Ross Williams leads Dave Strudwick and Jason Greenslades in a race last year at Hayling.

Name:  Ross Williams

Sail No:  GBR 83

2012 results: I didn’t do any UK events, I just focused on the PWA but I am looking forward to doing plenty of racing this year on the BSA.

Where have you been training over the winter? I spent a bit of time here in the UK, but then I went to Cape Town for a month and a half, wave sailing and testing out new equipment.

What did you want to improve after 2012 season? I just hope to show off the new Gaastra and Tabou equipment to the UK sailors and shops. so they know if they want to buy amazing, reliable,  fun equipment they should take a good look at the Gaastra, Tabou and Vandal brands.

Do you think you’ve achieved this? I think the equipment will speak for itself and on the race course the best guy will win.

What competitions will you take part in this year? I will do as many UK events as possible, as long as they don’t clash with the pwa slalom, I will do them. Also I think I will do some of the UK wave events too.

What are you aims for this year? I would like to win as many races and events as possible and help promote windsurfing to the younger up and coming sailors.

Have you changed/improved your equipment or equipment choices for this year? I will stick with what I know works (gaastra and tabou) and suits my style.

Fighting talk…I think the level is pretty good in the UK and I look forward to competing against everyone. I know everyone will want to beat me, but I won’t make it easy and will try my hardest in every single race.

Sam Latham

Name: Sam Latham

Sail No: K15

2012 results - 4th Mens Pro – Kit had some alterations from previous year that took a while to set up. My first result was my worst but it progressed and continued to stay consistent. I also always fall ill for the Aberdovey event. I had a very weak ankle from a loop crash at Beach Break.

Where have you been training over the winter? To be honest I haven’t sailed much. I didn’t have the money to get away somewhere warm. The wind has been pretty poor and very cold. I have wave sailed more than slalom sailed but two training weekends in Weymouth have given me confidence on new 2013 kit.

What did you want to improve after 2012 season? A few of my starts put me on the wrong foot, so nailing them will give me a good chance to attack top guys at marks.

Do you think you’ve achieved this? Yes, Ross Williams gave us great practice at Weymouth.

 What competitions will you take part in this year?

All the BSA events except Aberdovey again as I have other commitments already paid for. Also aiming to do all the BWA events.

What are you aims for this year? The competition will be fierce this year with Ross doing some events, if not all. I hope Dinsmore manages to do them this season too. With this in mind I am going to make sure I fight for top 5 again!

Have you changed/improved your equipment or equipment choices for this year? All 2013 Fanatic Falcons and North Warps. Plus, this is the first season with North Shox that should improve control in the choppy stuff. Also playing with my fins this year with some Black Projects from Chris Freeman.

Fighting talk…I would love to get speed machine Kevin Greenslade, but as long as I stay ahead of Uncle Simon and Pa Pa Smurff Crossley I will be content!

Kev Greeneslade

Name: Kev Greenslade

Sail No: K 82

2012 results - 3rd Pro men.

Where have you been training over the winter? The mighty Weymouth.

What did you want to improve after 2012 season? Acceleration out of the gybe.

Do you think you’ve achieved this? Yes I think so!

What competitions will you take part in this year? The BSA series, speed week and may be try a PWA event before I’m too old.

What are you aims for this year? The slalom title would be nice but with Rossco doing most of the events this year it will be tricky (even with a fractured ankle) hope it repairs quickly for Ross as he’s flying. Oh and regaining the British speed title.

Have you changed/improved your equipment or equipment choices for this year? I have signed with Tabou boards and F-hot fins with the Simmer Sails as always.

Fighting talk…May the best man win! The biggest rivals are the usual suspects: James, Ant, Si Cofield and I’m gonna throw it out there Si Pettifer has been flying in training on his new Tabou boards, he’ll cause a few upsets this year!

One to watch without a doubt Ross Williams will show what we all need to be striving for. In the Amateurs Tom Wells could be doing well.

Si Pettifer in training

Name: Simon Pettifer

Sail No: K67

2012 results: 6th Pro fleet.

Where have you been training over the winter? Been training in Portland this winter with Kev, Si and a bit with Ross, it’s been pretty cold as we all know, but I’ve sailed loads more than I did last year after a knee op.

What did you want to improve after 2012 season? Really bad start to the season last year, then couple of bad events, some bad luck, some bad performances, then got better at the end of the season couple of better results to finish 6th for the year.

What are you aims for this year? Aim for 2013 is to finish in the top 5, get a good start for the season this year, be a little more prepared than last year with my sailing and my equipment. Last year at one event we only had one round of slalom that counted, somehow I missed the start so that was the whole event down the pan, that will NOT be happening this year. I know my board speed is up there, my starts are generally pretty good, I need to get my gybes up there and I’ll be away, lol.

