Go With The FLOW...

Amy Carter at For Ladies Of Windsurfing (FLOW) is proud to announce Go With The FLOW – Cape Verde Clinic with Nayra Alonso…

FLOW goes international holding their first action packed, but relaxed week for female windsurfers on the beautiful, unspoiled island of Sal, Cape Verde.

The world class breaks of Cape Verde are often misconceived as too tricky or hardcore for many, especially the ladies, however as British born CV local, Vickey Abbott can confirm the island has a lot more to offer than the most talked about break.

Sal is a great destination for water sports of all kinds. Although, thanks to its recent inclusion on the PWA wave tour, Sal is now widely known for Ponta Preta with its perfect and large cross off shore waves.

Sal also hosts a large variety of conditions from flat freeride to cross-onshore bump-and-jump / mellow waves to perfect cross-offshore waveriding of all sizes. The north-easterly trade winds kick in towards the end of September and blow until usually the 1^st of July when the doldrums creep up and the calm hot summer starts. The wind is generally fairly light averaging 15-20 knots, strongest in the months of Jan – June. Due to the diminutive size of the island all spots are within 20mins of the town allowing multiple sessions at different locations throughout the day.’

The week organised by FLOW founder, Amy Carter, and Vickey, director of Cape Verde Imports, will combine yoga, windsurfing, surfing, SUP and many other day/evening activities, making the most of all the island has to offer on and off the water.

Top PWA competitor and approachable, experienced coach Nayra Alonso will be on hand all week to offer an abundance of coaching sessions and top tips. As a highly skilled wavesailor Nayra is an excellent instructor at all levels, to make the most of both Nayra’s abilities and the fantastic range of conditions we are aiming the week at experienced female windsurfers, who are comfortable planing, waterstarting, ideally having windsurfed on the sea, wanting to build confidence in waves, and get into/improve their wavesailing. Don’t worry we are not looking for pros, we just want to make sure that all women attending will be able to make the most of the conditions, just drop us an email to discuss further.

“I am super-excited about running this clinic along with Amy and Vickey. They are both really enthusiastic water women and I am sure they are organizing a hell of a holiday for the girls that will join the clinic!!. The aim is to help girls to start getting into the waves or improve their wave sailing skills. When it comes to waves there is as much ability and technique involved as mental preparation. We would help you trying to get more comfortable on the waves and try to get your riding and jumping better, feeling confident about it and going one step farther.” Nayra Alonso

Condition dependent the trip will also include the opportunity to learn/improve your surfing and SUP skills, meaning what ever the weather we will be able to hit the water. Off the water we will relax and restore our muscles with a series of yoga sessions, giving all the opportunity to unwind before the rest of the days activities. Of course all waterwomen also love great food and drink, the odd adventure, exploring and the odd bit of shopping, all this plus more will be available, island style.

Accommodation:

Will be in the Surf Activity guest house which is situated on the east side of Santa Maria town, 200mtres from the majority of the windsurfing centres and 5mins walk from the centre of the town. The surf house is run by a very friendly Italian Windsurfer who loves to welcome people to Cape Verde for the water sports and he and his wife are always delighted to help. The atmosphere that has been created here is very friendly, hospitable and the rooms themselves are kept clean and tidy. Please check out the website www.surfactivity.it it’s in Italian but the pictures tell you all you need to know! The rooms vary but all have a double and single bed with ensuite, there is a communal kitchen with cooker/oven/fridge, freezer and a dining table and sofa area.

Clinic Details

Dates: 12th – 18th March 2012

Price: £850 – £1000 (dependent on participants and exact package) to include coaching, food, accommodation, kit rental, transfer, vehicle hire and fuel.

We are recommending a UK flight with Thomson, but can assist with flight bookings from any location.

Package is flexible and can be individually tailored to dates/needs of each participant.

Minimum windsurfing level requirements comfortable planing, able to keep upwind, waterstarting, experience of windsurfing on the sea/coping with shorebreak.

Minimum of 6, maximum of 8 places available.

The clinic will rely on a minimum of 6 women confirming their entry by no later than 1/12/2011.

