couple of days of very strong Meltemi. There’s no venturi effect so, if it works, you’ll be sailing on sails around 5 m. The more N the wind is, the more onshore it’ll be. The waves can reach mast high and break very close to rocks. It’s advise that only expert wavesailors launch here, because already a lot of equipment has been destroyed by the powerful swell!

FACTS

GETTING THERE (Heraklion – Sitia)
The main airport is Heraklion, 2 hrs. from Palekastro. Sitia is only 20 minutes away but at the time of this trip the airport was still being built. Charters will fly into Sitia from 2014.

There are direct flights to Heraklion from: London Gatwick, London Heathrow, Belfast International, Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, East Midlands, Edinburgh, Glasgow International, Leeds Bradford, Manchester and Newcastle  with the main operators being FlyThomasCook, Thomson Flights, Norwegian, Easyjet, Jet2, AirBerlin and Aegean Airlines.

• If you take your own equipment, it’s best to reserve this in advance. Get information from your airline. Prices vary from 40 to 100 euros for 20 to 32 KG

GETTING AROUND
It’s best to rent a car, which is the fastest and easiest way to get to and around the eastern end of the island. There are buses from Heraklion and Sitia to various places on the island. Prices for rental cars vary, but the average is 150 Euros per week. I chose to rent from cars4rent.gr because they offered me the best price but you can rent with Hertz, Avis, Alamo, Eurocar, Autoway, National Sixt, Thrifty, Thebestcars, Megarent, Athens Cars and more. The roads are generally in good condition and the average driving time to Kouremenos is about 2 hrs. from Heraklion and only 25 min. from Sitia.

You can search weather info on WindGuru

(Palekastro/Kouremenos).

WindGuru always underestimates the wind around Palekastro. If the direction’s NW (Meltemi) you’ll definitely be planing even with just 8 knots forecasted. www.poseidon.hcmr.gr is more accurate. The Freak Station website (www.freak-surf.com) has more statistics and info.

WHAT TO WEAR
In spring and autumn, a shorty/short arm is perfect, for summer all you need are boardshorts/bikini and rash vests. If you’ve been short on water time before you visit, you might consider taking some gloves, as you’ll be sailing a lot and your hands may suffer! There’s no need for booties. As for normal clothes, some shorts, T-shirts, flip-flops and sunglasses. Don’t forget sun cream with a factor above 20. Bring a sweater for the evenings as well.

ACCOMMODATION
In and around Palekastro you can find several small hotels.

• Castri Village Hotel located on the hill, upwind from Kouremenos. They have several studios/rooms and apartments. Breakfast service is available. This place has a fantastic view over the Kouremenos bay, a nice swimming pool and fast internet. www.palaikastro.com/castrivillage
• Hotel Hellas: A small hotel just next to the main square in Palekastro. Small rooms with a restaurant on the ground floor with breakfast service. Www.palaikostro.com/hotelhellas
• Chiona Holiday Hotel: This small and affordable hotel is located in between Palekastro and Agathias, in walking distance of the Palekastro square. Swimming pool. www.hionaholiday.gr
• Marina Village Hotel: located in the middle of the olive groves, with a nice swimming pool.

You can also find numerous apartments or studios to rent in and around Palekastro. Here’s a selection:

•  Kouremenos Apartments: Located just uphill from Castri village with just about the same amazing view. Beautiful garden and swimming pool and a very relaxing place to stay. Great value and the owners are super friendly. Expect to go home with a bottle of their own homemade olive oil and some fresh vegetables from their garden. www.palaikastro.com/kouremenos_apts/index.html
•  Casa di Mare: nice apartments approximately 70 m. away from the beach, with a swimming pool. www.casadimare.com
•  Thalassa apartments: walking distance from the beach. Very nice, modern apartments with a beautiful view. Attractive prices. www.palekastro-thalassa.gr
•  Glaros apartments. Located at a stone’s throw from the beach, walking distance from the Freak surf station.

For more information check:
www.palaikastro.com/hotels/

Or, if you’d rather choose a package deal (flight, accommodation, gear ]) we advice you contacting the following tour operators:

www.oceansource.net/windsurfing_in_crete.asp

www.sportif.travel/destinations/83/Greece/Crete_-_Palekastro

www.planetwindsurfholidays.com/resorts/greece/crete/

CLIMATE               May     June      July     Aug      Sept    Oct

Air temperature (C°)     25            26              28           28            26            24
Water temp (C°)            20            22-24        24-26      26-27      25           22
Days wind > 4 bft.         21             25              28            27            20           18

WEST CRETE

West Crete, unknown as an extreme water sport destination till the latest years, can be a surf paradise for both beginners and pros of windsurf-surf-kitesurf . If you need more info about the place, accommodation or how to get there, you are welcome to visit surf Island’s web site: www.surfisland.gr

Surf Island Club
Surf Island’s activities include Windsufing, Kitesurfing, Surfing and SUP rentals & lessons.  Surf Island station, located in Elafonisi south-west Crete, (75km from Chania, one and a half hours by car). With a beautiful lagoon and a south-facing swimming beach both with crystal clear water and pink sand comprises an exotic scenery found only in a few places on earth. The location is exposed to the north-west wind of Ionian sea and is a side-shore spot with steady wind and no gusts or changes in direction. During summer months the thermal wind guarantee planning conditions almost every day with force 4 to 6 beauforts. “Surf Island” Elafonisi station is working daily from 1st of May until the end of October. Periodically is operating a second station at Falasarna spot when the conditions are suitable for windsurf or surf activities. Surf Island can organize special trips to other spots too for Surf or Windsurf around West Crete.

Surf Island club offers:
• Online booking discount 10% for equipment or training
• Special low season (May and October) discount 30%

During all summer months, within easy driving distance from the main station, interspersed special events are organized with traditional local feasts, theatrical nights, visual arts exhibitions, concerts, traditional music and dance groups. Close to Surf Island Club at local taverns you can experience the genuine Cretan hospitality and cuisine. Ecologically minded, Local’s traditionally cook is simply wonderful freshly made with lots of choices. Cretans all over the island will make you feel most welcome by giving guests advises, help and sharing even their goods with visitors. Surf Island Club on Crete is a destination that surely offers something that a few Windsurf destinations can offer: true adventurous Windsurf-Surf holidays or relaxing moments under the sun at the magnificent wild nature.

GENERAL INFO

GREECE

FOOD & DRINK
The Cretan food is very healthy and varied. Everything is fresh and people will let you taste a lot of things wherever you go, just because they’re so proud!

Islanders have higher estimated lifetimes, apparently because of the so-called ‘Cretan Diet’ and healthy lifestyles. Coffee is a popular drink in Crete. In the square there are several places to drink a cup of coffee or an ice cold ‘Frappé’. Center Bar is the preferred place by the locals with a big variety of drinks.

Every meal is finished with a small glass of ‘Raki’, a very strong alcoholic drink, made by the locals.

Two different restaurants will have two different Rakis, made by themselves. Each September there’s a big traditional party ‘Casani’ (brewing of Raki). Everybody barbecues on that day and tastes all the different sorts of Raki.

EQUIPMENT RENTAL/ LESSONS

Freak Surf Station’s located in the middle of Kouremenos beach and offers shelter from the wind. Even if it’s 6-7 bft. on the water, you can relax without getting sandblasted. There are trees for shade and sunbeds available for rent.

•  Freak has the most recent JP/NP material with carbon masts from 30 to 70% and X6 booms. SUPs are also available.
•  A small surf-shop sells rashies, t-shirts, shorts, harness lines, gloves, booties etc.
•  You can get lessons for every level from beginner to expert.
•  Open daily 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.
•  Storage is also available, check for availability first!

