Boards advertising manager and BWA judge Lukasz took to his local break of Rhosneigr, ahead of the upcoming BWA competition.

A little further south Scott Harrison took to the water with his NeilPryde Hellcat, check out the fancy footwork!

Scott Harrison

2013 Butterfly Effect Maui from Tatiana Howard on Vimeo.

This clinic runs from Nov 10th to the15th and is part of the Four Seasons Unforgettable Event Series on Maui. This unique opportunity is for anyone who has ever wanted a safe and fun introduction to water sports while staying at a five star hotel in Hawaii.

For more details email shawnacropas@gmail.com

Or check out our last March Four Seasons Aloha Clinic event: http://www.shawnacropas.com/four-seasons-unforgettable-event-series/

For booking please check out: http://www.shawnacropas.com/alohawindsurfingclinics/fourseasons/

‘At the office’

DC: The only trip I had this winter was to Morocco with my son Jack. We spent some time with Boujmaa and Hack had a good chance to practice his surfing. He had a good year this year as he was crowned British surfing champion in the under 12’s. Other than that I’ve just been staying around Cornwall, hitting the water almost 4 times a week, either windsurfing or surfing. It’s been a really cold winter, perhaps too cold for windsurfing, below 9 degrees air temp is pretty hard on hands, so it was sometimes a really hard call to go out. The rest of the time I’ve just been on standby for the Red Bull Storm Chase. We eventually found ourselves in Ireland, with some epic conditions and the temperature really wasn’t that bad, about 12 degrees.

Boardseeker: Looking back at last year we had wind at every event, how do you think it all went and was there any real highlights for you?

DC: Yeah it was a really good season, Koester was obviously the standout once again but aside from him Thomas Traversa had an exceptional year and was the first person to win an event in three years after Koester’s dominant reign. In freestyle, again the standard and level shot up and Gollito really showed he had it in him to come back, proving he is not to be forgotten. You can sometimes think when someone is at the top they can drop off their game and then slip out of the limelight but he came back and came back strong. It’s also really great to see so many more coming into freestyle, numbers are really high right now, the events are running at full capacity and many wildcards are having to be turned away. It’s also promising for the sport as many will take the natural progression from freestyle to waves, this will only then up the level of freestyle mixing with the waves, then the aerial moves for waves can only increase fro here. Also worth a special mention is Alex Mussolini he had a good year and was on fire in Tenerife and we can’t forget Iballa who for won the PWA Womens Wave title, bit of an upset for Daida.

Koester is even sailing some heats with almost perfect scores out of a maximum of 60. The level of sailors, especially Koester is about as good as you can get, he is near to perfection…

DC: The most significant change came from the media. When I started we didn’t have any live feed or live TV, so for me that’s the biggest change. It makes it very different, something extra to think about, rather than making a video and editing it. It goes out live, this has made the whole PWA become much more professional in terms of its media output.

In terms of the level of windsurfing, like I said before it is always improving but that is kind of expected, we see heats of perfect 10 scores now and Koester is even sailing some heats with almost perfect scores out of a maximum of 60. The level of sailors, especially Koester is about as good as you can get, he is near to perfection in a contest heat than anyone can be right now. Trying to beat him really requires the perfect heat, a double to start, a perfect push forward and then wave rides to match!

Another addition to this year was the Red Bull storm chase. Affiliated with the PWA we made sure that no event dates could clash and it puts our sport right in the limelight with guaranteed action and a chance for the public to see windsurfing at its most extreme.

Let’s not forget the slalom, it is still amazing seeing Bjorn Dunkerbeck still on the podium, still charging, still producing results despite being over 40 years old. It’s super impressive, he really has dedicated his whole life to windsurfing, well over a quarter of a century!

A remarkable resemblance…

DC: I’d be surprised if anyone could beat Bjorn or even get close to his number of World Titles.

DC: It can always come back, it is just a matter of funding. We know how to run them, they are good, potentially a financial business proposition for the right person. There is a lot to be made from sponsorship and it is great to get windsurfing across to people who haven’t seen it, the people that live in the middle of cities.

Tow-in is to just fill in no wind days in competitions, I really like it ,you could possibly have a tow-in tour, but we have to be careful because we are windsurfing and it’s more of a show and an attraction on light wind days at events. It’s great to see that the public love it and if you are freestyler its definitely worth training as there is some good prize money available. However,  it is interesting that it still seems to be the best ranked freestylers who are taking the podium positions.

DC: Yep they are all on, Holland is on, Pozo and the other Canary Island events are on. It looks like a good year ahead.

