ION Lace Zeiss

1. Lace Zeiss – Functional Line

The Lace Zeiss is one of the most popular in the range and made for the water. The glasses look great, plus provide polarised protection, they float, are robust and can generally withstand a lot of on water action. These high performance ZEISS lenses are made in Italy by the legendary experts at Carl 
Zeiss Vision Sunlens; the company that

ION Clash

pioneered high-performance optics back in 1846. Every ZEISS lens is formed in an individual diamond-polished mold for flawless clarity and subjected to a rigorous 24-step procedure that ensures the highest performance and quality possible.

2. Clash – Fashion Line

It is of course important to look good off the water as well as on it, and ION have this covered with their fashion line. The Clash is probably one of the coolest styles around, not for the faint hearted you need to make sure you can pull off this look! The glasses also provide UV protection and are scratch resistant, making them perfect for rigging up on the beach.

ION Razor

3. Razor – Fashion Line

ION’s range looks great on both and men and women, we’re sure you’ll agree, so if the Clash isn’t quite your cup of tea why not try out the old school Razor shape?

Find out more about ION’s full range of Vision wear here. 

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. 

Lucy Robson January 2013 training Fuerteventura from Lucy Robson on Vimeo.

Ric Cleworth

Name: Ric Cleworth

Age: 24

From: Sutton, Cheshire

Years Windsurfing: 12, maybe more!

Favourite Discipline: Freestyle

Local Spot: Where ever I’m working!

Occupation: Joiner/ Carpenter/ Windsurf Coach

Sponsors: Fanatic UK, Boardwise, Ion, Globalshots

How did you get into windsurfing? 

When I was maybe 9 or 10, my parents put me on a multi-activity course in the summer holidays; to keep me out trouble at a guess!

It was at Astbury Sail Sports, I did all the usual water sports but I knew straight away windsurfing was for me! I owe a big thank you to Ali Yates the owner of this centre for making me watch lots of Jason Polakow videos to show me what and epic sport it was I was getting into; as well as being an inspiration herself of course.

What do your friends think of windsurfing?

Well most of them when they first hear about it think I probably nip backwards and forwards on a big white thing, hanging onto a triangle like thing. However, I think now thanks to the power of the internet and online media they are all pretty clued up on what windsurfing is and think it’s a really amazing sport! I would say most people are shocked and ask how can they get involved.

Shaka!

What is your experience of competitions so far? And your future aims for competition?

I came through the RYA racing scheme, so these were the first competitions I did. Starting out with Team 15 where I competed around the north west, I then went onto competing representing the north west in the zone squad and having won the Eric Twiname title with a lot of help from my parents and coaches at the time Ian Roberts and Ali Yates I was selected to represent Great Britain. I was in Team GBR for three years, training daily in the gym, on the water at the weekends and competing all over the world with great friends and coaches; it was a truly fantastic way to spend my teenage years.

Now competing in freestyle, I have competed in Greece, Egypt and the UK. My aim in 2012 was to finish in the top 4 of the Pro Fleet; I managed to finish 3rd overall, which was really great! My aim for 2013 is to attend all the freestyle events again and I would like a team Fanatic podium, Max, Oscar and I.

Ric Cleworth

Ric Cleworth

Ric Cleworth

Have you always been into freestyle, if not when did you move across into this niche?

As a racer, I never got much time to short board as we spent as much time as possible on the race gear. There were times when it got simply too windy for the race gear and I got to a point where I could vulcan my Evo 74 for about three years but I didn’t get to focus on freestyle properly until I left Team GBR when I was 18 and went to Egypt with a good friend Scotty. Here, I met the guys from Club Vass who offered me a job and having worked with them for three years back to back I would say I’m well into freestyle!

Night time action

What is your most memorable moment in windsurfing?

Arghh there’s too many! A couple of years ago in Vass it was about 2.00am and Wildwind, the sailing centre next door, were having their party night. We noticed it was getting windy, which is unusual for Vass once the sun has gone down; of course with some liquid persuasion and 4.2 weather it didn’t take much for us to get rigged up and out there, the moon provided just about enough light and we had a truck on the beach with its head lights on and the speakers pumping! With a good sized crowd on the beach cheering us on we did all the moves our slightly boozy minds would let us! It was a great atmosphere and all though a couple of us landed the moves on the beach and if I remember rightly Tommy ‘two pumps’ did sail into someone, we all had a very memorable windsurf!

