Apart from the medals and Welsh Dragon trophies for all of the 5 fleets (Youth, Amateurs, Masters, Ladies and Pros), SurfAdviser have prepared a special trophy for a STAND OUT PERFORMANCE of the event. This award will go to one person from all 5 fleets, that impresses the judges the most throughout the whole competition – be it with the biggest wave, best move or the most hardcore crash!

Check out the shots on our Instagram account here (or click the pic below). Boards will have more images on Instragram before, throughout and after the events so stay tuned!

Sailing images courtesy of Duncan Dumbreck.

Boards has already caught up with many of the competitors in each fleet, check out the following features:

Inside Funsport and Bucky’s View. 

Looking Forward to the BWA: Ladies

Looking Forward to the BWA: Amateurs

Looking Forward to the BWA: Pros and Masters

PLUS we will of course be at all BWA events providing you with the latest and most up to date coverage LIVE from all the events. Here on Boards we will have a dedicated BWA section on the website where you can check out the latest features, plus check out the images making their way onto our Instagram.

As last year, Boards will present a Live Ticker from each event, following every heat of every fleet and letting you know exactly what is happening. So stay tuned to Boards for all the latest BWA coverage!

More on the Rhosneigr, Wales BWA event:

The event kicks off on Friday 17th with a day of competition for the pros only. There is also a plan, wind dependent, for some go cart action on the Friday; if there’s no competition on the water sparks are sure to fly on the race track!

Registration for all other fleets takes place on Saturday 18th at 9am sharp, this will be followed by competition for all and then an evening (with food and drink of course) in the new and improved Funsport Cafe. The evening Hawaiian themed so grab your best flowery shirt! Then for those with the staying power it could well be onto a pub or two.

Sunday 19th is the final day for competition, followed by the prize giving before competitors pack up and head over to Ireland for the next round of competition.

Check out more about event host Funsport here. 

Boards of course will be covering all the action LIVE from Wales and Ireland, with a Live heat by heat ticker, images, round up reports, interviews and more, so watch this space!

Ben Proffitt competing in Rhosneigr in 2012. Image credit BWA/Dave White.

*Boards will be your port of call for all the latest event news during every BWA competition. We will have a live ticker giving you the run down of every heat, plus live images, the inside scoop from the riders and much more!

Funsport, Rhosneigr is located here…

View Larger Map

What conditions can we expect?
Everything from glass flat to 4m swell.

Top names that can regularly be seen on the water and hanging around the beach?
Phil Horrocks, Ben Proffitt.

Who can come over to the centre and what can they do on the water?
Man or woman, girl or boy; we suit most ages. Almost any watersport.

And off the water?
We have the shop and now a Café.
A huge selection of summer clothing has just turned up, so the fashion side of the shop is looking ready for the season.
We have stock of most watersports equipment in the shop from windsurfing and kitesurfing, to surfing and wakeboarding, plus wetsuits to suit almost anyone.
We offer rental on windsurfing kit from beginner to advanced, SUPs, surfboards, bodyboards, skimboards and wetsuits.
The Surf Café is also a recent addition, so when your not on the water we can offer you lovely coffee, a delicious lunch or filling breakfast.

What have you changed ready for 2013?
Over the past couple of years we have been building an extension to the rear of the shop, which now holds all our fashion side of things. Above that is the new Surf Café. And in the original shop we now hold all of the hardware and wetsuits.

You always host the Rhosneigr leg of the BWA, what are you looking forward to with the competition this year?
As always it is really good having such a great number of windsurfers around and seeing some of the top ranked sailors in the world in Rhosneigr. We are also looking forward to showing everyone the new Shop and Café as it is such a different place since last year.

What can competitors expect?
We would like to say 3m swell and a 25 knot South Westerly coming in, so we’ve got all our fingers and toes crossed at the moment. Hopefully it will be a fun and relaxed environment for all the competitors to enjoy.

Last year Phil Horrocks was triumphant in Rhosneigr, will he be again in 2013?