DC: Nothing specific planned as such, just new events in Chile and Cape Town. An exciting year for the wave tour because Sylt won’t be the final stop anymore. The one drawback is that there is still no starboard tack, which is pretty frustrating for people like Boujmaa. I think in these times it is much easier to keep events going then getting new ones. Hopefully, one day soon we will have one in Hawaii.

Is Live Scoring the future of our sport…

DC: Yes we are working on this with Kurosh Kiani to make sure we get the right software that is needed, he will design it with Rich Page, myself and Frankie rouge the French judge. Between us we will work out how it will be best laid out for the judges to use for freestyle. We’d like to do it move for move. Would be good for the media side of it, for the commentators and followers of the live Stream.

DC: It’s already started to go the way we all thought it would go, it is now much more internet based, there is live stream, live scoring, etc…

With Kelly Slaters influence it could for sure happen… I guess it would kind of be similar to the X-Games, just on the water.

DC: Sometimes in waves we do that already, when we have 5 judges we already do it. Perhaps we can develop this into freestyle, we are already thinking about how it would work, so I don’t see why not. Generally it is better like that but you need 5 judges, we have just 3 for waves. In freestyle we do use 5 judges in the latter heats so there is the possibility there.

Boardseeker: Do you think disciplines like Super-X came into the sport too early and that by re-introducing it now it would perhaps take off again?

DC: I like super-x, but the real problem is is that it requires loads more equipment. Right now I’m not sure the sponsors/brands can support the riders to make it happen. Especially as super-x boards weren’t really sold to the public. As a spectacle though it is amazing to watch but I don’t think it came too soon. It would be great to see it come back but it just needs a lot more money/equipment, it wont replace normal slalom racing.

DC: I used to race on triangle/sausage courses so I can understand it and like watching it, especially as we have gold level chances (UK). It is exciting to see and congrats to Nick for picking up bronze.

It would be good but really it won’t happen because there is not enough wind to go on the plane at many of the Olympic destinations, so it just couldn’t happen. Potentially however, something I’ve thought about for a while now, is an event like a water-sports Olympics, like a winter Olympics with snow, I don’t see why it is not possible to have a water Olympics, like kitesurfing, windsurfing, surfing etc.., where wave pools and wind machines to make it much more guaranteed. With Kelly Slaters influence it could for sure happen… I guess it would kind of be similar to the X-Games, just on the water.

In terms of the kit, maybe the only real change needed is the board type. Maybe have two boards, choosing one that is more exciting when it is windy. A bit like we used to do on the old days of the pro tour. We would course racing when it was not as windy then slalom when the wind picked up. But it can be very difficult to get the RYA to change, something I have no influence on.

Hawaii (spring and fall) for two events, Indonesia or Fiji, but to be honest it is pretty good at the moment. Maybe Ireland could be a good addition it’s a strong port tack wave tour right now, if it just had those Hawaii events in it, it would be a really good well balanced tour, especially with Chile now in the mix.

I guess if I was to really list it then it would be something like this – Cabo Verde, Maui, the Canaries, then Klitmoeller, Sylt (both are really good showcases for windsurfing, really radical conditions which keeps the public involved and interested and gives them a chance to meet the pros) then finish with port tack down the line in Chile or SA, so really it’s not far off being a dream tour.

For freestyle: There are a lot more places you can do freestyle but in the end the canaries offer some of the best conditions. It would be great to see the Caribbean back and to add some more ‘exotic’ events perhaps freestyle in Cape Town so it is more wave orientated, it makes it much more exciting to watch. Or how about Margarita, the funding is not there but the dream tour right?

Duncan shredding back in the 80′s at his favourite UK break – Gwithian

DC: Yeah it is really about the young kids coming up who are most important for the sport, like Arthur Arutkin, he’s been training really hard in Chile, he looked good last year. Also Alessio Stillrich for sure has always been there in Pozo, if his down the line wave riding improved a bit more he should do well on the rankings this year. All in all it is good to see the new young faces coming through not just world tour but on the national levels as well.

Follow the progress of this years PWA World Tour on www.pwaworldtour.com or right here on Boards.co.uk

Here are his words about the nightshoot:

“Using über powerful waterproof lights from Marine Exposure we shot these late at night in Brazil. It was extremely difficult to windsurf because the whole sky was full of spray from the waves, that in daylight we hardly notice but in torchlight it was like a fog, so I found it really difficult to see the waves coming, then to ride them was like riding with my eyes closed. I caught a few waves but the lights seemed to be attracting too many big fish, so I carried my gear to the bar instead.”

Colin Dixon. Image credit Global Shots.