More info: www.freak-surf.com

NO WIND?
In and around Palekastro there are a lot of archeological sites, ancient Minoan towns and museums to visit. In winter, decent swell hits the island and the surfing or SUPing can be very good! Scuba diving is spectacular here and can be done almost everywhere. In Sitia and the world famous ‘Vai’ Palm Beach you can take a jet-ski for a ride or enjoy banana-rides with your friends.

Locals and surfers  get together at the ‘Cafe Bar Center’ for beers and/or cocktails. For partying you can go to Sitia where there’s a lot of nightlife as well as Chersonissos and Malia.
Mountainbiking

Discovering the region on a mountain bike is definitely worth it to access places you can’t get to by car. In summer it doesn’t get too hot thanks to the Meltemi. You don’t have to be a dedicated mountain bikerto do a tour, because the Freak Mountain bike centre offers various tours for all levels, short and long distance. You do need trainers/suitable footwear. Check out the website for more information:
www.freak-mountainbike.com

Rental bikes: BMC high quality bikes Guided tours or tours with a bike-GPS are available in English, French, German, Greek and Dutch.

INFO & TIPS

•  Navigation: GPS works the same (even better) than in Western-Europe
•  Normal mobile roaming costs are the same as in other EU countries
•  SIM cards are sold starting from 5 euros, phone reception is generally good. Handset prices similar to elsewhere in EU
•  Time difference: +2 hours U.K., +1 Benelux and Germany.
•  Supermarket prices are about the same as elsewhere in Europe, but it’s much, much cheaper to eat out here. Almost cheaper than cooking yourself!
•  Credit cards work in most places
•  There’s a doctor in Palekastro and a Hospital in Sitia (15 min from Palekastro)
•  Pharmacy in Palekastro
•  In general there are no hazards or dangers in the waters, except for some small rocks and the occasional sea-urchin (not in Kouremenos and Chiona)
•  Fuel prices are similar to rest of EU
•  Water from the tap is drinkable
•  Kiting is possible, but is quite rare due to difficult kite-launching

I would like to thank everyone who made this trip possible: Freak surf & Mountainbike station, JPAustralia, Castri Village Hotel, Surfmagazine and the very friendly locals for their hospitality, tips, advice – and of course the great food!

Maarten Van Ochten

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KIA Cold Hawaii PWA World Cup 2014
Klitmoller / Denmark

Highlight Clip 2: Philip Kšster vs. Victor Fernandez

It’s looking good for Sunday, the final day of the KIA Cold Hawaii PWA World Cup 2014. After a quiet week in Klitmøller 32 of the world’s best windsurfers get ready for the final day with enough wind and waves for the decision. No matter what happens on sunday – it’ll have an impact on who wins this year’s PWA World Champ Title. Keep an eye on Spaniard Victor Fernandez (30) and German Philip Köster (20) – currently ranked first and second.

The post FERNANDEZ AND KOSTER BATTLE FOR PWA WORLD CUP appeared first on Windsurf Magazine.

 2014 RYA/UKWA National windsurfing Championships Raceboard report.

Winner Louis Morris reports :

For 2014, the RYA Youth and Masters were combined with the National Junior Championships, Team 15 champions cup, and UKWA Inland nationals to form one massive event at Rutland Sailing club. There were 220 windsurfers and it was pretty busy on the beach and on the water, but thanks to some good organising, the event went very smoothly!There were 27 raceboards entered, of which 6 were youth: the highest youth entry for a long time.

On Saturday, the wind was quite light and very shifty, which lead to lots of shuffling up and lead changes during the race which was pretty exciting stuff. It was the kind of conditions which Rob Kent and Guy  Spreckley excel in. Rob got it wrong in the first race (and Mark Kay got it even more wrong) allowing me to win with Guy in 2^nd, but in the next 2 races, he sailed brilliantly to take the win, whilst I was playing catch up having ended up on the wrong side of some shifts. By the last race, the wind had picked up to about 10 knots or so: enough for me to plane all the way downwind and be faster than most upwind, with a good start and a tactically sound upwind, once ahead I just had to play it safe in the middle of the course and won comfortably.Myself and Rob ended the day on tied points, with Guy in 3^rd.

On Sunday, there were some gusts up to 15 knots but still lulls of 8 knots or less. It was still shifty, but with the wind slightly more easterly than Saturday, there was usually a big gain on the right side of the course. However there were a few shifts and gusts that undid this gain, and there were a few times when I had to dig myself out of a bit of a hole. Having a sail with the power to keep pointing and railing through the lulls yet convert gusts into acceleration rather than drag really helped me to keep my speed up through the gusty conditions and capitalise on shifts to recover some sticky positions. Like the last race on Sunday, my downwind speed was best than most, and I managed to win all of the races.

Mark Kay found another gear and was fighting back with 3 2nds and a 3^rd, he was certainly a lot quicker than on Saturday, and it sometimes felt like he was attached to the back of my board by a 50m bit of string! Rob Kent did just enough to keep his 2^ndoverall, Guy Spreckley  didn’t quite have the speed to keep up his amazing performance from the first day so slipped into 5^th overall behind an outrageously consistent Tom Naylor. Tom was flying upwind as usual, and put some effort in downwind to get 9 4^th places and a 5^th: enough to get him 1^st veteran and 4^th overall

.

With 8 sailors racing on 8.5 (youth + ladies) there was some noteworthy battles there as well. Lewis Barnes usually races as a heavyweight 9.5, but borrowed an 8.5 to win the Youth national title by an impressive margin. Annette Kent was first lady: only two points ahead of Lewis and 3 ahead of Harriet Ellis. 2^nd and 3^rd youth was too close to call, with Jenna Gibson having the edge on her XR-Race 8.5 over Robin Mcallister on Saturday. Robin fought back in the stronger winds on Sunday to finish on tied points, but ended up in 3^rd on the tie break rule.

I have to mention Phil Hards, who had some of the best starts in the business as well as some serious upwind speed, all he needs now is a Starboard Phantom and he’d keep up downwind too! Also well done to my brother Ross who borrowed my 8.5 Lightning and ancient Megacat in his first National contest since Team 15 cup in 2011 (on 5.8) he was very quick upwind, especially when it got windy.

Full results here and more at  https://ukwindsurfing.com/

Raceboard Results summary:

1^st Overall – Louis Morris, 1^st Lightweight (Tushingham/Starboard)

2^nd Overall – Rob Kent, 1^st Master (Tushingham/Starboard)

3^rd Overall – Mark Kay, 1^st Heavyweight (Demon/Starboard)

4^th Overall – Tom Naylor, 1^st Veteran (Tushingham/Starboard)

1^st Lady – Annette Kent, 6^th Overall (Tushingham/Starboard)

2^nd Lady – Harriet Ellis, 8^th Overall (Demon/Starboard)

3^rd Lady – Jenna Gibson, 12^th Overall (Tushingham/Fanatic)

1^st Youth – Lewis Barnes, 7^th Overall (Demon/Starboard)

2^nd Youth – Jenna Gibson, 12^th Overall (Tushingham/Fanatic)

3^rd Youth – Robin McAllister, 13^th Overall (Tushingham/Starboard)

The post 2014 RYA/UKWA CHAMPIONSHIPS RACEBOARD REPORT appeared first on Windsurf Magazine.

JP AUSTRALIA SLALOM PRO 68 112L 2014 TEST REVIEW REPORT

THE LOW-DOWN
JP’s dedicated racing range quotes each size relating to width and has two ‘wide’ models, this 68 and an 84, for those who prefer the benefits of girth and two slightly more slimline sizes at 66 and 80 wide. A high-wind 59 shape and the speed-oriented 55 round off the collection. JP also have a Formula design, the freerace Supersport (test to be published in June issue) and two further speed sailing sizes.

