Boating-sailing
Windsurf
Charge Of The New Brigade
The cream of the crop, slalom boards are the elite racing machines of the windsurfing world, but does that make them challenging to sail? The test team reviewed a selection of the latest and fastest slalom boards on the market today with some very interesting results. Read on to find out their findings.
4 min |
Issue 368 - August 2017
Windsurf
Fanatic Grip
Fanatic have a new all-in-one wave board for 2018, the Grip TE, we asked Fanatic Wave R&D Manager and PWA Pro Klaas Voget for the low-down!
3 min |
Issue 368 - August 2017
Windsurf
Team15 Champions Cup
With entries open for the 2017 RYA UKWA National Windsurfing Championships at Grafham Water on 9-10 September, we take a look at how the Team15 Champions Cup is giving the event a slightly different flavour.
3 min |
Issue 368 - August 2017
Windsurf
Solo Perouse
Located on the south side of Maui, La Perouse is one of the best waves on the island to surf or sail. Back in the 90’s it was the hot spot to windsurf during the summer months, but with the rapid increase in surfing’s popularity, it has been effectively shutdown for windsurfers for the last 15 years. With a huge south swell forecast however, Jason Polakow couldn’t resist the lure of a session there. Read on as Pozza tells us more in his inimitable style!
4 min |
Issue 359 - September 2016
Windsurf
Alex Mussolini
Alex Mussolini is one of the best wavesailors in the world, a threat at every contest and continues to be a world title contender. Hailing from surf-starved Barcelona, he has had to earn his wavesailing credentials through hard work and dedication. One of the most passionate sailors on tour, he wears his heart very much on his sleeve and is vocal about the good and bad of life as a professional athlete and our sport is all the richer for his character and skills. John Skye finds out more from Alex about his life, loves and why “windsurfing is like a relationship.”
8 min |
Issue 359 - September 2016
Windsurf
Cornish Cruncher
The equation of a twenty foot wind swell and bolt onshore fifty knot northerly winds on the north coast of Cornwall for wave sailing just doesn’t add up; unless of course you have a screw loose like the Motley Crew! Aided by Ian Black’s ever reliable on the spot ‘intel’, JC and Timo Mullen drove through the night up the A31 to be on hand for a wild and windy day and the rare opportunity to sail St Ives Harbour, a quality left hander normally loaded with surfers. Once the word spread that this hit and run mission was going down, PWA head judge, Duncan Coombs, couldn’t resist joining the mayhem. JC recounts a day to remember out west.
9 min |
Issue 359 - September 2016
Windsurf
Radiculo
25 year old Balz Müller from Switzerland goes by the handle ‘radiculo’ on Instagram, and if you follow any of his antics you’ll know why. Pushing the limits of windsurfing and taking the proverbial are what he’s known for, not to mention the most painful crashes you’ll ever see. But there’s more to this young innovator than what you see in his must watch videos; read on for an insight as Balz talks triples, freestyle foiling and strapless windsurfing.
10 min |
Issue 387 - July 2019
Windsurf
Bavarian Highs
Despite being landlocked, Bavaria in southeast Germany has a thriving wind surfing scene due to its plentiful number of lakes that sit high above sea level in beautiful countryside, fringed with views of the hills and mountains. Andy Lachauer and Michael Krumm give us a guide to some of the area’s best spots.
7 min |
Issue 387 - July 2019
Windsurf
Big Trucks And Open Prisons
Many dream of jacking it all in for a life by the sea. Harty talks to a couple who have turned alternate living into an art form.
5 min |
Issue 387 - July 2019
Windsurf
First Time Foiling
If you are new to ‘flying’ on a foil then read on, as Wyatt Miller gives us tips for first time foiling.
4 min |
Issue 387 - July 2019
Windsurf
Devon Dreams
Huge southwest swells pound UK shores a few times a year, but lining them up with sailable easterly winds is more of a once in a decade occurrence. Fifteen years after scoring an epic mast high plus port tack session at Bigbury, John Carter rolled the dice on a mission to the famed south Devon spot, hoping for the stars to align once more and score a repeat performance! The lucky crew that scored pick up the tale.
10+ min |
Issue 387 - July 2019
Windsurf
Sustained Flight
You’ve had lift off and you’re hooked! The next question is how do you turn this bucking bronco of a ride into that serene image of cruising along above the water without the thought in the back of your mind that the kit is at any minute going to try and kill you! In other words, how do I get sustained flight and start windsurfing in 3D?
3 min |
Issue 387 - July 2019
Windsurf
The Magheroarty Mission
After a three year wait, the Red Bull Storm Chase finally found the weather system they were looking for, storm ‘Gareth’, to green light the event and in keeping with the Storm Chase’s history, produce one of the most spectacular wavesailing contests ever! Rain, hail, snow, an 8 metre swell and force ten plus winds tested the riders to their absolute limits at Magheroarty, county Donegal, NW Ireland; John Carter caught up with the competitors and contest organiser Jobst von Paepcke to find out how it all went down.
10+ min |
Issue 385 - May 2019
Windsurf
All In Good Time
Harty this month suggests that improvement may lie focussing not so much on ‘how’, but ‘how long.’ It’s all about time and timing
10+ min |
Issue 385 - May 2019
Windsurf
Defi Wind Japan
Miyako island in Okinawa Prefecture played host to the inaugural Defi Wind Japan last month and interestingly the City of Miyakojima, which includes not only Miyako Island, but also five other populated islands, is twinned with the island of Maui! Japanese windsurfing culture is one of the most interesting in the world and combining it with the DéfiWind concept was always going to be an interesting mix; we talk to some of the athletes and organisers to get a flavour of the event.