COLIN DIXON: No, it,s only water! Watch a motor cross crash section that should give you a kick up the ass and help you man up!!!!

JO WRIGHT: I used to be very scared, then I saw a 75 year old man going for vulcans, sometimes falling but every time coming up smiling. So I had a quiet word with myself and suddenly all my excuses for not trying became irrelevant! And I guess injury can happen to anyone, anywhere – even going over on your ankle walking down the street, so there is no point worrying too much!

JOHN PALMER: Always now… I remember learning to flaka and that terrified me. But, if you just try it a few times you will realise that the pain isn’t actually that bad! A bit of peer pressure always helps too. I’ve never really got over this kind of fear; have it with push loops now after seeing Dave Williams’ smashed up nose on Facebook a few weeks ago! You just need to keep at the move and the fear will go.

Max Rowe at West Witterring

MAX ROWE: I almost feel a bit ashamed of myself sometimes, I teach people how to Vulcan on land in the morning then they go straight out and try it that afternoon; I remember being very nervous about trying it and always found a good reason not to! I’m having a similar battle at the moment learning the wave moves and the best ways I’ve found of getting over it are to build up confidence first or to just get the first big crash out the way early on then you go for it a lot more.

DANIELLE LUCAS: I am definitely not very confident when it comes to learning some moves.  I’m not consciously worrying about injury but I guess that must be it, as well as smashing my kit up! To get over it you just have to do it, having friends or rivals about definitly helps, that’s how I learnt to vulcan…I had someone working for me who was not as good as me but started learning the vulcan and he was getting close very quickly, that really pushed me to go for it forgetting the fear!

PHIL RICHARDS: I have had problems with minor injuries in the past but it’s important to stay positive at this time and let your body heal. My biggest bit of advice would be to avoid injury by remaining fit and flexible. Do stretches. Also, look after your feet.

ADAM SIMS: Nope, more just afraid of the time off the water! The injury list is starting to build for me but it doesn’t set me back mentally, I just visualise what I need to do a lot and then go out and do it. One time I had a couple beers then went for a pushie session, that softened the over-rotated back slaps…

ANDY CHAMBERS: No not really, except possibly in very shallow water.  If you start thinking “that looks like it’s gonna hurt’ then it probably will as you have it in the back of your mind the whole time and will reduce the chances of you learning it. Don’t think it in the first place! Put it out of your mind if you can.  And if you can’t then wait until you are perfectly comfortable with the conditions, gear etc before attempting a new move.

JAMIE DRUMMOND: Yes! I’ve blown both my knees out (either ACL/MCL/Meniscus or all of them) in the last couple of years. The first time was just messing up a tack in shallow water (radical) and the second was doing a one-handed Ponch, which is sort of my trademark move that I can pull out anywhere! I’ve been lucky so far in that I’ve not injured myself when learning any of the new power moves, even though that’s where you might expect it to all go wrong. So, don’t think about it when trying new moves as you really need to be focused, but funnily enough get more worried trying some of the more basic moves.

Bar injuries? Sharks. Terrifying beasts.

Jamie Drummond

COLIN DIXON: Hard! You just need to try stuff with more power; a lot of people sail under powered so if you’re under powered you won’t go as high or as fast,

ADAM SIMS: They are all hard, the ducking is the hardest part but once you get past that then sometimes the move can be really effortless but still difficult. Maybe the culo and burner are not so hard if you are fully powered up. Any combo which requires power and sliding is normally very, very hard though and really requires a good balance between kit set-up and technique.

JOHN PALMER: Easy! haha, nah they are pretty tough! Coolest move I’ve seen recently is Dieter’s air kabikuchi. I’m pretty sure i’ll never be able to do them!

MAX ROWE: Anything that’s classed as “new” will always be hard because it makes you think it must be because it’s “new”. In reality some of these power moves such as the switch stance kono are becoming a lot more common place because they aren’t that hard, now people are learning them as their first switch move. Best advice would be to have a go and find out as what’s hard for someone else might be really simple for you or vise versa unfortunately!!

PHIL RICHARDS: Not as hard as they look,  they just require more commitment and for you to sail more powered up.

Bubble in Vass. Image credit Global Shots.

ANDY CHAMBERS: With the development of of the new gear (sails especially), the new power moves have got much easier than when we first started seeing them a few years ago.  The hardest part has always been getting the sail duck right, once you are a comfortable ducking the sail then the rest of the move doesn’t take too long to learn.

JAMIE DRUMMOND: The new power moves that are coming out are pretty tricky. Most of them involve a lot of setup before you’re even ready to take off – so getting solid at going switch and ducking the sail is an absolute essential. Practice really does make perfect in this case and repetition will help you get the feel for ducking the sail.

