The newest and one of the most revolutionary shapes on the market has hit the UK; Starboard’s Black Box, developed by Dany Bruch, has the aim of taking the lighter, flatter wavesailing days to a new level.

Our Boards Clones have already tried and tested the board, and loved it as you can see in the Winter edition of our print magazine, but how is it getting on in UK conditions?

Surely the Black Box will be perfectly suited to many UK locations that don’t always provide great down the line conditions? Boards catches up with Sam Ross to find out about his experience with the board so far and where YOU can take one out for a spin. 

The Starboard Black Box, before it hit the UK the Clones put the board through it’s paces in Tenerife

“So far, the board has been used in Bigbury, Mothecombe, Worthing, Hove, Shoreham, my home spot and a few more places too. Before I stepped on it last week I had seen pictures and read a lot about the board, but hadn’t used one.

Will Rogers

Name: Will Rogers

Sail No: K834

Fleet: Amateurs

2012 results: I only competed in the Cornwall event and it really fired me up for the whole tour this year!

Where have you been training? Bigbury, Daymer Bay and Gwithian, although there’s not been much wind this winter I have been doing a lot of SUP surfing to keep fit and get a better understanding of the waves.

What did you want to improve after 2012 season?  My port tack wave riding.

Do you think you’ve achieved this? Hopefully but not much training time…

What competitions will you take part in this year? All of them I hope, but some will be a bit of an on forecast decision as I have to conserve my valuable annual leave.

What are you aims for this year? I would love to be able to finish top 5 in the ams.

Have you changed/improved your equipment or equipment choices for this year?

My gear stays the same, using the Tushy Edge, works well as a freestyle and wave sail for me.

Fighting talk…Who are my main rivals? All the damn students who get to go windsurfing all year round and get better.

Will Barrett in Tiree

Name: Will Barrett

Sail No: K733

Fleet: Amateur

2012 results: 5th Overall

Where have you been training? Sunny Witterings

What did you want to improve after 2012 season? Consistency in changing conditions and heat fitness; I’m always knackered after a heat!

Do you think you’ve achieved this? The fitness only comes with heat sailing but I’m trying to sail more intensely for shorter sessions when I go out. Having a young family and a busy job also means they have to be short!

What competitions will you take part in this year? The BWA Cornwall Event and the Puravida Southcoast Expression Session

What are you aims for this year? I’d like to try and get a top 3 finish. Just keep improving a pushing myself. Sailing with my mates and pushing each other too.

Have you changed/improved your equipment or equipment choices for this year? Got some sick new Severne S1′s, some Simmer boards and some support from the Puravida team too.

Fighting talk…Let’s go big.

Jony Price

Name: Jony Price

Fleet: Ams

Where have you been training?

Wales, Ireland, or wherever I could find the best conditions

What did you want to improve after 2012 season?

Wanted to get more time on the water and get more confident to go out and ride bigger waves.

Do you think you’ve achieved this?

Definitely, scored loads of epic sessions this winter back in NW Ireland

What competitions will you take part in this year?

Rhossy and Ireland…the rest depends how skint I am.

What are you aims for this year?

More time on the water, and find bigger waves to ride.

Some better comp results would be nice too.. hopefully we get some decent conditions!

Have you changed/improved your equipment or equipment choices for this year?

Yeh – Puravida sorted me out with some new Vandals and Tabou after I kinda demolished my quiver..

Fighting talk?

Nah, leave the fighting for the pub.

Ian Ross. Image credit BWA/Dave White.

Name: IAN ‘CHUCKY’ ROSS

Fleet: Formally Ams, now going full time judging!

2012 results 7th Wales, 1st Ireland, 1st Tiree, had to judge in Cornwall.

Where have you been training? The pub and in my bedroom.

What did you want to improve after 2012 season? My attitude.

Do you think you’ve achieved this? Not really, it’s still pretty bad.

What competitions will you take part in this year? According to the rules I move into the pro fleet this year but luckily I have the excuse that I’m needed on the judging team for the pros. I’d like to have a go in Tiree, if we have the budget for an extra judge.

What are you aims for this year? Not be such a dick.

Have you changed/improved your equipment or equipment choices for this year? I bought some new pants which are nice, and also have O’Shea wetsuits, Simmer Blacktips 2013 and a secret weapon of a board that I made myself.

Fighting talk…I am the Judge and my decision is probably final. There aren’t any rivals in the judging van. On the water, I’d be lucky to beat anyone!

Liam Ellis

Name: Liam Ellis

Sail No: K405

Fleet: Amateur

2012 results: 5th BWA Rhosneigr

Where have you been training? Rhosneigr, North Wales

What did you want to improve after 2012 season? My forwards and frontside riding.

Do you think you’ve achieved this? Definitely, takas are becoming more frequent!

What competitions will you take part in this year? Hopefully all of the BWA tour.

What are you aims for this year? I would like top 3 overall.

Have you changed/improved your equipment or equipment choices for this year?

I was always sailing on a single fin, so this year I have got hold of a Simmer Flywave Quad and changed from Simmer Icons to Blacktips.

Fighting talk…Haha, not sure about the comment, but I would like to beat Tom Bennett-Lloyd if he’s competing this year!

Image credits Julia Slack.

Will Rogers in action, on the Edge.

Ken Black has been working closely with Tushingham Team Rider Will Rogers over the summer to refine our existing fantastic four batten manoeuvre orientated wave/freestyle sail to introduce a new size into the range, the 3.7m. Compared to other Tushingham extreme high wind sails it is aimed to be used in less wind than the survival conditions usually associated with this size. With this in mind it is low aspect with compact dimensions and plenty of low down drive.

We sat down with Will to ask him about the new sail:

Will Rogers taking the edge on a road trip!

How did you develop the sail?

