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!

- John Carter

Alessio bangs out a Goiter at Scarborough Beach, Cape Town.

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?