Combo moves are also getting much more technical, so just the SETUP of a move can involve doing a perfect, full-speed Spock, Forward or Flaka – a challenge enough on it’s own before adding a Culo, Flaka or Shaka onto the end!

Robby Swift. Image credit John Carter/Reb Bull Content Pool

Where were you when you found out the chase was on?

I was in San Francisco airport on my way back from Maui to Chile.

Did you immediately think it would actually happen this time, or were you still relaxed?

I had my doubts as so many had been cancelled before but I know we need to finish three missions before June so we would have to go sooner or later. It was a very good call in the end!

Robby Swift. Image credit John Carter/Reb Bull Content Pool

How was your journey over?

Awful! Santiago, Panama, Houston, San Francisco, Maui for eight hours, Denver, Frankfurt, Dublin.

What were conditions like when you first got there? 

Ridiculous. I didn’t think we would be able to sail at all. I could hardly walk down the beach.

Have you sailed Brandon much before? How did these conditions compare?

Yes many times for BWA (back in the day) and then the PWA events that happened there. It was actually pretty fun sailing in one heat, when it was only about 50knots. The heats where it was 60-70 knots were ridiculous. It was scary! I love Brandon Bay, there are so many options to sail there in all different wind directions.

What equipment were you using? 

I used a 75L single thruster and my 3.4 Combat. I also borrowed a 2.5 custom sail cut down from an old 3.2 Combat from Rob Jones for one heat. I could hardly even sail on that!

Robby Swift. Image credit John Carter/Reb Bull Content Pool

Please try and describe how insane it was to be sailing in 70 knots?

It was 50-70knots! It’s hard to describe how hard it was. I couldn’t walk down the beach with my gear. Rob had to help me every time. I didn’t think I would even be able to waterstart. It wasn’t that hard to waterstart in the end but sailing along, I felt like the sail would rip from my hands at any time. I was afraid to do even the smallest jump as I thought the wind would just whip the gear out of my hands. Sometimes you would be sailing along, completely out of control, and you would see a gust up ahead with water flying everywhere and just think: how am I going to survive that?

What was the best thing you pulled off do you think? and how did the judges score it?

I somehow managed to pull off the best push loop forward of my life. It was insane. I had a slight lull on that run out. It was probably only about 50 knots, and I had just landed a huge backloop. I had told everyone that I wanted to do a push forward and they all laughed at me, so when I saw that ramp I said to myself: you had better do it now! I launched into the air, much higher than usual with the insane wind, and did the push loop. I got scared after that and almost didn’t sheet in for the forward, but then I said just go for it, and threw all caution to the wind, so to speak. Anything could have happened. I don’t want to think about what would have happened if a gust would have hit me at that moment. I spun round surprisingly in control and spotted my landing from way up on the air. I knew it would be hard to hold on so I slipped my front thumb around from on top of the boom to underneath so I had the boom in a death grip. I almost over rotated but somehow had the presence of mind to sheet out completely to stop the rotation and just landed completely flat. It buckled my knees and snapped the board. It was probably the hardest landing of my life but it felt very good!

The judges all gave it an instant 10. They said there was no deliberation. It was the highest scoring move of the event so I was happy I got up the guts to do it!

THAT push loop forward – at 30secs!

How will you approach things differently for the next storm?

I am definitely taking a 3.0! Robert Stroj, the NeilPryde designer is making me one as we speak.

Who’s your bet on for the overall winner of the chase?

I still fancy my own chances. You have to don’t you, if you want to win! I beat everyone in the Ireland chase on jumping by quite a long way. I hardly did any wave rides though as I missed almost all of my second heat with the broken board, and the first and last heats I did were so windy that I simply couldn’t bottom turn.

Brawzinho would be another favorite, and Victor. If the wind is a little more manageable, I think those two have a lot more to offer than we saw in the first chase!

Wishing Robby and the other guys lots of luck for the next storm, whenever it may be. You can follow all the action here on Boards of course. 

Next up is the freestyler, also making waves on the BWA tour, Andy ‘Bubble’ Chambers.

Aerial! Image credit Line Wittrup.

Where are you? 

Cape Town, South Africa.

What conditions have you had recently?  

The first month we had awesome waves and good wind but sometimes a bit lighter.  This month it has been super mental windy and not much swell so mainly jumping and freestyle.  I’ve done a couple of trips both for freestyle and waves. Luckily over here the furthest you have to drive is about two hours and even that feels like a long way!  Most places are with 10 minutes!