Enjoying the waves too

What’s next in store for you on and off the water?

Obviously, like all of us I hope to sail whenever it’s windy here in the UK and I would like to maybe get to Jeri again at the end of this year, if not Cape Town in the new year!

As for off the water, I just this week qualified as a Joiner/Carpenter and I plan to work hard and save hard so I can get those trips to nice countries!

Check out more Hidden Talents, and other interview here on Boards.

Alongside previous champions more fresh faces will be challenging for titles, Sam Latham is one of the top up and coming racers who’s also proving himself in the waves. Boards catches up with Sam as 2012 draws to a close and he looks forward to racing in 2013.

Sam Latham

Name: Sam Latham

Age: 20

From: Reigate, Surrey

Years Windsurfing: 11

Favourite Discipline: Slalom of course! But if there were regular waves on South coast, it could change…

Local Spot: The one and only Shorekipa Beach Park!

Occupation: 3rd Year design student at Bournemouth.

Self-employed chicken coop workshop manager! (don’t hear that every day!) http://www.oakdene-coops.co.uk

Sponsors: Boardwise, K66,  North Sails, Fanatic, ION, K4, Flymount.

How did you get into windsurfing?

A family friend sailed small boats on a local lake near my home and asked me to join him on a beginner windsurfing course. I got off to a bad start and joined him sailing for a year. One weekend out on the lake I saw someone planing along whilst windsurfing and decided I had to give it another go. I haven’t stopped since that day; that person I saw is now one of my best friends and I sail with him regularly.

Sam Latham

What do your friends think of windsurfing?

At school growing up I was definitely the weird one for not playing football, but windsurfing was like a second life for me. I think as we all grew up my friends realised how important windsurfing is to me, it’s always good to have a hobby you’re really motivated with. They know I make the most of socialising when I can so it’s not like I’m never around!

How long have you been competing and how did you get into racing?

I got myself into the RYA pathway and competing internationally at a very young age; after Team 15 I went onto the new junior Techno (at the time) claiming 3rd in under 17 category in Europe. Then I moved onto the youth RS:X class, claiming 3rd at the French Nationals.

When and why did you progress across to slalom? 

Whilst being part of Team GBR I got myself a basic slalom board and started competing along side, then I realised how I enjoyed slalom much more than course racing. Seeing Dan Ellis fly round the course at White Air was a real decision maker for me. Slalom racing is just so much more intense due to the high speeds and narrow course. There’s nothing like flying down the first reach with 100kg men fully stacked, some catapulting and then having to dive into that first mark.

Sam Latham

enjoying the waves

at Shoreham

Do you just race? Or do you take part in other disciplines too? Any other sports?

I wave sail regularly, Shoreham can have some amazing days; sailing with Nik and Ant (Baker) has really improved my confidence going for tricks. I usually make trips to Kimmeridge with my old coach Oli Woodcock when at Uni. I do want to go to a wave event now I have more confidence but it’s just money holding me back at the moment, being a poor student and all.

I have got into surfing a lot more at uni as well, went to a student event in Newquay, Cornwall with the Bournemouth University Surf club but wasn’t at all competitive. Party after was good though!

worthing from Sam Latham K15 on Vimeo.

Whats is your most memorable moment in windsurfing so far?

Landing my first back loop at Sea Lane Cafe in Worthing last year was very un-expected, but can’t really say have landed any since.

Scoring my first proper down the line session at the Bluff about five years ago has to also be up there. At the moment I won’t be truly happy until I’m on the podium for overall men’s slalom in the UK.

Sam Latham, can he get on the podium in 2013?

What are your aims for the future on and off water?

Off the water, I want to grow this chicken coop business to make enough money to live a good windsurfing lifestyle and hopefully design a product that funds this too!

On the water I really want to get to my first PWA event under my belt, just to live the experience rather than watching it on the computer. But may spend this money on having a proper holiday training for a month or so, maybe go out to Ocean Source and meet old UKWA legend Dan Simpson!