BRAND CLAIM
‘In addition to the 59, which is our highwind board, we offer a powerful quiver (68 and 84) for the rider who prefers wider boards, and also the slightly narrower line (66 and 80) which offer outstanding top speed and control.’ (Sic.)

PERFORMANCE
There’s no denying the JP Slalom Pro looks a little ‘old skool’ in outline with the stretched, parallel profile and boxy rails. And at 240 x 69 it is indeed both the longest and narrowest shape on test. However we don’t remember old skool boards being quite so easy to sail and this 68 definitely makes life a little calmer with easy-to-access low-end and pretty reasonable acceleration too. (Experimenting with fins will make large differences on any board in this respect though.) We’d expected the straight outline to be hard to gybe but actually it’s pretty forgiving and not too demanding of technique, although you’ll still need some application and commitment, as this is a no-compromise race board after all. Initially we struggled a bit on softer fins before finding that smaller, stiffer foils brought a better ‘flight’ over the rough water. But it has to be said that, at the top-end – and in contrast to the low-end – you have to earn every knot with this shape and it will take some pretty intense concentration to unlock all of the highest speed potential. Across and deep downwind we found the length a little prohibitive with some slight ‘slap-down’ (even with the track back) and a pretty consistent level of ‘calf-splash’ ejecting itself from the chunky rails. However, those boxy edges are useful for those who like a more traditional, outboard stance, acting as good levers against the fin. Compared to some shapes that have a more upright, inboard sailing position, to really let fly and reach the highest possible speed, we found this 68 was better on liftier sails with finer entry and less drive down into the hull – and to be generally better in flatter water overall.

THE VERDICT
A traditional shape in a modern construction that’s forgiving and friendly to get to grips with. However, edge towards top gear and you’ll need some nerve to unlock the potential speed. Perfect for those who sail in flatter water conditions and like an outboard stance with a solid rail to push against. The Slalom Pro 68 is best paired with liftier sails that pull high to really let the nose fly free over more testing water conditions.

www.jp-australia.com

NOW READ THE OTHER REPORTS

FANATIC FALCON 110
RRD X-FIRE 114
TABOU MANTA 71
STARBOARD ISONIC 117

BACK TO TEST INTRODUCTION

TEST OVERVIEW PAGE

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North S-Type 7.8m 2014 Test Review Report

OVERVIEW
North market the S-Type as a ‘switch cam’ thanks to the option of being able to choose and swap between use in either two or three-cam mode. The S-Type sits next to the no-cam freerace E-Type (see April 2014 issue test), the RAMF14 4-cam freerace and the flagship WARPF2014 race sail – as tested in the May 2014 edition.

BRAND POSITIONING
‘Following the extremely successful WARP F2012 the compact shape has been taken over, but with a slightly longer CROSS.BATTEN. This results in greater comfort and control during acceleration and in overpowered conditions, because the longer CROSS.BATTEN flexes off more. The steeper top batten, which provides a better connection to the top of the sail, results in a more active twist. This leads to quicker acceleration and an expanded wind range. These and many other details secure that the S_TYPE combines planing with impressive performance and incredible speed. Better than any other sail – without any disadvantages in control or handling!’ (Sic.)

PERFORMANCE
Okay, confession time. We have to admit that, largely due to the super-strength wind conditions on this trip, we tested this sail in 3-cam mode. Although we mulled over it a lot, with the wind conditions constantly nearing 30 knots it seemed fair to test the product ‘as delivered’ and to give it a fair chance to account for itself stability-wise in such extreme conditions. (Had it been a 7-batten instead of 6, we might not have given it the benefit of the doubt.) In a nutshell, this is a crisp, refined and incredibly stable foil.  The handling feels like you’re sailing sheeted-out when actually, in reality, it’s just the super ‘on the fingertips’ sensation to the ride – just like their WARPF2014. As is often the case with North sails who, due to their admirable ‘keep it real’ attitude, don’t really have any ‘monsters’ on their development team, it’s true to say the big boys wanted a little more early planing power at the lower end of the range. Although, once fully flying, the larger testers did all comment that the glide and momentum through holes is superb. The bottom line is that the power delivery is subtle and, if you’re torque hungry and/or heavy, you just need to sail one size up from the rest, which these windy conditions proved to us is easy to do in comfort. The S_Type is definitely one of the least physical to sail in this bunch and the swing weight makes for a pleasant and forgiving action in manoeuvres. Speed-wise it’s positive – mainly across the wind – with good acceleration from standing or exiting gybes, albeit quite a subtle level of drive. A good cross between an old skool, narrow luff twin-cam and a modern freerace rig.

THE VERDICT
A super-energy-efficient sail offering delicate fingertip control and excellent manoeuvrability. Although a perfect match for light or medium weight pilots, in terms of wind range there’s plenty of top-end performance for heavier riders that like to sail well powered-up.

www.north-windsurf.com

Other sails in this test:

EZZY LION 7.5

GAASTRA COSMIC 8.0

NEILPRYDE HORNET 7.7

SIMMER 2XC 7.8

SEVERNE TURBO 7.5

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TEST OVERVIEW PAGE

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Simmer 2XC 7.8m 2014 Test Review Report

OVERVIEW
The 2XC is a fairly compact, 6-batten twin cam that’s position next to the V-Max no-cam freerace (see April 2014 issue test), the SCS 3-cam freerace and the top-of-the-line SCR race sail (see May issue test report). The 2XC comes with an extra ‘TekCam’ that makes it possible to rig on an RDM mast as well.

BRAND POSITIONING
‘The 2XC offers quick and simple rigging, great low-end power, smooth rotation and easy handling. With research and development directly linked to that of the Simmer Race Program, 2XC features all of the most recent innovations found in our full-bred race machine. The 6 battens provide stability, while the 2 mini cams create a full draft profile and keep the center of effort low and locked. The 2XC is the best choice for beginning slalom or just drag racing against your friends. It is also a great alternative to SCR and SCS in the smaller sizes.’ (Sic.)

PERFORMANCE
Some frustrating customs incompetencies delayed the Simmer gear for this test and we only got to try the 2XC out in the final couple of days of the trip to Tenerife.  That means this report is inconclusive and based only on the conditions we had to hand in a very short window of opportunity. Okay, so unbagging the sail you an instantly see there’s been a lot of love and attention to detail give to the construction, with lightweight film bolstered in key areas by x-ply and Kevlar reinforcements. The draft is pretty deep considering the nice and narrow, user-friendly sleeve. Rigging-wise it’s a breeze, with the cams going straight onto the mast easily without any elaborate ‘cams-off’ fuss, which is nice if you’ve just got a short window of time to sail in. Bar a few basic tweaks, we found it simple for a first-time setup and that the downhaul can pretty much be left alone, with the outhaul being your go-to tuning device. With incessantly strong wind (25-30 knots), we effectively tested it far beyond its upper wind range really, but, most importantly, the hold-up meant way less head-to-heads against the rival sails and that we only sailed it on a much narrower range of boards. There’s quite a soft batten profile from the 6-strut frame, which did limit it in the rough water there, but we remember on previous trips to Egypt that previous incarnations of this sail gave quite positive top-end performance in flatter water and stronger wind. We didn’t think flattening the sail off was the answer in these conditions and preferred to use the draft to keep control and use the softness to our advantage. If we had more time we’d have experimented with stiffer masts to see if they raised the upper limit, especially for the heavier testers. Manoeuvrability-wise this is a legend, being super throw about and flicky and light to handle thanks to a relatively low-aspect outline.  All-in-all the ride is nice and upright with a good closed foot for an efficient, low-energy stance.

