Suping Magazine #26

INTERNATIONAL VERSION

MARCH

2018 | #26 Competition

Philippines

Barbados

R&D

Coaching

Epic 5th Edition of the SUP Open Yerbabuena in Spain

Laurent Nevarez and the blue waves of the Philippines

Bernd Roediger discovering the Beach Culture in the Islands

An inside view of the Fanatic R&D Team at work

The power of mental preparation in competition

EDITORIAL

Springtime Sunlight is gaining ground, the temperatures are rising up, and there are still many days of waves ahead... Maybe is because of it that spring is the first season of the year? Where does everything start? The beginning of the green, and the chance to get out of winter’s lethargy.

We can think of two thousand different ways to pay homage to it, all of them with a board under your feet.

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Ideas, ideas that never end. Take them all as they were yours, bring them to life. Go to every place you dream with, make it come true. And in case you want us to give you any suggestions, go ahead and take a look inside the magazine.

Bernd Roediger, in our cover article, imbues us with the “Beach Culture” philosophy on the paradisiac Barbados Island, a must for all of us who love water sports.

Caterina Comandi

If you think you want more, then pay attention to the story about the not too well known Philippine coastline: wild nature, atomic waves and colors that you did not even see in Avatar.

Lanzarote and Sayulita are well known places of the SUP scene, two good “connoisseur� of those spots help us with some useful brushstrokes to add to the picture you have already painted in your head.

And as always there is a Ying, there is also a Yang; we complement ours with content focused on die hard competition, with the review of the renowned V Open of Yerbabuena SUP, and with Kai-Nicolas Steimer bringing us concepts about shapes and R & D in Racing.

athlete out there, elite and amateur, and their performance in competition.

Psychologist and Coach Bea Felipe opens our eyes about the myths and truths of mental strength, defining factor of every

Keep SUPING

We hope you read these lines in between some nice sessions in the water, with the sun already warming up, and eyes wide open for future adventures.

SUPING Magazine

INDEX

14.

26.

30.

48.

68.

72.

82.

COVER

Competition: V Open SUP Yerbabuena.

Spots: Winter in Famara.

Bernd in Barbados, ยกBeach Culture!

Exploring Siargao, Philippines.

Snapshot: Puerto Vallarta.

I+D with Kai-Nicolas Steimer.

Coaching: The Success Formula.

Bernd Roediger

Si Crowther

14 30 32 72 48 10

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Laurent Nevarez

STAFF

EDITORS

Emilio Galindo María Andrés PHOTOGRAPHERS

Si Crowther, Laurent Nevarez, Lucas Tozzi, Fish Bowl Diaries, Caterina Comandi, Rodrigo Gonzales Rubio, Jvilca, Sophie, Pierre Bouras.

COLABORATORS

Bernd Roediger, Laurent Nevarez, Juan De Los Reyes, Fred Bonnef, Beatriz Felipe López, Geovani Pérez, Davide Ionico, Antonio Sánchez Rubio, Kai-Nicolas Steimer.

TO GET FEATURED

If you are interested in collaborating with SUPING Magazine you can send us your material and / or your proposals to our e-mail.

WE ARE SUPPORTING

Surf Rider Foundation Europe CONTACT US

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SUPING Magazine is not responsible for the opinions, comments and ideologies of our collaborators.

We believe in the free expression of each individual and we give the opportunity to express it, but we do not necessarily share those opinions.

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Si Crowther

COMPETITION 5th Open Surf & SUP Yerbabuena ION 2018 SUPING Magazine

Lucas Tozzi, Jvilca

Barbate and its textbook peeling waves is hosting again one of the most important SUP events in Spain. The best riders gather around La Breña’s natural reserve, enjoying a weekend in one of the best waves in the region.

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Saturday morning saw the first steps of the comp, with a calm start of the day, little waves but glassy and perfect.

Fortunately, they could finish some heats and leave the competition halfway done for the next day… And what a next day it was…

They started quickly with the first SUP heats, losing time was not allowed because, as the forecast said, it started to get windy…

Epic conditions for the famous right hander peeling wave in Yerbabuena. The spot was firing, offering rides as it best.

More waves were coming, but also storms, rain and a little bit of everything!

It was big, glassy and long… Like a dream. In that battlefield, the finalist were showing off,

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with a powerful and vertical surfing approach, even with good tricks!

At the end, the local, and Junior European Champion, Juan De Los Reyes was the winner, with a backside surfing that good…

That seems he’s surfing frontside!

The event organizer, Antonio Sánchez, tells us how it was:

“After a complicated week of preparation, at the end it went everything according to the plan, so we are so happy. We ended in the finals with epic conditions, it’s been one of the best Yerbabuena Opens until now for me.

The first day we had good conditions, but on Sunday, the ocean was on our side, glassy as you can get and an amazing surfing level.

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We already have the bar really high for next year’s event, so better we start working on it from now on! ” The winner of the event, Juan De Los Reyes tells us how the weekend wrapped up for him:

“ Being in the first position at the V Open de Surf & SUP Yerbabuena is something incredible, a beautiful and remarkable experience I’m not going to forget, it’s the event of my hometown and homespot… “

“In the previous editions I was cursed for the win, and also I have to say that all the good riders are coming to our event! So there’s always a high level in the water.