Why would you encourage a first time competitor to come along? Or if someone’s not competing but wants to soak up the atmosphere and then take part in other activities what can they do?
Rhosneigr is not only a great spot for the keen wave sailor but also is great for people that are just getting into waves. The waves in the bay are quite a soft wave generated by the wind so you can make mistakes, if anything was to happen you just drift into the beach to the right of the bay. Also all the competitors are very helpful and everyone that is there have had to enter for the first time so they know how it is and everyone is really friendly. If you are just wanting to visit then not only is it great to see but just a great beach to visit. The shop will still be open for business so rentals are still available etc.

It’s a great spectacle too, what can someone who’s just coming along to watch get from the weekend and why is it a great idea to attend?
It is not often that we have such a huge amount of windsurfers in Rhosneigr so if the conditions are on then it can be something really special to see. It’s a fairly rare event so its definitely worth taking a day out and coming over to Rhosneigr

Liam Ellis.

Who is always great to watch at the Rhosneigr competition? Stand out local sailor?Phil (Horrocks) and Ben (Proffitt) are great to watch in the competition as they are our locals so both want to win here! Steve Laddiman and Liam Ellis are some of the stand out sailors in Rhosneigr at the moment, showing some great skills this year.

You can find out more about Funsport here.

Boards will, as always, be right in the thick of the action at BWA Rhosneigr and Ireland, providing you all with the latest info on every heat as it happens, plus more from all the competitors.

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

Boards catches up with one of the most promising names moving from the BWA youth scene into the Amateur fleet, Liam Ellis. Regularly seen ripping it up in Rhosneigr, Liam is sure to make an impact on the tour this year, especially at his home spot. 

Liam Ellis. Image credit No Idea Productions. 

Name: Liam Ellis

Age: 19

From: Anglesey, North Wales

Years Windsurfing: 9

Favourite Discipline: Wave

Local Spot: Rhosneigr

Occupation: Watersport Instructor

Sponsors:  Funsport, Slacklinz

How did you get into windsurfing?

I was bought a taster session when I was 10 to go windsurfing at Plas Menai; ended up loving it and managed to get hold of some kit from a family friend and that was it!

Liam Ellis

Liam Ellis

Liam Ellis. Image credit BWA/Dave White.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What do your friends think of windsurfing?

A lot of my friends are quite into watersports which is really cool, means we can be on the water together and share some brilliant sessions!

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

I started to compete in the BWA tour in 2010 in the youth fleet, although there wasn’t too many entrants at the comps I entered I still really enjoyed entering and attending because of the action you get to see. The people at the events are awesome  and I gained some good competition knowledge. I ended up 2nd in youth both in 2010 and 2011, in 2012 I only managed to do the Rhosneigr event where I ended up in 5th which I was over the moon with! This year I am hoping to travel to all the events and will try to finish as high as possible. I am really focussing on my skills this winter and hope it all pays off!

Liam Ellis. Image credit BWA/Dave White. 

What is your most memorable moment in windsurfing?

Probably quite recent, I have been focussing on my riding a lot and I think just before Christmas I scored some brilliant sailing and managed to get my first taka! I couldn’t of been happier! I am now able to pretty much get round them whenever I try but maybe not sail out of it! Practice makes perfect though ey!

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

I think I am going to keep pushing my sailing as much as possible. I now live in Rhosneigr so it means I can go on the water whenever I want and working at Funsport also allows me to be as close to the beach as possible. I am planning on sticking around here for this year to focus on the BWA tour and also teach windsurfing, surfing and SUP at Funsport! I am trying to to keep my blog up to date this year too! Check it out here http://liamellisk405.blogspot.co.uk there is also a little clip of a taka crash in there too!

Tri Service action at Rhosneigr

The event is in its 5^th year and is now regarded as one of the top Service Windsurfing Events in the competition calendar.

Sailors form the Army / Navy and RAF will be competing in a wave sailing competition during the week which will culminate in an individual and team event.

There will be two fleets:  the Open class which will be aimed at experience riders some of which compete on the National wave circuit and also a Novice class which will be aimed at the more entry level wave sailing.

There will be coaching clinics delivered throughout the week by the Army Windsurfing Training Manager Jon Metcalfe.

Registration will take place at 0900 on Monday 25^th morning at the Funsport Shop.

You will be able to follow more about the Championships right here on Boards. 

Year on year we see new ideas and wetsuit types being introduced to the market. Companies are developing new materials, cuts and designs to make sure the end user gets a great product. Seeing another new product on the market, officially introduced at NWF ’12 wasn’t of a great surprise to me but Iain Smith’s approach and idea has intrigued me to the point that I had to try it.

