Windsport Vol.29-1 No:123 by Pete DeKay

INSIDE:

ANDY BRANDT’S SECRET TO TEACHING : : SUP YOGA : : REGRIP YOUR BOOM NORTH AMERICA’S WINDSURFING MAGAZINE

WIN A ’10 STARBOARD ATOM 99 P. 34

2010 E D I U G ’ S BUYER

T E G O T HOW P U D E K HOO

AWS J R E U Q N KIDS CO Y AND KAI LENNSURVIVE FRIENDS FING R U S D N I THE W EQUEL MOVIE SL THE SCRIPT WE STEA URFER

DISPLAY UNTIL MAY 31, 2010

INDS GOLD? W . .S U H C WHI TER OLYMPIC WON WIN

BUYERS' GUIDE 2010

WINDSPORT.COM $5.99 US

Photos: Naish + JDPhotofairy

Paciﬁc Boardsports LLC (509) 493-0043 info@paciﬁcboardsports.com

KAILUA

120, 140, 160 180, 230, XR

SP LIMITED

GRAND PRIX FREEWIDE

80, 95, 110, 128, 135 95, 110, 128, 135

120, 130, 140, 160

GLOBAL FREERIDE

85, 95, 105, 115, 130, 145

FREESTYLE 75, 90, 100, 115

GLOBAL 70, 80, 90, 100, 110

WAVE

64, 72, 80, 85

2.5

Kai Lenny, Peahi/Jaws, Maui/HI Production Wave 64, Boxer 4.7

BOARDS & SAILS

Photos: Naish + JDPhotofairy

Introducing the world’s most complete line of windsurﬁng equipment

SCOUT SE

MINI RIPPER naishsails.com 0.8, 1.4, 2.0

2.5, 3.5, 4.5, 5.5

STEALTH 4.6 - 10.0

GRAND PRIX

5.8 - 8.8

BOXER SL 5.8 - 8.2

SPRINT 5.5 - 8.0

GLOBAL FREERIDE 2.6 - 7.2

ALL TERRAIN 4.0 - 7.0

RIPPER 2.7 - 4.2

BOXER 3.7 - 5.7

SESSION 3.7 - 5.7

FORCE 3.0 - 6.2

Photo: A.De Maria/CanonÂŽ

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Energy and Spiritâ&#x20AC;?

Photo: to: DDaarre r ll Wong

Completely re-designed boards mixing speed and pleasure of control with an unmatched feeling of acceleration and turning potential. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Plug and playâ&#x20AC;? is the first thing that will come to your mind when placing your feet onto these decks! BOE TJ[FT BSF BWBJMBCMF BT TJOHMF PS UXJO GJO 5IF 'JSF3JEF CPBSET QFSGPSN XFMM XJUI NBOFVWFS BOE QFSGPSNBODF PSJFOUFE GSFFSJEF BOE TMBMPN TBJMT CVU EVF UP UIFJS WFSTBUJMF OBUVSF UIFZ XPSL FYDFQUJPOBMMZ XFMM XJUI UIF MJHIU BOE NBOFVWFSBCMF ZFU GBTU BOE DPOUSPMMBCMF 33% &WPMVUJPO TBJMT

1555 W-Tech 1155 W-T W Tech

145 W-Tech 14 145 W TTecchh W-

135 W-Tech 13 135 W TTecch W-

125 W-Tech 12 125 W TTechh W-

Volume 125Lts Size 245x69cm

VVolume 135Lts Size 248x72cm

Volume 145Lts Size 249x75 cm

Volume 155 15 Lts Size 2511x7 x78cm m

Fin 2010 Fin box RÂˇSÂˇS

Fin 2010 FFin box RÂˇSÂˇS

Fin 2010 Fin box RÂˇSÂˇS

Fin 2010 Finn box RÂˇSÂˇS

MFC 40 CNC G-10 POWER 5.4-7.5

www.robertoriccidesigns.cPN

MFC 44 CNC G-10 POWER 6.0-8.5

MFC 46 CNC G-10 POWER 6.5-9.0

MFC 48 CNC G-10 POWER 7.0-9.3

“Compact and Furious” 5IF 'SFFTUZMF 8BWF CPBSE DPMMFDUJPO JOUSPEVDFT OFX TUBOEBSET GPS GSFFTUZMF XBWF EFTJHO 5IF CPBSET GFFM NPSF MJLF TNBMM BOE DPNQBDU XBWF CPBSET CVU QFSGPSN MJLF SFBM GSFFTUZMF CPBSET XJUI JNQSPWFE QMBOJOH BCJMJUZ 0VUMJOFT BSF DPNQMFUFMZ OFX XJUI OBSSPXFS UBJMT BOE OPTFT 5IF TIPSUFS BOE NPSF DPNQBDU GFFM HVBSBOUFFT FYDFQUJPOBM UPQ FOE QFSGPSNBODF 4J[FT SBOHF GSPN UP MJUFST TP UIFSFhT POF GPS BMM TBJMJOH MFWFMT XJOE TUSFOHUIT BOE TBJMPS XFJHIUT 5IFTF CPBSET BSF QFSGFDUMZ NBUDIFE UP UIF FRVBMMZ WFSTBUJMF 33% 4VQFS4UZMF TBJMT

FSW ltdd 111

FSW lt ltd td 1011

FSW Wltd ltd 9966

FSW W ltd 91 91

FSW W ltd 8855

FSW W ltd 7755

FFSW ltdd 1120

Volume 75Lts Size 235x55cm Fin FREEWAVE MFCC 2010 23 G-10 CNC

Volume 85Lts Size 235x57,5cm Fin FREEWAVE MFCC 2010 25 G-10 CNC

Volume 91Lts Size 237x59cm Fin FREEWAVE MFCC 2010 27 G-10 CNC

Volume 96 9 Lts Size 239x60cm Fin FREEWAVE MFC 2010 28 G-10 CNC

Volume 10 101Lts Size 241x62cm Fin FREEWAVE MFC 2010 29 G-10 CNC

Volume 1111Lts Size 244x65cm Fin FREEWAVE MFC 2010 31 G-10 CNC

VVolu l mee 120Lts L Sizee 248xx68cm WAVE MFC Fin FREEW 20100 33 G--10 CNC

Fin box US R·S·S 3.7-5.4

Fin box US R·S·S 4.2-5.8

Fin box POWER R·S·S 4.5-6.2

Fin box POWER R·S·S 4.7-6.7

Fin box POWER R·S·S 5.0-7.0

Fin box POWER R·S·S 5.2-7.5

Fin boxx POW WER R·S·SS 5.8-88.0

A & O Sports • info@a-o-sports.com • 541-354-2872

Forecast

windsport

Can L’Hydroptère be beaten? photodingo.com photo

THe CHaSe

To break the new speed record of 51.36 knots set by L’Hydroptère, you’d need stable 45-knot wind over a ﬂatwater 500-metre course set about 135 degrees off the wind. Plus, you need a windsurfer with the right gear and attitude. I have sailed with Antoine Albeau and to believe he or anyone else is going to simply go three knots faster than his windsurfing record means the gear has to improve a lot. Crewing on L’Hydroptère on the record-setting day, it seemed the boat couldn’t beat 48 knots and the record seemed unattainable. But suddenly, the wind kicked in and the boat went faster. Maybe it will be the same for the windsurfer. We just need the perfect conditions and this record will be a thing of the past. —Anders Bringdal

windsport

Features 50 Going for Gold... Again

Katie Crafts interviews defending Olympic gold medal-winning skier Julia Mancuso about life, training and windsurfing.

54 Sending a Son off to Jaws

Meet the youngest crew ever to sail these hallowed waves and hear what their dads think.

62 The Windsurfing Movie 2 Script

Follow the action of the cast and crew as they rip up waves on the California coast.

72 Exposure

Our beautiful photo gallery.

81 Buyersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Guide 2010

We at windsport.comâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Perfect Gear Match want to help you start a successful and long-lasting relationship with your next board and sail.

On the Cover

Rider: Kai Lenny Photographer: John Carter Kai Lenny goes big in front of the cliffs at Waddell Creek. He and the rest of The Windsurfing Movie 2 crew scored epic conditions all along the California coast while filming for this much-anticipated upcoming release.

contents one

Volume 29, Issue 1, Number 123

windsport

Goya at Waddell Creek. Carter photo

THE WINDSURFING MOVIE 2

windsport

contents two Volume 29, Issue 1, Number 123

Upfront 10 Forecast: A new speed record 18 Launch: Windsurfers are good people 20 Balance Point: Letters and feedback 23 In the Wind: Guide to the windsurfing life

Departments 38 Radar

Steven Van Broeckhoven is worth a look 40 Quiver

Victor Fernandez’s best stuff 42 In the Lab

Dakine’s Chris Gilbert 44 Ride Guide: Kailua Beach

Here’s an historic spot worth a visit 46 Get Better Here

Andy Brandt’s guide to teaching windsurfing 96 Getting Real

John Fulton is the Surfing Santa 98 Close Out

Take a ride with the Blue Angels

WIN this cool board (“Huge Contest” p.34). DeKay photo

windsport

E^X/ 8]g^hide] BVYZgZg lll#nZVgc^c\#YZ

L=N CDGI=4 IL>C#IG>B#8A:L

^cY^k^YjVa ijc^c\ [dg ZmiZcYZY gVc\Z d[ jhZ I^cn ilZV`h# =j\Z Z[[ZXih/ Djg ]dgôdciVaan edhî^dcZY XaZl ZnZaZih Wg^c\ ZmigV ig^b VcY ijc^c\ dei^dch i]Vi ^cXgZVhZ gVc\Z d[ jhZ 6C9 bVhh^kZan ^cĂ&#x201C;jZcXZ ]VcYa^c\ X]VgVXiZg^hi^Xh# 8]ddhZ i]Z djiZg ZnZaZi [dg V bdgZ edlZg[ja VcY Y^gZXi [ZZa# I]Z ^ccZg ZnZaZi edhî^dc egdk^YZh V hd[iZg gZhedchZ VcY XdchZfjZcian bdgZ Xdcigda# I]Z X]d^XZ ^h ndjgh [dg Vc dei^bjb bViX] lî] ndjg hinaZ# I]Z IL>C#IG>B#8A:L VYkVciV\Z ^h ^ciZ\gViZY ^c Vaa G6B ;&%! 9j`Z! >XZ VcY ^c i]Z cZl :\d! lî] ^bbZY^ViZ Z[[ZXi# GZVY bdgZ VWdji î Vi cdgi]"l^cYhjg[#Xdb EL6 8DCHIGJ8IDGH 8=6BE>DC '%%*! '%%+! '%%,! '%%-

>H6 8DCHIGJ8IDGH 8=6BE>DC '%%*! '%%+! '%%,

>HL8 8DCHIGJ8IDGH 8=6BE>DC '%%-

Cdgi]hedgih L]^iZ HVabdc L6 cdgi]hV^ah5cdgi]hedgih#Xdb

$G [ 7ZLQ 7ULP &OHZ 86$ LQGG

launch

Baja Fog ingredients. Fraser photo

Healing in a Baja Fog Imagine you’re a doctor on vacation enjoying your stay at an isolated and exotic windsurfing destination. You are having the day of your life, perfectly powered on a 5.0 m2 and getting turn after turn on each clean and uncrowded logo-high wave. Just as you are wishing for it never to end, you spot a resort employee waving you in from the beach. You reach the shore only to find out that someone camping nearby has cut their wrist very badly and is in need of professional medical help. What do you do? Tell them you’re on vacation and go back out to the perfect waves or come in and provide the emergency medical aid that only you can— knowing full well that the best sailing day of your life is over just as it’s getting started.

windsport

Next, imagine owning an amazing destination resort in an isolated location with world-class windsurfing conditions. You’re enjoying an afternoon of entertaining some guests when suddenly some guy who is camping down the beach burst into your resort and exclaims in a panic that a friend has cut his wrist and needs help. What do you do? Tell him to have fun making the long drive through the night to the nearest sketchy Third World hospital or check to see what guests you have with some sort of medical background and come to the stranger’s aid. For most of us the answer to either situation is a no-brainer, particularly if you’re presently in your car waiting for the wind to pick up or sitting on your toilet (the two most likely locations for reading

Windsport). You would play hero and come to the person’s aid. However, if you really put yourself in the doctor’s or resort owner’s shoes and consider the seriousness and possible ramifications of the request, it might not be quite so cut-and-dried. In most situations I’ve come across, windsurfers are good people and generally will help any way they can. Someone once said to me, “The percentage of a-holes is lower in windsurfing than any other sport.” In light of recent experiences I might adjust this statement to, “The percentage of extraordinarily good people is higher in windsurfing than any other sport.” When I ran into the SoloSports camp this past October looking for assistance for Jon “Chachi” Sas-

sone, who had just sliced opened his wrist the right way for anyone looking to commit suicide (“down the road” rather than “across the street” as Chachi learned in high school health class), everyone jumped to action without a second of hesitation. Solosport’s owner Kevin Trejo took command of the situation in the same manner he runs his centre: total professionalism with a relaxing underlay of humour. Camp host Rodney took control of bringing a visiting doctor off the water to make the proper medical call on the situation. Denis, the heroic doctor, examined the cut and upon finding no arterial or other serious damage stitched him up. SoloSports employee Neil assisted in the operation, which was performed in the covered common area and made use of the incredibly well-stocked first aid supplies. Within two hours of the fateful bail on a Back Loop, Chachi found himself sitting at the camp’s bar relaxing under the sedation of a triple tequila remedy (until Dr. Denis reminded Jon of alcohol’s blood thinning nature): a shot of Corralejo Reposado, a sipping shot of the finest Jose Cuervo Reserva de la Familia, and finally a Baja Fog made with a lesser tequila (see Baja Fog recipe at windsport.com). Granted Chachi’s injury was very serious and likely most people would volunteer their help regardless of their chosen sport, but from the immediacy of the action and thoroughness of the care for Chachi’s physical and emotional state (slice you wrist open and see what goes through your mind), I got the feeling that these particular windsurfers would have helped no matter what. Thank you, Dr. Denis, Kevin and the entire SoloSports staff. —Pete DeKay, editor

balance point VOLUME 29 | ISSUE 1 | NUMBER 123

WINNING COMPLIMENT I love windsport.com. I check it out every day as you always have new stuff posted. I particularly like “the best of YouTube” and the feature stories that are regularly updated. Regarding Windsport Magazine, the only thing I would improve is to publish it every month rather than quarterly. Here is my story. I started surfing as a teenager in SoCal. I used to look at windsurfing as a geek sport for people who wish they could surf. I moved to the San Francisco Bay Area and found myself an hour and $4 in bridge tolls from the ocean. Surfing seemed expensive and far away. Windsurfing was a half an hour from my house in any direction. Learning to windsurf while raising two kids was difficult and I nearly quit, but I renewed my commitment with a few goals. If I could just progress from windsurfing at Alameda to Berkeley and if I could master the harness lines I would be satisfied. In 2009 I bought my own gear and moved over to Rio Vista where the wind kicks ass and the people are laid back, friendly and helpful. Even though Rio Vista is known as a place for advanced sailors, it still can be a great place to learn if you are not afraid of doing the walk of shame at high tide. I got better at my waterstarts and using the footstraps, and am grateful to the place and the people. Pierre Armand, Rio Vista, CA Thanks for your kind words and your story. Windsurfing is a great sport and there are countless places around the country with fine people and conditions like what you found in Rio Vista. —ed. WINNING CRITICISM I’ve been windsurfing for nearly 15 years now, and I have seen Windsport change from a local-style Canadian effort to an international PWA-covering publication. While Windsport looks great and offers some insight into the pro windsurfer’s life, it has left some of its old charm in the dust and I propose two changes.