This year’s event wasn’t going to be easy by any means…

The first day we had some really tough heats, difficult conditions, so much wind, messy waves… but at the end I was going in first position to the finals.

On Sunday, the last day of competition, we had excellent conditions: sunny, warm and incredible waves.

We were Fernando Pérez, Rafa Morillo, Fred Bonnef and me in the finals. “ We had the whole Yerbabuena spot for ourselves during

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the 25 minutes of the final, something that never happens in a normal day!

We were catching waves non stop. Speaking about me, I could take two epic waves at the beginning of the heat, so then I was feeling some relief and no pressure at all. Fernando was surfing well, I was less than a point ahead of him.

So I was eager to take another wave, but I rushed it a little bit and the wave was so powerful that my leash broke…

I left the paddle to be able to swim fast and I could take my board before it went to the rocks, but when I was there, I was thinking…

If I go out now, Fernando is going to overtake me for sure…

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Thanks to my sponsors, my family and friends for take care and support me! We will see how it is going next year! “

“ So I came back without the leash. In the last minute, I had a really good and long wave, I was racking up the points till the end of the wave and also till the end of the heat, taking the win because of that! “

Fred Bonnef was really happy to be there up in the first positions in Yerbabuena: “Every friend that know me and my personal story understand how important it is for me to still be able to compete at a good level .

I am so happy that I found my way to the final again at the famous Open de la Yerba for the second year in a row.

I can’t forget here every single person that helped me in the past to be back in the game and believed in my capacities.

You know who you are and thank you will never be enough.

Congrats to all the competitors for pushing the level and thank you for all those good moments in and out of the water. Thank you to the organizers of that important event.

Thank you also to my girlfriend, Ana, for being there when I needed.

Massive congrats to my team mate and friend Juan De Los Reyes for his victory, you deserve this so much! “ RESULTS: 1. Juan De Los Reyes Barrios 2. Fernando PĂŠrez Serra 3. Rafa Morillo 4. Fred Bonnef

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SPOTS Famara

Winter in Lanzarote Davide Ionico

Caterina Comandi

Famara beach is one of the most popular spots in Lanzarote for both surfing and suping. It extends for over 6 km, from Caleta de Famara to the bottom of Risco Mountain, it is a really cool beach with some views.

Gentle winds blow from mid-September to the end of November, but the conditions are good for SUP surfing and surfing all winter long, from October to May. There are around 8 peaks along the beach, and the surf is better when the swell is not too big.

The north swell pushes good lefts at the beginning of the beach, and the west swell offers some nice rights from the bunker to the kite area and beyond. An interesting fact is that the tide doesn’t influence the wave quality too much, but the best moment is mid tide.

The pictures were taken on December 22th in the kite area, with a north-west swell and a south-east offshore breeze, making the waves glassy and 5-6 maneuvers long. It’s best to surf in a less short board frequented spot because locals might be hostile towards us!

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Caterina Comandi

Davide Ionico

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Caterina Comandi

Davide Ionico

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Barbados Bernd Roediger and the “Beach Culture” lifestyle Bernd Roediger

Si Crowther

The Maui rider dives into Barbados, the island of the permanent happiness, music, friendship, art, parties and the beach and ocean culture.

Barbados legendary waterman Brian Talma, guide through the island a nice group of watersports athletes, windsurfers, kitesurfers and SUPers, traveling through the waves, the landscapes and the nature that inhabit the island. Ah, and the local dishes! regarding Bernd, “the pure taste of food this amazing is reason enough to live in Barbados!”

An island full of life, full of people and covered in colors, colors that you’ve only seen while sleeping.

Barbados Bernd Roediger and the Beach Culture lifestyle I got my start as a windsurfer, as many in the sport of Stand Up Paddling have. Long before our eyes grew dewed with the newness of paddlesurfing, before our retinas reflected revolution, these glittering eyes chased the wind!

Seeking out the wind was a tricky thing, and you’d be lucky to travel somewhere and actually see any of it.

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Once, down in the desert (rojos?) of Northern Baja, I contracted extreme bad luck, and spent two weeks without a whisper in my sails. It was here that I met Brian Talma.

“ Two weeks, camped out in the desert, watching the Pacific be… totally pacified by late summer doldrums.

And yet, Brian saw the same opportunities to celebrate life, regardless of conditions “.

Brian led our group, roving out through the desert in the spirit of what I’d come to know as, “Beach Culture”. This was a manifestation of his lifestyle, a sort of continuous narrative that he took with him on his travels, promoting positivity, ocean-mindedness, and fun!

We took advantage of standup paddling as a way to be on the water, constantly, regardless of conditions. This experience totally altered my path. I still chase the wind, but there so many ways to hear its song…

Now, I’m going to be completely honest here and say, the images you see before you are from only a single day, at a break called “Soup Bowls”. The rest of the week we spent blissfully unburdened by the search

for good conditions, as it was stingingly evident through the seaside window of Brian’s home, there were none to find. Still, Brian showed us his island, his people’s culture, Beach Culture. We dove for conch with a man named “Full Moon”, and ate their fleshy rubber muscles raw, on Silver Sand beach. For the local monkeys, we saved our peanuts!

