W4CR, now Watersports 4 Cancer Research.

“So in case you missed this guys, W4CR now officially stands for Watersports4CancerResearch. (Woo!)

We need your help to get as many followers, friends, lovers and donators on here and twitter from ALL ACROSS the watersports community. Retweet, hash tag #sunrisesunset and do whatever you can to spread the W4CR love.

Having raised an impressive £20k during 2012 we are now addressing the ever difficult task of beneficiaries. A careful balance must be found between the charity’s core values of RESEARCH EDUCATION and SUPPORT & CARE of those affected by cancer.

If you have a cause that you would like the team to consider, please do let us know, here on Facebook or on Twitter @w4crwindsurfing.

Thank you all, again, for your support

The W4CR Team.

x”

“So in case you missed this guys, W4CR now officially stands for Watersports4CancerResearch. (Woo!)

We need your help to get as many followers, friends, lovers and donators on here and twitter from ALL ACROSS the watersports community. Retweet, hash tag #sunrisesunset and do whatever you can to spread the W4CR love.

Having raised an impressive £20k during 2012 we are now addressing the ever difficult task of beneficiaries. A careful balance must be found between the charity’s core values of RESEARCH EDUCATION and SUPPORT & CARE of those affected by cancer.

If you have a cause that you would like the team to consider, please do let us know, here or on Twitter @w4crwindsurfing.

Thank you all, again, for your support.

The W4CR Team.”

Find out more about W4CR here. 

The Battle to Reinstate Olympic Windsurfing

How the Olympic decision affects Team 15

Reaction from Women’s Olympic Coach Dom Tidey

Keeping the Olympic Dream Alive

RS:X racing. Image credit Jean Baptiste Messiaen.

Despite this shocking news, we have also seen a large amount of positive and exciting news from many younger windsurfers.

Alex Halank provided some great Weekend Inspiration with his video ‘Windsurfing’s Dynamite’ and today from George Shillito and the Polkerris Pirates. 

On the competition front Kev Greenslade and James Dinsmore reported from the first windy BSA event of the season, in Weymouth and as this news round up goes live, we will be up in Rhosneigr reporting live from the BWA event. Make sure to stay on Boards for regular updates and check out the event preview.

Polkerris Pirates on the largest windsurfer ever?

Tushingham rider George Shillito, is one of the most enthusiastic windsurfers you will find on British soil. A keen competitor, we hope he is geared up and ready for the imminent BWA competition, however last weekend George took to the water in a very different way.

In Polkerris, George runs a fantastic Team 15 club and for W4CR’s SunriseSunset they set about getting as many people on one windsurfing board as possible, each with their own sail too!

Though not an official world record, surely this is he largest windsurfer ever? Check out the epic video below to see how they got on,  and please continue to support W4CR anything you can give is greatly appreciated http://www.justgiving.com/george-surf

On Sunday 6th May, across the country windsurfers took to the water for SunriseSunset 2012, in aid of W4CR. From Pugneys Country Park, to Hayling Island beach front, windsurfers took the the calm waters, celebrating how our sport can not only be a fantastic day on the water, but that together we can help raise money and support others.

We will have more from W4CR and participating clubs very soon.

The crowds at Pugneys Country Park

Some international inspiration came, over the weekend, from 10 year old Austalian, Alex Halank. 

Windsurfing’s Dynamite, is one of the best windsurfing videos we have seen in a long time. A tribute to windsurfing, it epitomises a pure love for the sport, featuring the world’s best but not as  you would usually see them, and with an original soundtrack which you’ll be singing all day.

If this is what Alex can do now, we cannot wait to see what he has in store for windsurfing in the future…

Remember it’s ‘more than just a day at the beach’.

To take part go to www.W4CR.org and find a venue nearest to you and come along and be a part of the biggest fundraising event in windsurfing! Remember get sponsored and help us to raise funds.

A great day, for a great cause, for all ages.

