CATEGORIES

Air Miles

PWA Slalom racers spend more time travelling than any other sailors on tour, it can seem a lifestyle of international jet-setting but is the reality less glamorous? From how they pack their enormous kit bags to dealing with hotels, planes and car hire, the frequent flyers of the PWA detail the highs and lows of travelling with race gear.

British Sailing Team Update

Continuing the legacy of UK success in Olympic windsurfing, the push for glory in Tokyo 2020 continues for the British Sailing team as Richard Aspland reports.

Healing

Earlier this year Pozo ripper Alessio Stillrich suffered a horrific injury whilst training in Cape Town, South Africa. Now on the mend, Alessio reflects on the fateful day and his recovery so far.

In Praise Of Speed HQ

Harty plots the evolution of the iconic Weymouth/ Portland Speed Trials

The Skeleton Hunt

Surfing magazines and websites gorge on images and videos from Namibia’s ‘Skeleton Coast’.Where the desert meets the sea, long winding waves unload onto barren sands, drawingwaveriders from around the world. Thomas Traversa reflects on his journey to its shores.

New Heights

A year is a very, very long time in a discipline as fast moving and dynamic as foiling. Not only have the foils and foil-specific products evolved considerably since our last test … but so, it seems, has the whole direction of travel! 2018 brought us our first PWA foiling champion and a foiling world championship open class, providing the test bed for the latest and greatest racing-oriented kit. There have been pioneers pushing the limits in foiling freestyle and wave riding … and as we go to print, it seems the World Sailing Council are reopening the debate about the potential for foiling to be adopted for the 2024 Olympics, to be decided after sea trials conducted towards the end of this year.

Turn Left For Humpback Highway

Ever think of running away to a remote part of the Western Australian coast and living on a diet of wind and waves at the edge of the desert? Fredrik Plantin makes the case for a simple, salty life.

Top Gun F-14

Pierre Mortefon has proved himself to be one of the PWA slalom tour’s most consistent podium placers, ranking in the top 3 for the last 5 years. In 2019 he has won the opening rounds of both the slalom and foil PWA tour. The fast Frenchman with eyes on the number one spot in slalom gives us an insight into his world.

Elevate

“Only passions, great passions can elevate the soul to great things.” Denis Diderot.

Starboard Supercruiser Foil And Foil X Board

When Starboard released what they called, “Our easiest foil ever”, the “SuperCruiser”, we heard that there was actually a top secret new design of foil board in the works too. Starboard’s head of brand and design, Tiesda You, gives us the lowdown on both their new 2020 Foil X board and SuperCruiser foil.

Pushing For Victory - The Push Tack

This month Peter Hart dissects an old favourite, the push tack. It’s vaguely functional, happens on, rather than above the water, but still introduces elements key to many new skool stunts.

Guadeloupe

John Carter and 2016 PWA slalom Champion, Matteo Iachino, head out to explore the windsurfing paradise of Guadeloupe in the French Caribbean. Hosted by fellow Severne and Starboard world tour racer, Tristan Algret, and avid local sailor Bruno Kancel, the planned itinerary was to windsurf as many of the island’s best locations in a mere six days. John Carter reports!

Energise

“The key that unlocks energy is desire. It’s also the key to a long and interesting life. If we expect to create any drive, any real force within ourselves, we have to get excited.” Earl Nightingale

Big Cornwall

John Carter muses over the dilemma that many of us face when weighing up weather forecasts. Do you go out searching for that pot of gold, or do you stay at home in your comfort zone, but spend the day fearing that your mates are scoring a session you are going to live to regret missing?

New Foil Army

The advent of foiling on the PWA tour has brought a new group of men and women racers to the fore, John Carter takes a look at the Olympic windsurfers upsetting the rankings and asks the PWA elite for their opinion of the new contenders.

True Champion

Victor Fernandez is one of windsurfing’s good guys. His third PWA wave world title may have come in strange circumstances in 2018, but it was thoroughly deserved nonetheless. Known for his unassuming demeanour on land, but a complete competitor on the water, his windsurfing skills are testament to both a unique talent and a relentless work ethic. Victor normally lets his sailing do the talking, but we managed to get an insight into his life with these candid words from the man himself.

The Big Stuff

Tenerife has become the winter go-to spot for slalom sailors, but let’s not forget Tenerife in winter can also offer huge Atlantic surf on more exposed parts of the island. Visiting Polish PWA racer Maciek Rutkowski took a break from training round the buoys to sample the big stuff.