“ Everywhere we went on the island, there was someone calling to us, waving, recognizing “deAction Man”, “The People’s Pro”.

“We took advantage of standup paddling as a way to be on the water, constantly, regardless of conditions. This experience totally altered my path ”.

“It very thoroughly washed away the sleepy island trance I had fallen into, over the past week ”.

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“The island’s lifestyle revolves around the sea, around the fishing culture. A good day on the water is different than ours, but the feeling of satisfaction from a solid catch is the same! ”

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He decided to hold a parade celebrating Beach Culture and the Bajan Fishermen. We painted and hung signs all through town.

Decorated the streets with colorful epitomes of fish, surfers, sun and sand.

“ Poems ran along the walls of our home. Hundreds attended, the sounds and sights of joyous revelry was like something you would read about in novels, from times long since past “.

For each participant, Brian had a colorful shirt of his own design, so that, combined with the banners and paintings, the whole street looked like one huge flowing mural of wondrous kinetic joy!

I called Brian the long-lost mayor of this town, the man named “Full Moon” called me Brian’s long-lost son, I had to laugh! Brian has five children, Sunshine, Starlight, Rainbow, Lion, and Ocean.

They all glow with facets of his character.

Sunshine has his keen mind for aesthetic, Starlight will run her own business one day, Rainbow loves the whole world and wants to give it a hug, Lion climbs coconut trees and tumbles into the sea, Ocean is youngest and full of gleaming potential.

Breaks like “Surfer’s Point” and “Sandy Beach” were perfect places to take the kids for playful longboard sessions. It’s remarkable how tired you can get surfing waist high waves when you’re in the company of hyperactive children!

“ Luckily, the fishing village is bustling with restaurants, stocked with bounty, caught fresh each day “.

The island’s lifestyle revolves around the sea, around the fishing culture. A good day on the water is different than ours, but the feeling of satisfaction from a solid catch is the same!

The pure taste of food this amazing is reason enough to live in Barbados!

Each evening, we danced to reggae, in dying light, the sun gave way to brilliant stars and the gleaming sounds of techno. Fisherman, tourists, and unhinged surfers celebrated; donating sweat to the living streets and boulevards, the heart of the town.

On and on and again, we ventured around the island, in keeping with Beach Culture, until it became a sort of repetitive mantra, a meditation in happiness.

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“ And we lived that way for days and days, without much thought for chasing the wind. I think it was when we stopped searching that the wind found us, and blew those wondrous waves in to our shores �.

And we lived that way for days and days, without much thought for chasing the wind.

I think it was when we stopped searching that the wind found us, and blew those wondrous waves in to our shores.

The only thing is, I don’t believe Soup Bowls shares all the same fun-loving quirks and qualia of the, laid back, Beach Culture. In fact, it’s actually a pretty intense wave to surf!

It very thoroughly washed away the sleepy island trance I had fallen into, over the past week.

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“ The take-off at Soup Bowls is a hop-and-skip over a ledge into fast-firing sections inundating the shallow reef, wallowing up to square barrels that peel through like so many shattering chandeliers cascading down.“

After a minute, I felt I had the place figured, but it quickly showed me otherwise, as the face of the beast changed with each new set!

This definitely kept things fresh and interesting, some waves suited power, others finesse, some sections are amazing ramps while others require a more subtle touch.

“ Hours went by and I still never felt as if I’d surfed two waves the same“.

“The only thing is, I don’t believe Soup Bowls shares all the same fun-loving quirks and qualia of the, laid back, Beach Culture. In fact, it’s actually a pretty intense wave to surf! ”

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“ It seems too good to be true, it feels as though you may, at any moment, wake up ”.

“It was creative overload, excessive use of natural decadence! As if the ocean had woken up from some slumberous respite and, with renewed energy, decided to hand us a super session! �

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It was creative overload, excessive use of natural decadence! As if the ocean had woken up from some slumberous respite and, with renewed energy, decided to hand us a super session!

As the day wound down, I couldn’t help but feel undeserving of such a magnanimous gift, I rarely do.

In the wake of such awesome beauty, your synapses fire away processing everything you’ve just witnessed, just felt, just heard and seen.

It seems too good to be true, it feels as though you may, at any moment, wake up.

Every color looks brighter with unnatural

hues, every face you see is a smiling one, as if they are mirrors to your windswept soul.

“ We all have our own concepts of happiness, how life should be lived“.

Each of us harbors our personal “Beach Cultures”; and while I’m not certain of everything just yet, I know this blissful euphoria of travel and expansion, this mind-shattering exaltation found in testing boundaries, this feeling is a part of my ideology.

“ We all have our own concepts of happiness, how life should be lived �.