THE VERDICT
A friendly, throwabout and light-in-the-hands product that capably bridges the gap between freeride and freerace performance.

www.simmerstyle.com

Other sails in this test:

EZZY LION 7.5

GAASTRA COSMIC 8.0

NEILPRYDE HORNET 7.7

NORTH S-TYPE 7.8

SEVERNE TURBO 7.5

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HOW DEEP IS YOUR LOVE

7.5 – 8.0m Twin Cam sail test 2014

After taking a bunch of no-cam freerace sails (7.5s, see April 2014 issue), we questioned why anyone would want camber inducers on a recreational racing or fast freeride sail?

Offered as ‘de-tuned’ versions of brands’ no-compromise slalom machines, they’re designed to offer a little more user-friendliness and comfort that allow everyday windsurfers a chance to maximize their speed or dip their toes into the racing or GPS competition scenes.

Arriving in Tenerife to test these 7.8 twin cams, alongside full-on, cammed slalom racing sails and slalom and freerace boards (see May 2014 issue for reports, here and here), gave us the perfect opportunity to test the theory out. (Apart from the fact we should’ve brought the ‘benchmark’ no-cam sail for comparison, which in our opinion is the Severne NCX.)

This test was originally published in the June issue.

TO CAM OR NOT TO CAM?
Even without such a ‘control’ sail, after the first run-throughs on each sail we continued to think that twin cams may no longer have a place in our quivers – apart from maybe in sizes over 8.0m and for use in gusty locations, such as tree-lined lakes and other locations with a lot of holes and light, fluky wind.

But there is, once again – as we see in so many sail and board test categories – a real ‘scale’ of use, generally ranging from the powerful, deep, drafty, more-technical-to-sail end, stretching to a friendly, efficient – which can arguably be faster – nature at the other extreme. So what should a twin cam deliver then? This question certainly had us scratching our heads. We remember them always being actually quite tight-sleeved, easy to use and still quite manoevrable toys for use over 6.5m. More hours on the water soon began to throw up a few answers …

PRINCIPAL TEST TEAM
Chris Rainbow 75 kg. Med. Height
Julian Da Vall 83 kg. 1.95 Tall. Experience national and European-level racer.
Brian McDowell 100 kg. 1.90 Tall.
Thanks also to the various PWA pro sailors on hand in Tenerife who also lent a hand, showed us the best tweaks on their affiliated brands’ gear and gave opinion on boards and sails from rival manufacturers.

READ MORE 2014 EQUIPMENT TESTS

DRINK IN THE DRAFT
Primarily using the 110L freerace boards that are also reported on in this same (June) edition, we soon began to find that some of these twin cams are actually performance machines and, that, especially if you read the May issue slalom report findings, that there are some serious overlaps in range-of-use between these twins and some of the full-on racing machines, with some of them having, relatively speaking, quite deep sleeves and pretty full-on wind range and acceleration. That’s what cambers bring over the no-cam sails – that little extra boost in the dirty air and, of course, some vital glide through lulls and holes around the park. Can a no-cam bring that and the same wind range? No – and yes – respectively is the answer.

TESTING CONDITIONS
OK, so it’s fair to say we only really got to test the upper limits of this gear thanks to howling wind and a super challenging sea state in El Médano, Tenerife. The lightest wind we got in two weeks was about 18 knots and most of the testing was carried out in 20-30 knots! But it’s impressive how this group coped on the whole – another big plus for camber inducers.

CONCLUSIONS
Yes, yes, there’s never any outright winners – although we do generally reach consensus on ‘benchmark’ products that encapsulate a category and are what we’d judge next year’s gear or new entries to the market against. We’d like to start taking our benchmarks back out on trips with us to use as the yardstick of progress and the required standard. To help you sort out what’s best for you from the individual reports to follow this is what we found:

Fastest:
Comfy can be faster than pure power, but the Severne Turbo offers both. Light and medium weights will love the North S-Type too.

Best Entry-Level Racing Potential:
The Severne Turbo or Gaastra Cosmic.

Best Wind Range:
For low-end the Severne Turbo, Gaastra Cosmic and the Pryde Hornet. The Ezzy Lion also has a vast tuning range.

THINGS TO BEAR IN MIND
ABOUT THE TESTING
• We’ve tested individual models, NOT ranges, so have an open mind if it’s other sizes of the products we review that you’re considering.

Most Manoevrable:
Ezzy Lion and Simmer 2XC.

Easiest to Rig:
Ezzy Lion by a country mile.

Which Ones Would We Buy?:
For hassle-free, comfortable freeriding, the Ezzy Lion. To accessibly crossover into genuine racing/GPS performance the Severne Turbo or Cosmic. They’d both help you go straight into a top-end slalom board too. The North S-Type is also a
lovely ‘fingertip’ sailing product.

Benchmark Product:
Absolutely everybody loved the Severne Turbo and we think it best bridges the gap between no-cams and full-on slalom sails – and can genuinely compete with many all-out racing models.

Special thanks to Tenerife Windsurf Solution (TWS) centre for hosting us – the best demo/hire centre in the world, F-Hot/Dave White for the loan of their mast mounts, I Love Meet and Greet Airport Valet Parking Services and windsurfingfins.co.uk for the loan of control fins and North Sails for supplying adjustable outhauls for our test rigs.

THE LINE-UP

EZZY LION 7.5

GAASTRA COSMIC 8.0

NEILPRYDE HORNET 7.7

NORTH S-TYPE 7.8

SIMMER 2XC 7.8

SEVERNE TURBO 7.5

TEST OVERVIEW PAGE

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Ezzy Lion 7.5m 2014 Test Review Report

BRAND POSITIONING

• “Twin cams provide great light wind power and high wind control.

• Narrow mast sleeve doesn’t fill with water, making water starts easy.

• Calibrated rigging guide gives precise tuning for better performance.

• Ezzy cam system will fit any RDM or SDM mast made in the past 20 years.

• RBS epoxy battens are stronger and stiffer than vinyl-ester battens.

• Every Lion is rigged and thoroughly checked over in the factory.”

PERFORMANCE
The overriding impression of the Lion 7.5 is that it feels very much like a rotational, with a sensation of being soft and powerless, but this is very deceptive, as the power delivery is extremely subtle – something that you notice head-to-head in terms of early planing, acceleration and speed. This sail is super flicky. We mostly felt like were using a rotational and couldn’t stop commenting on that. In our minds this is what a twin cam should feel like rather than some sort of diluted race sail. There’s also good feedback in terms of being in touch with the sheeting angle and the head ‘wag’ was notably positive too in how it pumped the rig over swells without stalling the drive. Obviously the flickiness was perfect for gybing and, with the wind, shall we say, mostly on the upper end of the range on this trip, we’ll just leave the assumption that the Lion will be a good sail for basic tricks! We wouldn’t normally comment on rigging in this section, but it has to be said that this is the easiest cammed sail any of us have ever rigged. The straight luff makes it so simple to slide in the mast and of course we’re talking a much, much narrower sleeve here than the rest of the selection, so there’s never going to be any issues with water stuck in there. Naturally the straight luff means very little downhaul pressure or muscles are required either as you use their excellent calibration system to tweak it just right for the conditions according to the supplied instructions. Is this a sail for using powered-to-the max? Probably not. This is a freeriding sail of distinction, but with the comfort that delivers then, if the sound of being hauled around by a multi-cammed beast terrifies you, yes, you will be faster on this product than a more daunting type of rig. If racing or GPS competition interests you, you’ll quickly find that control is King and equals more hours on the water. And with that in mind, the wind – and tuning – range (although we can’t comment on the low-end below 18 knots) is wide and this 7.5 provides decent value for money as a smooth-sailing, summer sea breeze product.