Ken will have a more scientific answer, but basically we used it, got some feedback and iterated the design! Best designs come out of being able to iterate the process multiple times, since there is such a quick ability to iterate design and prototype with Tushy, that’s a massive advantage. I knew the best way to test a 3.7 would be to take it to the windiest places in Europe, so we timed it with my summer road trip, so we could get maximum feedback over the month long trip.

Whereabouts in Europe did you test the sail?

 Tarifa – in one of the strongest Levantes I’ve ever known! Levante was still 3.7 in Cadiz some days!  Solid 45 knots sometimes – so the sail got a solid thrashing and performed very well.

Sagres – got very windy at times this year, I didn’t expect to use it, but it came in super handy.  Normally Sagres is a min 4.2 spot.

Sagres – perfect flat water freestyle, Tarifa, choppy bump and jump.

Normally doing spinney flat water freestyle on a 3.7 is pretty hard-work, but the Edge made life so much easier due to being so compact.

The Edge

From using the sail what is the wind range and how did it perform?

I used it when wind guru forecast purples!  Probably 28 – 45 knots in testing, but it fits nicely in the 28 – 38 knots range and it performed very well.  I sailed it in anything from glassy flat water, doing complicated freestyle moves, where sail stability is paramount, to chop city in Tarifa, where the sail coped really well.  In my opinion, 4 batten sails just get better and better the smaller they go, in larger sizes they can be a little unstable, but with less area, 4 battens works like a dream! Since the sail isn’t constrained by that extra batten, for a small size it feels much less twitchy that you would normally expect from a sub 4m sail! Extremely light weight and compact, it was hard to fault the prototypes – a real testament to Ken’s sail design experience!

Tushingham Edge

What would you say its ideal use is / who would suit this sail?

The edge comes in at a great price point and being 4 battens makes it perform exceptionally in this tiny size – therefore I think it would suit people who want a great performing small sail, for the few times they get to use it.  OR….

It works brilliantly for freestyle, including ducking moves, since it’s been developed from the edge freestyle heritage but is also a great wave sail in powerful conditions, helped by its compact shape, and well reinforced materials.  It could even be a great rig for really young kids, who plane in a zehpher and are freestyling or learning waves, just because it isn’t hugely expensive, rigs on a 340 or 370 contributing to light swing weight.

Finally you have mentioned that it’s great for freestyling, but what’s it like in the waves?

 It fits in well by just being a 4 batten small sail – they just work better in this tiny size than 5 battens.  The compact size makes it so light for wave riding you can concentrate more on the board and be able to forget about the rig! Being compact with power delivered from low down, the sail is also controllable in gusty, bumpy conditions we often get when wind guru is purple.

The 3.7m Edge is now available to purchase from any Tushingham dealer. To find your local retailer just go to: http://www.tushingham.com/windsurfing/where-to-buy

To find out more about the other sizes in the Edge range go to http://www.tushingham.com/windsurfing/sails/edge.

]]> http://boards.mpora.com/features/tushingham-edge-3-7m.html/feed 0 http://boards.mpora.com/features/10-years-windsurfing-adventures.html http://boards.mpora.com/features/10-years-windsurfing-adventures.html#comments Mon, 03 Sep 2012 16:39:26 +0000 Amy Carter - Editor http://boards.mpora.com/?p=42413 Will Rogers joins Boards for his next column, where he sums up exactly what 10 years of windsurfing have meant to him. 

The summer of 2012 marked the 10^th summer that I have been a windsurfer, but also it marked the 10^th summer I set off on an adventure into Europe in a van looking for the chance to windsurf every day in the sun.  Some of these trips have been up to 3 months long, others 3 weeks, yet every single time there is a new adventure to be had, new friends to meet, new places to sail and plenty of crazy experiences to face.  What never fails to disappoint me is the complete stoke that the people I meet always have for windsurfing.  I thrive on the enthusiasm of these people and the ability to experience it all through an adventure keeps me going back for more!  Here’s my account of some of the highlights (or perhaps low lights) of 10 years of windsurfing out of a van…

Will Rogers

Surprisingly, 10 years ago it took some convincing for me to take up windsurfing. Although it fit perfectly with dinghy racing for the windy days, it took a year of peer pressure before I finally decided I needed to learn.  As soon as I had the bug (it didn’t take long) I was given the opportunity to go on a road trip to Lake Garda, which I jumped at.  I had just learnt to water start, couldn’t gybe and had one board and two sails.  The primary purpose of the trip was to do some dinghy sailing training in Lake Garda, windsurfing would come as the secondary activity when it was too windy.  The second half of the adventure would be windsurfing orientated where we would set off with two dinghies in tow to explore Northern Spain to do some windsurfing for the last 3 weeks.  Clearly we hadn’t done our homework about thermal winds and it didn’t take long to be advised by an Austrian guy that if we wanted to windsurf in the summer in Europe we needed to go to Tarifa.  Flicking through the many pages of the road atlas  thinking “this is far further than we imagined ever driving” we set off for the 1500 mile drive (boats in tow) on the advice of one bloke we met in a lay by. He also suggested we stop off in a place called Leucate as it’s cheap for windsurfing gear and to buy the smallest sails we could; so we did just that! Armed with 3.7’s, two racing dinghies, a big ford transit and our teenage lust for adventure we sweated it out through Spain…..

Boats in tow while in Leucate

Teenage excitement over a shower in a bag - 1st shower in weeks before a night out

Fresh from the shop - our 3.7 Space Dog Doggy Styles rigged ready for the Levante!

About half way there we decided that having two racing dinghies with us wouldn’t be that practical or ‘cool’ camped up at a beach known for blowing 50 knots each day, so remembering that a huge international Olympic classes sailing regatta was happening in Cadiz (just up the road from Tarifa) we decided to head directly there as we should be able to blag dropping the boats off there as they looked pretty similar to 49ers.  On arrival I remember recognising Bryony Shaw lugging her Mistral One Design up the slip way, and quickly asking her where the boat storage area was.  She pointed out a bloke who happily took our  £10,000 worth of boats away and assured us they would be safe.  Aged just 19 we were happy with that and set off froathing into the unknown land of windy Tarifa!