Ianovated design is staying away from current, tight fitted, strongly panelled and multi-purpose wetsuits. As a windsurfer I’ve decided to try the classic smooth skin version. Single lined wetsuits are becoming less and less popular with windsurfers, none the less this material is the best for keeping you warm on those cold winter days. And this suit will keep you super warm!

System in use with ION open palm mittens

Many of us hate using gloves while windsurfing, however Iain has found a solution to keep your hands warm,  whilst using open palm gloves. The open palms means you’re not restricted and can still grip the boom well, taking away the problems associated with traditional gloves. The wetsuit is integrated with two pipes, mounted with a mouth piece and running through the suit, exiting before wrists and fitted inside the glove.

Ianovated is made for a purpose – to allow you to get on the water in the coldest possible weather using an integrated with the breath-powered heating system. The cut is well thought through, to allow the pipes to run inside the suit and to give you movement and comfort whilst sailing. The rear horizontal dry zip allows easy entry, and additional bagginess lets you feel comfortable and not even think about pipes inside the suit.

 Sailing experience
The Ianovated suit should be used in temperatures  lower  than 10 degrees. We used it in five, with wind chill of two to three degrees. Result were very positive! The wetsuit fits perfectly, keeps you warm despite the seams being glued and blind stitched, not welded, and the neck and wrist seals are the relaxed “semi dry” spec, water seeps in too slowly to notice when you fall in. Wind chill, what wind chill? The neoprene is super thick and warm (5/4mm). Although flexibility isn’t the strongest part of the design manoeuvrability is very good. Swimming after your kit being washed in by 2m wave in 3,7sqm weather was not a problem either.

The mouth piece doesn’t get in the way what so ever, and is very accessible when needed. I’ve found myself using it more than I had to; it’s been a while since my hands stayed warm for the whole two hour session in mid February. After a long period in the water the tubes do fill up with water, but this isn’t a problem at all as the water warms up from your body and next blow delivers even nicer feeling of a hot water stream on your palms.

Mouth piece feels suprisingly comfortable

Over all I would say the system works perfectly! Built for purpose and delivers. The wetsuit itself is super warm and there are not many disadvantages to it. This product is made for specific group of clients, and after breaking the first barrier of putting it on and using the suit it will find many believers and supporters. If you are looking to stay warm and be able to take full advantage of sailing in extreme temperatures throughout the winter, this is perfect product!

High quality neopreme and well thought design make this a great product.

“Even the young and fashionable conceded this odd looking suit solves a problem.”

Liam Ellis:

“First impressions are that the suit looks like a fairly decent; it’s a slightly odd looking wetsuit, with the tubes sticking out. But generally a pretty good quality suit. The neoprene is really comfortable, nice and flexible. Zip across shoulders generally feels a little restricting but whilst sailing not so bad.

I was not cold in this wetsuit! I purposefully dived under the water and I was still warm once out of water. Smooth skin is brilliant!

I wore the suit with gloves as opposed to open palm mitts which I think it may not work at its best as when I blow into the mouthpiece my gloves just inflated, so whilst sailing I found it would move the glove around my hand a little. It seels off the gloves quite well with the plastic piece for wrists on tube which I thought was pretty good!

I was surprisingly happy wearing the wetsuit and impressed. I guess it is designed to be able to keep your hands warm whilst sailing and it does just that! The water today was probably five degrees and I did not get cold once. The wind was about 25 knots and from the North so not a warm wind either and I think the quality of neoprene helped with that! I think little improvements to the size and fit and this could be a great wetsuit for the cold winter days!”

For more information on Ianovated Wetsuits, prodcuct info and videos along with testimonials from live users head to the full product page.

The BWA announce the first two dates of the UK Wave Tour for 2013.

This year Phil Horrocks was triumphant in Rhosneigr, will he be again in 2013?

The competition will kick off in Wales, at Rhosneigr beach on May 17th to 19th. This will involve competition for the pros only on the Friday, they will then be joined by all other fleets on the Saturday and Sunday.

Straight after this it’s onto Brandon Bay in Ireland, May 20th to 24th, for round two.

