Beach Telegraph

People Power

 

Rise-up people and show the authorities who's boss.

Here we go with a monster-length post.

Protests

4 vital Mediterranean Sea wavesailing and surfing hot spots, including popular break Focene, are under threat in Italy around the Rome Fiumicino airport.

Construction on coal, yes coal-from-the-dark ages, power plants are literally threatening a black cloud over surfers and so www.iSurf.it and Windsurf Roma are calling for your help.

Luca from iSurf is asking for people with experience in protest campaigns elsewhere in the world to contact him to help. Thanks.

British and Irish surfers who're missing the Swansea - Cork ferry to express them to and from Irish surf perfection should visit BringbacktheSwanseaCorkFerry.com and sign the petition. Thanks to www.Boardseekermag.com for the heads-up.

If you haven't signed the petition already then the OTC in Tenerife also need your support to save their center, not just for their business, but for local bars, restaurants and rentals dependant on windsurfing at this past, and hopefully future, PWA event site

People Power

Speaking of People Power, I have a wacky idea. Recent comments and discussions regarding prize money and events on the PWA tour, and the clear demand for more specialist waveriding competitions, as seen in our poll, have got me thinking...

Maybe the people should sponsor the tour? Perhaps with the help of say Pay-pal?

I'm not sure of the facts, but there must be around 100,000 units or so of new boards and sails sold each year, so there must be a large amount, although maybe not millions, of active windsurfers around the planet.

I know we 'sponsor' the tour when we buy gear, but we all want to see more events and grow the sport don't we? The greedy clothing companies are not exactly putting our cash back into our sport are they? .

So why don't we put a Pay-pal button somewhere, like this website, and each donate say the price of a nice lunch (Maybe 15 bucks or something?) and then sit back and enjoy a specialist wave event, or two, somewhere. (Pay-pal can waive their commission and I won't run off with the bounty. Honest.)

'The Peoples' Pay-pal PWA World Tour'! (What a mouthful). I know an event costs at least US$195K or Euro 150K to put on, plus if it were a specialist comp without local organizers and sponsorship it would cost significantly more.

But if say 50,000 of us pitched in 15 Euros each, that'd bring in 750,000! Enough for at least two primo showcase exhibitions of our sport in say Fiji or Mauritius - maybe even more events if we stopped somewhere cheaper like Indonesia.

A group called WOW were, in a similar concept, supposed to be taking a buck from each board made in Cobra to support the sport at grassroots level, but I don't know what they've achieved. Do you? Have they got enough resources? Their website is certainly informative for newcomers, but I'm not aware of much event or 'experiential' work. Maybe we should give them a buck from our donations too?

Down-to-Earth

Back to the 'real world'. Elsewhere, The PWA got the low-down on a good Maui stint from Nayra Alonso who got taxed hard in Kahului for her carbon footprint. They also have a few words from Robby Swift on the Chile trip we mentioned yesterday.

Movie Clips + Pics

Great news. Boardseeker have quit charging for video and have a podcast available now on iTunes!

Windsurfing mag feature a clip of Taylor Congdon in Baja by 'Boom Cam'.

Clyde sent in another link of heaving Mavericks.

Giampaulo's posted part 7 of the Kazuma shaping his surfboard footage, plus some pics of glassy surf on Maui. Tatiana Howard did too.

WIND magazine (France) report on the 'Murder' of Victor Fernandez as-featured in their latest edition. Could the crime be related to his transfer to North sails?

If the clues in French don't make sense then check out the movie of the, ironically named, GUN team in Maui, and some advice on taking a vacation from Ludo Jossin and Bieuzy Mauffret. (French language).

Spanish website Total Wind added a great freestyle clip of Boro ripping in Fuerteventura. (Also available at AHD.  Check out that crazy SeaLion board while you're there too.) There's a cool helmet-cam clip at TotalWind as well.

Gossip

Oh - I nearly forgot. Apparently big-spenders Severne are hiring fast-rising PWA wave tour star Dany Bruch who's currently on Gaastra and recently signed to Exocet boards. We'll look out for an official announcement shortly, but Severne didn't deny it when I asked.