My first ever windsurfing sail - a tatty North Pyro (with 2 cams) - learning to gybe in Tarifa

On arriving in Tarifa we were quickly taken under the wing of the small English van community camped up on the beach at Los Dunas.  At the time lighter afternoon winds were blowing and we spent lazy mornings exploring all the different van conversions and  during evening camp fires we were intrigued by stories of  the stronger ‘Levante’ where we would get to use our 3.7’s.  When it finally came for a solid week we emerged out the other side completely battered and bruised, the van was full of sand and it felt that every limb had been pulled from it’s socket but neither of us cared as we had both leant to carve gybe – making us intrigued by our hair drying out when windsurfing because we didn’t fall in every time we needed to turnaround.  As the trip concluded I recall driving home through the late nights, planning where I would go next summer, how I would kit out my van, how I would even afford to buy a van.  One thing was for sure – I had caught the windsurfing bug and it’s sprit for adventure like the plague!

The van community

Lazy days in Poinente, Tarifa 2009 prior to the assualt on Dakhla

Home is where the van is...

The following July I was back on the road, this time in my own van – the van I had travelled in the previous year was now reconverted purposely for windsurfing and included accommodation for up to 5 sweaty teenage blokes whom at various stages of the trip would change as friends and friends of friends came out for a week or two of windsurfing.  I convoyed with this and needless to say there was a fair amount of boozing on the trip, including one memorable night in Lagos, Portugal where we decided a cost effective method for drinking ourselves silly would be busking in the streets – it failed and we nursed some savage hangovers the following days with no where to hide from the intense heat of the day.  Over a couple of years and many miles we sailed a lot of spots, and did what all the stereotypical things you are meant to do such as breaking a mast in the Guincho shore dump, loosing the van key for a whole day and going up to see the Monkey’s in Gibralter before going to get some English delights in Tescos.  One year Gibraltar didn’t prove to be the best success when returning to my van to find 4 punctured tyres, it was a massive ball ache, but all I can remember worrying about was whether I was missing the wind in Tarifa.  I hadn’t and was stoked when after we got it sorted the hassle was all forgotten when we had a great windsurf with all our friends and Valdequeros, Tarifa.

If you have any sort of sense of adventure and find yourself in Tarifa, it’s almost impossible not to get the bug to see Morocco.  The huge imposing mountain ranges are right there in front of you when you windsurf .  It didn’t take us long to start planning the trip to Africa, and on my 3^rd year it was on the hit list.  Poised and ready to make attempt the confusing crossing to Morroco it was pointed out to me that my passport had expired 6 months previously; that put an end to it that year and talking border control into letting me in at Dover was a little interesting as well….the following year Morocco finally turned into a reality and we got to Essaouira and Moulay for several weeks of  wave sailing.

View to Morocco

In 2008 I was intent on maximising my university summer and planned on 12 weeks away which would include taking a ferry from mid way down Morocco to Fuerteventura before exploring the Canaries.  A few weeks into the trip it was a bit of a blow to hear that this ferry had sank in rough seas, full of passengers!  However, the trip turned an unexpected corner when I met John Palmer and crew in Essaouira. A new plan to explore Dakhla in the very southern Western Sahara was hatched.  These boys had been driving down to the desert and literally living in board bags in the sand because the freestyle sailing was so good.  The solid 24 hours to Dakhla took us only 100 miles from the tropic of Cancer but it was so worth it that the next year we all went back, and lived in the sand pit for a full 2 months.  It was absolute filthy living – everything was sandy and the flies were relentless, but given the opportunity I wouldn’t hesitate to go back for the quality of the windsurfing.

One year I was set for another long trip, the week prior to leaving I booked the van in for a full service.  5 days before the departure I collected my van, complete with new filters, oil and tyres. 100 metres down the road, the engine literally blew up – turns out the mechanics had messed up a bit and the engine was wrecked.  Determined as any windsurfer generally is, the next 5 days consisted of buying a replacement van, financing and servicing it, replacing the brakes and converting it for me to live in for 3 months.  Having sweated a little, I hit the road and had a brilliant time.  Although I was a little nervous about driving to the Western Sahara in a van I had just bought, the ex vegetable delivery van performed exceptionally!

Over the years I’ve homed in on the best spots to sail, which forecasts to look at and experienced plenty of the European coastline for surfing and stand up paddle boarding.   Every year I have given myself a new target for improving my ability and as the road tripping adventure develops, so did my windsurfing skills. Along the way I have met loads of friends with a strong sense of adventure who are completely besotted with the romance of living in a van, on the beach wherever it’s windy.

Northern Spain firing

2012 Portugal

When I look back on the trips and (my first) 10 years windsurfing it’s amazing how windsurfing drives so many people to travel to some of the most extreme and obscure windy locations for their fix.  For me it just proves the stoke they get from the sport.  Everywhere I go you see windsurfers battling away to learn the next step in the windsurfing, be it a beach start or a one footed spock! Determined, dedicated and getting beaten up they are always elated and absolutely loving life when they crack it – that makes me smile every time.   My 10 years of windsurfing has been a complete adventure it’s certainly taken me to some obscure places, human nature naturally makes us want to seek adventure and I think it’s pretty cool how our whole experience learning and being a windsurfer can be an adventure that takes us to a new beach, a new lake, a new county or country or even a new continent.  The possibilities are end less.

Here’s to the next 10 years!

Check out the full details of the 2012 van trip on the Tushingham website - http://www.tushingham.com/windsurfing/team/willrogers

Read the rest of Will’s columns by clicking here. 

