Diony checks in with this video filmed during his trip to Maui, October-November 2015 for the Aloha Classic and training, check out his innovative air chacho off the lip and grubby off the lip, some sweet rides and a monster forward!
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JAWS DECEMBER 9 2015 MULTISPORT VIDEO
WARNING THIS MUST SEE VIDEO CONTAINS SICK WINDSURFING AND KITESURFING AND SUP AND SURFING!
Maui’s finest watermen including Kai Lenny, Jesse Richman, Robby Naish, the Porcella brothers, take on Jaws with all their know how. Windsurf, kite surf, tow in and SUP. Some classic rides from Robby Naish, a monster wipeout from another Naish rider, insane SUP barrel from Kai Lenny and some crazy kitesurfing barrels and one monster of a lip smack – this video is definitely worth hitting on repeat
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Words Jem Hall // Photo Dave White & Nick Jones
(This feature originally appeared in the September 2015 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!)
Extraordinary actions will produce extraordinary results, so from here on in,ensure when beach starting you exaggerate your key actions and control your board’s tail to not drift downwind as you beach start. Following on, in your stance, keep the rig away, get low and look where you wish to go. This piece will give you the tips to conquer and improve your waterstarts and also highlight the all-important 3 stages: rig recovery, board positioning and up and away. I will also suggest some key waterstart techniques advanced riders should have in their armoury.
Drills to help your skills
As you well know I like to keep you working hard, improving, being challenged and ready you for victory in your skill acquisition, so let’s look at some skills I recommend for light wind sessions. These will not only help you learn to waterstart but they will also improve your waterstarts and water fitness:
• Kneeling down and sailing along both ways.
• Leg Drags both ways. Drop your front leg in the water and bend and extend, more on this later.
• Leg drag beach starts both ways. Genius move for steering and downforce (mast foot pressure).
• Carry sail efficiently to and from water. We must embrace working with the wind from the moment we are rigged up!
• Flip the sail effectively and efficiently all the time. Again, we work with the wind.
Main tips and mantras:
Here are some simple tips to keep in mind and focus on; they can apply to both the deep-water beach start and the waterstart:
• Know the exact wind direction and your position relative to it. This aids all areas of your waterstarting.
• Relax when clearing the rig and getting it up and away out of the water. The rig will clear and you will get up, even if you don’t manage it straight away.
• T.C.U.P. Think clearly under pressure.
• Lift the rig up and across to clear it and again work with the wind.
• Look upwind when waiting. To keep control, assess your position and see gusts to help you get up in lighter airs.
• Kick with the front leg in the water to propel you up and only place it on the board late so it acts as a daggerboard in order to stop you drifting.
• Bend and extend; bend your back leg to pull the board in and extend your arms to catch the wind AND pull down on the boom.
• Come up slow and stay low, you can actually plane out of a waterstart from this low position.
• Look upwind to spill wind after coming up, and avoid catapaults and reset for getting planing / moving.
• Little and often or less is more. When learning this challenging and physical move hit it for no more than 20 minutes in chest depth water both ways. If it is not working in deep water then get on and uphaul after a few minutes.
The 3 stages of the waterstart:
Let’s look at some tips to help ignite your waterstarts.
“ Determination will beat skill every time ” Jamie Hawkins (UK Windsurf legend)
Rig recovery:
This is how you get the rig out of the water, both for deep water and when out of your depth. Please note there are so many ways to clear it and too much to cover in depth here so for a more comprehensive guide check my DVD Beginner to Winner, and my top 100 Vimeo tips. With all your hard work in the earlier drills you are now ready to get the rig out of the water so here we go.
• Again, check and know the wind direction.
• Use the wind and your body in the most efficient way possible as it is technique and working with the wind, and not strength that clears the rig from the water.
• With the mast across the wind this is perhaps the most common and easiest position to learn the rig recovery. Ensure you swim backwards to clear water from the rig and that you are at a right angle to the wind.
• With 2 hands on the mast, above the boom, keep swimming and pull the mast across and over your head, like your bed sheet on a cold night.
• You can also swim sideways towards the wind and with one hand (the back hand) on the mast throw the rig forward into your other hand. This is like throwing a javelin and uses stronger muscle groups in your body.
• With the rig downwind of the board you can clear it over the back of the board and so for this ensure you are upwind of the tail, and that you have your front hand on the mast and back hand on the tail as you pull the mast across and over you.
• With the tip of the sail pointing into the wind swim to the head and then lift and shake the rig to clear it with the front hand as you swim backwards. You can then work down the mast to be ready to get your hands on the boom.
• It is important to note that after clearing the rig the back hand goes on the boom first as you look upwind and then move your body into a position upwind of the tail of the board from where you can steer and then position it.
Board positioning
Now that you are a rig recovery master let’s put you into the ‘sweet spot’ to enable you to position the board correctly for getting up and away. The ‘sweet spot’ is upwind and towards the tail of the board where you can steer effectively, control the sail’s power and spot gusts. The position and steering technique is the same as for the beachstart.
Tips:
• Remember back hand on to the boom first
• Place front hand near front harness line for effective steering and power control
• Keep looking upwind
• Keep away from the tail of the board
• Your shoulders and hips should be parallel to the boom
• For lighter winds the ‘sweet spot’ is more across the wind
• For stronger winds the ‘sweet spot’ is more into the wind. Rig gazing and heading downwind whilst waiting results in catapaults.
Up and Away
Many of the skills and actions to get you up and away on to the board you will already have from brilliant beach starts and from all your hard work on drills previously highlighted. You will need to co-ordinate many actions at the same time so speed and explosion is very important.
• From your sweet spot get your back foot on the board with your heel down/ toes up and positioned just upwind of the centre line between your footstraps.
• Control your position and sail power with subtle steering and raising or lowering the rig.
• Your front leg should be straight down in the water, as a daggerboard and to kick and propel you up!
• Spot the wind and ensure you are across the wind or slightly upwind.
• When ready to explode up and away, your back legs BEND as your arms EXTEND, after an initial twist (sheeting in) of the rig.
• Your head should move forwards and in as you focus on ‘eating the mast foot’ which will only be possible with heaps of Bend and Extend.
• Really pull back heel to your arse as you initially throw the rig up and then pull down on the boom (into the mastfoot) when the rig is fully upright. Kneel and leg drag drills ready you for this!
• As you come up slow, stay low and then look upwind to spill the wind. Hoorah to you and keep at it and look to keep improving all areas of the waterstart. Mine are still getting better!
“ Up and away, bend and extend and pull down on boom, eat that mast foot! ’’
Advanced Waterstarts
Many of my wavesailors and advanced sailors still need plenty of tips to get better rig recoveries and actually get out of the water.
The advanced waterstarts you need are:
• Flipped; when the board flips in the waves or after a tack then keep the rig flying and use your feet to flip the board as you come up.
• Light wind; either place the front hand on the mast to get the rig more up right and powerful or the full power one hand on the mast and one on the foot for super light airs. Note: I can do this much better as my core is now stronger!
• Clew first; a crucial waterstart for all levels.
RRD boards, wetsuits, softwear, Ezzy sails and Pro Sport Sunblock sponsor Jem Hall. Get him live and direct on one of his highly acclaimed coaching holidays, check out his site www.jemhall.com for details. You can also follow him on twitter / Facebook and Instagram.
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Words Florian Jung // Photos Pierre Bouras/Liquideye
After that session I felt sick and decided to do something about it. As surfers we use the ocean for our pleasure but in the end, it concerns all of us. We are depending on the ocean’s biodiversity. There are more than 5 trillion plastic particles floating around the sea, enough to cover every metre of coastline. In order to get people’s attention to be active you have to show more than just problems.
The idea to realize a surf expedition across the Atlantic Ocean slowly developed. The combination of dynamic surf images, educational contents and scientific background information could inspire young people to learn more about the consequences of plastic pollution in order to avoid it. I found sponsors that wanted to be part of this mission and teamed up with people that shared the same ideology. The final crew consisted of a marine biologist, an environmental expert, a skipper, a photographer, a filmer and fellow pros Boujma Guilloul and Camille Juban. We decided to sail from the Caribbean towards Europe to show the whole variety of the Atlantic Ocean. On each destination, we planned different environmental projects like beach clean ups with kids, interviews with local environmental experts and water quality tests to show our experiences in weekly web episodes or daily reports.
SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH
This journey was more than just discovering new surf spots – we wanted to have an impact to really change things for the better. Our point of focus was the so called “Atlantic Garbage Patch”, an area of hundreds of miles in the North Atlantic, where marine debris tends to accumulate as it is bounded by oceanic currents. Trash that we throw in the ocean will sooner or later end up in one of these “Garbage patches”. Because of chemical composition of plastic, it will be there for up to 450 years. Small animals accidently eat these micro plastic particles. These smaller animals are eaten by bigger animals, which we then eat. Being at the end of this chain means that we consume the largest concentration of toxins. Moreover, millions of animals die from these micro particles, disturbing the balance of the ecosystem.
This pollution happens too fast for nature to adapt but too slow for us humans to notice. The biggest threat is that we cannot picture the destruction, but the consequences are accumulating, just like the little pieces of plastic in our diet. To visualize the problem, we applied a scientific method called plankton trawling. A special net tied up behind the catamaran revealed a very concerning truth. In the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, hundreds of miles away from land, we took samples and all of them were full of tiny plastic particles.
LET’S THROW OFF THE BOW LINES!
After four intensive months of preparation we finally started the aqua power expedition at the end of March in Guadeloupe. A 50 ft. catamaran owned by a Norwegian captain was the perfect vessel for this kind of adventure. Equipped with a lot of boards, sails, diving equipment and provisions for the weeks ahead, we set sail to discover the island.
To be honest, I felt a bit worried if everything would work out. My sailing experience was quite limited as I have never been on a boat for more than 3 days. I felt like an average hiker trying to climb Mount Everest.
Guadeloupe showed great surf potential and we had a few really good days on spots called le Moule and St. Anne, where local boy Camille Juban showed us why Guadeloupe is one of the most consistent places to windsurf in the Caribbean. Most of the waves are located on outside reefs with powerful sections to play around. Besides windsurfing and surfing we organized a beach clean up with local kids on a remote island in front of this paradise island. After a week in Guadeloupe, we sailed on a three day passage to the Virgin Islands and set up a watch schedule, where each crew member had certain responsibilities to take care of navigation, cooking or cleaning the boat. 3 hours on watch, 6 hours off.
The Virgin Islands are probably one of the most beautiful places you can imagine. Crystal clear waters, daily trade winds around 20 knots and a diverse underwater world full of life. The only thing that was missing was waves. After a week of improving our freestyle skills in lagoons, snorkeling and recording interviews about coral reefs, we continued our journey with a course to the Dominican Republic.
