Phil Horrocks winning in Wales. Image credit Maike Sakschewski

Last year we saw non-stop action with Rhosneigr delivering classic conditions, and stacks of wind.  The competition was closely fought on all levels, and after an epic battle of our top world tour riders Ben Proffitt (Simmer Style/Oshea/Funsport) was nudged into 3^rd by Tenerife resident Adam Lewis (Ion) and it was local ripper Phil Horrocks (Gaastra/Tabou/Funsport) that stormed the title on home turf taking him across to Ireland in the lead!

Phil said: “I was lucky to get some of my favourite conditions right on my doorstep and really enjoyed every minute of the competition! It was really tough though with all of the finalists on good form, a great start to the tour for me so far!”

In the Amateurs, Scotty McDowell clinched the Stena Line (www.stenaline.co.uk) prize of a ferry ticket to next year’s event as did ladies hot shot and newly signed Simmer Style rider Justyna Sniady.

Scotty McDowell

Justyna Sniady.

The British Wavesailing Association Tour round 2 saw the adventure head straight on from Anglesey in North Wales, leaving the port of Holyhead to Dublin. With huge thanks to the support of Stena Line.  Over in Ireland things kicked straight off with Mossies point break firing and some of the best conditions we’ve seen there in a comp for a few years. The professional riders were all sailing well in the epic conditions making it hard to find a clear favourite. After some of the best waves seen in an Irish competition John Skye (RRD) came out victorious with Jamie Hancock (Gaastra/Tabou) climbing up into 2^nd ahead of Wales winner and team-mate Phil Horrocks (Gaastra/Tabou).

John said: “Wales was tough and I really wanted to win here in Ireland, especially in such world class conditions. So many of the guys were ripping and a few of the favourites didn’t make the final as the standard was so high.”

Ian Ross (Puravida/Simmer) took the Amateurs by storm in conditions just like his home breaks in Cornwall, as did fellow Cornish ripper Debbie Kennedy (Hot Sails) who collected their Stena Line tickets for the next trip.

Ian Ross and Debbie Kennedy

As we get closer to the events for 2013 we are very much hoping for more of the same, and have every reason to expect an exciting two rounds of back to back competition.

The BWA Tour dates for 2013 are:

• ROUND 1: Wales (Rhosneigr), 17-19 May. Friday: Pros only, Sat and Sun: all Fleets
• ROUND 2: Ireland (Brandon Bay), 20-24 May.
• ROUND 3: Tiree Wave Classic, Tiree, Scotland; 12-18 October.
• ROUND 4: Cornwall Wave Classic, Cornwall, England 25-27 October. Fri Pros only, Sat and Sun all Fleets

Without the fantastic service from Stena Line between the various ports on the Welsh and Irish coast, this kind of ‘back to back’ competition just would not be possible.  With their time table we are able to travel directly from Holyhead (15 mins from Rhosneigr) through the night, and drive across to Brandon Bay in good time to kick off the following day if the conditions are on!  Tickets can be booked by visiting their website www.stenaline.co.uk and with a great variety of sailing times you have the flexibility to really make the trip your own.

Stena Line have been supporting windsurfing on many levels over the past few years and recognise the great links between our sport and the stunning coastal locations they can get you to!

There are lots of ferry good reasons to travel with Stena Line including no baggage charges or restrictions on what you can bring with you – great for the boards – and no lengthy airport queues. What’s more, the holiday fun starts as soon as you step onboard with free movies, games and Wi-Fi, as well as Curious George themed play areas for the little ones and a great choice of restaurants, comfy relaxation areas and bars for the adults.

Alexandra Smith, Route Marketing Manager, Stena Line said:  “The BWA Championships goes from strength to strength every year and we are delighted to partner with them on rewarding the considerable skill of the competitors taking part.

“It’s great that we can honour the competitors but we are especially proud of our role in getting the spectators to the competitions every year on our Stena Line services and on behalf of all at Stena Line we would like to wish all of the contestants, and the organisers, the very best of luck.”

