Well-known for putting together finest windsurfing movies Andre Paskowski takes the discipline of waveriding centre stage again. Scheduled locations will be five of the best waveriding spots around the world. ’Below the Surface’ will be both an action packed sports movie and an impressive documentary including Victor Fernandez, his friends and rivals, Andre Paskowski explains the concept without telling the names of the prominent protagonists yet.

To realise ‘Below The Surface’ Andre Paskowski and his production company FRUITLOOP PRODUCTIONS are looking for sponsors. In the past the production costs were merely covered by private financing, donations from fans and some support of my sponsors North, Fanatic and ION,“ Andre explains the situation. “This time we are looking for official partners who support ‘Below the Surface’“. For further information or expression of interest please send an email to info@andrepaskowski.de

Since the two-times European Freestyle Champion was diagnosed with cancer he had to put his sporting career on hold. Filming brought a new meaning to his life and so Andre became one of the most successful producers in the windsurfing movie scene. ‚Wet and Salty’ (2004), ‘Flashback’ and ‘Four Dimensions’ (2009) are the names of his first remarkable films. The definitive breakthrough was achieved by ‘Minds Wide Open’ (2011), which was nominated for participation at the important X-Dance Action Sport Film Festival in Salt Lake City / USA, just like it’s two followers ‘Magic Moments’ and ‘Rewarded’ (2012).

Check out Below the Surface on Facebook here. 

Just some of the products in this week's Eye Candy Wish List

Let’s face it, we all like a little bit of Eye Candy. Something to stare longingly at in the winter months to remind us of warm and windy times, or to prepare us for the next on water session. Here’s our top pick of awe inspiring, eye catching items which should be at the top of any windsurfers christmas list.

If you’re not spending as much time on the water over the winter as usual, it’s even more important to keep the windsurf moves ticking over in your mind, so let’s look at the top visuals for improving your skills.

Go Pro with Colin and Marco DVD

First up we have the Go Pro with Colin and Marco DVD (£29.95); this has been shot with five different camera angles to give you a real inside look at exactly how to do a whole range of moves from carve, duck and laydown gybes, through to 360s, body drags, loops and vulcans.

Colin Dixon.

Marco Wedele

Colin and Marco are both exceptional coaches with a lot of experience, which definitely comes across in this DVD.

To find out more about Go Pro with Colin and Marco head here.

Another top DVD collection to guide you through your windsurfing journey is Jem Hall’s trilogy (various £); whether your just starting out, getting to grips with freestyle or taking to the waves, Jem has it covered. Take a look at the trailers below and head on over to http://www.jemhall.com for all the info.

Tricktionary

Tricktionary (various £), as many of you may know, is another great way of learning a lot of windsurfing moves. From the very beginning right through to the most complex of manoeuvres, Tricktionary is the place to find all the info. Tricktionary is now available as a book, DVD, app and more, head here for full details.

But windsurfing of course is not all about watching specific instructional pieces, just watching the pros pull off truly incredible feats can be enough to inspire us to head onto the water. One of the best people at filming and producing movies for this very purpose is Andre Paskowski, we’ve all recently seen Rewarded, but remember Minds Wide Open (£24.00)? One of the stand of windsurfing movies of all time, and a great stocking filler too!

Check out the trailer below, and for more info on the filming, the team and what the movie is all about head here. 

Minds Wide Open Trailer from Andre Paskowski on Vimeo.

Stepping away from moving images to the printed variety, there are a lot of awesome windsurfing photos out there and some of the best have been chosen for a selection of 2013 calendars now on offer. The biggest, and potentially the best, are the 2013 Open/Shut windsurfing calendars (£19.99); one focussing on the UK breaks and the other going worldwide. These calendars take some of the best shots from PWA photographer John Carter and put them into a glossy, classy calendar which makes a nice addition to any windsurfers wall.

Check out the Open/Shut website for more images and full details of the calendars; alsocheck out this link for more details of other windsurfing calendars available for 2013.

Worldwide windsurfing calendar 2013

UK windsurfing calendar 2013

Whilst we’re talking about printed windsurfing images, it would be rude not to remind you that the Autumn Winter Wave Annual of Boards Magazine (£8.50 inclusive of p&p) is currently on sale too! Again this wil make a great stocking filler, especially for any wave head; with the Cloning of Koster, travel to southern America with Maui’s best, looking back at the evolution of wavesailing and much more more there is something for everyone in this 180 page publication. Check out more and where you can purchase right here. 

Contents close up, what are you looking forward to reading?