Catch up on the other articles in the Hidden Talents series below:

Winter essentials

This is our final Christmas wish list, which brings together a final few items essential to a warm winter for any windsurfer. These along with all our previous wish lists provides the ultimate shopping list for the festive season, so anyone looking to buy for a windsurfer take a look!

Northcore belt

Our first winter essential, this one for on the water, is a heat belt. Northcore produce this one for £15.99, where you add heat packs into the pockets and then wear under your suit for added warmth. Looks like a good idea to us!

The next winter essential is a rigging jacket. Anyone that already has one will know these are an absolute necessity for standing around on the beach, especially in the winter. The pre and post windsurfing chat on the beach, is almost as much fun as the time on the water, so don’t miss out on this just because it’s colder. Our top recommendations for rigging jackets are the reversible jacket from Spartan (£89.00) and the NEO shelter jacket from ION.

NEO shelter jacket from ION

Spartan rigging jacket

Once you have decided to change out of your suit and taken off the rigging jacket, it’s essential to continue to keep warm. The best and easiest way to change at the beach or lake is with a poncho / changing towel. These keep you warm and hide your modesty, it’s a win win! Our top picks for these are again from Spartan and ION; ION offer this bright blue poncho (also available in black), whilst Spartan have this changing towel available for £29.50. 

Spartan changing towel

ION poncho

Bulldog changing mat and bag

ION Beanie

ION towel cover

Another handing changing accessory is a changing mat. Many of these, like the Bulldog version (£19.95) are both a comfy changing mat that keeps your suit off the sand and dirt, and a bag to take your wetsuit home in!

Once changed it’s time to head home, if you’ve got a long journey make sure you keep your head warm with this ION beanie. Or if you have a short journey and are heading home in your suit why not try these towel seat covers that will keep your seats nice and dry and can be used as towel for yourself too?

Our final winter essentials are a car/van dehumidifier to take away the unwanted moisture from your windsurfing gear, some anti freeze and a good windscreen scraper! There’s a lot of options on the market, suited to different vehicles, so choose the one’s recommended for your mode of transport. Check out more travel essentials here. 

Boards recommends the following retailers for all your shopping needs. 

These retailers stock listed products along with a lot more christmas gift options.

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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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 Check out the rest of our Christmas Wish Lists:

Nik Baker rocking his Radium Select Harness

Features

ION Radium Select

ION Radium Select

. X-Spine

. Hip protection

. Cross link webbing

. Memory foam 2.0

. Support cushion

. Soft Edge

. Warp Tec

Colorways: black, blue

. 3D zone shape

. Quick fit

. Internal flex belt

. Push button spreader bar

. Belt garage

. Protection pad

. Inside X-Spine/Neoprene cushion

Sizes: XS, S, M, L, XL

The Radium Select is ION‘s best-known, almost legendary top level waist harness. For 2013, its performance is even increased by featuring the brand new MEMORY FOAM 2.0. Memory foam was originally developed by NASA for space shuttle seats to shoot their astronauts most comfortably and safe into space. This Visco – Elastic Foam creates almost no pressure when returning to its original shape after being deformed. This fact has a positive influence on the blood circulation and avoids point loads at the same time.

A perfect fit due to the 3D ZONE SHAPE, combined with a the new X-SPINE and CROSS LINK WEBING back support system which spreads the load over the complete back part to give maximum of protection for the lower back muscles. Another important feature is the QUICK FIT Leverbuckle system which allows a quick and perfect adjustment of the spreader bar webbings. All these high quality features make the Radium Select harness legendary and that’s why you see it along the globe at every windy place.

Find out more about the world of ION products on www.ion-products.com

You might also like to read:

But what does make the ultimate gift for a windsurfer? Over the coming weeks we will talk through a variety of gift ideas; next up are our favourite Travel and Storage items– every image is clickable, so click the pic for more information on the item.

ION Single Board Bag

Travelling for a windsurfer can mean anything from popping down the road to the local lake, to jetting across to the other side of the world and there are a few essentials for any journey.

Board bags are an absolute must to protect your beloved boards, and they come in various size options. If you want to take just one board with you, wherever you are heading to, the ION single board bag for £69.95 is a  great lightweight bag that still provides a great amount of padding.

