K4 FINS have signed PWA super star Leon Jamaer, speaking about the signing K4 fins commented ”The Red Bull storm chasing JP/Pryde rider had podium finishes in both Denmark and Germany and we are super pleased that he has chosen our fins to help him push his riding for future comps and missions. We are stoked to have Leon on the team and really look forward to working with him. Keep your eyes peeled for a new signature fin line from Leon in the near future.”
Leon commented ”I tried different K4 fins during the season and really liked their performance. The slightly softer materials bring a lot of control, whether its windy and rough Denmark or pumping Hookipa – the fins gave me a lot of confidence and allowed me to fully follow my intuitions while riding a wave. I am also stoked to be able to work with Steve Thorp on a signature fin to find the best mix of control, speed and release for my Quads in Euro conditions. K4 Fins have a great concept and Team behind it and I am happy to be part of it from now on!”
As I enter the baggage area at Flamingo Airport of Bonaire, the first thing that strikes me is the influence of windsurfing on this unspoiled Dutch Caribbean Island. Lofted in the roof of arrivals are a bunch of rigged sails, while over on the wall, bang in front of every single tourist arriving on the island, is a massive poster of their World Champion Kiri Thode, flying through a shaka over the azure waters of Lac Bay.
Windsurfing here in Bonaire is like skiing to the Alps or surfing to Hawaii and the likes of Kiri Thode, Tonky and Taty Frans are the island’s ambassadors who’ve helped put this island on the worldwide map of windsurfing. I’m here for four days to explore this Caribbean windsurfing paradise, one of the spiritual homes of freestyle windsurfing. With Kiri and Taty my guides for the duration, I’m pretty sure there’ll never be a dull moment!
Words & Photos JOHN CARTER
(This feature originally appeared in the August2014 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!)
BON VOYAGE! KLM are the main carriers to Bonaire with flights in February, via Amsterdam, clocking in at around £700 return from London. Passengers are allowed a 23-kilo bag, plus the normal hand baggage allowance. After that an extra bag is £66 pounds if you prepay and £80 at check in. With two bags of camera equipment, I thought I might be able to wing it at the desk, but the policy was very strict in either direction, so the extra fee was a nasty sting in the tail. Aside from their extortionate baggage policy, the journey with KLM was relatively simple, with the short hop over to Amsterdam followed by an eight-hour flight, with a quick touchdown in Aruba before the final destination.
Finally I arrive in Bonaire and immediately find myself automatically slowing down to the islands relaxed pace the moment I step off the plane and am hit by the warm, balmy breeze. Bonaire is one of what are known as the ‘ABC Islands’, (Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao) and is located a mere 50 miles off the coast of Venezuela. The island is around 24 miles in length and varies between three and seven miles in width, with most of the landscape flat and the highest peak just 240 metres above sea level.
Kiri and Taty are outside to greet me, both fired up because the forecast looks awesome for the duration of my stay. In fact the wind has been blowing here every day for the past two months – but that’s nothing new in the windswept Caribbean, where the trades reliably blow throughout the European Winter. After a 10-minute drive from the airport, we arrive at the Sorobon Bay Resort, the only hotel situated directly on the shores of the lagoon.
Sorobon Beach Resort is based next to the Jibe City windsurf station and, according to its literature, sits on one of the most beautiful stretches of sand in the Caribbean. The resort boasts its own private beach, with shaded cabannas and lounge chairs and has 30 comfortable cottages that sleep between two and six people. It’s dark outside, so I’ll have to wait until the morning before I can properly check out my surroundings, but the accommodation is awesome and I can hear the water lapping on the beach outside. I’m pretty certain I’m going to be pleasantly surprised come sunrise.
“IF YOU’RE LOOKING FOR A FAST-PACED PARTY DESTINATION WITH WILD BARS, HIGH RISES AND CHEESY TOURIST ATTRACTIONS, THEN BONAIRE IS NOT THE PLACE FOR YOU”
READY TO ROCK I wake up early, just in time to stumble 50 bleary-eyed metres to the water’s edge and watch in awe as the sun climbs up above the horizon through a bank of puffy, pink Caribbean clouds. I’m certainly not disappointed by my surroundings, with the resort bang on the water, right in front of the main sailing area. The wind’s already rustling the palm trees, white capping the water and there are a few early birds already heading out for a pre breakfast session. It looks like it’s shaping up to be another perfect windsurfing day here in this flat-water paradise. As the sun climbs higher in the sky, the colours of the water just turn brighter and brighter, from azure blue to almost transparent turquoise. The lagoon is like a huge swimming pool, waist deep for over a kilometre offshore and, if you ever want to teach your wife or kids windsurfing, this has to be the perfect destination. You have to experience this place first person to really appreciate the amazing colours and I’m already excited at the prospect of shooting two of the world’s best freestylers in this astonishing oasis of transparent water. Kiri and Taty roll up casually around 9.30 a.m., Caribbean style, both tapping away on their phones as they weigh up the conditions. “Yeah man” shouts Kiri, “Full power today!”
ACTION! Within half an hour we’re out on the water with Kiri and Taty throwing down tricks in the 15-20-knot trades. It almost seems effortless for Kiri to spiral through his array of tricks and, even through the lulls, he’s able to pump onto the plane and nail amazing, contorted manoeuvres right in front of my camera. Taty is known more for his aggressive, power style and hurtles through his moves with clinical precision. The skill and complexity of what these guys can do in flat water is simply mind blowing. It’s hardly surprising that these guys have become so talented with this incredible location as their home backyard, but it‘s also taken endless hours on the water, effort and dedication to turn all that practise into perfection.
LAC BAY This stunning bay nestled on the tiny Caribbean Island has been their playground ever since they were kids. They know every inch of the water like the back of their hands and it’s been the platform that’s provided the conditions that’ve enabled them to train day in, day out and become the best in the world. Without windsurfing here, who knows what would have become of Kiri and Taty? Most likely they would have still made a living from the ocean, but as fishermen rather than professional athletes. Back in 2002, Bonaire hosted its first PWA freestyle World Cup and Lac Bay was suddenly on the map as one of the best freestyle locations on the planet. The efforts of Elvis Martinez, from the Bonaire windsurf place, help secure two more PWA World Cups, which has paid off in terms of increased tourism and the islands recognition of windsurfing. The success of Kiri and the Frans brothers has inspired hundreds of other kids to follow in their footsteps and take up windsurfing on Bonaire. When Kiri won the World Title back in October in Sylt, half of the island were on hand at the airport to greet him when he arrived back in Bonaire. A huge street party ensued, where the people celebrated their champion into the night with Kiri even carried around on a makeshift throne by his friends and compatriots. Like I mentioned at the beginning, windsurfing is kind of big in Bonaire!
Nowadays the Island has an established clientele of windsurfers from all over Europe and the US, who come here for its incredible conditions. This year’s PWA event in June further endorsed this islands commitment to promoting their premiere asset. Bonaire is one of those places people fall in love with and end up coming back year after year, many for months rather than weeks! If you’re happy blasting around in a flat water paradise, or a young gun freestyler who wants to improve through time on the water, alongside quality accomplices, then it’s a pretty laidback place to hang out and enjoy the conditions.
Out in front of the Sorobon Resort, the wind is predominantly onshore, but the beauty of this arena is that you can simply head off and explore any given spot in this huge windsurfing playground. To the left of the Sorobon Resort and two windsurf centres, the headland juts out and then wraps around in a semicircle, where the wind blows almost dead offshore and is mirror flat. This is one of the favourite spots for the freestylers evening session, plus the crowds can also watch the action as the sailors slip and slide in this freestyle heaven.
JIBE CITY AND BONAIRE WINDSURF PLACE In front of the main sailing arena next to the Sorobon Resort are Bonaire’s two windsurf centres, Jibe City and Bonaire Windsurf Place. These well-equipped centres will cater for all your needs, in terms of equipment rental, lessons and a cool place to hang out and watch the action. Jibe City offer the latest selection of boards from JPAustralia, Fanatic and Exocet, with fully rigged sails from Severne, NeilPryde and MauiSails. They also have the ‘Hang-Out Bar’ with plenty of tables, sofas and sun loungers where you can chill, dine, drink and watch the action. The Bonaire Windsurf Place next door, which is run by Elvis Martinez, boasts an awesome range of rental equipment from Starboard, RRD and Hot Sails Maui. Both centres charge around $350 per week for a full package, which also includes snorkel rental and use of kayaks.
BOAT TRIP Come our third day in Bonaire, Taty has a surprise up his sleeve and has organised a boat trip over to Klein Bonaire, a tiny uninhabited island right opposite the capital city of Kralendijk. At first I was sceptical about leaving one of the most amazing freestyle locations on the planet for a trip into the unknown, but I could tell by the way Taty was pleading that we might be onto something special. Once at the harbour in town, all of my worries were cast aside when Taty pointed out the boat we would be cruising in for the day, aptly named ‘Meal Ticket’. Although, once I laid eyes on this beauty, to me this ride was going to be more like a ‘Dream Ticket’. Prior to our outing, I’d been expecting us all in some tiny rowing boat with a clapped-out engine, but instead we were going in a pimp, three-story motor cruiser, with two huge outboards and room galore on board. In a word ‘luxury’, so, without any more questions, we loaded up the boat with all the gear and even threw in a cooler full of ice-cold beers for the return journey. All of a sudden this trip was coming together very nicely indeed!