We hope that in 2012 our Olympic year we can once again show that windsurfing is very much alive and well and that through the kind generosity and support of our sport we can through the fundraising reach our SunriseSunset target of £50,000

The David Tuttlebee Memorial Trophy will go to the T15 team who put on the best fun/fundraiser event and create a short video to capture their day. Last year this honour went to the Polkerris Pirates.

The Polkerris Pirates, victorious in 2011.

At the 24 venues we have a range of windsurfing, SUP and other water sports companies supporting some of the events; with prizes being donated, kit for hire or testing and coaching clinics all to help with the fundraising, and it’s not too late to get involved!

W4CR ambassador, and British Olympic hopeful, Bryony Shaw will no doubt be on the water this weekend;

“W4CR’s annual fundraiser SunriseSunset for Cancer Research and Cancer Support Care, takes place on Sunday May 6th as an ambassador to the charity I will, wherever I am on the day, be taking to the water to help support this event It’s all for such a great cause so enter, remember get sponsored and help us to make a difference! Thank you.” Bryony Shaw

Dan Aze, taking a well deserved break while windsurfing for 15hours straight for W4CR

‘The tide is turning’ W4CR has made a huge difference to the lives of those living with cancer, the fundraising from events has allowed us to help fund specific cancer research projects, provide funding for cancer care and we have helped individual cases and special cancer equipment needs. Most importantly it’s only possible through our fantastic supporters and their fundraising which enables us we provide help to those who need it, W4CR is today and will continue making a difference!

Thank you to all our supporters and fundraisers. Please join us in 2012 and be a part of SunriseSunset.

More on W4CR at Llandefedd Reservoir 

Ready to go

Preparing to hit the water

Fun on, and off, the water

Fanatic getting behind W4CR

The crowds gather

George Shillito's marathon

Gwent Adventures at Llandegfedd Reservoir will be running a fun-filled day to mark the event and raising funds for some fantastic charities while they are it. Mike Walklin, chief instructor at Gwent Adventures, has set himself  a personal challenge to teach a group of complete beginners to windsurf in two hours. They will start at 10am and the aim is to make them part of the event by 12 midday!

The Polkerris Pirates T15 team get involved at W4CR 2011

There will be always be somebody windsurfing between the hours of 8am and 8pm. Accompanied by a BBQ, refreshments, there will also be a raft race, SUPs & Dinghy trips and free windsurfing technique and tuning sessions to kick start your season.

Gwent adventures will be holding a raffle with excellent prizes from C-Skins Wetsuits, Gwent Adventures and Rat Rigs Surf – make sure you don’t miss out! W4CR has raised over £130,000 since it started 3 years ago, hopefully the sterling efforts this year will raise even more for the fantastic charities. You can find out more at www.w4cr.org

Matt Walklin at last year's event

“The event this year has special significance for all of us involved with Llandegfedd, we are raising as much money as possible for charities. Firstly, for Velindre Cancer Care, and also for the Karen Morris Memorial Trust. This trust provides accommodation for families of cancer patients undergoing treatment in London, and this was where Matthew Walklin’s family stayed.  Matthew is sadly no longer with us and we dedicate all our efforts in this to his fond memory.”

BOARDS June 2011

contents 274 / JUNE 2011. Covershot: Caroline Camboulives windSUPing in mid Pacific paradise, by Maxime Houyvet

features

ATOLLIC BOMBS!

