The Fuerte Wave Classic organizers were very impressed with Boardseeker's footage of the event. So will you be.
Earlier today I posted a link to some wavesailing action in Tasmania.
Alastair McCleod who made and featured in the clip sent this link for anyone else interested in the windsurfing conditions and scene in Tasmania. Thanks Alastair for the info.
A summary and pics of the Cabo Verde event from French rider Yann Sorlut.
Details of a 'fun' World Title for Bjorn Dunkerbeck at the C7 Blog.
I got this Press Release and the shot above and below from www.MooCustom.co.uk about some Speedsailing action in England.
(Pics by Steve Thorp.)
Moo Custom on top
Moo Custom, Britain’s sexiest custom board builders have teamed up with Britain’s fastest, Farrel O’Shea.
Farrel has put much effort into the speed situation over the last few years and is keen to push forward to the next level.
One of the best parts of custom board building is the ability to listen to the customer’s requirements and Farrel knows what he wants from a board down to the last half millimetre.
At West Kirby on Sunday after a wind drought over the winter and on the day before the lake is due to close for wall repairs the conditions almost delivered.
It was a bit 'parky', not quite enough wind and from a slightly too square angle but a good days speed sailing was had by all.
Farrel scored the top speed of the day with a 45.29 knot max, using his new Moo Custom and Simmer SC Race 6.3 in 25knots of wind gusting to 30knots.
Surely a very pleasing indication of speeds to come! >>END
Here's a shot of the board he used.
Finally, if you didn't see the video or vote on the Goyta/Air Taka Poll to the right, please check it out and register your opinion! Thanks.
Some thoughts on Twin Fins from Ola Helenius.
Congratulations to Stephane Etiene's winning team involving Boujmaa Guillol and Robin Goffinet for winning the Fuerteventura Wave Classic, and to Thomas Traversa for taking the vote on 'Best Rider of the Contest'.
Photos, videos and write-ups all at the event website.
New Zealand Freestylers get an event to showcase their skills at.
A guide to Front Loops for Dummies.
More success for MauiSails racing.
Grey & gloomy Maui footage. But hey - it's still Hawaii!
Some new talent on the Ezzy Sails team. Looks like some nice sessions been going down on Sardinia...
Following a successful and popular feature at Boards magazine it's time to take the test and see if you're a 'Claimer or a Flamer?'
A guide to another potential Cabo Verde Goldmine. (German Language.)
Watch out for a new mini-poll later...
Runnin' late today so it's a high-speed roundup for now.
Angulo sent this video 'In the Gap' for your enjoyment.
Another Cabo Verde flick, this time from Robby Swift, available at the JP Australia website.
What is it with all the angry Sharks this year? Maybe they're finding the water too dirty?
Perhaps with that in mind former PWA racing Champ Allison Shreeve is making a mammoth crossing in aid of the 'Coast Care' charity.
Steve Bodner's also being a Friend of the Water.
And if you're a Face-booker you can help Robert Masters of Maui's Stableroad by joining his I Care About Water group - please help him reach 1000 members by tonight! Thanks. (There's also a Stable Road Facebook Group...)
A snap of a 5-fin RRD Prototype.
Don't forget the Fuerte Wave Classic comp's on still and to view their galleries.
Good work and well done for the Beach Clean guys.
Irish Red Bull Rider Oisin Van Gelderen sent these shots from the Irish Intervarsities Windsurfing Comp this past weekend on Achill Island.
Oisin said " I was there to judge the student wave Expression Session, and I used a unique new technique called 'judging from the water'.
We went sailing all day and mid push loops I kept one eye on what everyone else was doing !"
I bet those stranded-in-a-tower PWA judges wish they could do that too...
Thanks once again to Oisin for the heads-up and shots.
Have a nice day. Hopefully more later...
Finn Mullen sent in a couple more pics of his session on the North Coast of Ireland - thanks to his youngest brother Tam for taking the shots.
You can also see a sweet sequence here too.
The Fuerte Wave Classic's now showing a video link.
WIND Mag also have some nice shots from Gilles Calvet along with some [French but you can use google translate] commentary.