Once outside the harbour, skipper Greg put the throttle down, the boat reared up on its hull and we were blasting towards Klein Bonaire in proper style. Five minutes later, after a short channel crossing, we were tying up to a mooring literally five metres from the shore of the island, in beautiful azure water with shoals of fish clearly visible mooching around below the surface. The island is pretty much pristine – with no inhabitants – and with its totally flat landscape, the wind has no obstacles and is free to blow right to the shoreline. Both Taty and Kiri were pumped up for a high-wind session and rigged on the front of the boat while I climbed up to the top platform to check out the view. Half an hour later, both sailors were yelling and shrieking as they exchanged manoeuvres all around the boat. With the water turning from deep blue into turquoise right off the mooring, there were plenty of cool opportunities to score some interesting images. Kiri was in his element, effortlessly throwing down every trick in his armoury, while Taty was focussed on the power-contorted moves. Midway through the afternoon, a speedboat cruised past laden with tourists and Taty took full advantage and busted a back loop off the wake. With the passengers on board all cheering for more, both Taty and Kiri took turns for a few runs each, nailing Konos and loops on our newly-found ramps. By the end of the afternoon, both Taty and Kiri were literally burned out of energy after both sailing full power for well over four hours and we headed back in the evening light all smiling after a wicked adventure to Klein and its marine environment. A few icy-cold Polar lagers never go astray in a situation like this and what better way to watch the sun go down than sipping a cold brew on a pimp boat out in the Caribbean?
FREESTYLE TRICKERY
My final day was windy first thing in the morning, before a lull around midday. Taking a quick stroll past Jibe City, I was lucky enough to catch local light wind guru Caesar Finies in action. Now this guy is a pure magician at light-wind freestyle and to see him spinning and throwing his sail around is pretty mind blowing to say the least. The question is often asked how to get more people into windsurfing and I can think of a lot worse ideas than to simply to stick this guy on a world tour to busy beaches to put on shows of what he can do in light winds. Caesar is a crowd puller, an entertainer, spectacular to watch and he only needs a few knots of wind. What he does looks fun, a challenge – and it’s all done on beginner kit. What more can you ask for?
AROUND BONAIRE
On my last afternoon, Kiri and Taty gave me a guided tour of the island’s coast road from Lac Bay round to the airport. Off the side of the road we were lucky enough to spot a few of thttp://www.windsurf.co.uk/wp-admin/post-new.php?post_type=featured#he island’s famous pink flamingos wading around in the salt flats. It may look like a flamingo has a knee that bends backwards, but what you are actually seeing is the bird’s ankle. More than 10,000 birds call the island home, many taking residence in an 135-acre sanctuary created by Cargill, the owners of the salt mines further round the track. Back in the 1600s, when the Dutch took possession of Bonaire, much of the island was a planation owned by the Dutch West Indies Company. It was during those years that African slaves were forced to work and grim reminders of these days still exist in this part of Bonaire in the form of slave huts, which were laboriously constructed by hand. Right at the southern tip of the island we drive towards huge, cone-shaped mountains the colour of snow – salt! Owned by the huge Cargill Corporation, salt is produced in Bonaire in the beds of Pekelemeer, where it’s exported by sea and used mostly for industrial purposes. The pyramids of salt are pretty spectacular to witness and I was hoping maybe we could snag a few sailing shots in the surrounding salt beds, but with warnings of possible arrest, we decided that perhaps it wasn’t such a great idea.
SUMMARY If you’re looking for a fast-paced party destination with wild bars, high rises and cheesy tourist attractions, then Bonaire is not the place for you. This island is more your laid back Caribbean, with a tiny population of 12,500, a chilled vibe and unspoiled beaches. Lac Bay is a protected reserve and is without doubt one of the most beautiful stretches of water in the Caribbean. With knee to waist high crystalline water and balmy trade winds, it simply has to be one of the best places in the world to learn how to windsurf! It really is perfect for kids and, even if they don’t fancy windsurfing, the water’s shallow enough to wade out and explore. If you’re into skiing then imagine a wide, intermediate, safe and shallow slope, that’s pretty much what you get in Bonaire across the whole bay where the water is clear. If freestyle is your thing, then Bonaire will definitely not disappoint. Where else do you get to sail with the World Champion and some of the best freestyle, Bonaire is without doubt a place you could lose yourself for a few months, improve your sailing and escape the hustle and bustle of life in the fast lane. JC
WINDSURF MAGAZINE #342 JANUARY FEBRUARY 2015 ON SALE
The January February 2015 Issue of the world’s only monthly English-language windsurfing magazine is out now! Subscribe or grab your copy now in either App or Print versions! (Prices include delivery anywhere globally 10 times a year.)
THE LUCKY TRAVELLERS – CLOUDBREAK – JP GOES XXL AND HIS BIG WAVE TIPS, HOW TO BE A PRO – SPONSORSHIP EXPOSED & THOMAS TRAVERSA PROFILE
OPERATION CLOUDBREAK
Jason Polakow goes XXL at Cloudbreak. Read his hour by hour account and drool on the mast high +++ shots
JP’S BIG WAVE TIPS
JP’s advice on how to equip and survive monster surf Pozza style !
HOW TO BE A PRO
The art of sponsorship from top pros to shop support, advice from those that either give or wear the coveted sponsored t shirt !
PROFILE – THOMAS TRAVERSA
JC sits down with the affable Frenchman and new wave world champion for a candid tête-à-tête on his stellar year
TRAVEL TIPS WITH SARAH QUITA
Fasten your seat belts as we talk training, titles and travel with the first lady of freestyle, Sarah Quita.
TRAVEL GUIDE
Join us for a whistle stop tour round the world as we guide you to the warmest and windiest beaches to fly to this year.
EVENTS
PWA MAUI
The inside line from Robby Naish and all the main protagonists in the most dramatic and hard earned PWA wave title fight in years.
PWA NOUMEA
JC goes trackside to report on the red hot racing from the PWA slalom event of the year and the battle Royale for the Title.
GEAR SHED
85 LITRE WAVE BOARDS
We review the go to board size for most wave sailors, professionally or recreationally from all the top brands.
ON TEST
Fanatic Tri Wave 81L
Goya Custom 84L
JP Radical Quad 83L
Quatro Sphere Thruster 85L
RRD Hardcore Wave v5 88L
Starboard Kode Wave 82L
Tabou Da Curve 86L
TEKKERS
PETER HART MASTERCLASS – THE CAMERA TRAP.
Video or stills, the camera can be an invaluable teaching aid. Peter Hart advises how.
MOVE ON UP
Jem Hall kicks off 2015 with some windsurfing resolutions to help you move forward into a ‘New Year’s Revolution !’
BOARDSHORTS
PEOPLE & PLACES
BWA CORNWALL All the buzz from Gwithian beach on who was racking up the top points from the final BWA event of the year
LATEST & GREATEST
New Year, New Gear, we gather the freshest and finest kit from the wonderful world of windsurfing
SITTIN’ ON THE DUNNY
EDITORIAL – THE LUCKY TRAVELLERS.
Tourists can only dream of the possibilities our sport gives, why windsurfing is a passport to meaningful adventure.
AFFAIRS OF THE HART
AN ERA ENDS. Harty assesses the impact of Bjorn Dunkerbeck’s extraordinary career
Following a developing waiting period, the new 2015 Avanti Sails are now to be found online at www.avantisails.com and are soon to be available across the world!
Discover ground breaking new developments implemented on the various sail models and get a first view of the amazing new membrane designs.
”Join the forefront of windsurfing sail designs, join Avanti Sails” the brand reports
If you have any queries to the sails and their availability, please contact info@avantisails.com
JP AUSTRALIA SLALOM PRO 68 112L 2014 TEST REVIEW REPORT
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.
STEVE ALLEN, SEAN O’BRIEN & ARNON DAGAN – PERSPECTIVE
Turbulent waters!
The first mark in Turkey was a relatively short reach, followed by plenty of pile ups as the racers battled for the coveted top four places to advance to the next round. Here we see the action from above as Steve Allen, Sean O’Brien and Arnon Dagan chase the leader, who’s already away in clear water.
Photos John Carter (from a tiny and very dodgy gyrocopter)
Point 7 have released their new racing video from the AC-1 2015.
Filmed in December in different spots around one of the home spots of Point-7: Sardinia, Italy, the short movie has some great high speed blasting and gybing – worth a look !
The voting for the UK windsurfer of the year is almost over. The 30th of December is almost upon us and the nominees still need your votes if they want to win.
Its still very close so if you haven’t voted yet now is your chance. Go to https://ukwindsurfing.com/woty/ to cast your vote.
Here is what previous winners of this prestigious award have to say and who they are voting for.
Farrel Oshea: Current UKWA Windsurfer of the year
Winning UKWA windsurfer of the year was quite a interesting experience for me. As most people that know me will tell you, I am not known for shouting about my results right. So, to have been voted by the windsurfing public for my speed sailing achievements was quite unexpected, but now I have won it I don’t want to give it back.
I hope my year has inspired a few more young people into our sport as they are our future. Who am I going to be voting for? Its got to be Ben Profit and not just because we sponsor him but because I think he deserves it for all he has brought to the wave sailing table in the UK and winning the Indoor Slalom in Poland shows what a great all-rounder he is.
Zara Davis: WOTY Winner in 2011
I was very honoured to have been nominated for Windsurfer of the year. To then be crowned the winner was amazing, it is made extra special because the public votes you in to that position. I think this award is great because it recognises all the discipline’s of our fantastic sport and heightens windsurfing’s profile to the general public.
Who I will be voting for is tough, as my Simmer team mate Ben is up for it also, but he will get loads of support. So I will be voting for James Dinsmore as I know he wont be pushing himself. He is such a nice bloke and a great ambassador for Slalom and windsurfing overall.
Izzy Hamilton: WOTY winner 2010
RSX racing involves a lot of training and hard work and you don’t get to meet many other windsurfers so It was an amazing award to win as it is voted by your fellow windsurfers and gave me the feeling that everyone was supporting my journey.