Shortly after our departure I woke up from a screaming noise. The fire alarm was on, big flames came out of the oven and smoke covered the whole cabin. After some hectic moments, the turkey, that almost ended our journey, was soon after safely stored in our stomachs.
Just in time, we reached the shores of the Dominican Republic with a big swell and finally found the long desired waves. On a reef break close to the surf village of Cabarete we scored a powerful right hander that delivered perfect conditions to surf and windsurf for the following days. We anchored the boat just next to it and enjoyed the best waves of the whole trip till one evening a furious mafia boss with a big gun was blaming us for using his beach without permission. Hereupon we decided it was time to leave in order to get rid of this crazy guy. The following 800 sea miles to Bermuda seemed to be loaded with surprises. No wind at all, rain squalls with strong winds up to 50 kts., thunderstorms followed by no wind at all.
After a solid week of sailing through the deep blue sea, we arrive in St. George, where the harbour master welcomed us with a few shots of rum. It was time to connect with the cyber world, updating facebook pages, organizing provisions, and preparing the boat for the upcoming weeks on the open ocean. In between we had a swim with humpback whales to capture these amazing creatures in one of our web episodes.
It was also time to say goodbye. Boujma, Camille and our experienced French camera crew had to leave the vessel for the annual photo shoots in Maui.
On a good forecast we decided to leave Bermuda and head towards the east. Everything went according to schedule. We collected plankton samples in the most effected areas of the “Atlantic Garbage Patch” and shared the data with our associated environmental partner organizations.
1000 sea miles away from the next coast, we came into our first big storm where I learned a lesson from Mother Nature. While battling against the waves I accidently went too far downwind and got the wind from the other side. The catamaran suddenly did a 180-degree spin; the mainsail suddenly swung around and broke on a few spots. Even though we could manage to fix the sail, the damage series continued. A few hours later the headsails enrolled and ripped into several pieces, the engine stopped working and all of us were seasick and tired. With one sail left we made it to the Azores within 15 days and got welcomed by a perfect clean north swell that provided powerful waves. It felt really good to finally surf waves with a tiny board instead of a 22 ton catamaran.
We learned more about the effects of climate change while doing an interview with a local scientist, restocked our water and food supplies and finally continued our journey towards Europe. Followed by loads of dolphins we had to sail against the winds, which can be really frustrating. The catamaran was jumping up and down and being in bed felt like a boxing fight. Somehow we managed to reach Tarifa after another week on the big blue sea. Exhausted from the lack of sleep and happy at the same time we had a few days in the windsurf capital of Europe.
5290 sea miles later, the 72 day long adventure finally ended in Marseille. Journalists, sponsors and friends welcomed us “back on land” with a little surprise party.
Looking back I am really grateful for this experience. I am going to miss the constant battle with the elements, to see nothing but the vast horizon and being able to observe the marine life in their natural environment. It made me realize how small we are. There is so much more we don’t know about the ocean and it is hard to understand that we leave our traces thousands of miles away from any civilization. I hope this journey and the upcoming documentary will translate scientific findings and facts into a language especially young people will understand. It is a global problem where every one of us has a certain responsibility to act. We have to throw old habits over board and reduce plastic waste in our daily life or at least find a way for a better waste management so it doesn’t end up in our oceans. In the end we all sit in one boat that is called “earth” and surrounded by water.
For more information on the trip check out www.aquapower-expedition.com or www.facebook.com/theaquapowerexpedition
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Words FINN MULLEN // Photos JOHN CARTER
‘The best competition at Pozo we have ever had’ – Duncan Coombs.
KOESTERED
Contests normally have a natural momentum, like a band warming up to the crescendo of the final crowd jumping kerrang, the first rounds are normally just to sort the wheat from the chafe. Not at Pozo on the 12 July, 2015. Right from the first heat horn; sailors, staff and press scrambled to process the pace of what was happening before their eyes with the level so insanely high. First round knockouts left the beach dazed at having not only been knocked out by their opponent but battered by the relentless winds – ‘’The sailors were challenged more by the conditions than beating the other guy’’ – Duncan Coombs.
The margins of difference in heats were some of the slightest I have ever seen, which only made the judge’s pen seem even crueller to the loser. There were two notable exceptions, Philip Koester and Ricardo Campello. From the get go, these two were keen to send a message as to who was going to rule the air. The decision would come sooner than expected with the pair meeting early on in round 3 of the single elimination. The much anticipated match up turned out to be a rather one sided affair, as one seasoned observer put it. ‘Ricardo was Koestered’. You had to feel for Ricardo, prior to the heat and the event, he looked a strong contender. Social media was awash with videos of him sailing like a man possessed and in the crazy style that has made him such a crowd favourite. Koester had other ideas though. Campello has been one of the few sailors to challenge Koester in his prime but on home soil Philip was keen to set the record straight with a devastating display of jumping and riding excellence to take the win from an unlucky and visibly shaken Campello who had suffered a nasty crash warming up for the heat. Being ‘Koestered’ did not look a pleasant experience.
Quietly moving up through the other side of the draw was Alex Mussolini, new sponsors and watching your best friend, Thomas Traversa, win a world championship had lit a fire in Alex’s sailing and by the end of day 1, it would be his wave riding and Koester’s insane jumping that would vie for the money in the final. Alex had earned his spot against Koester but Philip was in a league of his own. A huge planing double forward, followed by a technically perfect push loop forward, finished off with that much watched and talked about fearless triple forward were just some of the highlights of a performance that not only saw him take the win but the respect of every sailor, man, woman and child on the beach. It was a clear statement of intent and no doubt it was a sleepless night for the rest of the fleet as Koester’s performance had set a scarily high bar. Duncan Coombs commented ‘’Koester messes our scales up a little bit because he just seems to be in a class of his own and we are trying to fit everyone else’s scores to suit his’’
DAY 2
An early skipper’s meeting on day 2 saw the double elimination continue at a frenetic pace. Most people sail with a heat plan but the violence of the wind strength and level required to advance saw any semblance of plans quickly abandoned. The only reasonable course of action in a heat was to be unreasonable and lay it right on the very fine line between lunatic and lunacy.
Notable performances came from Thomas Traversa, Antoine Martin, Dany Bruch, Marcilio Browne, Jaeger Stone and Robby Swift. From Jaeger’s massive delayed forward to Robby Swift’s first ever delayed double forward, they and the rest of the notables were all pushing their own personal boundaries and while heat results may not have reflected the effort they put in, the results certainly didn’t lessen the commitment being shown. The come back story was of one man though – Victor Fernandez. Victor’s clinical approach has seen him in the final of every Pozo contest over the last 10 years. Day one had seen Victor look decidedly un-Victor like. For whatever reasons, the man still with the most wins at Pozo had been off form but not today. Fernandez was back and the passionate Spanish crowds on the beach were cheering the return of their favourite countryman.
After the fireworks of Koester’s colossal performance on day one, all eyes were on the wounded winner to see if he could reproduce his form in the super final. The triple loop crash had clearly rang Koester’s bell with a hard blow to his head. But even in pain, Koester wasn’t letting up. A proud dad hugged his son on the shore after another decisive victory. Victor proved again what a danger man he is at Pozo or any conditions for that matter and a second at Pozo had him smiling the smile of a man who knows a world title comes from a foundation of top tier results. Mussolini, Bruch and Traversa rounded out the top five with results they too will gladly carry to the title battle for the long year ahead.
Winning at Pozo is ‘’still about waveridng’’ as Robby Swift sagely observed, noting that he, Marcilio and Ricardo can sometimes spend too long looking for the perfect jump ramps while those sailors who don’t have their explosive jump armoury rack up valuable wave riding points. Regardless of your style preference what is common throughout the fleet is that to do well you have to make the effort to come early and hunker down for the long haul in Pozo. The likes of Victor and Marcilio spend up to 6 weeks training here prior to the event to try and dial into the unique conditions. The prudent sailors make sure they practice and sail at all stages of the tide and not just in the best conditions as the nature of competition and the venue means that conditions throughout the day and heat to heat can vary greatly. For Victor his results have come from years of lengthy and methodical training at Pozo, they are not an accident. Thomas Traversa while not spending the same length of time in Pozo training, is one of those sailors who thrives on extreme conditions and the thrust of competition which makes him push harder and display his crazy style we all know and love.
THE BRITS
For the Brits it was a mixed bag of results but that really didn’t tell the whole picture – Skyeboy (17th) was extremely unlucky in his heats. Probably the only father of two in the world consistently banging out double loops, in this competition he wasn’t just banging them out more like firing them off at every opportunity. Those opportunities just didn’t come at the right time though with ramps or waves not lining up when he needed them and his progression was halted by an on form local, Josep Pons, who Duncan Coombs rightly named as one of the top 5 jumpers in the world right now. Ben Proffitt (17th) ran into some similar bad luck with his heats and was extremely unlucky not to advance against Simmer team mate Klass Voget but could hold his head high with some strong sailing in the double elimination and certainly being the online crowd’s favourite as he continues to bring windsurfing to life across the internet as the well versed voice of the PWA live webcasts.
Adam Lewis continued to show his port tack prowess in his adopted home away from home in the Canaries with an 11th place finish. In his own words on the event, ‘’We always talk about how windy Pozo is but this year really took the biscuit! It was ballistic; I didn’t use a sail other than 3.4 in any of my heats. I guess the main difference compared to pretty much every other time I’ve sailed Pozo was the waves! It was pumping, it didn’t even feel like sailing Pozo, all the little line ups you have to get a good section were totally different and a few sets came through you could have even described as solid logo high! From a personal point of view, I was pretty gutted with the result. It was conditions I’d normally really enjoy; I guess a few key moments just didn’t quite go my way. I also can’t ignore Philip’s triple either! I mean wow! It was so freaking high and so so close, I mean he water started straight out of it…I think he was feeling the impact after, I know he had to have someone drive him home because he was so dizzy! Good effort!’’
Robby Swift (9th) is world class and at this year’s Pozo he showed why neither new fatherhood nor the legacy of past injuries will slow him down this year. Robby went out to Jaeger Stone in one of the closest and most radical heats of the day. A solid push forward and incredible tweaked out aerial was backed up by a perfect stalled double forward but without a high scoring second wave he took his loss with sanguine sportsmanship and will no doubt look to the rest of the year with increased motivation to put his hands back on a deserved trophy place finish.