Van tripping 2012

Tired, sore, sunburnt, aching.  BROKEN!  If you have been in the UK this June and are the ‘wrong’ side of 25, you will probably know what I mean.  It’s been windy, five Friday evenings out of five, and the weekends too.  It’s been the perfect weekend warrior windsurfers June.

“But where’s the summer?”  Who cares…it’s windy!

Mazza bump and Jump

Achieving my five out of five came pretty easy for a UK summer, but still needed a fair bit of effort.  Sailing spots 10 minutes from home a few times and driving for a few hours for others, not only got me sailing unfamiliar spots, but I also caught up with old friends, met new people and had a great experience checking out the 2012 Olympic Windsurfing venue.  Here’s how my five out of five unfolded…

Weekend One – Jubilee Storms

June kicked off with a Bank holiday weekend for most of us, but like many windsurfers in storm battered Britain, I didn’t watch the Thames Pagent, instead I started the five out of five and used the day of to recover from the first June Storm. The spot of choice on Sunday was Marizion, along with at least 40 other sailors – cross on bump and jump conditions that were polished off with a Pasty and then Cream Tea, to re-inforce being British.

Weekend Two – Storm Force Freestyle

Windy summer months aren’t that common in the UK, so as the first week of June blew all the cobwebs away I couldn’t believe my luck and didn’t want to miss a minute. Come Friday I was free from the office and opted to stay away from the coast with huge low spring tides and horrendous SW swells, instead opting to fire out a Freestyle session – ideal 10 minutes from the office.  St. Johns Lake, Torpoint was the spot of choice and it didn’t disappoint!  Full power arm wrenching 4.2 Edge and 91 Flare kept me busy until the tide covered the bar.  A classic start to the weekend and one of those sessions where everything falls into place. The challenge of learning freestyle can be tough but a session like this one is priceless!   For the rest of the weekend I hung out at the Reactive Watersports Demo, checking out the all new Tushingham Rock (http://www.tushingham.com/windsurfing/sails/rock-2013) as well as a load more goodies.

Will Rogers. Image by Julia Slack

Weekend Three – A Rare Gem

Once again sitting, aching in the office on Monday morning, I couldn’t believe the long range forecast for yet another weekend June storm.  As Friday approached, it just got better and better.  But there was something special about this forecast…enormous SW swell’s and gale force SSW wind would make Gwithian not worth the drive.  Discussions via the top notch local online community ‘ Windsurf Plymouth’ was pointing everything towards a little gem of south Devon.  Wonwell rarely works but on Friday 16^th it came up trumps.  Having not sailed here for about 10 years when I was learning to waterstart I had no idea what to expect.  The spot is a steep sided river mouth, which south westerly swells tuck in producing nice shoulder high ramps, with perfect approaches.  Choosing the Flare 91 and Edge 4.7 was perfect for a mixture of brilliant freestyle mixed with perfect jumping.  The comment on Facebook sums up this session – Matt was spot on!

Windsurf Plymouth - http://www.facebook.com/groups/windsurfplymouth/

Check out the Windsurf Plymouth Facebook group here. 

After a good three hours of sailing, I was just about to head in as Reactive Watersports owner Dave Ewer blasted out – there’s no way you can pussy out when your sponsor asks you to sail upwind to “out run some hollow monsters” on Mothercoumbe Reef a mile upwind. Half hour later I found myself struggling in mast and a bit messy breaking swells on my freestyle board with Dave advising me – “Don’t get too close, it sucks pretty quick…” Smiling and nodding while watching Dave getting fully involved with the pocket I was thinking “Don’t worry Dave, I’m not going anywhere near that!”

Pic. Jack Kellett Wonwell on Storm day – looking upwind to the Reef.

At break of dawn on Saturday morning, yet again mother nature was unleashing her anger on South Devon.  With my arms feeling six inches longer after the downwinder from the reef, I opted for a local freestyle session but spent most of my time watching the impressive speed runs, feeling completely broken.  three of three – DONE!

Weekend Four – Near and Far

Pic by Julia Slack

By now, I’m starting to EXPECT Fridays to be windy, and it was no different this week, with Saturday and Sunday looking perfect further East.  Side on 20 knots and a moderated head high swell as well as wall to wall Sunshine at Bigbury was never going to keep me away.  Getting reports in at 9am of Andy King loving it on a 5.3 got me excited and by 4.30 I was rigging while simultaneously froathing.  Not surprisingly, Andy was still out with me until 6 enjoying good jumping and the odd wave ride.  Chilling after the session with Fish and Chips overlooking Burgh Island, and ready for more action I hedged my bets on the rest of the weekend at Portland Harbour and hit the road.

Pic by Julia Slack.

Saturday started late (beer induced) but turned into a top marathon long freestyle session.  Sailing from the OTC UK centre, it was brilliant to see so many people getting absolutely stoked on windsurfing right in the heart of London 2012 Windsurfing venue.  With a plethora of nationalities training hard on RS:X as well as all the other sailing classes it got me really addicted to the location.  Hungover as I was, its difficult not to sail all day in a superb location such as Portland Harbour and with the OTC centre fully kitted out with all kit fully rigged with top instructors, there is really no excuses!

Will Rogers. Image by Maisie Squibb

Weekend Five – Addicted to Stoke

It’s nice to save the best till last, which is exactly what June did.  A shakey forecast in the SW and my new addiction to Portland Harbour was a no brainer . feeling as if I hadn’t left I was back sailing in Portland by 7pm Friday evening.  Sunshine and wind, coupled with smiles all round from hundreds of windsurfers, plus good times with windsurfing friends from all over the UK for 3 solid days confirmed to me that my love for windsurfing was certainly back!

Check out Will’s previous column here. 

