CATEGORIES

THE CLOSE OUT- TREV'S GREAT BIRTHDAY ADVENTURE

I have had my fair share of great birthdays, usually coinciding with a national holiday in a country that I’m visiting. But this one was a bit different.

Paddle Science #18 - The Body Fortress. Boosting Immunity

At this time of year, the rate of infection for colds and flu normally tends to slow down as we enter warmer, springtime months. However, if you’ve been anywhere at all in the world recently, then there’s one word you can’t escape at the moment: Coronavirus. Infection rates, mortality rates and prognostic data are changing daily at the moment. As a new virus none of us have previously been exposed to it, meaning that currently, we have no immunity to it. It’s only through being infected by a virus that our bodies are able to make the right antibodies to not only enable us to recover but to also help protect us from any recurrent and future infection from it. If you’re keen to stay well and keep getting out on your SUP board this spring, then focussing on boosting your immune system is a positive step to take.

Ceylon Stories

Like a teardrop on the tip of the Indian sub-continent, Sri Lanka is a little tropical El Dorado of beautiful landscapes, rich cultural heritage and people with incomparable kindness. Thanks to its favorable exposure to the swells of the Indian Ocean, the has a large number of good waves along its incredible southwest coast where French pro Alexis Deniel and his partner Melanie had an unforgettable experience this winter. Discover their colorful journey through this dream destination sharing its jewels after decades of civil war and the tragedy of the 2004 tsunami.

Polar Bear

In 2019, the Polar Bear showed the world his teeth. After a fourth place in the toughest SUP race in the world, the Red Bull Heavy Water, the now 19-year old Christian Anderson became World Champion in November in the Technical Race at the ISA World Championships in El Salvador. He also won the U-18 title on the Euro Tour with an 11th place overall. What’s behind the young Dane's rise to power?

SHADENFREUDE

TEST REPORTS

Desire Lines

We were on the outskirts of Helsinki, scouting a new destination for our sup camps. Just 45 minutes’ drive from the city, the untouched nature of the Nuuksio National Park stretched out before us. Mirror-smooth lakes, wild herbs and an impressive fauna waiting to be explored over on board or on foot via the many desire lines made by the land mammals.

Magical. Mystical. Epic.

Alexandra is a club ambassador and SUP racer for Bray Lake; relatively new to the SUP scene she completed her first race season in 2019. She participated in her first international event, the Gla Gla, 2020, and placed 1st Brit, 8th lady and 81st overall, out of a mass start of 637 paddlers. Here she shares the highlights of her first Gla Gla experience.

Green Medicine

As a keen outdoorsman and busy GP, Paul Sampson has come pretty close to attaining the mercurial work-balance. When not busy with his patients, he can be found hiking, climbing, paddle boarding, wild swimming… anything that gets him outside soaking up the great outdoors and reconnecting with nature in the beautiful South of Cornwall.

Depth Charge

Many of us have are staying away from the beach for a while, some are confined to our homes, but that doesn’t mean we can’t still train for the surf. If you try the following for just one week you’ll see results, never mind three months…

Cold Gold

For many UK paddle surfers, the end of November signals the final days of their season; it’s just too cold, there’s literally not enough hours in the day, the storms and swell size are beyond reasonable abilities or there’s simply not the desire to travel to find somewhere less daunting than the closed-out local beach break.

Bliue Thunder - Backside turns.

In an ideal world, all waves would peel right for hundreds of meters towards the beach where a nice strong rip would take you back to the lineup. However in the world we live in they don’t and most beach breaks provide entertainment in the form of lefts, rights and straight-handers dumping on the beach.

A Quiet Union

Once, it was the perennial question: where do you go for warm, quiet waves and a cool beer afterwards without locals regarding you as a walking ATM? We don’t even ask anymore, we accept that anywhere that fits the criteria had its day in the distant past. However, eight years ago Jeremie Tronet created a practical answer to this question and developed his own corner of paradise – the JT Pro Centre – on the south shore of a delightful speck of sand, coral and palm trees sitting in the Caribbean Sea…

New sensation

The Excess 15 is a yacht hoping to bring some of the fun back into multihull sailing. Sam Jefferson discovers whether the new boat strikes the right balance between fun and function

Striking the perfect balance

Nautitech has prided itself on offering a great blend of comfort and performance, and its new N46 Open looks to keep up the good work, as Sam Jefferson discovers

Marque of respect

Mike Taylor talks to Kit and Jess Rogers of Jeremy Rogers Ltd about Contessa Yachts and the enviable but delicate task of managing a reputation

Tom Cunliffe

Anyone who believes that sailing is a peaceful pursuit needs to have their head seen to and ears syringed

It looks like rain

One of the great joys - and occasionally trials - of life afloat is that you are much more attuned and in harmony with the elements, as Jess Lloyd-Mostyn notes

Meteotsunamis

We all know what a tsunami is, but what on earth is a meteotsunami? William Thomson sheds some light on this unusual and alarming phenomenon

How great Thau art

The Étang de Thau is on the Mediterranean coast of France, yet it feels a million miles from the glitzy Cote d’Azur as Sam Jefferson explains

Balearic beats

Tony and Sarah Boas arrived in the Mediterranean intending to spend a season exploring the Balearic Islands, but wound up staying for eight years...

Paul Heiney

That magic moment your boat is lowered back into the water at the beginning of the season should always be cherished. Yet it can be followed by a certain feeling of unease at the jobs left undone

Around Britain-top ten tips

Premier Sailing’s Robert Stracey shares his experience of what he says is, for most, a totally achievable cruise

STAGNES, ISLES OF SCILLY

Dag Pike explores one of the gems of the Isles of Scilly, discovering wildlife and gastronomic delights

OSTAR 60 & STILL GOING STRONG

Blondie Hasler’s biographer Ewen Southby-Tailyour looks at the origins of the Corinthian race and its enduring legacy

‘A putrid smell of burnt oil, fuel and resin...'

When a neighbouring yacht caught fire Michael Roberts’ beloved Tern didn’t stand a chance. Here he recounts the devastating scene awaiting him...

HOME WATERS MAGICAL MULL

Wildlife encounters, unrivalled scenery and challenging pilotage await Brian Black as he circumnavigates the second largest island in the Inner Herbrides

FIRST TEST BTC-22

As the first sporty 22-footer we have seen from a British builder in a long time, the BTC-22 is set to fill a significant gap in the market

PIERRE HUGLO - A LONELY WILD VOYAGE

Pierre Huglo took 221 days to race his engineless Contessa 32 round the world non-stop and single-handed. He told Jessie Rogers why he can’t wait to return

A WEEK AFLOAT THE SOUTH OF FRANCE

Lu Heikell discovers picturesque anchorages and buzzing cultural hubs while sailing between Toulon, Marseille and St. Tropez

PACIFIC SEACRAFT 40

Double-enders might not be fashionable, but they make excellent seaboats for long-term cruising, as Duncan Kent discovers...