Windsup Skills

WindSUP doesn’t just offer a light wind alternative, but also a gateway back into some potentially long-lost longboard skills, once the target of all windsurfers! So while you’re eyeing up those summer breezes, let’s look at a few top tips to make the most out of your WindSUP this summer.

Kids Rule

Whatever sport you look at, there is no doubt youths are the future. They will ensure the survival and the development of a discipline, especially in windsurfing. In the past, perhaps this was forgotten in terms of specially adapted and efficient equipment for youngsters. Today though, kids can finally find boards and rigs that will boost their progress. All they have to do is to spend time together in the water, because kids loving being with other kids and pushing themselves to progress. So ignoring the rule of never work with children or animals, I organised a mega trip for a bunch of talented kids in their school holidays, with the aim to get everyone on the water as much as possible, this is the story of how my ‘Water Academy’ went down!

Rig Tuning Basics

In keeping with summer, the high season for newcomers to windsurfing, we go back to basics this month and look at the fundamentals of rig tuning. Getting your rig to its optimal state is all about finding a base to work from and then tune, experiment and reflect from there. This piece is not going to disappear off in a haze of luff curve, flex response time and other fancy jargon, but rather provide you with the basics that I have seen benefit hundreds of people I have coached. The main areas we will cover are: harness line length, spread and position, boom height and the main trimming variables of both outhaul and downhaul.

Flying On The Edge

High wind foiling with big sails is not for the faint hearted. The 2019 Catalunya Costa Brava PWA World Cup saw some of the wildest professional wind foil racing to date as sailors battled raging Tramontana winds. On the flip side, the opening day of the event saw some of the lightest winds yet encountered for professional foil racing and then, later on in the event period, for the first time in the PWA, the sailors competed in slalom foiling. The event put the sailors on the edge of foil performance in a variety of conditions; John Carter asked the pros their opinion of the limits for foil racing being explored to such extremes?

Life Of Dorian

Thirty-year-old Dutch windsurfer Dorian van Rijsselberghe is the proud owner of two RS:X windsurfing Olympic gold medals. He won his first at the 2012 Olympics in Weymouth, and second at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. And needless to say, he has his eyes set on number three in Tokyo in 2020! Dorian gives us an insight into his life, thoughts on foiling and the PWA and just what it takes to be an Olympic champion.

Defi Diaries

‘DéfiWind de Gruissan’, is the original ‘DéfiWind’ event and doing a ‘Défi’ has become a must do on windsurfing bucket lists. Seasoned ‘Défi’ dude John Skye and first timer, Karo van Tonder take us behind the scenes of the world’s largest windsurfing race with their ‘DéfiDiaries’!

Island Of The Winds

Mykonos may be known as a playground for the rich, but it’s also famous for its consistent winds. Chris Sammer tells us why it’s ideal for a family windsurfing trip.

The Simple Beauty Of Sagres

One sail, one windSUP and the simple beauty of Sagres – Franz Orsi gives us a guide to this beautiful corner of the southern Algarve in Portugal and reflects on why windSUP is one of his preferred modes of travel.

The Life And Times Of The Windsup

In keeping with the windSUP theme this month, Harty relates his personal 13 year relationship with these overgrown surfboards.

Starboard Hyper Nut 4 In 1 7'4

WEB SUP.STAR-BOARD.COM PRICE £1325

Sealion WINGS 7'6

WEB WWW.KAISPORTS.CO.UK PRICE £1599

Foundations Of Fun

Small freeride boards have their work cut out for them. The demand on their ability is high, but from two potentially very conflicting directions. The word ‘freeride’ gives it away in the first instance - the boards should be easy to use. Easy to step on, easy to plane and comfortable for long periods of use (including over varied terrain). They should glide through carving transitions as if on rails, tutoring those that are at the stage of progressing their cornering, and forgiving clumsy footwork or misuse of the rig’s power. But in addition to all this, the boards NEED TO BE FUN! After all, that is why we windsurf isn’t it - to have fun? And striking that balance right between ease of use and a fun captivating ride is the million dollar conundrum that is often hard to assess at the developmental stage, not least because the goal posts are different for every sailor.

French Score

Thomas Traversa is without doubt the man to follow if you want to score the most extreme windsurfing on this planet. The unassuming master of the art of scoring, he cements his reputation as he takes on a hefty Atlantic swell in Brittany in the company of friends. Relive the adventure as John Carter captures the incredible action and documents the session.

Benefits Of Windsurfing For Kids

The RYA explain why windsurfing helps develop positive character traits.

BWA Contest Quivers

From cross-off to dead onshore, competing on the British Wavesailing Association tour can take in all the conditions a UK wave sailor can expect to face on home shores. The pros have to be equipped for all conditions and all weathers; so how do they plan, choose and tune their quivers - John Carter investigates.

Lowdown - Compact Windfoiling

RRD’s international marketing and team manager, Matteo Guazzoni, gives us the lowdown on their new compact wind foiling range.

Photoventura

Flo Jung reports from behind the scenes as the Gunsails team explore Fuerteventura during their annual photo shoot and gives us a mini guide to some of its main windsurfing.

Past Perfect

Harty ponders if history lessons in our sport should be compulsory for all windsurfers?

Slalom School

Over the last 8 years the TWS slalom training in Tenerife has become one of the places to be for aspiring racers, whether you want to finish higher at a national event, are pushing to make the PWA top 10 or even win it outright. John Skye has been a frequent student of the Tenerife school of training, read on as he let’s us know more about its benefits and illustrious pupils.

50 @ 50 With Bjorn

Bjorn Dunkerbeck was born on July 16th 1969 and during his illustrious career has achieved legendary status as one of the greatest windsurf competitors of all time, racking up an incredible 42 world titles! John Carter caught up with the big man in Gran Canaria during his 50th birthday celebrations for an appropriate return of the ‘big 50’ interview!