BSA Weymouth results BSA Weymouth results

Name: Ross Williams

Sail No:  GBR 83

Where did you finish?  1st

What kit did you use for most of the weekend?  8.6m Gaastra Vapor and Tabou Manta 81

How were the conditions and how did your equipment work in them? Condition were very changeable but my gear felt great, really easy to hold down in the strong wind as well as having power for the lighter patches.

Best start…. I think I saw Kev have a great start at the pin mark.

Best gybe… not sure, I didnt look behind me. I had a good one to over take Kurosh at the first mark!!!! Maybe that’s worth a mention?

Best over take…. Sam Latham over taking Simon Petitifer

Worst crash…. I think it was simon cofield smashing into Kurosh’s deck and leaving a nice whole!!!

Best victory celebration….. Everyone was very level headed

Worst behaviour on saturday night... All of us for not going out a partying the night away!!!!
All images credit Dave White.

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Name: Kurosh Kiani

Sail No: D13

Where did you finish? 2nd

What kit did you use for most of the weekend? I only used my Simmer SCR 8.6 throughout the whole event. I was using my Fanatic Falcon 132 until it got damaged in the second race and had to race my medium board until I got it repaired and was then back on it again.

How were the conditions and how did your equipment work in them? Flat water and gusty wind (I think the wind wasn’t in its usual direction). The gear was working great in these conditions. I´m really liking my 8.6/132 combo. It has a huge range so you don’t have to mess around too much on changing.

Best start….Kevin Greenslade. He got several of the starts spot on and rolled the rest of us who were seconds late. Nice work !

Best gybe…Ross did a great PWA style gybe on top of Kev which came out in his favor. It was definitely entertaining to watch!

Best over take….Must have been myself overtaking Sam Latham and Simon Pettifer from behind as they were doing some sort of upwind battle while the gybe buoy was way downwind. Had to chuckle a bit for that one.

Worst crash….I´m not sure who it was,, but someone came in at full speed and hit the bottom just in front of the slipway. That one must have hurt in every sense haha.

Best victory celebration…..I saw Sam Latham claiming couple of his battle victories when crossing the line ahead of the competition.

Worst behaviour on saturday night…Hmm, I´m not sure if this is the usual UK standard, but the worst behavior must have been us discussing whether we should have a look down at the pub or not. I guess that one could have gone both ways.

Words from event host, Tris Best: 

“The forecast at the beginning of the week for this event looked ominous, but true to form Weymouth produced the goods yet again! There were some notable omissions from the entry list – Ant Baker being the obvious one (wishing his son a speedy recovery), but with the addition of a couple of PWA stars the standard of sailing in the pro fleet visibly upped the anti for the other fleets as well. 32 entries in the amateur fleet was a great turn-out … and even the people on the tasters we provided throughout the weekend were noticeably inspired! Thanks to Bob and the UKWA team for running such a good event once again.”

It might still be a little on the cold side, but the forecast is looking good, so come down and get involved. There will be plenty of kit to go round, and taster session for windsurfing are available for £15.00. To book yourself on one, call the WPNSA reception on 01305 866000. Look forward to seeing you down the centre!

Check out the action here and head to the OTC Puravida website for the latest info on further events.

Pre-Season Slalom Training Camp ’13 from The OTC on Vimeo.

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!

Head to uk.otc-windsurf.com for more info.

Competitors, start your engines! To dust off the cobwebs and get ready for the 2013 BSA slalom season, OTC powered by Puravida are putting on two pre-season training weekends, that are sure to give you that extra head-start over your rivals on the circuit. World Champ and PWA star Ross Williams will be on hand to put you through your paces and provide tips both on and off the water. Weekends booked in are the 16/17th February and 16/17th March. Spaces are limited so book ASAP to avoid disappointment. For more information, email info@otc-windsurf.com, or phone 07817 717904.

Ross Williams clinic

Another great video came from the SWA, this time of their Bad Education event in Nottingham. If you haven’t seen it take a look here, the SWA will be back with more events this year very shortly!

Boards are also super happy for Adam Sims who has been named as EFPT sailor of the year 2012! Congratulations Adam! 

Windy times in Weymouth!

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:

Boards would love to hear about your new year sessions, and of course see some photos too; let us know where you’ve been out either in the comments below or check out the How Was It For You thread in the forum here. 

Some photos we have seen are from the OTC/Puravida guys out enjoying the windy weather in Weymouth, looks like they’re getting in some early slalom training for the year ahead!

“I’m writing this as the wind is buffeting my window with gusts of over 47knots. This is the fourth windy day in a row and whilst many of the locals were ripping it up in the waves of Ringstead, Kimmeridge and Overcombe, the Harbour has played host to some awesome conditions. Kev Greenslade, Si Pettifer and Si Cofield were seen getting some training in on Friday for the start of the 2013 BSA calendar. Maybe a tandem will be entered in the Pro Fleet next year!?

And whilst a lot of the latest 2013 kit was rented in the balmy conditions yesterday, local speed don Pete Young gave Scotty ‘Dogfish’ Stallman some trade secrets, pushing his PB to 29.06knots! He is sure to break the 30knot barrier before his twelfth birthday … we’re sure not many can say that! Wishing everyone all the best for 2013. See you in the water.