I will be voting for Emma Wilson, because she has had an awesome worlds result and is a great ambassador for our sport.
NEIL PRYDE RSS SLALOM MK6 7.8M 2014 TEST REPORT REVIEW
NEIL PRYDE RSS SLALOM MK6 7.8M 2014 TEST REPORT REVIEW
OVERVIEW Sitting alongside Pryde’s title-winning EVO6, the RS:Slalom has 7 battens/3 cams to the EVO’s 8 and 4. Targeted at national and club-level racers of a wider range of body types the RS:Slalom also has a narrower sleeve and stronger, composite battens.
BRAND POSITIONING ‘The RS:Slalom MK6 is designed on the concept of real world racing. With long distance and GPS sailing trends continuing and the resurgence in slalom racing, the MK6 brings World Cup winning RS:Racing technology to a wide range of performance minded sailors. RS:Slalom MK6 takes the design pedigree of NeilPryde’s RS:Racing sail and builds it into a high performance yet user-friendly slalom package. It features a combination of enhanced bottom end power, excellent top end speed, stability and exceptional rotation at every gybe.’
PERFORMANCE First up we have to say that, due to snapping the ideal 460 mast supplied, we did the remainder of the testing of this 7.8 on non-Pryde masts with similar bend curves after a few sessions on a Pryde 490. Our first impressions were of a sail that’s smooth and not overly physical to sail. A 460 is crucial however, lending vital softness and allowing the leech venting to work much better and the C of E to be further back and the ride way more comfortable. (We noticed it was also then less sensitive to line placement than some.) Generally stable and steady, the RS:Slalom pushes a fair amount of power through turns, but most who tried it, once off the 490, found it easy to kill the backhand and flick through gybes compared to some of the dedicated racing models in this test. There’s an obvious and refined level of acceleration and the speed is pretty full-on for a ‘de-tuned’ product too – especially deep downwind – so it’s more than just a ‘reach-back-and-forth’ freerace sail. Overall this size sits on the board well with a super easy handling sensation that’s quite similar to a freeride sail. There is grunt, but it’s not a low-end-focused ‘tractor’ at all and needs to be fully bagged-out to maximise the drive. The physical weight and handling are both also quite impressive, as is the nice high skin tension. Without trying the latest model, who knows whether Antoine Albeau’s EVO6 is for monsters only or surprisingly easy to handle? One thing’s for sure, the RS:Slalom 6 will suit juniors, ladies and lightweights well and still provide ample challenge to those stepping-up to genuine downwind racing.
THE VERDICT A prime pick for those undecided on whether to choose a full-on racing sail or a more freeride-oriented model. The RS:Slalom fills that gap well with a strong mix of forgiveness – but enough of an element of challenge left for ambitious racers. With accessible speed that’s actually not too far off the pace – and easy handling – this 7.8 will suit a good range of rider weights too.
Fabrice wavesailing in Hawaii and SUP surfing in Costa Rica mixed up with footage of him as baby from a french tv documentary.
Here’s what Fabrice and RRD have to say
“Couple of month before I was born, a camera crew was filming my family. The film production was there when I entered this world and their cameras kept filming our happy family of five for another year. It was for the making of a scientific documentary, about the psychology of children when a new born arrives in the family. This 6 part TV documentary analyzes the first year of my life and the relationship with my brother and sister. It was one of the first TV program in color, aired in France, in 1973.” – Fabrice Beaux
42 years later Fabrice Beaux keeps staying in front of a camera recording him while playing in his world!
Thanks again Isabelle and Francois for this natural born Wave rider!
Pura vida!
We’re taking a stand. Yes, there’s a lot of haters out there, but the truth is, it’s hard to ignore the benefits – and fun – that windsurfing in light wind on a Standup Paddle Board offers.
In this Buyers’ Guide we aim to walk you through the range of options available on the open market and channel you into a shortlist of items that might double, or even triple your amount of time on the water. Throw in a smattering of insight from our technique gurus Peter Hart and Jem Hall – plus former World Champion and wavesailing legend Scott McKercher – and the arguments start to stack up against the anti crowd.
So, what are the benefits of sailing a bigger board (that can, obviously, double-up as a regular SUP board), how can it transform your technique for stronger winds – and why should you be targeting one of these big bundles of joy as your next maximising time-on-water purchase?
JUST WHAT IS IT YOU WANT TO DO?
It’s time to ask yourself a few questions. There’s plethora of hard and inflatable construction options out there for a wide-ranging scale of use. Windsurfing and paddling the thing is a given, but what types of sailing and paddling is it that you want to do?
• Teach the kids and family friends?
• Go cruising?
• Ride Waves?
• All of the above?
Bar perhaps some of the pointier-nosed, displacement designs, you can more of less do everything in the list above on most boards. But there are some that lean more towards the wave and cruising ends of the spectrum than others.
Read on for sections on all of those and see what tickles your fancy.
THINGS TO CONSIDER
Matching Boards and Sails Some WindSUPs are sold in packages including a rig. With others, perhaps for those already into high-wind sailing, you just need the board and can use your smaller, wave sails for example, instead. Bar inflatables, it’s worth bearing in mind the implications of a 10-kg., five-inch-thick railed monster boshing against your 400-quid mast and favourite carbon boom. Yes, you can use bigger sails, but the small-sail-big-board combo is generally better and, in more powerful surf conditions, you’ll want a shorter mast to present less length to a growling, hungry lip anyway.
Straps And what about footstraps? No, you won’t be busting out big aerials, but what about planing? Well, many WindSUPs are quite high rockered (curvier and therefore slower, underneath) and so planing might not be your priority, or even possible in quite light winds. (Say 8-10 knots when you’re probably looking at the water and thinking it’s a bit lumpy and wobbly for ‘straight’ paddling and the wind’s starting to become an issue even carrying the thing down the beach – yes, separate journeys old skool style!). Some of these boards will plane though, and there are a couple with strap options, but, again, don’t set your heart on that huge air off a closeout section.
Versus Big Wave Boards The bigger, weightier boards however do have their advantages. Often the extra bulk can help in catching waves, but more importantly, it helps when punching out over the whitewater, especially if there’s an element of onshore wind in the mix.
(The Exocets and Konas have straps and are best at planing and barging out like this, whereas a large, or extra-large wave board, say over 100L, is probably a little lighter and will have less momentum over the foam.) Wave-oriented SUPs with a mast track are primarily designed for surfing use, but, with a bit of research into track placement, most manufacturers are selling even their higher performance models with a mast foot option to widen the scope of use and generally get the placement more or less bang on.
Back to the straps for a second: There’s a few schools of thought on this and riding SUP boards with a sail in surf. Some people like to feel the length and rocker of the board and be mobile and agile around the board to get the most out of both their turns and straight-line sailing. Others enjoy the strapped-in feeling – such as that on the Konas – and can eek more drive out of the board when bottom and top turning and cope with oncoming whitewater better in straps. Both have benefits but, speaking as both a Kona and regular SUP owner that regularly sails both big wave boards and both those styles of SUP, the agile, ‘ooching’ foot placement in getting planing and catching waves on the strapless boards definitely helps with technique on dedicated windsurfing boards.
Grip What about deck non-slip? Well, obviously you can’t just go and SUP your big wave board, well you can, but it might involve tearing into your wetsuit and/or skin quite quickly, so generally it’s better to sail the SUP board with an EVA deck or non-slip paint, or even wax, than the other way around.
CRUISING AND LEARNING
JP AUSTRALIA ExplorAir Inflatable Windsurf Board
This inflatable version of the Explorer offers the same basic concept like its hard board sibling but has great advantages. It can be rolled up and fits into the backpack it comes with which means that you won’t need a roof rack for transport and no big garage for storage. It is also considerably lighter than any hardboard of this size.The high tech drop stitch technology makes the board so stiff that you will easily get it planing but the surface itself is soft enough so that beginners won’t hurt themselves when falling on it. Instead of a daggerboard it comes with an additional center fin which gives the board some directional stability to help avoid drifting and helps to go upwind. Being longer than the normal Explorers also helps with going upwind due to its longer waterline. Our team riders could not believe how much fun this board is. It can also be used as a beginner SUP board and is therefore an ideal family toy.
VOLUME
LENGTH
WIDTH
WEIGHT
FINS
280 Ltrs
295 cm
80.0 cm
9.4 kg
2 x 24.5 (9.0“)
STARBOARD WindSUP 12’2” x 30” Freeride
The ultimate board in our range for cruising, whether that be paddle boarding on a flat day or windsurfing in a light breeze. The WindSUP Freeride comes in two versions: (1) The Planing version: This has a center fin that does not retract. This helps the board to be lighter, more discreet, more efficient at getting planing and more suitable for mixed paddleboard use and windsurfing. (2) The Daggerboard version: This has a retractable daggerboard that is more recommended for those who plan to mostly windsurf. The daggerboard makes for easier handling on the beach. The WindSUP 12’2” x 30” Freeride board is also part of the Waterman package. This includes one WindSUP Classic Sail 5.5m and one Starboard Enduro Tiki Tech Adjustable Paddle. Creating the perfect combination to get you SUPing & Windsurfing and sharing your experiences on the water, no mater what the conditions. This board focuses on friends and family fun during the summer season, when the wind is generally lighter and the waves are smaller. It is not a high-performance board in the conventional sense. Instead, it seeks to open up new ways to enjoy windsurfing and expand the boundaries of the sport and the WindSUP range. The WindSUP 12’2” x 30” Freeride is a great addition to any windsurfer’s quiver or the perfect choice for a sporting family wanting to enjoy the water.