Looks like Simmer pulled one back from North by poaching their talented freestyler Mattia Pedrani in revenge on the raid for Fernandez.

Events

If you're in Cape Town this weekend don't forget to take the Downwind Shuttle 'cos it's the Cape Dash.

More bad news for the Speed sailing tour once again. Despite hard work by Dave White and his Driven by Wind contest in the UK, and the Masters of Speed crew in France, neither event will go ahead this coming winter. Perhaps we should trial a mini 'Peoples' Pay-pal experiment' to test the theory and wrestle that record back off the kites and keep the boats at-bay?

The cash-rich surf tour saw Parko score a perfect 20 at day two of the Pipeline Masters. It's just not fair.

Heat 6 of Bill's Outer banks photo comp is on. Voting closes Friday 12th December.

People

Continent Seven interview F2 boss and pro rider Karin Jaggi about the re-structured brand  - which is just as well as she just plain ignored my request for an interview. But it's OK. I've dealt with it. I can handle rejection. Honest.

I noticed a sweet shot of Fabrice Beaux wavesailing in the Philippines at the Neil Pryde website. There must be a travel article due out soon revealing more?

I don't think Jimbo Douglass wants Timex to sponsor the tour do you?

Well done if you've made it this far. Now go do something more constructive with your time.

Anything else we need to know? What do you think about a 'Peoples Tour'? Please either drop us a line or tell the world in the comments section below. (No sign-in required!) Thanks.

Wednesday Late Edition

 

Leafing through the press I keep on sighting Dwarves. Shhh. It's a secret underground movement. I didn't tell you OK?

The Pipe Masters kicked-off in great conditions yesterday and the forecast is good.

If you like to hear a yarn spun like only the Fly Catcher can and you're on Facebook, then check out Jake 'The Snake' Miller's video of Kai in Cabo Verde.

If you're not then visit www.SnakeBiteFilms.com for more joyous movies of Mexico, The Gorge and more.

If you are a Facebooker, and you like this site then why not join The Beach Telegraph Group and spread the word? Thanks.

Anything else we need to know? Please either drop us a line or tell the world in the comments section below. (No sign-in required!)

Wednesday Whip Round

WIND magazine (France) have put a trailer online of their free cover-mounted Christmas present DVD showcasing World Wave sailing champ Kauli Seadi's season.

The film, named 'Kauli - the Brazilian Way' is funded by JP/NeilPryde and is produced by Lars Petersen of Free Your Mind productions.

The DVD is included with their end-of year edition due on the news stands this Friday.

PWA wave sailing star Robby Swift's also posted a video of his recent trip to Chile. (Podcast available too).

And, lucky for you guys, KP's finished his Fun Video of recent Ho'okipa sessions. Good work Kev.

The PWA quiz Ross Williams on his pre-season prep.

Looks like PWA Freestyler and Slalom racer Tine Slabe's finished-up with Naish and F2

 

Flycatcher-dourian popped a couple of hot pics of HQ on the Simmer Style website. (Click on thumbs to expand).

 

Blane Chambers strapped-on a GoPro Boardcam to his SUP and shared a few waves thanks to Atlantic Paddle Surf.

 

Boards magazine are giving away ten copies of  the 'Beginner to Winner' DVD.

 

Anything else we should know about? Please either drop us a line or tell the world in the comments section below. No sign-in required. Thanks.

Victor Value

Wave World Tour runner-up Victor Fernandez seemed happy and successful in the Simmer Style sails set up before an attractive offer from North lured him away. 

In such hard times both the young Spanish talent and North can count themselves lucky to have found such a mutually beneficial deal.

The parting appears amicable and Simmer is certainly a streamlined business that can probably afford a star or two whilst weathering the financial storm. 

So what motivated him to swap sides?  The man himself checked-in to give us the scoop.

‘Simmer basically gave me a great start to my professional career – I’ve been with them for 9 years now, but I felt it was time for a change.

The new deal is structured to give me more involvement with the brand, and it’s giving me a lot of motivation for next season as equipment is vital to me - plus the chance to work with people like Jimmy [Diaz] and Kai [Hopf] is un-missable.