I guess WIND see that this event's going to be spread all over the net anyway and have decided to cover it well themselves? A good move but I'm sure they'll save some good stories for the print edition!
The Quick Interview quiz Ricardo Campello.
Phil Horrocks talks about his JP experience in Cape Town in a nice action video.
The PWA find out Kevin Pritchard's 'Kode to success'.
However this 'Kode' might not be exactly true...most pics of KP at CV appear to show him on a twin fin...not the single-fin Freestyle/Wave model Kode.
That 'aint no Kode! Pic JC/PWA.
Once again, it seems strange to make a big deal of something when it's perhaps not strictly the truth eh? Perhaps KP only used it in the single elimination final then chose his regular boards when they arrived?
We've discussed this here before, and although people understand pros use customs and protos, it's another thing to make a claim that they don't, which causes damage to the brands that do actually act as they say they do.
Keeping you up-to-speed and on-the-pace...
Irish Pro Oisin Van Gelderen sent this scenic shot of a 5 deg Celsius session on Wednesday in Brandon Bay, Ireland, during an 8.6 meter swell and 30 knots of wind. Thanks Oisin. Brrr.
The Maui crew get a break from the old routine. (I bet those shots are flipped from port tack...)
News and pics from the Fuerte Wave Classic.
A Total Wind reader has also posted some nice shots from the contest in their forum too. Here and here.
PWA Slalom Champion Antoine Albeau's re-launched his website.
News, pics and audio [French language] interviews from the AFF event in Almanarre, France.
You can follow more live throughout the day also at Windsurf Journal.
A [German language] interview of filmmaker and PWA Freestyler Andre Paskowski.
The new RRD 11 SUP.
Mad Maarten suggests some no-wind reading material.
A video of a hot Danish lady showing off in Bonaire.
More old-skool windsurfing action video.
Have a nice day.
Please support the Frans brothers on a Bonaire to Curacao crossing for a good cause.
The Pritchard Brothers work hard on their legs.
Two events to keep tabs on live - Fuerteventura Wave Classic (little bit 'o action yesterday) and AFF French Cup in Almanarre (French language).
News from the Micronesia Windsurfing Cup.
Meet Elvis.
RRD introduce PWA wavesailor Francisco Fonseca.
Couple more Quick Interviews...
Twin fins, Quad fins, asymmetric fins...no fins.
A mellow Kona MiniTanker GoPro clip on U-Ride - link on frontpage named Penhors Inside.
Ready? Let's go. WSJ have left the office and are livecasting (French language) from the French AFF Windsurfing Tour in Almanarre /Hyeres today.
The conditions are set to be so awesome that they're planning to run waves at this famous location known mainly for slalom.
Andre Paskowski sent around his pre-release trailers for the upcoming free movie 'Samba' You can view those at many sites but WSJ also have all the links you need,
John Skye's winter roundup video offering.
The Guys at the UK's roaming wave comp series WaveJam have uploaded all the pics from WaveJam 5. There's more action in the gallerioes section too.
Some news from Diony Guadagnino's visit to Chile and Argentina.
First asymmetrical boards and now asymmetrical fins...
A new-look website from Reptile masts.
Top ladies PWA Freestyler Laure Treboux's announced two camps - 'Elevate' in Dahab, Egypt in May, and a Girls camp in Rhodes, Greece, in June.
Elsewhere Tatiana Howard's confirmed the Butterfly Effect Maui will go down on April 11th.
Those PWA ladies sure have been busy - Nayra Alonso tells you about her trip to Morocco.
Nothing's going down yet at the Furteventura Wave Classic, but keep an eye on the event website during the day for updates as the forecast is good.
Good news. The 'Bring Back the Swansea-Cork Ferry' campaign has raised 2.5 million Euros. Bad news. 500K more is needed by Friday March 6th.
If you're a lover of Irish waves and want the quickest and best way to travel between the UK and Ireland to resume service , or you own a business dependant on tourism in Ireland or South Wales, please pledge money now and buy shares at the Bring Back the Swansea-Cork Ferry website. Thanks (Not sure if the shares entitle you to discount on crossings or Guinness in the bar yet...)
The joy-filled Scott McKercher has a new Blog at the Severne website.
