Normally when Ben Severne calls trying to talk me into a windsurfing mission, it’s the night before he wants to leave. Most of the time, like most people, I have things I’m committed to, like work or projects at home, so the answer is usually no, or something to that effect. This trip was different, I had the time booked off work and we had a plan. I like having a plan. In Australia they call me the German, I was born in Belgium but the Aussies in Geraldton have never heard of Belgium, that makes me the German.
THE PLAN
So, the plan was…. Mauritius for 2 weeks. Windsurfing…. lots of windsurfing, and photos with the new 2020 Severne gear. We had an epic crew lined up - Jaeger Stone, Phillip Koester, Iballa Moreno, Timo Mullen, Mauritz Mauch, Dieter Van Der Eken, the man himself - Ben Severne, and Thewes De Boer from Severne Europe. The forecast was looking solid and it was all lining up to be a great trip.
However, as we got a bit closer to departure, Mauritius started looking dodgy. Every 10 minutes I was checking Windguru and the colors were fading and fading. We had to make a call. Drinking spicy pineapple mojitos and playing poker with Russian tourists sounds fun, but that wasn’t the plan, the plan was simple - windsurfing was the plan.
We started looking at different spots, Fiji…. no wind, Indo…. no wind, everywhere we looked…. no wind. Then the Canaries popped up on the radar. I wasn’t overly excited about the Canaries, I had never been there, so all I could think about was trying to get decent shots in 45 knots onshore. But the forecast started looking good for a 3-day strike mission and next thing it was on….Canaries were the plan.
Denne historien er fra Issue 390 - October 2019-utgaven av Windsurf.
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Denne historien er fra Issue 390 - October 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.
‘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!
