Behind every brand lies a team of dedicated specialists whose job it is to design and bring to market a range. John carter lifts the lid on the inner workings of northsails and the men behind the scenes that have kept them among the elite of the windsurfing industry for over twenty years and continue to fuel their reputation for innovation.
RAOUL JOA
(Product and line manager, marketing, 25 years experience.) Raoul has been at the helm of the North team for a quarter of a century and pretty much has his finger on the pulse of every element of the company. “Aside from being born and going to school, after that my whole life has been NorthSails! The first job I ever had was with windsurfing and I hope that I can retire with this brand, as for sure I won’t work with any other company in the industry. It was my dream when I went to school to work for a windsurfing brand and when I left I started work as a sales person in a windsurfing shop that was the biggest North dealer at the time. I did a small apprenticeship and one thing lead to another and I went straight to North Sails with a job in their customer service. I moved into the product side and eventually into marketing. I am now responsible for how the product comes out technically and optically. Alex is in charge of sales and we share the marketing. This is basically our setup in the office in Munich.
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This story is from the Issue 361 - November/December 2016 edition of Windsurf.
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This story is from the Issue 361 - November/December 2016 edition of Windsurf.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
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!