THE SWISS ARMY KNIFE OF WINDSURFING KIT By Peter Hart
The record is truly stuck, but I shall let it run for a few more revolutions and say that THE MODERN TECHNIQUE PLATEAU RESULTS FROM A LACK OF BASIC LIGHT WIND SKILLS. I’ve just run two clinics in Greece. One in Rhodes and one in Vass. In both places, light, morning wind gave way to strong afternoon thermals. The afternoons were the most fun, but everyone learned more in the mornings.
In strong winds you learn to be alert and dynamic. But it’s only off the plane that you can you drill the essential skills of balance, rig steering and power control. Of course you don’t need a WindSUP to mess around in light winds – any old tub will do – or will it?
Be Mobile One of the reasons windsurfing was so popular in the 80s was because, with a baggy sail and a long board, given a force 2-3 you got a real ‘whoosh.’ The long board holds the water and glides. That length also forces people to be more mobile. They become more aware of the fore/aft trim and how foot pressure and getting the nose up or down effects the speed of tacks and gybes. In light winds you have to make big, bold movements to make things happen.
If you had to single out the commonest mistake of the habitual blaster, it’s that they’re too static. My tool of choice is a 10’ 6” X 30” wide all-rounder. I don’t want a daggerboard. (I don’t need a toe-crushing nob.) Besides, it’s good form to learn to use the edge for resistance. I also like the surfboard rocker, which helps the board pivot and also makes it a mean machine in waves. That same all-rounder, in a light wind and a waist-high swell is the best wave-sailing tutor around.
The main issue learning to ride waves on small kit in a lot of wind is that people catch the wave too late. They have no time to make any informed decisions and usually end up riding the white water back to the beach. That’s the glory of a long board with a 5.2 in 8 knots of breeze – everything happens in slow motion. You have time and can catch the unbroken swell easily and, without loads of power driving you down the wrong roads, you can stay with it.
On clinics I’ve caught the same wave as my clients. As it’s building we’ve had a full conversation about why we’ve caught it there, which way we’re going to ride it and which part of the board we’ll use to turn. With a WindSUP in the right conditions, you can have a proper, toe-side, down-the-line riding moment on an unbroken face, on your first session – something that could elude you for years on dedicated wave kit.
On my all-rounder I can muck around in light winds, ride waves, teach my kids and reach seven waterside pubs. What is there not to like?
2015 NAISH Crossover Air Series
The Crossover Air Series are incredibly versatile inflatable boards for both windsurfing and stand-up paddling. They feature an M8 universal insert for attaching a windsurfing rig and offer outstanding sailing performance in light to moderate wind conditions. They also have a slide-in dagger fin for upwind performance regardless of wind strength. For stand-up paddling, the Crossovers are designed with a low rocker and added thickness for directional stability and long glides. This makes them the ideal boards for fun flatwater cruising and longboard style windsurfing.
Crossover Air 11’0” – Ideal for riders up to 210 lbs/95 kg
RRD Airkid 8’0” Conv Plus The choice for any kid up to 12 years old. It makes it an easy approach and confidently learn how to paddle, surf or windsurf all on one board, while playing with their friends. See your kid progressing in watersports on a board that will outgrow any riders’ ability. Comes with a removable centre fin for easy pointing.
RRD AirSUP 10’4” Conv Plus The most appropriate type of SUP board to also learn how to windsurf. With its 34” of width it makes it super easy for anyone to step on, paddle or uphaul a sail. It’s the most popular size for families who wish to find a board to satisfy everyone. Also available with a 6” thick profile, to enhance stiffness for heavy weights and it’s an easier board to paddle or windsurf, thanks to its increased floatation. Comes with a removable centre fin for easy pointing.
RRD Airtourer 12’ Conv Plus A perfect toy for flat waters, lakes or rivers. Also excels in light wind breezes to be used as a windsurfer. Its length and width make it a preferred choice for those who wish for a fast board either with a paddle or a windsurf sail in their hands. Available in 2 widths, 32” and 34” for increased stability or heavyweights. Comes with a removable centre fin for easy pointing.
RRD SUP SAIL & RIG RRD SUP sails & rigs are designed to be the first buy to introduce your whole family to wind driven watersports.
The Sails: A simple, lightweight single batten full monofilm sail. Designed to be used in winds from 1 to 14 knots.
A 2,5 sqms for kids from 5 to 10 years old
A 4,5 sqmts for kids from 12 y.o. onwards or lightweight sailors
A 5,5 sqmts for kids from every adult beginner.
The Masts:
A 2 x piece fiberglass Reduced diameter mast 250 cms long for the 2.5.
A 2 x piece fiberglass Reduced diameter mast 300 cms + 70 cms fixed fiberglass extension for the 4.5.
A 2 x piece fiberglass Reduced diameter mast 300 cms + 100 cms fixed fiberglass extension for the 5.5.
The Boom: One size fits all. The new K-Boom 140-190. Reduced diameter aluminum tube. Mast foot, uphaul, Universal base and easy to carry rig bag are included in the rig package.
SUP RIG = Sup Sail + Mast + Mast foot + Uphaul + Universal Base + S-Boom + Rig Bag
MODEL
SIZE
BOOM(TBC)
MAST (TBC)
BAG
Sup sail
5.5
185
400
RRD Sail Bag
Sup sail
4.5
170
370
RRD Sail Bag
Sup sail
2.5
250
250
RRD Sail Bag
ALL-ROUNDERS
JP HYBRID SUP WS – Hard board with windsurfing option
Trying to combine the impossible is never easy. Making a board that will have a good glide, stability and be a solid surfboard was no walk in the park. The subtle displacement bow flowing into a double concave bottom with soft thin rails and narrow tail was a winning combination. This creates a long efficient water line offering a superior paddling sensation on flat water with the longboard type of tail for easy rail to rail transfers in the surf. Take the Hybrid for a tour or a downwind run and check out the waves on your way back. Bring along your necessities under the bungee tie downs for a great day on the water. The Hybrids come in a beautiful green Wood Edition with glossy metallic rails.
Sizes: 10’8 x 31” 191Ltrs // 11’6 x 32” 212Ltrs
Tech & Finish Wood Edition with glossy rails. Board comes with: EVA covered standing area, leash plug, air valve, 4-plug bungee cord, one RTM (Resin Transfer Molded) US single fin, a mastfoot insert to attach a windsurfing rig.
STARBOARD 11’2 x 40” WindSUP Inflatables Deluxe version
The WindSUP Inflatables open up new ways to enjoy windsurfing and expand the boundaries of the sport. With the ability to switch between sail power and paddle power, the WindSUP Inflatables make a very attractive proposition for the beachgoers or the active family. Deflated, they can be stored conveniently in a compact bag and thrown into the trunk of any car. They give schools, clubs and boat owners the opportunity to use a board that is tougher and safer than hard boards. For all users, they are also lighter and easier to handle than conventional boards. Starboard leads the way in developing technical, safe, and fun WindSUP Inflatables.
Starboard WindSUP Inflatables are available in two a variations: • Zen version: Centre Fin, and 5” thick drop stitch construction
• Deluxe version: Daggerboard system, and 6” thick for maximum stiffness
RRD AirSUP 9’8” Conv Plus An ideal small/mid size board good to ride waves as an SUP, and enjoy learning how to windsurf . Planing on this board and jibing will be a pure thrill. Very manouverable, quick to plane and lightweight!
RRD AirSUP 10’2” Conv Plus Our midsize board in the range with which we started our Inflatable Boards collection. It’s the one-for-all board that will introduce anyone straight to any watersport in the blink of an eye.
NAISH NALU SERIES
Nalu 10’6” GT/GS The Nalu 10’6” GT/GS is the one-board solution for riders wanting versatility, stability and wave riding performance. It features a wide Nalu outline, recessed deck and full rails for increased stability and wider range of use. The single- concave nose flows into a double-concave mid-section and V tail, making it adaptable to everything from flatwater cruising, to ankle slapper waves, to double overhead surf.
Ideal for riders up to 200 lbs/91 kg
Nalu 10’10” GT/GS The Nalu 10’10” GT/GS is an all-around, extra stable design for touring, carrying gear, tandem paddling and small surf. It features a radical multi-concave bottom shape that channels the water from nose to tail. The multi-channel bottom combined with the low rocker makes it glide incredibly straight for a wide board of its length. The wide outline and slightly recessed deck in the standing area provide unmatched stability. The forward deck has eight insert holes for a bungee accessory to carry coolers and gear.
Ideal for riders up to 240 lbs/109 kg
NEW Nalu 11’0” GT/GS The new Nalu 11’0” GT/GS features a versatile design for classic longboard surfing performance, touring and flatwater cruising. It has been fine-tuned with decreased volume in the nose and tail areas, resulting in an extremely responsive board with easy maneuverability. It features a wide outline and double concave deck in the stance area for optimal stability and comfort. This addition to the Nalu range offers riders the highest level of true longboard surfing performance, making everyday a great day on the water.
Ideal for riders up to 210 lbs/95 kg
Nalu 11’4” GT/GS The Nalu 11’4” GT/GS features an all-around design for classic longboard surfing performance and flatwater paddling versatility. It is a well-known favorite for both waves and flatwater riding. It has a thinner outline and a more progressive rocker than the 11’6”. It is a superb well-rounded board for most riders and delivers versatility they will never outgrow.
Ideal for riders up to 220 lbs/100 kg
Nalu 11’6” GT/GS The Nalu 11’6” GT/GS features a full body design for everything from entry level paddling, to flatwater cruising, to surfing. The performance characteristics make it the perfect one-board choice for the whole family. It is 5 1/2” thick with full rounded rails and a timeless longboard rocker line. This design provides amazing stability for a phenomenally wide range of use.