First, increase local content. While a magazine with exclusively local coverage is a bad business path to follow, I believe the publication could be made stronger by offering a dedicated section with contributions of text and photos by active and keen national pros and non-pro sailors alike, who are just as passionate and probably just as good writers as anyone else being published internationally these days. Second, maybe I have been into this sport for too long, but I sense the actual literary component of the magazines has gone downhill. I suppose it all comes down to a lack of meaningful contributions... it is a shame. The windsurfing industry needs to source some passionate writers who have interesting, diverse and insightful stories, with an amount of detail that actually gives your subscribers a reasonable read. Anyway, I offer this as constructive comments. I don’t for a second suggest what you do is easy, nor do I think the above two points are trivial. I just renewed my subscription for two years despite what I say above. I still love the sport, and I still love the images, and I still get the stoke. To top it off, I am going to put my money where my mouth is and submit an article or two to you. Mike Fischer, Kingston, Ont. I’ll be looking forward to your articles. I’ve been working hard to increase national content throughout the magazine, but I need the help of windsurfers across this great continent. Send me your ideas to info@windsport.com. —ed. BONUS WINNER As a high school student who’s about to enter college, I would like to thank Windsport Magazine and its website for supporting my love of windsurfing with pages filled with free instruction, board tests, and great contests like this one! Frederic Suares, via e-mail We were only going to give away two copies, but we are suckers for helping out struggling students. —ed.

EDITOR SENIOR EDITOR ART DIRECTOR EDITORIAL DIRECTOR COPY EDITOR

Steve Jarrett

CONTRIBUTORS

WRITE IN AND WIN

PUBLISHER

Pete DeKay // pdk@sbcmedia.com John Bryja Dan Parsons Luke Fox Stephanie Lake

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Anders Bringdal, Katie Crafts, Victor Fernandez, Graham Ezzy, Erin Gates, Mitch Gingrich, Jerome Houyvet, Emma-Rose Rossoff, Margot Samson, Stephen Whitesell

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGS

Bob Bangerter, Flora Bikich, Stephan Boeker, Jock Bradley, John Carter, Ian Goring, Richard Hallman,Jerome Houyvet, Lauren Ross, Laura Slater, Michael Sumereder, Stephen Whitesell, Darrell Wong

MAUI CORRESPONDENT

Patrick Bergeron

PWA CORRESPONDENT

John Carter

INSTRUCTIONAL EDITOR

Andy Brandt

TEST EDITOR DIRECTOR OF PRODUCTION AND DESIGN PRODUCTION MANAGER ADVERTISING TRAFFIC COORDINATOR PRODUCTION DESIGN CIRCULATION AND PROMOTIONS MANAGER CIRCULATION AND PROMOTIONS COORDINATOR CIRCULATION ASSISTANT ADVERTISING SALES AND PROMOTIONS ADVERTISING DIRECTOR ADVERTISING SALES EVENTS

Derek Rijff Evan Sue-PingEZZY GRAHAM

In this issue Windsport,

Michael MooreGraham x243 columnist Ezzy,

who is attending PrincMariangela Tesoro

eton University, shares his love for Baja waves Stevie Shipman, Stevie Visser, in “The Skinny” (p.30) Mike Fraser and is featured as part Mike Hartman of the youngest crew ever to ride the monster Christina Raymond x252 waves at Jaws (“Sending Your Son into the Mouth Ilissa Maiatico of Jaws” p. 54). Rick Bruner 509.493.4930 Matt Aiken x223 Jamie Reekie x230 Bill Jones, Peter Jones, Todd Elsley

CONTROLLER

Brian Jarrett

OFFICE MANAGER

Adam Jacobs

On occasion, our subscription list is made available to organizations whose product or service might interest you. If you would prefer not to receive such information, please write to us at the address below. Windsport magazine is an independent publication published four times a year —Buyers’ Guide, Spring , Summer and Fall—by SBC Media Inc., 2255B Queen St. E., Suite 3266, Toronto, ON, M4E 1G3 Phone: (416) 406-2400 • Fax: (416) 406-0656 E-mail: info@windsport.com • Website: www.windsport.com

SUBSCRIPTIONS: 1 year (4 issues) $17.98 Canadian ($17.98 U.S.) 2 years (8 issues) $29.98 Canadian ($29.98 U.S.) 1-800-223-6197 MATT PRITCHARD E-mail: subscriptions@windsport.com

What better way to start

CHANGE OFyour ADDRESS week than by tuning USPS PLEASE SEE PAGE 98

FOUR DIMENSIONS DVD WINNERS We asked you to compliment or criticize our mag in a windsport.com e-mail contest and above are the winners. Send us your feedback to letters@windsport.com ASAP and we’ll always reward a letter with an awesome prize from one of our cool advertisers.

windsport

into “Matt Monday” Attention postmaster: Send post office’s returns, change of address and subscription orders to column on windsport. Windsport, 2255B Queen St. E., Suite 3266, Toronto, ON, M4E 1G3. com? #40036843. The three-time Publications, mail registration Indexed in the Canadian Periodical Index ISSN 0826-5003 world champion shares

advice and opinions from his life as a competitor, distributor, instructor and avid windsurfer.

Printed in Canada

PL Ad Type T 2010 Trident.

03-02-2010

09:55

Pagina 1

NAME: PETER VOLWATER DATE OF BIRTH: 22-05-1975 HOMETOWN: PURMEREND RIDING SINCE: LATE 80’S PROLIMIT TEAM SINCE: 2006 FAVORITE SPOT: MARGRET RIVER AUSTRALIA

TYPE T KEYWORDS: ADVANCED STYLE, BEST THERE IS, MOST WANTED WINDSURF WAIST T Y P E T 2 0 1 0 F E AT U R E S : O TRUE 3D SHAPING O DUAL FOAM LOAD CONTROL SYSTEM O NEOPRENE COMFORT SOFT EDGE SYSTEM, ANTI RASH O 3-WAY SUPPORT BELT NEOPRENE (PROTECTION, PERFORMANCE AND COMFORT) O PATENTED PIN RELEASE BAR SYSTEM O PERFORMANCE: MEDIUM BACK SUPPORT

TRIDENT PERFORMANCE SPORTS, BAY STREET 1576 V7J 1A1 NORTH VANCOUVER, B.C., CANADA +1 604 929 96 26, WWW.TRIDENTSPORTS.COM INFO@TRIDENTSPORT.COM

ITw ISSUE 

GeAr, ADVICe & enTerTAInmenT

PEER PRESSURE

Andre Paskowski is interviewed by his friends

THE SKINNY

strange conversations with Graham Ezzy in baja

HUGE CONTEST

win a ’10 starboard atom 99

HEROINE

why Asma Asyyed looks up to Laure Treboux?

In THe wInD

GROM WELLNESS MACGYVER INSPIRATION

Phil Soltysiak rigging up. Slater photo

windsport

I T w

Peer Pressure

He just released the acclaimed Four Dimensions and finished seventh overall in PWA freestyle, so here is what Andre Paskowski’s “friends” want to know about his busy dual career.

Andre Paskowski is questioned by 12 fellow pros

Producer and pro. Carter photo

windsport

Four Dimensions: Top 5 Movie Moments Levi Siver: How long did it take to make Four Dimensions, and tell me something crazy about shooting it? It’s great to see riders like yourself doing something for our sport, as I’m a true fan of The Windsurfing Movie. Our budget was a bit limited as I was the main investor, so we had to reduce our production time down to eight months. The best moment maybe was a heli ride in Pozo. The pilot was extreme. I saw Victor [Fernandez] going for a frontside turn, so I told the pilot to stop so I could film under us rather than behind. Instead, the pilot does a 360 spin turning the tail into the wind to follow Victor’s turn. We did this in 30-knot winds just 10 feet off the water! Tatiana Howard: When did you start making videos? I started four years ago with a DVD called Wet and Salty. It was a great piece of work but I’ve tried to get better from project to project. I love windsurfing and the movies about it. Francisco Goya: What movies have inspired you?

My favourite movies are RIP, Polakow Movie, Resonance, your movie Alive and The Windsurfing Movie. I’ve always done small movies and DVD productions, but The Windsurfing Movie was a film where you could really see the effort and budget involved, and I believe that this has pushed the sport. This is how I also want to give back to windsurfing. So maybe it is really the most inspiring movie to me.

Sarah-Quita Offringa: Which part of your

career—windsurfing or movie making—is more rewarding? I’m very proud of my pro windsurfing results the last few years. With pro competition you need to train hard and then still bring it all to the five-minute heat. In filming, you can plan and work for two years to finish a project. But I think the combination of both at a high level is the perfect mix. If I had to choose only one, then I would compete until I was 32 years old and film from then on.

Ricardo Campello: Why do you like to train so

much in Venezuela and Brazil? You should know, Ricardo. In both places not only is the sun and wind nice, but also I met a nice girl in Brazil and she keeps me coming back.

Tine Slabe: Where are you going to live when you finish your windsurfing career? It’s hard to say. I love Hamburg [Germany], but I also love all the wonderful beaches around the world. I think I will always keep traveling around. Maybe Hamburg will be my real base.

Wyatt Miller: Does sitting on the beach filming

when the conditions are good drive you crazy? No, it’s actually a lot of fun! It’s nice to see windsurfing from different angles and try to always bring the action in the best possible frame. You really get motivated from filming, watching and capturing. You see exactly how good these guys are and you go out yourself and train or just enjoy your own session.

John Skye: Is sailing with Gollito all the time good

or bad for your motivation? You can learn a lot, but his skill level is crazy! It’s hard when you realize that no matter how much you train that your body and your talent is not enough to win against him... unless you are really lucky or he is really unlucky. But it’s amazing to watch the way he brings his control, power and style all together. And the best thing is that he doesn’t even know how good he is or could be; he has much more potential still.

Rob Warwick: When will you come to the Gorge with Gollito to school us and film another movie? I’ve been invited there several times and one day I’m sure I’ll get there, but not with Gollito. He can’t get a visa to travel to the U.S. Chavez has done a great job to cause this problem, but maybe with Obama he will have some hope. I would enjoy sailing downwind nonstop and still end up upwind. Kevin Pritchard: Window or aisle seat? Do air-

lines try to get a woman or a man to check you in? Window for sure! I’m always watching. I always try to check in with a woman. Most of the time it works, but once you fail with a woman on the check in, you really fail!

Patrick Bergeron: Any words of advice for

young pros not lucky enough to be born in Jeri or El Yaque? Yes, all the guys from these towns are natural talents. They are born and raised on the water because they unfortunately have the worst school system; they spend all their time on the water. The result is that windsurfing becomes a game for them. If you want to catch up with them you must go train hard, follow a timetable and plan out goals to reach that will help make you better.

Laure Treboux: What’s your next movie project?

Any hints! I can’t tell you here! Four Dimensions was great to make but is still a lot of work. We are doing all the shipping, bookkeeping, promotions, etc. ourselves. But, I love coming up with ideas and getting them realized. I won’t stop any time soon.

No-handed Flaka. Carter photo

We’re pretty sure that Garry Koop of The Gorge Surf Shop in Hood River, Oregon, received the first copy of the Four Dimensions DVD delivered to North America. When asked to compare it with The Windsurfing Movie, he says, “It’s like trying to compare Goodfellas and The Godfather II.” Here are his picks for the Top 5 action moments.

5. Two ultra-sick Gollito Estredo Flaka sequences... 18:00 4. Marcilio Browne’s wavesailing crash... 27:43 3. A very cool effect on a Gollito Spock sequence... 20:05 2. Marcilio’s perfect Taka on a wave face... 26:00 1. Gollito’s Leche with an unbelievable Matrixstyle effect... 15:24

windsport

I T w

Grom

WORDS AND PHOTO BY PETE DEkAY

JordAn reid

Age: 16 Sail Number: US 67 Home: Pleasanton, California Launch: Sherman Island Hero: kevin Pritchard Sponsors: Dakine, RRD Best Move: Double Funnel Trick Goal: Air Funnel Future Goal: To compete on the PWA tour

Windsurﬁng is easy. At least it looks easy from watching Jordan Reid’s fluid style as he rides back and forth across the playpen area of Sherman Island’s Access park, hitting tricks whenever and wherever he feels like it. He has quickly become the Delta’s best freestyler, dialing in difficult combination tricks like Double Spocks and Funnels. Jordan E-slides at the Access.

JUNIOR RACING: TOP 5 FROM THE WORLDS

BY MARGOT SAMSON

I traveled to and competed at the Junior Worlds in Weymouth, England and here are the Top 5 things I learned while at this huge event:

5. In Britain, starboard is

still to the right. I wasn’t sure as they do drive on the wrong side of the road, don’t they?

windsport

4. European racers draw on their sail. They put things like sharks and little hearts on the sail to distract fellow competitors. It confused me, so I guess it worked.

3. British English has

some strange words. When you are going to throw something away, I learned there are no “trash cans” in Britain but only “rubbish bins.”

2. In the U.k., “cheers”

doesn’t just mean happy drinking but also hello, goodbye, you’re welcome, good luck and, “Crikey, that’s a funny drawing on your sail.”