Or if you want to be able to take a fair few more boards with you, you may want to look at the Flying Objects triple wave board bag (£154.99). This offers fantastic protection and is the perfect way to carry your whole quiver of boards.

Triple boardbag

drag patches

Triple tie down

triple straps

Pat Love One Shot

If you want to get everything in one bag on your travels there are also a few options to look at. The Pat Love One Shot (£139.00) can carry a quiver of one board, three sails, two masts and one boom, making it the perfect travel companion.

If however you’ve got a little more in your quiver that you would like to take away with you the Flying Objects Windsurf roller (£142.99) maybe the answer.

The Flying Objects Roller Bag

internal pockets

internal tie down

roller wheels

Pat Love Roof Straps

If you’re travelling a little closer to home and strapping gear onto your car is the priority then these straps from Pat Love are a must have. Available in 25mm and 50mm for £9.95 and £19.95 respectively, it is definitely worth checking your straps are in full working order to avoid and mid journey snapping!

Another, more secure way of tying down your boards is with Kanulock.

ION roof rack pads

An essential under the straps, to keep your equipment safe are roof rack pads. We recommend these ones from ION, available for £15.99.

Or you could look at another option for a roof rack; HandiRack (£59.99) is a totally inflatable roof rack which is light, durable and easy to use.

Action Van double seat cover

Oshea single seat cover

It is of course important to travel in style too, and seat covers offer both a great look plus keep your seats dry and sand free! Action Vans and O’Shea both offer great single and double covers – O’Shea single £29.99 and O’Shea double £39.99. Action Van T5 single £37.50 and Action Van T5 double £42.00.

Where to buy?

Boards recommends the following retailers that stock items in this week’s Christmas wish list.

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Boardwise - ION, Flying Objects, O’Shea, Handirack, Kanulock.

Robin Hood Watersports - ION, Handirack, Pat Love, Kanulock.

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Juice Boardsports - Flying Objects, O’Shea, Handirack, Kanulock

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Action Van -  Action Van, Kanulock.

Andy Biggs  - ION, Flying Objects, Handirack, Kanulock.

Bray Lake - ION, Flying Objects, Handirack.

L.A.R. Watersports - ION, O’Shea, Handirack, Pat Love, Kanulock.

Puravida Boardriders - ION, Flying Objects, O’Shea, Handirack, Pat Love.

Quayside Windsurfers - ION, Flying Objects.

Wet n Dry Boardsports - ION, Flying Objects, Kanulock.

4Boards  - ION, O’Shea

Check out the previous Christmas Wishlists: 

Winter Warmers

winter warmers

ION ANTI SMELL

The main problem: Bacteria increase very fast in warm, moist or sweaty environments. Without disinfection, their number doubles every 20 minutes. Sanitized® prevents bacteria growth and door development very effectively. An important fact in doing so: Different from other wetsuit competitors’ solutions, Sanitized® protects the neoprene jersey not only against regular bacteria growth, but also against fungi, mildew alga – all with a long-lasting unique approach:

The ION ANTI SMELL feature immensely reduces necessary laundry cycles massively, which helps to preserve the physical properties much longer and prevents the waste of water.

The safety of Sanitized® is proven by strict tests that meet highest international standards and requirements. The used Sanitized® product is certified by OEKO-TEX 100 – classes I-IV and Allergy UK. In addition, it is bluedesign® approved, which guarantees a very eco friendly production.

The Sanitized® technology is permanently integrated into the material of selected ION items such as premium wetsuits, the Ballistic Socks and the Ballistic Toes.

Check out ion-products.com for the detailed specs of ION ANTI SMELL products.

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.

Interviewed afterwards Keith Atkinson said, “I’m very happy with the result, I felt extremely comfortable with my equipment and was mentally prepared for the event, it was very close and was down to whoever won the last race, I knew what needed to be done and I was happy that I pulled it out of the bag when I needed to. I’d like to thank my sponsors for their incredible support: North Sails, Fanatic, ION, F-hot fins, Marlow ropes, Kennett Watches, Physioactive and Wet ‘n’ Dry boardsports, Keith is looking forward to the 2013 season which starts in March.

Keith Atkinson