I wasn't really looking and North was the only brand that had come and made me an offer, and although money isn’t everything, it was part of the decision.

I’m excited as I’m going to be involved a lot with the prototyping when I’m in Maui. (Hopf and Diaz also spend a lot of time in Gran Canaria to give Victor some quality contact closer to home in Spain as well).

Learning about the sails and making them work for me was a big attraction of course.

Right now it all feels new and the organization is very serious but they are all nice people to work with.

So far I’ve tried the Ego, Ice and the Duke, and the one that fits my style best and that I’m going to ride is the EGO.

To take that title from Kauli I reckon that it’s gonna be 70% down to me and my focus and attitude, and 30% down to the gear, but it’s critical how I connect with the equipment and how much water time I can spend with it in my hands to ensure I make progress.’

Muchas gracias Victor.

Pic courtesy JC/PWA

Rebels, Lockdowns & Mullets

Are Vandal re-inventing The Boxer?

Continent Seven feature the European Freestyle Pro Tour's 'Classix' format.

Team USA Windsurfing are offering juniors the chance to change their lives and live their dreams for just $520.

Check out this shot of Swift and Albeau having a Race Against the Machine. Is this some upcoming media stunt?

Awesome Mullet! Check out the hack! This can't be a Wig surely?

By now you  might have noticed the links open in new windows/tabs due to mass protest in the mailbox.

Talking of protests, here's some more news on the Cobra Lockout.

If you're interested in cleaning up your beach, and you should be, might I recommend joining the SAS or following their example?

SUP Global report on the US Coastguard ruling on Paddleboards being deemed as 'Vessels'

Aussie PWA racer Steve Allen is so famous in his adopted country of Poland that he was picked for a Celebrity Dancing Show.

My Polish isn't that hot, but I think this says he made the final. Anyone know if he won? Any other funny 'celebrity' windsurfer stories or news we should know about?

Please either mail me or leave a comment below. No sign-in required. Thanks.

More later.

Troubled Times & Good Times

The OTC Test Center in Tenerife need your help with a petition.

Maui Windsurfing got that flick of the weekend at Ho'okipa made in good time. Nice work guys!

Aussie ex World Cup rider Allison Shreeve also needs your support for a monster crossing of the Bass Straight in the gnarly Tasman Sea in aid of charity.

Despite Starboard's confidence in retaining their 'top-3' PWA Slalom tour riders, there's still a few rumors doing the rounds that Albeau's on his way to JP.

Starboard stated right here that they'd 'offered Kevin and Antoine good arrangements', so any counter-offers for these guys must be pretty strong deals.

More later.

Mooo

***STOP PRESS***Bad news for Windsurfing. C0ngratulations Kitesurfers -specifically Alexandre Caizergues, the 'new' official, ISAF-sanctioned World Speed record Holder averaging 50.57 knots over 500m in Luderitz, Namibia, on October 4th 2008. ISAF initially would not recognize the record and did not consider a kite a valid form of 'sail'.***STOP PRESS ***

Looks like Maui was in a swell shadow over the weekend so the chunky waves didn't match the pre-weekend hype.

Instead, U-Ride feature these shots of 'Big Friday' featuring Thierry Belbeoc'h, Yann Sorlut, AHD shaper Bruno André, Robin Goffinet and some hot locals at the 'Isle of Cows' in Brittany, France.

It was a good weekend for the French as the ISWC (Speedsailing World Series) results were announced with Valerie Ghibaudo taking the women's title and Cyril Moussilmani victorious in the men's. More at www.SpeedWorldCup.com

Maui windsurfing take you through the action that did happen though, and Kevin Pritchard's also working on a video for you.

I'm lovin' the gallery section at www.WhatistheKode.com

Jonas Ceballos enjoyed some starboard tack wave sailing for a change. Looks like the north of Gran Canaria or perhaps Fuerteventura?

Glen's Atlantic Paddle Surf Blog's got a nice clip of surfing legend Tom Carrol and others in action in Hawaii.

A cool ratings chart of airlines for windsurfers courtesy of Ocean Source. Check out the features section too for advice with flying with your gear.

