CATEGORIES

Back To The Future

Former PWA world wave champion Scott McKercher needs little introduction, but if you have been following his latest adventures, you’ll know that outside of running his board company ‘SMIK’, he’s been frothing on all things foiling. Read on as Scott charts his journey form reluctant foiling participant to fully fledged fan and why he thinks foiling’s evolution is happening at ‘back to the future’ speeds!

Are You Going Yet?

Whether you’re a racer, wave sailor, trickster or a strong wind ‘newbie’, the ability to get planing and strapped in early and without fuss remains the most potent of all the skills. Harty sheds much light.

All In

When Cloudbreak, one of the world’s heaviest waves, looks set to rock with wind and waves, you can be sure one man has his eye on sailing it – Jason Polakow. Teaming up with the Brazilian powerhouse, Marcilio Browne, the duo packed their bags for an ‘all in’ strike mission to the legendary Fijian break; this is their story.

The Yukon River Quest

Each year in the height of summer, a surreal challenge unfolds on the third-longest river in North America. The Yukon River Quest is an annual ultra-marathon paddling race across SUP and various other disciplines, taking place in Canada’s Yukon Territory. Teams from around the globe come to challenge themselves in this self-supported, non-stop paddling odyssey through some of Canada’s pristine and untouched wilderness.

Paddle Science #16 - Sprint And Distance Fitness.

I admit it. Thanks to the Boardmasters Storm I haven’t been out on the water today. I holed myself up in the gym and rowed 5000m. I split my session into 10 sets of 500m with a one minute rest period in between. Sounds easy right?

Uprising

Our story happens in France. It involves a trailer loaded with stand-ups, surfboards, foils and all kinds of gear to make the most of the conditions, five young riders and a photographer. A real watersports gathering where there is only one rule: to be in the water regardless of the conditions.

The Way Of The Dragon

The two-day, Red Paddle Co Dragon World Championships is an event like no other. It involves teams of four from across the world battling it out on a mighty 22-foot inflatable ‘Red Dragon’ board to be crowned the ultimate victors.

The Endeavour

7 miles from shore with the end at last feeling possible, I found myself in a spontaneous, unspoken race with Alan Stokes and Ben Skinner. Both career professional surfers, both still in their prime, and both still with a competitive fire that the previous 25 miles had apparently not quelched. They were both quick! I will remember this as the most painful hour I’ve spent on a paddleboard, including the time I broke ribs on the Isle of Harris.

Get Psyched #12 Expedition Red Lines.

Your paddle skills are in place, you’re tuned into your lovely touring board and those distant horizons are calling you in. It is time to go on an expedition! But before we strap the boards on the roof and head for the nearest coastline, what does it actually mean to go on ‘expedition?’

Life Learning

To foil, or not to foil, that is the question. Finn Mullen muses on what he has learnt in trying to find the answer.

On The Pulse

It’s the end of September, and my working season is over and after few winters spent in the Canary Islands, I decided to take a trip to Indo.

Ten Storm Force

A yacht supported downwinder in open water Mediterranean is up there with heli skiing Whistler, or being towed into empty G-Land. But if the numbers are saying 50 knots and 6 metres, how much do you think you could stand?

Long Haul Trucking

In the searing early summer continental heatwave, Tuetonic power couple Paulina Herpel and Valentin Illichmann resolved to cross Germany from Dresden in the south east to Hamburg in the north west. Their modus operandi would combine the traction of the locomotive engine with the propulsion of the paddle.

Change For Good

Finn Mullen explains why if you want to keep improving your performance, then you have to keep changing your game and why variety rather than specialisation in training, is now recognised as a positive attribute.

Flow State Interview: Ginnie Betts

I first met Ginnie on a sup instructor training course, though I knew her name from her victory at the 2016 Battle of the Thames. Two things were immediately apparent – firstly that Ginnie was a naturally rapid paddler, though she might deny that herself, and secondly that she was incredibly modest about her ability. See point one, QED. Since then we’ve paddled together, and crossed paths plenty of times and Ginnie is currently sitting 12th in the APP women’s overall race ranking, but I realised I still didn’t really know what had made Ginnie so quick. So, in between races and work, we caught up with Ginnie to find out the mindset, skillset and toolset behind her performance….