Youthspiration

2016 and 2017 UK Youth Wavesailing Champion, Ruaraidh Somerville, is an up-and-coming young gun with ambitions to be a pro windsurfer. Based in Glasgow, his water time is limited but he has an interesting take on how to stay motivated. Read on as Ruaraidh gives us an insight into the world of an aspiring fifteen year old wavesailor.

Francesco Cappuzzo

Italian windsurfer Francesco Cappuzzo has a few strings to his boom. He competes on both the PWA freestyle and wave tours, no surprises there, plenty of sailors dabble in both, but how many do you also know compete on the Professional Kitesurfing GKA tour?

Invasive Species Week 2019

The RYA tell us about the ‘Check Clean Dry’ initiative to help stop the spread of invasive species and diseases.

Other Voices

It’s a paradox of the vast array of communication tools of our modern age that still some of the most interesting voices are those least heard.

Seavets

Seavets is a UK based senior and veteran windsurfers association, vice-chairman Ruth Tracey tells us more about their merry clan.

New Caledonia: Blue Lagoon

With over 1600km of outer reefs circling New Caledonia, this stunning French island in the South Pacific is surrounded by the largest lagoon in the world. With this huge coral boundary protecting the shallow waters within from the ocean swell, this dazzling expanse of azure is possibly the ultimate freeride windsurfing playground! Keen to test the waters, John Carter assembled a selection of lucky pros to blast around this dream location whilst he shot from the air and water. Read on as the crew recount a classic session where windsurfing proved to be the ultimate island hopping craft.

Benone

The Causeway Coast is an area of rugged beauty on the northern Coast of Northern Ireland, famed for its natural attractions and history but most recently rising to global prominence as a filming location for the ‘Game of Thrones’ series. For windsurfing, the area is also rich in wavesailing due to its coastline facing the North Atlantic and at its western end lies one of its jewels – Benone beach. Timo Mullen talks us through the spot and his last session there in the company of Adam Lewis and John Carter.

Check, Clean, Dry.

Seeking new waters to explore? Don’t bring back more than you bargained for! The RYA explain the ‘Check, Clean, Dry’ initiative to help stop the spread of invasive species and diseases.

Tatt Report

Forget Brexit, the real debate is on body art! Tattoos, love ‘em, hate ‘em or ‘not bovvered’ either way, there’s no denying they are a ‘thing’ right now in windsurfing and in the ‘gun shows’ on display at PWA competitions there’s plenty of ink on forearms. Over 30% of the UK population between 16 and 44 have them and their appeal seems to rise by the day for the ‘selfie’ generation. It’s a fact of life though that as the popularity of tattoos grows, so too does the market for tattoo removal. So tattoos, rad or fad? We questioned a selection of sailors on their views of needles and ink, sending our very un-trendy reporter, John Carter, on a mission to discover who is in and who is out amongst the trend for tattoos in the windsurfing fraternity. Tatty journalism at its finest, this is the results of our first and last ‘Tatt Report’.

New Views

“Excited and nervous for where the progression of windsurfing is going.” - Jaeger Stone, 22 July 2018, Pozo Izquierdo, Gran Canaria.

2019 Mediterranean Travel Guide

Bordered by Europe, Asia, and Africa, the Mediterranean Sea's exotic waters are prime playgrounds for windsurfing, offering conditions from flat water to waves and catering for beginner to pro. Find your ideal Mediterranean getaway as we highlight some of the best spots with our micro guides and get expert advice from Sportif Travel and Planet Windsurf on their recommendations for the region.

Redcar Wind Power

The northeast coast of England on its day has some of the best surfing and windsurfing conditions in the UK, but many of the spots are a closely guarded secret or off the beaten track. Redcar though is a well known windsurfing beach and its credentials as a windy spot not in doubt given the huge wind farm just offshore. John Carter, Timo Mullen and Steve Thorp fill us in on a recent Redcar session, one of the North Sea’s top windsurfing spots.

Project Portugal

Always searching for the best conditions, ‘The Windsurf Project’ have been on the road again, this time destination Portugal and its wild west coast. Chasing an XXL swell and north winds were project stalwarts, Thomas Traversa and cameraman Jamie Hancock. John Carter got the last minute call to join them and gives us the lowdown on the mission.