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50 shades of blue Off the coast of Siargao Laurent Nevarez

Laurent Nevarez

Several hundred kilometres south of Taiwan across the South China Sea, the Philippines archipelago is a jigsaw puzzle of charm and beauty, the sheer diversity of landscapes only equalled by the warmth and kindness of the locals.

Seduced by the prospect, and in need of getting right away from it all, Alexis Deniel and his girlfriend Melanie flew themselves off to the island of Siargao and the countless little islands around it, a voyage into a world rich in colour.

So now set your sail and join us in a unique tropical escape, to waves as beautiful as they are bizarre, in the most breathtakingly stunning scenery imaginable.

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50 shades of blue Off the coast of Siargao

With all our bags and boards crammed into a taxi van, we hit the road heading towards to south-east coast of the island.

A heavy grey sky and torrential rain greet us as our tiny twin-prop plane makes its bumpy descent towards the tarmac of Siargao airport.

Despite the sheeting rain that never lets up for one second, we spend the whole journey staring out of the windows, filled with curiosity and amazed at the luxurious tropical vegetation and occasional villages we drive through, every one different from every other, our eyes widening with every bend in the road, and all of us eager for more.

After more than a day and a half’s travel and 4 separate flights to get to this small tropical island lost on the other side of the world, we’d been hoping for a slightly warmer welcome, and forget all about our ideas of a bit of R’n’R watching the sunset to end a very long “day”.

The motorbikes with their little roofs and 4 or 5 people crammed onto the saddle, the smiling faces, the kindly expressions and openness… every element plunges us fast and deep into exactly the kind of disconnection we needed, one that comes

A not too warm welcome!

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filled with a sense of calm and happiness as we quickly forget how tired we are from the long journey…

“ A few minutes after taking possession of our holiday bungalow, we’re renting ourselves some motorbikes (indispensable for getting around the island), and then we’re off for a quick spin to check out, before sunset “.

We went to an already well-known spot, Cloud 9, a few minutes ride away.

The feeling of freedom from two wheels and the spirit of discovery of our new surroundings, push us even deeper into the arms and charms of the island mentality.

After finding the correct path and walking the 150 metres of its famous boardwalk linking the spot to the shore, we start chatting to one of the locals there.

The sea is totally chaotic and the huge amounts of foam coming off the break on the reef make it impossible to see how the spot is set up.

“ The feeling of freedom from two wheels and the spirit of discovery of our new surroundings, push us even deeper into the arms and charms of the island mentality �.

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“ We’re not far from the first of the small islands, and we can see that there’s a magnificent right series breaking, then turning 90 degrees along the side of this lump of rock plonked in the middle of nowhere... ”

“How long have the conditions been like that?” asks Alexis, clearly a little concerned!

“ It’s not even 5.30am, still mostly dark, but we can already see that, to our joy, the sky is clear and the wind has completely died during the night: Bingo! ”

“2 or 3 days now” says the local, “we caught the tail of a typhoon, but don’t worry, this is definitely the end of it. Tomorrow morning it’ll all be back to normal. Good surf everywhere, in here or out there!”

We have no idea how reliable the weatherman’s prediction might be, but just in case, we carry on a bit further north to see where all the boats leave from that could take us to some of the other, off-shore spots.

We meet a boatman called Glenn who gives us exactly the same forecast, so we agree to come back at sunrise the next day if it turns out to be the case.

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The sun is going down on Siargao and the storm is still battering and bothering the palm trees surrounding our bungalow, but we’re trusting in the locals as we slide and slip down into the realms of Morpheus….

We quickly gather together a few essentials, some bottles of water and dry biscuits, strap the boards on the bike racks and go to meet Glenn, who seems as wide awake as we are.

The first birds are only just starting to sing outside but my eyes are already wide open, because of the time difference, and the excitement of our first proper day on Siargao.

“I have to stay here, but my uncle will take you on the boat to Rock Island, it could be pretty good out there this morning!” Uncle shows up a few minutes later carrying a jerry can of petrol, invites us to follow him, and off we go, carrying our stuff out into the lagoon to his boat anchored not far off.

I open my bedroom door and there’s Alexis, who’s already been to have a look at the lagoon. It’s not even 5.30am, still mostly dark, but we can already see that, to our joy, the sky is clear and the wind has completely died during the night: Bingo!

Despite the narrow hull and outriggers, we were impressed with how comfortable and stable the boat was, more impressed still by the deafening roar from the two outboard motors that reduced all conversation to hand signs.

Rock Island.

“ Our course is set for two small islands that we can just about make out in the distance, and as we leave the comfort of the lagoon and its palm trees, the crystal clear water changes colour from one instant to the next, taking on myriad shades of blue depending on its depth“.

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“ Five long minutes later Alexis spots a few dark lines coming in from the north and quickly paddles away from the main group, towards the outside. He just about makes it in time for the first wave, massive and incredibly smooth �.

Still taking all that in, I realise that I’ve actually never seen such intensely rich blue tones anywhere, hard to tear my eyes away from such a bewitching show.

net, and then launches himself off the bow end of the boat. As he paddles out of the channel and onto the break another series of 4 rolls out across the reef…

quickly paddles away from the main group, towards the outside. He just about makes it in time for the first wave, massive and incredibly smooth.