You'll notice I put a new Poll about PWA Webcasts on this page. Please vote and let's see what people think.
The tour's kicked-off already but I'm addicted to the Fantasy Surfer game already.
Here's a nice little Cape Town clip from UK wavesailor Adam Lewis.
Surfers Against Sewage (SAS) are offering a limited amount of free subscriptions to eco-mag Surfer's Path to anyone signing up to join. Hurry while the offer lasts!
Jem Hall says to look-out for his new Wave technique movie ‘Winner to Wavesailor’ due out end March and that he’ll be sending me some chapters to review.
Some Jericoacora action video from RRD's new insider Blog.
Don't forget to stay up-t0-date with the Fuerteventura Wave Classic...
Let's push-start the what's hopefully going to be a big-action week online and on the water.
The Fuerteventura Wave Classic holding period has begun. The teams have been announced and so far the conditions look good for Tuesday onwards, and even better for the weekend.
Check out the event website for updates and interviews et cetera.
Here's some updates on event dates from the PWA:
The planned Indoor in Madrid will now not take place in April. The event is now expected to take place towards the end of 2009.
The Austria Slalom World Cup will now run from the 5th May until the 10th.
The Korean Slalom World Cup will take place from the 16th May until the 22nd.
The proposed Guincho Wave World Cup is now provisionally scheduled for the 16th to 21st June.
WSJ interview a super-philosophical Francisco Goya after his comeback appearance at The PWA Cabo Verde World Cup. Here's the Google Translated page.
Simmer report that their PWA Slalom star Ben Van Der Steen is in Chile filming a documentary.
GP Cammaro needs a day off but he stuck a little Go Pro video of sideshore Kanaha online for you.
Tatiana Howard scored Honolua Bay with just a couple of mates.
Boards posted news of 2009 Pro Clinics with European windsurfing tour operator Club Sportif.
CaboVerdeWorldCup.com posted a video interview with runner-up Kauli Seadi.
It's windsurfing movie night on Friday in Wellington, New Zealand.
Ola left an interesting comment and link after reading about Kelly Slater's event-winning 'self-shaped' board in a post here last week.
Can you imagine what would happen if we left GP alone with the shaping software?
More later. Please leave any links to good stuff in the Comments section below - no sign-in required. Thanks.
I'm not into 're-cycling' Press Releases, so below is the latest news from from the FWC organizers.
It's particularly pleasing to see that they'll be making an effort to clean the beaches and leave them tidier than when they arrived. Well done guys.
Press Release
After a 2 weeks shortbreak, here are the latest news of the next wave contest to come, the Fuerteventura Wave Classic which will take place from February 28th to March 10th on Fuerte's North Shore...
- All our organization is now ready from today to welcome all the riders invited by Thomas Traversa & JB Caste. Regarding the latest entry list, are just missing Köster and Skye, injured. Last guest to join is french waverider Robin Goffinet (Ezzy/7th Wave/Soöruz). He's been invited after Thomas Traversa was stoked by his incredible surfing style during a big wave session in Bretagne, just before Thomas flew to Cape Verde...
- "Teams" will be done by drawing lots during the opening party which will take place on Saturday evening, February 28th at the hotel " Oasis Dunas " in Corralejo.
- By speaking about hotel, a new partner of choice joins the event: hotels " Oasis Fuerteventura ". The chain will so propose to the riders some quality accommodations in Corralejo, at just a few minutes from the best North Shore spots and the hotel " Oasis Dunas " will welcome on February 28th and March 10th both opening and closing ceremonies of the FWC.
- On Friday morning will be the opportunity for the organization to officialize the competition and introduce it to the local medias during a press conference organized by the City hall of La Oliva in Cotillo.
- Sensitive to the environment, the organization of the FWC will take advantage of the presence and the fame of the riders to organize one afternoon during the event, a beach cleaning in association with the " Clean Ocean Project " organization which districts are established in Fuerteventura.
- Thanks to the good care of the Sun7 workshop, a service of "express" repair will be set up from Saturday, to offer to the riders who would need it the possibility of repairing their equipment having suffered in the waves of Cape Verde. This service will be available during all the duration of the contest.