THE VERDICT
Easy to rig, effortless to sail and the most manoevrable of the bunch, the Ezzy Lion 7.5 offers rotational-style ride and handling and superb ‘flickability’. Top-notch construction and fuss-free setup and tuning make for a compelling performance freeride or freerace option.

www.ezzy.com

Other sails in this test:

GAASTRA COSMIC 8.0

NEILPRYDE HORNET 7.7

NORTH S-TYPE 7.8

SIMMER 2XC 7.8

SEVERNE TURBO 7.5

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TEST OVERVIEW PAGE

The post EZZY LION 7.5M 2014 TEST REVIEW REPORT appeared first on Windsurf Magazine.

Gaastra Cosmic 8.0m 2014 Test Review Report

OVERVIEW
Gaastra – or GA Sails as they’re re-branding themselves – have two twin cams on the market. The Phantom – a racier 7-batten number and this 6-batten Cosmic. The Cosmic and Phantom are accompanied in the GA race/freerace range by the no-cam Savage freerace sail (tested in April 2014 issue) and  the all-out PWA-level Vapor slalom/race sail – as tested in the May edition.

BRAND POSITIONING
‘The Cosmic is our 2 cam freeride machine. The new LUFF CURVE CONCEPT delivers more low end and great handling. Its a 6 batten freeride sail for the camber fans, who love that locked in feeling that keeps the profile more stable. The relatively wide sleeve with zippers make it super easy to rig the sail with the method of popping the cambers on the mast later when the sail is already rigged. The rotation of the cambers is super soft and smooth. With the improvements on the 2014 design we were able to increase the performance and make the Cos- mic more efficient for a wider wind range.’ (Sic.)

PERFORMANCE
The best thing about the DNA that filters down from Gaastra’s racing programme is the undisputed low-end push and the control that the deep-bellied draft provides. As obvious as the grunt is, it’s not raw or physical as the power delivery’s beautifully refined. Like a lot of Gaastra’s race, freerace and freeride products there’s a definite presence of ‘gears’ as you accelerate from standing to full-tilt. The draft is steady and predictable with a slight element of flex from the 6-batten frame and the depth of camber really pins down the livelier, racier boards that want to fly and hydrofoil over the rough water. As you’ll read elsewhere amongst this selection, the control the draft lends is very confidence-inducing and we found this to be one of the sails that we didn’t notice much during head-to-heads, simply because it’s just naturally reliable and really brought out the intricacies of the boards instead. If you’re thinking of some recreational racing then this characteristic can’t be underestimated. An ‘invisible’ sail that’s actually pretty powerful – yet still so easy to control – is a gift. The handling in gybes is pretty good for a 7.5 cammed sail and the rotation smooth and slick. Speed-wise the Cosmic is strong and the comfort will only help to maximise that. Although it’d be a good match for a freerace or performance freeride board, we think this is a sail that will allow you to progress straight onto a dedicated slalom board if you’re ambitious and want to experiment with fins and become familiar with the levels of acceleration and step-up in gybing ability required. Later on you’ll then perhaps be tempted into sailing a dedicated race sail fully overpowered, but who knows, with this level of control perhaps you won’t need to?

THE VERDICT
A perfect example of how a classic twin-cam sail’s control can now deliver the performance of an accomplished freerace model. Deep and drafty and capable of pinning-down quite advanced, racier boards, the Cosmic has a sophisticated engine with strong acceleration and excellent high-speed potential..

www.gaastra.com

Other sails in this test:

EZZY LION 7.5

NEILPRYDE HORNET 7.7

NORTH S-TYPE 7.8

SIMMER 2XC 7.8

SEVERNE TURBO 7.5

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The post GAASTRA COSMIC 8.0M 2014 TEST REVIEW REPORT appeared first on Windsurf Magazine.

Severne Turbo 7.5m 2014 Test Review Report

BRAND POSITIONING
“The Turbo is the most user-friendly cam sail. It combines low end power with light handling and blistering top speed with control. It is based on our race sail platform with higher skin tension and pre tensioned leeches, increasing the low end power and top end control. The 2 cams stabilize the foil and provide pre set shaping for power and drive through gusts and lulls. By maintaining the drive forward in the sail, the TURBO promotes an upright stance which translates into a rig that is easier to sail faster. The TURBO is designed to be the fastest and most comfortable Twin Cam sail ever. It uses our homogenous batten concept. The smaller sizes (6.0 – 7.0) feature 6 battens keeping the handling light and the swing weight low. The larger sizes (7.5 – 9.2) feature 7 battens for foil stability with the increased size.” (Sic.)

PERFORMANCE
In terms of power the Turbo (or ‘Donut’ as we read it from the other side of the monofilm!) has the ‘DNA’ of a really refined, settled, confidence-inducing race sail. The depth and forward draft concentration really help it to pin down the racier boards and delivers a ‘velvety’, smooth pull. There’s a slight element of flex and the breathing action is always active and alive and was much appreciated in the rough conditions during this test trip. As we discovered in the slalom sail test in the May issue, deeper draft is nothing to be afraid of. In fact it makes life much easier and pushes the board down for added control when you ‘let fly’ and hydrofoil on the fins over swell in that exciting ‘6th gear’. That said, we did find that a lot of downhaul was needed as, despite the nice upright stance it encourages, you can be pulled up on to the toes a little too much at times so experiment with the downhaul and find the best sweet spot for the conditions at hand. We liked neutral outhaul the best and were impressed by how this grunty beast was actually pretty darn manoevrable too.  Leaving the gybes the acceleration is obvious and strong. Not being top-level racers we found this helped us be faster on this sail when paired with dedicated slalom and the faster freerace boards we had with us than on the full-on gear that’s harder to kill the backhand on when approaching the corners. There’s a slick, solid ‘crack’ on rotation and it goes without saying we thought the flat-stick speed was pretty impressive against those pro-level slalom rigs. It has to be said these findings are based once again on using a Gaastra SDM mast (their ‘old’ curve, not the latest bend) as we haven’t managed to source the right Severne masts from the distributor to date, but, in case you already own one, it seems the Gaastra spars always seem to hit the mark.

THE VERDICT
A smooth, settled, turbo-fast twin cam with exceptional wind range and control. A no-brainer pick for anyone tempted to enter the racing or GPS  scene while demanding a vital level of control. The benchmark product from this test.

www.severnesails.com

Other sails in this test:

EZZY LION 7.5

GAASTRA COSMIC 8.0

NEILPRYDE HORNET 7.7

NORTH S-TYPE 7.8

SIMMER 2XC 7.8

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TEST OVERVIEW PAGE

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Neilpryde Hornet 7.7m 2014 Test Review Report

OVERVIEW
The Hornet has quite a streamlined luff tube and just 6 battens and 2 cams. (Their no-cam freerace model has 7 battens for reference.) The Hornet sits alongside the RS:Slalom (tested in May 2014 issue), the wide-sleeved H2 Racing twin cam freerace, the Hellcat no-cam freerace and of course the PWA-winning RS:Racing EVOVI slalom sail in their go-fast, flat-water range.

BRAND POSITIONING
‘Hornet is the sail of choice for sailors looking for easy planing, user-friendly handling and great performance. Six battens support the sail and two IntegraCams hold the profile in place and ensure high stability levels in gusts or when overpowered. The IntegraCams de-load during the rotation of the sail in tacks and gybes making them feel as though they’ve been removed from the sail. The result is cam-free handling in manoeuvres combined with cam-sail straight-line performance and low-end power. Hornet features the revolutionary Forceline Frame construction for dynamic load and shape control and even more durability.’