1. Britain’s got talent! They hosted a great event and dominated the racing.

6WUV ^S`T]`[O\QS eW\Rac`TW\U Q][Sa T`][ be] W\U`SRWS\ba ^]eS` O\R Q]\b`]Z ES OZZ eO\b b] VO`\Saa bVS ^]eS` ]T bVS eW\R O\R Wb a \]b b]] RWTTWQcZb b] USb ^]eS`SR c^ Pcb ^]eS` OZ]\S Wa \]bVW\U eWbV]cb Q]\b`]Z >]eS` Wa bVS SfQWbS[S\b 1]\b`]Z Wa bVS Q]\TWRS\QS 1]\b`]Z Wa eVOb eS IR]K Ob AOWZe]`Ya =c` aOWZa O`S bVS []ab abOPZS O\R ac`S T]]bSR W\ bVS W\Rcab`g PSQOcaS eS Y\]e bVOb ]cb bVS`S ObbWbcRS `SOZZg Wa SdS`gbVW\U O\R \]bVW\U PcWZRa ObbWbcRS O\R Q]\TWRS\QS ZWYS PSW\U W\ Q]\b`]Z A\O^^g XWPSa aYg VWUV Xc[^a Ucb bW\UZW\U a^SSR `c\a O\R SdS\ g]c` TW`ab eObS` abO`b OZZ VW\US ]\ PSW\U W\ Q]\b`]Z ES IR]K Q]\b`]Z

ES IR]K aOWZa

O\R eSIR]K [Oaba

AOWZe]`Ya 7\Q ! <]`bV EOaQ] 1]c`b 6]]R @WdS` =`SU]\ CA/ '% ! CA 1O\ORO B]ZZ 4`SS( &%% $!' % "# 2W`SQb( #" !&$ $#$ j 4Of( #" !&$ % "# 3[OWZ( W\T].aOWZe]`Ya Q][

I TI WT W

MacGyver Wellness BETTER BOARD REPAIR

BY EMMA-ROSE ROSSOFF PHOTOS BY JOCK BRADLEY

SUP YOGA: LESSON ONE WORDS BY DEREK RIJFF

Using be- ago I looked at quick-ﬁx tips for keeping your board Twoaissues ginner SUP orNow here are four hints for when you’re taking a watertight. windsurfer, little more time and working on a more permanent epoxy resin yoga can Be now repair. sure to start by loosening the vent screw and end with beabrought coat of paint (for UV resistance). to the water. Here are a couple poses to help you start focusing the mind to tone the body while enjoying time on the water.

1. If damage has gone through

2. Micro-balloons are added to the core, then use a pen or to resin as ﬁller for strength. hex wrench to dig out a small If you do not have any, then cave under damaged chop ﬁbreglass into Downward Facingthe Dog (Easy): As you sett le up into this pose,cloth ground area. This theyou repair to nail-clipping-size pieces forthe a down through allallows fours so are balanced. Reach your hips toward “plug”toward in the board that as you poor man’s sky andform youraheels the board focus onversion. opening in your won’treaching pop out.your spine long. Reach through your fingers and shoulders, soften your gaze inward, towards your navel. Fraser photos

3. If you need a couple layers of cloth to strengthen your repair, then use patches that get progressively bigger. The ﬁrst layer barely covering the repair while each additional layer can grow one to two centimetres.

4. To ensure the repair stays

in place and is watertight, a vacuum bag is ideal, but who has one? Instead, tape Saran wrap in place. The plastic wrap will peel oﬀ once the resin hardens.

VOCAB

Upward Facing Dog (Advanced): Following Downward Facing Dog, breath through your Vinyasa, or flow, by moving through Plank pose (push-up position). Draw your elbows alongside the ribs as you lower GAERIAL [GAIR-EE-UHL] your body, open your chest forward and wide, and lower your hips toA not-so-manly aerial (but it’s what 99 per cent ward the centre of theend board. happily up Firmly doing).ground through your arms without locking your elbows. Your hips and thighs remain off the board the entire time, as you draw your shoulders away from your head and shine Paddy and Daniel threw some wicked your gaze towards the sky.

gaerials last fall in SanEmma-Rose Carlos, Baja. Rossoff owns Annahata Yoga Origin: Irish wavesailors in Hood River, Oregon. 28

windsport 24 windsport

I T w

The Skinny

Words by Graham Ezzy | Illustration by Don Jackson

Waves worth dying for

Mexico is like jail: easy to enter, hard to leave. On my last trip, the waves in Baja were so good that even though I’d left my passport at a friend’s house in New York City, I crossed the border into Mexico in search of good windsurfing without a worry about how I’d return. On the drive down, we were three: Brendan Pyatt, videographer and friend; Clark Merritt, driver, photographer, and friend; and myself, windsurfer and student. Our red van was packed with my windsurfing gear, food to last a week, and camera gear. Traveling south in Baja is like traveling back in time. At the border, everything is fairly modern—there are pharmacies, billboards, and men on the side of the road selling statues of Jesus and Mary. But farther south, the towns start to mirror the

windsport

stages of Wild West movies with dogs, chickens and cows roaming the dirt streets. After driving 10 hours south we finally reached our destination: Punta San Carlos, home of the legendary mile-long wave, located in the middle of the Mexican desert, without a village, a road, or even potable water. It

saying to myself, “This is what windsurfing is about. I’m not thinking of anything, just feeling and reacting.” It was great; well, it was great until I got to the beach and tried to have a conversation with Brendan. We were sitting on some rocks, he with his camera beside him and me still in my wetsuit. Our

through a telescope backwards. I managed to stumble upon a few meaningless strings of words: “Well, that then this… ahhh… repetition… emphasis… fewer structural restraints… ahhh!” The left side of my brain was hibernating due to inactivity! Riding a wave is like painting or writing poetry, and I was so far in the zone that coming out was difficult. I thought that I was alone in using only half of my brain, but then I overheard a conversation that made me think different. One of the other campers, let’s call him John, was listening intently to Brendan’s story about a bad car crash years ago. Brendan duly noted to John that he couldn’t windsurf any more due to his injuries from the accident. The cars collided head on at full speed leaving twisted metal and broken bones. After Brendan finished his story, John, his eyes wide, his ears open, and his curiosity genuine, asked, “Did you die?” Brendan was understandably a bit shocked by the question but after some time, he managed to answer, “Well, no.” It seems that John, like I, was also thinking with just half of a brain. And I probably will never again hear anyone ask, “Did you die?” Honestly, I’m not even sure I know what he meant. Was he asking whether Brendan’s heart stopped causing him to technically be “dead?” Or maybe he wondered whether Brendan had made a deal with God to return to

Riding a wave is like painting or writing poetry. is “stuck in the desert” to the max but with wind and waves. Isolated in such extreme wilderness with perfect waves, I soon fell into a meditative balance with the ocean. By the third day of riding wave after wave, I was in sync with the swell, the wind, and the Baja wildlife. I remember

conversation started on windsurfing (something I know a bit about), but it quickly transitioned to the philosophy of music, specifically the significance of lyrics. I had some interesting ideas brewing on the subject, but when I tried to speak, words seemed foreign and distant as if I were looking

earth in order to film the perfect windsurfing film. It’s possible that he considered Baja heaven, and while Brendan had chosen to get there through a fatal car crash, windsurfing was another possible route. After all, is that not what we are trying to do on the water, get to heaven?

I T w

MacGyver

Mess-free Re-Gripping

Words by Derek Rijff | Photos by Pete DeKay One of the worst repair jobs in windsurfing is re-gripping your boom. It’s tedious, the chemicals suck, and you’ll end up picking glue off your hands for a week. Having your old boom look like new may make it worth the effort. Here are some tips to help.

1. Peels as much old grip off as possible. Tape over any exposed plastic to protect it and generously pour Acetone on to remove glue. Use a pail to keep from ruining your flip-flops.

2. Keep the Acetone from

3. Contact cement in a gel

4. Once dry, instead of cut-

formula will minimize mess. Coat both the arm and new grip material and wait for it to dry. Place grip on arm with seam facing out and apply a bead of gel along seam before wrapping.

evaporating before it penetrates the glue by wrapping the boom tightly with plastic wrap. Let sit for 15 minutes before removing plastic and remaining glue and grip.

ting off the overlapping grip, simply remove it with a palm sander (120-grit paper) by working the seam back and forth until the excess falls off. Work carefully from one end to the other.

ask the board man Can repair resins actually cause damage?

Yes, when used incorrectly. I just fixed a big hole where the incorrect Solarez product was applied to a crack where the board’s foam was exposed. Carefully read the instructions before applying any repair products. —Kevin Fowles, San Francisco area board man

windsport

I T w

Inspiration

BY ERIN GATES

beyond shArks And wiPeouts

t happens without warning. There I am, in waterstart position, when something catches my eye. I gasp in horror as one, two, three shark fins began to circle my rig. Panic hits as my life flashes before my eyes. Or maybe it really happens like this… As I initiated my jibe, a monster gust snatches my rig, launching me into the surf. With barely a moment to take one last breath, the largest wave I’ve ever seen explodes on top of me. I am thrown into a churning mess of water, unable to tell which way is up. “This is it,” I think. There’s no way I’m making it out alive. Some version of these two scenarios plays in the back of my mind every time I venture into the ocean. Despite my comfort sailing virtually anywhere in the Gorge, windsurfing in the ocean, with pounding waves and killer

sharks is a different story. Now, I find myself at Spreckelsville, Maui—ready to tackle my fear of the ocean once and for all and to experience the exhilaration of wavesailing. I’m a bit apprehensive and tell myself, “I don’t have to try it today.” But after a few reaches and a couple of missed jibes (and subsequent lightning-fast waterstarts), I steer upwind toward the breaking waves. The waves are about shoulder-high and uncrowded—so far, so good. I make a few reaches on the edge of the break, working up the courage to go for it. Finally, I grit my teeth and glanced behind me, trying to time my entry into a set. Suddenly, I feel something accelerating my board. I’m on a wave! As the water steadily propels me forward, I realize that today’s conditions are actually less intimidating than most days I sail at the

Hatchery. But I know the true test will come when I miss a jibe and have to wait out a set in the break zone. This opportunity soon comes and I brace myself for the “washing machine” that is sure to envelop me. But wave after wave passes over my head uneventfully. Sure, I get tossed around a bit, but nothing like I imagined. I had been expecting a thunderstorm, but am pleasantly surprised with light rain. After four solid days of 3.7 m2 sailing, a bunch of waves caught, eight sea turtle sightings, and only a couple false-alarm shark moments, I am hooked. Yes, I still get nervous when my legs are dangling in the water or when I encounter a wave taller than my shoulder. But I am already stoked for my next trip to Maui, and for the opportunity to catch even one more wave.

HuGe ConTesT win a ’ sTaRboaRd aToM 

What windsurfing brand has demonstrated the most creativity in its products over the years? Starboard is the first to come to mind with successful innovations like the Go, Start, Gemini, Serenity and now the Atom, a board designed for total free expression in your riding as it can be set up either with or without footstraps!

To enter, all you need to do is demonstrate some form of creativity in your own windsurfing life by posting photos, words or a mix of both at the contest entry form on windsport.com. Here are some hints on creativity to spur on your imagination: Eye-catching photos Moving stories Innovative ideas Expressions of pure fun Ideas to grow the sport Or something completely different

The scary ocean. Dies photo

windsport

The winner will be chosen from all the entries that have qualified by demonstrating some creativity. Winning this brand-new awesome board has never been easier. Enter today!

I T w

Heroine

Why freestyler Asma Asyyed looks up to pro Laure Treboux San Francisco Bay Area windsurfer Asma Asyyed and our team of Windsport women editors interview Laure Treboux about her life as a pro wave and freestyle windsurfer. How do you learn new moves and keep sailing fun? The best way to improve is to practice different moves during a session, not only one. You get tired of doing the same one over and over and your body and brain stay “fresh” for longer. I keep on practising moves until I can do them consistently in all kind of conditions. You’ve got to be very consistent to be able to land them in a heat. Do you focus on nutrition to help your training? I don’t have a specific diet but I take care of what I eat. I love cooking and eating good food. I believe the best is to be balanced, eat a bit of everything, lots of fruits and vegetables, and avoid the unhealthy stuff like fast food and ready-to-eat meals. Where are your favourite places to windsurf for fun, training and competition? For fun, it’s Gnaraloo and Coronation Beach in Western Australia, for training, it’s Coronation beach

Asma Asyyed Spocks. Asyyed photo

windsport

and Dahab, Egypt, and for competition it’s Lanzarote, Spain. What do you do when you’re not windsurfing? I surf, snowboard, wakeboard, listen to the music (spending a lot of money on iTunes!), have barbecues; all of these as much as possible with my family and my friends. What’s the hardest trick you’ve learned? I think the Vulcan took me the longest to learn. I spent forever trying it over and over. I didn’t really have anyone around to teach me or give me advice, and it took me a while to understand how this move works. What are your life dreams? I have lots of dreams. To live in a sunny place with good waves, see my clinics grow big to help promote the sport and bring lots of new and young people to it, do a boat trip in Indo and become a good surfer. I realized a long time ago that having dreams and not being scared to go for them is the

best way to be happy and a great motivation in life. I would never be where I am otherwise. Do you feel like everything in windsurfing is gender-tilted toward the guys in terms of competition, media, and equipment design? The girls on the PWA tour talk about this a lot, trying to find a way to promote women’s windsurfing and make it grow. It’s a very big topic at the moment. But there are a lot of positive things now about women’s windsurfing. I see more and more girls on the water everywhere in the world, the girls’ camps I run are full, the clinics always have a few girls at least joining in, and lots of them are ripping. I think girls in general are just less competitive than guys: they windsurf for fun and aren’t too interested in joining competitions. Therefore, the woman’s fleet is small on the PWA tour, which means we don’t have much impact on the media and the industry. It’s a shame because I believe that using the women’s image more in windsurfing would help the whole industry in general. There’s definitely a lot to be done and worked on. I always get advice from my male friends regarding gear adjustments. Should I listen? The advantage of being a woman is that we can’t compensate for a bad setup or a bad stance with strength. We must do it right. So, make sure that the ones giving you advice are the guys who seem effortless when they windsurf and do their moves. There’s definitely a difference in equipment setup between different-sized people. It’ll change if you’re taller, shorter, heavier or lighter. Any advice for aspiring pros? Train hard and go for it. It needs dedication, but if you work hard enough you will get there. It’s so worth it!

Inspired: Asma Asyyed Occupation: Professor and mother of two Favourite gear: RRD Freestyle 90, North Ice 4.5 m2 Best trick: A Grubby— if I land it. Launch: I sail different spots around the San Francisco Bay. Here, we are lucky to have wind every day of the season. On-water motivation: Nothing beats that amazing feeling of joy once I make a move. It is addictive, yet in a healthy way. I keep wanting more, and to get more I need to try more. Message for Laure Treboux: “You are an inspiration to me, and seeing women kick ass like you do makes me happy. You should really think about coming to the San Francisco Bay Area and doing a women’s clinic at Cal Sailing. We have a series of women’s clinics running each season with a purpose of helping women to get better.”

Laure Treboux riding in western Oz. Leonhardt photo

windsport

radar

steven vAn BroecKhoven WoRdS BY MIChAEL SUMEREdER | PhoTo BY FLoRA BIKICh Winning the title of European Freestyle champion and placing fifth overall on the PWA tour are amazing results for Van Broeckhoven, whose main goals were never about success in competition. Instead, he has been more interested in going on road trips in his van to Spain and Portugal to freesail and practice moves. It looks like his “freesailing” paid off as he dominated the EFPT in 2009 like no one else before him. Sail Number: B72

Age: 24

Home: Lommel, Belgium

Sponsors: F2, Gaastra, o’neill

Favourite spot: Lac Bay, Bonaire

He’s only getting better.

windsport

Cape Hatteras, North Carolina

TAKING YOU TO NEW HEIGHTS. • • • • • •

Great Service Top-notch School Huge 2010 Demo Fleet On-water Location Extensive Selection Locally Owned and Operated

Rider: Rob Warwick Photo: Jock Bradley

quiver

victor fernAndeZ’s BEST GEAR

PhoTo BY JERoME hoUYVET As a star of the new windsurﬁng DVD Four dimensions, Victor Fernandez stands out on your television screen as much as he does touring around the world training and competing on the PWA tour. Here are his favourite gear picks that he likes to use while ripping and posing for cameras on Maui.

norTH eGo . M This and my 4.5 m2 are my best ho’okipa sails. Using two sizes this close together allows me to stay on one size board and keep perfectly powered.

