Find out what makes this Irish wave sailor tick, his favourite moves, favourite spots to sail and what motivates him the most.
Carried out while Timo was back in Northern Ireland at the start of the summer.
Sit back, crack open a beer and hear the craic!
Timo Mullen IR69 Interview from Tam Mullen on Vimeo.
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A nice video summary of the travel article in our current issue by the Belgian freestyle sensation Dieter Van Der Eyken, featuring the alternative side to Western Australia – famous for wave sailing, but less known as a flat-water paradise.
Australia 2013 – 2014 from Dieter Van der Eyken on Vimeo.
The post DIETER VAN DER EYKEN – WINTER IN AUSTRALIA appeared first on Windsurf Magazine.
But can you have both? And, is genuine, raw power actually ever controllable? We think it can be – and there are a couple of examples in this very test – although, largely, cammed sails generally all fit into a scale ranging from more user-friendly and freeridey, to unabashed, terrifying levels of force.
BETTER THAN BIG WAVES?
If you haven’t read this issue’s slalom board test intro and picked-up on our newfound passion for slalom, then please do! We’re hooked! Normally we test all this stuff in Egypt where the going’s easy and everything feels perfect. But not in Tenerife where we ended-up!
However, despite having the workout of our lives, we’re addicted and can’t stop buzzing after sailing all this gear. If you’re a fanatical, wave-only sailor, we think you seriously need to look in the mirror and ask yourselves some critical questions.
READ MORE 2014 EQUIPMENT TESTS
Namely – without wanting to sound discriminative – have you got the balls? Because this is one side of the sport that will give you kicks you’d never imagine. It’s definitely time to ‘man-up’ …
Chest-beating aside, Slalom is a special scene – even just drag-racing as opposed to 4-minutes-of-genuine-intense-deep-downwind-racing – because you spend time in the shorebreak socialising and sharing info and experiences on the session.
You’re always tweaking kit and finding better combinations to suit the immediate conditions to hand and get better at being in-sync with your gear.
It goes without saying all this will carry over to other types of sailing you do – slalom WILL bring your sailing level higher all-round. Fact.
Why the shorebreak time then? Well, if you’re really pushing it, you won’t be able to breathe if you sail flat-out for more than ten minutes at a time! Go and try it for yourself and see…
WHAT DID WE FIND?
So what have we got here then? Generally there’s two types of sail and power delivery types in this test. ‘Tractors’ and ‘Magic Carpets’.
Before we go into details – and just to confuse you – we also suggest you check our upcoming twin-cam tests and previous no-cam freerace sail reviews (April 2014 issue) as there’s some interesting overlaps.
If we picked our ideal quivers (okay, later in the year we may well do!) there would be sails/boards from all these categories mixed in with the hard-core stuff in our personal picks.
THE POWER SCALE
TRACTORS:
• For serious racing in mind
• Require skill and fitness, plus body weight helps too
• Are sailed overpowered at all times. (‘Rig for the lulls – man-up in the gusts’)
• Suit gusty conditions
• Perform best deep downwind
• Demand you to ‘sail efficient’ and, when required ‘pounce’ and to turn on the power.
MAGIC CARPETS – FRIENDLIER/DE-TUNED PRODUCTS:
• Good for entry-level racers and/or lightweights
• Easier to control and more energy efficient
• Suit more consistent conditions and less hard-core boards
• Overlap with ‘freerace’ models
• Best for across-the-wind reaching not just deep downwind legs
• Finer foils with less glide and ‘carry’ through lulls
• For rougher conditions where control beats brute strength
How to choose:
GO TO DEMOS! After reading these reports and getting a shortlist to test, trust your instincts and be aware of ‘feel’ – but be brave.
Strive for low-resistance products that you can trim to suit your skill and style, yet leave yourself some ‘growing room’ for when you progress and are fitter. (Even regular wavesailors will struggle for breath!)
CONCLUSIONS
Most Powerful A toss-up between the Point-7 AC-1 and the Gaastra Vapor.
Easiest To Handle The RRD is undoubtedly the easiest and most ‘freeridey’. The North, Simmer and NeilPryde are all ‘chuck-about-able’, but the surprise package is the grunty Severne Reflex 5 that’s also very forgiving despite being a ‘full-on’ sail.
Fastest That’s subjective as comfort can bring great speed over a course. It’s also pretty board-type and fin dependent too. In a straight line, on a dedicated top-of-the-line board and deep off the wind, for us it’s the Gaastra. But, if you’re a monster, the Point-7 would be hard to catch – and the Severne brings a great mix of both worlds to the table too.
Best Value For sail-only and without calculating mast prices in we think the Point-7 and RRD definitely deliver the most bang for the bucks.
Which Ones Would We Buy? With a mix of experienced slalom heads and new-to-the pain members on the team, our collective choice would be the Severne Reflex 5 closely followed by the Gaastra, which is not exclusively a heavyweights sail.
If we all weighed 110 kg. and only wanted to race downwind – not just tear around our local waters – the Point-7 would probably be the pick.