THE LADIES
And what about the ladies?. Well, the ladies were looking very un-lady like. With most of the fleet on 3.0’s, this was no time for feminine finesse and the ladies were throwing caution to the wind with equal abandon to the men. Justyna Sniady, Alice Arutkin and Waka Nishida of Japan all suffered some heavy wipe-outs but shrugged them off with a courage representative of the women’s fleet as a whole. For the Moreno twins it was business as usual. With Pozo firing on all cylinders, experience counts and Iballa and Daida have experience at their home spot of Pozo that is hard to count against! Iballa had suffered a nasty ankle sprain prior to the comp. and hadn’t sailed for over 2 months, not that you could tell. It was Daida’s time to shine though and leave the windsurfing world wondering just what it will take to depose her and Philip from Pozo’s throne. The most likely contender apart from her sister looks like coming from the all round talent of Sarah Quita but it won’t be an easy task as Daida was landing doubles in the expression session later in the week. Sarah turned heads of her own with her push loops being perfected heat to heat as she practiced under the pressure of the flags and horns to bag a third behind Iballa in second and Daida first. Stefi Wahl flowed into fourth position with some of the most stylish turns of the event while a spirited and typically gutsy performance by Amanda Beenen rewarded her with fifth, showing that 6 months in Maui hadn’t dampened her port tack skills.
LEGACY
With the main event wrapped, it was the turn of the juniors to take centre stage. Anyone concerned at the future of windsurfing need not worry. The only concern is just how the pro fleet, will cope with the influx of Koester wannabes in the not too distant future. When 12 year olds are doing perfect table top forwards you suspect even Koester might be looking over his shoulder. It’s worth mentioning at this point just how much effort the Moreno twins put into organising this event and in particular a gateway for the local youths into windsurfing. As well as numerous competitions for the juniors, they also bussed in at their own expense hundreds of local school children to educate them in the world of windsurfing and just what is available on their doorstep. From learning to tie knots to meeting the pros, the emphasis was on the next generation. For two athletes with such a great legacy already established it’s clear their intention is for the island to continue breeding champions. Perhaps the most surprising admission from Daida was that having lived all her life in Pozo she didn’t know until the age of 15 that a round of the world windsurfing championships took place on her doorstep. It’s clear they are resolute to not let that happen again. Their mission goes some way to convey the community feel of the event the Moreno twins aptly title as a festival of wind and waves. As a spectator, it’s hard to think of a more fan orientated event. Run a competition anywhere in the world in 50 knots plus of wind and you would be lucky to coax anyone out of their house let alone to the beach. But at Pozo, perversely 50 knots at sea is comparatively pleasant on land.
Anything that was going to blow away at Pozo has long since blown away so the worry of being hit by low flying animals is nonexistent. A shaded area (from sun and wind) is situated right by the beach, ample parking is 50m from the beach, 50m from that is a marquee streaming the event and windsurf videos by day and live entertainment at night. Further in the marquee you can imbibe fresh smoothies or icy cervezas while watching the prize givings on stage or indulge in gelato ice creams or filling bocadillos before or after going outside to watch the best men and women in the world attempt to sail into the nearest accident and emergency department. My top tip, head down to the infamous bunker and watch the mad men and women of the PWA hurl over head at spitting distance from the shore while you top up your suntan. I challenge anyone to find a more spectacular view in windsurfing to watch the world’s elite rotate through double loops and the rest of their aerial antics, in fact from a spectator point of view, few sports can compete with the view on offer. When conditions aren’t good enough for competition and you’ve had your fill of rubbing shoulders with the great and the good of the PWA, then why not take part in some sailing of your own. Outside of heats I witnessed Pozo with only one or sometimes no sailors on the water in perfectly fun conditions of small waves and force 6 winds – a mere splash by Pozo standards but above average for most people’s definition for anywhere else! This year’s PWA contest will go down as the best ever, where Philip Koester set new standards for the level of wave sailing and Pozo delivered conditions above and beyond extreme but let’s not forget that whether it’s the sailors it produces or the conditions it delivers, Pozo has never been about the normal. As they say, ‘Windsurfing is King but Pozo is King Kong!’.
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KOSTER AND MORENO TWINS VIDEO POZO 2015
The Pozo masters , Philip Koster and the Moreno twins show just why they occupy the top spots on the podium, as they tear up their backdoor, doubles grubbys on the wave, its all on show on this Christmas movie from Severne!
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ADAM LEWIS – PERSPECTIVE
Blue View
A smooth sea makes the perfect canvas for Adam Lewis to rotate over a Pacific lip. JC hovers overhead
at Lanes on the North Shore of Maui to nail the shot.
Photo JOHN CARTER
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Zara Davis is the holder of two WSSRC world speed sailing records, the 500m for windsurfing and the outright Nautical Mile; in other words she is officially the fastest female windsurfer on the planet! Her speed exploits have earned her a place in the Guinness book of records and she has been ISWC European Speed champion a record 4 times. Believe it or not, Zara is not a full time sailor she holds down a full time job as an Osteopath and runs a busy health center in Portishead near Bristol. JC caught up with the Queen of speed to find out more about her gift for sailing fast.
Words & Photos JOHN CARTER
(This feature originally appeared in the September 2015 issue of Windsurf Magazine. To read more features like this first, Print and Digital subscriptions are available. Prices include delivery globally for 10 x issues a year!)
JC: How did you catch the speed bug?
ZD: I think speed is in my genes. My dad was a rally driver and I was just born into the world around people that like going fast. Even when I was a beginner, all I wanted to do was catch the guy in front of me. I just love going fast in a straight line!
JC: When was your first ever taste of windsurfing?
ZD: I learned way back in 1979 while on holiday in France. When we returned home we bought a BIC DuFour Wing which was the board of the time, it had one of those big solid booms and a triangular sail. I sailed for a couple of years before I became ill with serious glandular fever. I had to stop all sports for quite a while and never got back into it until I was 28, after I had passed a couple of degrees and started work in Milton Keynes. I started sailing at Brogborough Lake, near Bedford where I met my husband Pete. I did not know anybody when I first moved there so I joined the club to help meet people. Windsurfing had moved on quite a bit since my first sessions in France.
JC: Were you straight into speed back at the lake?
ZD: Pretty much! I was never very good at turning the corners and I am still not (laughs). The great thing about speed is that it is so accessible. In the early nineties, speed was quite popular. They had events at West Kirby and Weymouth with speed guns and there were quite a lot of those events happening. You could roll up, pay a tenner and have a go on the speed course; it was great fun. It was low level competition, you did not need to be able to do anything aside from be in the foot straps, harness and go in a straight line. That is really where it all started!
JC: Have you ever been a full time pro or have you always had a day job?
ZD: No! Definitely not no! I run a medical clinic, I am an osteopath and I have always worked. Until recently I worked full time but now I only see patients three days a week. We live in a very tidal location on the Bristol Channel so I don’t get to windsurf as much as I would like to. If I can squeeze forty good days in a year I am pretty happy. Most of the girls I compete against on the world circuit are sailing three hundred days a year. That is a massive difference.
JC: When did you first start becoming serious with speed?
ZD: My first major event was 2005, Pete wanted to do Sotevento, it was ‘the’ place at the time. That is where the records were being set and it just happened they were offering half price entries for women. There were about fifteen women in the fleet, it was a world championship and I ended up fifth. So I was delighted to do so well and thought maybe I have a talent for speed! The girls that beat me were Karin, Valerie and Alison Shreeve. They were the best in the world. In 2006 I headed out to Warvis Bay in South Africa to have a go at the mile record. I broke the record and that really triggered me off to get more serious. Valerie was there, I broke her record from the previous year and the story goes on from there!
JC: So when did you head out to Luderitz?
ZD: We had tried to do a 500 meter record attempt in Warvis Bay in 2006 and then I had a bad accident in 2007. I fractured my left foot and had to have a couple of operations. I missed the record attempts in the Canal in France because of the injury, that was the year Antoine did 49.09. I was desperately sad to have missed that. It was also the year of Driven by Wind, with Whitey at the Ray so I missed out on that as well. In 2010 I broke the women’s production record at Luderitz on my Mistral 47 but the trench they made was not the best. They had put all the sand that they dug from the canal on the wrong side and it meant there was no wind in the bottom half of your sail when you were blasting down and hitting it at forty knots. By 2012 they had dug the canal inland and that is where Antoine and I both broke the world record. The trench still was not perfect, it could certainly be better. But either way it was an amazing opportunity. I did a 45.83 run and that record still stands!
JC: So how was that particular run?
ZD: It was really weird. We were all getting quicker all day. It was probably about 3pm in the afternoon. All the times were building. After I broke the record I decided stupidly to change down sail because it was getting windier. I was on a 5.5m at that point and it was blowing about 45 knots. I thought maybe I would go even faster with a 5m and I made it to the end of the course and just when I put my feet down, the board flicked up and whacked me on the front of my shin. Somehow it managed to chunk off a piece on the front of my shin. I had to go to hospital and have that stitched. In the next two hours everybody went two knots faster while I was in hospital. It was quite gutting. It was awesome that I had broken the record but being that everybody improved their speed that afternoon I know I could have also improved my time. It was disappointing that I could not have taken that opportunity. Hey, I still hold that record so it was still a good day!
JC: Was that particular run scary or did you enjoy it?
ZD: It was not scary, if you go down the canal and you are scared you should not be there! It is too dangerous! I knew that my kit was working and the Sontag asymmetric fin was also perfect. Each day records are broken your speeds build through the day. You don’t just get in the canal and do 45 knots on your first run! You can start at 12pm and do a 39 knot run and gradually you pick up as each run happens. You almost don’t notice that you have picked up an extra five knots or so later in the day. I knew I had nailed a decent run, the best runs are when everything goes quiet and it feels easy! It was just one of those runs. I was on my 5.5m Simmer SER and a Mistral 41 and my Sontag 20 inch asymmetric fin.
JC: What is the key to nailing the perfect run?
ZD: It is really difficult to know exactly the secret to the technique. I am not a very geeky sailor. I don’t spend hours priming my gear, I rig it, get on it and sail it! I think I am quite a natural sailor from my point of view. You need to be a bit bold, you need to maybe have a screw loose. You need to be focused to where you are headed for. It does not take long to do it. The whole thing is over in twenty seconds. That is a very short period of time. I guess it is like running the Olympic 100 meters final. You have to be 100% in the zone. I think the key is having that ability to absolutely concentrate for that bit of time and know that your gear will get you there.
JC: What do you think set you aside from the other women that day?
ZD: I think I have a physical advantage in the sense that I am taller, bigger and longer levered. I am not saying that is the only aspect, Antoine is not the tallest for instance. He might be the strongest, he possibly is but he is certainly not taller than the others. Jürgen was there, Anders was there, what is he 6’4 or 6’5?; so there were taller guys there. I think there is just something in his technique and ability that enables him to go faster than anyone else down the canal. I think the Mistral 41 holds more than half the records in the canal. So I think there is certain evidence that the 41 was a particularly great design by Chris Lockwood.
JC: When you are at home do you ever go chasing big speed days when the forecast is on?