10+ min |
Issue 385 - May 2019
Windsurf
Exploring Israel's Windsurfing
Boasting 275 km of coastline with access to the Mediterranean and the Red Sea, Israel enjoys solid wind statistics all year round and offers everything from flat water to waves. It has a buoyant windsurfing community, but outside of the country relatively little is known about it as a windsurfing destination; Eric de Cruz made a trip there with PWA slalom sailor Benjamin ‘Babou’ Augé and Esteban de Cruz to find out more.
9 min |
Issue 385 - May 2019
Windsurf
Move On Up - Gybe Exits
This month we look at the gybe exit. It requires us to be very efficient and consistent in handling the rig in a clew first position, and also challenges our early planing skills. The best news is you can really nail many of the clew first skills at slower speeds in light winds on bigger boards. And we can improve our speed out of the gybe by working on our early planing skills. If we have a strong and ‘active’ getting planing position then the nirvana of a planing gybe exit is so much closer! We can be working on this even before we learn to gybe, so we have our gybe endings already nailed before we attempt to carve!
7 min |
Issue 385 - May 2019
Windsurf
Freestyle King
Born in 1989 in Porlamar, the largest city on Isla Margarita, Venezuela, “Gollito“ Jose Estredo grew up in the windsurfing playground of El Yaque, home to fellow PWA freestyle champion, Ricardo Campello. At the tender age of 13 he entered his first professional competition and won his first PWA freestyle world title in 2006, his ninth world title in 2018 and the smart money is on number 10 for 2019! In the ever-changing world of freestyle, one thing remains constant, Gollito winning! So what is the secret of his success, we ask his peers and the man himself.
10+ min |
Issue 385 - May 2019
Windsurf
Under Starter's Orders
This is the first occasion we’ve had an entry-level freeride sail category in our test schedule, which left our test team asking the most basic question, “What is required of an ideal first-time freeride engine?” And if the parameters are agreed and set, which of them should be prioritised? Ease of rigging and ease of use? Cost and affordability, or durability and range? Over to the team to expand.
10+ min |
Issue 385 - May 2019
Windsurf
Miriam Asmussen
Norwegian racer Miriam Rasmussen was a late starter to windsurfing, but that hasn’t held her back. From competing around the world to setting national speed records, Miriam has forged her own path in the sport from a challenging beginning. Learn more about Miriam’s inspiring path as she tells us in her own words, “The story so far, …or how I stopped worrying and learned to love windsurfing!”
9 min |
Issue 385 - May 2019
Windsurf
Gunsails Bow Concept
One look at the Gunsails BOW sail tells you it’s different, very different! It has a specially developed mast to go with its radical head design and in contrast to established modern designs, doesn’t have a loose leech. To get the lowdown on the BOW and find out more about its design, we caught up with designer Pieter Bijl.
5 min |
Issue 385 - May 2019
Windsurf
Stormy Dreams
Harty sings the praises of the storm chasing shenanigans in Donegal.
4 min |
Issue 385 - May 2019
Windsurf
Inner Mongolia
Inner Mongolia is an autonomous region of northern China, bordering both the Republic of Mongolia and Russia. Far from the coast, it isn’t the first place in the world you think of for windsurfing, but intrepid Norwegian windsurfer Miriam Rasmussen travelled there to compete in a race and explore the sailing around the city of Wuhai, located on the Yellow River between the Gobi and Ordos deserts. Read on as Miriam gives us an insight into the area, its windsurfing and how China is embracing our sport.
7 min |
Issue 382 - January/February 2019
Windsurf
Check Yourself
Carole Fowler raises awareness of prostate cancer an important male health issue that caused the death of her late husband.
3 min |
Issue 382 - January/February 2019
Windsurf
Gateway To Gaming
When we last tested crossover boards of this size a couple of years ago, the first few designs influenced by the compact concept (initially seen in wave boards) were beginning to come through. Today, more than half the lineup on test here has a connection to the ‘short and parallel’ concept, but are they becoming commonplace for the right reason? In other words, do the new designs definitively offer performance benefits or is change happening purely for change’s sake? We sent our test team in to find out
4 min |
Issue 382 - January/February 2019
Windsurf
JP FREESTYLE WAVE 103
WEB WWW.JP-AUSTRALIA.COM PRICE PRO £1999 FWS £1649
2 min |
Issue 382 - January/February 2019
Windsurf
QUATRO POWER PRO 105
WEB WWW.QUATROWINDSURFING.COM PRICE £1949
3 min |
Issue 382 - January/February 2019
Windsurf
TABOU 3S PLUS 106
WEB WWW.TABOU-BOARDS.COM PRICE CED £1759 LTD £1999
3 min |
Issue 382 - January/February 2019
Windsurf
SIMMER HELIX 105
WEB WWW.SIMMERSTYLE.COM PRICE £1899
3 min |
Issue 382 - January/February 2019
Windsurf
STAR BOARD KODE FREEWAVE 103 FLAX BALSA
WEB WWW.STAR-BOARD-WINDSURFING.COM PRICE CARBON REFLEX £2459 FLAX BALSA £1679
3 min |