Pics: Andy Stallman”

For just £20 you can have unlimited use of the demo kit on offer, and gain some priceless windsurfing tips from the World Champion himself.

The day kicks off at 10am and the centre will be open until dark.

For more information, get in contact.

OTC Wind Chill

OTC Puravida Sale

The OTC powered by Puravida Boardriders are having a mega sale on the 1st of December, where they will be selling off a huge range of the equipment they stock at their centre in Weymouth. 

“We’re pleased to announce we have a rather large sale day this weekend, displaying plenty of bargains in the WPNSA hangar, whilst having lots more stock to browse in the centre. Boards, sails, masts, booms, extensions … you name it, we have a bargain just waiting to be snapped up.

So if you’re looking for that Christmas present idea, or something to add to your Santa’s letter, look no further. For a list of kit, click here and for more information, get in touch”

Andy Chambers in Weymouth. Credit Hanna Poschinger EFPT.

Name:  Andy Bubble Chambers

DOB:   30/06/1983

Sail number:  K540

Years competing:  14

Best previous results:  5th PWA Sylt, 9th PWA Aruba, 3rd BWA Waves 2011, 2nd Tiree Wave classic 2011, Multiple British Freestyle Champion

Title you have won this year:  British Freestyle Champion 2012

Why and when did you first start competing?

I first started competing in Cyprus when I was pretty young.  My parents were living there for a while and our local club had a weekly series and annual championships.  I started doing it because everyone else did!  It was the natural thing to do, back then everyone used to get involved.   It was so much fun to take part and the more events you do the more you want do as well.

As a kid did you dream of becoming a champion?

Definitely!! Surely it’s every kids dream!  I used to watch and read all the mags and videos and could see myself doing the same thing.

Did you love competition straight away?  

It was super fun, which is why I liked it; it also helps if you do well though!

Andy Chambers in Weymouth. Image credit Global Shots.

What has helped you progress from learning how to compete to winning a title?

I think theres a very important mindset that you get from doing any kind of competition for a long time.  You learn what you need to do to win.   You learn to be prepared and be in the right place at the right time and concentrate on what you are doing and not the other person.

What equipment have you used on the UK tour this year?

I have been using the new Neil Pryde Wizard freestyle sails and the new JP Freestyle boards with the K4 Bubble Freestyle fins.  The combo of the new gear, the sails in particular have really helped me to be able to do all the new power freestyle moves with confidence.

Why do you use this equipment?

Obviously I am sponsored by them but I have also had a small hand in the development, so I know exactly how it all feels and what sizes to use depending on conditions.  It’s really important to feel comfortable and happy with your gear and I do with JP/Pryde and K4, therefore it’s the best gear for me to use (and everyone else!).

Andy Chambers heading out at Weymouth. Image credit Global Shots.

What is it about your set up in particular that you like?

It’s all like an extension of your body really! I feel like it does whatever I want it to do.  I can duck the sail when I want and how I want knowing that the board will come with me too.  You almost don’t have to think about popping the board, it’s just attached to your feet.  The super light K4 freestyle fin makes things a lot easier as well.

Who else would you recommend a set up like this?

Anyone wanting to either learn freestyle or get better at it from total beginner all the way through to the most advanced freestyler.  It makes it a whole lot easier trust me!  I can do things now that I didn’t think I would be able to do before.  Usually you get worse at learning new things as you get older and I had that for a couple of years, but now I’m getting better!! It’s epic!

Andy Chambers taking on the night tow-in! Image credit Global Shots.

How and where have you trained for the series this year?

My winter off season training is always in Cape Town, it has everything you need; like a skate park basically!! Choppy warm water lake, flat water, small waves, big waves, side off, side, side on etc etc what more could you want!  It’s a great place to improve your overall sailing skills, waves, jumping and freestyle.  During the summer when i’m not at events i am usually out in Club Vass which combines great freestyle conditions with a great atmosphere on and off the water.  I have also been spending more time around the UK and realising that it too ofers some great allround freestyle spots, West Wittering trench is unreal for flat water!! Also the Esso gargarge at Hayling and Weymouth.

Have you just trained on the water, or what do you do off the water too?

To be fair, I spend a lot of time on the water and usually in windy places so there’s not much time for off the water activities.  This summer I have been doing circuit training with my sister Amy (Army) Chambers!!  In the morning before working at Club Vass.  I would like to do more gym stuff though and hopefully next year I will be spending more time in the UK and settling a bit so I can join one!  Any recommendations??

Bubble in Vass. Image credit Global Shots.

What are your plans for winter? Sailing here in the UK? Or heading abroad anywhere?

I have literally just booked my flights to Cape Town again!! Happy days!! £523!! Epic! I will be there until mid feb and then back to the UK for a bit before starting the photoshoots for JP/Pryde in Dahab and Maui.  I am trying to get some winter UK sailing in though!!  In fact as I am writing this it is windy, so I’m typing fast!

What are you aims for competitions in 2013? UK and international events?  

In 2013 I really want to get inside the top 10 for PWA freestyle, maybe even higher but the level is going nuts!  Also, I would love to win the UK wave title, keep my UK freestyle title and have a go at the PWA Waves.  Possibly some European freestyle events as well.

Follow more on the UK freestyle competition right here on Boards, and for more news and features on Andy Bubble Chambers click right here!

Check out the other Champions of 2012 features: