JC: How did you get into windsurfing?
AS: Claus, Moritz Mauch’s father, gave me an old beginner board from his windsurfing school and I decided to give it a try. After trying to learn by myself I decided to go to a windsurfing school in Pozo back in 2009. I started to progress quite fast and I enjoyed sailing more and more after every session. I first sailed in the beginner spot of Gran Canaria called Bahía de Formas and after half a year I was ready to start sailing in Pozo.
JC: In Pozo do you just have to learn on a tiny sail?
AS: Yes, I remember using 1.5 and 2.2 sails in the windsurfing school. Actually, the first sail that I bought was a 2.7 and I was stacked on it many times that summer! I weighed around 40 kgs at that time, so my experience with sail sizes for learning how to windsurf was relevant to my size, but I would say that even adults need to use tiny sails learning in Gran Canaria as it is so windy here!
JC: How different is it for guys like you to be brought up sailing nuclear winds on small sails?
AS: I guess it makes everything more difficult, but you also acquire a good high wind technique from the beginning. I think it is a good way to learn. We also get a lot of wind and it blows for many days in a row, this is also ideal as you progress faster.
Alessio in profile.
JC: What is it like when you suddenly have to go to float and ride conditions when you are used to sailing in high winds?
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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.
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!
