CATEGORIES

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.

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.

EDITORIAL - RESET

Finn hits the salt water reset button.

DELPHINE COUSIN QUESTEL

28-year-old French sailor Delphine Cousin Questel secured the 2019 PWA women’s slalom world title in Noumea, New Caledonia at the final event of the season. Despite starting with results below her normal expectations, Delphine managed to fight back and finish the event in 2nd overall to clinch her 4th slalom world title. John Carter finds out more about Delphine’s success story.

VISION

‘Where there is no vision, there is no hope.’

CHASING FREEDOM

Whilst daily life is changing by the minute, the kit for the latest test managed to arrive in time for the test team to get out on the water before the lockdown. On the menu this month is no-cam freeride contenders … and here is the test team’s findings.

2020 VISION

We asked leading figures in the windsurf industry to give their thoughts on the next decade, covering everything from cost, competition, accessibility and most importantly, their vision for the next 10 years. Candid, controversial and unplugged – here are their informed opinions about our sport’s future!

The Black Pearl

When one of the most spectacular yachts in the world parks up at your local windsurfing spot, then it really would be rude not to go check it out, especially when it’s blowing 30 knots! Scotty Stallman, Kevin Greenslade and Si Pettifer blasted out into Weymouth harbour to check out the incredible “Black Pearl”, while Andy Stallman captured the action from a R.I.B. Read on for more about the yacht and what the Weymouth slalom posse made of it!

2020 Mediterranean Travel Guide

The Mediterranean offers fantastic windsurfing just a few hours from the UK; with clear waters, constant winds and a variety of spots to suit all levels and tastes. Noted not only for its excellent conditions, there is also the chance to experience that enviable Mediterranean lifestyle from a wide range of accommodation options. We help you with the choice over the coming pages by calling in the help of expert windsurf travel agents Sportif Travel and Planet Windsurf Holidays, who give us their recommendations for the region, while a selection of operators give us micro guides to their local spots.

MOV ON UP - BETTER WATERSTARTS

This month we look at how to get your waterstarts ‘up and away’ in a more efficient manner. In this piece we will look at how and where to be in the ‘sweet spot’ prior to launch and thereby in the best position possible for success. Throughout my coaching I see many people this is so very relevant for, from improvers right up to wave sailors. I am assuming you can already clear the rig, in most directions, so we will not be covering this now, but fear not we will look at it in a future piece.

SEA CHANGE

"The pressure our seas are under are greater than ever"

LATEST AND GREATEST

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CATERINA STENTA

Caterina Stenta, I-662, is not only a top ranked PWA wave sailor, but also a vice world champion in SUP racing! The Italian all-rounder is known for her hard work ethic, on and off the water; she tells us more about her competitiveness, love of windsurfing and her PhD!

MAKING A CHANGE

Ross Williams finished lasts year’s PWA season with a bullet on the final day of Noumea and a credible sixth place in the overall slalom rankings. The new decade, however, will bring a major change in his lifestyle after twenty-one years full power on tour. With a baby on the way, due in February, Ross, who also just hit forty, will be taking a slight step off the gas this year to concentrate on family affairs. Read on as John Carter talks to Britain’s most successful racer for this candid interview to find out how he sees the year panning out!

A RAINY DAY(S) STORY

John Carter spins a tale of dedication and frustration as he heads back and forwards to Cornwall chasing a brace of epic forecasts for nuking winds and huge waves, albeit without very little sunshine! Read on for a tale of damp and drizzly carnage as JC recounts his trials and tribulations.

IT S BEEN EMOTIONAL

A dramatic slalom final in Noumea marked the end of the PWA 2019 calendar, capping offa windy year with some amazing performances, 2019 also saw the continued rise of foiling and an increased profile and pay packet for the women’s fleet, not to mention a nail-biting climax to the wave titles. JC sat down with a variety of windsurfing pros to look back on the year and into the crystal ball for 2020, discussing their highs, lows and future goals.

The New Breed Of ‘Fast'

The desire to go fast and the ability for windsurfing to deliver the addictive exhilaration of doing so, will always be one of the sport’s best traits in the world of watersports. It’s what attracts most people to the sport in the first place - seeing people buzzing across the water, going faster than most other waterborne craft and seemingly having more fun than most too. And I’m sure many of you reading this can still account of the first time you experienced the sensation of planing, no matter how long ago that may have been!

AQUAMAN

By the age of 15 Arthur Arutkin was European youth slalom champion, these days it’s hard to pin him down to one discipline; he’s one of the very few sailors that competes on both the professional SUP and windsurf tours. A world champion in SUP racing, he’s equally at home in a PWA wave heat and regularly posts videos of himself ripping up his home spot of Wissant in Northern France, not to mention recently windsurfing the famed break of Teahupo’o in Tahiti. Read on as Arthur gives us an insight into his life.

THE CHOSEN ONES

After a tense and demanding selection process, the British Sailing Team announced who will represent Great Britain in the RS:X windsurfing class at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. The chosen sailors were Emma Wilson and Tom Squires, we learn more about the dynamic duo.

TECHNIQUE CONFUSED. COM?

Even for those with their fingers on the button, choosing the right kit doesn’t seem to get any easier as board categories mutate and multiply and new definitions drop into the lexicon. Focussing on the ever-expanding freeride category, Peter Hart, with erudite comments from Windsurf magazine’s chief tester, Tris Best, sheds some much-needed light. By the way … it’s all good!.

FABIEN SHAPES

Fabien Vollenweider is one of windsurfing’s most respected shapers. As the man behind Tabou’s board designs he is known for his high-performance shapes, but did you know he designed the BIC Techno and has been shaping since he was 14 years old. Fabien gives us a revealing insight into his work.

2020 World Travel Guide

Don’t worry, it’s natural, the middle of winter hasyou looking longingly at the bedroom light bulb, wishing it was a beaming sun and you were lying under the palm trees instead of buried beneath an electric blanket with a hot water bottle. We get it, you need a trip and it needs to be a warm one, so we’ve brought in the big guns for advice - Sportif Travel and Planet Windsurf Holidays give us their top 5 windsurf spots and we give micro guides to some choice windsurfing destinations. Warning – the next couple of pages have nothing but sunny shores to explore, if you can’t stand the heat, it’s probably best to get a pair of scissors out!

THE GREAT ESCAPE

There’s a saying that we travel not to escape life, but for life not to escape us. Windsurfing occupies that same space. For most of us it’s a release from the order of the everyday routine; order has its place, but a bit of wrestling with the wind and spray in your face helps keep it all in balance.

THE CRUEL SEA

The German leg of the 2019 PWA wave world tour once again showed Sylt’s reputation as a formidable contest arena. It is a maker or breaker of dreams; a cruel sea. JC gets the thoughts of some of the top pros on the challenges of the North Sea.

TIREE #34

The Tiree Wave Classic’s 34th year started calm but ended with a bang! Event photographer Richard Whitson gives us the scoop on a highlight of the UK wave competition scene.

Latest And Greatest

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Strategic Moulay Moves

One of my favourite questions on a coaching clinic is, “What is more important sailing strategy or good technique?” The answer is often technique, yet unless we have a sound strategy we cannot utilise our technique. So with the help of two of my students - Gøril Hjelseth and Martin Delaney, I will highlight the strategy of how to sail a side-shore wave sailing spot, using the example of Moulay in Morocco, and give general pointers to help you get the best out of your local wave spot.

Staying On The Board

How do you keep the momentum going, keep active and keep improving your windsurfing over the winter months? RYA Chief Instructor, Amanda Van Santen, offers some advice