What competitions will you take part in this year? This year I’ll be doing all of the slalom events, plus speed week. Also probably be at the Caldy Island relay event layed on by Jim at PURAVIDA  Boardriders in Wales and of course the NWF at Hayling.

Have you changed/improved your equipment or equipment choices for this year? I have changed my equipment this year, the new Simmer SCR race sails should be arriving any day now, so I’m sure they’ll be even better than last years sails and I will be riding Tabou boards this year. The mantas are amazing boards to sail, really comfy and according to the boys I’m a lot faster this year so that’s got to be good. Also I’ve got some new fins from Steve at F-Hot, these are also super quick so it’s going to be a good season.

Fighting talk…Who to watch for…well James Dinsmore, SImon Cofield, Kev Greenslade, Ant Baker,Sam Lathem, Keith Atkinson, Jim Crossley, myself of course and I hear there could also be another top contender in there too. The Tabou team captain may be making a couple of appearances aka The Sheriff, he’s pretty hot on a slalom board.

My biggest rivals this year have got to be Jim Crossley, Mike George and I’d like to beat Si and Kev a few times. This year I’m going to be a bit meaner at the gybes and quit being a pussy so watch out boys, after all it is no rules slalom haha!

Check out the UKWA website here for all the info on the upcoming slalom and other events this year. 

New video from the weekend, thanks to rising star Sam Latham!

K15 Sam Latham @ OTC Weymouth winter slalom training from Sam Latham K15 on Vimeo.

The start of the competition calendar is quickly approaching and many sailors are getting serious about the pre season training now. Down in Weymouth over the weekend, Si Pettier showed the others exactly how to nail a start! Remember, Ross Williams will be joining the guys in Weymouth very soon for his pre-season training weekend.

Are you thinking of competing in the BSA or any other UKWA competitions this year? Have you started setting some on and off water goals to get you ready? Even sailing with a group and challenging each other could add that vital speed you’ll need to race to the front of the pack. If you’re looking for an active group of windsurfers to join, check out Project Windsurf UK and see what’s coming up in your area!

In this third part we will cover tuning, training and why people compete. 

BSA slalom action.

Tuning and Training

Simon Pettifer: When I go for a sail I try to have some sort of aim, this could be gybing practice. I’ll find two buoys close together (easy in Poole harbour), and gybe a lot, keep going until I cannot gybe any longer, this is the only way to improve – keep doing it! It’s also good to do this exercise with other sailors, if you make the two buoys really close together it makes for some fun sailing.

As for tuning I just try different things, maybe try a couple of different fin combinations to see which is faster; you need someone else to judge your speed against, or a GPS unit where you can go home and download your tracks from the day and see at what points you were going fastest.

It could be the downhaul, try a little more or less see and what happens. Once you find the sail at its best for you try to note where your downhaul is set to, so that next time you sail you can rig it just how you like it. The outhaul is the easiest to play about with, the adjustable outhaul systems let you sail around changing the settings all the time, letting you see where you want your outhaul for the appropriate wind strengths.

Sailing on your own is great for some things but to improve your speeds I think you need to sail with other people. We all know it sucks to be passed by other people so we try harder, if you get passed by your mate, go in pull on an inch of downhaul go back out and see if you can beat him; if doesn’t work try changing your fin – put a smaller one in – it’s all about finding out what makes a difference.

Simon Pettifer

Simon Cofield: Sail – I use a lot of downhaul, this allows you to accelerate in big gusts whilst the sail twists off. It’s important to have an adjustable outhaul. When the wind is up and down I’ll be adjusting my outhaul between heats, so I’m fully powered in the race. Board – You need a good fin, I have my straps as far apart as they go for control, deck plate position as above.

I do a bit of fitness training in the winter, on the water I do some practice racing around some of the marks in Poole harbour with Si Pettifer.

Kev Greenslade: Downhaul I rig dependent on the wind but always enough to get a nice amount of twist in the sail, I use very little outhaul until I get completely stacked but by then probably thinking about changing down. It’s also really important to find the right fin for you, your board and the conditions.

It’s really hard to replicate the conditions whilst racing as you would almost never sail that fast that close to that many people, when it comes to gybing you have wakes going in all directions space to find etc etc. So the best form of practice is to race. There are fun slalom series being run at Hayling, Poole and Weymouth now so get involved, and if they are too far away get your own going, it’s so easy. There is always a buoy to race around and if you do it in pursuit style, kit and ability doesn’t matter, everyone has fun.

Ant Baker. Image credit Dave White.

Ant Baker: As a chubber I like lots of downhaul and not much outhaul, this means I get great twist and a nice full body to hold my board down.

As I have to work pretty much everyday I get very little time to practice, in fact the last year I have only sailed slalom boards at events

James Dinsmore: When it comes to tuning your sail the single most important variable is the amount of downhaul you put on. It is really important to experiment and try to learn to feel what it is like to have too much or too little downhaul. If you have too much downhaul the sail tends to feel heavy and too powerful and when a gust comes you may feel as if you are getting lifted uncontrollably onto your toes. With my current iSonic board and Severne Reflex sails combination I notice that if I am under-downhauled it feels as if the nose of the board is being pushed down into the water. It feels ‘sticky’ and as if it might catch on chop. If I put a small amount of more downhaul (may only need as little as 5mm) the nose rides higher, the stickiness completely disappears and the board feels like it will make it’s way over even the nastiest bit of chop. When you have cranked on too much downhaul the sail starts to feel gutless and has poor acceleration. You may feel yourself over sheeting and the sail tending to drop backwards. Ideally with each of your sails you need to spend a session during which you start with the sail under-downhauled and then incrementally increase the downhaul until the sail is over-downhauled. It is a useful exercise as you will learn to recognise too much or too little downhaul and you will also be able to find the sweet spot of your sail.

If you don’t have one already then do get an adjustable outhaul. They are very easy to use and put at your fingertips the ability to massively increase the wind range of your sail. You will enjoy your sailing much more if you have one. Try to work towards sailing kit big enough that means that you are powered for the lulls rather than the gusts. An adjustable outhaul allows you to sail much closer to your limits. It may be more beneficial to have a very physical 30 minutes session quite over-powered than 90 minutes of cruising. It is a key skill to learn to get round a course while overpowered Make use of any buoys that may be in the water to practice gybing and starts. You will be forced to gybe whatever the water state is like at the mark, which is the same as on the racecourse. Otherwise it is only too easy to choose to gybe where it is flat and you will struggle in competition.

Racing at Weymouth. Image courtesy Dave White.

Why I Compete

Simon Pettifer: I compete because it keeps me keen, always trying to do a bit better than the previous event. The feeling I get when I’ve had a good heat and beaten someone that usually beats me feels great, you can’t get the same feeling from sailing down the park. When you do one slalom heat it may only last about three mins but it’s knackering, so much is packed into three minutes and the whole time I’m fired up, it’s hard to explain, something you’ve got to try.

If you want to try it, get down to your local spot and do some light hearted racing with your friends. Poole have a Poole slalom, Weymouth have the same thing going on, as do Hayling Island, all these places are ready for newcomers to turn up and give it a go, all abilities are welcomed. Any gear can be used, at Poole we do a handicap system where by the person that wins the first race starts last in the next one, the person that finished last starts first and so on, this means that the racing is good for all, there is always someone to catch up with or try to stop passing you.

I would encourage others to give competing a go because it will improve your sailing,  it’s definitely the best way to get better quicker, improve your gybes and go faster. Also you meet great people at events, all with the same thing in mind, windsurfing and maybe a couple of drinks – if there’s no wind of course! I’ve met some of my best friends at windsurfing events over the last 20 years even with a 15 year break in the middle.

Simon Cofield: I enjoy the challenge of racing against the top guys.

Kev Greenslade: I have been very fortunate to have been racing from a very young age, I have travelled the country and some of the World with my best mates doing what we all love. Doing well is just a bonus (a nice one though).

Ant Baker: I love the feeling of winning! The race course is a great place to practice your skills and gain some bragging rights over your mates!

Check out the other parts of the series here:

In this second part we cover:

Gybing – how to enter and exit

and

Top Speed – how to go as fast as possible

Simon Pettifer

Gybing

Simon Pettifer: Anyone can gybe down their local beach on their own when they choose to do it, it’s when there are eight or nine people around you it can get tricky. I find that if I take it easy I make a mess of it, so I have to try to go for it almost as if the other guys aren’t there, but you do have to make sure that contact is avoided and this can involve a bit of swerving around as people do fall off and if you pile into the back of them then you’re race is over. Try to come out of your gybe close to the buoy, so you’re upwind of any of the sailors around you, you don’t want to be down wind of a couple of sailors both pumping their sails to get on the plane, you will come off the plane and sit in their bad air.

Also, try to gybe on a wave or swell to help keep you on the plane, even try to come out of the gybe down chop, anything to help you get through the mess of wakes left by the sailors around you.

Simon Cofield: When gybing I’m always look for a bit of swell or a trough to go down while I’m flipping the rig and changing my feet; this allows you to keep momentum and exit the gybe with speed.

Kev Greeneslade: Really just focus on the exit speed and try not too leave too much space for others to sneak through; and don’t fall off!

Another top racer, Sam Latham, shows us the perfect slalom gybe below…

Sam Latham K15 – 3 fully planing gybes from Sam Latham K15 on Vimeo.

Ant Baker: It’s very important to make your exit a priority, meaning it doesn’t matter how it looks as long as you come out fanging!

