THE CRUEL SEA

The German leg of the 2019 PWA wave world tour once again showed Sylt’s reputation as a formidable contest arena. It is a maker or breaker of dreams; a cruel sea. JC gets the thoughts of some of the top pros on the challenges of the North Sea.

The Power To Express

The eternal quest or Holy Grail in wave sail design is to find the perfect balance between useable power and control. And a good place to start, it seems, is to make the sail as physically as light as possible without compromising durability. We sourced eleven of the latest offerings and handed them over to the team to put them through their paces.

TIREE #34

The Tiree Wave Classic’s 34th year started calm but ended with a bang! Event photographer Richard Whitson gives us the scoop on a highlight of the UK wave competition scene.

The Body Drag

Old Skool it may be …but in truth the body drag has never lost its cool. Revelling in his specialist subject, Harty uncovers the secrets behind this classic stunt.

The Inland Sea

Known as Ulster’s inland sea, Lough Neagh is the largest freshwater lake in the UK and Ireland, Finn Mullen tells more about its history and windsurfing.

Move On Up - The Layback Jump

This month we throw our heads back for the layback jump. It’s a move which feels both weird and great, gives you better in-flight control, offers a great new perspective on jumping and also gives you a head start towards some of the backwards-rotating jumps which involve head movements. Essentially to achieve this move you are looking to perform a vertical jump trajectory and during same, pull the boom in and arch back to look straight behind you as you’re going up so you can check out the beach action, any photographers or your mate lying in the water! You can really build up how much you lean back, and go more vertical, as you do more and gain more confidence, you will also become more oriented and furthermore your steering and landing skills will steadily improve.

Do What You Love

The RYA tell us how you could turn your favourite hobby into a career?

A Windy One!

2019’s Weymouth Speed Week was hailed by organisers as one of the windiest ever! Pete Davis tells us how it all went down!

In Defence Of A Small Industry

Harty poses the question of how, in a modern world, does windsurfing stack up against other industries?

Latest And Greatest

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Test-The Flow Of Evolution

Hot off the 2020 production line, we have nine exciting and eye-catching wave boards in the test lineup to whet your appetite. Some of the boards were so eagerly anticipated, that the first delivery had already sold from pre-order, meaning we had to patiently wait for the second shipments to drop before we got our hands on them! Of the nine here, six hail from completely new ranges for the coming season, making it quite possibly one of the biggest refreshes the wave market has seen for some time. And since we’ve already been experiencing some excellent autumn conditions, there has been plenty of kit and conditions for our test team to get their teeth into.

Strategic Moulay Moves

One of my favourite questions on a coaching clinic is, “What is more important sailing strategy or good technique?” The answer is often technique, yet unless we have a sound strategy we cannot utilise our technique. So with the help of two of my students - Gøril Hjelseth and Martin Delaney, I will highlight the strategy of how to sail a side-shore wave sailing spot, using the example of Moulay in Morocco, and give general pointers to help you get the best out of your local wave spot.

Rutland Water - Midland's Finest

If you want a windsurfing fix in the East Midlands, then Rutland Water is a mighty fine place to go sail. Although it is man-made, it is a haven for wildlife and rich in nature, as well as being a playground for watersports; not to mention supplying water to East Midlands! It is the largest reservoir in England and wind foiling is giving inland locations like Rutland Water a resurgence; foil advocate and local windsurf instructor David Horan and regular Rutland Water photographer Andy Balmford tell us more about its windsurfing scene and their relationship with its waters.

Staying On The Board

How do you keep the momentum going, keep active and keep improving your windsurfing over the winter months? RYA Chief Instructor, Amanda Van Santen, offers some advice

Redemption Day

Charles ‘Charliboy’ Vandemeulebroucke is an expat French windsurfer who has made Tahiti his home and lives for big days at the island’s infamous break - Teahupo’o. He tells us about the highlight session of this year’s season.

Perfect Prasonisi

Prasonisi in Rhodes is noted for its unspoilt beauty, great winds and both flat water and onshore wave conditions. Nicolas Jones and Jem Hall give us the lowdown on this special Greek spot.

PWA Youth - The Watch List

Windsurfing has a future if we have kids ripping and thanks to the efforts of the organisers of the PWA wave events in the Canaries the PWA youth fleet is flourishing with a group of young women and men who are multi-skilled, multi-lingual and bursting with talent and ambition - nearly all of them want to be world champions! Read on as we find out more about some of the top performers and characters along with two of the UK’s own flying the flag in the fleet.

Prime Time

Finn adjusting his watch to Noth Atlantic windsurf time.

Local Knowledge

As windsurfers we often only focus on wind and water; Finn Mullen looks beyond his boom and board on the characters of the coast and the lessons in their lives.

Fighting The Ruination

Harty asks can windies make an eco difference?

Peter Hart Masterclass - Staying Upwind-the Ultimate Balancing Act

The nagging doubt that you may not make it back upwind is the windsurfer’s most primeval concern. By popular request Harty offers technical and tactical upwind advice.

News - Latest And Greatest

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Living The Dream?

Are the current crop of pro windsurfers living the dream, or has life as a pro sailor become a stressful job involving pressure with a tonne of associated hard work for meagre rewards? John Carter does some research whilst on assignment for the Starboard team’s photo shoot in Western Australia.

An Obsession With Quality

David Ezzy is one of windsurfing’s pioneers; a Ho’okipa stalwart who has built a brand around his passion for windsurfing and obsession with quality. From sailing the biggest days to designing innovative sails, everything is done with pure dedication to his craft. His son, Graham Ezzy, gives us a candid insight into David’s life.

26th Parallel: Further North

Former PWA wave world champion Scott McKercher and Red Bull Storm Chase champion Jaeger Stone teamed up with Geraldton based photographer / fireman, Mathias Moerman, for a mission further north than their normal haunts on the West Australian coastline; the crew tell the tale of an epic score.

The Art Of Onshore

Leon Jamaer rips no matter what the conditions, from the extremes of the Red Bull Storm chase to winning German wave events on his home waters of the North Sea. Unlike a lot of his peers, Leon still spends a large amount of time training in Northern Europe and as such his onshore game is strong! We asked him to share some of his tips for the art of onshore wave sailing.

Waist Harness Guide 2019

The waist harness has been around for years, but still continues to evolve as use of new materials make them lighter, more supportive and generally accepted as a worthwhile investment unless you’re a fan of chronic back pain. If you’re looking to upgrade, we’ve got a selection of brands together to tell us about their latest offerings, while PWA pros Adam Lewis and Dieter Van der Eyken give us their top tips for waist harnesses.

Tokyo 2020 - The Selection Trials

With Tokyo 2020 Less Than A Year Away, We Catch Up On The Happenings Within The British Sailing Team’s Windsurfing Squad.

Winter Wetsuit Guide 2019

The challenge to stay warm on the water gets easier every year as the innovations in insulation continue to develop. ION Product Manager Marc Burhans shares some of his industry knowledge with us and an assortment of brands tell us about their winter wetsuits.

SWITCH

Forget meditation or inebriation, windsurfing is the ultimate reset switch – rig up, hook in and sail off to a place so singularly devoid of distractions it should be prescribed.