CATEGORIES

Parallel Lines

We should never forget that the longboard is where it all started for surfing, and also where it all started for SUP. A SUP longboard makes for a long list of wins without much against it: you can cross distances as easily as on a 'big boy' 9'6 cruiser but with refined rails that let you surf with style. A performance tail lets you crack it off the top without wobbling on the paddle back out like a pro-board. In short, easier to paddle, suds better. Starboard have just released their long-awaited Longboard SUP range and we spoke to shapers 011ie greatly, Zane Schweitzer and Benoit Carpentier to find out the design inspiration for these boards, and more importantly, how they surf.

Simple Harmonic Motion

The other day I was looking at how tidal flow can be represented by a sine function (up and down wavey line) and it occurred to me that I’d seen the undisturbed surface, amplitude and wavelength before somewhere else in the sea. Yes, the surf! Not just a hat rack eh.

Connor Baxter

Coming here for the second stop for the APP World Tour was quite amazing.

Improving Technique

I am fortunate to be able to introduce a lot of people into paddle boarding, inspiring them to the love of the sport. Within two hours of beginner SUP session, people get a flavour of SUP and learn the basics.

NOW IT'S STARTED

For me, the long hot Summer has been a double-edged sword. It’s been great to be super busy getting new people into the sport but it’s also been a long time without much in the way of waves and wind.

Clinical Trials

I’d been sitting in Bali chilling and surfing with my girlfriend for the last few weeks, when I got a WhatsApp message from Ollie, Starboard sup product manager, asking if I could stay around for a bit longer. He was coming out to the “island of the gods” for some testing and said he would like my help with that. Well, it’s not often you get invited to test the next generation of SUP toys from a bunch of crazy innovators - so, of course I immediately accepted!

STAR BOARD KODE FREEWAVE 103 FLAX BALSA

WEB WWW.STAR-BOARD-WINDSURFING.COM PRICE CARBON REFLEX £2459 FLAX BALSA £1679

TABOU 3S PLUS 106

WEB WWW.TABOU-BOARDS.COM PRICE CED £1759 LTD £1999

QUATRO POWER PRO 105

WEB WWW.QUATROWINDSURFING.COM PRICE £1949

SIMMER HELIX 105

WEB WWW.SIMMERSTYLE.COM PRICE £1899

SEVERNE DYNO 105

WEB WWW.SEVERNESAILS.COM PRICE £1899

RRD FREESTYLE WAVE V5 LTD 104

WEB WWW.ROBERTORICCIDESIGNS.COM PRICE BLKRBN £2379 LTD £2099 LTE £1741

JP FREESTYLE WAVE 103

WEB WWW.JP-AUSTRALIA.COM PRICE PRO £1999 FWS £1649

Improving Targets

This is perhaps the time of year where many of us think back over the past year and consider what we might do differently in the next year. It is inevitable as both the calendar and seasons change, so with this in mind I am going to give you the targets that a sample of sailors I have coached have on their list, as well as their clinic experiences. I also turn the spotlight on my own sailing and explain what I will be targeting personally in 2019.

GOYA ONE PRO 106

WEB WWW.GOYAWINDSURFING.COM PRICE £1949

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

Fanatic FREEWAVE STB TE 105

WEB WWW.FANATIC.COM PRICE STB £1699 TE £1999 TEXTREME £2299

Search

I always thought windsurfing gave me an advantage in geography at school.

Sword Wars

The quest for the legendary Tiree sword attracted 86 like-minded windsurfers to this remote Scottish island for the 32nd Tiree Wave Classic. 50-70 knot winds greeted those that arrived early, whilst also playing havoc with the ferry timetable for those due to arrive on the opening day. With extra ferries organized and everyone in place, a second storm loomed and duly delivered with competition taking place from dawn until dusk at the Maze on Tuesday. Our senior highlands reporter, wee Willie-John McCarter, put on his best wellies, kilt and tartan and flew to the Hebrides to snap some bonnie shots and find out what the various locals and Sassenachs present thought of this year’s event.

Finding North

German PWA star Leon Jamaer is as happy in a heat as he is on the road. A Red Bull Storm Chase finalist, he has the skills to backup his lust for adventure. His latest travels took him to the far northwest of the UK to the islands of Lewis and Harris in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland; Leon recounts his trip and gives an insight into the origins of his passion for exploring.

The Skeleton Hunt

Surfing magazines and websites gorge on images and videos from Namibia’s ‘Skeleton Coast’.Where the desert meets the sea, long winding waves unload onto barren sands, drawingwaveriders from around the world. Thomas Traversa reflects on his journey to its shores.

Langebaan

Langebaan, just 100 minutes drive north of Cape Town has become increasingly popular as a windsurfing destination,offering great free ride conditions and even wave sailing sometimes. Local windsurfer and the fastest women wind surfer in Africa, Karo van Tonder, gives us a guide to her home waters and an insight into her windsurfing and lifestyle.

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.

In Praise Of Speed HQ

Harty plots the evolution of the iconic Weymouth/ Portland Speed Trials

Healing

Earlier this year Pozo ripper Alessio Stillrich suffered a horrific injury whilst training in Cape Town, South Africa. Now on the mend, Alessio reflects on the fateful day and his recovery so far.

Check Yourself

Carole Fowler raises awareness of prostate cancer an important male health issue that caused the death of her late husband.

British Sailing Team Update

Continuing the legacy of UK success in Olympic windsurfing, the push for glory in Tokyo 2020 continues for the British Sailing team as Richard Aspland reports.

Air Miles

PWA Slalom racers spend more time travelling than any other sailors on tour, it can seem a lifestyle of international jet-setting but is the reality less glamorous? From how they pack their enormous kit bags to dealing with hotels, planes and car hire, the frequent flyers of the PWA detail the highs and lows of travelling with race gear.

Move On Up

THE DUCK GYBEThis month I urge you to get into and improve the duck gybe as it feels great, looks cool and is another fantastic milestone in our sport. It is also simpler, in some ways, than the carve gybe and will actually help you improve these too. It may actually yield your first planing exit in a gybe!

Wave Sailing The Sticking Points

Fresh from a season of wildly windy wave courses around Atlantic shores, Harty has much advice for all standards of wave sailor on how to overcome the classic stumbling blocks.