Boards Autumn/Winter Wave Annual 2012/13

Windsurf model

If you’re looking for a slightly more quirky christmas gift, then a windsurfing model could be just the ticket! In the past these resembled 1980′s style equipment, now however the models are made incredibly well and really look like miniature versions of real equipment! Perfectly placed on the mantel piece of any windsurfer, these models are produced and sold by a few companies, our top pick are the one’s from Boardwise.

We’re going to finish this weeks wish list with something a little different, and just for the ladies (well, we have seen men wearing them too actually!). Nalu Beads (various £) have come up with an original way of remember for favourite sessions at your favourite breaks.

Each bead is named after and inspired by a surfing break, pop the beads together on a bracelet, necklace or anklet and bring back memories of great surfing or windsurfing times what ever the weather; plus they look amazing too! Check out a couple of our favourites below, and for more info head to the Nalu Beads site here.

Hawaiian Islands

Gwithian

The Witterings

Boards recommends the following retailers for all your shopping needs. These retailers stock listed products along with a lot more christmas gift options.

_____________________________________________________________________

Boardwise

Quayside Windsurfers

Robin Hood Watersports

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Juice Boardsports

Tech Trial

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Andy Biggs 

Bray Lake

L.A.R. Watersports 

Puravida Boardriders

Wet n Dry Boardsports

4Boards 

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REWARDED from Andre Paskowski on Vimeo.

Rewarded is mainly privately funded, so if you have enjoyed the movie please spare a moment to donate anything you can to ensure more incredible movies like this get made in the future.

REWARDED Trailer from Andre Paskowski on Vimeo.

After being invited to my first ever official photo shoot for Fanatic/ North in Soma Bay, my initial thoughts were of complete excitement and gratitude. As it all got a little bit closer the nerves definitely started to kick in a bit though! I knew all the other riders going, so it wasn’t that making me nervous, it was more just realisation of the massive opportunity I’d been presented with!

I was leaving to go to Egypt straight from an extremely hectic week at the PWA event in Austria.

After being so nervous upon arriving, I was instantly relaxed by the chilled out vibe around the dinner table. Although the obvious point of the trip was to get the shots and footage we needed, I could already tell it was going to be a great bonding trip for the whole team.

Fanatic/North lifestyle. Image credit Sebastian Schoeffel

After sailing the first day it was pretty clear that the wind was going to disappear for the following few days. We made the most of this time to go all out on some seriously entertaining lifestyle shots. The casino shots will show the best story as we’re all in character believing that we are high rollers at a Blackjack table in Vegas! Paskowski was so excited that he’d got his best ever Poker hand but quickly remembered it wasn’t to be.

Fanatic/North lifestyle. Image credit Sebastian Schoeffel

This was definitely the most entertaining part of the week, we were all dressed up as high rollers but in boardies. It was one of the funniest evenings of the trips. We weren’t actually playing for real but we were getting very into our roles. Gollito was stealing poker chips from Nik and also looking at his cards when his back was turned so there was lots of shouting going on.

Of course as professional athletes the glasses we are drinking from don’t contain whiskey. Instead we opted for the far healthier Jagermeister!!!

Fanatic/North lifestyle. Image credit Sebastian Schoeffel

As I mentioned before, Andre was possibly the most disappointed by the evening. In the final round he got dealt the best poker hand of his life, fortunately his bluffing skills were too good and before he had the chance to claim his prize everybody had started chucking in their cards as Nik grabbed all the chips for himself.

All in all it was a hard week and we spent a lot of time on the water making sure we had the shots. It’s always a great feeling when you feel you work well with a photographer as it makes everyone’s life so much easier, with Sebastian I knew exactly where he wanted me and I could understand what shot he was trying to get.

Fanatic/North lifestyle. Image credit Sebastian Schoeffel

Sailing for a shoot couldn’t be more different! Not just doing the same move over and over again, but you really have to listen to the photographer and make sure you’re doing the move exactly where he needs you to be. Also looking at the camera and smiling is the hardest part for me, when I’m freesailing I pull some of the most ridiculous faces during my moves.

It can take a while if the photographer has something specific in mind. The shots that took the longest were the free ride ones when we were doing synchronised lay down gybes. I think Laure and I spent around 45 minutes to get that shot exactly right.

I was mainly using the Skate 99 TE and the Skate 99 SE. We’ve opted for two different shapes in this range for 2013 with the standard edition being aimed more at entry level freestylers. Both of the shapes are amazing! This year again I’ll be ordering the Skate 89 & 99 TE boards.

Find out more from Fanatic and North on Boards.

Fanatic/North lifestyle. Image credit Sebastian Schoeffel

On Monday Andre Paskowski joined us for a LIVE CHAT, while Sam Ross sung us his mantra ‘Don’t Stop Believing’ and Boards own freestyle coaches, Phil and Danielle from GetWindsurfing, shared their upcoming plans.

