Edd Seater, with his shiny new North Sails and Fanatic set up! Image credit Georgina Craig Harvey.

How did you get involved in windsurfing?

I have been windsurfing for just under two years now. I got into it after getting a job in the restaurant at Club Vass. A combination of epic hours, lots of wind and tips from some of the best instructors in the world meant I could progress quickly.

Where are you now?

I am now an intermediate planing instructor and getting ready for another season!

What have you been up too this winter?

I have been out in Dahab since October, gaining more teaching experience and improving my personal sailing. It’s been great…sunny and windy all winter, happy days!!

Any sponsors?

Yes! I have just got my first sponsor, Drift Innovation. They are a company that make extreme sports based action cameras, similar to GoPro, however they are more user friendly. The newest model, the Drift Ghost HD is the one I use, and it is epic!

They are waterproof so you don’t need to worry about water housing’s, they also have a small LCD screen on them which allows you to change settings and view your last recording or photo whilst on the water!!

You can check out all the info on the Drift camera here, and with Tech Trial you can even try before you buy!

Edd Seater. Image credit Georgina Craig Harvey.

Drift HD Ghost

What are your plans for the future?

I’m heading back to Vass this summer, so will be pushing to get my advanced teaching qualification. I’m planning a trip out to Brazil in October for six weeks which, hopefully, will be where I can really improve my personal sailing.

Also now that I’m working with Drift Innovation, I want to use my new camera equipment to teach with. The simplicity and versatility of the Drift Ghost HD will allow me to get great angles and footage of my students windsurfing, giving them the opportunity to view and analyse their sessions throughout the week.

Don't Let Go, hitting screens soon!

The next two videos that caught our eyes came out at the end of the week, firstly it’s amazing to see Zara Davis on the BBC here and if you fancy something totally different check out Brawzi and Levi shredding in Maui here. 

Coming up the Christmas there has of course been a lot of penny saving present ideas and competitions around too: Lagoon Watersports in Hove have some great voucher offers, Tech Trial are selling the Drift Camera at an insanely low price, the Baker Academy are running a competition to win 8 hours of coaching, Juice Boardsports have vouchers with 10% extra free, Tushingham are running a competition to win a Starboard fin bag,  Ocean Elements are running some early bookers deals for 2013, as are Club Vass (with holidays to both Vassilki and Dahab centres)! Now that’s a whole lot of offers!

Finally in this weeks news, our sister site Boardseeker are proud to announce that the shiny new site is now up and running, so if you haven’t checked it out already head on over there now for more of an international windsurfing fix.

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.

___________________________

Boardwise

Quayside Windsurfers

Robin Hood Watersports

___________________________

Juice Boardsports

Tech Trial

___________________________

Andy Biggs 

Bray Lake

L.A.R. Watersports 

Puravida Boardriders

Wet n Dry Boardsports

4Boards 

___________________________

 Check out the rest of our Christmas Wish Lists:

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

_____________________________________________________________________

Juice Boardsports

Tech Trial

_____________________________________________________________________

Andy Biggs 

Bray Lake

L.A.R. Watersports 

Puravida Boardriders

Wet n Dry Boardsports

4Boards 

_____________________________________________________________________

Christmas Wish List - Optical and Photographic

But what does make the ultimate gift for a windsurfer? Over the coming weeks we will talk through a variety of gift ideas; this week we are getting techy and looking through our favourite cameras and accessories.

Over the last few years personal photography has developed beyond belief; there’s no more waiting to bribe someone to take photos or video of you windsurfing from the shore, now you can record yourself.

Taken with a GoPro Hero HD 2 Surf Edition

The GoPro is one of the most well known products that allows you to do this. The GoPro Hero HD 2 Surf Edition (£299.00) offers an unbelievable way of filming from a wide variety of angles, using various mounts and of course it’s waterproof too. For the full product specification on this camera click here.  The GoPro Hero HD 2 Surf Edition was one of the lightest, most compact ways of on water filming; that was until version 3 arrived! The Go Pro Hero 3 Surf Edition (£359.99) is fresh on the market; a step up from the GoPro 2 there is of course an increase in price too, so which one will you choose?

