Harty plots the evolution of the iconic Weymouth/ Portland Speed Trials
I only lived a couple of hours from Weymouth. Nevertheless, cresting the hill above Wyke Regis and getting my first view of Chesil beach and the speed course was as awe-inspiring as the first drive into Ho’okipa beach park. In this pre-internet age, I’d only seen these places on grainy videos featuring people you doubted were human.
The year was 1982, the year after German Jürgen Hönscheid had stunned the windy world by scoring 26 knots on a modified surfboard. With windsurfing reaching epidemic levels, it was impossible to overstate the fanatical interest in the Weymouth trials and the characters involved. Going up and down as fast as you could, seemed to resonate more closely with the common man in that era, than the antics of the Hawaiian wave riders.
Weymouth was truly the home of speed. The trials had been going since 1972 and had held the overall world record since 1975 when Tim Coleman clocked 31 knots with his catamaran Crossbow; and then took it to 36 knots in 1980 with his reworked Crossbow 2. This was absolutely where you needed to be if you wanted to go fast.
IMPOSSIBLY GLAMOROUS
A qualifying spot was as treasured as a golden ticket to Charlie’s Chocolate Factory. I’d blagged one of the few wild cards due to being English and because I’d been seen sailing a ‘sinker.’ So it was with a deep sense of impostor syndrome that I drove up towards the Portland Heights Hotel for the opening ceremony – which was only strengthened as I entered the reception hall and found myself drinking the sponsor’s green cocktails (thank you Johnny Walker) and rubbing shoulders with Fred Heywood, Baron Arnaud de Rosnay and his new youthful bride Jenna. It was glamorous on a Hollywood scale.
30 KNOTS
Denne historien er fra Issue 382 - January/February 2019-utgaven av Windsurf.
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Denne historien er fra Issue 382 - January/February 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!