We’re not far from the first of the small islands, and we can see that there’s a magnificent right series breaking, then turning 90 degrees along the side of this lump of rock plonked in the middle of nowhere.

Alexis paddles his way out to the peak, then patiently waits his turn, saying hello to some local surfers, and a group of Spanish paddlers already there.

The take-off is almost vertical, but Alexis manages to keep it solid, launching quickly into a bottom turn, then makes a long powerful frontside, foaming carve turn up the first section.

The incredibly dense, green vegetation hanging from it gives the spot a unique quality. Uncle cuts the motors and drops anchor. As he takes in the idyllic surroundings Alexis roughly slaps on some sunscreen, grabs his paddle and board from the carry 58

The waves are even fuller of surprises than first seemed, appearing and rising quickly, sometimes shooting off sideways, all of which makes placing the entry quite demanding.

Five long minutes later Alexis spots a few dark lines coming in from the north and

After that it flattens out, but then accelerates hard as the wave rolls round the tip of the island. Alexis goes with every surprise the wave throws up, racking up serial vertical rollers ‘til he rides out 200 metres further on with an ear-to-ear smile splitting his face.

After nearly 3 hours non-stop riding we leave Rock Island, pretty dehydrated, starving hungry, a little red from the sun, but unbelievably happy to have got our adventure off to such a fantastic start!

“There we come across an incredible sand bank, whiter than white, in the middle of a lagoon ”.

For the rest of the day we decide on a little excursion south, exploring a bit more around our village. As the sun is slowly sinking, we follow our noses, turning left and right as the fancy takes us, enjoying the exceptional scenery, the peace and calm all around, and the friendly attitude of all the Philippinos we encounter.

We’re pleased to receive such a friendly welcome, and surprised at the ease of conversation, people are happy to speak to us, and in almost perfect English! Arriving

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in the village of General Luna, we find the departure point for boats going to Dako Island, we’d already heard there were some great spots there that might be good for our next few days. .

False Start!

“A serious swell has come in during the night, I think it’ll be too big for where we were yesterday” says Alexis after a few minutes studying the coral reef just below our bungalow.

So we decide to go and test some of the spots on the south coast, taking the road to the port of General Luna.

30 minutes of boat ride later under a joyful

sky, our enthusiasm drops when we arrive in front of a spot full of heavy swell and waves slashing in every direction over the reef.

Seeing and sensing our disappointment, our boatman suggests that we go a little further south to some of the other islands. There we come across an incredible sand bank, whiter than white, in the middle of a lagoon.

.

“ The rain is blown nearly horizontal, the thunder is as loud as cannon fire and the sky is as dark as night “.

We paddle away to go and check it out, returning under a menacing sky that we notice is blowing in a huge storm form the north.

Despite the 15 minutes of highly extreme weather we battled through, all 3 of us had a kind of mad grin on our faces as we reached port and realised how insane the conditions were.

The weather is obviously still up to its tricks, and as we head off at top speed back to port a biblical deluge is doing its best to sink the boat.

It seemed like the weather was determined to trip us up, but it was going to have to try much harder than that, we were already dreaming up our plan B.

Double or quits.

Talking to Glenn the previous evening, we’d understood there was another spot, further away and not a cast iron certainty, but said to be worth trying when there’s a big swell.

We only had a rough map and some confused explanations to guide us, but where there’s a will there’s a way, and we he jumped on our motorbikes to go and seek out this mysterious bay.

The kilometres roll by, and every village we pass through and junction we pass by is an opportunity to appreciate the friendliness of the locals, usually manifesting itself with a wave of the hand or a loud “Good morning!”

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“ Isolated and lacking in western comforts perhaps, but the villages and villagers exude a joyful spirit “.

Not paying proper attention, we keep going ‘til we come across a road sign: “I think we’ve come too far” I say to the other two, looking at the map. “That village we just passed is supposed to be after our turn off.”

After back-tracking few kilometres, someone points us to a small dirt track going off to the right, and off we go, rally driving our way up

the bumpy, pot-holed track, dodging between rocks and puddles until we reach the village at its dead end.

A local fisherman down at the tiny port points us towards a small island off in the distance where there seems to be a decent wave breaking.

He agrees to take us out there for a few pesos, and we quickly load our gear into his boat, crossing our fingers that our plan B doesn’t end up as unsuccessful as had plan A. The boat’s hull races over the flat calm water, smoothed by a total absence of wind, and the mangrove swamps all around us are a fascinating contrast to all the lagoons along the south-east coast.

“ The wave becomes more visible as we approach, and the ridges of swell coming in are perfectly spaced, rolling right along the reef as regularly as a metronome “.

“It’s not that big, but it looks perfect!” Says Alexis, clearly very happy with the idyllic setting.

Watching some of the locals already there enjoying the waves makes Alexis even more impatient to get out and join them.

The regular rhythm of the wave, with no break and no flat sections, is a perfect platform for Alexis to totally exploit every centimetre, linking his moves with style and flow.

The Breton boy squeezes every drop of fun from each wave, putting on a top class show.