Got some interesting reaction through the mailbox to the PWA Calendar article. The common theme is, where's West Oz, Fiji, Mauritius etc?

I know we'd all love to see those locations, but there are tricky issues involved to say the least - let alone financial constrictions.

If any editors want me to put-out a juicy feature highlighting the nuts-and bolts facts about why windsurfing's lucky to even have the tour as it is then please drop me a line to hear more.

More later.

2009 PWA Calendar Preview

The PWA will release their 2009 Provisional Calendar this week. It looks like the curtain-raiser Cabo Verde wavesailing comp is confirmed and that there are a few additions to the regular stops, namely a possible indoor event in Madrid, Spain, in April and a new Slalom event in Italy in September.

At this time, there's no sign of an Aloha Classic - but it's early days. After this November's swell and wind conditions on Maui it must surely remain a top priority for all?

It's 'Welcome Back' to Guincho which took a rain-check last season, and there's further good news in that Scotland is looking to be back on the schedule after ducking-out in 2008.

Whether this will be on the Isle of Tiree or not is still to be clarified, but previously Jura was being considered as a possibility, as well as Macrahanish on the mainland.

The 'New Look' Slalom 63 series is boosted with the Austria World Cup switching to racing instead of Freestyle.

Provisional 2009 Calendar:

Sal, Cabo Verde: Feb 14-21 Waves, Men-only

Madrid, Spain: April 9-12 (Indoor format usually Men & Women, Slalom, Freestyle and Jump).

Ulsan, Korea: Mid-late May, Slalom Men & Women.

Guincho, Portugal: 1-6 June, Waves, Men & Women.

Costa Brava, Spain: 9-14 June, Slalom, Men & Women.

Lanzarote, Canary Islands, Spain:  27 June- July 5th, Freestyle, Men & Women.

Pozo, Canary Islands, Spain: July 10-19th, Waves Men & Women, Slalom Men-only, Freestyle Women-only

Sotavento, Canary Islands, Spain: 22 July - Aug 1st, Slalom Men & Women, Freestyle Men & Women.

Alacati, Turkey: 10-15 August, Slalom Men & Women.

Reggio Calabria, Italy: 14-20 September, Slalom Men & Women.

Sylt, Germany: 25th Sept - Oct 1st, Waves Men & Women, Slalom Men-only, Freestyle Men-only.

Scotland: October, Waves, Men-only.

(Here's the 2008 list for comparison).

Looking at the Poll to the left it seems it's close between Freestyle, a return of Super-X and Slalom in the eye of the public. I wonder if and when Super-X might become a possibility again once day?

The consensus amongst the pros was that Super-X was great because the lead changed so much, but the event organizers obviously thought differently. Let us know what you think in the comments section below.

Wave sailing fans, might have to wait a little longer to see more specialist contests added to the list, but this is a strong schedule considering the current global financial crisis.

With Costa Brava keeping with Women's Slalom and Italy also offering the girls an extra chance to race, the women's tour is fairly healthy with only Cabo Verde, Austria and Scotland being Men-only.

However, the women will once again be the only Freestylers at Pozo, and must sit out on Slalom and Freestyle at Sylt, Germany as usual.

Prize money-wise, the purses all look to be the same as 2008 which is a relief given the current financial climate. (Purses range from Euro 30 - 105K)

When the calendar is published it will feature many 'TBCs' (To Be Confirmed) but this is normal until all the local contracts are signed.

Sylt and Cabo Verde are firm but this is because Sylt have a long-term contract and Cabo Verde is the first stop, kicking-off on Valentines Day.

Got any views on this schedule to share? What do you want to see more of from the elite tour? Please let us know in the comments section below. (No sign-in required). Thanks.

Pic of Yann Sorlut in Scotland 2007 courtesy of PWA/JC

Sunday Service

Finn Mullen sent this link to Mission Alaska. Thanks Finn.

GP put out a packed post of the awesome waves at Ho'okipa this weekend.

Massive respect to Maui Ultra Fins for putting Playmates on the beach. Check out their X-Twins too after you've checked out the ones in Bikinis...

Artisit and former Sportswear designer Ray Masters, the brother of Windsurfing Moviemaker Robert, has launched a new website showcasing his art.

