THE FORECAST
The forecast was pretty epic. When a swell is inbound in the South Pacific, it is coming from a low pressure that is sitting near Tasmania. This pushes the southwesterly swell towards New Caledonia and then on to Fiji. Swell from the south / southwest is the best direction for us in New Caledonia. For this session we had a 3.5 metre swell at 16 seconds forecast from the prime direction, which usually means it can be double that size in the sets! The wind was supposed to be light, but perfectly sailable at around 15-18 knots. It was a little bit cloudy, but hey, you can’t have everything. My friend has a little boat, so we organised that to head out to the reef, but as well as transport, we also use the boat for safety if needed as we all know the spot pretty well.
LOGISTICS
Getting out to the break is not simply just loading a van and going sailing. We have to plan what gear we need to take as the boat is only a 4.7m Zodiac, so it doesn’t have a great deal of space. For this forecast, I took one board, three sails, three masts and two booms. We loaded up at my friend’s house and then attached his trailer to the car before driving about an hour to reach the launch spot. Once there, it’s about a 45-minute boat ride to the reef and that is when you really start getting excited. Everything has to be carried out as efficiently as possible, but we are now well-versed with the process, so everything went to plan.
FEAR FACTOR - THE WAVE
Denne historien er fra Issue 435 - July 2024-utgaven av Windsurf.
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Denne historien er fra Issue 435 - July 2024-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!