Lightweights should also consider the North, which is pretty rapid as well. Both newcomers to slalom and old hands might also want to read our no-cam freerace reviews and watch out for some interesting results in the upcoming 7.8 twin-cam test …
Special thanks to Tenerife Windsurf Solution (TWS) centre for hosting us – the best demo/hire centre in the world, F-Hot/Dave White for the loan of their mast mounts, I Love Meet and Greet Airport Valet Parking Services and windsurfingfins.co.uk for the loan of control fins. BM
READ THE INDIVIDUAL REPORTS
GAASTRA VAPOR 7.9
NEILPRYDE RS: SLALOM 7.8
NORTH WARP 7.8
POINT-7 7.8 AC-1
RRD FIRE 7.8
SIMMER SCR 7.8
SEVERNE REFLEX 7.8
PRINCIPAL TEST TEAM
Chris Rainbow 75 kg. Med. Height
Julian Da Vall 83 kg. 1.95 Tall. Experience national and European-level racer.
Brian McDowell 100 kg. 1.90 Tall.
Thanks also to the various PWA pro sailors on hand in Tenerife who also lent a hand, showed us the best tweaks on their affiliated brands’ gear and gave opinion on boards and sails from rival manufacturers.
Due to camera battery and GoPro failures during our test trip, we’ve had to use brand-produced images to show the gear in action.
The post 7.8 SLALOM SAILS TESTS – POWER VS CONTROL appeared first on Windsurf Magazine.
PROMO CLIP
Severne Sails produced this clip highlighting their new Hyperspider technology membrane construction.
HyperSpider from Severne Sails on Vimeo.
‘HyperSpider is our full-color, load path membrane technology. This is the next level in reducing weight and increasing strength. Customised fibre layouts are engineered for each individual sail, and mapped to exactly follow every load trajectory. These are our most technically advanced sails yet.
‘An evolution of our SpiderFibre technology where we took sailcloth and added vectors of fibre to transfer load directly along the load-lines, HyperSpider does away with the sailcloth and just puts fibre down along EVERY load path. Every fibre is precisely laid to carry a specific load. All the loads and tensions in the sail are now carried by the fibre instead of the film. This makes it possible to use thinner films, which creates a much lighter, more flexible sail.
‘In a traditional sail, reinforcement is added as patches that are sewn on top of the panels. In a HyperSpider sail all the reinforcement is already built in, again reducing weight and increasing strength.
The end result is a much lighter, stronger sail with an incredible feel.
‘Aligning the fibre exactly along the load paths means that stretch is able to be controlled to a level that was never possible in a paneled sail. What this means to the rider is a much bigger sweet spot: not only is the wind-range extended at both the top end AND bottom end, but the range of wind strengths where the sail feels perfect is much bigger.
The flexibility of the ultra-light membrane means that whilst the flying shape of the sail doesn’t deform under load, the sail still retains a very soft, smooth feel. Feels like luxury.’
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Off-season action in North Africa with wave-rider extraordinaire Boujmaa Guilloul.
The post MOROCCAN WINTER SESSIONS – BOUJMAA GUILLOUL appeared first on Windsurf Magazine.
PRESS RELEASE
The Tenby Caldy Island Relay will be run as always across the last August Bank Holiday on 24th/25th and 26th. The main demo and race days are Saturday and Sunday with free clinic time from our stars, stacks of kit to try out from the latest ranges across the brands and the fun race itself – the Caldy Island Relay.
This will be a fantastic family event with Windsurf and SUP gear for all members to enjoy from the kids upwards……and this year we will also be including Kitesurfing for the first time with thanks to North Kiteboarding!
The famous Saturday night BBQ is firmly in place and there may even be a live Rock Band!! Tenby town is a great place to be over the summer holiday with o shortage of nightlife to enjoy…….
There will be stacks of demo kit on hand and some ripping pro sailors to join your teams as we do every year…….each team will get assigned a top sailor to boost their chances and provide some top notch kit! Some of the confirmed guests already:
Nik Baker – Fanatic North…..TOP SEED
Simon Cofield – Fanatic/North – BSA Slalom tour leader
Kev Greenslade – Simmer/Tabou – Past speed champ and top 5 slalom seed
Si Pettifer – Simmer/Tabou – BSA Slalom top 5 seed
Chris Muzza Murray – Tushingham Starboard BWA & PWA Wave tour ripper!
Fanatic/North will be there with Nik Baker on hand to offer some free clinic time, kit advice and stacks of the latest gear for you to try! Both the Windsurf & SUP range will be on show all weekend.
Simmer Sails and Boards will be there, as well as some of the Mistral range with helpful tips and speed tuning advice from legendary Farrel Oshea as well as teamriders Kev & Si
Tushingham and Starboard have Chris Muzza Murray and their big demo wagon to get you out on the latest kit and join the weekends fun! both windsurf & SUP.
This year for the first time there will be a Kitesurf section in the race as well as kit demos and ‘intro to kiting’ from the North UK team.
