4.7 is popular shorthand for a good session. A boast of 4.7 to your mates makes you instantly hated but who cares, you’ve just been in 4.7 heaven. Designed for the wind speeds when windsurfers really like to play, it’s a serious business for the industry as they compete to develop the ultimate sail for the maximum fun.
This test was originally published in the October issue.
So with the business of windsurfing pleasure in mind, the playground of EL Medano was turned into our test lab as we put the latest 4.7 offerings through their paces. It’s our prime choice for this test because of its blend of great wind stats, accessibility, and what most of the manufacturers would describe as “real world “conditions. This trip we were blessed with marginal winds and small swell, not “epic” but still conditions that would tempt sickies and early finishes at the office. The wind speeds experienced meant we had less time than we would have liked to give each of the 4.7s in this group a thorough shakedown over their top end abilities but the low end and gust handling abilities were certainly tested fully.
THE LINE UP: – “NO LEMONS” Real “duds” are few and far between these days and guess what? We didn’t find any here either. For most of us, any day you get to break out a 4.7 is going to be a great one; I’ll wager that you can remember exactly when you last used your equivalent. The eight models here represent a good cross-section of the market and we have sought to place all the products in context with their competition, offer an honest critique of performance, construction quality, desirability and the overall value based on those attributes. There is a lot of choice of styles on offer today; 3, 4 or 5 battens?
How many battens a sail has is only part of the picture and a little bit like categorising boards by fin count alone. For example the tallest in the group is the four batten Goya Banzai but the shortest is also four batten, the Maui Sails Mutant, so not much can be gleaned from looking at the dimensions alone either. What we wanted to really define is the “flavour” of each of these designs as they were all created to fulfil similar briefs and aid the decision in finding the style that suits you best, within budget!
The key point we would like to make is right now we have the most diverse range of sails for “wave” use than there has ever been; some brands have up to 4 different wave sails in their range! While each product has a well defined niche by the manufacturer we were surprised by how some sails performed so well outside their specified zone.
This reminded us of another finding, everything we tested had a small range of downhaul settings, not more than 3 or 4 cm variation.
Outhaul, controlling the draught and power point, has a little more variation, 4 or 5cm. We all tune our sails to find the sweet settings but what has become obvious is that we also need to tune ourselves. Our ability to adapt our techniques is much greater than any tuning that can be built into equipment. Feel like you’re stuck in a rut? Then change your style of sail and give yourself a fresh perspective.
CONCLUSIONS Pro riders tear the seas apart on every single one of the sails tested here, which shows how capable they are and the benefit of the time spent in their development. The core test team of Brian Mc Dowell, 99kg, Julian Da Vall, 84kg and Chris Rainbow 79kg, interrogated our broader squad of pilots for their reactions, and some patterns emerged.
Ezzy Taka took the honours in the easy rigging department and is also the easiest transitioning sail here with its luff panel control giving another dimension to the de-power / re-power cycle.
The Goya Banzai was well praised because of its low energy personality that leaves you forgetting about the sail and its build quality and aesthetic that everyone seemed to love. The RRD Vogue certainly shared character traits with the Banzai and is much more than a side shore sail. The Sailloft Hamburg Quad is unique in this selection as it has been developed with freestyle ability on the menu too. It was one of the earliest planers on test due to its pronounced foil depth but you do need an induction period to get used to its feel. Finally the Mutant’s radical outline was a real eye turner and will appeal to the more adventurous of us.
There is great value in all of these sails, particularly when looked at with a quiver in mind, the trend being more range on fewer masts.
Stick with what you know or try something new? On the team, we would all say, try something new. Keep an open mind and don’t judge anything too quickly, experience some new sensations and your windsurfing will thank you for it, even if your bank manager won’t!
Thanks to, The team at TWS, Harco, Bart, Robbie, Guillome, Ronald Cormac de Roiste and Laoise Dhuda.
MISSING As with the 5.3 test last month, the administrative error at North saw us receive the 2014 versions of their flagship Hero. It was immediately removed from test, which was a shame as rigged with their Aero mast produces a ridiculously light handling experience that would have been great to compare directly to the rest of the test group. The Neil Prydes unfortunately weren’t quite ready yet after what looked like some major works going on with their new range and we hope to catch up with them both again in the future. JDV
OVERVIEW The Blade quiver spans an extensive 13 sizes stretching from 3.0 right up to 6.7m to fit any wave board size or rider. The Severne line-up is nothing if not comprehensive with no less than five specifically labelled wave designs plus the Gator crossover. The Blade however retains its position as Severne’s standard bearer and” Swiss army knife “any wave, any board adaptability and has long been a test favourite for its ease of use and wide wind range. The latest incarnation of the Blade uses exotic Spider Fibre technology which Severne implemented to reduce swing weight and create a stronger clew. Throughout the sail you can see the detail that has gone into increasing weight/strength ratio for 2015 with laminates specifically designed for each area of the sail.