Looking back on a great month of windsurfing, the effort put in to get windsurfing paid off in more ways that just a great session. Going to new spots gave me a new buzz for the sport, making the effort to travel helped me catch up with friends and see the awesome Olympic venue weeks before the Olympic windsurfing regatta and meeting new people who were all completely stoked on the windsurfing buzz was awesome to see. Get out there and aim for your five out of five – fingers crossed for a windy July!

Will Rogers is sponsored by:

Starboard, Tushingham, Reactive Watersports, K4 Fins and Spartan Wetsuits

Follow Will on twitter here. 

Julia Slack coming out from behind the camera and practising her freestyle!

The Boards ‘How was it for you?’ forum is always a brilliant place to catch up and share on water stories with others, and here’s some further news of what’s been happening on UK shores.

Down in the south west Starboard/Tushingham rider and Boards columnist, Will Rogers scored some brilliant freestyle conditions at Torpoint.

Will Rogers. Image by Julia Slack.

Will Rogers. Image by Julia Slack.

Will Rogers. Image by Julia Slack.

For more on Will head to his Tushingham Team Page and check out his columns and more on Boards.

Over at Portland harbour, as well as Sail for Gold coming to a close, Pete Young set a very impressive average speed of 40.12knots over 500m. Pete was already part of the elite 40knot club at Weymouth, alongside Kev Greeneslade and Nick Dempsey, but he now sets the bar even higher with his average speed breaking 40knots too.

Check out Pete’s speeds on the GPS speedsurfing website. Pete’s photo is courtesy of Griff Halliwell and thank you to Lea Spencer of Red Surf Bus.

Pete Young at Portland

Further afield some more incredible speeds have been posted on GPS speedsurfing on the 8th June too, with Hans Kreisel setting a new GPS World Record 10 sec run of 48.83 knots and Jurjen van der Noord taking the record for 5 x 10 sec run to 48.4 knots.

Most sports are organised through, or at least provided by, a form of club structure, enabling you and I to participate on a regular basis and provide us with the opportunity to enjoy all the benefits, including both the social element and competition – if that’s your ‘trigger’!

John Warren credit H2O

Unlike sailing, which has a very successful club structure in the UK, windsurfing lacks this, which is often highlighted as the reason more people do not take up or continue in the sport.

How many times have you or your friends not gone sailing because you can’t find anyone to go with? I know this has been a reason for myself and many others I windsurf with; especially if you live on the coast where the safe environment of an inland lake isn’t available.

So, could you help by forming a local club, helping to get more people on the water, or do you have a club already that could benefit from help and potentially funding?

The RYA takes an active role in promoting club activity and increasing the number of clubs around the UK to increase the sports accessibility and get more people on the water. Windsurf Plymouth is just one of the clubs the RYA has been working with recently, here’s what they have been up to recently and there’s plenty to learn from them……….

Windsurf Plymouth was initiated in 2008, as a resource to provide young people in the Plymouth area with a viable and easy introduction into the sport of windsurfing.

For two years weekly club nights were run from May until September, with RYA qualified volunteers running sessions from a local RYA training centre.  Participants paid a small weekly session fee, which covered equipment cost and safety boat fuel.

Unfortunately, this activity ran for a couple of summers and then ceased, mainly due to lack of volunteers and the usual sailing venue not really being suitable for coaching planing techniques, making it increasingly difficult to retain the younger members interest.

Once better sailing locations were found and club nights could be run more effectively, a new approach ensured a regular club resource could be provided for wannabe and current windsurfers in the area.

At the beginning of 2010 two aims were set:

1) To create a club format which would appeal to current local windsurfers.

2) Develop regular club activity through which individuals and local groups and could develop their windsurfing competence and confidence.

Learning to Windsurf

To do this we asked local windsurfers to complete a questionnaire, circulated via the local windsurf shop ‘Reactive Water sports’, with support from the RYA South West Regional Sport Development team, enabling us to focus our efforts on creating a format which would actually be used by the local windsurfing community.

One of the most common comments was that they would like to receive information about when and where it would be best to windsurf for someone of their ability, as well as knowing when others would be afloat, as this was a barrier to them going windsurfing.

A club website was developed, costing a mere £40 per year! Populated with detailed information on all the local windsurfing locations, links to appropriate weather information, weekly news, new member registration and a sign post to the clubs ‘Facebook’ site – making a valuable resource.

The club has been run in a virtual format, with no fee, but the following 12 months saw 246 people join the Facebook group with 126 registering onto the clubs mailing list via the website.  The Facebook group has become the backbone of the club activity, with members posting every time wind is forecast and listing the location time they are heading for a sail. It’s the perfect way to allow individuals the opportunity to ensure they sail with others. Club member Will Rogers comments “Since Windsurf Plymouth has been launched I have met and got to know so many more local windsurfers, and sailed at many more locations than I used to.”

Encouraging new members…….Club ‘Beach Days’ are arranged once a month, with the idea to encourage local windsurfers to try a different location safe in the knowledge that they will be windsurfing with plenty of other people. The location for the ‘Beach Day’ is posted on Facebook considering the forecast.

Sustaining your volunteers………..in September 2011 we sent an open invite to all members asking for people to come forward in assisting with future sustainability. A meeting was set up and a formal club structure, which allowed Windsurf Plymouth to offer a club membership with tangible benefits.

Participation and club benefits………..Weekly club sessions are now provided, which take place through a partnership with a local sailing club, located at the best and most popular windsurfing spot in Plymouth! This also allows are members and volunteers to benefit from the clubs facilities and safety boats for club sessions.  Richard Broadbent, club member says…….. ‘a BIG THANK YOU goes out to Tim, Stuart, Windsurf Plymouth Club and the Siblyback team for an awesome evening….I felt like the sorcerer’s apprentice…… such useful advice. ……thank you once again.
Anyone looking to have a great windsurf experience could do a lot worse than getting yourselves to the Tuesday club night.’