Windsurfing Network have given us all a new place to rub shoulders with fellow addicts around the world. Don't forget, if you like the Beach Telegraph, you can join our Facebook Group and let your friends know too! Thanks.

Heat 5 of Bill's Outer Banks photo comp is on now. Many thanks to Bill for the link to the Beach Telegraph too.

Check out the Vesta Sail rocket getting air on the C7 Blog.

Anything else we should know about? Please either drop us a line or tell the world in the comments section below. No sign-in required. Thanks. Enjoy the rest of your weekend.

Friday Focus

GP's on the painkillers and groggily working his way through 'The List' for you, including a link to some cool JAWS tow-in snaps.

Hope you feel fit again soon GP. Looking forward to those snaps from 'The Hill' over the weekend.

KP checks in with a video of a ride he shared with Levi Siver on the 'Best day of the Year at Ho'okipa'.

Here's some footage from a super-heavy day at Mavs. Atlantic Paddle Surfing also posted this piece about Haley Fiske SUPing, also at Half Moon Bay.

The 2009 North American Formula Windsurfing Championships are confirmed for January 17th  through 19th in Miami, and will form part of the Alex Caviglia Bluewater Classic. here's the Notice of Race.

3 Hectically windy days in Sardinia, Italy, with talented teenager Vittorio Mazzocca.

Check out this sneak-peak of the 2009 Starboard SUP catalog courtesy of SurfingSports.

I'm gushing over the publicity of Beach Telegraph thanks to Windsurf Journal. (French). Merci bien Philippe.

If you've got news we should know about, please either drop us a line or let the world know in the comments section below. No sign-in required. Thanks. Have a great weekend.

Fernandez on North

News just in - here's the official blurb from North:

WAVE VICE WORLD CHAMPION Victor Fernandez and hottest aspirant for the 2009 PWA wave title will enter the international North Sails team from January 1st, 2009.

The very likeable pro wave sailor from Almeria, Spain already proved the last few seasons on the PWA wave tour that he is an exceptionally good sailor with his own radical style. Especially in hardcore jumping conditions Victor is accepted as the most talented and radical rider on the tour.

Victor will compete for North Sails in all PWA wave events in the future. Furthermore he will strongly be involved into the development of our wave sails.

He has been competing in the PWA tour since 2003 and is fully motivated to take the crown in 2009. Important to mention that he won 4 of the last 7 PWA wave world cup events.

Victor: ”North gives me a great opportunity to develop the right equipment to win with. Being in the North Team motivates me a
lot on my way to the wave title !!!”

Raoul Joa, North Sails Line & Product Manager:
“Victor is maybe the most professional pro windsurfer I ever met.
Always friendly and 100% dedicated.

He is not only a brilliant wave sailor but also equipped with a lot of knowledge about
windsurf sails, which will support our wave sail R&D work a lot”.

INTERVIEW
North Sails: Why North and where do you see the biggest strengths at your new sail brand North Sails?

Victor: I always wanted to be in a big team like North Sails. North Sails gives me the big chance to not only be a pro rider but also be very deeply involved into their R&D.

The pro rider team, the whole R&D team and the product/marketing/sales team in the international headquarter is very committed to the sport itself and driven by very good characters. North has a lot to offer me with its big innovative range of equipment and very smart marketing machinery. I want to provide the best of my ability to them.

North Sails is the no. 1 sail brand which is the best premise to reach my biggest goal as pro windsurfer.

North sails: Which goals do you want to reach together with North Sails / Fanatic in mid and long term?

Victor: My main goal is to become Wave World Champion one day, so North/Fanatic are giving me a good opportunity to improve my sailing and working with a great team. I´m very motivated for the upcoming years.

North Sails: Who will be your main competitors on the PWA wave tour 2009?
Victor: I´m sure most of the guys on tour but mainly the top 10 from last year. Kauli, Jonas, Angulo, Kevin,Marcilio,etc...it´s going to be an exciting year!

North Sails: How important is your family for your professional career?

Victor: My family has always been very important to me. I always have the big support of my parents and friends to keep living that life as a professional windsurfer cause they know it is what I love since I´m a kid.