CUsToM FanaTiC neW Wave TWin  Fanatic’s Sebastian Wenzel shaped this fast- and tight-turning board for me. It’s ideal for ripping at ho’okipa. KaZUMa sUrFBoard ’” I mostly surf at Lanes and find this board works best when the waves are five to 10 feet high.

Sail number drawn by iPhone.

windsport

#/-0,%4% 0!#+!'%3

&2/- &2%% SUNGLASSES WITH WINDSURFER PURCHASE

VALUE

3!6% 50 4/ /&& /. ,!34 9%!23 '%!2

WWW THE HOUSE COM

in the lab

Chris has NRG.

DAKINE’S

chris GiLBert WoRdS BY PETE dEKAY | PhoTo BY RIChARd hALLMAn Ever wonder who is behind building the stylish and comfy harness and other critical accessories you rock from Dakine? It’s Chris Gilbert, the product line manager, so we contacted him to ﬁnd out more about his life and job.

windsport

Tell us a little about your background in windsurﬁng? I have been windsurfing for 25 years. Windsurfing is really the sport that shaped my life. I grew up sailing on the East Coast then followed my dream to California and then to Maui where I lived for 12 years. during that time I was mostly into wavesailing, and at my highest level I qualified and competed in the Aloha classic, finishing half way through the fleet respectfully. What are you working on in your sailing now? Windsurfing over the years has meant many different things to me. now when sailing, I’m not just thinking about when I’m going to do my next trick or when am I going to jump. Most of my time on the water is spent analyzing equipment or observing other sailors in an effort to identify a need for improving a product. of course I also have those great days when sailing takes my mind off everything, you know the feeling. I wouldn’t have it any other way, this is exactly what I want to be doing and I enjoy it very much. What dakine product are you most excited about for 2010? It’s the new nRG waist harness. It has taken a big leap forward in harness technology, which is obvious from the second you try it on. What is the process involved in developing products? We have a full R and d facility in hood River, oregon. We build prototypes, test them and make changes very quickly. This process is repeated until we feel the product is ready for production. during development, I work with quite a few members of the windsurfing team as there is no substitute for their wealth of knowledge and the amount of water time they get. With the nRG harness I received input and feedback from Levi Siver, Matt Pritchard and Jake Miller to name a few. What else do you like to do living in Hood river? I have two great kids, Ali (one-year old) and Ashton (four-year old), and my favourite thing do is spending time with them and my wife Julie. It won’t be much longer before I teach Ashton to windsurf. Ali has to do whatever Ashton does, so I’m sure she’ll follow soon.

Car Rack Systems

Stand-Up Paddle

Windsur fing

20 10 10

Clear your plate. Life is about Living.

FANATIC

SAILWORKS

MATUSE

2010 CELEBRATION

GOYA

NORTH SAILS

GUL

ONLINE USED and

JP AUSTRALIA

NEIL PRYDE

DAKINE

CLEAROUT (with pics)

RRD

NPX

CHINOOK

ONLINE GIVEAWAYS

www.2-rad.com requests@2-rad.com

toll free: 888-331-9191

ride guide With a grassy rigging area, white sand beach, and side-onshore conditions, Kailua Beach is one of the best windsurfing spots to be found in the hawaiian Islands. May through october the trade winds are most consistent, but tend to be on the light side, so floaty boards and bigger sails

(5.5-8.0 m2) are the norm. during the summer you can expect morning and evening sessions in 10- to 18-knot trades a few times per week. during late fall and early spring the trades tend to be at their strongest. Every year locals wait for the months of november through April for winds that can

blow in the 15 to 30 knot range when fronts reach the islands or when the dominant high in the Pacific really sets up strong. These winds can last for days and sometimes weeks ushering in large wind swell and even the occasional ground swell from the east or northeast.

Kailua has turned into a bit of a bed-and-breakfast community, so check online for accommodations if you want to stay in town. Your gear rental and lesson needs are easily met at any one of the three local shops: naish hawaii, Kailua Sailboards and hawaiian Watersports.

WoRdS And PhoTo BY STEPhEn WhITESELL

KAiLuA Be A CasTles: A NICE LITTLE AREA WAY DOWNWIND FOR WHEN THE WIND IS NORTH

JUMP CiTY: THE PLACE TO GET AIR AND DO SOME ONSHORE RIDING KailUa BeaCH ParK: RIG UP AND HIT THE WATER KailUa BoaT raMP: LESS-POPULATED RIGGING AND LAUNCH AREA

windsport

ride guide When you reach the beach, just before the launch zone, there is a sign full of safety tips and rules of the road. Special considerations need to be taken at Kailua due to the large volume of ocean users here. Please give a lot of courtesy and respect to other beach users, and be sure to stay out of the

designated swimming areas. once on the water, Jump City can be found in the middle of the bay where there are sweet ramps and onshore waveriding. Upwind, by Flat Island, the wind gets stronger and the water gets super smooth. Around the island be sure to give a wide berth to surfers. If

there is a good swell running, outside Kailua and Lanikai Reef can generate waves big enough for expert riders. If you’re planning on hitting the reef, keep in mind it’s loaded with exposed areas and it’s a long swim in if something goes wrong. It’s best to befriend a local and follow his or her lead.

e Ach, oAhu DS

TRADE WIN

oUTside KailUa: CAN GET HUGE ON OCCASION BUT IS A LONG WAY OUT

reeF rUnWaY: SMOOTH FLATWATER BLASTING SPOT

FlaT island: A MORE DEFINED WAVE THAN JUMP CITY, BUT RESPECT SURFERS

windsport

get better here

Andy Brandt guides his student.

windsport

get better here

A Guide to Teaching Windsurfing Words by Andy Brandt | Photos by Pete DeKay You may have tried to teach your friends or been asked questions from a beginner at your local beach and gotten stuck on exactly the right things to say. The success of any beginner has a lot to do with how much fun they have and it’s important that they enjoy it and want to do it again. This is not a guide on beginner technique but rather one for your success in helping beginner windsurfers getting hooked on the sport.

Use remote control. Be attentive, care about their progress. You are guiding them through their first level of windsurfing; the less you help them the slower they progress. Try using the “remote control” technique. The ability to continually guide your students on the water, constantly putting them in the perfect place and not allowing them to think too much on their own is what I call “remote control” teaching. By constantly steering them around and not letting the situation get out of hand, the students quickly gain all the right feelings and their confidence goes up. How people learn. Each of your students will have one, two, or if you’re lucky, all three of the following learning traits: visual, auditory and kinesthetic. Some may learn visually by watching or seeing you perform the manoeuvre and can imitate it from the mental pictures in their head. Be “extra goofy” by exaggerating both simulating on land and demonstrating on the water. Your exaggeration of body postures and movement should get the students closer to the desired outcome. Auditory learning is when a

student listens to what you’re saying and puts it into action. You may notice these students talking to themselves while they are sailing. Be very specific and avoid words like this, that, here, and there. Everything has a name and a place. Build a verbal path during the lesson and repeat key trigger words precisely in order to continue the audible student’s success. Trigger words are words designed to get students to do multiple body movements with one word. For example, the number “seven” as a stance reference to quickly fix their posture. Students may also learn kinesthetically. These students learn by feel; they are usually completely lost in a lecture setting and don’t learn much from your presentation. They need to be molded into the right postures and explained the lesson as it is felt. Get them onto a simulator and put them through the correct positions. Use their head. The student’s eyes and head position play a huge role in their success. Concentrate on where they’re looking and make sure that they’re not trying to gather too much information with their eyes. This

sport is a lot of feel (board, sail power, sail balance, wind). Get the students to only use their eyes to pick targets for direction, observe wind evidence and avoid other people. Anything else wastes valuable brainpower. Keeping them motivated. The ability to read your student and decide what button to push to get the required response takes years and some teachers never develop this skill. If your students are discouraged, unhappy, frustrated or even to the other extreme of being too happy, too confident, or even possibly bored, you can get them to keep improving and adjust their mood to maximize performance. Cheering them up, patting them on the back, breaking the move into smaller parts to give them more initial success, all help re-motivate the downtrodden to get back up. A bored, overly confident student is ready for newer challenges or to refine current skills. Sending students on a trip further away from the instructor, changing the gear or presenting the next move usually keeps them at maximum learning potential. The sky is the limit. Story telling about how much

you love windsurfing or what it might be like to plane, waterstart, carve, jump, splash etc. can also motivate and entice your students to the next level. Remember, everyone will get it, but some learn faster than others. Be patient, come up with different ways to explain the same movements, compartmentalize moves into smaller pieces, and remember: we all have good days and bad days. Muscle memory. Students will get better at learning the more they have learned. In all sports, your muscle memory speeds up your learning curve. The more you have “felt,” the quicker your mind can tell your body to do it again. Try to teach your students using repetition to get them to the exact same spot on the board or in a turn. You will find that athletic students (who have done many sports) will learn faster either because they are good at their mind telling their body what to do or have “felt” similar postures or positions before. The great thing about our sport is that with the right gear you can think through any manoeuvre and then eventually feel it until it is in your muscle memory.

windsport

get better here The Lesson

Proper beginner gear is necessary for the student’s success. If you don’t own a wide beginner board or an old-style full-size longboard and a lightweight small sail, then please rent, beg, borrow or steal something to enhance their experience. Also be sure to teach the lesson in a safe and controlled environment, like a location with light steady wind (preferably not offshore) and minimal waves or boat traffic.

Get to know your student. Be sure to find out the students experience and comfort level in sailing other types of boats and even basic swimming. Don’t assume anything, even that they are a comfortable swimmer. Go over basic safety advice, and if your student seems up for it, you can also define terms like uphaul, boom, mast, daggerboard, the front and back of board, and centreline. The wind clock. Ask the students to find the wind and to point to where it’s coming from. Now ask them how they found it and explain that it’s impossible for them or any sailboat to sail

directly into the wind. The idea behind the wind clock is that the windsurfer is at the centre of a giant clock with the wind blowing directly from 12 o’clock toward six. Explain that a windsurfer cannot sail forward in the area from 11 to one o’clock (known as the no-go zone). Demonstrate this idea by turning them around so that their back is to the wind with their arms stretched out behind their back, and explain that they can only sail to places to which they can point (from one o’clock around through six all the way until about 11 o’clock). Use the wind clock throughout the lesson to help orient the student to the wind (e.g. a tack is a turn through 12 o’clock).

Proper uphauling to neutral and get moving:

windsport

Proper uphauling. Position the board across the wind with the sail downwind of the board and explain how to get the gear into this position. Demonstrate climbing onto the board at the mastbase area with your back to the wind and feet staggered around the mast on the centreline and a hand gripping the uphaul rope. Finally, stand up, keeping the back straight but with knees bent and slowly uphaul using a handover-hand technique. Stress the importance of using the leg muscles to lift and explain how the rig becomes lighter as water comes off the sail ,making it key to work slowly to give it time to happen.

The neutral position. Grab the mast with both hands below the boom (not above). Keep the knees bent and arms straight creating the “V” between the person’s body and sail as a counter balance. This is the basic resting position. Once here, get the student to look around and even wave to help eliminate gear fascination (the habit of staring at the sail). Next, demonstrate basic sail steering and as you do be sure to keep your arms straight and exaggerate an upright posture. Get moving. First, release the back hand from mast and step back on the board turning the front foot forward. Bring the mast

get better here

The Basic Tack:

The Wind Clock:

up and in front of you balancing the sail like a triangle on its base. Have the student look forward to site a target for their direction. Place the back hand on the boom, but tell them only to grip with two fingers and explain using the back hand to regulate power. Teach the proper sailing stance with butt in, head up and front foot angled forward so they look like a number “7.” Next, you can explain steering while underway and how there is only one spot to hold the sail where the board will sail straight and that picking target directions to look at will help to hold a straight course. Later, as your student progresses, and is comfortable on the water, you can let them move the front hand up onto the boom for the final realistic sailing position. The basic tack. Have the student return to the neutral position and slowly lean the mast back across the tail of the board. As the board turns upwind have them take small steps around the mastbase keeping their feet

close together with toes staying parallel to the clew. Continue this motion until the board completes a 180-degree turn. Throughout, the student should keep their head up and back straight. Hitting the water. Take your students to the water and explain any hazards at the sailing site while also showing them how to carry and attach the gear safely. Show them the importance of using the daggerboard and how it works. Next, demonstrate uphauling, neutral position, steering, getting sailing and the basic tack (using showmanship here will make it interesting and fun). Have the students each try the basic tack while constantly guiding them through it with your “remote control” voice. Once they can turn around comfortably, you can start letting them sail short distances from you and working on all the parts of the lesson above. Remember to make it fun! There is a good chance that if you cannot see their ears then they cannot hear you so keep them close.

windsport

going for gold... again why yoU shoUld cheer for JUlia mancUso at the 2010 olympic winter games

You might have heard about Julia Mancuso after her 2006 Olympic gold medal winning performance in giant slalom. Or maybe after her 2007 third-place ﬁnish in the World Cup overall title, which shattered a 23-year record for U.S. women skiers. Or you may have seen her posing as the ﬁrst-ever Lange Girl Athlete—in panties, bra and ski boots. But did you know that this 25-year-old skier also windsurfs? While you’re daydreaming about summer waves this winter, be sure to check her out at the upcoming Vancouver Olympics as she defends her title.

interView by katie crafts What Went through your mind When you Won the gold medal in torino, italy?

It was an amazing moment. When I crossed the finish line and looked up to see that I won, it was truly unbelievable. Winning the gold has been a dream of mine since I began ski racing. It was so great to look into the crowd and see my family just crazy celebrating! hoW do you stay motivated after achieving something as big as the olympics gold?

My motivation on a daily basis comes from keeping balanced, doing what I love and loving what I do. I love to stay fit and healthy, so that naturally fits in with being a competitive athlete. However, more so than just putting my head down, pointing my horns forward and plowing through everything and everyone that gets into my way, I am much more a “flow with the day” kind of person. Yes, I love to win and I do consider myself

windsport

a competitive person, but in the end when I look back on my life, I want to have experienced the varying richness that it has to offer. Far beyond just winning, media attention, adoring fans and the accolades, there lay experiences that I want. Staying onedimensional and solely focused on winning forever and a day would take away from those experiences. That’s ultimately what success means to me: having lived a full life that’s been authentic. as the first ever lange girl athlete, you famously posed in panties and ski boots. What Was your motivation for doing these photoshoots?

For one, it’s good not to take yourself too seriously sometimes. Posing in panties, bra and some ski boots was a perfect antidote to being the “Olympic Gold Medalist.” All in good fun! But also, I wanted to express quite simply that it’s good to be comfortable in

your body, being feminine and ripping all at the same time. Let your inner princess out and just be. hoW did you get started in Windsurfing?