ZD: God yeah! Again because I work it always seems to be windy when I have bookings. My work is not at all flexible. A month in advance is fine but I have patients that are booked in. If I see on Monday that it is going to be windy on Wednesday; bad luck! There is absolutely nothing I can do about it. West Kirby is a long way away. It is a three and a half hour drive for us. I can’t just pop up for an hour, pop back and then see patients! So it always seems to be windy on the only days I can’t move anything. Monday and Fridays are paperwork days so I can shift those around at least! Kirby is the place to go in Britain and my last decent session was way back in January! The Ray also has potential but it is equally far away. I don’t know that place so well so it is much harder for me to just turn up. Whitey is always raving about it. The nice thing about Kirby is that you rig up in the car park next to the water, do the run, walk back up the wall and you are done. It is simple speed sailing! Also practice for Luderitz is amazing because it is very similar to how you take the corner and enter the course. That bend into the wall is a very similar physiological barrier. You have to be able to go at forty knots round a corner!
JC: Do you think Pro-am speed events like the Dunkerbeck Challenge are helping attract more people into the sport?
ZD: For sure!, at this event we have little kids and some very talented older youths racing together. The kids are doing 17 knots while some of the older youths are doing 34, isn’t that fab! They can windsurf, they can get in the harness, straps and sail between buoy A and buoy B. They have a result and they have competed next to some of their idols and legends of the sport. This is a fantastic way to inspire the younger generation to start competing.
The harder thing from the women’s point of view is that most women are not naturally competitive so they simply don’t want to compete like that. But the nice thing about speed is that you are not necessarily competing against the others. Out there on the course you have no idea what speeds anyone else is clocking up. It’s not like slalom sailing with eight people at the buoy screaming at each other. You go down the run on your own, you do your own thing and end up with your own set of results according to the conditions. People ask me if I am competitive, I am not really like that against others, I just want to be the best I can be. That usually means winning! If I do the best I can be, usually I do win! All of us can have a go at that and challenge yourself! Speed gives you that. The other disciplines are more fraught with danger and that is what women don’t like. I think women should speed sail actually. I think they see it as a big, heavy man’s sport while the reality is that it’s a great sport for women. It is fab what Bjorn has done and that is why I am here! I love the idea that everybody is here from all different levels. There was one guy here who had never rigged a sail before because he always rents from centres! He will be out there on the course with the likes of Bjorn! Where can you do that in any other sport. That is such an amazing opportunity alone. I would recommend this event to anybody. It is warm, sunny, windy, pretty flat and relatively easy. Nobody is expecting this guy to beat Bjorn but he is sailing with Bjorn and he will probably go the fastest he has ever been. That is what it is about; doing your own personal best!
JC: How would you feel if your record is beaten?
ZD: Records are there to be broken aren’t they? My mile record was set in 2006 but now there is a girl called Hanna White who is setting herself up with a boat called Speedbird to break my mile record. That is quite exciting. She is sponsored by Landrover, has a team together and is trying to beat my record. If she does it, I would have held it for ten years so I am happy with that. I am proud that I have done it and the nice thing about records is that your name will be in the book forever. It would be nice to have another go at the 500 metre record. I feel that there is slight unfinished business in Luderitz because of that injury the day I broke the record. I had that window of opportunity that I could have gone to maybe 47 or 48 knots. Maybe I should go back and have one last stab at it. I am getting older and if you have that sort of crash at 55 miles per hour with little protective gear on, it can be pretty lethal. Maybe I’ll feel differently if somebody breaks it, who knows! 50 knots for a women is certainly possible; I think it would be tough. I still think there is a possibility that I could get there given the right day and the right location. If I had done the 47 or 48 that day I would be pushing now for the fifty because that would be my next big hurdle. Right now I am four knots off and that is a hell of a chunk to improve on at that speed. In women’s windsurfing there are some fantastic younger girls coming along and sooner or later one of them will go that fast!
JC: Is Luderitz the only place where the records can be broken?
ZD: I don’t think so, what we have established is that in order to beat the record what we need is absolutely flat water. If we could find a better canal in an easier location for everybody to get to that would be the answer. The South of France or maybe some places in Holland might be the ones. I think you need to build two or three canals at slightly different angles! We are not talking a huge amount of money to dig a hole. I know it is a kilometre long hole but it does not strike me as that expensive, but you need a big sponsor to put that effort in. I think there are guys looking into this right now, yes you will have to wait for a forecast, but I think there will be more opportunities to go quicker.
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RICARDO CAMPELLO –
Words & Photos John Carter
(This feature originally appeared in the September 2015 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!)
The Life
People that I know regularly think being a professional windsurfer is a perfect life, don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining about it at all, if I wasn’t a pro windsurfer I wouldn’t know where I’d be sitting right now! On one of my 4 flights to Gran Canaria I thought I’d write to you guys on what life as a pro is really like.
Right now I’m sitting at Zurich airport waiting for my last flight to Gran Canaria, I just came to pick up my new boards and hopefully as soon as I get there I can hit the water. It’s really really amazing and cool to be a pro windsurfer, especially if you dreamed about windsurfing since you were a kid! It’s probably the coolest experience you can have but it’s simply not as easy as everyone thinks and sometimes it’s really hard to be travelling all the time and to have a personal life!
I started competing when I was 15. Of course back then everything was a dream and easy, 15 years old, leaving home to travel the world alone for the first time! I actually was supposed just to go from Venezuela to Austria for a week as I had a wild card to get into the event. I was sort of already sponsored by JP/Pryde but I didn’t know the bosses, which were Martin Brandner from JP and another guy from NP, but they knew about me through Josh Stone who I had met before and put in a really good word for me. Anyway, there was no wind to compete, but enough for me to get planing and sail a bit. Martin was really impressed and invited me to the annual photoshoot in Maui, so I didn’t get back home for 3 months and didn’t go to school. Suddenly I had become a pro windsurfer, which was amazing! My first year I won my first PWA event and finished 8th overall, 2 years later I was world champion for 3 years in a row, which was another dream come true. But then you start to grow up and get older and start seeing things differently. You start to miss home, miss your food especially friends and family and my dogs as well. Back at that time I had my first girlfriend and I was really missing her and she couldn’t come to any events with me because she had school, plus her dad was very protective ha-ha!
“ If I wasn’t a pro windsurfer I wouldn’t know where I’d be sitting right now! ”
Homesick
I think one of the hardest parts of being a pro windsurfer for me is leaving home, it’s horrible. Sometimes I just don’t want to leave; I always miss my own bed or bathroom. I just get over hotel rooms sometimes. Hotel food for a week or two is amazing, but after that you start to get over it. There’s nothing like home made food and in my case, my mom owns a really nice restaurant in front of the beach I sail back home, so I finish sailing, eat and then go back out sailing! Sometimes I go to an event early, for example Pozo I normally go 3 or 4 weeks before the event starts and sometimes I make everything “accidentally” to miss the flight or not to go! It’s funny I’ve spent a lot of money changing flights but it’s just that I’m not mentally prepared to travel and to leave home and leave my friends! But suddenly I just get ready and go!! Of course if I’m scheduled to leave a day or 2 before the event I always go, but I still get nostalgic.
Once I get to the place, I get used to it. Depending on the place of course, Denmark and Sylt for example, (sorry if you are Danish or German) no offence, but it’s just a place that I don’t enjoy being on; for me it gives me a bit of a sad and grey energy. I’d rather be somewhere else than in those places, but my point is sometimes a pro windsurfer has to go to places you don’t really want to be, and let’s be realistic, conditions are not really dream conditions for a pro windsurfer compared to surfing for example! I really enjoy sailing at these places most of the time but sometimes I really don’t ha-ha and I’d rather be sailing on a really sick wave on sunny and clear water. Sometimes we are there waiting for conditions and one of our friends just sends us some pictures of a nice swell that he just got and we just want to be there!
Sometimes I really want to take a year off tour just to really do what I want and spend time at home and just travel to places I really want to travel to, not only windsurfing, snowboarding for example. It’s something I’ve never done in my life and it’s one of my dreams but I never have time and when I do I really want to spend time at home with friends and family and not get into an airplane for a while! But if I do take a year off I will also probably miss everything and everyone and probably lose my sponsorship. After a month or more of travel I just want to go back home. I’m a really sentimental person and depending on the place where I am, I get sad or happy and in places like I mentioned above I don’t really get in my happiest mood but again, it’s part of my job ha ha.
Excessive measures
One of the really annoying parts of been a pro windsurfer is the gear. The gear when you are traveling becomes part of your family, like a small baby at airports, everywhere you go you have to take it with you and not take your eyes off it with all the airport restrictions now. Most of the time you’re alone and I have to carry 7 bags on my own and I can only carry 2 at one time. Sometimes the airport people or security see them alone for 30 seconds and they start complaining that you can’t leave your bag unattended, it’s so annoying , they don’t understand that I’m not an octopus with more than 2 hands and can only carry maximum 2 bags at one time and they are heavy. Some airports are just so hard for windsurfers, you have the parking really far from the check in, then you finally get to the check in sweaty from carrying all the bags, then you have to discuss with the airline agent that 4 bags is one windsurfing set and they keep telling you, ‘you have to pay for 4 bags’. I get angry very easily in some cases, especially if you’re rude to me and most of the airline agents are rude. I normally tell them what ever comes in my mind with respect but once they start getting disrespectful and rude I just explode. I had a case once in Miami where one lady called the police because I was talking to her trying to explain to her that I had 2 bags which was one windsurf set (in American Airlines rules) and she kept telling me I had to pay for 2 bags and I really didn’t, so I was calling her and she kept pretending she didn’t see me and she clearly did, so I touched her so she could see me and she freaked out because in the US you are not allowed to touch anyone. Anyway she called the police and I had to explain to them the situation and one of the police men gave me the reason she wanted to press charges against me – for touching her! Ha-ha, the things you see in the US! But in the end she didn’t press charges! Anyway after finally getting to the check in tired and discussing with airlines and paying a lot of money for the windsurfing gear to get on the plane they finally tell you ‘Sir you have to take your bags 2 floors and put them on the over weight belt!!’ and I’m like WHAAAT?? I just paid 450 dollars for my bags and I still have to carry them down? Arrgh, anyway sometimes it’s a real night mare traveling with so much gear, this is when I say I should have been a surfer or a kiter! Hahaha they just travel light, sometimes when I make trips without gear it’s like a dream; it’s so easy to travel with only your clothing bag! But most of the times for me it’s never like this!