Please be sure to book your tickets in advance to make sure you get space on the ferry.

Stena Line is offering 30% off* Flexi and Premium motorist fares on travel between 19 and 25 May – when you book before 20 May. Log onto www.stenaline.co.uk/bwa using this special password – BWACOMP – to avail of this great deal.

From everyone at the BWA and Stena Line, wishing you a windy season ahead and look forward to an exciting first two rounds of the British Wavesailing Championships 

BWA Wales is hosted by Funsport with support from Stena Line, Oshea and Coors Light.

BWA Ireland is hosted by Spillanes Bar with support from Stena Line, Oshea, Jamie Knox, Kathleen McAuliffe and Puravida Boardriders.

ROUND 2: Hosted by SPILANNES BAR & JAMIE KNOX WATERSPORTS

The 2013 Wales and Ireland ‘Back-to back’.

The Wales and Ireland event is a truly unique experience as competitors face 2-3 days of gruelling competition and partying on the testing Irish sea of Rhosneigr followed by a ferry trip and overnight drive to the Atlantic swell of Brandon Bay and heady party nights in the world famous, Spillanes Bar.

This trip is not for the faint hearted and those who survive always have a great story to tell. The venues have a history of delivering classic conditions which will test the very best in British Wavesailing. The BWA crew and judges also ensure that everyone is catered for seeking out more forgiving conditions for other fleets.

Quote from Ian Ross (BWA judge) “I have travelled all over the world and can honestly say that the Wales and Ireland back to back event is one of the most challenging and fun events in windsurfing today. The constant wind, waves and flow of hospitality is never-ending !”

NEW FOR 2013

Bucky’s Cafe will now be offering a great range of posh coffees and bacon butties. Situated above the shop the cafe enjoys amazing views of the action.

Stena Ferries: Check out the Ireland website above for the latest Stena discount arranged by Puravida.

New judge teams consist of PWA Head judge, Duncan Coombes, PWA judge, Mark ‘Sparky’ Hosegood, Ian ‘Chuckie’ Ross, Lukasz Zadjowski (Wales guest judge), Jamie Knox (Ireland guest judge).

Orange? ORANGE!!?…. We’ve had blue, white, pink, green and this year our rashvests will be a rude shade of orange. Yours to keep… by becoming a full BWA member and attending at least one event.

Wales and Ireland websites hosted by PURAVIDA BOARDRIDERS

Saturday saw a decent amount of wind for some on water action with demo kit provided by RRD/Ezzy, Fanatic/North and Gastraa/Tabou.

Boardwise’s report on the weekend:

The Aberdovey Bonfire bash last weekend was a huge success, thanks to everybody who turned up to see and try some of the new 2013 kit from Fanatic/North , RRD/Ezzy , Tabou/Gaastra and Starboard was great ! We had enough wind on both days to get some of the bigger kit with 6.5 – 9.0m sails , and had a surprising number of beginners braving the cold . Around lunch time on the Saturday everyboby got blown off the water when a huge squall came through followed by a hail storm. This saw Nick Baker sprinting down the beach like Usian Bolt to catch up with his Fanatic Wigwam tent thingy that was exiting the beach !! It’s never dull in Aberdovey ! The Aberdovey Fire service provided hot dogs and Burgers on the beach and the Town put on a great Firework display .

Thanks to the Dovey Yatch Club for the hospitality yet again and providing a great venue and band for yet another epic (if rather messy) evening . If you missed this one then remember to suscribe to our mailing list to get info on our june Aberdovey Demo and other demo’s we do throughout the year .

Thanks to Dave White and Doug for the pictures and for letting us have them so quickly.

Who let these guys in?

Mr Williams doing his bit

Dave White comments on the get together -

The Boardwise end of season demo traditionally mixes high wind action on the water with equally high jinks action in the bar. A late storm in the afternoon ensured the wind tradition remained intact despite most of the day being dominated by the Firemove’s. It’s the first time we’ve been here for bonfire night but the fireworks kicked off a high jinks evening in the Dovey Sailing club, so no one was surprised to find Sunday’s start matched the gentle easterly breeze, though like the rest of us that soon picked up to to provide a entertaining end to a great weekend. We’ll be back next year to ensue the tradition continues…

Where – Gwent Adventures, Llandegfedd Reservoir.