Tuesday saw the Boards print editor, Amy Carter, taking the reins on the website too.

In competition news, the weekend wind provided results for both the BSA in Weymouth and the Irish Speedsailing Championships, and we received a great report from the last SWA event of the season. The BWA are set for Wales and Ireland, which starts a week today.

The top news story of the week has to be from W4CR, with SunriseSunset this Saturday, windsurfers across the country will get together, for what is a worthy cause and an event to make all windsurfers proud.

And W4CR ambassador, Bryony Shaw, is live on Sky Sports Radio today (don’t worry she will upload the mp3 for those who miss it) a great opportunity for our sport to get some mainstream media coverage in the lead up to what should be a very successful year for the Olympian.

And don’t forget we have Dan Ellis reporting every day, from the PWA in Korea look out for this first update tonight!

George Shillito at SunriseSunset 2011

Following the great success of the LiveChats with Antoine Albeau, Josh Angulo, Francisco Goya and Marcilio ‘Brawzinho’ Browne, we are happy to announce that the next windsurf superstar under the grill will be Andre Paskowski.

Tonight, from 6pm (BST), simply click onto the Boards hompeage for your chance to ask Andre anything and everything you want! Will he return to competition? What is the next big movie project? Who is going to win the title this year? The choice is yours!

Our man on the ground at the PWA Surf World Cup, Andre will be available for one hour only, prior to the finals of the EFPT tow-in championships… If you’ve not been following the proceedings, be sure to head to the EFPT Facebook page for up-to-the-second updates.

Big tow-in action from Austria. Pic: JC/PWA

With so much going on at this years PWA Podersdorf World Cup event we are extremely pleased to be able to tie Andre Paskowski down for one hour. The timings are crucial so be sure not to miss out.

Date:
Monday 30th April

Time:
17.00 GMT, which is 18.00 BST (current UK time) and 19.00 local Austrian time (where the chat will take place).

With such a succesful career in windsurfing it is impossibly to write everything down, so to avoid answering any questions you have planned here are just a few suggested topics:
- Minds Wide Open and Four Dimensions
- What’s next. Is there any competing on the agenda or future film projects?
- Who does he think will win the EFPT Chiemsee Tow-In Championships (the final for this will commence just half an hour after the end of the LiveChat)

Andre in Tenerife. Photo - jörg hinkelbein

Want more then head to: www.facebook.com/RAWv01

Find out more about the Tow-In that is to come, here: www.efpt.net

We have also secured Andre for a LiveChat during the event, on Monday 1st May at 17.00 GMT (which is 18.00 BST – current UK time). Check back shortly for the full press on that.

As summer approaches, Andre Paskowski shares this awesome clip from his epic windsurf movie ‘Minds Wide Open’. Check out Ricardo Campello, Kauli Seadi, Victor Fernandez, Gollito Estredo and the crew riding some amazing waves and freestyling away. Get your inspiration for the summer by heading to the official website, where you will also receive the original movie poster!

World-class freestyler and epic windsurf movie producer André Paskowski has taken a step back from the competition side of things in the last couple of years due to illness. Following a recent, successful surgery at home in Germany and rounds of chemotherapy, André is back on the water in Cape Town and is sailing as well as ever.

Enjoying some SUP action on a lightwind day...

The photos released show him SUPing, windsurfing and pushing himself as normal – good job André!

André mid-goiter

Tucking into a big day at Whitsands...

Check out more photos on the North Sails website.

It takes a lot of skill and an artistic brain to simply put each shot captured in a logical order, but it takes something else to pull it off with such style. We caught up with Josh Willmot to find out more about this project. We also managed to grab the UK star in this clip, Max Rowe for a short interview. His style and skill have certainly stepped up to a new personal level, will we see a UK sailor break back into the PWA top 8. Watch the video and read the interviews to decide for yourself.

Max Rowe at Camocim

Max Rowe – The Rider

Boards – So you are certainly at the forefront when it comes to pushing the level on the UK scene and you are showing strong international potential. Do you feel your goals may have changed for the coming season?
Max – My goals will  be the same as the last year which was to fully focus on the PWA and to do the best I can. I got my first ever top 10 finish last year so it would be great if I could make that more of a regular occurrence.

Boards – The video was created by Josh again, on a personal note what are your thoughts?
Max – Josh has done an amazing job and I’m really pleased with it. I only really started to think about this project when I was already out in Brazil, the amazing fact that Andre was back sailing to a high level again and obviously the ridiculous standard of Gollito was the main inspiration for the clip. I hope Andre likes it and for sure he’s going to be hard to impress as after all he’s the one that started doing online web clips to the highest level and now of course has moved on to much bigger top end productions.