North Sails: Which will be the winner move/jump on the PWA tour 09?
Victor: I guess in jumping spots the push loop forward and doubles forward will be the main moves coming up next year on tour.

North Sails: Do you have a personal trainer or constant training partner?

Victor: I have personal trainers (Xavier Huart and Didier Rochette) but they don´t travel with me. We see each other for a week or two where we go training together with other riders of different sports as surfing or motocross. They see how I feel on that week and after they send me different programs of training during the year.

North Sails: What are your plans before the PWA wave season starts in 09?

Victor: Right now I´m in Chile for 1 month doing a trip with Klaas Voget. After here I will stop in Spain for December. In January my plan is to go to Cape Town and then Cabo Verde for the first PWA wave contest.

Starboard Strategy

In the wake of what Windsurf Journal report as a strike by workers at the Cobra Factory in Thailand, Starboard today confirmed they’ll be a buying brand in the transfer market and confidently hinted that Pritchard and Albeau will stay on-board.

The inner force of the windsurfing board market’s leader in both sales and arguably, thinking – Starboard’s Chieftain and founder, Svein Rasmussen - today spelt out his current philosophy and plans for their star-studded ‘Dream Team’.

Influences on Decision-Making

First of all we look at which riders seem to try to help support the company to move forward. Do they send us updates on product feedback? Do they send the quarterly reports to us? Do they let us know how things are going with them? Do the riders take time to communicate with magazines to get their images promoted? Are the riders understanding of the need to, sometimes innovatively, somehow help sell more gear for the company to afford their paycheck?

Event results may be different from their actual potential, as things change drastically during an event and are at times outside the control of the riders themselves. It’s a relationship based on quite a few factors, and we more than anything choose to support those who really choose to support us.

Who’s in? Who’s out?

Our basic plan was to keep everyone and add a few more. Our wave team is reinforced with the return of Philip Koster who is arguably the largest talent in waves today.

Boujmaa has set a whole new standard in jumping in the last 5 years and is getting better than ever.

Jaeger [Stone] is sailing amazingly well right now, and as he is a soul surfer we wish to see him go in any direction he may feel comfortable with.

2-times PWA Wave world Champ Kevin Pritchard is still in my mind the man that can win any wave event, anywhere.

Scott [McKercher] will do a few events - but just the ones he likes to do. He’s served us well over the years with event results, coverage, and product development and will stay on for a long time. So, a solid commitment there.

In Freestyle we are of course very happy to see Sarah Quita becoming World Champ and her brother Quincy working his way towards the top ten.

Kiri [Thode], who just finished 3rd on the PWA Tour, will go for gold again.  Nicolas [Akgazciyan] is aiming at winning the EFPT and a top 3 finish in the PWA, and was over in Thailand last week to help finalize the new Flare boards.

We are also looking at signing a few more top 10 contenders, and are especially reinforcing tour efforts within Freestyle.

In Slalom we have offered Kevin and Antoine good arrangements and when we saw that Bjorn was interested in joining certainly thought that he was an incredible asset in creating possibly the best race team ever seen in windsurfing.

We are also looking at adding more slalom riders as we have quite a few sailors out there who, after the season has finished, have tested 09 boards from different brands and feel that Starboard will again have a clear overall performance advantage next year, and so have contacted us regarding doing a deal.

In Formula we’re renewing most contracts and possibly signing on more riders. It’s interesting to see 18 of last years various World championship sailors in the top 20 on our gear.

I guess we sort of are a product and rider-oriented company. People must possibly think we are mad having this many riders, but this is how we like it - to make good gear and see sailors win.

We basically aim to work with people that want to work with us, and see if in this way we can continue to have the best team, the best products and a healthy brand and company.

Market Forces?

I believe that in times like these one should work twice as hard and motivate your team, distribution and supplier partners to do the same.

Some companies will invest heavily and come out clear winners, others with less enthusiasm will not.

There’s no time to sleep, no time to complain, only time to see the opportunities and hope to be lucky - knowing that luck is defined as “where preparation meets opportunity”.