I’d have to go back many years to answer that one. My parents were big into dropping my sister April and I off at places and letting us experience things… that’s how it happened with skiing: we’d get dropped off at Mighty Mite’s at Squaw Valley and ski all day. And so, during summer trips when we went to the Gorge, my dad would drop us off at the pond where we’d just go through the motions. I’d have a little triangle sail with a short aluminum mast and tie-on boom and just uphaul, go, fall in, uphaul, go, try to turn, fall in, Where is your favourite place to Windsurf?

Well, again, I live a blessed life. In the off-season I live on Maui. Enough said.

Julia Mancuso. Ross photo

windsport

Cross training. Lyman photo

Who are your favourite windsurfers, and what do you like about them?

Wow… well, that’s impossible to answer living here on Maui. It’s interesting watching the guys and girls out at Ho’okipa and how they all have different style. For instance, Robby Naish will have a graceful flow to his style while Jason Polakow has more power and aggressiveness. Then, of course, the girls also deserve props. How can you not just totally dig chicks that go out in huge waves, like Anne-Marie Reichman, Junko Nagoshi and Tiffany Ward? But as a rule, I most respect windsurfers who go out there and have fun. Those who are agro, territorial, moody, slam their gear, and cuss around (you know who you are!) are not cool. Those who have a smile on their face and just genuinely love to be out on the water living their dream are who I like the most.

Scooter girl. Ross photo

Winter fun. Ross photo

Do you ever think about becoming a pro windsurfer?

You’ve obviously never seen me windsurf. It’s too late for that. But I think about windsurfing, hitting the water, having fun, and rippin’ it as best I can. Some things are better left as a leisure time activity. What’s your workout and training philosophy?

I love variation in my workout program. Hitting the gym five days a week and powering out a predictable set of exercises is way too boring for me. Basically, I make sure I address three different areas of fitness: proprioceptive, strength, and conditioning… oh, and recharging. All of these are done in a choreographed cycle over the off-season months. Some weeks are low intensity, some medium and some high. The cycles are determined by when peak performance ought to be achieved during the season. I love to supplement my “western scientific” program with eastern practices. I love yoga and qi gong to keep my mind and psyche aligned. I also am big into pilates, which is a western invention motivated by what yoga developed, because it enables me to rewire my mindbody patterns. That’s especially important after injury when your

windsport

body compensates by recruiting other non-affected muscles. I’m sure the windsurfers reading this have experienced days when they are just killing it on the water! You know what I’m talking about: you can just nail everything and manage to impress the gawking onlookers on the beach. Yet on other days, you can’t even hit a jibe without falling in miserably every time. Well, the difference between being the hero and being the zero is your body and what muscles were firing correctly and able to be recruited by the brain. So next time you stink it up out there, don’t be so hard on yourself. It’s just certain muscles that shut down. Rest and kill it another day.

Other than being a pro skier, What other life dreams do you have?

I’m really big on helping people unlock their innate talents. A lot of us suffer from self-doubt and low self-esteem, which sets a destructive path into motion. If only we can cut the cycle and believe in ourselves and believe that we can achieve great things, then, well… that’s the greatest gift a person can have. That’s one of the reasons I support charities like Right to Play. That organization, started by an ex-ski racer, provides children in

underdeveloped nations with the lessons learned from sports and athletics to live a more full life. Having raised over $30,000 with some of my ski contemporaries by climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, I rest better at night knowing that kids in Tanzania have soccer balls, sports teachers, and all kinds of other gear to help them live a more empowered life today and in the future. What’s your advice to younger girls who want to be a pro athlete?

Focus and dedication are important ingredients to reaching elite

athlete status; however, there is so much more to life as well. Listen to your heart, not ultimately your parents or coaches, and if you have the fight, the drive, and you are having fun while doing it, then go for it with all you’ve got. But, if you’re doing it for someone else, struggling with the journey to the point where you’re perpetually miserable and sad and frustrated, then do something else. Go to school, paint, surf for fun, go camping or volunteer. We forget the many amazing things we have the power to do in our lives. We too often get stuck on

one thing and obsess about it until it consumes us. Go with your flow and be authentically you. Any chance we’ll see you in the Gorge anytime soon?

Well, seeing as though I like to just go with the wind and travel where my heart desires, you might just see me up at the Gorge again. For sure I loved that place as a kid and would be nice to return as an adult… or whatever I am now. For more on Julia, from videos to photos and much more, visit her blog at juliamancuso.com.

“Posing in panties, bra and some ski boots was a perfect antidote to being the ‘Olympic Gold Medalist.’”

End of a session. Zedlick photo

windsport

SENDING OUR SONS INTO THE MOUTH OF WORDS AND PHOTOS BY JEROME HOUYVET

windsport

Looking up at a monster.

windsport

Graham airs off the top.

It’s 11:00 a.m. on Nov. 1, 2009 and the swell is looking pretty big at Ho’okipa. I’m just about to start shooting from the cliff as my phone rings and it’s Martin Lenny saying, “Kai is getting ready to sail Jaws! Do you want join us?” Without a second of hesitation I pack my 600 mm lens and run to my car to meet the guys at Maliko Gulch, the Jet Ski launching point for heading out to Jaws (Pe’ahi). This will be one of the coolest-shooting days I’ve ever had in Maui as 15-year-old Connor Baxter (the youngest ever to sail here), 20-year-old Graham Ezzy and 17-year-old Kai Lenny are heading out with coaches Michi Schweiger and Kevin Pritchard while the three fathers, Keith Baxter, David Ezzy and Martin Lenny watch from the beach. 56

windsport

“I ARRIVED ON MAUI THE DAY BEFORE THE JAWS SESSION,

SO IT WAS MY SECOND TIME SAILING IN TWO MONTHS.” —GRAHAM EZZY

Graham and David Ezzy.

THE SONS Was this your first time at Jaws? Graham Ezzy: For the last three years, Jaws was on my list of spots to sail, but unfortunately there were only one or two good days for the whole three years. Kai Lenny: This was my first time windsurfing here, but I did foilboard Jaws with Dave [Kalama] and Laird [Hamilton] last winter. Connor Baxter: Actually, it was my second time. My first time was in August, but it was a lot smaller. This time was quite a bit bigger and a lot more fun. Describe the experience? GE: Jaws is amazing. The drop-in lasts so long that it seems to take forever. KL: So far, this session was one of my best ever! Riding Jaws is unlike anywhere else I’ve ever been—the power, the speed and the adrenaline is unrivaled. CB: This is one of the most monumental experiences for me. It’s indescribable.

Any fear before going? GE: I’ve thought so much about surfing Jaws that I wasn’t scared when I actually rode it. And I didn’t even know that we were going to go until the morning of the day. In fact, I woke up to the telephone call from Kevin Pritchard telling me to go to Maliko Gulch because he was waiting for me with the Jet Ski. KL: I had a super-deep sleep the night before, but when we arrived to Maliko harbour I started to get nervous because I saw a big set come in. As I was sailing up to Jaws with Michi Schweiger, it felt like it took forever on the first tack, but once I got on my first wave it all went away. CB: It was a last-minute thing. We had been talking about it, but were waiting for the first big swell with good wind. I slept at my friend’s house and at 9:00a.m. my dad called and said it was on. So, I didn’t have time to be nervous. On the way up to Jaws, I was just thinking of everything I had to do to be prepared and I was so excited to be able to

sail in big waves that it basically scared the fear right out of me. Did you train before going to Jaws in any way? GE: No, I live in Princeton, New Jersey, for most of the year. I barely get any windsurfing on the East Coast. And I arrived on Maui the day before the Jaws session, so it was my second time sailing in two months. KL: I have been training ever since I saw Laird Hamilton, Dave Kalama, and Buzzy Kerbox ride Jaws. At the time it was all mental, but now I have been training at MPG [Maximum Performance Group] with Scott Sanchez for three times a week and working out with Dave Kalama both in the water and on the beach. CB: I have been sailing in big waves at Ho’okipa since I was 10-yearsold. I windsurf, tow-in surf, surf and stand-up paddle all year round. I didn’t do anything different to train for Jaws, but I do train hard in everything I do and I like big waves.

windsport

Did you use a special board for big waves? GE: I just used my Quatro Quad fin board. I am the only person to ever ride Jaws on a quad and I was worried that it might be too unstable in the big surf, but it was great. KL: The gear I was riding was a 4.7 m2 Naish Boxer and a 75-litre Naish Pro Wave—it all felt just right. CB: No, nothing special. It is my normal gear that I use every day: a Starboard Evo 66, North Ego 4.0 m2 and Dakine gear. It worked perfectly in the conditions. How was your first wave? GE: It was kinda small for Jaws, and I rushed to the channel way too quickly. It was pretty lame! But I soon started going deeper and deeper, and closer to the lip. KL: I remember being so focused on the take-off that it was all in slow motion and there was no way I was going to fall. CB: My first wave, from what everyone told me, was one of the biggest. I was concentrating very hard and definitely had a few butterflies. I have been out in big waves at Ho’okipa—and even though these waves were bigger, it was kind of the same feeling— you know what you have to do. What was going through your head on the first wave? GE: I was thinking, “Don’t fall!” and “Don’t be a pussy!” KL: When I was just about to drop in, I remember feeling so ready that I thought of all the training I have done leading to that point. CB: I was just thinking, “Don’t fall!” Honestly, it was exhilarating.

windsport

Connor’s biggest wave.

“IT’S VERY TOUGH TO LET YOUR SON GO

OUT, AND VERY HARD FOR ANY PARENT TO WATCH WHEN THE WAVES ARE THIS BIG.” —KEITH BAXTER, CONNOR’S FATHER Tell me about your best wave? GE: I really wanted to get some nice carves on a big one. I had a few that were smooth enough to do some really fast tight turns. On one wave, I wanted to go for an air but the lip hit my sail from the other side. So I flipped in the air and lost my rig. I thought I was going to go over the falls, but in the end I was on the shoulder. KL: Towards the end of my session was when I caught the biggest waves. At that point I was feeling so confidant I was just excited to catch a bigger wave than the one before. CB: My first wave was one of the biggest I had ever windsurfed on, but it was not as scary as I thought it would be. And, after this first one, I relaxed a bit and started having more fun. Are you ready to go again on a bigger day? GE: I can’t wait to get Jaws again. The bigger the better! Now that I know the spot, I’m ready to charge. KL: That day was a good warm up. I am just waiting to be awakened with a bigger swell.

CB: Yes, definitely. My goal to go bigger and bigger every time I go out, and one day I’ll be out there when the big guys are scared! Is Jaws really windsurfing’s Nirvana or is it more about saying “I’ve done it?” GE: Jaws is amazing, there is so much adrenaline in the bottom turn. But I’ve actually been more excited and more scared on other waves in the world. Ali Baba in Cabo Verde is probably the best wave I’ve ever surfed; it’s long, thick, and perfectly smooth. Oh… and it breaks on lava rocks. KL: Once you ride Jaws your confidence comes up so much that it’s as if you’ve joined an exclusive club. It’s the spot where you learn something about yourself that you never knew. CB: Of course I wanted to windsurf Jaws to say I did it, but after sailing there it is by far the best big wavesailing I have experienced. And it wasn’t crowded! I would have to say it was windsurfing paradise that day.

Keith and Connor Baxter.

windsport

THE FATHERS How did you feel that day looking at your son riding these giant waves? David Ezzy: Very proud of him. Also concerned that the quad [board] might not hold in, but it did. Martin Lenny: Watching my son sail Jaws was awesome. When he was really little he told me that he

would one day surf and sail Jaws. You have no idea how terrifying it is to hear your little boy say those words. His passion has been so great that on the day he rode it, I wasn’t very worried at all. He trained very hard and his focus was there, but most importantly he really wanted to ride it and that fulfilled a lifelong dream for him. Keith Baxter: First of all you have to make sure your son feels confident with himself and is ready to sail these kind of waves. Connor

has trained hard and dreamed of surfing this wave. He does a lot of tow surfing in the winter, which gives a good feeling for this kind of wave and he has taken some big falls surfing on large waves. He knows what it is like to be held down underwater, but Jaws is even a longer hold-down time. There’s lots of water and the waves are very thick. Is it a tough decision to let your son ride Jaws? DE: Graham has hounded me in

the past to sail Jaws and I always told him he wasn’t ready. This time around I knew he was ready and I wasn’t worried. ML: Yes, it is. A few years back he asked me when he would be able to sail or tow surf Jaws. I had to really think it through, and I told him that only he would be able to answer that question. I let him know that he would have to train and feel comfortable with the large waves, and he would have to get himself out of bad wipeouts.

Martin and Kai Lenny.

o the wave.

Kai turns back int

“I ALSO LET HIM KNOW THAT HE WOULD HAVE TO GET PERMISSION FROM

ROBBY NAISH, LAIRD HAMILTON, BUZZY KERBOX OR DAVE KALAMA BEFORE HE COULD RIDE IT.”—MARTIN LENNY, KAI’S FATHER 60

windsport

I also let him know that he would have to get permission from Robby Naish, Laird Hamilton, Buzzy Kerbox or Dave Kalama before he could ride it. Last year he received an invite from Dave and Laird to foilboard the place with them. That invite let me know that he was ready. I have the highest respect for Dave and Laird and if my son earned an invite—so be it. KB: It’s very tough to let your son go out and very hard for

any parent to watch when the waves are this big. You just hope he is thinking what to do and to be in the right take-off spot. Looking at his watch to time the sets and be smart is all you’re hoping. You have to make sure he is ready, trained, knows what could happen and what to do. You always want to have other people on Jet Skis for back up and rescue. Laird Hamilton and other surfers taught us this over the years. They are the pioneers.

Would you like to share a wave with him here? DE: That would be cool, though I think one of us might get stuffed. Just as long as I’m in front! ML: Absolutely, yes! But realistically I haven’t done the training or the conditioning to earn a place out there. Kai has been so focused and so ready to charge that he earned the ride. My focus has been and will be to support Kai. Besides, Paula, Ridge and I were with him as we have heard of his

dreams since he was really little. We are really happy for Kai. KB: Would I like to surf with him out at Jaws? Are you nuts? No way! It’s a little too big for me these days. I am 60 years old and I still have to work and pay for my son’s toys and schooling. It was a special day too because it was just the boys. That doesn’t happen much. It’s so cool to see the boys grow up and then get better than you.

Kai looking comfortable.

windsport

Lenny posing for the camera at Waddell.

Goya takes ďŹ&#x201A;ight. How to carry your gear.

windsport

Seals at Arroyo Laguna.

California redwoods.