What - a family fun and demo day with  local BWA Club members helping to get people on the water windsurfing and paddling (SUP).

Get your mates on the water, teach your kids or anyone who wants to have a go. There will be stacks of demo kit from many of the brands  available and rigged up to check out and try on the water.

Kit to view and try from -

Boards – Fanatic, Starboard, Mistral, Simmer, Quattro and brand new Patrik boards.

Sails – North, Simmer, Ezzy, Naish and Tushingham.

SUP – Fanatic, Starboard, Naish, O’Shea

There will be a BBQ available from Gwent Adventures, and if the weather does let us down there will be an event marquee, changing rooms and an event shelter in the rigging area to keep everyone dry.

OTC/Puravida – All of the equipment  from both centre’s in Weymouth is heading to South Wales and will be available to test and also for sale with many clearance deals.

Wetsuits – there will be a full selection of summer suits available to try and buy.

Puravida Demo Van – (planned but not promised) the boys are working on a kitting out a big wagon with rigged sails and a selection of windsurf boards and SUP’s that can head to the lakes and beaches of the UK which hopefully will be ready for the 29th.

Starboard/Tushingham representative and top windsurf/SUP coach Sam Ross will be on hand with coaching tips.

Sam will be offering free clinic time, demos and rigging advice as well as some SUP coaching for any newcomers to the sport. Sam will also have a selection of demo kit from Starboard and Tushingham to compliment what OTC/Puravida are already bringing.

So far the weekend forecast looks really good with a nice breeze that should work well at the reservoir.

For more info check out the Facebook event page here

Sam Ross demonstrating a new move?

More at www.puravidaboardriders.co.uk

See what happens next at the Pura Vida Cornwall Wave Classic – www.cornwallwaveclassic.co.uk

BSA Slalom

After an exciting and exhilarating second round of racing at Weymouth, the third round of the 2011 BSA national tour heads to the principality of Wales and to the jewel of the Snowdonian National Park Aberdovey. Sponsored by NeilPryde / JP Australia – Aberdovey, 2/3rd July 2011. In association with Boardwise.

Aberdovey is fast establishing itself on the national windsurfing scene as a superb destination for windsurfers of all ability and disciplines, often described as the Welsh Gorge its local geography lends its self to some fantastic windsurfing conditions where the mountains work to generate some exciting summer sea breezes, these coupled with the estuary’s funnel effect often serves to concentrate the wind and give the avid windsurfer those extra couple of golden knots! the last 3 years have seen extreme opposites in the wind strength but both have provided a fantastic event whether it was the 45 knot epic of 2008 or the sun drenched chilled out scenic trip to the National Park’s postcard resort in 2009, all followed by some exciting sun drenched championship racing last year.

A family friendly location for all to enjoy- not just the windsurfer! Bring the family along to enjoy what the picturesque village has to offer from donkey rides for the kids to high fashion for the ladies (and some men!) offered by an array of boutique shops. Parking is plenty and nearby campsites will happily accommodate caravans or tents at very reasonable costs, the welsh tourist Board website is but one resource that can point you in the right direction-

http://www.visitwales.co.uk/holiday-accommodation-in-wales/

Parking is at the event site and though, and though officially not allowed our hosts in town have worked to ensure that as long as everybody obeys the rules, pays for all the bays and spaces they use then they are happy with this- please ensure you park together as a group as much as possible up at the far end of the car park (nearest the sand dunes and fire station) stay within the lines and pay for what you use.

Entertainment

There will be live music and entertainment on Saturday night, with a competitors barbecue post racing also. One of the events bigger draws over the recent years have been the Saturday night party but for many competitors it still remains a mystery as to why this is….mainly due to some advanced memory loss! The yacht club will also host families and onlookers throughout the weekend with refreshments and relaxing shelter whilst providing awesome views over the bay/race area.