Carine Camboulives, Manu Bouvet, Levi Siver and Keith Teboul discover a cluster of atolls and islets in the middle of the Pacific which may well be the best windsurfing spot on Earth…

MAGNIFICENT SEVENS

To make the most of summer’s fickle winds you’re going to need something in the 7.0m size range, so we gave six of the latest entry-level cammed sails to our tame Clones. Will they live up to the claims of combining the best attributes of a race sail with the user-friendliness of a rotational? Turn to p.44 to find out…

WORKING IN WINDSURFING – ANDERS BRINGDAL

Now into his third decade of windsurfing and responsible for one of the sport’s most iconic brands, Anders Bringdal takes a rare day off to talk with us at his home in the south of France…

BiC – A REVOLUTIONARY BRAND

We pay a visit to BiC – the only manufacturer still producing boards in Europe – where we take a look at the history and technology behind the brand’s success with an exclusive guided tour of their plant in Brittany…

PWA PODERSDORF

European freestyle flakas, culos and shakas its way into the spotlight with 25-knot winds, sun, rain, thunder and parties as Lake Neusiedl puts on an awe-inspiring show for round two of the PWA Freestyle Tour…

SELF SERVICE

This month our resident DIY maestro, Marjan Tkavc, shows us how to wield a knife and disposable lighter to sort out a tiny downhaul pulley that won’t let you loop-loop-go…

2011 BUCS WINDSURFING CHAMPS

Sam Burnett reports from Calshot, where the student windsurfing season came to a dramatic climax…

HAVE YOUR SAY

It been guys, guys, guys up until now, but this month’s Have Your Say contributors are three windsurfing women. Meet Penny Wiles, Sarah Edwards and Naomi Dines…

WC4R

This year’s Windsurfing 4 Cancer Research fundraiser broke all records as over 1,100 windsurfers hit the water on 1 May at over 40 different venues. See if you can spot yourself in our picture special…

NEW TO WINDSURFING

If you’re looking for the best possible introduction to the world’s best sport then look no further – everything you need to know to get you started on the path to windsurfing enlightenment is right here…

PLANET BLOW – BEHIND THE SCENES

Producer Sylvain Demarcastel presents the story behind what could well be the first sex, drugs and rock ’n’ roll movie in the windsurfing world…

regulars

DROPPING IN

PICTURE DESK

NEWS

SIMS O’CLOCK

FULLER’S WAY

A SHOT OF JD

SB WINDWISE

WANNABE A WAVESAILOR

BAKER ACADEMY

POND LIFE

NEXT ISSUE

Plymouth W4CR Tide Chase

The Mount Batten Centre – Plymouth Tide Chase Charity event in support of Windsurf 4 Cancer, Sunrise to Sunset Challenge Day.

Event Date – Sunday 1^st May

The Challenge

To windsurf around the perimeter of the Dock Yard Port of Plymouth, including the River Plym, the Southern Seaward boundary, then the River Tamar as far as Cotehele before returning to the Mount Batten Centre.

The 6 Windsurf Plymouth team riders successfully completed the challenge in 13 hours having windsurfed a total of 42 nautical miles.

Riders

Lindsey Coyle

Scott Perry

Tom Bradley

Dougal Orr

Reuben Ellis

Lucy Arthur

Early Start

The windsurfers met at the Mount Batten Centre at 5am in the morning in preparation for their Sunrise start.  For Tom Bradley, a Plymouth University Student, the surreal adventure had already started as he had been picked up from the City Centre having been waiting with his board bag and other windsurfing gear outside a City nightclub surrounded by late night revellers and escorting Police officers going about their usual Saturday night business.

On meeting at the Mount Batten Centre rig’s and boards where prepared in the pitch black with much anticipation and excitement about the day there was already a decent breeze blowing which was forecast to stay all day; Easterly 5-6.  All participants had both a long board for the river sections and then a short board for the open water sections, the spare boards water and food were all loaded into the support launch which would accompany the windsurfers around the route.

A final safety briefing was held were the decision not to sail to the most Western seaward boundary of the port was made, this area would have been extremely rough with the port authority already giving wind speed gusts of 33 knots out at the western entrance of Plymouth Break Water.  Instead to ensure that the correct distance was covered the windsurfers would head out of the Eastern entrance and reach a further 3 miles off shore staying up, before then broad reaching into Cawsand bay and then back inside the Breakwater through the Western Entrance.