BRAND CLAIM The 015 Blade is a 100% X-Ply wave sail, designed to create the perfect blend between power and control offering maximum stability and wind range and the wave sail to choose for all-round high performance.
PERFORMANCE With the 5.3 having been given an extensive work out in last month’s test, we had no surprises on the 4.7. It really does feel the same as the 5.3, but with the dimensions that make 4.7s feel that bit more pure and fun to use. All of the team felt the 2015 blade has progressed on and its key features of slightly forward mid pull and a very light hand pressure transmitted through the boom are still there. Also still present is the great stability through the most savagely shifting gusts and remember, it’s not just the increase in wind speed in gusts that challenge a sail but the sudden change of angle that can upset the foil and the Severne copes amazingly well with both. All these attributes are enhanced further by the smoothed out power application from neutral to “drive” with the sail filling very progressively through transitions. Another notable facet that we could all feel was the sensation of being pulled into your bottom turn as you rake the rig over and the head of the sail building pressure to squirt you back up the face. It’s not something that doesn’t happen in some other designs, just a point that we pick up on more with the Blade and rather like. The combination of composure and stability give the speed and confidence to attack ramps and the Blade was a jumping favorite. It’s not a powerhouse sail but a refined precision tool that has manoeuvrability to rival many 3 and 4 batten sails and an engineered weight that does the same.
THE VERDICT Like the 5.3 Blade featured in last month’s issue, the Blade’s mix of exotic materials and pared down engineering result in one of the very lightest 5 batten sails available. The sailing experience is even more refined than previous years; smooth, tough and agile make it a really solid choice for absolutely anyone.
Back in 2103 JC, Ross Williams and the Mullen brothers took a wild detour to Ireland after 100mph winds and dangerous storm surges put the mockers on a planned trip to the east coast of England. Their last minute journey led to the discovery of a hidden headland, perfectly positioned to groom a huge swell into a race track peeling point break. The score from that stormy session showed the crew the amazing potential of the point and they returned to base with the knowledge that this normally tranquil spot could be insane on its day.
Story & Photos JOHN CARTER
Less than six months later, a blip came up on the radar; all the right ingredients were out there brewing in the Atlantic. A huge west swell was marching in on the Irish Coast almost certain to max out most of the usual breaks and accompanied with a rare solid wind forecast, this was exactly the day the crew had been waiting for to plot their return.
“ I could tell by his body language,the way he kicked out at the end of the ride, that he had just ridden a really special wave and it was ‘game on’ !. ”
JOHN CARTER
And so the planning and the phone calls commenced! Shall we, shan’t we, procrastination, indecision, the ‘what ifs’ and all the usual mind numbing lack of decision making frustration I personally go through until Timo just pipes up ‘we are going!’. That was it, Ross was unavailable for the return but Finn was home in Ireland and up for another shot at this rare chance to score some epic down the line sailing. After checking out the possibilities, the only ferry that would cater for a hit and run mission would be the Holyhead to Dublin overnighter with Stena Lines. A mere six hours in the van from Southampton to the tip of north Wales, a few hours on the ferry and then a four hour drive at the other end to the wild west coast in late January, easy!