Back on dry land, as we unload our gear onto the quayside, we can hear a group of people nearby belting out tunes on their karaoke kit. A string of national and international hits echoes down the street.

“It’s Friday, Philippinos love to finish the week round the tele singing few songs, it’s the same everywhere here, don’t be too surprised!”

Road to the North.

After a few days on the island we’ve quickly got into the island way of life, filling our days (depending on the vagaries of the weather) with long walks, meals of all the local delicacies we can find, exploring the lagoons by SUP, and of course, some excellent sessions at all the local spots, especially the nice left at Stympies that we’re enjoying more and more.

With the swell steadily dissipating and no wind to speak of, we decide to explore the north shore of the island, which apparently has a beautiful coastline and a stunning waterfall.

We’re back on our bikes and heading up the long east coast road. Every bend in the road leads to yet more incredible scenery, dense

“ I realise that I’ve actually never seen such intensely rich blue tones anywhere, hard to tear my eyes away from such a bewitching show ”.

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palm tree forests studded with houses built on stilts and surrounded by rose shrubs.

“A magnificent thirty metre waterfall is crashing down through a natural amphitheatre formed by the dense vegetation and big black rocks �.

The smiles and friendly hand-waves we receive are in stark contrast to the uninhabited zones where the dense vegetation rolls endlessly into the distance.

After a brief detour to check out some amazing natural rock-pools carved in the seashore, we ride onwards, eventually stopping at a small village that had aroused our curiosity.

A street of wood and corrugated iron shacks runs along the edge of the beach, and as we ride slowly along we’re suddenly joined

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by a gang of smiling, shouting kids running alongside.

A magnificent thirty metre waterfall is crashing down through a natural amphitheatre formed by the dense vegetation and big black rocks.

“What’s your name mister?” they cry in unison. “Big surf!” they continue, turning their attention to Alexis’ SUP. A few of the kids’ parents join us, and when we say that we’re looking for a big waterfall nearby they point us in the direction of a small path disappearing off to the right.

A few kilometres further on we find a muddy track and can begin to make out the increasingly deafening noise of falling water, until we eventually arrive in front of the most stunning scenery we’ve yet encountered.

“ Alexis is transfixed by its beauty, parking his bike and quickly unloading his paddle and board to get himself close up to the waterfall “.

Drawn towards it as if magnetised, he paddles slowly off towards the cascade in a state of almost religious worship at the magnificence of this unique setting and experience It’s been a long road to get here, but this moment of intense beauty is a perfect parallel for the entire trip.

The amazing sessions, stunning scenery, and smiling friendly faces will be engraved in our memories for all time.

We wanted a total escape and we got it, and we’ll be leaving again enriched by the treasures that this voyage into the unknown, unlike any other, has unearthed for us…

SNAPSHOT Puerto Vallarta Powerful and mystic Geovani Pérez - sayulitasurfco.

Rodrigo Gonzales Rubio

The mystical Wave of Puerto Vallarta in Jalisco is located in the south side of Puerto Vallarta, near the Villa Del Mar Hotel. It’s a heavy and powerful waves that is breaking just 3 or 4 times a year, due to hurricanes or regular ground swells, and it only last one day.

So it’s an adventure to be able to defy it, a lot of factors need to be aligned for it to do its job: no wind, medium to low tide and a proper swell. On January 18th a big swell was in the forecast, so I drove till there to surf it. I was expecting to see it breaking from the beach… and so it was!

There were a lot of spectators but not too many people surfing so I took my 7’11” SUP and the lifejacket. It was the first time I was using a lifejacket, I wanted to see if it will make a difference, and the truth was that it was really helpful! That day I got one of the biggest sets in my head, the leash broke, and I was having a great washing, no board no paddle in my hands anymore. After 15 min swimming, I could reach the shore, saving a lot of energy thanks to the lifejacket.

Without a doubt, it’s a world class wave, all the good local surfers from Jalisco and Nayarit know about its power and potential. If some day you are around here and we have a nice swell, I will invite you to ride the mystic Wave.

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Rodrigo Gonzales Rubio

Geovani Pérez

“ There were a lot of spectators but not too many people surfing so I took my 7’11” SUP and the lifejacket ”.

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Rodrigo Gonzales Rubio

Geovani Pérez

Stand Up Paddle R+D The magic behind the boards Kai-Nicolas Steimer

Sophie

The rider from Fanatic tells us the thoroughgoing work that is put into get a better performing production boards year by year. Technical!

It’s probably every young and talented board rider’s dream to influence the development of their own gear; even create their own custom board.

This dream is usually driven by the idea of optimising the gear to suit their own needs and encourage innovative thoughts. The input from a riders’ perspective helps in making custom boards, but it’s hard work getting them into production since brands look for models and designs that suit a wide range of people, rather than producing specialised shapes optimised for one rider.

With Fanatic basing more and more of its R&D in Europe, last year my dream came true when they involved me in the development of their SUP Race Board range.

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“ Having studied Naval Architecture, I have a good knowledge of physics which when combined with my passion for the sport, gives me a well-rounded knowledge base for all the different shapes “.