Ideal for riders up to 230 lbs/104 kg
FUN-DA-MENTALS – QUALITY ‘YOU TIME’ By Jem Hall
WindSUPs are an amazingly versatile water craft and you can simply score so much ‘water person’ time on them and, from a coaching position, they are fantastic for taking all abilities of windsurfer / wave sailor to the next level. I have already discussed with quite a few shops that the first windsurf package, after a beginner’s course, should be a WindSUP with a 5.0 to 6.0. “Why?” I hear you cry. Well, you can paddle them on flat water and in small waves (improving balance and fitness), learn to beach start on them, sail upwind (their waterline length aids this), get lots more stance and transitions in and, when you are ready, you can head out in small waves and learn to get over them, catch these rolling beauties and then get fully hooked whilst riding on these ocean gifts.
My wave coaching clinics sees us spending heaps of time on them, either wave riding, with a paddle or with medium-sized sails in light airs. Paddling a wave you wish to wavesail at a later so stage is just amazing for your spot knowledge and fun, fun, fun too. Whilst you are out there it’s also very sociable as you have the time and stability to stop and have a chat. The most-bought board after my wave clinics are WindSUPs. Lastly, if their are no waves, but we have light wind, then we get on out there and work on our tacks, gybes, helis and ducks in readiness to unleash these improved skills on the waves the next time the wind and waves welcome us back into them.
Go WindSUP and enjoy, its fitness, fun and fundamentals in one lovely package.
Fly Pure 9’6” If you are a lighter person and you still want to enjoy the all-round performance of the Flys, the 9.6 in our favourite Pure technology is your choice. designed with plenty of width the 9.6 even allows first timers to enjoy their first SUP session and will take them up the skill ladder with time to show its full potential. For heavier more advanced paddlers the 9’6“ can be the ultimate all-round performance board to carve and ride down the line. Classic style surfing or progressive Stand Up Paddling, what ever your preferred style is, the 9’6“ will help you to put it on display.
Fly 11’0” A true all rounder, the Fly 11’0” is a naturally adaptable board with high performance aspects that really matter. Offering endless glide in a compact and balanced design, the pronounced V and pintail provides smooth, engaging carving sensations while the surfing rocker line will have you cruising onto the waves first. Resembling the shape and characteristics of the 10’6”, it has outstanding float and stability making it suitable for both light and heavier beginner paddlers. Available in high Resistance Skin and Pure construction this really is the board for all. Comes with mastfoot insert for optional Windsurfing.
Fly 11’6” Expand your watersport horizons with the Fly 11’6”, the all-time entry board to both the Windsurfing and SUP world. Easy from the word Go! – this board is suitable for any size and style of rider. Whether days bring breeze or glassy waters, an adventure can be created with this highly durable package. Optimum upwind ability when windsurfing is generated through the sealable centre fin or use as a standalone SUP shape without.
The 11’6” is undoubtedly the answer to a SUP / Windsurf combo. The CAD-design shape features a genuine surfing rockerline catching waves easily and providing you with maximum balance and stability. Both models are available in high Resistance Skin (HRS) or Pure construction. Endless riding is to be had with the multi-tasking 11’6”, so all you have to do is decide whether you’re going to SUP or sail.
Fly 10’6” If you are a heavier rider or your local spot regularly presents you with variable conditions, then the 10’6” will provide you with the extra support and stability you need. For 2015 we have added the new HhRS Wb 10’6” with 5l more volume and an extra 1 inch in width to give you even more stability and float. the combination of softer rails towards the front and sharper edges on the tail, enhances grip and carve through turns, all the while maintaining that highly sought after glide. A more pronounced curve in the tail, teamed perfectly with a flatter nose rocker, offers direct turning and smooth paddling. Well-balanced and wide volume distribution, combined with the flat deck gives a great deal of stabilised buoyancy. Available in a lightweight Wood edition for high performance, or the HRS and standard Pure constructions, the 10’6” is a great all-rounder that can be shared amongst family and friends of all levels. Comes with mastfoot insert for optional Windsurfing.
WAVES
Most of the main windsurfing brands that produce SUPs also add mast feet to certain models and constructions in their dedicated wavesailing lines, so be sure to check their websites and brochures for details info on the various sizes available. Here’s a few to get you started.
FANATIC ProWave Ltd, ProWave HRS (High Resistance Skin.) – Pure Surfing Prime performance with your ProWave. 2015 sees the ProWave range take SUP wave riding to the next level, with shapes that complement a rider’s search for radical manoeuvres, speed and control. this year we introduce five brand new shapes ranging from 7’6” to 9’2” while the well regarded 9’6” and 9’10”make up the rest of the range to create the most extreme high performance wave riding collection. The smallest SUP in the Fanatic range, the 7’6”, is impeccably balanced and easy to paddle with quick acceleration. Once unleashed onto a wave it speaks for itself giving you an exceptionally responsive ride. The wider nose and squash tail design of the range offers more stability in the smaller models, whilst retaining highly responsive turning capabilities in the larger ones. A thinner rail profile provides more grip and drive through the turn. the 9’6” has enough evenly distributed volume to carry any rider weight while delivering Shortboard SUP performance.
The 9’10” Semi Gun is a slightly stretched version of the 9’9”, designed for speed and charging big waves. it was the first SUP to conquer Shipstern’s bluff / Tasmania! A Quad or thruster fin setup gives you the ultimate flexibility to adapt the board to your style of riding or the conditions of the day. A subtly domed deck and a balanced volume distribution provide optimum paddling efficiency and ease for catching waves. Riding down the line, the ProWave performs with outstanding flow making light work
of big conditions. Mastfoot insert for Windsurfing option.
Allwave LTD, Allwave HRS (High Resistance Skin.) Smooth surfing is the perfect description for this year’s AllWave range that comes in seven sizes – 7’11”, 8’3”, 8’5”, 8’11”, 9’1”, 9’5”, 9’10”. Available in two constructions Innegra Carbon PVC Sandwich & HRS. With exciting yet predictable attributes, 2015 sees three fresh new shapes, 7’11”, 8’3” & 8’5” being added to the range. the thinner board and lower volume of these three sizes are supported outstandingly by the shorter, wider compact outline making for a responsive and effortless ride. the versatile option: the board can be set up as a Quad or thruster. Combined with a modified base and thinner rails, optimum grip and carving ability is ensured. The larger 8’11”, 9’1”, 9’5”, 9’10” sizes have a ›wider around the centre‹ outline. This, combined with a more pulled-in nose and squash tail offers plenty more stability, adding performance with less swing weight. Whatever fuels your fire, these boards offer friendly accessibility whilst maintaining excellent manoeuvrability on the wave. A true surfing scoop rocker line and added nose kick finishes off the AllWave’s top performance.
The Ltd versions of the AllWave come with the Quad Fin setup option. For windsurfing, the mastbase insert makes for straightforward attachment of a sail, adding to the fun and versatility. The concept of the AllWave enables across the board performance for all SUP riders, performing remarkably well in all conditions. Whether you’re looking to catch your first wave or advance into larger surf, through its balanced shape, this range is undoubtedly the ultimate tool for enjoyment, ease and progression.
IS PERFORMANCE SAILING POSSIBLE ON A WINDSUP? By Scott McKercher
There’s more than one point of view with what the term ‘WindSUP’ brings up in people’s minds. Obviously there’s the marketing slogan of “buy one and get two board sports” with the all-round appeal of a family board than can either be paddled or windsurfed in flat water or little ripples trying to be waves. But then there’s the other side. ‘The potential for an actual performance discipline’.
It was tossed up a while ago, that they should do a no/light wind alternative for a PWA event to entertain people on the beach and to have some sort of result for a wave comp that didn’t look like happening. Drawbacks such as competitors having to then carry another (large) board around on tour blocked any such thoughts. But the other argument is: can there be actually any performance in such a discipline?
My answer was definitely “yes” – but at selected World Tour locations only. Sylt, for example: Not ideal. Thumping beach breaks in light wind? Not a good idea. Bolt onshore? Not really that good an idea. However, I’ve had some sessions in quality waves that have been an absolute ball. Quite some time ago I busted out at WindSUP at the PWA Portugal event. Light x-offshore winds at Guincho, (on a pretty big board at that point) and it was pretty damn fun. Easily a good novelty light-wind alternative. And way better than just getting cooked on the beach bored out of my brain. As much as Guincho is a nice beach to sit and do nothing on …
At home in Western Australia, on a day where we would have been sitting in the car park in 8-10 knots on long peeling waves: Really good fun. On a smaller SUP (8’0 x 29) throw on a 5.0 or 5.3 and you’re getting full-rail cutties and hitting the lip. (Waves around chest to bit over head high.)
I felt like I’d had a proper session and the beers in the car park afterwards tasted way better. And Cloudbreak in Fiji of all places, all be it small to mid size, I groveled out, thought I was going to get abused by the hard-core surfing crowd, but actually got hoots. Just doing turns, (not hitting the lip obviously).
But, get a good cutback on any size board and it feels good.
Obviously the smaller SUP board feels better than, say a 10 footer, but all the same, I was getting out there where I wouldn’t have been otherwise.
And I think that’s the point.
JP AUSTRALIA FUSION SUP AST Hard board with windsurfing option For 2015 we have a fun little addition to the very successful FUSION line; the 8’5”x30”. Just like the rest of the FUSIONs it features a nice step deck, which allows keeping lots of volume while still having nice thin rails. This sleek design carries the volume and width in all the right places for a stable paddle platform. The bottom shapes feature concaves throughout running into a V towards the tail. The V in the tail helps to rail up when going down a wave. Their noses create efficient lift and the thinned out rails produce good bite during turns. Quite a bit of nose rocker makes the shapes fit well into the waves. They are available in PRO, Wood Edition and in AST technology. The 10’2” is also available as a Soft Deck version. For this year we added the FCS plugs to the AST line so they can be used in a thruster set up as well. The FUSIONs have a really good glide and are happy in flat water paddling, but they love the waves.