That's it for today. We make an appointment with you on Sunday morning for the announcement of the teams composition and, as fast as possible, via the "live" which will be set up as soon as a swell hits the island's North Shore...
Keep in touch on www.fuertewaveclassic.com!
First-up is a nice shot sent in by George from the Live2Sail Blog. Thanks George.
Here's a really short interview with PWA Wave Tour leader Josh Angulo on Maui.ee.
A Chilean adventure on video with Fabrice Beaux.
Some boom-Cam action from Seatex Boards on Windsurfmag.it.
After scraing some seals, GP is being cruel to Oceanic mammal life. Again. This time he's taken on a Sea Lion.
Don't you just love these vintage magazines. I love the smell and feel of these old issues crammed with great stories and less ads than in many you see today. (Even with the recession.) Check out the great surf books there too.
Speaking of Surf books, PWA and legendary surf scene photographer Alex Williams has launched a new book of some classic shots of British Surfing in the 70s in a new publication titled 'Atlantic Surfers'. (You can preview the first 15 pages online.)
The March issue of Boards is out and I've got two articles published.
(That's Canadian PWA Freestyle rider Phil Soltysiak on the cover by the way.)
First up I've a review of the career of Scott McKercher followed by an investigation into the new Freestyle Classix format.
If you've read these I'd love some feedback on either the articles or the subject. Thanks.
WIND Mag issue 333 is also out now and it's a monster test issue. Check out the huge list of gear they've tried out.
Any other new issues of magazines out? Please leave the details in the Comment section below. Thanks.
U-Ride have a link to some video of Slalom racing action in The Gorge.
With the Fuerteventura Wave Classic a few days away, WSJ have posted a link to video of Spew Pits cranking on the island from last week to whet your appetite.
UK Windsurf and SUP pro John Hibbard wrote in; 'The main right peak at this beach is rammed with Surfers everyday and is a 100% No Go Zone for SUPers.
The left in between the main break and the rivermouth is empty but it's hard to catch - not on my Starboard 8' 5" though!'
And finally. The Hustle Project. We've got a winner of the Fanatic T-Shirt contest.
So congratulations to Rudie from Holland correctly answered that Fanatic won 4 World Cup events in 2008 - World freestyle champ Gollito won Podersdorf and Lanzarote and world number 2 wavesailor Victor Fernandez won in Pozo and Sylt.
Rudie said 'I really like Fanatic because one of their boards got me back in to windsurfing big time!! And they are not through with me because I still want the freewave 86 ltr!'
Rudie - I'll be in contact about the details. Let's see what the rest of the industry can come up with for you guys? I guess you'll shout loudly about what you got from them at the beach hey? Power to the people! Lets get you some stash.
Chris Pressler got some pics of Bjorn Dunkerbeck on his new wave sails in Fuerteventura.
WIND TV have a nice little flick of young PWA Carribean wavesailing star Camille Juban and Oliv' Lafleur in action at home in Guadaloupe. (French language.)
It's the 'quiet before the storm' elsewhere with most sites running the PWA's Cabo Verde Event Preview.
During the event I'll try and pick the best of the bunch of all the bloggers and sites covering the competition for you.
I really hope all the good non 'time sensitive' stories don't leak onto the web and that there's some quality tales and images saved and developed for print magazines.
More Road Trip mishaps - this time for Nayra Alonso.
Now, you know my rules about not mentioning K*^tesurfing on these pages? Well here's another exception due to a local byelaw ruling in the U.K as posted by Boardseeker. (Tip: Click on image to enlarge.)
Don't forget the chance to win another Fanatic T-Shirt competition is still open...
Surfer Today announced this great looking contest down in gnarly, sharky, Tasmania.
UK board builders Moo suggested you take a look at their Super Moo.
The Peconic Puffin got caught in a [Sharky] spin.
I noticed on WSJ that Seadi is trying out Quad fins at Cabo Verde. It's funny 'cos today I was going to ask if anyone had read the 'Naked Ambition' profile I wrote [last year] of Kauli in the latest Boards Magazine?
In that feature Kauli says he'll not be playing with Thrusters or Quads, but sticking with Twinzers.