Thanks to everyone who puts the time aside to join one of the most fun events of the year, and please help us spread the word and encourage others to come along!!
The entry for the entire weekend to join the demo and take part in the fun racing and fancy dress comp will be £30 per person. This includes your event T-Shirt and all the proceeds will go to Cancer research. So please help us raise some money for this great cause……
Really Look forward to seeing you there from all at Puravida and the Tenby Windsurfing Club
Please like and join our event page
The post PURAVIDA TENBY CALDY ISLAND RELAY AND DEMO WEEKEND appeared first on Windsurf Magazine.
BRAND POSITIONING
“The Turbo is the most user-friendly cam sail. It combines low end power with light handling and blistering top speed with control. It is based on our race sail platform with higher skin tension and pre tensioned leeches, increasing the low end power and top end control. The 2 cams stabilize the foil and provide pre set shaping for power and drive through gusts and lulls. By maintaining the drive forward in the sail, the TURBO promotes an upright stance which translates into a rig that is easier to sail faster. The TURBO is designed to be the fastest and most comfortable Twin Cam sail ever. It uses our homogenous batten concept. The smaller sizes (6.0 – 7.0) feature 6 battens keeping the handling light and the swing weight low. The larger sizes (7.5 – 9.2) feature 7 battens for foil stability with the increased size.” (Sic.)
PERFORMANCE
In terms of power the Turbo (or ‘Donut’ as we read it from the other side of the monofilm!) has the ‘DNA’ of a really refined, settled, confidence-inducing race sail. The depth and forward draft concentration really help it to pin down the racier boards and delivers a ‘velvety’, smooth pull. There’s a slight element of flex and the breathing action is always active and alive and was much appreciated in the rough conditions during this test trip. As we discovered in the slalom sail test in the May issue, deeper draft is nothing to be afraid of. In fact it makes life much easier and pushes the board down for added control when you ‘let fly’ and hydrofoil on the fins over swell in that exciting ‘6th gear’. That said, we did find that a lot of downhaul was needed as, despite the nice upright stance it encourages, you can be pulled up on to the toes a little too much at times so experiment with the downhaul and find the best sweet spot for the conditions at hand. We liked neutral outhaul the best and were impressed by how this grunty beast was actually pretty darn manoevrable too. Leaving the gybes the acceleration is obvious and strong. Not being top-level racers we found this helped us be faster on this sail when paired with dedicated slalom and the faster freerace boards we had with us than on the full-on gear that’s harder to kill the backhand on when approaching the corners. There’s a slick, solid ‘crack’ on rotation and it goes without saying we thought the flat-stick speed was pretty impressive against those pro-level slalom rigs. It has to be said these findings are based once again on using a Gaastra SDM mast (their ‘old’ curve, not the latest bend) as we haven’t managed to source the right Severne masts from the distributor to date, but, in case you already own one, it seems the Gaastra spars always seem to hit the mark.
THE VERDICT
A smooth, settled, turbo-fast twin cam with exceptional wind range and control. A no-brainer pick for anyone tempted to enter the racing or GPS scene while demanding a vital level of control. The benchmark product from this test.
Other sails in this test:
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FROM ABOVE from morenotwins on Vimeo.
The post FROM ABOVE appeared first on Windsurf Magazine.
In this month’s Windsurf, we have an exclusive feature in Coast on a game changer of a mission to Ireland as JC spotlights a world class discovery in the West. Now for the first time, we bring you the video of the session as Finn and Timo Mullen feast on some epic, mast high Atlantic waves. If you want to learn more about the spot and the day, check out the latest issue out now !
CAPE COLD EPIC IRISH WAVES
The post CAPE COLD EPIC IRISH WAVES appeared first on Windsurf Magazine.
Although forecasters sometimes throw out warnings, often you can read between the lines that it’s still okay to head into the eye of a storm. With devastation, real travel chaos, flooding and closed-down beaches now actually reality rather than just a threat, pulling the plug on any mission to the North Sea was the only sensible option. But we’re talking about ‘the Motley Crew’ here and, rather than throw in the towel, a new plan was instigated and within minutes we were now unexpectedly headed over to Ireland instead – with an
8-metre swell predicted! John Carter tells the story:
Words & Photos JOHN CARTER
(This feature originally appeared in the May 2014 issue of Windsurf Magazine. To read more features like this first, Print and Digital subscriptions are available. Prices include delivery globally for 10 x issues a year!)
1 p.m. Ross and I are at Yarmouth on the Isle of Wight in line for the next ferry. Don’t ask me why! We’re now committed. Timo’s booked a Stena Line ferry from Birkenhead (Yes, that’s from Liverpool) to Belfast and Ross and I are rushing over to meet him in Poole. From there it’s a race to make the last check in at 9 p.m. for the 10.30 crossing. Bearing in mind 80 mph winds are forecast during the night in the Irish Sea, we’re not even sure if the ferry will go. This trip is already verging on insanity.
3 p.m. Made it to Poole! A quick re load of vehicles as we all pile into Timo’s van and get ready to hit the road. Once I’m on board, I know anything is possible during the next couple of days. If the ferry doesn’t run, we could even be back tomorrow morning!