A New Perspective

In the interest of field research, we’ve been conducting an experiment on an unwitting participant. You might know that we edit this magazine from a clifftop lair overlooking the Atlantic Ocean which also serves as an instructional base for ocean sports, and recently, we’ve tasked one of our new coaches, young Frankie, with paddling every single day after work regardless of conditions.

Applied Force

Whether you’re paddling into a relentless headwind, sprinting to catch a race leader, frantically digging for a set wave, or even towing clients back to base, there’s the same dominant factor working against you: the force that pushes back against your blade as you paddle through the water.

A Forgotten Place

At sea for a year and a half on our sailboat Maloya, an Océanis 411, we are sailing around the world in search of ideal spots to enjoy our favourite watersports of SUP, kiting and windsurfing.

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!

True Champion

Victor Fernandez is one of windsurfing’s good guys. His third PWA wave world title may have come in strange circumstances in 2018, but it was thoroughly deserved nonetheless. Known for his unassuming demeanour on land, but a complete competitor on the water, his windsurfing skills are testament to both a unique talent and a relentless work ethic. Victor normally lets his sailing do the talking, but we managed to get an insight into his life with these candid words from the man himself.

Windsurfers' Rights

The RYA tell us of their work in promoting and protecting windsurfers’ rights.

The Big Stuff

Tenerife has become the winter go-to spot for slalom sailors, but let’s not forget Tenerife in winter can also offer huge Atlantic surf on more exposed parts of the island. Visiting Polish PWA racer Maciek Rutkowski took a break from training round the buoys to sample the big stuff.

The One Hour Classic

The ‘One Hour Classic’ is a unique windsurfing race held in Lake Garda and 2019 marked its 30th anniversary. The aim of the race is to reach in 1 hour the largest number of laps around a course defined by two marks positioned on opposite sides of the lake. John Skye flew the flag in the event for the UK and his sponsor RRD; he recounts his experience of the event.

New Foil Army

The advent of foiling on the PWA tour has brought a new group of men and women racers to the fore, John Carter takes a look at the Olympic windsurfers upsetting the rankings and asks the PWA elite for their opinion of the new contenders.

Back Up And Riding

Harty tells us why Dave ‘Whitey’ White, 2 years after a stroke, takes resilience to a new level.

Starboard Supercruiser Foil And Foil X Board

When Starboard released what they called, “Our easiest foil ever”, the “SuperCruiser”, we heard that there was actually a top secret new design of foil board in the works too. Starboard’s head of brand and design, Tiesda You, gives us the lowdown on both their new 2020 Foil X board and SuperCruiser foil.

Stance

Getting your stance right is a bit like eating your vegetables. We know it’s important and done right could have a dramatic impact, but it’s maybe not as exciting as other things we could be getting stuck into! However, stance is the one bit of windsurfing that joins every single move together, so if you get it right it will allow a huge amount of progression. It’s also the most important thing for sorting your entry to moves, which is where most issues occur.

Pushing For Victory - The Push Tack

This month Peter Hart dissects an old favourite, the push tack. It’s vaguely functional, happens on, rather than above the water, but still introduces elements key to many new skool stunts.

Energise

“The key that unlocks energy is desire. It’s also the key to a long and interesting life. If we expect to create any drive, any real force within ourselves, we have to get excited.” Earl Nightingale

Guadeloupe

John Carter and 2016 PWA slalom Champion, Matteo Iachino, head out to explore the windsurfing paradise of Guadeloupe in the French Caribbean. Hosted by fellow Severne and Starboard world tour racer, Tristan Algret, and avid local sailor Bruno Kancel, the planned itinerary was to windsurf as many of the island’s best locations in a mere six days. John Carter reports!