Italian windsurfer Francesco Cappuzzo has a few strings to his boom. He competes on both the PWA freestyle and wave tours, no surprises there, plenty of sailors dabble in both, but how many do you also know compete on the Professional Kitesurfing GKA tour?
Francesco is currently the only member of that club and recently finished in fifth place at the opening stop of the 2019 GKA wave tour in epic surf at Cabo Verde. At home in flat water as much as he is in rolling swell, Francesco has a reputation for making the most of any conditions. John Skye profiles the affable Italian and helps us learn more about his many talents.
John Skye – When I first started windsurfing it was normal for everyone to do everything. Robby Naish, Bjorn Dunkerback and Nik Baker were masters of all disciplines, from racing on longboards, to ripping it up in the waves. By the time I turned pro however those days were already starting to disappear, and right now there is very little cross-discipline pollination. Breaking this mould however is a young rider from Italy, who takes crossdiscipline to another level. Francesco Cappuzzo is not only a world force in freestyle and wave windsurfing, but also in kitesurfing. At the age of 21 he already has multiple national titles across both sports and has ranked in the top 10 World Cup in both kite and windsurf. I caught up with him during the annual RRD distributor meeting on the island of Sardinia to find out how it all started.
FC: Since I was born I took my father as my idol, the perfect example to follow! So whatever things he was doing, I was always into. He introduced me to the whole range of watersports when I was three and from that moment I was hooked and never did anything else. I am from Palermo Sicily, so we have great conditions for everything. I started with a surfboard, until I was old enough to windsurf and then at the age of 13 I started to ride a kite as well. I was able to do all of this thanks to my parents, but also thanks to my home spot that is Puzziteddu. This is the best place to grow up and to try all kinds of watersports in a safe place.
Denne historien er fra Issue 385 - May 2019-utgaven av Windsurf.
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Denne historien er fra Issue 385 - May 2019-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.
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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!