THE WINDSURFING MOVIE 2 THE UNOFFICIAL SCREENPLAY FROM THE CALIFORNIA COAST FIRST DRAFT AND PHOTOS BY JOHN CARTER

windsport

Siver rips at Arroyo Laguna.

windsport

FADE IN: 1. EXT. WADDELL CREEK — DAY South swells dredge sand as they trip over the shallow bottom. Just offshore, forests of bull kelp are home to many sea creatures, some friendly and some not. Looking back towards land, bright afternoon sunshine lights up a panoramic backdrop. A steep cliff, river mouth and dense forest give perspective to the amazing height of windsurfing jumps. Clad from head-to-toe with neoprene hood, specially adapted gloves, booties and a 5/7 wetsuit, Jace Panebianco is frantically swimming with his custom video housing in order to be in the right spot just outside the bone-crushing shore dump. On the waters edge, Levi Siver is armed with his signature Goya sail and Quatro quad-fin board, patiently waiting for the right gust. Panebianco wants this shot badly. Sensational water shots are the toughest to score, and those rare golden moments when everything harmonizes only happen a few times on a trip. Up on the rocks Johnny Decesare is set up with his tripod to catch the land angle, waiting for his moment to roll the camera. A gust hits and Siver hammers out towards the waves. The light is warm, the sky is blue and the conditions are rocking. In perfect synchronicity with the cameraman and the wave, Siver hits the ramp and launches into a huge one-handed Back Loop right above Panebianco. As Siver lands, Decesare raises his fist to indicate he captured the shot, while in the water Panebianco celebrates the moment with Siver. It’s probably only two or three seconds of footage, but this one tiny clip will go towards making this segment into one of the highlights of the movie.

“IT’S ALL ABOUT VARIETY AND EXPRESSIVE RIDING. IF YOU DO THE SAME HACK EVERY TIME PEOPLE FALL ASLEEP WATCHING THE FOOTAGE.”—LEVI SIVER

Moments later Kai Lenny flies out, straight towards the shooting zone and orbits a tweaked Push Loop with Panebianco filming back towards the cliffs. Lenny “Did you get that one? Please tell me you got it!” Panebianco “Sorry, man, I missed it. Ha! Just joking. Yeah, man, this stuff is gold. I want more… go higher… go crazy!” The session rolls on and despite a few passing clouds and some funky gusts, the boys work it to the bone for the cameras. With the knowledge that Decesare is up on the hill shooting from the land vantage point, the riders have no choice but to cut loose, go higher and shred every wave all the way to the beach. Out in the water Panebianco has a problem with his housing. Panebianco (to himself) “Darn it, my battery has run dry. I don’t believe this. I charged them last night. It must be the cold-water temperature… ugh… I don’t believe this.” Francisco Goya nails a tweaked Push Loop right in the zone. Goya looks over to check Panebianco’s reaction but this time it’s obvious that this shot wasn’t caught on camera. Panebianco signals the thumbs down and swims frantically back to the shore knowing the boys are boosting sick moves and he’s missing the footage. He runs up to the car park with all of his energy to change batteries but is out of the loop for 20 minutes of primetime action. By the time he finally swims through the surf back out to the shooting zone, the wind has gone all fluky and the show is pretty much over.

2. EXT. WADDELL PARKING LOT—DAY Siver walks over to Decesare. Siver (loudly) “Hey, Decesare! Did you get that banger, dude? It was one of the biggest jumps of the trip and I was midBack Loop looking straight back at the beach—it must have looked sick!

Jace Panebianco.

Ashen-faced, disappointed car. Missing ally bad and

Panebianco looks and trudges over a shot like this he will probably

bitterly to the hurts rego over

windsport

this unfortunate incident time and time again before being able to let it go. Some days the filming flows and inevitably others it doesn’t—it’s all part of the agony and ecstasy of being a passionate cameraman.

the lip and then the tail of your board has hit the coping and you just reverse slide back down the face and nail it… that’s magic, Siver!”

3. INT. KAI KATCHADOURIAN’S HOME

The entire crew turns to look over some of Panebianco’s water shots.

Amid bookcases of human sexuality literature, tapestries and Armenian art is the chaos of movie making. The living room floor of this normally neat and tidy home is strewn with sleeping bags, blow-up mattresses and travel bags overflowing with surf wear. The mess extends to the dining room and kitchen where all available table space is littered with computers, monitors, hard drives and battery chargers. Just home after a full day on the water, the crew gathers around Panebianco’s laptop to review the day’s footage. Siver watches a sequence of himself boosting a tweaked air and then rolling straight into an Auto Rotator. In the footage you even notice a wry glance after he nails the move to make sure both lenses were pointed his way. Pulling off combo moves like this are rare moments and Siver knows if they both got this one it’s another killer clip. Siver “Yeah, man, I nailed it… and an ‘after bang’ too!” Katchadourian “Bro, you look like a skateboarder out there, man. Like Tony Hawk, bro, look at that Backside 360. Vertical up

“THE SHARK IMMEDIATELY GRABBED THE BOARD’S TAIL WITH THE GUY SITTING ON TOP OF HIS SAIL AND THEN TRUCKED THE GUY AND HIS RIG UPWIND FOR A FEW SECONDS BEFORE DISAPPEARING BELOW.” —KAI KATCHADOURIAN Katchadourian and Siver on the road.

Siver “I know that shooting water is hard work but a great shot from that angle is worth three times the amount from land angles. Look at that jump, dude. It’s awesome! Another banger! There’s a big difference between half shots and full shots in the water. The half shots are throwaways most of the time but this full shot meant Panebianco must have gotten pounded seconds after the shot.” Panebianco is still bummed about the battery incident but there are still some killer shots from the opening part of the session. Panebianco (upset tone) “I got nailed during that Back Loop shot. I’ve only had the camera housing ripped out of my hands twice and today was one of them. Lucky it’s a sandy bottom, but it’s still painful when you take a hit like that.” Goya “Having those water shots and keeping it tight with the shore break keeps it real.”

4. INT. DAVENPORT SURF AND SAIL Inside this 1908 Redwood building, located 60 miles south of San Francisco, a giant fibreglass mount of a Blue Marlin hangs above a pair of sailcutting tables. Owner Joe Dihl Ray’s head is down, concentrating on his work, stitching together a ripped sail. Around him, piles of windsurf memorabilia from every generation gather cobwebs in the back of a 1950 GMC truck. A surreal haze of dust floats in the air, obscuring this museum of living windsurfing history. Audio Of Ship’s Bell Ringing: Joe looks up from his work and goes to see who’s at the door. It’s The Windsurfing Movie crew coming to check out Joe’s treasure chest of windsurf artifacts while they wait for the coastal marine layer to burn off and imminent arrival of northern California’s incessant afternoon winds. Inside, amongst the three decades of windsurfing history, Goya is rummaging through some of the classic boards and sails of the past, reminiscing on the old designs. Chilling out on the rickety

windsport

Goya above Jace.

windsport

Lenny launches a Back Loop.

A real tree.

Turning at Waddell Creek.

“SHOOTING WINDSURFING IS A LOT LIKE SHOOTING WILDLIFE; YOU CAN’T PREDICT ANY OF IT.” —JACE PANEBIANCO old staircase at the entrance, Siver and Katchadourian are digging into burritos while Katchadourian recites some rather terrifying stories about his local haunts. Katchadourian “Davenport is heavy aside from the wave. A submarine canyon lies offshore and draws all types of marine life, if you know what I mean. In 1995 my friend Matt Haut was all over the local TV after he saw a guy jibe right on top of a huge Great White. The shark immediately grabbed the board’s tail with the guy sitting on top of his sail and then trucked the guy and his rig upwind for a few seconds before disappearing below. That must have been one scary water start!” Siver “Dude, you never told me that before we went sailing there last night!” Katchadourian “Well, you gotta be able to handle a bit of marine life out there, if you want to sail around these spots. That’s part of the game at Waddell; if you can handle the cold and what lies beneath, then there are stellar conditions to be scored, while Maui is flat in the summer.” Siver “I’ve always loved sailing in California. This coast has such playful, rippable conditions and classic backdrops for this part of the movie. It’s the perfect way to show the North American lifestyle and feeling of windsurfing in our film. I’ll just try not to think about the ‘marine life’ while I am out sailing.” Outside the fog is just starting to clear from the ocean and the breeze steadily starts to build. The crew packs up to go sailing.

5. EXT. SHOTGUNS—DAY Katchadourian’s favourite spot is the upwind break at Waddell called “Shotguns.” In fact, he made his first Back Loop at this very spot over 20 years ago. He knows this wave like the back of his hand and is hungry to stake his claim in front of the others. At 38-years-old, Katchadourian is a windsurfing veteran but he sails with the same energy and raw enthusiasm as the 22-year-younger Lenny.

Katchadourian (hyped with hand gestures) “The best conditions for Shotguns happen after some early season south swells form the inside sandbars. Southerly lines approach and hit an outer triangle, as they break the wave lines up for three aggressive lip hits and then a closeout bash as it jacks-up on the inside. When it’s windy, this place is an insane jumping zone, too. Sailors can loft all the loops and aerials with nothing but a sand bottom to fear, though it can throw a heavy pounding when you miss-time it.” Lenny “When you’re dropping into the wave, you’re looking up at this massive cliff with huge trees sitting on top of it, which only makes the session so much more memorable. The wave is so sick for windsurfing.” As the session rolls on Decesare and Panebianco work together in harmony. One cameraman shoots wide while the other works the angle for the tight-cropped shot. Sometimes Panebianco walks way upwind to search for a different angle while Decesare makes sure they don’t miss the money shots. Finally, as the sun slides behind the ever-present marine layer of fog, the shooting day is over and it’s time to gather in the car park to discuss the day’s highs and lows. Goya (to Katchadourian) “You have the sickest Back Loops. I first saw you in a magazine about 20 years ago; you were the first guy to have them down, fully in control. I remember going over and over that sequence.” Katchadourian “Thanks, Cisco, there were some perfect ramps out there. I hit a few steep bowls and just projected. See Kai and Siver on fire! All my local buddies just came in and stopped sailing just to watch the show. They don’t see hot action like this too often!” Goya “When I’m sailing with you guys and I know the camera is rolling, I just feel like I have to step it up. Nobody is holding anything back, so you have to raise your game and go all out.”

windsport

Siver “It’s all about variety and expressive riding. If you do the same hack every time people fall asleep watching the footage. When I’m out there, I try hard to mix it up with some fun minishred clips right through to the dangerous stuff. I just sail hard, have fun and hopefully the vibe will shine in the end.” Lenny (to Panebianco) “What were you shooting way up on that hill?” Panebianco (to Lenny) “There was a great wide shot of the coastline with this old Volkswagen bus and I knew Decesare had the action covered from the cliff. Shooting windsurfing is a lot like shooting wildlife; you can’t predict any of it. So we’re using two camera angles as an insurance policy. There’s almost nothing worse than the shame of having to tell you or Siver we’ve just missed your huge move.”

6. EXT. HERITAGE GROVE—DAY Under the canopy of the giant 2,500-year-old redwood trees and silenced by the beauty, the crew stare up the trunks in awe of their majestic presence. The biggest trees are over 350 feet tall, 35 feet in diameter at the base and are amongst the largest living things on the planet. Heavenly rays of sunlight stream through these ancient trees’ giant branches and leaves. Using these giant redwoods as a backdrop, showing the immense scale, presence and power of nature at its most awesome, the frames from this scene will really bring in another side of California to the movie alongside the awesome sailing. Goya “If those trees could talk, just imagine the amazing personality they would have. When you realize how big they are and you don’t see them growing, it’s a lesson for life and everything I do.” Katchadourian “These trees were around when the Romans ruled the world; they have been here for centuries.”

7. EXT. ARROYO LAGUNA - DAY Over 200 miles down the coast from San Francisco, the crew arrives to the south-facing break at Arroyo Laguna on a one-day hit-and-run mission. Elephant seals complain loudly while laying in the sun. The big bull occasionally

windsport

rises to subdue a challenger. Pelicans dive from the sky, hitting the water with audible slaps. A kelp bed just offshore perfectly grooms the south swell, and Siver and Katchadourian take turns picking off set waves. After the session, the crew kicks back with a few beers in the parking lot, all agreeing the seven-hour drive was a small price to pay for a quality session at this new location. Katchadourian “Hey, Siver… that last Goiter was insane. Can you try something that you don’t make perhaps?” Panebianco “He’s made so many Goiters that I decided to put my camera on a dolly and have a moving shot that reveals him from behind a rock. I managed to score one great shot that worked.” Siver “But what about my aerial to tail first landing? I had no idea I was going to pull that one, man. I just hung in there and spun round the end. I’ve never done anything like that before!” Panebianco rolls back the move on the camera as the boys huddle around the camera. Siver “A great shot like that is like fine art. When the audience comes alive at the premiere after seeing shots like this, the atmosphere will be electric.” Katchadourian “Oh my god, man, sick. Roll over Tony Hawk; those skater dudes would have gone nuts if they had seen that. This place is like a liquid skatepark. I’m coming back here for sure. You can see Hearst Castle on the hill when you’re out there sailing, and then there are all the birds and the sea lions.” Siver “This place feels like Ibiraquera, Brazil, flipped around. It’s a sandbar with trimmed lines that offer perfect setups for airs and tricks, but then the whole California coast feels like a windsurf skatepark. And it’s so flat in Maui right now. This place is insane! Do we have to go home?”

Fade Out:

THE END

Lenny rips a small wave.

Bottom turning at Waddell.