4 batten, light-weight wave sail. Designed for on-shore and side-shore waves, as well as flat water. Super balanced and stable. Wide wind range, so fewer sails are needed in your quiver. Calibrated rigging system makes setting the downhaul a no-brainer. New printed downhaul indicators for rigging non-Ezzy masts. Bulletproof construction. 3.4 and 6.1 added to the range. Every Elite is rigged and thoroughly inspected at the Ezzy factory.
SURF EARS NEW PRODUCT TO PROTECT AGAINST SURFER'S EAR
SURF EARS NEW PRODUCT TO PROTECT AGAINST SURFER’S EAR
CJB’s Surf Company have announced that they are the new UK/Eire distributor for Surf Ears® and are excited to bring the product to the UK and Irish market place.
Surf Ears® is a revolutionary new product developed by a team of professional product designers and dedicated surfers from Sweden. Surf Ears® have recognised the significant importance of creating an earplug that not only protects ears from cold wind, water and bacteria but that allows sound to penetrate and subsequently maximises your ability to balance, essential for water and board sports. Many of the earplugs on the market mean you have to sacrifice the ability to hear and as a result a huge number of surfers refuse to wear earplugs all together, even at the risk of developing exostosis (also known as “surfer’s ear”).
Surfer’s ear occurs from exposure to cold winds and water and causes the bone surrounding the ear canal to distort and develop abnormal growths which narrow and constrict the ear canal; this can develop into recurring ear infections or worse, a hearing deficiency.
Surf Ears® have been designed to keep the water out but let sound in, allowing you to stay connected to the environment while protecting yourself against surfer’s ear.
Carine Camboulives, Manu Bouvet and their young family pursue their quest for new spots, to better live their passion for nature and quench their thirst for discovery.
This time there is a sense of urgency. Kiribati, a nation lost in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, is slowly disappearing under the water due to global warming. It is on Christmas Island, one of the islands of this nation, where the family sets foot – and sail.
Story Manu Bouvet // Photos Pierre Bouras
(This feature originally appeared in the August2014 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!)
PARADISE BECOMING LOST ‘There are developing countries and there are endangered species. The Republic of Kiribati is an endangered country’. This is how Julien Blanc-Gras’ book, ‘Paradise (Before Liquidation), begins. Lost in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, these nation-islands are bound to be engulfed by the rise of water level due to global warming. It so happens that one of them, Christmas Island (named so because it was discovered on Christmas day and nothing to do with Santa Claus) now enjoys a weekly, direct flight from Hawai’i. This has liberated Kiribati (its local name) from its isolation, but it is the climatic threat that has brought this whole nation out of its anonymity.
HOTTING-UP The strange thing with global warming is that, even though the responsibility of humans is now proven by the international scientific community (the IPCC- Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is upfront about it), there are still some people in denial. The French ex-Secretary of Education, Claude Allegre, is at the head of this party in Europe. As a surfer, hence fascinated by waves, I was especially amazed/astonished when, asked about his denial of global warming, he said: “why worry about a rise in water level of one metre on a global scale, when waves 10 metres high unfold every year…” Fabulous, isn’t it? And to say he was responsible for the country’s education …
A rise in sea level of 1 metre on a global scale would lead to the exodus of over one million people. Tarawa, the capital of Kiribati is actually already living in the future as its inhabitant’s flight has already started. The sea level’s rising so fast that residents are building walls to protect their homes from the ocean. They cannot go very far in any case as there’s no way to live further than 1km away from the sea here. In 2007 the President of Kiribati (Anote Tong) launched a call for help that turned fiction into reality. He asked the international community to find a host country in view of the forced migration of his fellow citizens, thus making them the first climatic refugees in history. In an effort to make himself heard, he ask rich countries to face their responsibilities, reminding them that, backed up by scientific proof, the rise of sea level is due to greenhouse gas emissions. A form of pollution unknown to his country, which is devoid of any industry.
GIFT FROM THE GODS Our host Timei eagerly waits for us as we exit the plane. He left Tarawa 6 years ago to escape an uncertain future and living conditions made worse by the relentless rise of sea level and overpopulation. Incidentally, he waited for us on the same flight one week ago, in vain. “I mixed up the dates” he says laughing, showing a bright white smile that contrasts with his dark Polynesian skin.
“Our family is so impatient to show you our little piece of heaven. Christmas Island is a true gift from the gods” he says mischievously, as we pile up in his rundown minivan. “I want to show you why I love this island so much, which is the largest atoll in the world … and I believe I know where to find what you are looking for” he concludes, enigmatic, as we drive along the only asphalt road of the island. It runs through a forest of coconut trees, surrounded by water. On one side, the deep, dark blue of the Pacific ocean and, on the other, a pale and blinding blue, almost white, characteristic of a sandy lagoon.
Between the two, a narrow stretch of coral. Scattered along are pile dwellings almost entirely built from coconut trees. The trunks for the structure and foundation and dried and weaved palm leaves for the roof. All in perfect harmony. Under the shade, women are cooking over wood fires, men are logging bunches of coconuts and kids interrupt their games to call out to us: “Imatang, Imatang” (The white men, the white men). Our arrival seems to be quite an event. We are indeed on an island lost in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. And that’s exactly what we were hoping to find.
To better understand the level of isolation in which these islands live, the anecdote that Sita (a friend of Timei’s) will tell us, says more than any numbers ever could: “When I left Kiribati for the first time, I went to Honolulu. Friends of mine had forewarned me about the culture shock I was up for. They had advised me not to shout out in surprise at every ‘Wonder’ of the modern world. The employee of the hotel I would be staying at accompanied me to my room. Once in the elevator, noticing the small space, I couldn’t help but ask with surprise ‘but where is the bed?”
“ THE SEA LEVEL IS RISING SO FAST THAT RESIDENTS ARE BUILDING WALLS TO PROTECT THEIR HOMES FROM THE OCEAN ”
ALL ABOARD We are also pleasantly surprised upon discovering our 100% green bungalow. Outside, the sun shines on the coral soup (ground covered in dead coral pieces) and makes it almost unbearable to look at. A plantation of young coconut trees separates our bungalow from the sandy beach. It’s as if it’s been sprinkled with flour. The largest atoll in the world stretches in front of us as far as the eye can see and the absence of relief almost makes it disappear into the horizon. It draws a huge lagoon, in water a metre deep, blown by 20 knots of trade winds. Nature’s wonder, a freeride paradise!
The next day the wind’s blowing strong. The WindSUP is going non-stop, with all the neighboring children on board. Indeed they didn’t hesitate much before accepting our invitation to go for a ride. I’m speeding along with one of the kids on the nose of the board. As soon as we’re planing, he literally goes insane. He yells, his eyes wide open. I’m cracking up and so excited to be sharing that sensation with him. After seeing one of them, more daring, stand up, all of them give it a go. I realise, after an inevitable fall, that some of them cannot swim. Mouth open, arm reaching out, like a statue of liberty, they slowly go down until I catch them. Lucky the water is shallow – and clear.
There is a general hysteria on the beach. The following days the wind is never-failing, just as the children who are waiting for their daily ride. Lou is so proud to show off how she can pull her gear up and take off on her own. I’m also really proud and happy for her, but I would be even more happy if she could come back on her own. She still can’t quite manage the ride back so I have to walk in the lagoon with water up to my waist for a kilometre. “I don’t like it on the other tack – and it doesn’t work anyway!” she proclaims to justify her lack of perseverance. “And if I put my head under water, the strand of hair that I dyed pink will lose its color!” It’s the ultimate argument. We cannot reasonably take that risk, of course, so I pull back the gear with Lou on it. Wwhile she’s doing her hair…
SCHOOL’S, OUT – FOR, EVER Today we’ve decided to visit the local school where we’ll be showing a slide show of our different trips and also where we’ve decided to enroll Lou for a few days. I’m not really a stickler for discipline, but honestly it’s real chaos here. The kids are so out of control we can barely make it to the Principal’s office. Shadé is close to being stamped on and Lou to being scalped. (Serves her right for having pink hair.) All this in a joyful atmosphere!
Not only is there an Imatang family in the school, but all the kids that live close by our place were sailing with us yesterday. There’s serious chatting going on. I imagine the newbie riders are recounting their aquatic prowess. There seem to be a few sceptics among the crowd and in a youngsters language it must sound like:
“Ya right! He thinks he’s Kelly Slater or something, now that he knows the Imatang. “Shut up, you just don’t get it” seems to answer the defendant. “You better hook us up next time, you loser or I’ll kick your ass!” The Principal arrives just in time and sets things straight immediately. She takes us to a classroom where the white lagoon stretches endlessly behind the windows. 60 or so kids are getting ready to rehearse the songs for the independence celebration that will take place five months from now. It must be a pretty serious affair for them to start so early. Indeed, when the singing begins, it is a choral perfectly set like clockwork with impeccable style. The kids are placed in triangles, three-by-three, holding a wooden stick in each hand. They bang them together at an incredible speed playing a wild rhythm. Lou is rapidly included in one of the groups, but is struggling to keep up with the rhythm. The performance of lice jumping (in rhythm? ) from one head to another is also quite astonishing. Lou is no longer very motivated about going to school. Lice aren’t really a good fit for her pink hair …
Once the rehearsal’s over, the teacher invites us to pull out our computer and take the children on a world tour of our travels: Mozambique, Peru, France, West Papua – and more – illuminate the beaming faces on which you find as many varied features as in those of South Americans, Polynesians, Micronesians and many Asians.
