One board, four sails, four sailors = 4x4 windsurfing. The crazy frenchies are at it again with their bid to be the fastest and funniest windsurfers in the world. Raf Filippi brings us behind the scenes for a not so serious look at the entertaining engineering and endeavours of the Quadem project.
Windsurfing has always been a highly individualistic activity. It is very hard to share our sensations; many even refuse to share their wave! We felt that windsurfing as part of a team, shar-ing our joy and our problems could bring a new dimension to our sport. I started it nice and easy a few years ago with Régis Bourdon, doing the Défi Wind together on a tandem. I then welcomed a third crewmember, Matthieu Vinceneux, on an even longer board and confirmed that the motto “the more the merrier” can also be successfully applied to windsurfing. So why not push it a bit further hey? The idea of the Quadem was born.
THE SCIENCE
The Tridem had transformed the way we conceived windsurfing as a team and offers nothing comparable to riding on a tandem. Building the board was a technological challenge that Pierre Bracar successfully faced, but what a stress it was. Since we wanted to go fast, we forbade ourselves to train with less than 40 knots of wind… probably not the best option overall. The sailing also got extremely tricky and technical, synchronizing the action of three riders becoming a serious headache. We spent a lot of time training last autumn, discussing at length after each session the potential of our Beast and our dreams of speed records. The main idea was pretty simple. We started from the scientifically accepted fact that the speed of a sailing vessel is defined by / depends on the total sail area, the overall weight and the total wetted area on the bottom shape. After many calculations that kept us all very busy during our winter evenings, we came up with the conclusion that we had to get a fourth rider. In our eyes, it was then clear that the Quadem would become the fastest sailing vessel of all time.
Denne historien er fra Issue 371 - November December 2017-utgaven av Windsurf.
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Denne historien er fra Issue 371 - November December 2017-utgaven av Windsurf.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
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!