To add to the challenge Reuben and Lucy were attempting to test their relationship by windsurfing the total distance on a tandem using a 4.0m and 4.5m combo.  The rest had elected to use 5.4 – 5.8 sails for the challenge and just swap boards to meet the different conditions of the day.

With the wind howling through the adjacent marinas the windsurfers set off at 0644.  Wise words from Reuben to Lindsey that the secret for success would be to avoid falling in and the associated wind chill for as long as possible, with seconds of launching this was totally ignored as Lindsey throw himself in to a forward obviously this was his preferred choice of a warm up for the 13 hours ahead.

In the early morning light and strong breeze the small fleet planned across the flat waters to the East of Plymouth sound as they headed for the Eastern entrance.  In the lee of Bovisand, except for the tandem those who were yet to swap to their short boards changed down for the section south of the breakwater.  Once out in open water the windsurfers lapped up the open water rolling swell conditions the strong Easterly had created, with Lindsey still looping and Scott pulling the occasional flaka for the video camera a awesome windsurf was enjoyed as they then gybed their way the down into Cawsand Bay.   The tandem was over powered in the downwind conditions, with Reuben commenting that at times the boards 104cm fin was completely out of the water, meaning that Lucy at the front shouting “make it stop!”  Was a clear 2m + up in the air!

Once back in the calmer waters inside the breakwater the riders regrouped on the beach at Mount Edgecombe before changing to their long boards for the River section.  Tom commented that it already felt like lunchtime ‘pass me my sandwiches’ – although Douglas had to point out that they had only been going 2 hours and the time was still only 0845.

As a group the sailors went past Devils Point and entered the River Tamar, continuing past the Torpoint chain Ferry, the Plymouth Naval Base and on past Brunel’s Tamar Bridge at Saltash.  The wind on this section was very shifty and gusty with the Easterly wind blowing directly off the City.  Once pass the Tamar Bridge the landscape opens up with rolling valleys funnelling the Easterly wind across stretches of flat water.  The sailors then enjoyed good flat water blasting conditions all the way to Weir Quay with it approaching LW.

Once past Weir Quay, the journey turned into a nature trail with Herons and Seals being spotted on the river banks, having now been stood up for 7 hours and the random winds now slowing progress the tiredness from the early start, started to take a grip, Lindsey started to look longingly at the support boat as a premature end to his challenge.  The jeers from the others stopped this from being a reality.

At 2pm they had arrived at Cotehele, much to the bemusement of its regular National Trust cliental.  After a much needed loo stop it was time to then tackle the 15 miles back to the Mount Batten Centre.

With the tide now flooding and with the whole of the return route going to be spent fighting the tide, much banter was had as to why they had agreed to take part, and that they would certainly be ensuring friends and family donated to W4C in appreciation of their efforts.

4 hours later at 6pm they once again reached the open waters of Plymouth Sound, they were then able to plane their way upwind into the River Plym before tackling the last non planning up wind slog, in the swirling gusty Easterly wind of the Cattewater, and to add to the challenge HW had now pasted and as they entered the River Plym they were having to again fight against a contrary tidal flow.   Dougal was the first to return to the slipway at 1928.  The rest of the team then followed in the dying light of the day with all safely ashore by 2000.  With all the kit away, a well-earned pint of Tribute along with food was enjoyed in the Mount Batten Centres bar.

To show appreciation for the effort these windsurfers gave in completing the challenge and to give your support to the Windsurf 4 Cancer Charity please visit www.windsurfplymouth.org.uk and use the just giving link to donate some pennies!

The Mount Batten Centre and Windsurf Plymouth would like to thank the Cattewater Harbour Commission who kindly provided the loan of the supporting launch and covered the cost if its fuel.  A special Thanks has to be reserved for Richard Lerigo (Event Safety Officer) and Leah Bolton, (Video & Photo’s) who volunteered their time to spend the day aboard the support craft.  Without a support crew or boat this Charity Challenge would have not been possible.  A thanks also has to go to Tsinghai, Starboard and Reactive who all assisted the riders with loan of various pieces of kit and boards.