Creating both a ‘formalised’ and ‘free-feeling’ aspect of the club has been important, aided through the continued open access of the Facebook group and Website.  Joining a formalised club does not appeal to every recreational Windsurfer!

John Warren credit H2O

Where do we go from here………one aspiration of the club is to create sustainable participation opportunities for young people, students and the local community. We are looking to purchase our own equipment and to help raise funds we are considering applying to Sport England for a ‘Small Grant Fund’, which has a maximum limit of £10,000. Through the formalisation of the club and affiliation to the RYA, this has now become possible. The RYA Regional team is at hand to help with the process and have all the relevant information you require.

For further information visit the Club Development pages on the RYA website: www.rya.org.uk/infoadvice/clubsclass/development

Will Rogers

Recently something happened, that I thought would NEVER EVER happen to me.  Not only did it completely surprise me and even frustrate me but, unexpectedly it opened my eyes a little. It made me feel guilty, as if I had cheated on the sport that has so poignantly shaped the way I live my life.  After several frustrating months of the sport, I had genuinely lost the ‘love’ for windsurfing.

Getting to this sad point, had come about due to a huge stew of ingredients but a few months later I can safely say I pulled myself out of the filthy hole I had fallen into.  However, the experience taught me that I’m not alone; most windsurfers have a similar problem.   Here’s my story…

Getting to this defining moment in my windsurfing life was very depressing, but it was compounded by multiple factors.  For me the UK winter started off with cracking conditions; solid wind every weekend mild temperatures – I was living the dream.  However, 2012 got a bit frustrating, the weather never warmed up and winter swells were rare, preventing me from getting many surfing fixes.  Added to this, my window to go on a last minute windsurfing holiday fell through when there was no wind anywhere that I could economically get to for two weeks on holiday.  I was stuck at a point in my sailing, where I felt I hadn’t got any better for ages and the wind only blew during work hours resulting in some frustrating trips to the beach. I was starting to get a bit frustrated chasing anything that would allow me to get my fix, but at the same time cursing myself for being miserable about the conditions, when normally I would just make the most of it and smile.  I just couldn’t get in the zone.

Sweet Winter Sessions at Bigbury. Tushingham Edge 4.2 (edited by Luke Green).

The moment that it really hit me was following an after work session at Whitsand Bay, South East Cornwall. For those of you who don’t know this spot, on its day it can be epic, but as with anything that’s really good, it’s an effort. A 150 foot cliff separates you from the beach, which means choosing a sail is tricky, it’s a LONG walk down the cliff and you have to make the right call first time. After frothing in the office for the whole day, hearing updates from sessions all over the south coast I finally got on my way via Torpoint to confirm it was still windy.

Picture the scene, Thursday night summer time…the 10 o’clock news has just finished and a well dressed weather presenter appears on screen in front of a huge great UK map full of tightly packed swirling isobars, he starts his meteorological download for the forthcoming weekend with on annoyingly positive slant before dropping the reality to his audience –

“Generally a wet and extremely blustery weekend for the most of us…. Unusual for the UK at this time of year, looks like it’s a weekend of board games or decorating the bedroom….” – These are the words of the weatherman.

Across the country there are groans and moans as the population discusses emigrating to Australia for a ‘decent’ summer of shine-shine, depressed that yet another weekend is going to be rubbish for BBQ’s, sunbathing and football in the park. In the office the next day there is a deflated atmosphere, colleagues grumbled about the terrible weather and sound quintessentially British.

Windsurfers on the other hand are gripped to the weather sites, seeing how the brewing storm is unfolding, deciding on which beach you will take on the elements…. Instead of writing next months financial targets you’re refreshing windguru every 5 minutes and studying tricktionary, smugly looking forward to the crappy weekend weather.

Bigbury in May. Photo - Julia Slack

One of my favorite things about being a windsurfer in the UK is that when the weather is forecast to be ‘rubbish’, we have a good reason to be bouncing off the walls with excitement as it means we get the windsurfing fix. In fact when the weather is ‘nice’, many windsurfers will actually be praying for it to be windy again. When the majority of the population just wants to get inside and wrap up with a nice cup of tea, the windsurfing population will be fully mobilized, out in the elements, enjoying the driving rain and wind.  What’s more, the beaches are empty, the best spots in the car park are available and you are about to go and have an incredible adrenaline rush out in the elements!  It’s the polar opposite to a good swell hitting Cornwall on a beautifully sunny summers day where an empty wave is as likely as me living on Jupiter this weekend.  When the good old British weather hits, everyone disappears and lets us have these beautiful places to ourselves.  A wash out weekend for 99% of people turns into an action packed one for the average windsurfer – few other sports offer the same unique advantage

Unfortunately on the flip side, this great feature of windsurfing could be argued to be one of its downfalls.  You could say that the fact that all this windsurfing happens when non windsurfers are tucked away out of the elements is a bad thing. It makes the sport invisible to people who are not involved in it and consequently when you meet someone new at a party and they ask you what you do and say ‘windsurf’ they immediately picture you moving at half a knot on a huge board, retro sail on a mill pond at center parcs! It’s an image that doesn’t put windsurfing into that ‘cool’ sport category straight away….BUT, one of the sports greatest heros Robby Naish once quoted some wise words:

 “Windsurfing’s cool because it’s uncool and if it became ‘cool’ it would be uncool”

Robby is spot on, yes our sport is pretty uncool we run around happy in the wet and the cold, and learning can be a bit of a pain, it’s got a real ‘underground’ following but that’s what makes it so great. If it was as easy as jumping on a mountain bike and rolling down a hill, it certainly wouldn’t have the same appeal or the same incredible passionate following and diversity that makes it ‘cool’.

