2016 and 2017 UK Youth Wavesailing Champion, Ruaraidh Somerville, is an up-and-coming young gun with ambitions to be a pro windsurfer. Based in Glasgow, his water time is limited but he has an interesting take on how to stay motivated. Read on as Ruaraidh gives us an insight into the world of an aspiring fifteen year old wavesailor.
If last year’s PWA Wave World Tour proved anything, it’s that the future of wavesailing is bright! At Pozo, in one of the windiest years ever in the history of the competition, the level of junior wavesailing shot through the roof. To me, a 15 year old kid trying to wangle as much time on the water as possible, seeing such talent is heartening. I’m not at the same level as the top kids on tour, but I’m inspired to push myself so I can be. With the rise of social media, finding inspiration and kindred spirits in any medium has become massively easier. I open up Instagram or Facebook and I’m bombarded with videos of Philip Köster’s latest insane double, the super late hit that Brawzinho somehow survived, or of the ballsiest crash of the day from Balz Müller.
In the past, if you did something in windsurfing, you were lucky if somebody got a picture and mailed it to a magazine. I was struck by a story from Kai Lenny, surfer / windsurfer / paddleboarder wunderkind, who said that somebody asked him if he ever surfs alone, because he always has a new mind blowing picture or video. Kai had said that it’s almost like in this day and age, if it’s not on camera, it didn’t happen. And to an extent that’s true. And while it may seem a little sad, for the youth of windsurfing, it’s the opposite. When I’m sitting in Tiree, willing the wind to appear, I can open my iPhone and immediately see the latest thing in windsurfing. I may only get to windsurf every few weeks, but thanks to social media I never lose my inspiration. The mojo never disappears.
INSPIRED
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.
‘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!