PERFORMANCE
This 7.7 is noticeably light with a nice, tight sleeve that’s easy to rig and eliminates unwanted water penetration after a fall. Although this trip mainly tested the extreme top-end of most of the gear, in the rare lighter air sessions we were impressed by the early-planing performance that was particularly pleasing to the heavier testers. There’s plenty of power on tap and a pretty wide tuning band too. We’d recommend using an adjustable outhaul, even a basic one, on most sails, but this sail really does like to be deeper at the bottom-end and trimmed flatter for heavier going – but remember we were sailing in around 30 knots of wind on hellish rough sea for most of the trip. The cam rotation action is notably smooth and slippery  – it’s super easy to kill the power/backhand entering turns – and the general throwaboutability very good. Pryde say this size can work on both 460 and 490 masts but we strongly recommend only dealing with a 460, even if you’re a heavyweight, as the 490 over stiffens the reflex in our opinion. In general the draft is nice and locked and, even past what is a reasonable upper wind range for a sail of this size, the profile stayed steady and very well behaved indeed. Although pretty pacy deep off the wind, the Hornet’s seems more set up to prefer straight-line reaching and promotes a nice upright stance to, literally, keep you on your toes and agile and ready to deal with messy water or to prepare for gybes. If you’re interested in some racing then we’d suggest maybe trying their 7-batten twin-cam – the H2 racing – or even the no-cam Hellcat, which we proved to be capable of a massive wind range and blistering top speed both off and across the wind.

THE VERDICT
An excellent across-the-wind blasting sail with smooth and unintimidating cam action and impressive wind range. The early-planing power will appeal to heavyweights and the tuning band can cope with wide range of wind strengths. Good match for performance freeride boards and as a step-up pick for intermediates.

www.neilpryde.com

Other sails in this test:

EZZY LION 7.5

GAASTRA COSMIC 8.0

NORTH S-TYPE 7.8

SIMMER 2XC 7.8

SEVERNE TURBO 7.5

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THERE ARE NO CLEAN GETAWAYS

SCOTT MCKERCHER – DRIVE

Back in 2008, iconic Australian wave sailor Scotty McKercher announced his retirement from the PWA World Tour due to a worn-out hip caused by ‘having way too much fun in one lifetime’! Rather than an end to his career as a professional windsurfer, his decision to quit competition marked a whole new chapter, switching over to fulltime R&D duties for long-term board sponsor Starboard. Six years down the line, with a new hip replacement providing a fresh lease of life on the water, Scotty is driving harder than ever in his quest to ride that perfect wave! Over the years, John Carter has spent many hours in countless countries on the road with ‘Gramps’ and was handed the mission to discover the secrets behind Scotty’s passions. 

Words

& Photos JOHN CARTER

(This feature originally appeared in the May 2014 issue of Windsurf Magazine. To read more features like this first, Print and Digital subscriptions are available. Prices include delivery globally for 10 x issues a year!)

JC: Scotty McKercher is a natural explorer, driven by his urge to seek and experience new places and ride perfect waves all over the world. The word ‘drive’ is a key element in his life! Not only for those thousands miles behind the wheel, chasing forecasts up and down the coast of West Australia but ‘drive’ is what he demands from his wave boards as he powers through his bottom turns, ready to hook up into one of his trademark gouges.
SM: “Drive is one of the most important elements of any wave board in my eyes! When you put the board on rail and push, acceleration and speed come as a result. But that motion has got to be smooth and the board has have the ability to redirect at any point in the turn. It’s critical in a jibe, bottom turn and top turn. Drive comes from the entire package of rocker, rail and fins. There’s multiple ways of attaining it. In terms of technique it’s almost an attitude of wanting to push. You lean into your turns with front foot bias utilizing a lot of rail. Once the rail is engaged you pushed harder and acceleration and speed comes as a result. A vertical approach to the lip is my favorite way of sailing so a board with drive makes this much more attainable. When we first started designing quads, there was this drive sensation that I’d never experienced before and I was definitely excited. Generation one had a stupid amount of squirt and drive, but they were a bit hard to handle. They were a bit like a Muscle car with a massive V8 – tonnes of power, but with handling issues. Now we’ve gotten to a pretty good combination of easy-to-use, smooth-yet-controlled power. I’d say a bit like an Audi RS4!”

JC: Talking of cars, when back at home in the Western Australian summer, Scotty’s wheels are just as important as his boards and recently he has purchased a new ride into his quiver:
SM: “Yeah, you could say I’ve done quite a few Ks in WA, hundreds of thousands in fact! It’s lucky that I kinda like driving. I find it almost meditative. Forcing you to sit, think and reflect. Right now I have two vehicles. A 2001 Mazda Bravo 4×4, which I bought with my bonus money from winning the World Title. It’s had pretty much everything replaced so it’s not cost effective to sell it considering the amount I’ve spent on it to keep it going. And it’s gotten to the stage where I’ve got a little bit sentimental about it. And in WA you just have to have a 4-wheelie to get where you need to go sometimes. Then, last year, I bought a secondhand Passat wagon as I reckon they’re super stylish, ‘hell economical’ and heaps faster than the truck. So that one is basically the luxury ‘between Perth and Margs’ car and for fangs over to Esperance. I’d say my truck has been semi-retired to the Margies tracks and up-north runs. I do love ‘em both. I guess you can say I have an old love and new love!

JC: When Scotty left school, he followed in his father’s footsteps and headed to university to become a teacher. But something inside was telling him that he should follow his true passion and take a chance and try and make something out of windsurfing:
SM: “My time at university was a long, drawn-out process that came to a critical moment. I didn’t really know why I was there to become a teacher, I just came from a family of teachers and when the pro windsurfer thing wasn’t really working out for one reason or another, I felt going to college was something that I had to do in life. Then when I was 21, Neil Scheltema (My Board sponsor) put the thought in my head that I should give the tour another crack. Quitting college seemed irresponsible, but there was an overwhelming force at play. In one of my teacher practices I had this almost out-of-body experience looking down on myself at what I was doing. I tripped out and ran to the beach in tears with an inner knowing there had to be change. Thankfully my practical examiner was my ex-girlfriend’s mum and took compassion on me knowing my past and what was driving me when I lost it”

JC: Like many aspects of Scott’s life story, his initial collaboration with Starboard seemed to just flow from being in the right place at the right time. After a bust up with his previous sponsor ‘WindTech’ Scotty sent out an email to Svein Rasmussen:
SM: “I remember being without a board sponsor and thinking I was f****d. But I shot a mail out to Sveiny, who was just starting out and had just signed Steve Allen. He couldn’t afford to pay me any cash, but said he would supply me with boards. I was racing back then as well, so it was still a big outlay for someone who hadn’t sold any boards yet. That was when he first sponsored me. My first contact with Svein was a drunken wrestle with him in a car park in Geraldton in 1987. I was 17 and he was a touring pro who used to come and train in Oz’. He was also the guy I overtook on the last run to the finish at the Ledge to Lancelin race in 1992 too! The win (By 1 step on the run to the finish caravan) gave me enough cash to quit college and give the tour a crack. So you could say Sveiny and my paths have been closely linked for a while now. So we’ve been working together on boards since 1996/97. Initially, Jean Louis [Colmas] and Svein were the slalom freeride guys and I kinda looked after the waveboards. The thing that has always impressed me about Svein is his drive! It’s unmatched by anyone I’ve ever met and even puts the ‘Energiser Bunny’ to shame. Borderline manic compulsive perhaps, but it’s also his great vision. He see’s things coming before anyone else gets a sniff”