We also talked about how he likes to wear those Speedos and stay in the buff around the house. Anyone read that piece? What do you think? (About the article and the Quads - not the nudity. Well you can talk about that too if you really want.)
I got a mail from George who's suffering from serious Maui withdrawal symptoms. Hang in there and get well soon George.
Maui Ultra Fins have welcomed Florian Jung onto their team.
I was thinking. Let's hustle the industry and get you guys some stash. How about some free T-shirts or bags or something?
I can post questions here, you answer, I choose the winners and the brands send you the booty? Sound good?
Let's see who's reading and what they've got. No easy questions mind you. You've got to deserve this gear and know your stuff. Please leave any suggestions in the Comments section below. Thanks.
Brand Managers - please drop me a line and let's tee it up.
PS. I just got this PR from the Fuerteventura Wave Classic with the confirmed entries. Nice event poster too.
Please find enclosed the final entry list of the confirmed riders we will welcome on the first edition of the Fuerteventura Wave Classic, Feb. 28th to March 10th 2009.
16 riders : 4 locals and 12 of the world top waveriders, which makes 8 teams of 2 riders (very certainly drawn lots)
International guests
_Jonas CEBALLOS
_Klaas VOGET
_Marcilio BROWNE
_John SKYE
_Alex MUSSOLINI
_Boujmaa GUILLOUL
_Francisco PORCELLA
_Philip KÖSTER
_Anthony RUENES
_Dario OJEDA
_Thomas TRAVERSA
_JB CASTE
Local guests
_Yannick ANTON
_Will WARD
_Stéphane ETIENNE
_Ilya ESCARIO
You can find all the informations, poster, logos, pictures, portraits and details of the Fuerteventura Wave Classic on our "blogsite" www.fuertewaveclassic.com ! Stay tuned!
GP mounted the Go Pro on his mast. What do you think?
There's swell headed towards Hawaii - but not enough to run The Eddie. I'm sure our Maui Bloggers will capture all the action at Ho'okipa for us though.
Josh Angulo took some time to talk you through his new Magnum Slalom board range. (I wonder if he'll launch any Higgins, Rick, TC or even any Zeus and Apollo models?)
C7 interview Jonas Ceballos.
WIND are showing a clip of Levi Siver on his new Goya sails with English text from Levi, sail designer Jason Diffin, shaper Keith Teboul and the Snr. Goya himself.
Here's a Press Release I got from the Fanatic Boarders Center in Fuerteventura about some girls camps.
FBC Fuerteventura (Flag Beach) will be offering exclusive GIRLS ONLY KITE and SURF CAMPS this summer. Held over 7 days the camps will include all instruction and equipment, self-catering accommodation, all transfers, beach parties, yoga, daily lunches, girlies goodie bags with lycra, t-shirt, Aloe Vera beauty packs and more..! Camps will be held over various dates in June, July and September and are suited to beginners and intermediates. Book early to avoid disappointment!
For more info and bookings [email protected]
JP have a video from the Big Bay Classic won by international team rider Phil Horrocks on his geniune Werner Gnigler boards...
World Champ Kauli Seadi just went on a boat trip to the Caribbean. I'm not sure if this is set to be published in magazines but personally I'd prefer to read this kind of story in print.
Lot's of websites got sent the PR for this trip but I hope by putting it online so briefly it's not spoiling what could be an extensive feature in a 'real' windsurfing publication.
Windgirls magazine focus on a future star - another feature that would be a good read on a beach between sessions. What do you think?
GP takes you for a ride at Kanaha. A perfect piece of online windsurfing journalism.
You gotta love U-Ride for scoring original content. Today they're showing a Freestyle clip of the Bonaire crew raising the bar for the 2009 PWA Tour.
Fuerteventura Wave Classic Press Officer Steve Palier enjoyed some storm-force sailing at Brutal Beach in the South of France. Steve also sent links to more pictures of the action from Prisca and Fred.
Something handy for Tow-In teams.
Some good news for Ben Proffitt.
A big storm caused havoc across France and Spain this weekend with many windsurfers dodging the chaos to enjoy a few survival sessions. (More pics here and here. Muchas gracias to Rafa for the links.)
GP Cammaro has a bit of a back-log of stuff to post for you but he's working on it...starting with some cool pics of Levi Siver at Ho'okipa.
