I LOVE WAVE RIDING BUT...
I am a passionate windsurfer who has traveled halfway around the world in search of waves. My passion has taken me to incredible places with picture-perfect, endless waves. Sometimes to lost paradises with crystal clear waters, palm trees, corals, and colourful fish... other times to remote locations where reaching the spot was already a mission in itself, like Baja, California. Or to never-ending chocolate-coloured waves such as those in Peru, where you can perform as many turns on a single wave as you would in a whole year at any other spot!
When you love pure wave riding, you seek places with clean waves, that are gently groomed by light side-offshore winds. Due to the light winds, strong currents, and waiting for sets, you sometimes spend hours and hours in the water for just a few waves. For example, in Peru, if you ride a long wave, it can take you over 10 minutes to sail back upwind. Wave riding requires hours and hours of learning, plenty of traveling and the ability to understand different types of waves, which is another skill set in itself.
I enjoy the serenity of wave riding and light winds; I love carving, learning to read the waves, and I've never minded sacrificing quantity for the quality of waves and surfing. The joy of surfing bigger and perfect waves truly is amazing, and not to mention addictive! I wouldn't change it for anything! I'm aware of the fact that I have dedicated a lot of time to this aspect, and if I had focused on spots where I could practice jumps and tricks on every run, my progress would have been quicker at normal wave spots, but everyone is different. This has been my chosen route because wave riding really is my passion.
THE HUMAN WITHIN THE WINDSURFER
This story is from the Issue 429 - November December 2023 edition of Windsurf.
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This story is from the Issue 429 - November December 2023 edition of Windsurf.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
New School
Slingshot’s windsurfing brand manager, Wyatt Miller, has noticed that kids are drawn to playing with wings and puts forward an interesting case as to why he thinks this could help entice them and others into windsurfing.
Changes
Wave sailor Flo Jung reflects on our changed world during his lockdown in Germany.
THE LAST WAVE
Lockdown stirred the creative juices of reader Björn Alfthan, who peers into the future to present a fictional story set in the wild waves of Norway, five years from now.
STILL IN THE GAME
After a horrific fracture in his leg from a crashed aerial in 2018, Alessio Stillrich is back! John Carter talks to the highflyer from Gran Canaria about his move to the Simmer team, recovering from injury and how he learned to windsurf in Gran Canaria!
MOVE ON UP - GET ON THE FRONT FOOT
This month we look at how our front foot weighting can affect and improve different aspects of our main windsurfing moves.
SOUTH' KIPA
Nik tweaking it over home waters.
A NEW NORMAL
On a trip to La Tranche-sur-Mer in France last year, Tris Best estimated over 80% of the windsurfers were foiling. This summer in Portland Harbour, foiling activity has increased dramatically too he reports. With the market offering plenty of choice to recreational windfoilers, our test team check out some of the latest foil offerings.
TACKING – THE SEQUEL
Having given you time to practice, Harty concludes his tacking series by critiquing various tacking options, including the carve tack, as well as offering solutions to common slip-ups.
‘NO VAPOUR TRAILS TO SCAR THE SKY' *
Realising we may be about to enter an extraordinary period in our lives, Harty decided to keep a windsurf-centric lockdown diary. Here are some of his choice excerpts.
REDEMPTION DAY!
Renowned for its windsurfing and variety of spots to sail at, Kimmerdige Bay is a wave sailing jewel on the south coast of England. Timo Mullen gives a guide to its shores while reflecting on why a recent session there was a reminder that there is no place like home!