No party
For 14 years I have not spent my birthday at home, except for 2009. My birthday is in July and I always spend it in the Canaries, it’s amazing, I mean I have many close friends on tour but it’s not the same as spending a birthday at home with family and closer friends and make a huge party in my house. In 2009 I was finally able to make it because the Pozo event finished 2 days before my birthday, my best friend who is like a brother to me has his birthday the next day after mine, so we did a huuuge party at my place with all our friends and it was a pretty fun party! But that was the only year I was able to do that! No one can really celebrate their birthday while we are in competition! But again, that’s one of the negative things of travelling so much!
Relationships
Venezuelan Girls are probably the most jealous and protective girls in the world. I would love to have a stable relationship and yes I love Venezuelan girls. I dated many really nice girls and they wanted some serious relationships, but after a while before getting too serious they get so jealous that they start thinking wait, he is a pro windsurfer, travels all around the world, meets a lot of people, a lot of girls, ‘’famous” in a way, is in magazines etc, spends 3 or 4 months away from home, and they start to get so jealous they call off the relationship but I’m totally the opposite of what they are thinking!! And yes I get hurt because some of the time I already liked them so much, so yes it’s hard to have a relationship because of so much travelling! In some cases I just want to STOP and be near someone I care about.
One of the best things of being a pro windsurfer, especially compared to other sports, is that we are all a big family, I mean I have some friends that are not into the windsurfing world and they ask me, do you guys stay at the same room and travel together and compete against each other, and I’m like yes of course, we are all family. For example Robby Swift and Brawzinho and I always train together, talk and travel together and stay in the same room most of the times. In competition when we compete against each other there is no rivalry or to any of the other pros, we are very united outside of the water and when we lose against each other we always keep helping each other regardless. When I lose a heat, like most of the other guys, we go and shake hands, if you compare it to many other sports you probably won’t really see that, some of them hate each other. Now with the live scoring we have our phones with the scores and when one of us is competing we can tell them from the beach if they have to do a better jump or take a better wave ride. We are all friends when we are not competing, we go out, we laugh, joke etc! Everybody pretty much supports everybody. Of course there is always a few people that are not as friendly as others but by and large the close friendships and camaraderie on tour is one of the beautiful things about pro windsurfing .
“ The close friendships and camaraderie on tour is one of the beautiful things about pro windsurfing ”
All good
Being a Pro windsurfer is the best thing that happened to me, I really don’t see myself doing something else, I am not complaining but I just wanted to tell you that is not easy and it has lots of negatives. I travel around the world, meet many people, different cultures, I know people all around the world thanks to windsurfing and a lot of them really respect me and I’m sure I have many open doors wherever I go, there are really amazing people and friends all over the world. It’s an amazing way to see the world, I love to take pictures everywhere I go and save them on my computer and post some of them on my social media and show my friends when I go back home. I’ve seen amazing places, met amazing people and basically travelled the world and I still have a lot to know, a lot more people to meet and a lot of spots to sail. I’ve travelled over a million miles and all my life and the knowledge I have, I owe it to WINDSURFING, WINDSURFING IS MY LIFE!!
The post RICARDO CAMPELLO – LIFE AS A PRO WINDSURFER appeared first on Windsurf Magazine.
SARAH-QUITA OFFRINGA – PERSPECTIVE
A HO’OKIPA SPLASH
Sarah-Quita Offringa makes it an incredible 8 freestyle PWA world titles in a row by clinching victory in Sotavento (pictured). Happy, talented and one of the best all round woman sailors in the world, she has plenty to smile to camera about. Well done Sarah, we salute your awesomeness!
Photo JOHN CARTER
The post SARAH-QUITA OFFRINGA – PERSPECTIVE appeared first on Windsurf Magazine.
FANATIC ONE EYE WAVES VIDEO
John Carter (photographer): “At 2.30pm myself and Manu Grafenauer (movie producer) were in the boat both feeling kind of anxious at what we are about to let ourselves in for. Manu had even brought fins with him in case the boat would flip which was not exactly reassuring! The thrill of being out in those waves and watching those huge barrels charge down the reef was awesome.”
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Words & Photos JOHN CARTER
(This feature originally appeared in the September 2015 issue of Windsurf Magazine. To read more features like this first, Print and Digital subscriptions are available. Prices include delivery globally for 10 x issues a year!)
JC: “This summer I have been constantly tinkering away with ideas of locations around the coast that would be awesome to photograph. Some have been new and some old that I have snapped before but in my books, could have been captured a hell of a lot better. One of my targets has been the Old Harry rocks, a pair of chalk stacks situated close to Handfast Point, a couple of miles north east of Swanage. I had shot there four or five years ago with Timo Mullen in light winds, but we had only been able to score about thirty minutes or so of sailing before our RIB had to return to base. I knew someday, it needed to be done again!
After the Austria PWA World cup I had just arrived home and that perfect sea breezy forecast was on the cards for the next few days. I knew this was a decent window of opportunity and action needed to be taken! There was no problem finding volunteers to come out and windsurf around Old Harry but finding a boat and a driver was a slightly bigger issue. Cue Andy ‘Bubble’ Chambers and his contacts with the Watersports academy in Poole and a shiny six metre RIB was at our disposal, even if it did mean I would have to go without beer for a few weeks to pay for it. One thing I have learned during my years of photographing windsurfing and waiting for weather is that there is no point beating around the bush. If you really want to do something, don’t keep putting it off and finding excuses not to do it; push the green light and go! Yep, the forecast was solid, boat rider in place, ‘no ifs, buts or maybes’; we were on!
We were looking at a pleasant enough spring afternoon; nice ‘n’ sunny and a decent sea breeze, probably 20 knots with no significant swell around. It certainly wasn’t that massive wave forecast that would have you quivering in your boots but nonetheless I was actually tingling with excitement when I left home headed for this adventure out to Old Harry. Like I mentioned at the beginning of this piece, it is not that often that we make the effort to go check out amazing landscapes, even when they are close to home, so this was a chance to see an amazing physical feature with historical significance, with windsurfing action thrown in for good measure.
GEOLOGY
Thousands of years ago there was a ridge of chalk running along the south coast that joined the Isle of Wight to Poole in Dorset. Over the centuries this chalk has been eroded away and the infamous stretch of water known as the Solent was created. Yep this is the very water that keeps yours truly separated from the mainland, providing countless stories of missed ferries and travel mishaps. On my side of the Solent, the Needles majestically poke out from the cliffs on the west side of the island while approximately twelve miles away over the water, Old Harry marks the start of the incredible Jurassic Coast which extends for 95 miles all the way to East Devon. For geologists amongst us, you probably already know that the chalk was formed around 65 million years ago by a layer of calcium deposits from sea creatures dying and falling to the sea bed. ‘Plate tectonics’, ooh I remember that from geography, forced the chalk up above the sea level after the last ice age but at the end of that period the sea level rose and combined with erosion, channelled out the chalk ridge and the Needles and Old Harry in the process. To this day the chalk stacks are constantly eroding with regular cliff falls between Studland and Swanage. The sea exploits cracks in the chalk, eats away to form caves, these eventually form an arch and then collapse to form a stack! Next to Old Harry, there used to be another stack known as ‘Old Harrys Wife’ which fell into the sea back in 1896. Rather than be a widower, nature has provided Harry with a new wife, a smaller stack formed by more recent erosion. The larger clump of chalk that lies adjacent to Old Harry is known as ‘No man’s land’ while round the corner towards Swanage are the Pinnacles known as the ‘Haystack’ and the ‘Wedge’ respectively. Due to their isolation the stacks have been colonized by many breeding seabirds and even peregrine falcons.
“ Old Harry marks the start of the incredible Jurassic Coast which extends for 95 miles all the way to East Devon ” JC
RICH AND FAMOUS
We set off from Salterns Marina in Poole with our 6.5m RIB full to the brim with freestyle and freeride equipment to cover all eventualities, plus an experienced driver and myself. I have spent a lot of time in and around boats over the years and generally most canny captains instantly recognize I am not a seafaring type and tell me to just sit out of the way while the others cast off and do all the important jobs. Normally it goes something along the lines of ‘Carter, you just stay out of the way!’: I know my place so just behave accordingly!
Exiting Poole Harbour, we were treated to a decent view of some of the expensive home along Sandbanks, reportedly the fourth most expensive area in the world to live. Fifteen homes were up for sale in September of 2013 and their combined asking price amounted to 80 million pounds! Notable residents include, Tony Pulis (manager of West Bromwich FC), Harry Redknapp, Jamie Redknapp and Graham Souness to name but a few. After cruising past the Sandbanks chain ferry , five minutes later we were flying out of the harbour headed towards the unmistakable outline of Old Harry and the surrounding rocks. Now rewind right back to the beginning of this piece and sometimes it is really worthwhile just taking a moment to sit back and just soak up the stunning surroundings that our diverse coast has to offer. As we approached Old Harry, it really hit me what an outstanding piece of scenery this Dorset landmark is, The Needles obviously have the upper hand in my books, but the white cliffs coated in greenery on this side of the Solent are certainly not too far behind! We finally pulled up in the boat in the shelter of the cliffs, with the wind swirling around Old Harry at a solid twenty knots. Over to ‘Bubble’ to fill us in on the juicy windsurfing details.’’
WHEN HARRY MET BUBBLE
ANDY CHAMBERS
“It’s pretty hard to get the all the stars to align for a windsurfing photoshoot in the UK! JC had wanted to do this for ages and so scoring a day when we were both in the UK at the same time, a boat, wind and sun was quite tricky! We had a pretty strong North Westerly breeze blowing which meant most of the south Coast was pretty offshore. However, this direction worked out pretty perfect for sailing around Old Harry. It only took about 10 minutes to get to Studland Bay which was nice and sheltered from the wind. We could see it was pretty windy out by Old Harry so I rigged the smallest free ride gear I had which was a Neil Pryde Ryde 6.5 and a JP Magic Ride 104. Rigging up free ride gear on a small boat was harder than I thought it would be! At one point the top of the sail got caught in the water which then caused the sail to power up and fly out of the boat! Amazingly the spare mast extension got hooked in the bottom of the uphaul as it all flew out of the boat! I then piled into the sea with the board and finished off rigging in the water! Luckily the extension was still hooked in the uphaul! The boat drove out to Old Harry whilst I drifted into the wind line and then started reaching downwind to join them. As I sailed closer I could see how windy and choppy it was! It was bloody howling! I had never sailed out to Old Harry
before and seeing it so close up was pretty spectacular. The water was turquoise blue and really clear with lots of sea birds on the beach.