Once minimum entry has been reached the clinic plans will be finalised allowing entrants to book their own flights after this date.

Please do not book your flight until we have confirmed the clinic has 6 entrants.

For further details and full booking information please email amy@flowindsurfing.com – full information will of course be online at www.flowatersports.com

Point-7 Sweet

UK importers Zero Gravity introduce the Point-7 Sweet – a sail range developed specifically for women who want their own gear. Sporting a strong graphical design that’s all about statement! Designed for smaller and lighter riders, the lowered outhaul cringle position and boom opening guarantee perfect power delivery and drive to the rider. Available in three sizes with an exceptional range of use and massive amounts of disco!

Shop online or find your nearest outlet at www.point-7.com

FLOW poster

FLOW (For Ladies Of Watersports) and W4CR (Windsurfing 4 Cancer Research) have teamed up to  provide ‘Go with the FLOW: For Female Cancer Care’ a fun day on the water for budding to experienced waterwomen, with a whole host of exciting activities raising money for Breast Cancer Care and ovarian cancer research run by Cancer Research UK.

‘Go with the FLOW: For Female Cancer Care’ will take place on Saturday 24th September 2011, at Hove Lagoon Watersports  http://www.hovelagoon.co.uk and will include a morning yoga with waterwoman  and health guru Caroline Radway  www.fitbodyfix.com , learn to windsurf, wake board and SUP sessions from female instructors, intermediate and advanced windsurfing coaching from FLOW’s top Hunk Sam Ross  www.sam-ross.co.uk , demo equipment, music, cakes, a movie and more!

The highlight of the day is set to be the ‘Blast 4 Breast Cancer’ where all the ladies will hit the water, for a team relay race, with legs on both the lagoon and sea (condition dependent!) so ALL levels of waterwomen can take part and be in with the chance of winning some amazing prizes. You can enter as a Team of 4, or enter as an individual/pair and we will put you in touch with potential team mates. We are encouraging teams to use the Blast as a fundraising opportunity, getting your friends/family to show their support for your team through sponsorship which will be donated directly to Breast Cancer Care and Cancer Research UK ovarian cancer projects by W4CR.  More details for team entrance and fundraising will be on www.flowatersports.com

Don’t worry guys you can be involved too! We are more than happy to welcome watermen along that support the fairer sex, you can enter and take part in many of the activities available on the day. We are keeping all coaching sessions for ladies only, however you can soak up the atmosphere, hit the water, eat cake and even enter the ‘Blast 4 Breast Cancer’, if you have a penchant for pink and a blonde wig that is!

To be part of a fantastic festival atmosphere, while learning some new skills and hanging out at the beach with a relaxed group of friendly surfer chicks simply head to www.flowatersports.com for full details and to enter. Cost of entry is £10 (for all activities and coaching excluding wakeboarding, £20 (for all activities and coaching including wakeboarding) plus a minimum donation of £10 to the registered charity W4CR.

What is FLOW?

FLOW is an organisation set up in June 2010 by former professional windsurfer, coach and personal trainer, Amy Carter. FLOW aims to unite females in windsurfing, SUP, wakeboarding, etc to share our knowledge and passion for the water, as well as pushing the message that these often male dominated sports are fantastic for women too. Online www.flowatersports.com has a vast array of articles covering health, fitness, technique, location guides, kit bag, interviews with inspirational waterwomen and the very well received Hunk of the Month, all by women, specifically for women. Offline Amy delivers watersports events and coaching, combining with her work as a personal trainer, Amy concentrates on conveying the benefits of a healthy, active lifestyle, enabling women to make positive changes in lives, and increasing the opportunities for ladies to be active participants in watersports, particularly windsurfing.

Amy says: ‘Go with the FLOW: For Female Cancer Care’ has been a rough idea of mine for a few years now, and it feels fantastic that all the thoughts and planning are now coming into fruition. I really hope that as many ladies as possible will make their way to Hove for what will be a fantastic day, even if you have never set foot in the sea before, don’t worry! Everything will be provided and you will learn new, exciting sports in a safe and relaxed environment, with lots of other like minded women. I cannot wait, hope to see you there!’

What is W4CR?

