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.
John Carter – “Over the years I have ventured up north to explore the stretch of coast between Northumberland and Yorkshire with varying degrees of success. Fickle winds, unreliable swell and difficult to access spots make finding quality windsurfing a roll of the dice. If you want a slice of the pie or pudding up north, then you will have to remember it will be a bit colder, grittier and the water is not as blue as down south! But the sessions I have scored have more than made up for the efforts required and were worth every penny of the risk.
When a north swell comes down from an Arctic low there are numerous reefs and beaches which can come alive, but you also need the right wind direction which is where the stars need to line up. Eight or nine years back Timo Mullen and a hardy crew of locals sailed Redcar in a WNW wind, in the midst of winter and scored some a decent cross offshore logo-high beach break. Timo had already sailed an epic reef break at first light and this was a bonus session to top off the day. I vividly remember the industrial landscape and a raw wind that made my fingers burn. It was bitter cold, but epic conditions and interesting to experience the power of the North Sea as opposed to the Atlantic. I like exploring, but as far as I was concerned the box on Redcar was ticked and I had no particular reason to go back.
REBOOT
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der Issue 384 - April 2019-Ausgabe von Windsurf.
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Diese Geschichte stammt aus der Issue 384 - April 2019-Ausgabe von Windsurf.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
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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.
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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' *
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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!