I’m not sure what draws me to these mad missions but after years of trudging backwards and forwards to Ireland, I still feel I want to be a part of any big wave chase and sometimes it is much better to go than to sit at home wondering if the guys are scoring or not. When you travel over twenty four hours to a spot and it’s not happening, it’s not like you can just turn around and quickly head back home. This is a commitment, a huge amount of speculation and after many years, the calls you make are hopefully more calculated than just going on a whim. This time round we arrived at the break, in a real state of apprehension, this gamble was a pretty hefty one and when I saw clean lines with the wind just starting to fill in, I was actually even more nervous that this might be a ‘teaser’ and one of those days where the conditions are right on the edge. After an hour or so playing the waiting game, Timo was out there, dropping into his first wave, it was clean as a whistle and loaded with power. I could tell by his body language, the way he kicked out at the end of the ride, that he had just ridden a really special wave and it was ‘game on’ !. Finn and Katie McAnena were soon to follow catching a golden window of sunshine, wind and perfect waves. A huge rain squall with its associated rainbow eventually marked the end of the magical session but for those few hours it was world class out there and a stand out session amongst all my years
FINN MULLEN
I remember watching a surf video from Ireland, the star was a grizzled ex pat shaper with a face full of foam dust and a laid back lilt from a low stress life of cutbacks and concaves. Amongst his gems of one liners was a tale that summed up life for wave and weather watchers on the battered west coast where he lived. His story was one that anyone that studies windguru can relate to, when he first arrived he couldn’t believe how good the forecast was, every day he’d get up early to catch these perfect waves; the catch ? – they never arrived.
I always keep an open mind or more importantly a van full of windsurfers and sups when it comes to perfect forecasts. I used to feel pressure when people asked me what conditions would be like but since having to make the call on flying a team of 50 to Ireland for the Red Bull Storm chase, a phone call from Timo and JC is easy breezy !. By the way that shaper from the surf vid, I didn’t explain the ending, he stopped getting up early, stopped watching forecasts and just surfed when he looked outside and saw it was good, pretty simple formula but one my brother and I have yet to work out.
My theory is every day on the water is a good day, Timo, well he would never lie in, as for JC, he’s the worker, the gold hunter who never stops sifting through the mud. Together we frustrate partners and any reasonable logic to chase those rare day of days even though we know we’ve been skunked more than we’ve scored – its the windsurfer logic – its always worth it! The beauty of this spot is that it is so far out of the way, there’s no surf report, no webcam, no nearby indicators, the approach is all wild fields and empty countryside and anticipation grows with every corner.
When we arrived to set upon set of wind fanned perfect left handers we were so amped up we could barely rig. The excitement leads to a litany of errors like wetsuit on the wrong foot and harness upside down, all while JC tells a tale of how Polakow would be out there already. I remind JC that Polakow’s idea of cold is how chilled his Red Bull is, Polakow would have already tried to drown him twice before breakfast on his jet ski and that oh yeah, Timo is already out there ! JC drops his camera bag running or rather tripping to the rocks to catch Timo’s first wave, his tripod hits him perfectly between his legs as his brand new trainers land knee deep in freshly laid mud that smells suspiciously not very muddy. I lend him my wellies even though I feel Polakow wouldn’t while my half rigged sail flys like an uncontrolled kite towards the closest barbed wire Murphy’s law can find.
If you have ever windsurfed in some tropical PWA paradise where the local rippers rig effortlessly in the sun, have cool clothes, sick polished trucks and hot girlfriends who kiss them goodbye before they do a double Goita while rubbing suntan on their shoulders, this is not one of these scenes. My sail is flapping on a fence, the van is a darker shade of muck, our clothes are soaking wet, cool no, cold yes and the only thing I want from my girlfriend is a hot cuppa and some Deep Heat on my nose to lessen the hypothermic snot forming. The one thing that is the same but is the waves, I’ve never been to Punta Preta but hold a mirror to it and leave the AC on max for 5 years and that’s what it looks and feels like out there today.
The waves are so butter smooth I know I can rig a small sail, my favourite 4.4 S1 and opt for my Kode 82 twin for a little bit of float out the back. There’s so much period to the swell that riding a super-fast board like the Kode looks like the only way to keep up with the speed of the wave. As I launch Timo hits a perfect lip at Mach speed and boosts an insanely high aerial and an even more amazing landing back down the face. I smile knowing I’m probably not going to get an air like that but seeing it in the flesh by your brother, well that’s just as good a feeling too. My first wave I couldn’t believe how smooth it was, butter seems the obvious comparison but most butter I know clogs your arteries, is a bit fatty and not very good for you. This butter however was oozing adrenaline; fat?, no way, it was a face loaded with muscle. Bad for you ?, yes it was, I knew I was going to stay out until I couldn’t move anymore and bore the booties off anyone for the next 10 days telling them how good it was.
As I kicked out I watched Irish ripper Katie McAnena drop down another bomb, I couldn’t believe how fast she was going, it was the only way you could keep pace with the freight train of the wave and after a couple of rail blistering turns she soon joined us in the channel for a chorus of screams that only windsurfers can communicate with in times of joy and normal people reserve for new iPhone launches. If you windsurf for no other reason than to escape iPhones and normal people then this day was for you. Three of us on the water, not a soul in sight and only the noise of waves breaking perfectly and your fins humming happily as they slice and speed to the peak of their design.