Backie at Sunset, image credit Line Wittrup.

Who have you been sailing with?  

Been sailing with the Euro boys and girls! The Dutch Amanda Beenan, Austrians Max Matissek and Manu Grafenauer and Danish Kenneth Danielsen, also Sam Neal and a couple of other UK guys in the beginning and then the main English contingent of Muzza, Max Rowe and Jem Hall turned up at the start of January.  I’m sharing a car with Max which is pretty easy as he’s getting into his wavesailing a bit more now as well.  Muzza is in our house as well which is always entertaining!! Speaking of entertaining, I never realised that Jem Hall was such a disco diva!!

Goiter. Image credit Line Wittrup.

What equipment have you been using most of the time? 

I’ve been using my 2013 JP Quads with the K4 Fins set up.  Depending on if it’s float and ride on bigger days I have been using the more grippy flexies and then on the smaller wndier days I have been using the looser stubbies. Also the new asymetric side fins have been working pretty well.

For sails I have been using the 2013 Neil Pryde Combats in the waves and the Wizard for freestyle.  It’s been so nice having the different sets of sails with me.

Kono at the lake, image credit Lizzie Smith.

What’s in store for you next, how long out you out in SA and where will you be off to next? 

I am staying here until the 12th of Feb and then heading off to Dahab to do some photo and video shooting for JP.  Then also Maui for the main JP and NeilPryde product photo and video shoot.  Events start soon after that in the UK and PWA Tour. Looks like it’s gonna be a busy (and sunny) few months haha!!

Follow more about Bubble on Boards here. 

The standard within the Freestyle group has been extremely high throughout the Season and Oscar Carmichael, just 16 years of age, in winning the last event at Weymouth pushed seasoned Pro Andy Bubble Chambers in the Pro Fleet very hard narrowly missing the title in his first season.

Andy Bubble Chambers - sponsored by JP/NeilPryde.

With 9 competitors in the Pro Fleet Andy Bubble Chambers claimed first place, Oscar Carmichael finished in second place and third place went to Rick Cleworth.

Oscar Carmichael - sponsored by Fanatic, Ion, North Sails and K4 Fins

Nic Hibdige powered to first place in the Under 20s, Alex Mitchell came 2nd and Charlie Jones 3rd.

Nic Hibdige - sponsored by Mystic, Simmer and Starboard

Jamie Howard blitzed the U17 fleet taking 1st place with  Josh Sparks 2nd and Jed Davis followed 3rd.

Jamie Howard - sponsored by RRD, Surfladle and Fuss3Solutions

In the U15s Category competition was fierce, but Ike Bradley Baker sealed his victory at Weymouth taking 1st place with Harry Davis 2nd and Lucas Meldrum 3rd.

Ike Bradley-Baker - sponsored by North Sails and Fanatic

In the Amateurs Category Kieran Roan came 1st, Ollie Acton 2nd and Fraser Green and Jack Sawbridge equal 3rd.

Kieran Roan

Danielle Lucas won first place in the Ladies Group with Emily Hall and Lara Johnson coming an equal 2nd.

Danielle Lucas

Trevor Funnell, Freestyle Director said:

“It’s been a great season, with good numbers attending the events.  The level of competition has been very high and it’s been fantastic to see such huge progress made by many of the participants.  2013 looks set to be a fantastic Season with the schedule to be announced shortly.”

Picture credits: images courtesy of Trevor Hibdige.

Windsurfing with Olya Raskina from Windsurf Beauties on Vimeo.

RS:One racing

Saturday Results:
Female:
1- Bryony Shaw
2- Saskia Sills
3- Emily Hall

Men Espoir:
1- Oliver Bradley-Baker
2- Sam Sills
3- Lee Marrs

Men Senior:
1- Leo McCallin
2- Duncan Sheldon
3- Jim Brooks-Dowsett

Men Master:
1- Mark Rich
2- Scott Harrison
3- Rees Nial

Super LED race winner:
1- Bryony Shaw

RS:One racing LED style

Sunday Results:
Female:
1- Bryony Shaw
2- Saskia Sills
3- Imogen Sills

Men Espoir:
1- Alistair Masters
2- Sam Sills
3- Oliver Bradley-Baker

Bryony Shaw racing

Men Senior:
1- Leo McCallin
2- Duncan Sheldon
3- Jim Brooks-Dowsett

Men Master:
1- Scott Harrison
2- Nial Rees
3- Mark Rich

Super Final winner:
1- Alistair Masters

Jaguar are proud to be supporting the racing series, which now heads over to Torbole for the next event.