“ The water was turquoise blue and really clear with lots of sea birds on the beach. For a moment it definitely felt like I was windsurfing somewhere abroad ”
Andy Chambers
For a moment it definitely felt like I was windsurfing somewhere abroad, then I hit some seaweed mid gybe and when I hit the cold water I was well reminded that I was definitely in the UK! It was such a buzz to do something different and sail somewhere new which is so close to where I live. We tried lots of different angles trying to jump and gybe in-between Old Harry and the main cliff. As the wind was pretty offshore it was pretty flukey and gusty when I sailed around the other side of the cliff towards Lulworth but sailing against the backdrop of the cliffs was awesome. We had a decent amount of time out there to savour the surroundings until the boat had to head back to the marina. I am already hungry to go out there again as the colours and the back drop would make for some epic freestyle pics! For the return journey, I decided to sail back to Shell Bay where the chain ferry goes across instead of trying to de-rig on the boat. It didn’t take me long to fly back! It was the perfect angle to head in towards the beach at Shell Bay and then bear off along the flat water towards the chain ferry. There are definitely some secret little spots for windsurfing in and around that side of the Harbour and I plan on doing some more exploring this summer! A big thanks to Ross and the guys at Jetski Safaris in Poole and also the guys at the FC Watersports Academy for the loan of Guy Cribb’s Freeride gear!”
FINAL WORD
JC – ‘’I am one of those guys that is always wondering what is around the next headland and I like to explore. So this sojourn out to Old Harry which provided us some unique vantage points was right up my street, especially in a decent boat. Next time you venture down to your local beach for a session, just remember to take your time, sit back and enjoy the surroundings while you are out there. Windsurfing is a natural buzz on its own; but but being able to enjoy and appreciate the nature around you while you are doing it is what makes it such an extra special sport. Plus if you do get the chance to go explore with some sort of safety back up, then why not use your windsurfer as a mode of transport to take you to places few people are able to appreciate from the water!’’
“ It is really worthwhile just taking a moment to sit back and just soak up the stunning surroundings that our diverse coast has to offer ” JC
OLD WIVES’ TALES
Old Harry Rocks are almost like an old friend to local Dorset folk who live nearby. Yet there are many tales of how the name was derived to make this natural feature have a far less inviting appeal. This iconic landmark is steeped in myth, magic, legend and even the Devil himself making a shady contribution to its darker side in the history books. One tale from the past claims that the stack of Old Harry is named because of the Devil, for whom ‘Old Harry’ is his age old nickname and that he once had a sleep on these fabled rocks. Another myth talks of a pirate ‘Harry Paye’ who made the daunting cliffs his base, a place for terror, attacking passing ships and a hiding place for his loot. Maybe this reckless vigilante was even regarded as the devil by locals as he inevitably slept on the rocks after squirreling away his contraband. Either way there are plenty of ways to let your imagination wander and these rocks, caves, stacks and arches make a perfect backdrop for a real windsurfing adventure.
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ANTIGUA – CARIBBEAN DREAM
Words & Photos John Carter
(This feature originally appeared in the September 2015 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!)
TOUCH DOWN
Aside from the fact my son had just been sick on my lap as we landed into VC Bird international Airport in Antigua, it had been an ‘almost’ silky smooth journey. I say ‘almost’ as you see despite the fact I had assured my youngest son that flying was absolutely nothing to worry about, midway across the Atlantic we had hit some of the worst turbulence I have ever experienced. You know it’s serious when the pilot tries to smooth things over but his voice is shaking, almost quivering as he tells you to relax, the stewardesses have all gone white and the plane is shaking like that scene out of the Tom Hanks movie Castaway. Of course I would have preferred to be in one of the cosy ‘Virgin’ First Class cabins up the front of the plane enduring this bumpy inconvenience but no amount of begging and pleading at check in could swing the deal, especially for the whole family (Branson if you are reading this please send some complimentary tickets to Windsurf Office for next year’s Carter Caribbean crusade). Yep no doubt about it, half term week in February in the Caribbean was costing me an arm and a leg but I figured ‘you only live once’ and before my kids completely grow out of that innocent age, we might as well sneak in a couple of holidays to remember. Plus of course nothing goes down better than an icy cold after a tough day on the beach in the Caribbean. Anyways slightly shaken but not too stirred we arrived safely in Antigua and stepped out into a beautiful sunny afternoon, temperature in the high 70’s and the sound of trade winds rustling through the palm trees.
STEALTH MISSION
Joining us on this half term getaway was my Isle of Wight windsurfing buddy Dave Wade better known to windsurf’s audience as ‘Downwind Dave’ along with his wife and daughter. Obviously the story to our beloved wives was that our family holiday was the first priority on this trip but after Dave scored a few pics in the magazine from St Lucia I could sense the fame had gone to his head and he would walk over hot coal if needed for another shot at glossy glory. So all in all with my darling wife and two angelically behaved boys, there were seven of us in total, so realistically there was no way we were going to be able to bring Dave’s windsurf gear without it becoming a major hassle, plus bringing kit would obviously blow our cover. The closest replacements I could muster up were a couple of inflatable paddle boards on which I was intending to put Dave to shame after practicing all summer to gain the upper hand. Then lady luck threw us a bone; a few weeks before departure I mentioned I was headed to Antigua to Scotty McKercher who immediately told me to contact ex PWA racer Eli Fuller, an Antiguan native who runs boat trips around the island but more importantly was bound to have some windsurf equipment knocking around and might be able to show us the spots. With contact initiated and a favourable reply from Eli, the pieces of the jigsaw were finally slotting together, all we needed now was a bit of luck with the wind and ‘Downwind Dave’ might well be on his way to his next step into the limelight.
LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION|
Nestled in the heart of the leeward Caribbean Islands, the stunning island of Antigua lies slightly north of the equator close to Monserrat, Guadeloupe, Nevis, St Kitts, St Bart’s and St Martin. The island is only 14 miles long and 11 miles wide and as the taxi drivers say, it takes less than half an hour to get anywhere on Antigua. The island boasts a population of around 68,000 and its capital is the bustling St Johns on the western Caribbean side.Temperatures in Antigua average around 80 degrees through the year and its annual rainfall is a mere 45 inches a year making it the sunniest of all the Caribbean Islands, no problem there!
SHOPPING TRIP
While the wives were hopefully busy sunning themselves, sipping on Pina Coladas on the beach loungers, I had instigated a covert plan to hook up with Eli on Wednesday, the day before we were due to fly home.
‘Hi Darling; Dave and I are just running into town to buy souvenirs for the mother in laws, why don’t you girls just stay on the beach and relax’ Obviously our alibi was slightly dubious but before the wives had a chance to raise any suspicious doubts we were out of the hotel and jumping into Eli’s four wheel drive and on our way. Half an hour later we were rigged and ready for action, wives hopefully oblivious to our cunning plan. Jabberwok beach is a beautiful white sand bay facing the trade winds on the island’s north east coast and the island’s most consistent and popular windsurfing location just a few kms. away from the airport. Situated in a nature reserve, there are no permanent structures allowed at Jabberwok hence the fact local windsurfing instructor Patrik Scales runs his operation out of a mobile centre. Eli was the first in front of the camera and hit the water right on cue with a twenty five knot gust looking pretty overpowered on his North 7.3m and 120 litre Fanatic. Dave almost looked smug when Eli dropped his first outside gybe announcing the pressure was off if the pro’s were falling in. After Eli had recovered from his early splash with a steady display of blasting and slick gybes, he very kindly offered over his rig and harness to Dave for a blast. I immediately noticed a bead of nervous sweat drip down Dave’s forehead when Eli mentioned to watch out for the rocks at the downwind end of the bay; the pressure was on. Granted the opportunity for a session, Dave quickly nipped back to his rucksack and grabbed a PWA Bonaire rash vest I had given him last summer; boy had Dave’s flirt with fame gone to his head and was he was he now on the beach in Antigua attempting to claim he is some kind of freestyle pro? Oh dear – Dave is definitely no Gollito!
UPWIND?
OK let’s see; flat crystal clear water, perfect trades and complementary gear provided and rigged by Eli!. Yep we were doing this VIP, far away from the poor lads back at home at Yaverland on the Isle of Wight which would most likely be zero degrees, brown and blown out. Nicely powered, Dave duly worked his way into the straps and headed out towards Prickly Pear Island a few km offshore. Looking upwind I noticed a huge rain squall looming, which could potentially kill the wind but I am sure Dave was oblivious to what was coming from elsewhere while he was having a blast on the beautiful turquoise water. ‘Blimey’ I exclaimed to Eli, ‘I think Dave just made his first gybe and he is headed back towards us’. Was this to be a new chapter in Dave’s eulogy of downwind tales? ‘Upwind Dave’, surely not! I was so sure Dave would end up at least half way down the bay, I had walked along the beach to grab a shot of him on the inside, but sailing with determination like I have never witnessed before, Dave was pointing straight back towards the launch area like a man possessed. I knew already I was never going to hear the end of this; despite a total lack of style and technique Dave had outdone Eli with his first dry run and even stayed comfortably upwind. To make matters worse Dave unhooked and wobbled his way through the inside turn and strutted straight back out ostentatiously like a peacock with its tail spread apart like a fan. For the next twenty minutes I had to endure two more runs as Dave proved this first act of glory was not a one off. Finally I felt the first spits of liquid sunshine from the impending rain squall and after watching Dave drop off the plane half way out to sea I knew the inevitable was about to happen. Sure enough Dave lived up to his reputation this time around with a decent splash on the outside as he crashed and burned followed by a slow crawl back into the beach towards the rocky shallow end at the other side of the bay. Despite the walk of shame back upwind, I could see that Dave was grinning like a ‘Cheshire cat’ and was more than satisfied with his first Antiguan session.
Without pushing our luck, we decided to head back to our Caribbean queens, before they noticed we were missing and within half an hour we were back at the hotel delivering a tray full of Pina Coladas with our mission accomplished.
‘Yeah those tourist shops were a real rip-off, I decided to save the money and buy your mother some flowers at home darling, let me go to the bar and fetch you another cocktail. I look over to Dave as if to say, ‘I think we got away with it’, but moments later I hear the shrill of Dave’s wife voice hollering at him ‘I know what you have been up to you sneaky rat, that bloody Carter has been leading you astray again, go fetch me another Pina!’