As production boards need to work for a large target group with different levels of skill, it’s even more important to determine some basic points of the boards’ properties. As the sport is still quite young and the racing scene quite small, there are two main focal points for the development of SUP Race Boards: Stability and

“ Our aim to produce boards that are stable enough for the ambitious amateur paddlers, with enough potential to permit new speed records to be set by professional racers �.

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top speeds. Our aim to produce boards that are stable enough for the ambitious amateur paddlers, with enough potential to permit new speed records to be set by professional racers.

“ The process of building boards that allow for this is much like walking a tightrope, as often when you try and push one component to a more extreme level, you often end up compromising performance elsewhere “.

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As stability is a basic requirement the aim is to create the perfect composition that diversifies the boards’ width, rail design or length.

The width of a board offers the paddler static stability and increased ‘uplift’ is given to the rails making it more balanced overall. It’s a similar concept to that of a catamaran: The more apart the Skids are, the more difficult it is to capsize the ship.

Just as important as width is the length, which when combined determine the distribution of volume. A pointed nose and tail section optimises an uninterrupted glide through the water, but because there is only a short wide section in the middle, this kind of design has less stability.

The opposite of this is a wider shape overall with softer curves for a more stable platform.

During SUP races fast kick-turns are paramount so stability is gained through a squash tail to maximise volume in this area.

Another option for creating a stable platform is by working on the shapes of the rails, which allows you to produce dynamic stability through motion.

The rail design also affects the roll rate – the speed of toppling the board from one side to the other - which offers a sense of security to the paddler.

There’s such a thing as passive and active boards. Those with rounded rails have less drag then those with angled rails, which means the paddler has to actively focus on

not toppling the board. Angled shapes create swirls at the rails slowing the rotation of the board down automatically, making it passive.

The speed potential of a shape is another very important aspect. In order to reduce drag, it’s essential to minimize the deflection of the water at the rails as well as reducing the areas that are covered by the water.

“ If you were to focus only on speed and rail shapes, the board would be thin with a rounded bottom, but it would be extremely difficult to paddle “.

To optimise the overall performance, you change the outline of the board to a shape that allows for high speeds as well as having a high degree of stability, then minimise the surface area and outline to a slightly angled bottomside for top turning abilities.

Understanding all of this, I guess you can now imagine the tightrope scenario between stability and speed when creating perfect production boards. But it’s worth remembering.

“ A more stable board may be a bit slower, but it will offer the paddler enough stability to put more

power into their stroke.

Less stable platforms may mean that the paddler may struggle to create the same power without disrupting the board “.

A new concept and development of a board always starts with the feedback from the previous model. In our case, we figured out the strengths and weaknesses of the older Falcons and Strikes using customer and team rider feedback. For example, the Fanatic Strike has enormous speed potential, yet it lacks in stability due to its rounded bottom.

“ If you were to focus only on speed and rail shapes, the board would be thin with a rounded bottom, but it would be extremely difficult to paddle �.

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For this year, we wanted the Strike to be as fast as the previous model but with more stability, which in turn should attract a wider audience of paddlers.

Longstanding Fanatic designer Sebastian Wenzel designed the new prototypes using 3D technology. Taking the development step by step, we started adapting the Strike shape in order to maximise stability.

Meanwhile, a prototype with a similar aspect ratio was being built with the 3D software. We then took both prototypes and tested them in the same conditions. Prior to this, we try to get a close look at their two prototypes’ geometrics and dimensions in order to fully understand the variables when paddling.

In the first test run we compared the two

prototypes to the production Strike on flat water, across different distances, and speeds.

To get reliable results, we repeated the tests with different riders, on different days at the same spot. We received a big pool of runs and stats to determine which the best prototype was.

“ The aim was to achieve high speeds across short sprint distances, as well as honing the turning abilities.

The results showed that both prototypes achieved better results than the previous Strike “.

We also had to compare their performance across longer distances. To keep it relative we determined a reach and a speed to paddle at. After paddling, we measured each riders’ pulse to find out how exhausting it was to paddle the reach. Because each person pulse isn’t constant, it took several runs to estimate the effort. In this test we were also right; both prototypes had a higher average speed than the last years Strike.

The reason for this was the changes we made to its stability which allowed the paddler to channel all their power into their stroke.

The new shapes were also tested in choppy conditions and beach breaks where we could optimise their handling.

In the second test run, we worked on optimising our favoured prototype.

As in the first test run, we tested sprint properties, long distance performance and the boards handling. The changes we made increased the performance once more, and had us convinced across all performance aspects. This became the board that went into production.

“ The development of the new Falcon proceeded the same way as the Strike’s development.

The first prototype was built after customer and team rider feedback “.

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One basic aspect was the improvement of the Falcons flat water performance and turning properties in relation to the European Race Association.

Our first tries failed, so we had to take a different approach in order to improve the properties we wanted. After many 3D renderings we found the perfect shape for downwinders in Australia, as well as for the European Open Ocean races. When the first prototypes were built, we tested them in different conditions like flat water, shore break and full on downwinders.