The Italians are taking over the world. Here's another cool Blog to follow by old-skool Windsurfing legend and Sardinia Waterman event organizer Pietro Porcella - father of PWA star Francisco Porcella. (Francisco just signed for Drops by the way.)
Surferworld report about Victor Fernandez's planned trip to the Fanatic Boarders Center on St. Martin.
Heating it all up for the PWA event next month, Josh Angulo files another Cabo Verde report - including a video of Traz Leo, or 'Little Ho'okipa" for you.
Continent Seven report on the latest entry status for the Fuerteventura Wave Classic event.
Mikey Clancey is churning out the videos for you guys. Check out his latest effort from Ireland and let him know that you like them - especially as he's about to hit Cape Town and is sure to collect more sick footage.
It's not all about waves on The Emerald Isle. Irish Speed record holder John Kenny recorded the 'fastest 500m time ever done on Irish waters by any sail powered craft with a speed of 39.15 knots this weekend - and that was under powered on a Severne 5.6 Code Red. Dungarvan looks like it has a lot more to offer...'
John discovered the Speed World Cup event site at Dungarvan, which was then organized by Martin Waldron who has since announced 5 dates for Speed events in 2009, and an Irish GPS Speed ladder. There's a new website set to go live any day now but in the meantime you can find out more at John's website.
Please check back for more later...or leave any links in the Coments section underneath. Thanks.
Looks like I got it wrong earlier about the 'Surfer of the Year' awards from the Dusseldorf 'Boot' Boat Show. Bernd Flessner did win but 'only' the German National Award. (Check MadWindsurf for a visitor's report on the show itself).
The International Award went to Bjorn Dunkerbeck (pictured above). Bjorn has also just been voted onto the Speedsailing Hall of Fame
Here's a shot of BF and BD receiving their awards, as voted for at Surf Magazine (German), and making their acceptance speeches. Many thanks to Thorsten Niehaus from Windcraft Sports for the information and snaps.
ContinentSeven also have a link to a video of Bjorn on his new Code Red sails. Make sure you check all the other videos there from Jaeger Stone, Boujmaa Guillol and Mikey Clancey too .
WSJ have a link to a gallery of Yannick Anton taking some bombs at Spewpits, Fuerteventura. Let's hope that The Fuerteventura Wave Classic comes up with the goods.
Boardseeker report that former Production Board World Speed record holder Dave White is hosting some Speed Clinics at Club Vass, Greece.
Matt Pritchard has announced dates for his Baja Wave Clinics too. Check Surferworld.it for more info. In the meantime, The Human Catapult is in Baja right now soaking up the atmosphere for himself.
Apparently the 'Downwind Dash' debacle may nearly be over. Prizegiving is tomorrow night in Cape Town and we'll have to see if the 'winner' , Ross Williams - the first to cross the finish line, is in fact the winner. I'm sure he and many others are spewing at this major league mix-up.
Please leave any links to other news in the Comments Section below. Thanks.
An exciting new invitational event for top wave sailors was announced today.
Starting in February, the mobile, ‘no-pressure’ Fuerteventura Wave Classic competition aims to showcase the best the island has to offer.
During the winter, the "North Shore" of Fuerteventura (Canary Islands) welcomes big trains of swell coming straight from the wide of Atlantic Ocean.
Ideally located for surfing and windsurfing, this part of the coast shelters some fabulous spots where powerful waves explode onto lava reefs.
Originally initiated by French pro-riders JB Caste & Thomas Traversa, the FWC is a wave contest with a "waiting period", with a dozen of Thomas' and JB's pro windsurfing buddies set to compete in “teams", alongside some of the best hot locals.
The holding period starts on Feb. 28th 2009, on extreme local wave spots such as Cotillo, Hierro, Majanicho or Spew Pits...
Who will be crowned as the winning team at the conclusion of this 1st edition? Who will be the most radical rider during the contest?
With the likes of Mussolini, Skye, Guillol, Porcella and Koster set to join them, the potential for a groundbreaking event is sky-high.
You can find out more at www.fuertewaveclassic.com and view 'live' updates once the comp gets a green light.
Thomas Traversa
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