“WHEN I’M SAILING WITH YOU GUYS AND I KNOW THE CAMERA IS ROLLING, I JUST FEEL LIKE I HAVE TO STEP IT UP. NOBODY IS HOLDING ANYTHING BACK.” —FRANCISCO GOYA Katchadourian’s other passion.

windsport

JaSon polaKoW, hoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;oKipa, Maui. Bangerter photo

windsport

Yarden Meir, South sinai, Egypt. Sumereder photo

windsport

chris hafer at the HIHO, British Virgin Islands. Grimes-Graeme photo

windsport

Tyson Poor, The Hatchery, Washington. Bradley photo

windsport

WINDSPORT.COM

LOVE CONNECTION

MAKE A PERFECT GEAR MATCH WITH OUR 2010 BUYERS’ GUIDE AT WINDSPORT.COM WE BELIEVE that your ideal match for windsurfing gear is just a few mouse clicks away. Whether

you’re new to the sport or an experienced veteran, today’s boards and sails are better looking and performing than ever before, but the key is finding that perfect mate to your specific style and conditions. To help, we’ve implemented renowned windsurfing gear relationship expert Dr. Ivana Loop’s patented Perfect Gear Match® system at windsport. com. We are confident that by following the good doctor’s online advice along with the tips provided in this 2010 Buyers’ Guide, you will gain valuable insight into successfully discovering true love in your choice of windsurfing gear.

windsport

HOW TO… FOUR WAYS TO HOOK-UP ILLUSTRATIONS BY DAN BRANDON

1. LOCAL BAR = LOCAL SHOP

This is the most important place to make the ideal windsurfing gear connection. We suggest you choose to meet your windsport.com Perfect Gear Match at such a location to ensure the most safe and non-threatening environment to begin a relationship. Upon entering your local establishment, you will immediately notice a number of prospects suited to you, but it’s difficult to really know whether or not beauty is only skin deep. Here are our tips for making a proper connection: Get to know the bartenders/shop employees. These folk are professionals in the field of “hook-ups.” Stay in touch with the ones you get to know and trust as their advice can save you money and heartache. Be careful of making drunken purchases. Waking up next to a board or sail that you don’t even know the name of is not only embarrassing but also dangerous. Sober up from the giddy feeling you get walking into a shop by drinking copious amounts of coffee and asking to use the shop’s restroom where you will douse your head underwater in the sink. Now you’re ready to make your choice. Ask all the right questions. Don’t just look at a board or sail’s graphics and make your choice (unless you’re really vane and shallow). Ask the salesperson pertinent questions about the gear you are interested in. Plan ahead. Doing initial research at windsport.com will help you narrow down your preferences. But, don’t shut out suggestions from the bartender: remember that the shop staff works and windsurfs in your area and know the conditions. Schedule your first date here. Don’t let your first meeting be in some lonely, isolated place where you look like just another schmo trying to score. Meeting at your friendly neighbourhood shop will make you look like a popular fellow and ensure that you leave with all the right pieces in place for a successful long-term relationship. 2. SPEED DATING = DEMO EVENT

You’ve got two hours to check out eight possible candidates, this is how speed dating is remarkably similar to going to a demo event like a local area Wind Fest. If you want to make the most out of one of these events, here’s what to do: Try before you buy. This catchy slogan may be offensive to some old schoolers in the crowd, but not all boards today are Astro Rocks and Screamers. The gear today is better but there are far more differences, so use this opportunity to find what suits your style. Keep an open mind. Don’t judge each individual date until you’ve completed the entire event, and don’t limit your selection to only one “model” if possible. If you only found one board to your liking, then you likely weren’t asking to be set up with appropriate matches. Don’t be a demo jerk. Speed dating may be a rush for the dude already in a relationship, but you are really just wasting everybody else’s time. Stick to the rules of the event. Dress for success. If you’re only looking for a board, then bring your own sail and maybe even fin to really show your prospective match what they will be living with for years to come.

3. BLIND DATE = A FRIEND’S GEAR

Alarm bells should go off when a friend says, “Here, take a run on my gear… it’s awesome!” This may sound like an incredibly wrong spouseswap situation, but it’s really more like getting set up with that person’s ex. Ask yourself the following questions before committing: Do you really want to rock the same gear as him or her? If you are a similar size and have like tastes, then maybe you do. Are you ready to hear complaints about how you adjusted their footstraps? Try to note how much you alter the strap size so you can return the board the way it came. How much fun are you having on your current gear? It’s OK to say no to your friend! Is this friend really coveting what you have? Once again, it’s OK to say no. What constitutes “a run?” It’s difficult to find out if you really like someone in just two minutes. Would your friend let you borrow the gear when they’re not around? There’s less pressure on you if you can meet a future prospect on your own terms with no one else around saying, “Don’t they make a cute couple?” 4. THE LOCAL PIMP = BUYING USED

If you’re expecting Julia Roberts from Pretty Woman then you may be in for a surprise… face it, you’re no Richard Gere. There can be some diamonds in the rough, especially in the consignment section of your local shop. Here are some tips for buying used: Light is right. Avoid used boards that have taken on water. Ugly isn’t always bad. A board can have numerous patches on it and still perform amazing. Examine what you’re buying. A sail with milky-coloured sun-damaged film likely won’t last long. Carbon is risky. Did the previous owner drop the mast on a rock? Avoid the demo van. Support your legit local shop and buy demo gear here. Is it really worth it? How much more is the newer model that comes with a warranty?

windsport

FREERIDE SAILS FRESH TRENDS Lighter and stronger: It’s not a choice between light monofilm and durable X-ply anymore, since the new high-tech sail cloths offer both.

Attention to detail: Today, sail designers are sweating the smallest of details, such as new integrated downhaul pulleys, lighter clew configurations, more screen-printed guides and molded mast-tip and batten protectors to give it a longer life.

More speed: The popularity of PWA slalom racing has trickled down to freeride designs with sails having profiles designed more for speed than driving Awesome rig upwind, and lower drafts packs: New windsurffor a lighter feel. ers don’t have to get caught up in the confusion of piecing together a rig. There are plenty of decent complete rig packages that will take a beginner all the way from Day 1 to getting hooked on the sport.

AEROTECH FREESPEED

HOT SAILS MAUI LIQUID

This no-cam is more attractive and colourful than ever. A slightly wider luff sleeve improves tuneability and drives the shape forward in gusts, increasing stability and range. aerotechsails.com SIZES: 5.2-9.0 M2

Not at all picky, the Liquid looks to bridge the gap between flatwater and waves. You’ll love this year’s bigger bottom for more power and even easier handling. hotsailsmaui.com SIZES: 5.0-7.5 M2

HANSEN FREERACE HCL

MAUISAILS TITAN

NAISH GRAND PRIX

NEIL PRYDE TEMPO

This easy sail is looking to go fast. A hassle-free range designed to work with either a standard or reduced diameter mast and can be set up with zero, one, two or three cams to suit any style. hansensails.com SIZES: 5.6-10.0 M2

I’m sweet and powerful. Designed for both fast freeriding and Formula Experience racing with two or three cams according to size. A slightly flatter profile gives better top speed without sacrificing an easy soft feel. mauisails.com SIZES: 6.0-11.0 M2

Pro-model looks with easy-handling performance. A slimmed-down luff sleeve makes life hassle-free, but pro-racesail shaping with three cams gives power and speed to burn. naishsails.com SIZES: 5.8-8.8 M2

In search of fun without breaking your back, brain or bank. This is a lightweight no-cam sail shaped for the ambitious beginner or intermediate windsurfer. neilpryde.com SIZES: 5.2-7.7 M2

windsport

CHINOOK POWER GLIDE

EZZY INFINITY

GOYA FXR 6

Anyone looking to fall in love with windsurfing should check me out. Two smaller sizes have been added to this inexpensive rig package. These Ezzy-built no-cam sails are perfect for newbies and intermediates. chinooksailing.com SIZES: 3.0-7.5 M2

Looking for a long-lasting relationship? Dave Ezzy now uses TriLite cloth in the top section for an even lighter feel without any loss in strength or two-cam power and performance. ezzysails.com SIZES: 6.0-9.5 M2

Adaptability is important; each size of these no-cam freeride sails is designed for its appropriate conditions. Larger models are cut for speed and power while the smaller ones are more manoeuvrable. goyasails.com SIZES: 3.8-6.9 M2

HAPPY HOOK-UPS MIKE BURNS TRUE LOVE:

’10 North Ice 4.7 m2 SETUP: It rigs up

perfectly on my 400 centimetre NoLimitz mast, and I slap on my Chinook Wave Carbon boom with 24-inch Chinook harness lines and I’m ready to go.

TUNING: I like to ride a

responsive sail with lots of power. To find this I first downhaul the Ice just past the minimum mark on the sail. I’ll adjust the outhaul for the day’s conditions using the upper grommet for more power, but my favourite setting is at 160 centimetres.

WHEN DID YOU KNOW YOU WERE IN LOVE?

NORTH X-TYPE

SAILWORKS RETRO

SEVERNE MOJO

Now in better shape than last year for improved planing. Maintains cam-like highwind control through a high-tension foil, but in an easyrigging and handling no-cam sail. north-windsurf.com SIZES: 5.4-8.8 M2

Believes in core windsurfing values. Looking to provide top freeride performance with maximum control and tuneability. Here you’ll find an easy-to-use and long-lasting no-cam sail. sailworks.com SIZES: 4.5-10.0 M2

Here to impress heavier riders with incredible speed and jumping ability. A deep-draft and tensioned leech provides unmatched power and performance in a no-cam frame. servernesails.com SIZES: 5.3-7.5 M2

I was drooling over its sexy looks when I first unrolled it and I still remember our first run together: a sick Funnel followed by a huge full-planing Ponch and finally ending with a perfect Shaka. CHEATING: On the side, ’10 North Duke 5.9, and similar Ice 5.2, 4.2 and 3.7 m2 (in the full X-ply HD construction).

windsport

FREERIDE BOARDS FRESH TRENDS Back to school: Indestructible “school” boards are once again available from Bic (polyethylene Beach) and Starboard (armour tech Start)

Faster Freeride: Since PWA racing has fully shifted from Formula to slalom a trickledown affect is freeride boards are becoming slightly narrower with more nose volume. The result is faster and more controllable shapes that are super fun to ride back and forth.

Added foot comfort: Deck pads are becoming thicker and squishier and boards are coming with improved footstrap antitwist systems

More SUP: Almost every windsurfing board brand now has an stand-up paddle model complete with mastfoot insert for easy conversion to sailing fun

Thinner Profiles: Reducing thickness increases stability due to a lower centre of gravity. In the case of Starboard’s Atom it has even led to a board that can be ridden strapless.

AMUNDSON 11’6”

BIC BEACH

Likes to be paddled... or sailed! This super-easy stand-up paddleboard has a fairly flat rocker line and ample flotation for maximum glide. Perfect for flatwater or wave fun. aquaglide.net SIZE: 212 LITRES

Don’t judge me for hanging around at schools and camps. This brandnew polyethylene line meets the needs of all beginner windsurfers by being durable and easy handling. bicsport.com SIZES: 155, 175, 225 LITRES

JP-AUSTRALIA FUN RIDE

F2 XANTOS

NAISH GRAND PRIX

RRD X-FIRE

Looking for pure fun and no excuses. These value-priced boards are based on the X-cite Ride shapes, but with even more control and easier jibing. jp-australia.com SIZES: 100, 110, 120, 130, 145, 160 LITRES

This classic has been enjoyed by so many over the years. The Xantos is an easy freeride shape that has been updated to help you have fun on every session you get. f2-surf.com SIZES: 130, 140, 150, 160 LITRES

Lighter, stronger and better than ever. The combination of an ultrafast slalom rocker and outline with a more flexible construction for greater control makes going fast easy. Arrives in a board bag. naishsails.com SIZES: 95, 110, 128, 135 LITRES

Likes to take it fast and never slow down. Going as fast as Finian Maynard has never been so comfortable and controllable. Get a GPS unit and amaze yourself. robertoriccidesigns.com SIZES: 90, 105, 112, 120, 135 LITRES

windsport

HAPPY HOOK-UPS WYATT MILLER TRUE LOVE: ’10 Naish Freestyle 100 RANGE: It matches up

EXOCET STING

FANATIC RAY

GOYA FXR

This easy freeride board is built to plane early and move fast. It’s available in both a durable DT construction and a lighter carbon/ wood. exocet-original.com SIZES: 114, 124, 134, 148 LITRES

Looking for a speedy relationship? Precisely designed by Sebastian Wenzel, it’s an easy-and-fast model that’s part of the 20 per cent smaller and more concise Fanatic range. fanatic.com SIZES: 95, 110, 125, 140 LITRES

No pressure… just freeride fun. This compact and stable design gets planing early and does everything it can to help you learn to get in the straps, jibe and blast past your friends. goyasails.com SIZES: 125, 145 LITRES

perfectly with my 5.8 and 5.4 Naish Boxers and I even ride it down to my 4.5 m2 Naish Session in flatwater. SETUP: I ride the base all

the way back to reduce the wetted surface for full speed. My Dakine Primo footstraps are set all the way forward in the front and middle in the back to match my tall height and give me enough forgiveness while sliding through moves.

FINS: In lightwind I use a 21-centimetre G-Sport Freestyle cut down to 18 centimetre, and in highwind I like my 16 -centimetre MeanLine fin. WHEN DID YOU KNOW YOU WERE IN LOVE?

BIC CORE

STARBOARD ATOM

TABOU MANTA FR

Here is a super-fun and very inexpensive date. These trusted shapes are for all freeriders, plus the 160 D model now has a daggerboard to increase its versatility. bicsport.com SIZES: 133, 148, 160, 205 LITRES

A free spirit that likes to go “strapless.” A one-board quiver designed to remove all barriers in freeriding. Try it with the footstraps inboard, outboard or with no straps at all. Flip to p.34 to try to WIN this board! star-board.com SIZE: 99 LITRES

Will impress any fast freerider. A combination of the blazing-fast Manta shape with the Rocket LTD lay-up makes for a fast board that’s easier to control and turn. tabou-boards.com SIZES: 100, 110, 115, 125, 135 LITRES

I had just learned my first Double Spock, and immediately, on the first day riding the Freestyle 100, my consistency went up about 80 per cent. It was love at first ride and I knew it was going to be the perfect Bay Area and Gorge board. CHEATING: My second favourite is a ’10 Naish Global 80.

windsport

WAVE/CROSSOVER SAILS FRESH TRENDS Refined details: Similar to freeride sails, wave designs now have more bells and whistles to increase overall user-friendliness and lifespan.

Lighter and stronger: Every sail manufacturer is working hard to make its products feel lighter in your hands without sacrificing its length of life. New high-tech materials have made this goal a reality with some wavesail models feeling as much as half a metre lighter despite rocking a durable 100 per cent grid Added construction. reinforcements: The discovery of new stronger and lighter scrim laminates has allowed designers to reduce the amount of materials needed New clew in particular reinforcement designs: A few points, and thus save years ago we saw the overall weight. introduction of clew-cutouts to reduce boom length. For 2010, designers are experimenting with radical drop clews and cutaway leeches to further increase control and manoeuvrability.

AEROTECH CHARGE

EZZY WAVE PANTHER 2

Now cut with a new look for even better performance. The drop clew shape provides both improved handling and a shorter, more manoeuvrable clew length over last yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s model. aerotechsails.com SIZES: 3.5-6.6 M2

Looking to make you purr! This durable and diverse sail that works in all conditions from serious waves to flatwater fun has become even lighter through the use of Tri-Lite scrim in the top section. ezzysails.com SIZES: 2.9-6.9 M2

RRD WAVE VOGUE

HANSEN V-WAVE

HOT SAILS MAUI BOLT

NEIL PRYDE FIREFLY

This Italian supermodel will make you smile. It has the power, control and acceleration to perform in any wave conditions and a tri-ply construction to ensure it keeps its looks for a long time. robertoriccidesigns.com SIZES: 3.3-6.1 M2

Light in the hands and ready to handle any move you throw at it. Built to handle both freestyle and waves, this responsive and durable sail is looking to please. hansensails.com SIZES: 3.6-6.3 M2

Designed out of the success of some Hot DDâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s. Similar to the DD, here is a light-feeling, four-batten manoeuvrable sail with added strength to take on any wave or freestyle action. hotsailsmaui.com SIZES: 4.1-6.2 M2

Looking for a high-performance relationship in both freestyle and waves. Capable of powering up and down in an instant, there are moves here that are still yet to be discovered. neilpryde.com SIZES: 4.1-6.9 M2

windsport

HAPPY HOOK-UPS INGRID LAROUCHE GOYA ECLIPSE

MAUI SAILS LEGEND

NORTH ICE

Ride the same supermodel as wave god Levi Siver! Built to be light in the hands and easy to throw around in the air, but also with more power than Siver’s sail from last year. goyasails.com SIZES: 3.4-6.8 M2

Here is your current PWA world wave champion. The shape has evolved to maximize efficiency and responsiveness. Designer Artur Szpunar has given it style and a great feel in your hands. mauisails.com SIZES: 3.3-6.1 M2

Willing to please in any conditions. All sizes can rig on a 400 standard or reduced diameter mast, plus the new clew design and foot geometry add range and performance. north-windsurf.com SIZES: 3.4-5.7 M2

TRUE LOVE: ’10 MauiSails Legend 3.7 m2 SETUP: It rigs up per-

fectly on my MauiSails 370 wave mast (75 per cent carbon) and I use Chinook Carbon Wave 135 boom with 24-inch harness lines.