So they are doing it again….. sailing at Rhosneigr, Wales at the weekend then a frantic road trip to Brandon Bay, Ireland. This back-to-back event has become one of the most dreaded but popular events in the wavesailors calendar…are you up to it?!

Dates for other rounds to follow. The dates have been decided after discussions with other associations in order to avoid conflicts as far as we are able. Please note that like all things ‘windsurfing’ the dates are not set in absolute stone but we will endeavor to stick to them.

This year Boards covered every event, every day; check out more about each of the events here.

It was a lovely sunny day on Day 2, but with a dismal wind forecast for the day, the pros were able to relax and spend time showing off their gear to all the amateurs who had arrived for their first day of competition.  With a total entry of 55 sailors, it’s the highest entry Rhosneigr has ever had for a wave event with Sundays promising forecast being an influential factor.

There were small waves coming into the bay, which allowed for some paddle boarding action, but otherwise it was a fairly chilled out day at the seaside.  The end of the day was capped off in style with Coors provided some free beer to help take in the sunset and prepare for the Saturday night Olympic themed party!

Sunday’s forecast is looking promising for later in the day, so its likely to be a late one!  The intention is to run the amateurs first and then a double elimination for pros (and of course the pro single final) if time and conditions allow.

We will bring you a LIVE ticker right from the beach through Sunday, so stay tuned! BWA2-116 BWA2-105 BWA2-318 BWA2-248

This year, Boards will be reporting LIVE from the event sites with up to the minute information and inside news and interviews.

After a tight battle at the top in 2011, it’s anyone’s guess who could take the top spots this year. We have drafted in a big name on the BWA scene to tell us more, the full feature will be online very soon.

ONLINE REGISTRATION NOW OPEN!!!

Register for BWA Wales DISCOUNTED ENTRY

Register for BWA Ireland DISCOUNTED ENTRY

At the first stop, Rhosneigr, Wales, the competition will run from Friday 11th May for the pro’s, with the amateurs joining them on Saturday and Sunday. Competitors will the head straight over to Brandon Bay, Ireland, for a week of competition running from Monday 14th through til Friday 18th May.

With great wind and waves in 2011, BWA Wales hosts FUNSPORT, are hoping for more of the same:

“We had an excellent tour last year with great conditions at all the events, and I’m sure this one is going to deliver again for 2012!” Bucky

Funsport have just extended their shop in good time to provide an even better base camp for BWA Wales 2012. They have hosted the event for many years now and are totally committed to supporting the tour…..as well as some of the best known British Riders like Ben Proffit (Simmer Stye) and Phil Horrocks. The prize fund has been confirmed for the pro’s and local clothing brand OSHEA will be looking after the amateurs alongside our great tour sponsors.

“It’s great to compete here where me and Phil have basically grown up wavesailing, and makes for an awesome start to the tour! Phil always battles hard on home turf so it should be a tough comp just like last year, fingers crossed” Ben

“For the amateur sailors the tour has never been more fun and better supported with prizes, we can’t encourage people enough to come and take part to enjoy the sailing and atmosphere!” Nigel Treacy 

STENA LINE are supporting the BWA by offering all competitors a 30% discount on crossings to Ireland and back between the 11th and 20th of May. This will be on the flexi and premium ticket rates voucher codes to book available very soon.

As STENA LINE  become more involved in supporting UK Windsurfing there will also be a travel prize for the top amateur rider!

Discounted pre-entry runs for Wales BWA until 7pm on Thursday 10th May.

Women – With great thanks to the support of ‘Flo Windsurfing’ we are pleased to offer half price entry at all BWA events for 2012

Students – With great thanks to the efforts of ‘SWA’ and the team that organised their tour this year we are pleased to offer half price entry at all BWA events for 2012

Youth – With growing links to the RYA and in support for the upcoming future legends of our sport we are pleased to offer half price entry at all BWA events for 2012

We will have more details on the Irish leg of the tour very soon, follow all the news on Boards, catch up with last years podcast showing the amazing action in Brandon Bay on our sister site www.boardseeker.com

www.walesbwa.co.uk ‘Like’ BWA Wales 2012 on Facebook.  Follow @walesbwa on Twitter

www.irelandbwa.co.uk ‘Like’ BWA Ireland 2012 on Facebook. Follow @irelandbwa on Twitter