10.30 p.m. We make it to Liverpool and enjoy a smooth check in with Stena Ferries. Perfect timing as we tune into midweek match-of-the-day in the bar. The locals sure are happy with Suarez banging in four goals past Norwich just as the TV fades out of reception as we head into the Irish Sea.
3 a.m. I wake in the middle of the night to the noises of the whole ship creaking as the hull crashes through the wind and waves. Am I going to be seasick? That is the question. There’s too much noise and turbulence to get back to sleep – this is hell! Meanwhile, Timo and Ross are both happily snoring away! B******s!
8 a.m. A quick stop at Timo’s parents house on Loch Neagh, just outside Belfast, where we grab a bacon sandwich and pick up his brother Finn, who’s joining us for the excursion. Now Finn is well known as one of Ireland’s big wave Gurus, so I’m not sure if it’s a good thing or a bad thing when I see him load a bag full of buoyancy jackets, a fin belt and First Aid kit. I guess you’ve got to be prepared for anything if they’re calling for 30-foot waves?
10 p.m. Just a wee four-hour drive across Ireland as we head to the tip of the North West coastline. It’s overcast and hell windy, with the morning surf
reports at Bundoran calling for massive, blown-out wind swell.
Where we’re headed is open to the same swell, but is tucked away where hopefully the NW wind will be blowing cross-offshore – not much to ask for!
11.45 a.m. I pop the question to Timo before we reach the beach. You have the choice, turn back time and be back in the comfort of your own home, or be in this van right now on a 50/50 gamble with the conditions, still another full day’s travel away from Poole? Of course Timo would rather be part of the chase. He lives for these days and knows you have to be ‘In it to win it’. Fingers crossed, here we go!
12.30 p.m. The first half hour has been a bit sketchy with the wind but it soon starts picking up and the boys look overpowered out the back. I guess we’re at the very tail end of this storm? Definitely not 80 mph here, but mast-and-a -half waves will do us nicely!
1.15 p.m. One of the local Irish sailors goes down in the surf and looks like he’s broken his mast. The rip is taking him downwind fast towards a massive bombie and, with no rescue around, the sailor looks to be in a pretty sketchy situation. Finn (a.k.a. Red Bull Storm Chase Head of Safety) comes to the rescue, although the guy has to ditch his rig in order to ensure survival and enable a tow back in. A small price to pay against the possibility of drowning!
2 p.m. Timo drops into a big ‘un – probably mast-and-a quarter on the peak – but as he works his way to the inside bowl, the wave engulfs his rig completely and spits his sail out through the white water. Moments later he’s swimming like Michael Phelps as he tries to catch his rig before it smashes on the rocks. Ross and Finn sail in to check he is okay – and somehow he pulls his kit out of the boulders with no damage tendered. When the conditions are big and sketchy, it’s wise not to sail alone and, if your sailing buddy is in trouble, make sure they’re okay before you smash the next lip!
2.30 p.m. Finn is picking off the bomb sets, hugging the reef and dropping in deep. The big sets are easily mast-and-a-half high, although the swell direction seems a little north for the waves to fully reel down the point. Instead, these mountains of water are coming through like huge battering rams, heavy liquid walls that are tough to ride and bear nasty consequences if you wipe out. What is already striking a chord in my mind, is that I have to come back here when there’s another huge swell – but with the correct swell direction and cross-off wind.
The potential is there for this place to break like Cape Verde!
3 p.m. Ross is linking up some multiple turn waves on the smaller sets that are sneaking through along the reef. When I say smaller, they’re still logo high, hitting the reef with enough power where the consequences of wiping out will no doubt result in a trip to the rocks.
3.30 p.m. After nearly three hours on the water fighting with these huge waves, the boys finally return to the beach, somehow with all the gear intact.
The whole trip was almost worth it for that meal alone!
12 p.m. Back on the Stena Ferry, this time poised for a calmer crossing and hopefully a decent night’s kip. It’s Timo’s birthday, we’ve scored a pretty heavy session and there’s beer on board. Even though I’m trying to cut back on my intake, it seems rude not to celebrate.
8 a.m. Back into Liverpool as the sun comes up, with just another five hours on the motorway before we’ll be in Southampton. There is a temptation to head to the east coast to check out the aftermath of the storm, but dropping winds seem inevitable and the option of three hours less diving wins the vote.
12 p.m. Today’s headlines are a split between the death of Nelson Mandela and the massive storm and associated tidal surge. The floods that hit the east coast were reported as the most serious in the past 60 years, with thousands forced to abandon their homes, while seven cliff-top houses collapsed into the sea in Norfolk. Meanwhile, wind of up to 140 mph was reported up in the Scottish Highlands causing more havoc and chaos on the roads. Somehow we had managed to thread our way through the carnage and make it back-and-forth to Ireland with barely any disruption.