FUNDING RESEARCH, SUPPORTING CANCER CARE AND EDUCATION > Windsurfing4CancerResearch (‘W4CR’) was set up as a registered Charity by windsurfer David Tuttlebee in March 2009 to increase awareness of cancer and funding research, supporting cancer care and education. Since 2009 W4CR has raised over £120,000 from fundraising charity events. The beneficiaries have been Cancer Research UK (Bowel and Skin cancer projects), Breast Cancer Care, Macmillan Cancer Care, Royal Marsden Cancer Campaign, John Hartson Foundation and other hospices.

Brian (W4CR Trustee) says: Go with the FLOW: For Female Cancer Care is a wonderful fundraising event, the beneficiaries are Breast Cancer Care and Cancer Research UK (Ovarian cancer research project) and September 24th at Hove will be the ‘first ever’ of its kind and a great opportunity for ladies of water sports to join together and have a truly fun ‘fundraisin

Sarah-Quita in slalom mode

Following her strong World Cup showing at home at PWA Aruba, Gaastra’s Matt Pritchard interviews Sarah-Quita Offringa who is current leading lady in both the PWA Slalom and Freestyle tours!

MP:  Way to go over there SQ!!! Awesome job, tell us about what it was like sailing in your home waters – did you feel pressure to win?

SQ: Hi Matt. Thank-you! Since I started on the PWA it’s been a dream off mine to have the PWA coming to Aruba. The pro’s were telling me so many stories of how they used to race on my island and have a good time! Finally this year the government gave the green light to host a PWA event here. YEAH! Freestyle and slalom. So just having all the pro’s sailing here at my home spot was already big for me! No I didn’t have more pressure than usual to win. The pressure that I had was my own because I always want to perform well.

MP: I must say I am rather impressed – you have come from the freestyle scene and are now winning slalom contests – what happened and how did this all come about?

SQ: Well I didn’t completely come out of nowhere. In 2007 I sailed my first PWA slalom comp in Fuerteventura. Then in 2009 I competed in Turkey and finish 2nd. I realised there that I was quite fast so I decided to the whole tour next year. Last year I did the whole tour and gained a lot of experience sailing at different locations. At first I needed a lot of help from everybody tuning my equipment and choosing fins etc… but now I can pretty much handle myself and this gives you more confidence out on the water. How I got around winning slalom events?? I never think about winning a whole event. I just take it one race at a time giving every race a 100%

MP: Are you slalom training every day or do you have a new trainer? What is your schedule like?

SQ: Well like I’ve said before I live in Holland now and I haven’t even gotten time to even be on a windsurfing board much and when I do I’ll be freestyling… I’m lucky that I have a friend living quite close by that’s willing to drive an extra 20 minutes in the opposite direction to pick me up and go windsurfing. What I’ve learnt this year is that even though you can’t sail as much you won’t lose your technique and you don’t need to sail every day to progress. Anytime you are on the water you just need to try and get everything out of your session.

Sara-Quita freestyling Aruba

MP: Do you think the other girls are surprised at how well you are doing being this only your 2nd year doing slalom? You are beating the veterans out there!

SQ: ‘m quite happy by the way I’m performing but to be honest all the girls are pushing hard and that’s why as a whole everybody’s getting better. There are more and more of the younger sailors winning races. Alice Arutkin usually wins at least 1 race in a competition and we’ve seen Lena Erdil and Fanny Aubet winning races for the first time in Aruba so that’s a big step ahead for all of us. The next generation has arrived!

MP: What is your favorite thing about racing?

SQ: Definitely the moment the red flag goes up and you know you have 4 minutes before the start of your race and then the last 30 seconds planing slowly towards the line with 9 other girls and then finally nailing the start and sailing full speed towards the first mark to see who rounds it in first. It’s a complete adrenaline rush!

MP: Tell us about the gear set up you are using – boards, fins, masts etc…

SQ: My favorite setup right now is the 7.1 Vapor with my 90 l iSonic which I have a 35cm fin under. We haven’t had really strong conditions yet but I’m hoping I can use the 6.4 Vapor… Dubbed ‘The Beast’ by Arnon, hahahaha…

MP:  How about some tips for other girls – what are some things they can do to prepare for racing on the PWA Tour?

