THE COVID ERA
The last time I competed on the PWA was back in 2019, which was the last full year of the tour prior to Covid. I competed on the whole tour that season, which was my last year competing. Then Covid happened! I had come to Maui for the Aloha Classic in 2019, at that point I was doing a lot of the research and development for Duotone. My plan was to stay and work with Kai Hopf and work on the new wave and foil sails for the next season. We actually went to the Canary Islands in December 2019. For whatever reason, my mum who works in healthcare, called me and said that if myself and Kai needed to get back to Maui, in the next month, you might want to leave soon! She reckoned travel could be weird for a month or two! I spoke to Kai, and we both flew back to Maui straight away, just to continue our workflow. I fully intended to do the whole tour again the next year and was enjoying working on the wave sails. I was excited for the 2020 season. A couple of weeks after we arrived, everything closed down. I have been home a few times over the last year or so, and some surf trip here and there, but since 2019 I basically stayed in Maui.
LEARNING HIS CRAFT
This story is from the Issue 431 - March 2024 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
This story is from the Issue 431 - March 2024 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!