The results confirmed to us that we had made the right decisions.

The development of a new board is a long process that takes time. First, new designs

need to be prepared and prototypes produced.

Then we embark on several test runs. All this makes a long lasting project. The work around the new Fanatic range was exciting for me. I spent many days testing the new prototypes in Portugal. It gave me a lot of experience and an even closer view into shaping Stand Up Paddle boards.

It took some time to understand that not every tiny idea in your head will work because SUP is a sport that is influenced by many different variable, facts and conditions.

After all that development I’m very satisfied with the new range and I hope that many paddlers around the world are as happy as me.

COACHING

Competitive Mindset The Success Formula

With the competition season about to start, there are a lot of riders who want to get ready and be prepared to give the 100% of their ability in every condition that the ocean throws at them.

Taking care of the way you eat, working in your technique, and improving your physical conditioning. All of those areas are key points that every athlete take in serious consideration for reaching their top level.

But, what’s the difference between those who reach the podium and those who don’t?

What’s the key to success?

When we talk about high performance 82

Beatriz Felipe

Fish Bowl Diaries

standard in sports, there are just a few little things that are different from each athlete.

Their physical conditioning (power, effort capabilities…), their nutrition schedule or even the daily basis training routines are really similar, but… the outcome can be completely opposite!

Nowadays, we all know that the mindset is playing a huge role in our life, directly conditioning our dreams, our activities, our goals and happiness.

So, in sports, the mindset is having an enormous responsibility, a powerful mindset is the thing that separates the competitors into different scales.

Training your mindset and psychological abilities to be able to perform in SUP, race or waves, is as important as the physical conditioning, as the performance goes together with the mental strength and your own knowledge of yourself.

When SUP is in the high competitive level, you invest a lot of effort and money, looking for this magic recipe that lets you touch the sky and win. But that magic recipe doesn’t exist. There isn’t anything that you will follow step by step and then you end in full success.

You can read books, listen to advices, or whatever, but there isn’t a pattern that works 100%, the real success equation resides in yourself.

Can you imagine that you could apply a mathematical formula to be the best?

Competing would be boring. No effort, no surprises, no will…

“ If you think in some of the Surfing or SUPing World Champions, you will find life experiences so diverse. Their nutrition or training methods are going to be completely opposite, but at the end, the outcome was the same ”.

So I just want to say that you don’t need to be another person, following their steps, having the same board, copy their paddle strokes; just learn about their strengths and weaknesses, and start drawing your own path through success, building a powerful mindset.

But… How can you get into that mindset?

Every sportsman know that there are external factors and thoughts that are limiting ourselves, they make an influence in our performance.

But there are also some physiological aspects that you probably know about. Motivation, emotional control, trust, focus capacities, speaking to yourself… They all are processes that lie in our mind, and they are going to determine your success and satisfaction.

All of those aspects are linked together, so If you have full on motivation but you can’t focus, you’re not going to go anywhere.

“ If you have trust on yourself but you can’t control your emotions… It’s not going to help too much. Do you know that saying? - I’m training non stop, but I feel that I’m always in the same point…- “ This is happening because one of those aspects are not balanced. Same situation 84

occurs with a blood test, but these aspects are way more difficult to measure, so they are difficult to change. But difficult doesn’t mean impossible…

As you see, these mental characteristics are so important to optimize your results on the board, working in both body and mind at the same time, as they were the same, will lead you to develop your maximum potential.

I bet you read a lot of articles about the key points of personal growing; you maybe have a book about emotional control or you read about how to overcome your fears to have a better life… Did they work?

“ To be true, you’re in the same point you were before “.

Decalogue for a strong mindset.

At this point you are willing to know how can you develop all of those capacities, isn’t it?

I’m sorry to say to you that I can’t help with that. As I said, there is no magic formula involved.

It’s true that all of this info that you can find out there is a good first contact with the subject, but It doesn’t help too much then, it’s not changing anything in you, to see changes… action must be happening, less reading and more mindset training.

John Carter

“ Try to imagine for a moment that a prestigious magazine about nutrition tells you that to perform better, you have to drink a particular protein shake before competing, but they don’t tell you which ingredients do you need or how can you make it “.

This is the thing that happens with all of those decalogue and personal growing books, they do say to you what do you need to do, but they don’t say how to actually do it, so at the end you are in the same point, clueless.

So, the easiest thing to do now is give you a list of things to follow, but neither I nor SUPING Magazine want to be the same as the others. We propose you a starting point, you just need to spend a few minutes on this.

Just make a list as big as possible, with all of you can think about, don’t be stingy, even it could sound stupid.

After that, put all of those things in two columns, the ones that strictly depends on you, and the ones that involves some other people.

Think about your sport goals: What do you want to achieve?

Do it… And then we will find each other here in between the lines for some more insights.

Where is the point you want to reach?

When do you want to do it?

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So when you have a clear answer for these three questions, think about what do you need to make it happen.

Beatriz Felipe López Psychologist and Coach

In our next issue of

São Tomé and

Príncipe With Manu Bouvet and Carine Camboulives

Pierre Bouras

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