Boards – It was great to see Andre back in action, how was his sailing and what was the night section all about?
Max – Yeh it was great to have him back out on the water. He picked everything up so quickly again as you would expect end even surprised himself a bit. The inspiration for the flare footage was from the surfing pictures that made the front covers of loads of magazines. Andre had everything set up and put a lot of effort and money to making sure that this would be an exclusive photo story for the magazines. I was just filming on the side as I knew it would be a great show!  This had never been done before with windsurfing so we were a bit anxious about how it was going to turn out, our first fears were either the kit would get burnt or possibly whoever came into close contact with it; which was most likely to be Andre! Luckily on the safety side it all went to plan and it provided some epic action. Unfortunately the pictures didn’t come out quite as planned so Andre gave me the ok to use the footage for this project.

Boards – We heard rumours of Gollito landing 6 new moves in as many days, can you reveal anything that you saw?
Max – Gollito was really on fire out there! The conditions suit him perfect as he loves it when its windy. Some of the newer combinations were loop into shaka/ponch and double flaka into shaka/ponch. The loop into shaka came about as Andre was stood on the beach watching him do the loop into flaka and started shouting at him to try it into shaka and believe it or not within about five goes he landed it. Unfortunately I didn’t capture as much action from Gollito as I’d planned due to another incident involving him sailing up the beach. This happened the day before we had planned to go to the flat water spot together.

Boards – How do you feel your sailing level improved during the trip and was there anything really noteworthy that was missed on camera?
Max – Yeh I definitely feel I got more consistent in some of the bigger moves and it was great to get some of the newer combos dialed such as air funnel into funnel.

Boards – Any funny moments/highlights of the trip and will you be heading back there next year?
Max – Along with the amazing times on the water the other main highlight was us all playing cards together in pousada do Maurizios. These nights escalated quickly into full swing crazy Brazilian parties! Would of been good to capture more lifestyle of us all together. I will head back for sure as I’ve never been anywhere that’s so reliably windy and still such a paradise at the same time!

Boards – What’s your competition plan this season, will you be attending them all; PWA, EFPT, UKWA?
Max – Not all of them unfortunately. I will focus again mainly on the PWA which means putting the UKWA events on the side as there is a reasonable amount of clashes which makes it hard to attend enough to be a contender for the overall UKWA title. As for the EFPT I hope I can get to a few events but with there being 7 events on the PWA calendar it makes it hard to find time for anything else!

Boards – Thanks for the interview, great action, great moves, great edit, any final words?
Max – Thanks for being behind this project and hopefully there are a few more to come in the future! Greetings from a warm and windy Cape Town…

Check the rest on the next page.

Paskowski in Brazil by Michael Sumereder

‘Life is a rollercoaster. It goes up and down.
With the delivery of the Minds Wide Open Movie we received a lot of extremly good feedback and many happy faces. However, my last Test results in Hospital were not that much of a success. The doctors found a newly developed Metasthase in my right lung. Actually to be honest already 7 weeks ago I got informed of a little ‘unnormal’ blood result and I left quickly to Brasil which was my best time for the last 1.5 years. Returning to Hamburg made me do some more tests and scans and brought up this new development. On Friday I will have a Operation on my right Lung. They will make a “radical” operation and then hope we finally get to a clean new start.

On the other side the daily ups.

We have been shipping Minds Wide Open for 10 days now and we get beautiful feedback all around the world. It is beautiful to read all the comments and emails. I want to thank every person. This is why I started doing movies. To give people a great time and to recieve some great feedback. Sure this will help in the upcoming hospital time.

If you havent seen it yet: www.mindswideopenmovie.com
If you want to leave a comment: www.facebook.com/mindswideopen

Support
Due to my current development with cancer I decided to give support to Jannette Kuehn and her “House of Hope” project. She is currently collecting money to help 5 year old Mohammed Lawser who has acute Lymphoplastik Leukaemia and need urgently financial Support. See the Story of Mohammed here: http://www.houseofhope.de/en;projects-save-life;d:2453.htm

Thats why I decided to donate 30EUR from each ordered Canvas Print via: www.mindswideopenmovie.com

You can get 8 different canvas print. See an example below. They are all high quality and in multiple sizes available from 90cm*40cm up to 120cm*60cm

Stockists
We are still looking for shops who would like to sell Minds Wide Open. It is important to us, that the movie is accessible to everybody around the world. Contact us on: info@mindswideopenmovie.com and get your own deal with MWO.

Thanks for reading and spreading the news.

My recent trip to Jeri / Brazil showed me one thing. Life is too beautiful to give up fighting. So I will keep on fighting 100%

Andre’