JC: McKercher has always been rated as one of the best onshore wave riders in the world after being brought up smacking lips at Scarborough Beach back in Perth Western Australia. In 2004 he was the surprise package at the Gran Canaria World Cup and took the locals down at their home patch on his way to securing the World Title later in the year in Sylt. A few years later, injury would force him off the tour, but a fulltime vacancy in Starboards R&D Dept. beckoned and his career in windsurfing continued.
SM: “Winning the world title when I was 34 definitely elongated my career. It was hard to see what was going on at the time as other things were quite turbulent in my life. It was all pretty surreal. When I finally quit the tour, it took a while to let go of that life. But then I found myself sailing perfect waves when the rest of the tour was in Sylt and I was pretty happy about that. I didn’t feel the need to go hang out with the granny groupies of Sylt anymore! But then, when events like Cabo Verde came along, there was no way I was missing out on that. But a couple of years later I was even able to let go of that desire too. I am still keeping my hand in when I can and the last few years I have been in Tenerife for testing and the forecasts have looked really good, so I entered. While there’s jumping involved I know there’s no hope these days but I was pretty happy to get through a couple of heats each year due to my wave scores though. It was kind of a natural evolution from what I was already doing to shift over to testing. I was already doing all the waveboard design, but in 2008 when my hip just couldn’t handle the jumping anymore, Svein had asked me to come along and help out with some of the SUP testing. And then, as things kept accelerating on that front, it evolved into a full-on job balancing windsurf duties along with the growing SUP range. The main thing was that it has kept me on the water since the competition days and perhaps even more than when I was competing”

JC: For many years, I remember seeing Scotty hobbling around beaches, literally seething as he was forced off the water due to his nagging hip injury. In simple terms, his hip was pretty much worn out. Advanced Osteoarthritis was diagnosed and, with no cartilage left, he was forced to choose between a hip replacement or cut way down on his time on the water. The decision was simple:
SM: “That was one of the most pivotal periods of my life. I went for quite some years carrying a lot of pain and stiffness trying to go for as long as I could before having the operation. With travel and testing of boards I was limping around getting the job done but was becoming more and more restricted as to what I could do. Pain was normal. But when it got to the point where I couldn’t bottom turn. That was it, I had to make the decision to go in for the operation! Then, after the surgery, I was pretty darn sore, but it was only two months later I was in the West Oz desert wavesailing down the line and throwing 360s. Since then I’m a little stiffer in my right hip but I can do pretty much whatever I want. It’s given me such appreciation for a body that works normally – apart from my brain!”

TESTING
JC: There never seems any let up for Scotty throughout the year. Every time I chat to him on the phone, he’s either in Bangkok, heading on a road trip or flying overseas with a shed load of board bags. Far from retirement, McKercher’s workload has increased where that new hip is working overtime to support the old one!

SM: “Waveboards are done by Mid-November, so at the end of October was when we put the final touches to what we’ve been working on of late. And I’m really stoked with the result! But when they go to Mould I’ve still got a lot of SUP boards that need to be tested by December. WA is such a perfect place for testing with such a large variety of conditions available. Usually we get the first approval boards for a shoot in Jan/Feb, which has kinda revolved around western Oz due to simplicity of me having a house and cars and conditions all there. There’s still some new concept testing over the west Australian summer as well. Come the end of West Oz summer there’s the Maui shoot for windsurf and SUP that I tend to help out in a lot of ways, along with sailing in the shoots.

April and May have predominantly been SUP-biased, with a lot of trips between Bangkok and Phuket, which has been handy as the flight isn’t very long. But three trips a week has been known to happen. June into July I’ve been going to the Canaries with a lot of prototypes to get some Euro high wind conditions in, as well as feedback from the rest of the team who are all there for the Gran Canaria and Tenerife comps. Aug is pretty SUP-oriented with some dealer meetings, but come Sept and Oct, it’s full-bore for the home stretch to get boards ready for mid-November. So there are a few more trips between Bangkok and WA. All in all it’s pretty hectic year-round! The best and worst thing is all the travel I get to do. As we speak it’s the end of October and I’ve already racked up more than 70 boarding passes this year. I love and hate it all at the same time. I love the fact that I get so much time on the water, in two sports that I’m passionately engaged with. But then I don’t see my family and friends at home very much. It means a lot to me when someone comes up and tells me how much they love their board, but it shits me when a board gets a really good test in one mag and then another mag will then go and write it off.  And I think one mag even bagged a board for being one thing and then later praised it for being the opposite. But I take it all to heart too

much probably!”

DESERT TIME
JC: Beers, campfires, waves, his mates, tasty food, sick waves and no bullshit! That would pretty much sum up the best qualities of Scott’s annual pilgrimages up to the dessert in North West Australia. It’s the place where Scotty can go relax, escape from everyday stress and recharge his batteries ready for the next part of his annual schedule.
SM: “In September I had a pretty special trip up north. Some of my best mates were already there and I was at the dealer meeting in Costa Brava absolutely frothing to get up. I was just going no matter what and didn’t even really check the forecasts. I had a bunch of boards to test and was just stoked to get home. What unraveled was the best pattern I’ve had the pleasure to experience. One day in particular was incredible. I SUPd in the morning on what we thought was a diminishing swell. Got a couple of tubes and was pretty stoked. Then the wind came in and the early crew were on it while we went back to camp to refuel. When we got back it was just all-time and Jaeger [Stone] was out there killing it. We tagged out as he had to hit the road and I didn’t see him on the water. Then there was a bomb and I was like ‘Wow. Last pulse of the swell’. But they kept on coming. There were only about five of us out so we had the pick of pretty much anything. And then some absolute massive gems came though. High tide, south swell –  absolute perfection. I think the last time I got it that good was in 1992. And I’ve been coming back 2-3 times a year every year since, so that was pretty rare”

THE FUTURE
JC: In 10 year’s time Scotty will be 53 and right now has no idea where he will be and what he will be doing. Up until now in life he has followed the ‘flow’ and no doubt that’s the way he’ll continue to roll …
SM: “53! That’s a scary thought! I’m not much of a planner. There’s no way I could’ve mapped-out this path to now. I like to think I might be living in Margs looking after some kids or something, or cruising around on a yacht somewhere. I have no idea really what I will be doing. I kinda feel like I’m just along for the ride in this life. Trying to follow the map that’s been laid out before me. I just have to try and listen to what is the right life to lead. Windsurfing has provided such a wide variety of experiences in so many different places meeting amazing people. It’s still the central focus I suppose, but I wrote a long time ago that if instances were different and I was in a relationship with a family it wouldn’t be that way. It’s just that hasn’t happened! I don’t have a family of my own, but feel I have such a wide extended family as a result of windsurfing that I know I can go pretty much anywhere in the world and not be lonely because I have good friends there. I always thought I’d have a family, but perhaps it’s not part of my destiny? Thanks Gramps. JC

QUICK-FIRE QUESTIONS 

Three words to describe yourself?
1. Driven
2. Lazy, (Myself and life are a paradox!)
3. Happy

Name five other sailors whose style you really admire and why?
1: Josh Angulo is the early 90s was highly influential. The projection into tweaked airs was such a natural extension of hitting the lip really hard, full-rail driven with a certain ‘F%#@ You’ attitude.
2: Kauli [Seadi] in Cabo Verde for his tight full-rail no slide carving was a joy to watch. He looked pretty on it in Maui this year too.
3: Levi [Siver] for combining smooth, fluent and radical all at the same time.
4: [Philip] Koester for repeatedly blowing my brain with a solid full rail power hack to boot.
5: Jaeger Stone is also smooth and radical. But it’s kind of like a [Kelly]

Slater thing. He’s just a pleasure to watch and then he will blow your mind.

Where’s home for you right now?
Margaret River. But I don’t get to spend so much time there these days. Ben Severne is always giving me shit with comments like “you heading home?” when I go to Thailand, because I’ve been spending a fair amount of time in Bangkok lately!

What ambitions do you have?
Windsurfing wise? None really. Although I’ve been finding myself still wanting to go to Chile if that comp ever goes ahead or maybe the Peru AWT event. But these are just excuses to go and sail some good waves. I guess you can say that’s my main ambition. Just to stay on the water and feel like I’m still improving, which is the case, because our boards keep getting better. To keep up the stoke and keep having fun. You never know what’s around the corner!