A VISION OF EDEN Since our arrival, Timei has been telling us about the camping trip he’s planned for us on the other side of the island. Here we go for one magical week, on an arm of sand, under the shade of a coconut plantation. On one side the sand stretches out about 50 metres away from the coast to create an idyllic channel for freeriding. On the other side, the reef ends right in front of our camp, letting a right-hander unfold in the lagon, ideally oriented for windsurfing. A few hundred metres further down the beach, another pass – this time protected from the wind – offers a beautiful right, perfect for SUPing. As if it wasn’t already perfect, half a mile offshore, Cook Island is a true bird sanctuary. They come here from as far as Alaska to reproduce. A long left-hander peels in the middle of the bay. At sunset, thousands of silhouettes flit around in the incandescent red light of the sky.
Timei came with the whole family: wife, daughters, cousins, to share this five-star camping experience. It took two boat trips to get everything here. Lou and Shadé are learning to weave mats out of coconut leaves. The biggest ones are used as tablecloths, for an afternoon nap or as a mat for the entrance of our tents. Smaller models are used as plates. The young kids climb up to fetch some coconuts. Nothing beats this delicious water to quench everyone’s thirst. We drink huge amounts of it. We become aware of the important role the coconut tree plays on this island. It really is the tree of life.
In the water, the Papio (Trevally) are responsible for Christmas Island’s reputation among fishermen and our delight at every meal, as much as the giant lobsters we catch everyday after crossing paths with a school of dolphins. These are images of an earthly heaven in which I believe and that I witness when nature is protected – splendid and generous. When yow are in contact with nature everyday – as you are here – and it nourishes your body and your soul, it entertains you, warms you, dazzles you. You know you are at one with it. I understand how important it is not to separate mankind from nature, otherwise he will keep destroying it – and himself along the way.
I come back to the camp site with my gear on the head after a nice session in the pass. The wind was exceptionally sideshore and the sets were close to mast-high. I see Timei barely waking up from his nap, Shadé at his side, still half asleep, on the beautiful woven mat. In the background, Carine and Lou are joking around with Timei’s daughters.
He notices my delight and says: “You understand why Christmas Island is a gift of the Gods?” I smile back in answer. He laughs and concludes with: “Here, everyday is Christmas Day”. MB
“ CHRISTMAS ISLAND IS A TRUE GIFT FROM THE GODS ”
RRD X-FIRE LIMITED V6 114L 2014 TEST REVIEW REPORT
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!
PIRATES OF THE SOLENT! - THE CURSE OF THE MARCO POLO…
PIRATES OF THE SOLENT! – THE CURSE OF THE MARCO POLO…
INTO THE DARKNESS!
Its almost pitch black along Cowes seafront on the Isle of Wight on a dreary December evening back in 2012. I’m sitting in the van with Scott Gardner peering across the Solent, both desperately trying to make out the ghostly silhouette of the biggest container ship in the world heading into the mist out as she heads up the channel.
The plan to shoot Scott windsurfing in front of this beast was abandoned an hour ago when we heard the Marco Polo had been delayed leaving port and by the time it would depart it would be too dark to shoot in the dying breeze. I had a picture in my mind of capturing a tiny windsurfer up against the hull of one of these enormous mega cargo ships and Scott seemed to be reading me on the same wavelength.
Words & Photos John Carter
We were both gutted. We had been prepared and all rigged up for three hours prior to the scheduled sailing and our anticipation had built and then been scuppered. As this massive manmade wonder disappeared into the darkness we headed home dejected with no idea when our next opportunity would come round again.
Fast forward nearly two years and any hopes of catching the Polo had been cast out of the window. Slightly nerdy I know, but I had made a point of checking the cruise and container ship schedule each time I was home on the Isle of Wight, but this elusive ship hadn’t even returned once since its inaugural voyage from Southampton. It was time to instigate Plan B instead, a journey that took us on a rollercoaster of hit-and-miss missions back and forth to Cowes with a similar aim, but different list of objectives. This time round, the new list included at least one of the Cunard fleet of Super Liners, any majestic, white cruise ship and the biggest container ship we could hunt down. With plenty of boats heading in and out of the port during the summer surely this tiny list would not be present too many problems. The Polo seemed to have eluded us since that dark December night in 2012 but this new trio of Super Ships was sure to present a swashbuckling adventure in the abyss of the Solent!.
A PAIR OF QUEENS
So now its early June 2014 and perusing the shipping schedule both of Cunard’s, Queen Victoria cruise ship followed by the Queen Mary 2nd were due to leave port around 4.30 p.m. on the 7th. There was just about enough wind forecast up until 6-ish, but then dying fast at 7 p.m. onwards. As long as everything was on schedule, we were in with a shot of securing our first target. So at 4.30 p.m., bang on the dot, we were on the parade, rigged and ready waiting for the distinctive black hull of Queen Victoria to appear beyond Calshot on the other side of the Solent. Our parking spot was perfect – smack on the front of Cowes esplanade with a little slipway down into the water, the logistics could not be easier. We had chosen our location directly in front of the turning circle for the shipping lanes so we knew for sure that the vessels would come out of Southampton water and arc round in front of us before heading up to the NAB tower at the end of the Solent. By 5.15 p.m. we were still sat on the wall like a couple of lemons with no sign of any ship in sight. A few passing walkers kind of looked at us strangely wondering what we were up to, just sitting around with a windsurf rig on the pavement and my camera on the tripod ready to roll?
A quick scan of the port of Southampton web site revealed that both ships were delayed. The Victoria had weighed anchor at 4.40 p.m. and the Mary was not due to set sail until 7 p.m., darn it! Five minutes later I spotted the red funnel of the Queen Vic heading along Southampton water with the rest of the ship obscured by trees. At last it was game on. I dispatched Scott into the water, with a few rough guidelines where to sail and hoped that common sense would prevail and he would not do anything stupid. Fall in the path of one of these beauties and there is not much a captain could do, even if he managed to spot a tiny windsurfer in the path of his 1000 feet long vessel! Less than half an hour later Scott was back on dry land as the ‘Queen Vic’ headed out up the Solent. It was all over that quickly. With the wind dying fast we decided to head to the Woodvale pub on Gurnard Esplanade for a debrief and a few pints of grog. On our way home as we passed along Cowes front, we watched the Queen Mary 2nd slip out through the channel but the wind was down to zero by now and we had to let this one slip away.
THE SHANGHAI EXPRESS
Two days later, a solid force 5-6 south-westerly was forecast, perfect for our next target – a massive German container ship – the Shanghai Express. Built in 2013, ironically by Hyundai Heavy Industries in Ulsan Korea (Just round the corner from the PWA World Cup event site), this huge vessel is owned by leading global shipping company Hapag Lloyd. ‘Shanghai Lil’ as we nicknamed it is a beast of a ship, 48 metres wide and an almighty 366 metres long and was sure to make a daunting backdrop as Scott made his approach. Despite being 30 metres short of the Polo, the Shanghai Express still ranks as one of the biggest container ships on the planet so hopefully was going to provide a spectacular back drop to Scott’s relatively tiny 8m Tushingham and Starboard Carve 133L. For mission two we tried to be more efficient and didn’t even leave home until five minutes before the scheduled departure time. We reckoned if we raced across the island we could be in Cowes, rigged and ready for a one-on-one up against this monster without having to wait around.
With the wind set to build we had no worries about that at least, Scott was most likely going to be hanging on for dear life, but we could not take any chances with a smaller rig especially if he made any mistakes in the boat’s path and the wind suddenly died! Rigged and ready we waited on Cowes parade once again. When the ship finally started to appear through the trees along Southampton Water my initial reaction was something along the lines of “Oh Jesus Christ look at the size of that!” Or words to that effect! Laden with thousands of brightly coloured containers, this enormous black beauty was slowly creeping out of Southampton Water towards us bathed in the morning sunlight. Scott duly blasted out into the ruffled waters of the Solent on a direct line towards the hull of this ridiculous craft. Like a man on a mission Gardner was pushing to sail as close as possible but was spotted by the harbour master who was clearing the way and forced him to take a wide birth right on the turn. Just shy of four football pitches in length, once Lil had turned and was racing up the Solent parallel to the shoreline, there was no way I could fit her in the frame of my camera using my big lens. With Scott’s tiny sail blasting down the side, it was a truly awesome comparison of scale between the windsurfing rig and the 140,000-tonne super container. As this giant ship disappeared down the Solent at least we scooped another batch of shots and our jigsaw was almost completed. We were starting to find a groove with capturing these big ships and our confidence was rising. This time round two café lattes were required to wash down a huge slice of carrot cake doused in cream for our ‘Shanghai Lil’ debrief as we celebrated our conquest.
THE RUBY PRINCESS
I kind of fancied catching a massive white cruise ship to complete the set of shots and with a decent forecast and Carnival’s Ruby Princess set to sail on the Monday after the IOW pop festival we decided to have one last stab at capturing our prey. With a kind of mushy onshore wind and dreary skies, we were at our usual spot and went through the motions but despite having over 1200 crew on board, nineteen decks, 1500 guest rooms and measuring in at over 1000 feet long, this ‘booty’ just wasn’t ticking the boxes for me when compared to the Shanghai Lil.
As we were packing up, I was kind of feeling down in the doldrums, so decided to do one last check on the Southampton Port website. Scanning down the ‘size of ship’ column I suddenly had to take a deep breath as my heart momentarily stopped when I spotted 396m length monster in the list. “Shiver me timbers” I exclaimed to Scott. “The bloody Polo is due in port in two days’ time, she’s on her way up as we speak, en-route from Tangiers” It was this moment that I realized I was in the midst of a strange addiction with these ships. Had I become a serial ship spotter? Oh blimey!
THE MARCO POLO
After coming to terms with my self-proclaimed obsession with the Polo we both knew we had to take any chance we could to unleash my canons on her way into port. Who knows when the next opportunity would arise? Like a bunch of pirates we planned our attack. There would be no room for mutiny or any scallywags on our crew, everything was going to have to be shipshape if we were going to capture this mighty bounty.