ELI FULLER
“I started windsurfing when I was 12 years old on Dutchmans Bay which was in the heart of the North Sound of Antigua, an area I had grown up spending all of my free time exploring, fishing, snorkelling and playing since I was old enough to be taken on a boat. My father was born there and had done the same for all of his life. This beautiful natural and undisturbed area was a section of protected coastline buffeted by 22 offshore islands and a myriad of coral reefs and shallow sea beds. It was a perfect place to learn how to windsurf as it made exploring the islands even more exciting once powered quickly by wind. Course racing and slalom were things I did daily for fun within this area and I started competing during my first year. By the time I was 16 I was training for the Korean Olympics. I raced in the Caribbean and mostly in Florida through college and finally ended up training and working in Maui staying with Sean Ordonez who had been a school mate of mine back in Antigua when we both started windsurfing. I spent a year and a half in-between injuries competing with the PWA and then the PBA. Aruba, The Virgin Islands, Greece, The Canaries, Germany, the UK and Brazil were PWA events that I raced in. I landed a nice job with Maui Sails working with Nils Rosenblad and Barry Spanier on testing and development of Neil Pryde sails together with a guy called Peter Slate. I had an awesome time getting paid to windsurf on the best equipment in the world at the time. It was the best job in the world to have in between competing internationally. However, I knew I couldn’t keep doing it forever and one day while sitting in the sail loft back in 1999 late after everyone had gone home I realized that I had to plan for my future. I sat there and thought about pros and cons of all the jobs that I had worked on over my life trying to figure out what I would be passionate about. After an hour it was pretty obvious what I had to do. Within a few months I was back home in Antigua registering a company called Adventure Antigua and trying to get a very small open boat owned by my family insured and licensed so that I could start doing day trips within the North Sound to areas off the beaten path which I had explored in little boats as a kid and while training for competitions. I was passionate about history, ecology, snorkelling and showing people sides of my country that they would have missed on a typical holiday here. It was December 1999 and the Adventure Antigua Eco Tour had themes of ecology, history and adventure while taking guests snorkelling, caving, hiking, beaching and more all in one fun filled day. Sunsail Club Colona had just started up and with most of the management and staff being windsurfers from the UK, I quickly was able to get them promoting my little tour company. It was a hit! Within a few years it had grown tenfold and I was able to purchase a 52 foot powered catamaran. Today we have a few more boats and a few different tours including one that goes right around Antigua. Without my start in windsurfing I really don’t know what I would be up to now”
SPLASH
Once the storm had settled, next up on our list of sporting challenges was two laps of the bay on the paddle boards. So far during the week I had managed to survive without falling in, so I was pretty confident that I could nullify Dave’s upwind trump by at least watching him squirm in the water while I paddled on ahead. Oozing with confidence from his previous windsurfing heroics, Dave somehow managed to stay on his board while I uncharacteristically wobbled over and hit the drink as we rounded the corner on the first lap. Jesus this was turning into a bad day! With Dave smirking back at me I knew I had to get him back and announced that on our final lap we would have to paddle right up to the very downwind corner where the water was the most turbulent and choppy. Sure enough right at the last hurdle Dave crashed over and I paddled through to victory, a minor recovery but at least enough to quash the worst of his gloating.
ENGLISH HARBOUR AND SHIRLEY HEIGHTS
By the eighteenth century Antigua had established itself as a strategic port and became known as the gateway to the Caribbean. Developed as a base for the British Navy in the days of sail, English Harbour is one of the islands most beautiful and popular tourist destinations. Horatio Nelson followed the trade winds to Antigua with a mission to expand the naval facilities and build what is known today as Nelson’s Dockyard. Ironically Nelson, who apparently was savaged by mosquitos while in dock, spent most of his three year stay in the cramped quarters of his ship announcing his total dislike to the island. Today the best place for an amazing view of the harbour where poor old Nelsen was stuck with all those barrels of rum back in the day is Shirley Heights.
On Sunday Shirley Heights is the place to be according to the locals. That is if you fancy a giant barbeque party accompanied by steel drum music followed by a lively reggae band along with a thousand or so other tourists. The whole party is a pure tourist trap; the taxi will cost you around $20 a head plus an $8 entrance fee although the view is truly awesome and a
fantastic place to watch the sun go down. We left shortly after sunset just as the rum punches were starting to kick in and the reggae band were turning up the noise.
To be fair the atmosphere was pretty fun but it was not the place to take three whining children who were all hungry and thirsty, especially when the queue for the barbecue was about half a mile long. There is an
arduous but scenic trek up to Shirley Heights from the beach below which will save you the eight bucks entry fee and provides some stunning views along the way.
BRING YOUR OWN
British Airways and Virgin are the main UK carriers to Antigua, so Virgin, who offer one 23kg free sporting bag (which includes a windsurfer quiver) would be the firm favourite if you want to take your own kit. I was very impressed with Virgin, right from check in, through to my son being sick to all the service on board they were pretty darn impressive! (Branson, first class tickets by the way, round the world would be nice but I’ll take Caribbean if that is all you can manage!). The flight to Antigua is around eight hours and flights usually leave mid-morning from London Gatwick and arrive back into Antigua just in time for an afternoon swim, cocktails and sunset. On the return flights leave VC Bird airport around 6pm and arrive back into the UK around 6am the following morning.
LOOK OUT FOR: ANTIGUA SAILING WEEK
If you happen to be visiting Antigua in April, it is well worth checking out the most famous yachting week in the Caribbean, the world renowned ‘Antigua Sailing week’ which has been running since 1968. The event takes place annually and sailors from all around the world flock to Antigua to race around the Pillars of Hercules, English Harbour, Shirley Heights and many other fabled landmarks in Caribbean yacht racing history.
“ Flat crystal clear water, perfect trades and complementary gear provided and rigged by Eli!. Yep we were doing this VIP ”
TRIVIA
LEEWARD ISLANDS
The Leeward Islands are so-called because they are “downwind” of the trade winds that occur in the region in comparison to the Windward Islands. As well as Antigua and Barbuda, the Leeward Islands contain the US and British Virgin Islands, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Guadeloupe and more.
HIGH POINT
The highest point on Antigua standing at 1319 feet was known as Boggy Peak until 4 August 2009, when it was renamed after US President Barack Obama to Mount Obama.
CASH FLOW
Over half of the income of Antigua and Barbuda comes from tourism, with around 75% of the workforce being employed in the tourist industry. In colonial times, the main wealth of the islands revolved around the growing of sugar cane.
VIVIAN RICHARDS
Viv Richards, as he is popularly known, was born in St. John’s in 1952. He was chosen as Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1977. His international cricket career lasted from 1974 to 1991 and now the island’s main cricket stadium is named after him.
COLUMBUS
The earliest recorded European contact with Antigua was made when Christopher Columbus, on his second voyage of discovery in 1493, discovered Antigua and named it Santa Maria de la Antigua after the miracle-working saint of the Spanish city of Seville.
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UK WINDSURFER OF THE YEAR 2016
The UKWA announce the UK windsurfer of the year.
”The voting was close between the nominees from all aspects of UK windsurfing competition (Slalom, Wave, Speed, Freestyle and Racing). As usual, the line up was strong with Ross Williams, Robbie Swift, Kevin Greenslade, Adam Simms and Louis Morris all in with a chance.
But the clear winner for 2015/16 is Kevin Greenslade, with the most votes from the public. Once again the winner is from the speed category, three times in the last 4 years. A well deserved result for him on the back of his results in speed sailing not just this year but for holding the UKWA speed trophy for an incredible 5 years.
Quote from the man himself “ I am absolutely blown away to have received the news today that I have been voted the UKWA Windsurfer of the Year. I would like to congratulate the other nominees in their achievements during 2015 and am sure they will all go onto bigger better achievements in 2016. Thanks to my Sponsors Gaastra/Tabou, F-hot fins and OTC for making it possible for me to compete from year to year. I would also like to thank my family, friends and Girlfriend for all the support through the year. A massive thanks and a Happy New Year to everyone who voted. I look forward to seeing everyone on the water in 2016.
Bob Ingram Chairman of the UKWA said “Well done to all the Nominees who are all champions in their own right, especially Kevin who deserves this award not only for holding the UKWA speed trophy for 5 years, he is also a great ambassador for windsurfing in general. Finally thank you to all the people who voted”.
The UKWA will arrange for last years winner Ben Proffit to hand over the UKWA WOTY trophy very soon.”
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JEM HALL WINDSURFING FLAT WATER FORWARD TIPS
Want to get your flat water forward on in 2016? – Lord Hall of www.jemhall.com shows us how as he stars in his latest mini blockbuster WINDSURFING FLAT WATER FORWARD TIP #1 – Jem breaks down the flat water forward with tips in someone’s back garden wearing a pair of shoes that looks like strangely like a RRD board !- someone has nicked his boom and Ezzy sail but we are sure with legs like Jem’s the scared thief will return them soon.
As Jem says ‘Get into it!’
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I was shooting one month some of the best Windsurfers and had such a good but a bit unlucky time, because I injured my foot again.
However I managed to create a really nice movie with some amazing shots out of 400GB footage.
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MIKEY CLANCY WINDSURFER REMEMBERED
Three years ago, windsurfer Mikey Clancy sadly passed away, friends remember Mikey’s memory in words and video.
Katie McAnena – ”I’ve always found it impossibly hard to say much about the loss of Mikey Clancy. It’s 3 years to the day since my dear friend passed away. Three years have seen some spectacular highs and equally some tragic lows in the world of windsurfing. Mikey was the definition of all that it is to be Irish and all that it is to be a windsurfer. His warmth, openness, kindness and sense of humour were all enhanced by his motivation, drive and love of being on the water and sharing his progress with the windsurfing world. He helped shape Irish windsurfing and showed us all that hard work, talent, love and a very thick,warm wetsuit could open your life to endless possibilities on the coastlines of Ireland and farther afield. Although he was 4 years younger than me I found myself looking up to him as an inspiration as to what was achievable. He paved a path that was unique and will never again be replicated.
Mikey getting back windsurfing after a long layoff due too injury – www.youtube.com/user/mikifier1
A tribute by Peter Hart to Mikey Clancy, the amazing young Irish windsurfer who died in January. Peter remembers the week in Donegal back in 2005 when he coached him as 15 year old.
Some clips of the late, great Mikey Clancy – Aeolus Production (aeproduction, a Welsh based film business, specialising in wind sports and surfing.)
This is a tribute to young Irish wave sailor Mikey Clancy, who sadly passed away much too early on January 6th. No wave was too big for him!
It is a short video about one moment in Mikey’s life riding big waves on this beautiful day in Puertito, Fuerteventura and sharing his stoke with us and his friends. – Continentseven.com
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The mood in the pub last night was a little somber. Our team, the Tavernas, had just lost to the Chidham Village XI on the last ball of the game. (I apologize to European readers. We’re talking cricket. I would explain the rules if only I had a week spare. Just think of it as baseball with smarter caps). Here’s the thing. They had to score 14 runs off the last over – quite an ask – but our captain Walter hands the ball to good old Geoffrey, not because he’s the one to pin them down but because “Geoff hasn’t bowled yet.” What a lovely gesture. Except Geoff couldn’t hit a barn door with a beach ball even in his prime, which was a good 30 years ago. So why, I seethed inwardly, don’t you give the ball to Max, aged 17, who is fast, accurate and bursting with post-puberty testosterone? And so we lost.