SQ: The best experience you get is actually competing with everybody. You’ll learn there how to tune your equipment or wether starting at the pin or the boat is better. In any case… If you go out to train some slalom it’s best to have somebody to sail with. Most of all just enjoy being on the water

MP: Well congratulations and thanks for your time! Keep it rolling… Very nice job!!!

Sarah-Quita Offringa

Stithians Diva Weekend

In part due to a clash with the Glastonbury Festival, South West Lakes Trust in Cornwall have postponed their annual Diva Weekend for women to 17th and 18th September 2011 at Stithians Lake (near Redruth, Cornwall). On offer is two days of windsurf instruction for ladies of all levels, stand-up paddleboarding, a yoga session to loosen up, plus camping overlooking their lovely lake and a barbecue thrown in at no extra cost. You even get the T-shirt – all for the bargain price of £80!

For the intermediate windsurfer they’re holding a two-hour coaching session led by Steve Bowens on 17th September from 2.00pm to 4.00pm. If the wind is strong enough he will be coaching waterstarts, or if the wind’s lighter the theme will be harness and footstraps. The price is £15 for a 2-hour session.

For booking and further information please contact 01209 860301 or email stithianswatersports@swlakestrust.org.uk

www.swlakestrust.org.uk

PWA Women's Slalom fleet

The PWA is pleased to be able to confirm the 2010 Almanarre, Hyeres, Women’s Slalom World Tour Final.

The event will take place from the 4th to the 8th September 2010 at Plage de l’Almanarre, Hyeres, in France. This world famous windsurfing location, which has played host to many great events in the history of the World Tour, will return to the circuit to showcase the most talented female racers from around the world.

Entrants will most likely include multiple World Champion and current PWA Tour Leader, Karin Jaggi (Patrik/Severne); current PWA Freestyle Champion, and number 2 on the Slalom Tour, Sarah-Quita Offringa (Starboard/Gaastra) and 18 year old French sensation and current Slalom number 3, Alice Arutkin (Starboard/North). Also challenging the front runners will be 2009 PWA World Champion, Valerie Arrighetti (Tabou/Loft/Mystic) who will be looking to recover significant glory having missed the first event of the year through injury.

Further details of the event will be released soon and entry forms will be available from entry@pwaworldtour.com in the next few days.

www.flowindsurfing.com provides the opportunity for women to learn and improve their windsurfing skills this summer at The Aqua Sports Company.

Following on from the article all about windsurfing at Aqua Sports in Redhill, Surrey on FLOW (www.flowindsurfing.com/node/61) the friendly windsurf centre have arranged a series of Beginner and Intermediate course packages JUST FOR LADIES available at special rates for all FLOW members!

Why not make a weekend of it? The club has BBQ and camping facilities making ideal for a weekend away with those female friends you have always wanted to get into the sport to be taught by female instructors in the relaxed company of the fairer sex….

Amy Carter

FLOW – For Ladies Of Windsurfing (www.flowindsurfing.com) – is an online information resource designed specifically for female windsurfers.

Founded by Amy Carter, the website is brimming full of stories, experiences, tips and pointers all relevant to the fairer sex within the sport. It sets a clear aim to not only encourage more females into windsurfing, but also to provide a much needed support system and a sense of community for those already enjoying the sport. Discussing the objectives of the FLOW concept, it is hard not to feel the amount of passion Amy (a distinguished racer herself) has put into the project:

“Windsurfing has always been the sport I’ve loved! After years involved in the sport I have become increasingly frustrated with the perception that you must be tough and strong to windsurf. I felt that something needed to be done to breakdown this misconception.

By providing information for women, by women, FLOW aims to create a fun, friendly ‘club atmosphere’ so that we can help each other learn, develop, enjoy and achieve together in the sport.”

Whilst much of the location information is focussed around Amy’s native UK at the moment, many of the articles and tips are relevant to women wherever they are. So whether you’re looking to crack that next manoeuvre, don’t know which kit to buy, have an article, photo or tip you want to share … or have a female friend you want to get into the sport (boys!), visit www.flowindsurfing.com and get involved.