Quotes

Dougal Orr– It was fantastic to take part in a unique challenge and have the opportunity to windsurf in locations that you would not normally choose to with out the knowledge that a support boat was there, the conditions 2miles south of the breakwater this morning were just fantastic!

Rich Lerigo – I was tired after my long day in the support boat so I can really appreciate the effort the windsurfers have given in achieving this challenge, superb.

Lindsey Coyle – What an awesome way to create awareness for the Windsurf 4 Cancer Research Charity, thank you to all those who have donated thus far in support of my efforts.

Lucy – After 13 hours on the Tandem we are still talking, we are both exhausted, if you haven’t already donated I really believe our efforts are worth the support.

George contemplates another twenty hours on board as the sun sets over St Austell Bay. Photo by Adam Lewis

After after a night and a day spent on the water, professional windsurfer George Shillito achieved his target of 25 hours on the waters of St Austell Bay in Cornwall to raise money for cancer research.

The attempt started when he challenged the members of the Polkerris Pirates Team 15 junior windsurfing club to windsurf for one hour last Saturday. Twenty five children rose to the occasion and their total was added together to reach 25 hours. Undaunted by such a massive total, George started at 3.25 in the afternoon and kept going all night and all day to finish at 4.25 on Sunday afternoon.

A giant pizza was delivered to him at dusk to keep him going during the night, while a dedicated group of supporters kept watch from the shore, just able to make out the glow-sticks fixed to his sail. Occasionally, the sky was lit up by electric storms to the South but it was otherwise a dark, starlit and chilly night.

With only two 5 minute breaks on shore in the entire period, George windsurfed continuously, covering an estimated total of well over 100 miles. The steady Easterly breeze overnight was helpful but dawn brought a difficult windless period with choppy seas, followed by vicious squalls with winds of up to 20 knots and a thunderstorm. George said “the part from dawn until 8am was worst. The conditions were really hard, my back was killing me and I felt more alone than I did in the night. And I still had ten hours to go.”

George sails in to complete his marathon. Photo by Phil Pinnington

During Sunday afternoon, a large crowd of well-wishers turned up at Polkerris Beach to welcome George ashore and at 4.25pm he somersaulted off his board to end the challenge. George thanked everyone, saying “I’m so grateful to everyone who has supported my fund-raising efforts and donated to Windsurfing for Cancer Research, and also to the terrific support team that kept me going, especially overnight.”

Windsurfing for Cancer Research is an active and energetic charity led by members of the windsurfing community who have been affected by the scourge of cancer. You can still add to George’s total, currently standing at over £1600 at www.justgiving.com/george-surf

George celebrates the end of his marathon. Photo by Phil Pinnington

W4CR Hickling Broad

Check out Dave White‘s photo gallery from W4CR Sunrise Sunset, 1 May 2011: Sunday’s Windsurfing4CancerResearch’s Sunrise Sunset ensured I took to the water in four different locations along my 560-mile journey that started at Hayling Island.

Normally I wouldn’t say a 5am start signals a good days sailing but while my time on the water was limited to a couple of runs it was more than worth the effort to be there for the first dip in the ocean.

With the country still in holiday mode the journey up to Rutland was pretty much uneventful, apart for the suicidal pheasant that destroyed the bonnet of my van, though once I arrived there was more than enough faces to take my mind off of it, well almost.

From here it was on to Norfolk and the Hickling windsurf club before heading to Lowestoft to catch my first wave of the day, though unsurprisingly I was greeted with “you should have been here a few hours ago”, I couldn’t help thinking how right they were, I wouldn’t have hit that bloody bird.

More at www.windsurfing4cancerresearch.org