BACKGROUND
I left school pretty early on and then joined the PBA Tour in 1986, my first time on a windsurf board was in the summer of 1982. I got pretty hooked on the sport very quickly and then it was clearly the sport I preferred besides other sports such as track and field and basketball, which I had a decent level at too! I did some local races back in 1985, and my first PBA event was in La Torche back in 1986, I did fairly well and was offered a contract with Mistral.
HIGHS & LOWS?
For me traveling around the world to sail in amazing places was a high. Of course the low side of it was the nightmare of travelling with so much gear all the time. I would say that gaining several titles - both nationally and internationally was also very fulfilling.
THE OLD DAYS
Indeed, back in the day the tour was well funded, the windsurfing scene was also thriving with many big brands being involved. I would say it was easier to secure events as we had multiple disciplines that would allow us to sail in really light wind too. For a lot of sailors, the overall ranking was the most important so I was training for all the disciplines, I never really saw myself more as a racer than a wave rider though.
EQUIPMENT - THEN VERSUS NOW
When I was on tour there were no restrictions on equipment and we were not limited to production boards or sails, the tour was the forefront for new R&D. I can see that for many years now the tour has been shrinking a lot. I think it started to go downhill when the race board discipline was dropped from the tour as from that time onwards we needed a lot more wind to sail and secure events, so it became more and more risky for organisers in terms of guaranteeing a result.
WORLD TITLE
この記事は Windsurf の Issue 438 - October 2024 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です ? サインイン
この記事は Windsurf の Issue 438 - October 2024 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です? サインイン
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!