Amy in action

Yoli De Brent at last year's Fuerte event. Photo: PWA / JC

Unfortunately, the economic crisis in Spain has taken its toll on the Fuerteventura Grand Slam. Despite previous commitments made, the government has been forced to withdraw some of the support that it had committed to, meaning that some aspects of the event will be cancelled.

The IKA Kite and ISWC Windsurfing Speed World Championships have been cancelled which will be a big blow to the event, but unfortunately, in order to cut costs further, the Organizers have also been forced to cancel the PWA Women’s Freestyle.

These decisions have been taken reluctantly to try to preserve the long term future of the event itself, in the face of massive spending cuts within Spain.

The event will continue with men’s Slalom and men’s Freestyle as planned for 2010, but we fully expect the remaining aspects of the event to return for future years.

We know that this will be a great disappointment to the girls, but we hope to be able to bring you more positive news concerning women’s events soon.

Kind regards

The PWA

Zara Davis

Zara Davis achieves No1 ranking position in Women’s Speed

The UK’s queen of speed has now taken the top spot on the official International Speed Windsurfing Class ranking. Zara who only started speedsailing in 2005 has slowly clawed her way up the ranking list by consistent performances at international events like the European Championships last year in Ireland.

It is a bitter sweet victory though as the upcoming World Championships at the legendary site of Sotovento has been cancelled due to the recession. Zara said “It’s great to be ranked No 1 in the world but it’s the world championships I was looking forward to, It attracts all the top girls and It would have been great to achieve the World title on a level playing field”

Zara is sponsored by Mistral, Simmer, Dakine, Spartan, Sonntag fins and Walnut Grove Clinic. To keep up to date with Zara’s travels check out her website www.zaradavis.co.uk

Zara

A worldwide water woman movement promoting women and ocean sports, The Butterfly Effect brings women together in a non-competitive gathering celebrating community and love of the ocean while instilling confidence in women of all ages and skill sets.

Novices and professionals alike joined together in support of each other, as the butterflies braved high surf advisories to windsurf, kite, stand up paddle and kayak along the North Shore of Maui. The group, initially planning to launch from Ho’okipa and land at Kanaha, adjusted launch to Sprecks due to the eight foot waves on the North Shore.

Professional athletes that participated included Ann-Marie Reichman, Annita Blanch, Junko Nagoshn, Talia Gangini, Tiffany Ward, Nayra Alonso, Tonia Farman, Tomoko Okazaki, Resi Stiegler, Tatiana Howard and many more.

The Butterfly Effect began in Hawaii in 2007 by water women, Tatiana Howard and Juliana Shelef. Since then, the founders have flown around the world to organize affiliated events in Brazil, New Zealand, France, Oregon, Germany, Tahiti, Dominican Republic and Australia, and hundreds of international women have joined the movement.

The main featured sports of The Butterfly Effect include, but are not limited to, windsurfing, stand-up paddle and kiting. Other participating sports include wake boarding, surf and kayak. The standard event agenda also includes group sessions, clinics, safety and stretching sessions, food and gear from local sponsors and fundraising for local charities.

The Butterfly Effect will be going on world tour this summer, with events being held in: Italy, Hood River (Oregon), Fiji, Dominican Republic and Brazil.

“Maui, being the home of Aloha, is the perfect base for The Butterfly Effect, an event that celebrates feminine values, camaraderie and self-empowerment rather than judging and competition,” says The Butterfly Effect founder Tatiana Howard. “Although it is an all-women event, I hope that the success and enthusiasm that each event brings will be an inspiration to all.”

Sponsors of The Butterfly Effect Maui 2010 included: LuvSUP, Matiko, Dakine, Café Mambo, Green Banana Café, Wings Hawaii, Olukai, Neil Pryde Maui, Cohen Landscaping, Grace Delivers, Flatbread, Naish, Kaenon, HonBlue and Paia Yoga. The event was documented by: photography by Nate Volk, Batel Shimi, Jimmie Hepp and Dan Rayburn; by helicopter with video and photos, Kevin Pritchard; and video from both land and sea, Jonas Marpot.

betheeffect.com