The Beach Telegraph Polls

The [hiring and Firing] Poll on the Beach Telegraph was fun and a good way to get more people to spend more time thinking about windsurfing.

I’m not able to provide a clear answer how the readers feel about our company being involved in that poll, but lets hope it will bring us all good luck :)

Many thanks to Svein for taking the time to fill us all in his thinking.

What are your thoughts on this? Please drop us a line or let the world know in the comments section below. There's no sign-in required, (although you can register and create a personal profile if you prefer) and enjoy extended forum threads on any discussion. Thanks.

Code Red - It's Official

Just in from Severne...

Dunkerbeck is on Severne sails from 2009 onwards.

Here's the official Press Release:

SEVERNE is proud to welcome the best windsurfer of all times, Bjoern Dunkerbeck.

With 12  overall PWA World Champion titles, over 100 single PWA event wins including wave, racing and slalom, Bjoern is the  living legend of our sport.

Comments from Ben Severne
“Having access to Bjoern’s knowledge and skills is going to allow us to make significant advances in race sail performance. The trickle-down effect this has on all the freeride sails means the whole range of SEVERNE sails will benefit.  Personally, there’s also a lot of inspiration to build sails for Bjoern Dunkerbeck – and to this end we’ve had the most intense month of development ever as we’ve prepared the Code Reds for the 09 race season.”

Comments from Bjoern Dunkerbeck
“I am looking forward to working closely with Ben, he is young and very motivated to make the best and fastest sails on the planet. He is the type of sail designer I like to work with ! Most importantly, like me, he loves the sport of windsurfing, not only pushing his own ability but also his designs. The more time the sails spend on the water the better they become. I am really looking forward to this new challenge; the next year will be my most exciting yet.”

Comments from Svein Rasmussen
“Bjoern and I raced together for 10 years. He was possibly the fairest competitor on the course for all those years. He never complained about anything, just went out there and did a better job than the rest of us. That is greatness in my eyes. Bjoern joining Severne is not only an important step for Bjoern but a giant step for Severne.  Severne is establishing itself not only as the world’s premier wave brand, but also a main contender in racing. We will work hard together, strive to do a better job than our competitors and aim to become the world’s number one sail brand”

Feeling Groovy? Let's Make a Movie

The PWA report that The Windsurfing Movie II is officially in production.

The GPS Speedsailing World Cup should kick off in Ireland today. dawindsurfer posted some pics from the event site. Thanks for those.

Maui Windsurfing report that surf in the region of 20-25 feet could hit The Islands shortly and that Friday may produce an epic JAWS session. I'll keep my eyes skinned for any photos.

I saw these nice flicks and pics of wavesailing in La Reunion (1 and 2 and 3) posted on the Boards magazine forums. . Someone also mentioned this great Simmer Style clip.

I was thinking that we could raise the demand for learning to windsurf with a cartoon for kids. Movies such as Surf's Up, Blue Crush (not a cartoon I know) and Lilo & Stitch have boosted the monster surf industry even further up the cool scale for kids world over.

Does anyone know of a great cartoonist or film maker who understands windsurfing? Or perhaps a producer of a kids series like Diego or Dora the Explorer that could feature kids shredding?

Maybe The Windsurfing Movie should include a DVD extra for the kids?

Perhaps by using the 'six degrees of seperation' we could start a project to make a fun flick with the characters windsurfing around on their adventures and make the kids scream at their parents to drop them at the local center?

Mom. Dad. Can we go windsurfing? Can we go windsurfing? Can we go windsurfing? Can we go windsurfing? Can we go windsurfing? Can we go windsurfing? Can we go windsurfing? Can we go windsurfing? Help!

I'd love to document this for any print magazines interested in a project to increase awareness and give the sport a lift by tapping into the global windsurfing community's contacts.

Please drop us a line or let the world know in the comments section below. There's no sign-in required, (although you may register and create a personal profile) and enjoy extended forum-style threads on any discussion. Thanks.

Speaking of youth windsurfing, Jon sent in a link to the new Team USA Youth Blog. Thanks Jon.

Tittle Tattle

Theres's some interesting banter going on at the MauiSails forum...