GoPro Hero HD 2 Surf Edition

GoPro Hero HD 2 Surf Edition and all it's accessories

Go Pro Hero 3 Surf Edition

There are of course many more camera options aside from the GoPro; another camera making a big splash is the Drift (WAS £339.99 NOW £239.95!). The ultimate helmet cam, the Drift offers some impressive statistics:

• 

  Drift

  1080p High Definition Video

• up to 32GB Micro SD Memory Capacity
• 25 / 30 / 50 / 60 FPS in 720p
• 25 / 30 FPS in 1080p
• 9 Megapixel Still Photography
• ×4 Digital Zoom
• 170° Wide Angle Lens (130° at 60fps)

For full details on the Drift click here. 

Another option is the ContourROAM2; one of the easiest – and most stylish – ways to shoot action video. Packed with useful features like 4 HD video modes – including 60FPS, an Instant-On Record switch, a 270° rotating lens, and Contour’s signature laser alignment, you’ll have everything you need in a compact, easy-to-use camera. Waterproof and available in 4 beautiful colors, the ContourROAM2 makes action video dead simple. Want to find out more?

Contour Roam2

Contour Roam2

Once you have your camera, you of course want to make sure you have the best possible mount for it too. And nobody makes mounts for windsurfing (and other sports too!) as good as Flymount(£59.00).

Shot taken with a Flymount

Ultra compact, super lightweight, built to last, and now used by some of the world’s most respected photographers and athletes the Flymount also works with virtually any camera, including the GoPro and Drift. It really is a must have for any windsurfer, check out the full specs here.

Flymount

Flymount

If you already have a camera, but it’s not waterproof there are lots of options available from Aquapac to keep your camera safe underwater. From extra small to SLR, with hard lens covers and without, and everything in between there will be an option for whatever camera you have and would like to keep safe, just take a look here. 

Many more products on offer at www.techtrial.co.uk

Our last piece of camera advice is try before you buy! With all the options on the market it is incredibly hard to decide which camera to buy, but thankfully Tech Trial have the answer! Search their website to find the product you like, trial it and then decide whether you would like to buy or not. No more tough decisions or regretting your purchases; plus it’s not just cameras that Tech Trial trial and sell, choose from the latest tablets, phones, audio, gaming and accessories.

Boards recommends the following retailers for all your shopping needs. These retailers stock listed products along with additional accessories and many different types of camera. For professional advice and trials please contact them directly.

_____________________________________________________________________

Boardwise

Quayside Windsurfers

Robin Hood Watersports

_____________________________________________________________________

Juice Boardsports

Tech Trial

_____________________________________________________________________

Andy Biggs 

Bray Lake

L.A.R. Watersports 

Puravida Boardriders

Wet n Dry Boardsports

4Boards 

_____________________________________________________________________

Yo! Y21 1080p HD Camera is the newest,  most up to date,  featured and mount rich camera for all your sporting needs!

Yo! Y21 Extreme Sports HD Video Camera, with LCD screen, remote control, additional extended life battery offering up to 5hrs record time, 1080p, 30/60/90FPS, multi-shot shooting, full menu settings and built in laser site you will have no excuse if you miss a shot!…

YO! Y21

The Specs

• 10.0 Digital Zoom
• View Angle narrow 120, medium 145 and wide 175  degrees
• Single Shot Camera Mode: 3mp, 5mp, 8mp
• Time lapse, .5s, 1s, 2s, 10s, 30s, 60s – Self timer
• 1080i, 1080p, 960p, 720p WVGA, HD Video Mode
• Support Micro SD Card to 64G
• VOX Function
• Portable battery 850 mAh 1.5hrs, 2500 mAh 5hrs
• Standard Screw Thread Mount
• TV Out

Included accessories
Vented Helmet Strap, Waterproof Case, General helmet accessory, Flat installation mount, Self-timer accessory, Remote Control, Clip, TFT screen, Holder, Charger, USB Cable, AVI cable.

Check out the YO! Y21 in action…

YO! y21 from YO! Your Personal HD Camera on Vimeo.

Have a look at further information and images in Tech Trial’s Director’s Corner, the main product page or read a professional review HERE

Tech. Try. Buy. That is what Tech Trial UK Ltd is all about. Offering a range of products from mobile phones and tablets to audio equipment and cameras, they have a wide portfolio of items to purchase or, in the case of a unique item, a try before you buy service with a noncommital difference… So why not try an iPad, GoPro  Camera or new 41 megapixel Nokia phone for 21 days today? Check out what’s available for trial at http://www.techtrial.co.uk/trial-products.php

Action cameras include the renowned GoPro HD Hero 2, Contour and most recently and excitedly the new Drift HD POV Cameras.