4 p.m. Timo drops me at the railway station at Southampton airport en-route to Poole, leaving just a train, bus, ferry, two more buses and a walk and I’ll be back at home! Since the final decision was made to head to Ireland, it’s now a total of 54 hours travel in exchange for four or five hours at the beach. The trip was definitely an adventure and, somewhere in my mind I have an awful premonition that I’m going to have to do it all over again in order to catch this place on its day. My gut instinct tells me that this Point Break could be insane and, knowing Timo and Finn, they’ll want to ride it again in the not-so-distant future.
6.30 p.m. I drag my bags through the front door. Seconds later the phone rings. It’s Timo “JC, East Coast looks on tomorrow …” After a moment’s hesitation, I reply: “Oh Jesus Christ – what time do we have to leave?”
THANKS TO: Stena Line ferries // www.stenaline.co.uk
The post COAST – A DETOUR TO IRELAND appeared first on Windsurf Magazine.
Iballa E-63_ Sessions 2014 from morenotwins on Vimeo.
Some “lost footage” from Iballa sailing in some waves #CanaryIslands during this season!
thecanarywayofsurf.com
Perfect training before Maui event!
The post LOST SESSIONS FROM IBALLA MORENO appeared first on Windsurf Magazine.
THE LOW-DOWN
With a reasonably compact outline, the Gator sits between Severne’s three-model wave range and the NCX and Convert rotational freeride/race sails. Famously used by jumping powerhouse Boujmaa Guilloul, the Gator is the only crossover sail regularly and genuinely used in wavesailing conditions in the windsurfing media. As an 100% x-ply beast, it’s tough as old boots with all the usual Severne attention to detail and longevity – all without sacrificing much in the way of weight. The Gator works with both RDM and SDM masts. We used a Severne SDM and also tried it with a Gaastra RDM and were not disappointed. (Severne’s often work well with the Gaastra bend curves – and vice versa – which is worth remembering if you own items from both brands.) In our experience the smaller sizes, up to around 6.5, work way better on RDMs.
BRAND POSITIONING
‘The Gator is a single sail range that covers any windsurfing conditions, anywhere on the planet. From high-wind bump & jump, to 8.0 freeriding on a lake, the Gator has it covered. The core principles are durability, manoeuvrability and a consistent feel across all sizes. PROGRESSIVE GEOMETRY: -The smaller sizes feature a higher cut foot and geometry biased towards wave and high wind bump & jump. Larger sizes have a lower cut foot to generate more drive in lighter winds but still maintain the light, throw-about feel.’
PERFORMANCE
Setting with a lot of draft and a pretty loose, progressive leech, the Gator’s armed to deal with whatever you throw at it. The depth – and to some extent the nice light weight – delivers plenty of early-planing power, feeling almost like a camber-induced sail it’s so grunty, while the leech works superbly to vent excess air when hammered by heavy gusts. The result is a super constant level of drive that lets you concentrate fully on where you’re heading and what you’re doing rather than controlling the power. Considering the level of draft, we preferred it set with most of the leech activated and a small amount of positive outhaul. In stronger wind we’d recommend instead using the lower/inner double eyelet for added control rather than adding extra tension. Perhaps surprisingly, that draft is no hindrance in depowering the foil as you approach moves either. Speed and acceleration-wise the Gator is strong and will reward you by reaching top gear early in time to reach those critical inside ramps swiftly. This size is a dream to throw about as, without a massive dropped clew to slow flicking the rig down, the transition from tack to tack, such as in gybes, is slick and unhindered. The foot is also low enough for ducking moves, but it’s that power delivery which makes it a winner for those that love to get airborne and achieve some rapid acceleration and speed into take-off.
THE VERDICT
A super grunty-yet-controllable engine with impeccable power control and handling, the Severne Gator 6.0 regulates the gusts and loves to be pushed hard in a true burn and turn environment. Jumping addicts will love the acceleration and speed on tap and those that live in shifty, inland locations will appreciate the glide and low-end power through the holes.
Other sails in this test:
The post SEVERNE GATOR 6.0M 2014 TEST REVIEW REPORT appeared first on Windsurf Magazine.
As the clichéd ‘Swiss Army Knife’ rig of choice, they have to, in the 6.0 range, ideally, span wave use – probably in more moderate wind, onshore environments – be fast enough to enjoy some drag-racing and bump and jump action, (most likely as a change-down size for inland sailors), have enough manoeuvrability to enjoy some freestyle – as well as being a sensible and popular choice for entry-level freeriders.
That’s a tough call so it’ll come as no surprise that there is a little bit of a spectrum ranging from the blastier, more freeride-oriented end to genuine onshore wavesailing powerhouses.
This test was originally published in the July issue.
TRENDS – WHAT DID WE FIND?
Well, compared to recent seasons we reckon this category has seen a massive increase in the upper end of the wind ranges. On this trip we were more than happy in over 30 knots of wind on 105L FSW boards, which equated to a effective wind range of 14-33 knots. That’s not a ‘we could hang on in 33 knots’ statement. We’re talking excellent control and comfort in most cases. Considering some of these sails are more expensive than others, it’s worth bearing in mind that you definitely need less of them these days so budget can arguably be less of an issue than in the past. Bear in mind though that all our test findings are only relevant and in context of what else we had on the beach at the same time. If a sail isn’t the earliest planer in this group for example, it doesn’t mean it’s not got good low-end, it’s just that we can only state what its performance is like compared to what else we were trying on the same days in the same conditions.