Ricardo pushing the limits of ‘cool’

Freeride, freestyle, waves, speed, slalom or racing provide a huge variety of discipline to choose from; the calm and relaxing side that

brings newcomers into the sport to the extreme triple loops flavor that is at the top level of any extreme sport. It has got something for everyone.  Even more amazing is that the UK can be perfect for all these disciplines, world class freestyle, waves, speed and slalom spots as well as perfect weather conditions for a newcomers first steps into the sport. We’ve got it all on our door step and best of all we have the unique selling point that it makes a rainy day a fun filled day….

Back in the office this week after Easter, most people were grumbling about how the wet and windy weather had ruined it, all I could do was look down at my hands to see 3 great big blood blisters and feel my aching body following 5 hours of intense freestyle. I’d had the best Bank holiday Monday EVER! Rubbish weather never ruins a windsurfers weekend. Let’s hope for a wet and windy summer!

Windsurfingwilly.wordpress.com

Easter Weekend saw the South West of the country deliver some great wind conditions. Will Rogers was on hand at Torpoint to score some super flat water for a freestyle session. Check out Will nailing some nice Switch Konos, Funnells and more…

“Some freestyle action from Torpoint on Easter Monday…Sailing the Flare 91, Edge 4.2, Spartan Reflex and K4 18cm ‘Bubble’”

Check out more on Will’s website HERE.

Our very own columnist and top freestyle/wave sailor Will Rogers shares a report about his busy weekend down in Cornwall.

With Easterly winds forecast, Will headed west to Praa Sands and Gwithian and scored some epic windsurf and SUP sessions. Here are a few photos but be sure to check out the great full report on Will’s website by clicking HERE

Will off the top...

“Glorious sunshine, awesome swell and easterly winds were on the cards for this weekend. I decided to head far west for more wind, with the comforting thought that there would be awesome waves to play in if the wind didn’t show…”

Testing some new SUP fins when the wind dropped.

 ”I wanted to fully smash the weekend, surf and sail as much as possible…”

Bottom turn at Praa Sands...

Will Rogers and his latest sponsors

I was lucky enough to be invited to a hot tub party a few weeks back – yes, that’s right a hot tub party!  Visions of bikini clad women/toned six packed men, tunes pumping out of a 10,000W speaker system, beer, champagne and 12oz steaks falling off the BBQ fall into your head right? Well…. It wasn’t quite like that.  It was in Devon, in a rainy February.  The hot tub can only be described as a paddling pool with a bubble blower attached, which was all inside a poly-tunnel bought from B&Q.  All the same, it was a very pleasant experience, and since it was after a long chilly windsurfing session and I had a beer, it all went down rather well.

The Hot Tub Boat – obviously no where near as good as a hot tub in a polytunnel….?

As with most good parties, there are always plenty of new people to chat to, and I was chatting to Laura, a 20 something student teacher, who asked me what I had been doing prior to rocking up to the south west’s only hot tub party held in February.  Of course I had been windsurfing, and had OBVIOUSLY been doing 8-10 bottom turns, followed by smacking the critical section of a barreling wave time and time again boosting massive air each and every time. It turned out Laura had an interest in windsurfing and knew some of the lingo so we got chatting.  I then sadly heard about Laura’s TERRIBLE experience windsurfing…

Laura’s experience of windsurfing wasn’t the best, and being a windsurfing enthusiast, it was a pretty horrible thing to hear.  Laura had been on a windsurfing holiday a few years ago. having been inspired by the challenge, speed and freedom it allowed after seeing it in the UK.  Now – I would say Laura is the perfect candidate to be a windsurfer; sporty, keen on a challenge and super motivated.  As I had thought, she decided to give it a go and whisked herself away to the Canaries, ready for a week of action packed shredding.  Unfortunately that’s about as good as it got, the kit was old, battered and there wasn’t enough to go around, the instructor spoke poor English and what’s more had a class size of too many, so Laura just got frustrated by not getting any help and even got told off for sailing into a rock when she hadn’t even been told how to stop, steer or turnaround.  After day two Laura sacked it off, went for her first surfing lesson and is now pretty hooked on that.

I guess this is only one side of the story, so I’m not making any judgments, but it got me thinking hard about introducing windsurfing to new faces and the extremely important role the windsurf centre, the shop and the instructor have in our sport. The point is, windsurfing is a complex sport, and the interaction a new starter has with the shop, instructor or windsurfing centre is key to that person’s future in the sport – if they have a bad experience, then they may never come back.

Most windsurfing centers, here in the UK and abroad are staffed by super enthused instructors, who all have the windsurfing bug and are super stoked to help encourage others to learn. They earn peanuts, work long hours in the elements, but as a result get to live a outdoors lifestyle, often on the beach – beats an office any day!  If you are in this type of role, remember that your in an important job…you’re a role model to your clients and by introducing people to their first windsurfing experience are helping to secure the future of the sport you love.

The Stithians Lake FLOW 2011 Windsurfing clinic – first experiences are key!

Similarly, in today’s age of the inter-web, many may argue that the windsurfing shop is a thing of the past. But think back to when you started windsurfing, who explained the kit you needed, who did you get your advice from on the plethora of equipment? Chances are it was either from a friend you knew who windsurfs, the windsurfing center as I have already discussed, or if you didn’t know anyone who windsurfed the only option may have been your local windsurfing retailer. Our sport is complex, but the complexity is arguably the thing that makes it so inspiring, addictive and drives the unbelievable passion any windsurfer seems to develop.  Although I’m a big believer in change and ‘embracing the revolution’  in line with advances in technology – I can’t see an alternative to that crucial face-to-face experience a beginner to the sport will gain from a visit to their local shop, no matter how well developed the internet has become!

Follow my leader – learning in the sun!

Windsurfing can be a complex and daunting sport to start; therefore those first experiences are crucial for people to continue the sport. Without specialist retailers, those who want to learn or continue to learn in the UK won’t have any where to go to be able to buy their own equipment and taste the real freedom that windsurfing can give. It’s crucial for the network of retailers to be supported and continue to deliver a quality service. Remember – the shop isn’t just there for the beginner, I guarantee any accomplished windsurfer will learn loads by visiting their local retailer, be it a few tips on technique, a sneak peek of current kit or perhaps a demo on a new board!