Training hard in Australia

Drift Cameras were created with innovation in mind - In the range is the full 1080p HD model and, very well priced, Drift 720 HD model. Both benefit from a range of key features out of the box, first and foremost, the unit itself has an LCD screen which not only gives the user the ability to see what they are pointing at, but also review the footage and photos at any time – or even play it straight onto a TV via the available HDMI connection! With this unique camera you get, as standard, 2 adhesive sticky mounts (1 helmet, 1 flat surface), a goggle mount and even a remote control start/stop that works from a 5 meter range and sits right on your wrist … or wherever you need it for that matter!

The best thing about the new, compact, lightweight Drift HD720 action camera, is that it contains all of the great Drift signature features – high definition video, integrated LCD screen, remote control, rotatable lens, Drift mounting system – and is extremely affordable.

• 720P HD video @ 30 or 25 fps
• Same compact housing, 4.1″ and 145g.
• Rotatable, replaceable lens
• A playback LCD screen for lining up shots and the ability to play back the footage right away
• A remote control to enable you to film what you want to record, not the boring stuff in between
• New goggle strap in addition to curved and flat adhesive mounts, paired with a universal clip for multiple mounting options
• Standard ¼″ 20 thread for use with most tripods

If that isn′t enough the camera also has the following:

• 

  Drift

  A rotating lens so you can mount the camera at any angle and any position to get that shot you are looking for

• It can take 5MP photos (the HD 1080p model possesses a 9MP camera). Put it in the time lapse mode and you can take pictures every few seconds for as long as your memory card and battery lasts
• You can pair the remote control to your camera or any number of additional cameras
• A digital zoom function so you can get even closer to the action or your friend in front
• Night mode so you can record in darker and duskier conditions
• Optional waterproof case to take your Drift HD to depths of up to 30m
• Optional external power pack accessory, taking recording time up to 20hrs

For full information on all cameras, including specifications, videos and pictures take a look at http://www.techtrial.co.uk/catalogue.php?cid=2&c2id=51

Want to know more about Tech Trial UK Ltd? Here’s the Director’s story:

The idea for the business itself spawned from the ever changing face of technology now-a-days, with items being outdone by the next release in only a matter of months.

If you want to know the long version, it all came around from my hunger to own the Nokia N8 – a Carl Zeiss tooting 12MP Camera phone – as my desire mainly sat around the fact it exceeded its rival with camera capabilities by a mile, and my reluctance to carry both a mobile phone and good quality camera on the slopes of a looming snowboarding holiday. However, the phone itself (sadly) offers little other features aside from a stonking camera, the ability to play films and a large memory for music; the latter two being something all phones do now and most do it better than this one. The problem I found myself in was A. I was not ready for upgrade 2. there were better “every day” phones to upgrade to, even if I could blag one from my provider and lastly and more importantly. The phone, with the 1 excelling feature of the camera, just refused to drop in price. So, after trawling the 2nd hand market and speaking with my various contacts in the industry, I found myself in an awkward position of – Do I want to risk parting with £300 of my (relatively!) hard earner cash, at the risk of being left with an item that I may only use once a year?! I only wanted it for the holiday, to watch a film on the flight, listen to some tunes on the slopes and have the ability to catch a great picture all with the same device, if only I could borrow one for a week or so… www.techtrial.co.uk was born! And the Nokia N8, of which I now own, did turn out to be a great investment – it attends all big nights out, weddings and holiday with me, as my trusty side kick now… although, as this story began, it has now recently been overshadowed by the mighty Nokia PureView 808 which rocks a 41MP camera… fortunately enough, this is available in our range of goodies also.

The process is simple. Tech. Try. Buy. being the motto on the logo. We sell all the latest tech, at competitive prices, and in the case of the most unique or desired items offer them for trial. On the site you pay 10% of the price, we send it to you, you play with it until your heart is content, and at the end of the 21 day period you get with the item, you send it back to us free post. Simple. If then you decide you can’t possibly live without this great piece of kit in your life, the system will have already generated and emailed you a credit note voucher, which you can then use the 10% you have already paid, against the purchase of a brand spanking one we will send you out next day. Of course, if you’re in the fortunate financial position and know what you want, just buy it straight and we send a new one to you immediately. If there is something you wish to trial, but is not offered, we even let you express interest in getting a trial and (with enough demand) will list it and tell you when available!

Any questions, or ideas to work together and tim@techtrial.co.uk would be very happy to hear from you.

Tech Trial UK Ltd

www.techtrial.co.uk

www.facebook.com/TechTrial