24 hours later and I’m still chuntering – not just because of the result but also because I was given out lbw when clearly the ball was missing leg stump by a mile. The angel on my shoulder keeps reminding me that it’s village cricket for Christ’s sake (she didn’t actually blaspheme) – it’s just a bit of fun, chill out, enjoy the occasion. While the devil on the other shoulder, clearly on my side, is still mad with Walter for throwing the game and says there’s no point in playing unless you do your best to win. The thing is, Walter is a lovely bloke. Laughing away in the pub, he felt no remorse because, by his own admission, despite playing competitive cricket all his life, and despite being Australian, he’s not competitive. I don’t get it – but maybe I should.
He’ll probably edit the following bit out, but our cherished editor told me that ‘the Industry’ has been on his back to help promote racing – and could I help. Happy to. Here goes.
Racing is brilliant. I competed from 1983 to 2000 and loved every minute of it. So you think you can gybe? OK – now do it around a mark, in chop with 30 others breathing down your neck. Racing forces you to up your game. You’re a wave-sailor then. So you must be pretty fit. Well try a 20 minute wave heat where you have to score 3 jumps and 3 rides AND stay upwind and come back and tell me how fit you are. I’ve known amateurs who’ve gone for their first loops while in competition because the pressure of the situation has inspired and liberated them. Competition forces you to travel away from what you know; sail in different spots and so widen your skill and experience. And let us not forget the social factor. Windsurfers are fantastic people brought together by a common love of the sea, the outdoors and cheap beer. The prize-givings are legendary and the friendships made life-long.
How am I doing?
The eulogy is sincere, if a little rose-tinted. I didn’t love every minute. All sports have their downs – but surely one of the main attractions of competition is to intensify the extremes of emotion – one minute picking the remains of your race rig out of the icy Llandudno shore-break – the next dancing on the tables with your best mates after your first podium finish.
So why is it that more people don’t race these days?
In the beginning most recreational windsurfing took place inland on big boards. Racing was so easy to organize. At a club I ran, we held races every evening whatever the wind. Whoever was on the water got shepherded to the start line – sometimes less a race and more a communal float. But it gave them a focus. Today those same windsurfers are hooning up and down on the sea on short, wide boards having more thrills than are good for them. They feel they don’t need racing to maintain the buzz – although it could well add to it.
Monsters
But here’s the thing – most people don’t enter competitions because they don’t see themselves as competitive and they don’t like competitive people. They encounter them in the workplace. They’re the sneaky ones who need to bolster their fragile self-esteem with constant accomplishment, and who aren’t afraid to deceive and intimidate to reach those ends. Although at the elite end of racing, you may encounter the odd sociopath, most ‘competitive’ windsurfers really aren’t like that. ‘A healthy rivalry’ like a ‘friendly’ between England and Scotland football teams, sounds oxymoronic – but it truly does exist in windsurfing.
On the PWA speed circuit, the collective spirit was extraordinary. We helped each other out, shared notions, borrowed and lent kit even to our closest rivals. After all, where’s the value in a victory if the bloke you want to beat doesn’t even have a mast to use?
That same spirit permeates most amateur competition. You only have to watch one of the Masterblasters at the NWF where 200 plus pros and amateurs converge and collide around the same course, to see that the desire to win and friendly banter are not mutually exclusive. And whether you like it or not, in order to have learned to windsurf at all, you have a competitive streak. But like most, it is probably under control and focused on cracking the next move or moving up the rankings, rather than crushing an opponent. So if you decide to enter your first regatta, you will not encounter a fleet of little Napoleons, quoting rules and barking orders from the crow’s nest. You’re more likely to meet a bunch of Walters. And Walter is a very nice man (although he should never have let Geoff bowl the last over…)
PH 31st July 2015
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Words and Photos JOHN CARTER
(This feature originally appeared in the October 2015 issue of Windsurf Magazine. To read more features like this first, Print and Digital subscriptions are available. Prices include delivery globally for 10 x issues a year!)
JC: Where is your home spot and describe a perfect day there?
AA: My home spot is in the north of France at a beach called Wissant very close to Calais. I was born in Lille which is inland in France about two hours from the sea but my parents moved to the coast because of water sports. My dad taught myself and my brothers to windsurf and I fell in love with the sport straight away. It is the same spot that French PWA sailor Jules Denel sails at. It can be side shore with nice waves but it can be a little bit cold that is why I spend a lot of time in Maui now but I still really love windsurfing at my home beach especially in the Autumn. I am lucky I learned to sail with my brother Arthur, we both windsurf and SUP together and the ocean runs in our blood. We share the same passion and are very close and take care of each other while we are travelling. A perfect day would be sick wave riding conditions, a decent windsurfing session with my brother, my dad and all my friends and finish the day with a BBQ and a beautiful sunset!
JC: Do you smile nicely at the guys so they let you have a wave at Hookipa?
AA: Of course! I try and do it sometimes! But a lot of guys in Hawaii are really nice and they let me have waves anyway; Levi Siver, Keith Taboul and a few of the other guys let me take waves which is really cool. The guys from Maui have a lot of time at their home spot so I guess they don’t mind sharing a few of them. Of course windsurfing is a male dominated sport as are a lot of extreme sports so the girls have to push their own limits and can’t be afraid of taking risks or hurting themselves.
JC: How did you land Red Bull as a sponsor?
AA: The deal came about five years ago. They originally took me on their team because I was top four in the PWA slalom rankings. I decided to give up slalom a few years ago so I can concentrate on waves and they supported me on this decision, now they are happy because I was third overall last year. Red Bull just look at a lot of young athletes and how they might fit in. I was lucky to be in the right place at the right time with the right profile. Now I am working hard to still be with them by doing all sorts of activities both in and outside windsurfing. I never really liked school and I left early when I
started competing. I always wanted to be involved with TV so now I am lucky to also be working with a show that is involved in extreme sports and I usually like to speak about water sports or sports involving girls.
“ The most important thing to prove yourself is results and then when everybody recognizes you then you can play with your image more ”
JC: You seem to have quite a presence on Facebook and twitter!
AA: I like it, as do most people my age. Everybody does it! I like Instagram and Facebook which are both really great ways to score new sponsors. I have managed to attract two new ones both from my social media posts. Social media is not just about showing what you do related to your sport but you show your whole life on there. People really like to follow the real lifestyle of their favourite athletes, not just which competitions they are going to. They like to know what you do during your day. I just post everything I do, everything I think is fun and I have been contacted by some quite big sponsors who like the way I do this, so it works! I am trying to do similar to the way a lot of the surfing world tour girls portray themselves.
JC: What are your ambitions?
AA: Right now I am just enjoying every day so I am not too much focused on the future. I just want to improve at sailing and compete the best I can so I just go with the flow and see where life takes me.
JC: How competitive are you?
AA: I have been competing since I was 13 years old, I always liked winning competitions and I always pushed myself to succeed. It’s something you have in your blood or not and I think I have it. But when I fail, I can easily look forward and focus on the next event.
JC: Do you think you can be world champion one day?
AA: When you are a competitor it’s normal to have goals and want to succeed at what you train for. I want to windsurf for my pleasure but if one day I become world
champion I will be very happy!
JC: How about your favourite board in the Fanatic line up?
AA: My favourite board is the Fanatic Quad 75. I use it the most because I think it is the easiest board to ride the wave. This year especially it is much easier to bottom turn and I think it is also a great jumping board. I can ride it easy in all conditions, I just love this board.
JC: What was the last picture you took with your phone?
AA: A pretty picture of the sea and the beach at home.
JC: If you had one meal for the rest of your life what would it be?
AA: Burrata (soft Italian cheese) with cherry tomatoes and fresh Basil leaves.
JC: What is your favourite colour and why?
AA: I love pink, this colour makes me happy and it’s the colour of love!
JC: Oh la la, while we are on the subject are you a romantic person?
JC: What type of guys do you like?
AA: I don’t have a particular type of guy at all but if he could be kind, smart, generous and beautiful that would be awesome!
JC: Are you single or taken?
AA: It’s a secret!
JC: On a scale of 1 to 10 how happy are you?
AA: I would say an 8! I keep a little space for my future which will be even more beautiful I hope!
JC: Are you scared of sharks?
AA: I’m scared of sharks as is anyone who goes in the water I guess, but when I am out there and I don’t see them I am fine, plus I have a good forehand to punch one if it ever happens!
JC: If you won $20 million in the lottery, what would you do with the money?
AA: First of all I will enjoy the money with all the people I love. Then I will invest the rest smartly to have some forever. I will also give some money to charity for people who need it to live more safely.
JC: How often do you take a selfie?
AA: I don’t know! Much less than last year that’s for sure, selfie fashion has passed!
JC: What are your dream conditions?
AA: Side to side-off wind, 2-3 metre waves and 25 degrees in the water!
JC: What do you do to work out?
AA: I Windsurf, SUP, do lots of swimming, jogging, stretching, cross-fit and I also dance!
JC: What food would we find in your fridge at home?
AA: Pretty much everything because I live with my parents and Arthur my little brother. My part will be more about fish, seafood, vegetables, fruits, nuts, yogurt and ice cream!
JC: What would you recommend, wine or champagne?
AA: Rosé in summertime and white Martini at home!
JC: Tea or coffee?
AA: Green peppermint tea with fresh mint leaves!
JC: Where do you draw your inspiration from?
AA: I am not trying to look like anyone or copy them, I think it is important to follow what you love but do it with your heart to be real and authentic! Having said that, my mother has been a great inspiration to me.
JC: What is your normal daily routine?
AA: I wake up between 8 and 9 am, I check the sea to see if there are conditions for sailing. If not I go SUP or go to cross-fit training. I’ll head back home to do any work, check emails and later on I’ll squeeze in another sport session such as stretching or jogging to finish the day.
“ I always liked winning competitions and I always pushed myself to succeed. It’s something you have in your blood or not and I think I have it ”
JC: How often do you party?
AA: I love going out, to see my friends, go to the cinema or have a few drinks but I don’t like to party late into the night. I don’t drink a lot of alcohol and it is me who usually drives everyone home.
JC: What is your favourite movie?
AA: I don’t have a particular film but I love Woody Allen movies, Match point, Scoop, Minuit à Paris. I also like the films of Quentin Tarantino (Pulp Fiction, Kill Bill and Django Unchained).
JC: What is your favourite music?
AA: At the moment I listen to The Avener, Lana Del Rey and Frank Ocean.
JC: What is your favourite book?
AA: 1984 by George Orwell, you cannot skip this book!
JC: What is your favourite sports car?
AA: Right now I would say the White “Aventador Lamborghini”, it’s a jewel!
JC: Three words to describe yourself?
AA: What I heard is that I am really friendly, I smile a lot and I think I am fun!
The post ALICE ARUTKIN – ALL ABOUT ALICE appeared first on Windsurf Magazine.