READ MORE 2014 EQUIPMENT TESTS
WHICH ONES SHOULD YOU BUY?
FOR BLASTING AND SPEED: The Vandal Addict, Severne Gator and the NeilPryde Fusion are probably your best bet in a drag race.
MANOEUVRABILITY: A tough call in this multipurpose category but the North Volt, Attitude Source, Severne Gator, Gaastra Cross and Pryde Fusion stand out as the most throwabout picks.
GENUINE WAVE PERFORMANCE: The compact Attitude Source, RRD Move, Simmer Iron, Severne Gator and, to some extent. the Naish Moto will all serve well in cross-on wave environments.
WIND RANGE: The widest overall range came from the Naish Moto, Gaastra Cross, North Volt and Severne Gator. For bottom end grunt it’s the Simmer Iron, Goya Nexus and Gaastra Cross that will power the big boys, wider boards and deal with current and patchy wind best.
BUILD QUALITY: The Naish Moto, Pryde Fusion and Severne Gator both display the techiest materials in the lightest packages. At the budget end of the scale the Attitude and Ezzy will be hard to beat too. For techy, cutting-edge materials it’s Pryde and Naish that stand out most.
EASY RIGGING: The straight-luffed Ezzy and the Vandal are probably the easiest to assemble without breaking into a sweat!
VALUE FOR MONEY: There’s the most bang for your buck in the Attitude, Vandal, Point-7 and Ezzy.
FOR ENTRY-LEVEL USE: The Point-7 HF and the Vandal Addict are hard to beat.
FOR HEAVYWEIGHTS: The Gaastra Cross, Severne Gator, Simmer Iron and Goya Nexus will haul your ass best.
FOR LIGHTWEIGHTS: The Vandal Addict and the Point-7 are probably best for ladies, kids and lightweights.
SOMETHING NEW & DIFFERENT: Naish have produced a unique feel with the ‘Fusion’ construction used in the Moto. The Dacron skin is nice and flexy but the frame is well tensioned and locked. You have to try one to experience it!
THE BENCHMARKS: This large group makes it a tough call. If a new crop launched on the market tomorrow, we’d probably take the Severne Gator as the most representative of this selection to measure them by. A sort of ‘Desert Island’ sail if you like. That said, we all liked the Moto’s unique feel. However, nobody would complain if they were given the Attitude for Christmas. Darn it we’d like them all for Christmas! Amongst the various size testers the Ezzy, Gaastra and RRD were all very popular across the board too.
* Also consider: Tushingham submitted their long-standing Storm to this test but have since released the Bolt, a line that changes throughout the sizes to suit most conditions in any given wind strength. We aim to find out the wave credentials of the 5.5 on our upcoming wave sails test trip.
Read on and see which ones stir your burn and turn juices!
Special thanks to Harry Nass Centre Dahab, F-Hot/Dave White for the loan of their mast mounts, I Love Meet and Greet Airport Valet Parking Services and North Sails for adjustable outhauls for our test rigs.
THE LINE-UP
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Nice clip from Scott Mchercher, life involved with Starboard R&D in Windsurf and Stand up paddle boarding. Cross section of sport and life interwoven
Aquatic Biodiversitiy from scott mckercher on Vimeo.
AQUATIC BIODIVERSITY
The post AQUATIC BIODIVERSITY appeared first on Windsurf Magazine.
BRAND POSITIONING
‘The REFLEX5 is the latest version of our pro racing sail. Based on the success of last year’s 12.5 Reflex4, we have transferred the 9 batten layout to the smaller slalom sizes. This enables us to rely more on the batten skeleton for stability, and less on the mast. The reduced luff curve allows for faster sail response, and gives a much lighter, slippery feeling’. (Sic.)
PERFORMANCE
Like a lot of Severnes, once you pick this baby up you realise it’s actually pretty darn light for a 9-batten, 4-cammed 7.8 race sail. And once rigged and on the water it’s also dynamically-not-just-physically light as well too. Using an older Gaastra hard-top mast, (usually the closest characteristics to Severne) we found the Reflex 5 super easy and forgiving to sail. With soft and tolerant handling and fingertip-light control, it’s surprising as the level of power on-tap is right up there at the gruntier, ‘tractory’ end of the spectrum in this selection. Is this a sign of refined power delivery, or is it actually just soft and all sponged away? For us it’s definitely an unprecented level of sophistication as we’ll explain in a second. With a tall and medium-length-boom profile this size was remarkably easy to gybe – the approach is forgiving, without too much pressure to ditch, which helps you get set up and to concentrate on the task at hand.