What’s your ideal quiver of three boards for a road trip from Margaret River down to Esperance and why?
82, 74, and 70 quads. 82 for the grovel around days which are probably the best. (Cleanest) 74 is my go to board for pretty much everything. I’m usually on my 5.0 so I’m usually on my 74. It handles the groveling days to powered up equally as well. If it starts to get bloody windy or I’m powered up on my 4.7 I’ll jump down to the 70.  As the board gets smaller so does the response and agility.

What conditions excite you these days?
The same as always. Side to side-off 6-8 feet down-the-line, which I’ve had a bit of recently. I get equally frothed over good Tenerife or cross-on conditions. As Long as you’re powered up and there are lips to hit, it’s all good wholesome fun!

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NORTH WARP F2014 7.8M 2014 TEST REVIEW REPORT

OVERVIEW
To avoid ‘scaling’ sizes, North have split the performance emphasis of their top-end product above and below 6.3 and the 7.0 sizes.

BRAND POSITIONING
‘Everyone thinks on a World-Cup Slalom sail it’s all about top-speed no matter what size you use. But if you closely follow PWA Slalom races you will realize that when using large sizes in low/gusty winds it is ALL about a perfect start and acceleration after the jibes… in 30/40 knots though that’s a different story: in these wind-speeds you need a much shorter distance to get into top-speed. Therefore top-speed and control are the major criteria for small sizes.’ (Sic.)

PERFORMANCE
The Warp F2014 was definitely one of the least physical of this group to sail. There’s a marked, forgiving, ‘fingertip control’ sensation that makes it feels like a twin-cam or freeride sail in terms of handling – but with a max speed that’s right up there with its more aggressive rivals. The low swing weight and friendly profile also make it excellent to gybe and, in terms of manoeuvrability, is really light and easy to position. The profile is somewhere between a ‘balloon’ sail and a ‘blade’ foil with finer, flatter entry and we’d say somewhere towards the middle and ‘friendlier’ end of the power scale on offer within this group. Most of the time the Warp was pretty stable in terms of draft – in fact it’s quite stiff considering the 7-batten profile while it’s rivals all opt for 8 or 9 – but at the extreme top-end there was a little instability up high that acts as a sign to change down. Regarding the wind range we have to say that, with the rough water and high wind conditions experienced, we had few opportunities to test the low-end of this product. Acceleration-wise it’s not a ‘tractor’  – this is a sail for winning through guile and control rather than brute force – but a product that will see you cutting a path and making slyer, more cunning turns in control rather than relying on pure unadulterated grunt to get you out of dirty air. Although the Warp feels easy to use compared to some more ‘full-on’ sails, remember it is still very much a dedicated racing product, so is best used well powered anyway.  If you’re locked into a chase down, comfort at speed can be vital, especially if you’re not a monstrous 110 kg. beast, so consider this one thoroughly if you’re looking for something highly energy efficient to sail.

THE VERDICT
The perfect balance between an all-out deep-profiled machine and a more detuned product, the Warp F2014 is for the smarter sailor wanting to preserve energy and concentrate on the job at hand. An ideal choice for the lighter sailor or those mainly sailing in rougher water.

www.north-windsurf.com

READ THE OTHER REPORTS 

GAASTRA VAPOR 7.9
NEILPRYDE RS: SLALOM 7.8
POINT-7 7.8 AC-1
RRD FIRE 7.8
SIMMER SCR 7.8
SEVERNE REFLEX 7.8

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(CLIP) Frenchman Thomas Traversa won the 2014 KIA Cold Hawaii PWA World Cup against spanish Victor Fernandez in unprecedented circumstances, the final heat was held in almost complete darkness on the last event day. See the clip here..

The post TRAVERSA COLD HAWAII CHAMP 2014 VIDEO appeared first on Windsurf Magazine.

PRESS RELEASE

Tiree Wave Classic Pre-Entry is now open online!

As the UK climate remains fairly calm and warm still, the Scottish Hebrides have been enjoying some good winds already leading up to the Tiree Wave Classic 2014

Traditionally the temperatures are mild up there this time of year but the winter winds and swells have already started to kick in! Many competitors head up the week before to make the most of it, in fact Phil Horrocks has already been bagging some action on the Isle of Lewis!

To book your ferry from Oban just visit

www.calmac.co.uk and check the timetable to suit, you can book online or call them especially if you need any advice on vans or motorhomes.

If you are looking for accommodation there are plenty of self catering houses to share on the island, but also consider the Wild Diamond Campsite and Self Catering Cottage conveniently located in the centre of the Island! There is a special offer of half price camping and 20% off self catering with Wild Diamond – to book go to

www.wilddiamond.co.uk

This year we have special guests Ross Williams and Nik Baker who will be on hand to offer free clinic time and coaching advice as well as ‘Sparky’s Pro Clinics’ run all week with the pro riders. The clinic time and talks are all free for competitors to attend and aimed at wave sailors of all abilities to make the most of their week away!

Pre Entry is open online NOW so head to

www.tireewaveclassic.co.uk and sign up!

<ENDS>

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RRD X-FIRE LIMITED V6 114L 2014 TEST REVIEW REPORT

THE LOW-DOWN
Back-to-back world titles and two in the top-5 in the past two seasons leave little to be explained on the pedigree of the winning RRD X-Fire line. Sitting atop the Firerace freerace and Firestorm ‘freeride sport’ and alongside the X-Fire light wind boards, RRD have a full-bore flat-water programme.

BRAND CLAIM
‘The next step….we are in it to win it! Building on the world title design framework from last season and also leading the PWA 2013 World Cup standing in 1st and 3rd overall, RRD continues their market reference dominance with a clear leap forward in the form of the 2014 V6 series… The new X-Fire V6 is the result of 5 hard working years of constant research and development and this is our best work yet without question.’ (Sic.)

PERFORMANCE
We remember the previous version of the slimline X-Fire being electrifying in flat water – well, terrifying really in terms of speed. So it was with some trepidation that we first launched in Tenerife in nearly 30 knots with 40-centimetre fins and 7.8s. However, what we found was a nice and pinned-down and planted, controlled and secure hull that behaved very well indeed, sailing smoothly above the chop and swell that would otherwise make the going a lot tougher. The sailing sensation is unique. There’s a strange, but nice, feel of crisp/lightweight, sucky, downforcey behaviour that really lends confidence as you approach the limit of speed and concentration. The nose stays down beautifully and never felt like it would take-off when fully lit. The general ride and stance is nicely balanced between the front and back foot and, although smaller testers found it a little unstable at times (bear in mind it was howling!), we mostly found the lateral stability at speed excellent. We remember the X-Fire being super easy to gybe in flat water in Egypt, but of course this time it was certainly more demanding of technique, but definitely dependent on what sails it’s paired with. For sure it likes sails more bagged out and over-powered, but those are also tricky beasts to handle approaching turns, so bear in mind what types of rig you’d use if you opted for this board. Our suggestion would be to go for a crafty, full-on sail, but start with a smaller – say 36 cm., but still stiff and high-acceleration – fin at first and then grow into the combination and increase fin size as you go. On that note, this board is insanely fast and does possess super acceleration, but how this is amplified is massively influenced by what fin you’d pair with it.

THE VERDICT
The X-Fire is still the reference board in terms of speed and acceleration and for really attacking swell and chop. On this rough water test the handing was certainly challenged, but the 114 is not out of range for the committed and will< be a joy in smoother water. Wise fin choice will be highly rewarded – go smaller at first if you’re nervous of the power!

www.robertoriccidesigns.com

NOW READ THE OTHER REPORTS

FANATIC FALCON 110
JP SLALOM PRO 68
TABOU MANTA 71
STARBOARD ISONIC 117

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TEST OVERVIEW PAGE

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