If that's not your bag check out Tatiana Howard's JAWS pics. Sweet.

After something sweet try something Salty. Big Salty, the British and Irish weather forecasting and community site set up by UK pro James Cox has upgraded it's photo gallery section.

Got any news? Please drop us a line or let the world know in the comments section below. There's no sign-in required, (although you can register and create a personal profile) and enjoy extended forum threads on any discussion.

Who Wants Victor?

So news is out that Victor Fernandez has quit Simmer style.

Keeping the high standard of sportsmanship and spirit of good conduct so far in the transfer market, Simmer Team Captain Kai Katchadourian made a statement saying "We thank Victor very much for being a dedicated team rider and for his feedback and professionalism.

With no hard feelings on our end, we wish him the best. There have been many memories shared out on water together, and no matter what sails he will be using now, we will always remember him as a member of our Simmer family.

Good luck Victor, see you out there, and thank you for being an integral part of the team."

Anyone know who Victor's signing for yet? Please drop us a line or let the world know in the comments section below. Thanks.

A little bird in the Star/Severne set up told me SUI-11 is officially a Severne rider as of Jan 1. Apparently there's to be an official announcement in the next few days.

If you've been watching the PWA vote to the left check out how Freestyle's clawing it's way back into contention against Super-X.

Laure Treboux's been freestyling and more in WA

Pic courtesy Simmer Style International

Wednesday Waves

Oisin Van Gelderen reports from the Production Board World Speed champs on behalf of Boardseeker mag...still no wind but Dunky doesn't seem to have any new sails yet...some rumors say it's gonna be Severne.

Let's wait and see who snaps up the world's most successful sportsman with 32 World Titles to his name - that's in the Guinness book of records, apparently.

Kevin Pritchard's been tow-surfing in 'nothing huge' at Peahi. (Still looks about 12 ft Hawaiian to me. Pretty small really...)

The Oregon crew have been tucking-in to some meaty ones as well.

Kevin says there could be some windsurfing there in the next few days so.

Something for the ladies...Jo Scott's running her Diva Camps again so get booking for a girl-power break. (Maybe the chicks prefer to be girl-overpowered?)

Klass Voget and Victor Fernandez have been enjoying Chile.

www.Windsurfjournal.com interrogate Nils Rosenblad of Naish Sails about his approach especially regarding the Slalom range and the 'Formula 63' (6 sails 3 boards) format that the PWA switch to for the 2009 racing season. (French - but maybe I'll post a summarized translation later).

Lewis Black went to Aruba - unsurprisingly he doesn't rate windsurfing. Thanks to Clyde for the link.

Sometimes the planets just line up perfectly. Man.

Cold North Wind

www.Windsurfjournal.com report that North sails have said 'Thank you and Goodbye' to Bjorn Dunkerbeck, Peter Volwater and Taty Frans.

Rumors are strong that Dunkerbeck is headed towards a deal with Severne now that he's in the Starboard stable and close to the parallel Severne management.

North themselves cited no reasons but seemed regretful of the departures of such giants in the sport which indicate strongly that the financial crisis has hit them hard.

The North Press Release was thankful for their achievements and wished all three riders the best of luck in the future.

I'll keep you up-to-date with any developments.

In the meantime...part 6 of how GP's custom surfboard from Kazuma is now posted.

Guinness on Tuesday

Let's keep things Black & White...

First-up, you might notice some changes to the comments section. There's no sign-in required, (although you can register and create a persoal profile) plus you can enjoy extended forum threads on any discussion. I hope you enjoy the facility and look forward to any feedback, such as your views on the survey on this page - thanks.

IFCA released their 2009 calendar today with an exciting looking Slalom event in Holland new on the schedule

Vital Votes

And now for the news...

Windsurf Journal report that there will be no Masters of Speed competition this winter. The official magazine and webcaster from France posted news that the organizers Christophe Simian and Pascal Maka are taking a break to work on a bigger and better event in 2009/10 and to take stock of the WSSRC stance on windsurfer's status regarding speed sailing.

Argentinean Formula Windsurfing racer Gonzo Costa Hoevel took out the FW Grand Prox in Ceara, Brazil.