James Dinsmore: If in doubt it is much better to go in wide and come out tight. If you come out upwind you will have clean air in which to launch an attack on any sailors ahead and you are also in the best position to defend your position.

If it is super windy and rough then it may help to head into the wind to shed speed and gain control just before you initiate your gybe.

Kev Greeneslade

Top Speed

Simon Pettifer: Sailing on your own is great for some things, but to improve your speed I think you need to sail with other people. We all know it sucks to be passed by other people so we try harder, if you get passed by your mate, go in pull on an inch of downhaul go back out and see if you can beat him, if doesn’t work try changing your fin – put a smaller one in – it’s all about finding out what makes a difference.

Simon Cofield: Sail – I like to sail fully powered, putting as much of my weight through the harness lines as possible, be fully sheeted in and keep the sail as still as I can. I find this the best way to go fast.

Board – You want to be riding right on the fin, with just the back section of your board touching the water. To achieve this you need your deck plate in the right position, to far forward and the board will stick to the water = slow, to far back and you will be tail walking in the big gusts = slow. Experiment with positions to get it right.

Kev Greeneslade: I am fortunate to be 6’4″ , 98kg and use the fastest sails in the world, eat pies, drink beer, sheet in, job done. Being maxed is key for speed, however I do like to get on to smaller than 9.5 and 140 as soon as posable my 8.6 /123 combo is just much more efficient for me.

Ant Baker: I get asked all the time how my kit feels and I answer with: “it feels horrible… but I’m fast.” Pro windsurfers can get their kit tuned to the limit, but for most it’s about getting round the course, not falling on gybes is the most important thing then you can start to crank things up a bit to get some top end. I like to use small fins and big sails, this means the power I generate from my rig goes forward not up in the air. I also use a Shox North mast base which allows me to stay sheeted in through bad chop, but don’t tell anyone

James Dinsmore: The first thing to say is that having overall good speed around a slalom course is very different to achieve a peak speed with a GPS when sailing on your own.

The time it takes to get to top speed is vital in slalom and may be more important than the top speed itself.  Having good acceleration is key at both the start and when exiting gybe marks and can win or loose you a race.  In the real world you may well not hit the start line at top speed but if you have good acceleration then you can get into clean air quickly and then have an advantage over your competitors.

For good acceleration you want to be able to sheet in with the backhand and immediately feel your sail drive you forwards. Taking a relatively big and full sail will tend to give you this ‘power on tap’ feeling. In order to achieve a better maximum speed with a GPS you may well choose to use a smaller sail and fin than you would on a slalom course. With a GPS you can time your runs with the gusts and then make the most of the efficiency and less drag of a smaller sail and fin. If you take a fin that is too small on the slalom course then you will struggle to point. Even on a ‘downwind’ slalom course it is vital to be able point upwind as this allows you to find clean wind and overtake. Finding the right fin for your board and sail is vital as you want just enough lift to allow you to point but not so much so that the boards threatens to take off.

Next time on Slalom Secrets we will cover: Tuning and Training. 

You may also like to read: 

Poole Slalom off Baiter Park, by Roger Turner

Ed Britnell reports from the latest windy Poole Slalom meet – more at www.ukwindsurfing.com

Thanks to those that made it down to Baiter Park on Saturday to take full advantage of the best windsurf action in Dorset over the weekend!

The wind varied between a Force 4 and 6 depending on the proximity of the large dark shower clouds, though most of the wind was a stable Force 4 to 5 thoughout each race. This was near perfect for the 6.5 to 7.5s that most people rigged… all apart from Mandy Waite that is, who put us all to shame with her early planing skills and only using a 4.7m!

I set a 6 gybe downwind slalom course on the near side of the Shipping Channel, a decision facilitated by the WSW wind which was solid right up to the car park, but also made easier because the Harbour Master was lurking around and seemed to be monitoring us … Yes, Mr Harbour Master we were good boys and girls – but I should own up that when you disappeared, about 3 or 4 of us did play chicken (by seeing who would be last to gybe) with the side of the Truckline ferry as she set sail for France! Cribby; you’re not the only one who breaks the rules….

Anyway, if William Hill had given odds of only 1-10 (ON) for a Simon Cofield victory then they would have still lost a pile of money… the real competion was for the other podium places with Simon Pettifer, Russ Hanford, Simon Langley and myself all sharing the honours in some tight racing. I thought i was going to take a bullet in the last race as the wind picked up to max out my 6.6m and with Cofield heading off to the wrong last outside mark of an adjusted course… but then annoyingly he switched on his radar and came blitzing past me from upwind… and almost simultaneously I hit a power boat wake in the worst possible manner causing my harness to explode!

All good fun.

Many thanks to Roger Turner for coming down and taking the photos, a selection will follow later today.

www.ukwindsurfing.com