Exiting the gybe there’s super, strong acceleration available instantly too. Across the wind the Reflex is cruisy and comfortable and we thought, compared to the rest, that it sucks you upwind pretty nicely too. But it’s when super-broad and in dirty air that the answer comes – which is that you should probably sail this model ‘one size up’ than the rest. If it’s all too easy, change-up! In a pure racing environment you’ll be able to fly through dirty air like a trooper and gain another level of acceleration away from the pack by accessing the low-end power of the larger sail in the lulls. In other words, this 7.8 can easily be used in what’s 7.2 weather on most other sails – while still giving the power of the larger rig. We speak so often of the ‘spectrum’ of sail power (fast because they’re easy to use ranging to fast because they’re pure powerhouses) but hardly ever of sails that offer both. Yet surely that’s the whole point? We think Severne get this more than anyone else and have provided an accessible tool that can be sailed to-the-max by actually quite a wide range of abilities. We think it speaks volumes that a bunch of punters like us were happy enough, vastly over-finned in approaching 30 knots and a challenging water state.
THE VERDICT
What Severne have done is produce a powerful sail that’s so easy and soft to use that it’s possible to use it a size larger than most of its rivals. Easy to gybe, amazing low-end torque, acceleration and excellent lightweight control make it easy to keep up more canvass for longer. By far the most accessible of the pure, unadultered, power race sails on the market.
READ THE OTHER REPORTS
GAASTRA VAPOR 7.9
NEILPRYDE RS: SLALOM 7.8
NORTH WARP 7.8
POINT-7 7.8 AC-1
RRD FIRE 7.8
SIMMER SCR 7.8
The post SEVERNE REFLEX 5 7.8M 2014 TEST REVIEW appeared first on Windsurf Magazine.
Anything Could Happen from Tam Mullen on Vimeo.
It all came down to the wire on the final day of the
The post ALOHA CLASSIC – ANYTHING COULD HAPPEN appeared first on Windsurf Magazine.
OVERVIEW
Severne’s wave sail offering has expanded for 2015 with the new 3-batten, the S1 and the SWAT sitting alongside the all x-ply Blade, as tested here. There’s also a Blade Pro version in some sizes featuring the much-hyped new HyperSpider membrane construction.
BRAND CLAIM
‘The 015 Blade is a 100% X-Ply wave sail designed to create the perfect blend between power and control. Sail profiles are designed for maximum stability and wind range. Moderate head tension allows responsive twist. The SpiderFibre technology has radically reduced the swing weight, whilst also creating a much stronger clew. To achieve it’s incredible weight/strength ratio, the 015 Blade is entirely built from proprietary X-Ply laminates specifically designed for each area of the sail: lightweight eM3 body panels, KS Optic X-Ply window and HD Dyneema foot panel. The 015 Blade is the wave sail to choose for all-round high performance.’ (Sic.)
PERFORMANCE
You can’t comment on anything else with most Severne wave sails before mentioning the unbelievable blend of super light weight and detailed build quality. It really is in a league of its own and, although they’re not anywhere near cheap, they are particularly good value for money when you consider the re-sale and longevity involved. (Although we did frown slightly at there being just neoprene on the leading edge of the tack fairing.) The 2015 Blade does feel similar to last year’s version – with a lively, efficient, ‘downforcey’ power delivery as opposed to raw grunt – but for all of us it had a much more refined feel this time around. We particularly noticed a very gentle ‘inflate’ from neutral to full shape and power and felt it had lighter, more ‘finger-tippy’, energy-saving handling. You always think of Blades as having more low-and-forward power, but to us the draft feels up and central to slightly forward, yet once again the sail seemed to allow you to favour the back foot for the onshore rides and the front foot for more drawn out turns and control when clew-first. The new Blade also felt less ‘revvy’ and over eager at the low-end this year, feeling settled and composed at all times, which certainly widens the effectiveness of control and power. Not everyone on test trips agrees on graphics and presentation, but, for what its worth, the Blade also had a full-marks stamp from all the testers looks-wise and looks really striking on the water as well as offering excellent manoeuvrability and performance.
THE VERDICT
A premium product and no mistake about it, the super high-spec Blade is a refined and smooth sailing weapon for any type of wave riding use. You simply have to feel the lightness and efficient power to believe it. Featherweight feel deceives the fact the build can take on heavyweight swell without fear. It might hurt the wallet, but you won’t be disappointed on the water. A true go-anywhere, hard-core wave sailing pick.
Other boards in this test:
The post SEVERNE BLADE 5.3M 2015 TEST REVIEW REPORT appeared first on Windsurf Magazine.
5.3 is the size most likely to be most peoples’ biggest wave sail. As well as it being the largest efficient, workable size for boards down to around the 78-litre mark, without being too big or draggy on a toothpick, the do-it-all 5.3 is also more than workable on an 105-litre freestyle-wave. But, as we mentioned last season, the humble 5.3 has a big brief to fulfill, needing to be a powerhouse for heavyweights at the lower end of the scale – and manageable enough for lighter or medium-weight riders to use on a floaty board in on-the-edge conditions.
This test was originally published in the September issue.