TUNING: I usually sail it

rigged exactly to the sail specs, but when needed I can give or take off about one centimetre of downhaul and increase its range without changing how good it feels.

WHEN DID YOU KNOW YOU WERE IN LOVE?

I tried a Legend for the first time last year in Jericoacoara, Brazil, and was amazed at how it handles power. They are so stable and easy to manoeuvre and control, even when overpowered. I bought a quiver immediately upon returning to the U.S. SAILWORKS REVOLUTION

SEVERNE S.W.A.T.

WORLDSAILS SURGE

Getting smaller to impress you. A 2.6 m2 size has been added to a line that is the choice of North America’s top freestyler, Phil Soltysiak. It’s durably built to perform in waves and flatwater. sailworks.com SIZES: 2.6-6.2 M2

Here to put on the moves and not break your bank. This light and compact four-batten all-around wavesail has a soft feel, perfect for light- to moderate-weight riders. severnesails.com SIZES: 3.7-5.7 M2

Will do whatever you want. Each size is designed to perform in the conditions you’re most likely to find, and wavesailors will love its slim, flat belly. sailworld.com SIZES: 3.7-7.0 M2

CHEATING: Right now I’m

pretty faithful with a full quiver of Legends (3.34.2 m2), but I am looking forward to trying my new 4.4 m2 Loco I have waiting for me at home.

windsport

WAVE/CROSSOVER BOARDS FRESH TRENDS How many fins? In waves, crossover and freestyle there is at least one choice of board with more than one fin.

Quads: The pros asked for this trend but the Average Joe may reap the biggest reward. The extra fins track well through whitewater and create incredible drive through turns off the back foot.

Tri-fins and thrusters: It’s almost like getting two boards in one. Keep all three fins in the board for a more controlled ride and a Thinner slashier feel, or switch to profiles: Balance a single fin for speed while carving is critical and jumping. for wave and freestyle sailing, so brands are increasing stability and ease of handling through reducing thickness Increased in design elements like nose volume: heel gutters and deck Board volume is beginconcaves. ning to creep forward in wave and crossover shapes. This allows for more aggressive turning, so in the case of waveboards, a rider can stay closer to the most critical part of the wave.

QUATRO TEMPO TWIN FIN

ANGULO CHANGO

Not just looking for wave riders. Best labeled as an “on-shore, Euro-wave mush destroyer” that all windsurfers looking for a performance board will enjoy. quatrointernational.com SIZES: 76, 84, 92 LITRES

Has had some work done on its back-end to keep you happy. A slight winger, fish tail and an overall shorter length makes it more new-school wavesailing capable. angulosurf.com SIZES: 67, 73, 81, 88 LITRES

JP FREESTYLE WAVE

MISTRAL JOKER WAVE

NAISH GLOBAL

OES QUAD FIN

Excelling in every way. A new bottom shape swallows up chop and grips in the turns. These boards are shaped to do everything from spin through aerials to slash up waves. jp-australia.com SIZES: 78, 85, 93, 102, 112 LITRES

Its motto is, “just hook-up, ride and enjoy.” This simple freestyle wave line is shaped to perform across a huge range and to allow for easy full-pressure backfoot carving. windsurfing.mistral.com SIZES: 85, 95 LITRES

Will show up ready to please. It comes with a board bag and two different fins, allowing for tuning to various conditions. This is the ultimate one-board quiver to handle anything you throw at it. naishsails.com SIZES: 70, 80, 90, 100, 110 LITRES

Always stays in control. Careful attention has been paid to not “over-fin” these Quads, and instead they balance solid holding power with ideal control in chop. oesaustralia.com SIZES: 60-105 LITRES

windsport

EXOCET 3X

FANATIC SKATE

GOYA ONE

Are you looking for a threesome? This tri-fin design allows for radical wavesailing in all conditions. Or, go with just a single fin and you’ll gain speed and power for onshore fun. exocet-original.com SIZES: 70, 82, 96 LITRES

Heads turn when it goes by. World freestyle champion Gollito isn’t the only one who can impress on these shapes that work equally well for both aerial and carving moves. fanatic.com SIZES: 90, 100, 110 LITRES

Not at all picky, this One likes everything. If versatility is what you need, then you won’t go wrong here. It handles waves, flatwater and everything in between. goyasails.com SIZES: 77, 85, 95, 105 LITRES

HAPPY HOOK-UPS PHIL SOLTYSIAK TRUE LOVE: ’10 Starboard Flare 88 RANGE: It works per-

fectly for freestyling on my Sailworks Revolution 5.0 down to 3.8 m2.

SETUP: I run the base

in the middle recommended setting and the a-base fin (the stock fin cut down and reshaped to 16 centimetres) near the back of the slot. I use Dakine Primo footstraps screwed in so that they are narrow and tight to the sides of my feet. The back strap is slightly further back than the middle insert and the front ones are set in the middle.

WHEN DID YOU KNOW YOU WERE IN LOVE?

QUATRO RHYTHM TWIN FIN

RRD FREESTYLE WAVE

STARBOARD KODE

Likes to be pushed hard. This is a full-on down-the-line waveboard with a narrow tail, allowing for faster, tighter bottom turns. quatrointernational.com SIZES: 68, 75, 81 LITRES

This supermodel is looking to score with an Average Joe. A new bottom shape better blends a wave-style ride with freestyle performance. robertoriccidesigns.com SIZES: 75, 85, 91, 96, 101, 111, 120 LITRES

Looking for a seriously fun relationship? The tails have been narrowed on the larger sizes to allow for a better variety of carves in these all-around crossover performers. star-board.com SIZES: 68, 74, 80, 86, 94, 103, 112, 122 LITRES

Although the ’10 version is an updated and better shape, I first fell in love with the 2008 Flare 88. I’ve always been fond of its speed, pop and responsive light feel. CHEATING: In lighter wind I use a Flare 98 and for waves a Kode 74.

windsport

Outer Banks

VACATIONS

www.boardsports.ca

1-800-665-WIND 2010

SWAP DATES

April 10th-11th May 15th-16th June 5th-6th July 10th-11th Aug 14th-15th Sept 18th-19th

WIND WATER COMFORT 20 Days A Month.

409 Square Miles Of It.

Over 550 Vacation Rentals.

Hatteras Island is the premier destination for your next windsurfing getaway. Stay with Midgett Realty - the windsurferâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s choice for comfort after a great day on the water! Go to www.midgettrealty.com OR call us at 1-866-348-1584. Find exactly what you need for your perfect watersports (& family friendly) vacation.

1-877-265-9359 www.midgettrealty.com

Hatteras Island, North Carolina

CALL FOR YOUR

2010 BUYERS GUIDE 1-800-665-WIND

2010 YONGE ST Toronto, Ontario

1-800-665-9463 sales@boardsports.ca

SHOP ONLINE AT

WWW.BOARDSPORTS.CA

*OIN US ON &ACEBOOK

H AS

! GROWN

All New Website More Used Gear On-Line than ever Package discounts, Save up to 30% More Swap Meets Now selling Kiteboarding, Snowboarding & Surf too Full Rental/Demo fleet FIND OUT MORE AT www.windance.com WINDANCE BOARDSHOP â&#x20AC;˘ 1.800.574.4020 Hood River... IN THE GORGE

L 8@ CD D I H C > B>HH C:K:G :HH>DC H G : = DI

c i hZaZXi^d VÂ¼h aVg\Zh h gi d e h Y [dg l^c

Zg^X Cdgi] 6b

AD86I>DCH

HV^ah 7dVgYh LZihj^ih =VgcZhhZh EVgih 6XXZhhdg^Zh VcY bdgZ### 8dbZ hZZ djg cZl hidgZ ^c 8dXdcji <gdkZ! ;A C:L

',*% HL '+i] 6kZ# 8dXdcji <gdkZ! ;A

--%% CL &(i] IZggVXZ! &%+ 9dgVa! ;A

8Vaa (%*#*.&#(**.

70F088

Windsurf Kitesurf Surf . SUP lessons. rentals. sales original Naish designs t-shirts/surfshirts/hats accessories and more!

VcY dgYZg dca^cZ Vi

lll#VYkZcijgZhedgihb^Vb^#Xdb

$$ 2 7P\PZdP 3a :PX[dP >PWd ' ' !%! % %' fff ]PXbW R^\

getting real

John fuLton This past Christmas marked the 25th year that John Fulton donned the red suit and white beard becoming Surfing Santa to make the frigid crossing on a windsurfer from Fort Erie, ontario to Buffalo, new York and back. not only does he put windsurfing forefront on international newscasts, major media websites and newspapers, but he crosses the niagara River just before Christmas every year to raise awareness of the plight of the homeless around the world. Just last year he received an e-mail from a man in Mexico City who became inspired seeing Surfing Santa on his local TV news and went down to a nearby street corner to hand out money to all the homeless people in the area. John is an inspiration to us all. SurďŹ ng Santa. Goring photo

windsport

Get Better Here! 2PacTa _W^c^

From novice to pro, ABK is the place to learn. "#, OH 8JOETVSĂ $BNQT

4JHO 6Q 5PEBZ

&BSMZ 4VNNFS

E 4QSJOH BO $BNQ 4DIFEVMF *

CA Rio Vista, CA , ta is Rio V r, OR * e iv R d o Ho r, OR e Hood Riv r, OR * e iv R Hood CA Rio Vista, CA , Rio Vista

June 18-20 th June 25-2th7 July 9-11 th July 16-18 th July 26-30 th August 6-8 th 5 August 13-1 th

9th March 15-1 th 6 March 22-2th 5 -2 April 22 th nd ay 2 April 29 -M th May 10-14 rd 3 2 May 21- th June 4-6 th June 11-13

Bonaire Bonaire X re Island, T South Pad X T , ti s ri Corpus Ch eras, NC * Cape Hatt d, NY Long Islan A* eservoir, C R is u L San A C , eservoir San Luis R

is clinic)

ailable at th yle group av

dt freest (*Andy Bran

DPNQMFUF TDIFEVMF POMJOF BU XXX BCLCPBSETQPSUT DPN

In five Gs and two seconds we go from ground level to 5,000 feet.

Maverick, you’re dangerous! Blue Angels photo

The Real Top Gun I hear someone ask in a conspicuously normal voice, “You have anything to drink that I could buy off you?” A pretty innocuous question, right? Wrong, that question set in motion a path that led directly to this statement uttered by the same man in an FA-18 Blue Angel jet and with that laid back Chuck Yeager drawl the world’s best pilots are known for, “We’re gonna do this low transition take-off and really get things going. Ready? Here we go!” In five Gs, a groan, the evacuation of my brain’s entire blood supply, and two seconds, we go from ground level to 5,000 feet. At the Hatchery in July, thirsty guy and I start talking. He was on a three-day vacation from some mud pile in Texas called NAS Kingsville where he taught. He used to be a fighter pilot and now taught them. Being an avid Top Gun fan, I plied him with questions. He happily answered. After an hour or so, we introduced

windsport

ourselves. His name is Justin “Otter” Otto. Justin recognized my gear from some photos. Soon, the conversation devolved into me asking him about flying and him asking me about windsurfing. It’s one of those rare instances where genuine interest in the other’s story guides the conversation. I invited him to come have dinner with my family. The stories kept coming and we became good friends. We sailed the next day. The enthusiasm for windsurfing, shone brightly in his eyes. He returned again and again over the next few years. Each time he announced his presence by buzzing my parent’s house in his Goshawk jet. Frederick Steineck and I would drive over to the Dallesport Airport and pick him up (after thoroughly examining the jet of course). Justin, like most aspiring windsurfers, wanted to learn the Forward Loop. I’m always eager to help anyone try this move, and will

Words by MITCH GINGRICH always offer heartfelt encouragement. Sailing along port tack, Justin jumped, sheeted in, caught his eyes on the water, stopped rotating and dug his nose straight in. Classic loop learning crash! Being the thoughtful, caring person that I am and in a perfect position to see if he was OK, I checked by laying some heavy spray in his face and laughing with a measure appropriate for such a wonderful crash. He replied, “I cannot wait to get you up in my plane.” Naturally, we broached the topic of how to get me a ride, but I never really thought it was doable. By the time Justin called one cold winter day to say the Blue Angels recruited him, I’d completely forgotten about the possibility. The Blue Angels are the cool version of perfection. They’re the dudes that know their science and math but still buzz towers even when “the pattern’s full.” They are the best of the best.

The Hillsboro air show neared, so I checked in with him about tickets. When he said, “Let’s just get you a ride,” I laughed, thinking it was impossible. It wasn’t until he had the paperwork sent over that the reality of it set in. I was going up in the Blue Angel No. 7 jet. “Ready? Here we go!” Justin said. The jet flung us up, and that was about it for my consciousness for the next hour. We spent that time flying through canyons, doing “diamond rolls,” letting me fly, getting very close to the sound barrier, and not in any way whatsoever breaking any FAA regulations or laws. About two-thirds through the flight, dehydration got me. Flying in a jet, pulling Gs on every turn works your body more than you’d think. Pilots do what they call a “hook;” flexing muscles in the legs and abs and grunting the word “hook” to force blood to the head, which basically makes you sound like you’re having a bowel movement. When we touched down, my flight suit and seat were soaked with sweat, my head swam, and blood slowly made its way back to my brain. The cockpit opened and the ground crew guided my ankles to each rung on the ladder. About two hours later I recalled the whole thing and still haven’t stopped smiling. As impressive and exhilarating as the ride was, the professionalism, precision, and humanity of the Blue Angels and their crew struck me most. Within windsurfing culture, there’s a tendency to think of military men as warmongering, testosterone-jacked killers. The reality remains so far from this perception it’s painful. These are men from a different world, one largely forgotten in the age of rampant individualism. They’re the tip and symbol of a group of men and women that take up a challenge and risk their well being for the sake of deeply held principles. Honour them for their valiant intentions.

WINDSPORT, USPS #20522, is published quarterly by SBC Media Inc., 2255 B, Queen St. E., Suite 3266, Toronto ON, M4E 1G3. Periodicals Postage Rates paid at Niagara Falls, N.Y., 14304. U.S. office of publication 2424 Niagara Falls Blvd, Niagara Falls, N.Y. 14304. U.S. Postmaster send address corrections to: Windsport, Box 1081, Niagara Falls, N.Y., 14304.

close out