No wind then no worries! Aberdovey has as much to offer the traveller even when the wind does not turn up, but for the hardened windsurfing entrant there will be an alternative time table published that will feature clinics from the countires top pros such as Dave White, Ant Baker of the Baker Windsurf academy and numerous other team riders on everything from speed and rigging through to gybes and back loops! along with a series of fun relay races on either windsurf kit or SUPs -plenty to keep you occupied and plenty of prizes to be won!

Directions

Aberdovey’s remoteness is what makes it so special and unspoilt, and although at first glance it appears some distance its actually less than 2 hour’s drive from Birmingham! It is also one of the more scenic and enjoyable journeys. as most people will be travelling from the south or east i would suggest getting to the M54 and then heading out towards welshpool on the A458 and staying with this road till you get to the A470 and A489 to Machynlleth finally finishing with the A493 to Aberdovey! the event site’s post Code is -LL35 OEA

More at www.windsurf-bsa.com

Phil Horrocks, BWA Rhossi 2011 Champ

The nation’s wavesailors are currently on their way to Ireland for the second round of BWA 2011 wavesailing competition after yesterday’s conclusion to the first event in Rhosneigr. We’ve got no shortage of pictures and video due in from the events as we have three photographers – Dave White, Jay Haysey and Si Crowther – in attendance. Here’s a picture gallery of yesterday’s action from Jay and Whitey, we’ll bring you a full report shortly but can announce that the results after a double elimination BWA Rhosneigr 2011 are:

1st – Phil Horrocks

2nd – Ben Proffitt

3rd – Andy ‘Bubble’ Chambers

4th – Adam Lewis

BWA Rhosneigr top 3

And here’s a few words from our man in the thick of the double elimination action, Jay Haysey of Globalshots:

Rhosneigr ignites into action for Round 1 of the British Wave Tour. The final day saw a Double Elimination completed in what was some complex conditions, the regular names were back on form after some long winter training, current British Champion Ben Proffitt was sailing firm in the double making his way back up to 2nd place and proving you can get better, the older you get!

Proffitt’s training partner and local Rhosneigr sailor Phil Horrocks was on immense form executing some impeccably well timed backloops and making good use of the mixed conditions to be crowned the star of Round 1.

Freestyler Andy ‘Bubble’ Chambers is looking physically powerful this season, he vanished to Proffitt by only a half point which proves 3 months in Cape Town is paying off.

The sailor of the day has to go to a determined Adam Lewis, coming back up through the double, sailing 5 heats in a row like a true professional. Adam is certainly one to watch as the tour now moves on to Ireland for round 2. Stay Tuned!!!

“Some are lucky enough to live and train where’s it good all the time, the rest of us, well, we make the best of what we get!

“On these occasions it was really onshore, so onshore you can ride and jump both ways as the bay bends around, i call it STAR-PORT windsurfing on these days, ha! ha!

“There’s two sessions within two days merged together in this film.

“Session one was on my 4.2 Manic HD (red sail) and JP quad 74, it was about 9 am, not been light for long, lashing it down with rain but some chunky waves around.

Session two was on my 4.5 Manic (blue) and JP 74 Quad, this is what it’s like when it’s really onshore, you can jump and ride on both tacks but it’s really difficult to get good angles on the waves?

“Hope you like it… just a reminder its not always windsurfing in boardshorts!

“You can check out www.ripandslash.com to see more about me and my windsurfing…”

The British Wavesailing Association has launched their website with all the information you need about the 2010 Wave Tour. Including specific event info, how to join the BWA and also a unique ‘Rookie’ page designed to blow away all those myths, worries and fears you ever had about entering a wave event.

And of course this year is the unique Wales-Ireland ‘back-to-back’ starting off with a three-day competition at Rhosneigr (14-16 May), then we all hop on the ferry in Holyhead for the late night road trip across Ireland for the five day event at Brandon Bay (17-21 May). Are you up for it? We certainly are!

Go to www.britishwavesailingassociation.com