So 5.3’s a key size that can span a realistic range of use spanning 14-30 knots. Some of this assortment fall into a ‘feel bigger than they are’ group (Gaastra, Vandal and Tushingham), while others have the sensation of being nearer the physical size of a 5.0 or even 4.7 model – but have the grunt of their actual size. (RRD, the North – not in the group, but read on about that – and the Attitude.) If you want real torquey, bottom-end drive, then why not consider a 5.7? There’s plenty around, but before you go shopping, consider that another advantage of an efficient 5.3 is that its mostly the largest size you’ll fit onto a 400 mast, where most 5.7s or 6.0s will require an additional and/or potentially more vulnerable-to-breakages 430. (Although you could use said 430 on a 7-metre-plus freerace or freeride sail on an 110 or 105L slalom or FSW/small freeride board to widen your range of use and justify the spend.) For now though we’ll concentrate on the 5.3s and see how they got on …
READ MORE 2015 EQUIPMENT TESTS
TRENDS
Okay so we’ve already stated this group are a bit more subtle than you’d think and how they ‘used to be’ and how a good few 5.3s are now quite ‘efficient’ feeling instead of being total animals. However, this size and the brief involved still often means some pretty slack outhaul settings are required to gain the maximum power, as well as widening the upper wind range by pinning boards down further in hectic sea states. The looser, fuller settings also increase backhand control for tightening-up frontside, onshore riding turns. This year the trend is still quite apparent, but there is a finer entry option (Attitude) that bucks that movement slightly, requiring noticeably more outhaul tension. The Tushingham is also quite outhaul sensitive and only ever needs one or two cm. maximum to get the best from it.
MISSING
There are a few key brands ‘missing’ here. There’s always a struggle getting some brands’ gear in time to publish the early release tests you all crave so much. A warehousing staff error unfortunately saw us having the North Idol as the early test leader, until we noticed it was the 2014 model that they’d sent … (On the aero platinum mast which revolutionises its performance compared to the mast supplied last season.) This is a real shame, but we highly recommend you strongly consider both the ‘old’ and new Heros – and only with that mast – for your demo lists. The Hero would’ve rivalled the test winner and, who knows, maybe even have taken the title? But sadly we had to stop sailing it as soon as we found out.
CONCLUSIONS
Well this time we have an outright winner. There can’t always be, but this time it was pretty clear to all of us which was the most workable, widely popular and best all-round performer, so congratulations to RRD for the Move 5.2.
Not everyone’s the same, so to help you sort out what’s best for you from the individual reports to follow this is what we found:
Early Planing: The RRD Move had competition from the ‘North that never was’ but emerged clearly in the low-end, upwind and acceleration up-to-speed front. The Gaastra Poison and Vandal Enemy are also pretty drivey, direct picks too.
Onshore riding: The RRD was outstanding in onshore slop, but the Severne Blade is also excellent in this department. The Tushingham Bolt and Attitude Rebel are also very manoevrable on the wave.
Best Outright Wind Range: The Move, Blade and Attitude seem to have the widest overall range, but we didn’t get to really test the top-end enough to be totally honest.
Easiest to Rig: Non of these were in the Ezzy league of easy rigging, but the Tushingham – bar the fiddly mast cutout – is a pretty simple ‘one set’ sail while the Severne, Attitude, RRD, Gaastra and Vandal are all quite straight forward and hard to get majorly wrong.
Which Ones Would We Buy?: If we sailed a lot in sideshore we’d consider the Blade, which has added light weight and construction strength benefits too. For value for money the Tush and Vandal and Attitude are impressive, but, taking into account the reasonable RRD mast prices too, it’s got to be the RRD, especially for mostly ‘real world’ wavesailing and FSW outings. BM
Special thanks to Tenerife Windsurf Solution (TWS) centre for hosting us – the best demo/hire centre in the world, F-Hot/Dave White for the loan of their mast mounts, I Love Meet and Greet Gatwick Parking Services and 211 Components for supplying excellent reduced diameter carbon booms that really helped us feel the max from the sails. (Without any forearm cramp or funny blisters!)
THE LINE-UP
The post 5.3M WAVE SAIL TEST 2015 appeared first on Windsurf Magazine.
The PWA Aloha Classic Event Summary:
The post SEVERNE STARBOARD PWA ALOHA CLASSIC HIGHLIGHTS & GALLERY appeared first on Windsurf Magazine.
A few weeks ago, Boujmaa Guilloul travelled to Mauritius to film for The Yard. And he scored! A couple of sessions at One Eye, the famously fast and dangerous left-hander and simply being in the water. Surfing, windsurfing and surfing again…
Boujmaa in Mauritius from boujmaa guilloul on Vimeo.
“This place is magic. I’ve been repeating this in my mind the whole time I’ve been here and it is the truth. I’ve been to places and few of them offered such quality of riding. Besides, the life outside the water is very interesting, nature-wise and human-wise. People are super nice and friendly, it’s the place that every single surfer, windsurfer and kitesurfer should visit at least once in a lifetime.”
– Boujmaa Guilloul
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