He may be known for his onshore skills and incredible ability to make the most out of decidedly average conditions, but Philip Koester loves to score down-the-line riding just as much as the rest of us. Fiji, Western Australia and Mauritius may be his usual haunts to get his cross-offfix but his latest score was a lot closer to home, about 20kms in fact! We all know 2018’s summer has been exceptional in temperature, but the unusual weather threw a favourable curveball swell wise to the Canaries and a juicy south swell lit up rare spots to the south of Pozo in Gran Canaria; Philip breaks down the resultant epic sessions.
This was a very special day as far as down-the-line wave sailing goes in Gran Canaria. The last time we had a south swell like this was about four years ago. I missed that session due to commitments with Red Bull in Japan, so I was really fired up to sail down-the-line on this rare set of conditions. Nobody knows how strong the south swells will hit in Gran Canaria, so you just have to wait for the day and see what happens. Normally I check the Tenerife forecast which gives me a better idea of what will hit Gran Canaria.
ARINAGA
The first day I sailed in Salinas de Arinaga, which is just upwind from Pozo near the big harbour wall. This place is normally a spot for beginners to sail, as it has the protection of the harbour wall from the prevailing NE winds, but with a south swell the waves come straight in. At the top of the break on the left hand side there is a tonne of surfers who don’t really tolerate windsurfers, but downwind it was still pretty fun. When I sailed most of the other guys had left already, so I pretty much had the waves to myself. Word soon spread though and more sailors started to show up.
“ This was a very special day as far as down-the-line wave sailing goes in Gran Canaria. ”
JUAN GRANDE
Denne historien er fra ISSUE 380 - OCTOBER 2018-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
Denne historien er fra ISSUE 380 - OCTOBER 2018-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!