The CMA CGM Marco Polo is an Explorer class ship, an almighty 396 m or 1198-feet long and able to hold 16,000 twenty-foot-long containers. To put that into perspective, all lined up they would stretch 97 km. or 60 miles! Imagine 5.5 Airbus A380s all nose-to-tail and that is approximately the length of this ogre of a craft. Catching the Polo on her way into port would present a different challenge to the outbound departure. Luckily thanks to the live Marine Traffic web site I was able to keep track on every movement the Polo was making as it headed out of the Gibraltar Straights, round the coast of Portugal and up past Spain and France. Come the morning the Polo was due in, I could now tell she was off of Ventnor and reckoned I would be able to spot here from the cliffs in my local bay. Sure enough, through my binoculars I could make out the huge white CMA CGM on her hull as this wonder of a giant steamed across the horizon. Almost trembling, I grabbed my phone and informed Scott that the beast had arrived.
By the time Scott had made it down to the beach to pick up the windsurf equipment the Polo had already rounded the NAB tower and all of a sudden we realized that we were cutting it fine to be rigged and ready when she rumbled up the Solent. With everything flung into Scott’s van we hit the gas and made it to Egypt Point in Cowes in record time. With no sign of the Polo, for some reason we became complacent again. Scott was screwing in the fin on the board and the sail was still in the van when, all of a sudden, I spotted the gigantic hull of the Polo creeping past the towers of Osborne House towards us over towards East Cowes. In a blind panic we both tried to assemble the gear as the Polo steamed closer at an alarming rate. At this point we had not even bothered to check the wind assuming there would be plenty. Today we faced an onshore north east breeze, probably only about 10-14 knots and when factoring the strong Solent tidal currents we were rolling the dice. With all the components slung together this was the best we could manage. Scott didn’t even have time to put on his wetsuit and raced out into the water while I loaded fresh memory cards into my canons. To say we were cutting it fine was an understatement. Now the big question was could Scott even plane or make it upwind before the Polo hit that all important turning circle? By this time I was in a cold sweat. If we blew this opportunity I knew I wouldn’t be able to cope with the fact we had two days to be ready for this and not been prepared. The Polo was set to depart the following evening at 10 p.m., in the dark, so this was our one shot and it had to count.
Finally Scott hit the water with the Polo almost upon us. I knew I was going to struggle to score a shot with the whole ship and my 500mm lens, but as she came close to the Cowes shoreline broadside, I was shocked to discover I couldn’t even squeeze the whole boat in with a 70mm lens and my full frame sensor. I needed the ship to turn and be at an angle before I could catch Scott and the whole boat all in one. All this panic was kind of a shame because I had no time to stop, take a breath and just admire the sheer magnitude and scale of this massive manmade 175,000-tonne hunk of steel.
Finally lady luck seemed to shine our way as the Polo turned right on cue with one of Scott’s passes. ‘Fire in the hole’ I whispered before blasting off a few frames, I was pretty sure I nailed a decent picture at last. Finally the sweat started to evaporate as the worst of the pressure was over! For the next 10 minutes Scott lashed his way back and forth across this gigantic freak of a vessel and then it was all over once again as the Polo churned around the corner up into Southampton water. It was a real rollercoaster ride. One minute everything is so intense with that precious window when everything is in line and then a moment later it is all gone with no way of clawing back that time frame. But the Polo was in the bag!
Our last move was the obligatory après ship debrief, this time back in Sandown with a four-rasher bacon roll, lashings of ketchup (No brown sauce? Ed.) and a mug of steaming tea! Now that the mission is complete, I can finally let go of the daily scouring of the planned shipping departures and hopefully move on with my life.
Unfortunately since that murky night when the Polo sailed off into the dark, rival company Maersk several launched the Triple E container ships each clocking in at 399 metres and a ridiculous 58 metres wide. As far as I know none of these brutes have been into Southampton to date so the Marco Polo would have to do us for now. As far as I know the VTS port authority was given permission to dredge nearly half a million cubic meters of mud between the new terminal and Marchwood (Hampshire) to widen the channel so it can handle these bigger ships, so watch this space.
BON VOYAGE
Scott does not know this yet, but I am not done with these boats completely. Once you become a ship spotter, it’s in your blood, curdling away and now I know there are even bigger fish in the sea, I will be striving to net some of these from new angles and new perspectives. I can’t wait to be shouting ‘Aye, aye captain, ship ahoy!’, but for the meantime I’ll be keeping my weathered eyes open, me hearties. But for now it’s ‘three sheets to the wind’ and maybe I’ll spend some of my hard-earned doubloons on a cruise?
SCOTT GARDENER
“A couple of years ago JC came up with the interesting idea of a windsurfer (smallest craft) verses a massive container (largest craft) man verses vessel!
Having lived in Cowes in the past, spending some time windsurfing and Sailing in the Solent I was more than happy to help out Carter with his slightly insane plan. My first flat was just back from the start line of the Royal Yacht Squadron, the west side of the balcony looked over Egypt point, so I know these waters well. I had previously windsurfed in its fast tides and busy seas so I was pretty up for the challenge. After rigging up I found myself having a bit of an adrenaline rush. Normally I windsurf happily in pretty big waves, but now I had a nervous twitch heading out into the Solent. ‘What the hell are you worried about Gardner?’ I thought to myself. I guess the size of these ships and the fact that if I fell in the wind shadow there was no way the Captain would be able to do anything to stop mowing me down was a justified cause for concern?
Carter wanted me to sail as close as I could to them. My mind then went into slight overdrive! What happens if I get sucked in to the massive props as she passes? Christ, what a way to go! In the end I just said to myself ‘stop it man get just out there! I never said a word of this to JC. To be frank it was quite a buzz to sail close to these massive machines feeling the low bass of the engines beating through me, all on the power of the wind too! Then to be able to bear away and sail down the length of such a vast ship made me kind of proud to be a windsurfer. It is still the cheapest and one of the fastest craft to put to sea on. However I must stress that this was actually a well worked-out plan studying the winds, tides and ships and that why it has taken us some time to put together! I can’t wait for Carters next crazy plan!”
If you are coming to the Isle of Wight and want to windsurf or give your kids some expert and qualified tuition check out Scott’s adventure water sports business: http://www.wightwaters.com
Tobago – Caribbean Windsurfing Clinic with Jem Hall
Sportif have announced a new 2015 Jem Hall Performance boost windsurfing clinic to the amazing Caribbean island of Tobago. As an early Christmas present they are offering £50 OFF flight inclusive packages if you book by 15 Jan 2015!
Tobago, Caribbean 20 – 27 March 2015
IMPROVERS / INTERMEDIATES / ADVANCED PERFORMANCE BOOST
The Ultimate Spring tune up. Move on up in water starts, gybes, tacks, freestyle and jumps according to your ability level of the clinic. Enhance your early planing and get blasting at full speed.
Staying at the Toucan Inn with locally reknowned Bonkers Bar and Restaurant, Sportif have laid on transport to and from the launch and Fanatic centre daily. The price is £1,495 including 5 days coaching with Jem Hall, return flights from Gatwick, 7 night BB in Pool View Room, airport transfers in Tobago, 1 week’s board hire and daily transfers to the centre. Sportif also offer a land only package, excluding flights from £1,095pp.
Call 01273 844919 or email info@sportif.travel to book.
More info here http://www.sportif.travel/clinics/81/57/Tobago_20_-_27_March_2015
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.
MICRO GUIDE : CLANDESTINO CABANIAS, RODEO, ARGENTINA
CLANDESTINO CABANIAS, RODEO, ARGENTINA
AT A GLANCE One of the best places for windsurfing in Argentina is not in fact on the coast, but at the foot of the Andes, in the province of San Juan. A two-hour drive from the provincial Capital, in the town of Rodeo, the spot is on a lake called Cuesta del Viento. SEASON October- April (Exclusive of January) MORE INFO +54 (0264) 154573512 clandestinocabanias@hotmail.com www.clandestinocabanias.com
ABOUT THE LOCATION Rodeo is still a small town surrounded by nature and its landscape will leave you speechless. The contrast between the desert mountains, with landscapes of los Alamos (Poplar trees) and the turquoise blue of the lake is spectacular. In Rodeo there are several people who have left everything to come to live in this place of peace and tranquillity.
HOW TO GET THERE There are no direct flights from Europe, but you can fly via Chile or Buenos Aires to San Juan. There are also opportunities to travel to Rodeo from Chile or Argentina in buses that are very comfortable.
WHERE TO STAY There’s abundant accommodation in the area. Hotels, hostels, and camping. Clandestino Cabanias are single or double bedroom rustic cabins a five-minute walk from Rodeo and also just five minutes from the windsurfing spot at Cuesta del Viento. The cabins are fully furnished and equipped with a kitchen, oven, refrigerator and cooking utensils, good quality beds with linen provided and a bathroom with a hot shower. As an additional service Clandestino Cabanias offers garage parking and Wi-Fi.
RIDING ON OFFER Freestyle and Slalom are the most common disciplines, but when the wind is very strong, up to 40 knots, it can produce waves up to two meters. Before noon the water is like glass and not a fly flies, but in the afternoon the wind demon seems to rise and within a few minutes can sometimes reach 70 knots, making the calm water of before seem more like the wild ocean. When the spray hits your face it’s like thousands of needles pricking your skin.
Get psyched for the weekend with this sick mix up of clips from ION. This 2014 highlights edit showcases, how similar the different sports are, featuring rotations, flips and cuts back-to-back, switching between the different sports. It’s all about the best athletes surfing elements, including world champs and biggest names of the freeride scenes in the surf, kite, windsurf, wake, SUP and mountain bike world.