It all links back pretty nicely to where I first started-the hot tub! In the same way that you can go in a hot tub in a poly tunnel whatever the weather outside and feel satisfied after, you can also go into a windsurfing shop whether you are a beginner or advanced to get top advice on kit or technique and come away completely satisfied with loads of new knowledge. So get down you local shop, see what’s new and then get out there and windsurf loads. Happy sailing!!

We catch up with top freestyler Will Rogers to get the lowdown on his new sponsors – Tushingham, Starboard and Reactive Watersports.

Will and his new Tushingham Edge sails and Starboard Flare

“Over the past months i’ve been testing loads of kit and found what I really like is developed just down the road!  I’m going to be sailing the Tushingham Edge, a superb freestyle and wave sail.  Its an all new design from Ken Black and doesn’t disappoint – it even looks like a rubix cube !

Along with the Edge, I will be riding the  Starboard Flare 91 and carrying on my other support from K4 fins and Spartan wetsuits. Im super stoked with my gear set up now and have already been improving loads on it during some winter sessions. I’m really looking forward to the 2012 freestyle and wave series!”

You can follow Will on his blog HERE.

Fear Of Missing Out

F.O.M.O – The Fear of Missing Out

As if it wasn’t bad enough suffering from the ‘windsurfing addiction disease’ where life tends to be put on hold for the next windguru update, I find myself suffering from an additional life controlling condition, one that is almost equally life controlling.  That condition is known as ‘FOMO’ or the Fear Of Missing Out.

I first was introduced to the concept in 2009 when I traveled to Dakhla in the Western Sahara with a load of equally stupidly keen windsurfers, but it wasn’t until then that I knew I had been suffering from it for years previously.  The trip consisted of A LOT of freestyle on Dakhla lagoon, which is arguably one of the best places in the world to learn freestyle fast.  We camped in the middle of the desert, slept in the sand, got continually eaten by flies and constantly battered by 25 knots of damp, cold Atlantic wind.  Added to that, we sailed off a sandbar that was so good, because it was so hard to get to… being a low tide spot inaccessible by road, it involved a 300 metre walk from the tent, a 1km sail, then a mile hike across wet sinking sand (fully exposed to the very strong wind) followed by another mile sailing OR a ¾ downwinder followed by a ¾ mile upwind slog with a 16cm freestyle fin and a back pack full of the days water, food and camera kit. For 2 months we did that journey daily timed perfectly with the tide times, some weeks we would do it twice, waking before dawn sailing until the spit was covered, heading back to camp for a power nap then doing it all over again that evening, returning usually after dark.  It wasn’t an easy task, but out of the 10 sailors out there, no one ever missed a trip to the speed spot.  The reason was put down as F.O.M.O – no one wanted to miss out on a great session.

The Dakhla speed spot challenge

FOMO had entered my life on multiple occasions already, and sometimes with some extreme consequences, although as I had no responsibilities they were pretty easy decisions. Having been lucky enough to get away on a windsurfing trip for every summer while at University, entering the world of 9-5 work was going to be difficult. Minimal holidays and a sport dependant on an unreliable power source, as we all know isn’t the best mix.  In 2008 I resigned from a good well paid management role, because I just could not resist the temptation of 10 weeks in Europe…..and for the 2009 Dahkla trip I did exactly the same having learnt that my friends were hitting Dakhla, of which I had had a taste of in 2008. I just couldnt face missing out on what I knew would be unmissable, even though it was a 3000 mile drive to live in a sand pit!  My CV wasn’t important – a windsurfing fix was!

Apart from friends, it's very desolate

...very desolate, but still worth it

A few years on, and my FOMO sensitivity seems to have been turned down a little, to a more manageable level – maybe that’s just me growing up… In 2010 I celebrated staying in a job for the first time for more than 9 months, now I’m over 2 years in. I’ve made FOMO a little easier to manage by choosing where I live carefully and what I do for a living, but this time of year always tests my FOMO levels when I go to work in the dark and get home in the dark, to sit down and watch MPORA windsurfing videos of everyone living the dream in board shorts, drinking caipirinha, surrounded by palm trees bent in half by 25 knots of warm brazilian wind.  That even drove me to start windsurfing in the dark – I’m lucky flying to Jeri is an expensive destination as I would have probably quit my job if it wasn’t!

Desperate times, desperate measures…(Adam Primmer Photography)

That all taken into account, I still drive plenty of my non windsurfing friends crazy with the inability to commit to anything more than 3 days in advance as I’m fearful of what the forecast may make me miss out on, to be honest I still live in a constant state of FOMO. If there’s any hint of wind I’ll drive to the beach, just to be sure I’m not missing out, and if another engagement stops me from being at the beach I’ll be twitching knowing I’m missing out. I am generally very fearful of wedding season….

I guess there’s some ‘negatives’ that come out of FOMO but really it’s a wonderful thing when you break it down. I’ve met few other people who experience a similar ‘disorder’ from any other sport, windsurfing is a sport that gets you hooked, captures your attention, pulls you in and gives you a constant scope for improving, learning and adventure. From the moment you first get moving forwards, through to your first tack, getting planing fully locked into the straps, the very first carve gybe, vulcan, spock or wave ride – at every stage it empowers you unexplainably to target the next level. But perhaps what makes it so special is that we CAN’T go windsurfing all day, everyday or even whenever we want. When it’s not possible to windsurf we want it even more and ultimately suffer from the symptoms of FOMO. It’s a bit like love I suppose…so be proud to be a windsurfer and keep loving your sport.

Share your extreme FOMO stories on the Boards.mpora forum…