Windsurfing waves like these is actually a pretty simple formula, unlike our shaper friend though you just have to keep getting up early, keep looking at forecasts and keep waiting for those perfect waves because one day they do come, it’s the windsurf logic and on this cold but perfect January day it was so worth it!
“ my heart rose as I turned down the final pothole ridden road to a view of a worldclass left hander peeling across the bay with the sun beating down ”
KATIE MCANENA
At 8am I set out North from my home in Galway to catch up with JC, Timo and Finn. The plan was to sail a notoriously fickle break that the boys had scored in December and were keen to catch again. As a spot, it’s incredibly temperamental, depending on very specific wind and swell directions and tide state. The one and only other time I had sailed it before was January two years ago with Mikey Clancy and Graham Ezzy and from that one day I knew both what a joy it was to catch a screaming left there but also the pain and heartache of the gusty winds and ripping currents.
Slightly sceptical, I took my time getting there as pounding hail showers, Armageddon squalls followed by windless doldrums did little to settle my nerves. Just as I was resigned to another glorious waste of petrol, my heart rose as I turned down the final pothole ridden road to a view of a world-class left hander peeling across the bay with the sun beating down and not a sinner on the wave, classic Ireland !
As usual eager beaver Timo, was rigged and ready to go. He’s always on it when it comes to sailing. Finn wasn’t too far behind but meticulously checking his gear making sure everything was fit for purpose. I’m useless when it comes to being prepared like him, I just rig as quick as I can and head out regardless, but I’m starting to realise Finn might be actually on to something, like when I keep breaking down out to sea with no back up whilst Finn’s out there with enough spare down haul to tug a cruise ship into shore!
Timo was catching some absolute peaches, long walls with throwy inside sections which he was just doing aerial after aerial on. It was fun to see some of the local top big wave surfers like Paul O’Kane there watching some world class windsurfing, it’s a pretty rare occurrence around these parts and to see it so closely, in person, is pretty impressive. Finn headed out and in true Finn style started picking off the bombs. He tacked so far up wind I thought he’d run aground on the headland but it was all part of his standard kamikaze mission to go as deep as he could on the biggest sets of the day. At one stage all three of us were lined up on a clean set that came rolling in from so far out the back it felt like a lifetime before they finally jacked up. I could see Timo on the first, throwing buckets all the way in, then Finn’s wave was massive and all I could see from the back was the arc of the mast dipping below the lip and then carving up again as the monster wave rolled in. My wave was pretty sweet too. I was out on my favourite sail, my 4.3 Firelight, trying not to get distracted by the boys’ waves in front of me, or the stunning backdrop ahead as I headed down the face of a sizeable wall. There is literally nothing sweeter than having the sickest conditions right at home on your doorstep, the sun shining down and only you and your two mates out there enjoying it. It’s always the best craic sailing with Finn and Timo, not only because they push me to try harder but mostly because they are so unbelievably happy to just be out there, it’s so infectious and why I love windsurfing in Ireland despite my near hypothermic state ! JC
BREAKING BAD
// PHILIP KOSTER rotating through a sea of white in Maui. Shooting from the sky you get a real appreciation of the volume of water moving in a breaking wave. It looks heavy but Koster’s pretty laid back, on and off the water, I doubt he’s stressed, that’s normally my job when I’m in a helicopter !
has been the dark horse on tour this year that everyone didn’t want to see their name next to in the draw. He’s took down some major scalps and at one point even lead the world rankings, all in what he calls, his ‘warm up’ year !. If you’re a PWA wave competitor, be worried; if you want to know more about a refreshingly down to earth, polite but determined competitor, read on.
Words & Photos JOHN CARTER
(This feature originally appeared in the November December 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!)
What initially attracted you to windsurfing?
My brother Hendrix and I had grown up going surfing every morning with Dad in our Summer holidays and normally by lunch time there was a howling seabreeze and surfing wasn’t much fun. I think that’s what attracted me to windsurfing the most, the fact that I could ride waves on my surfboard in the morning and ride waves windsurfing in the afternoon. In the end I spent far more time windsurfing, especially during school term because by the time I would finish school in the afternoon it was normally 20-30 knots. As my Dad always says, growing up in Geraldton and not windsurfing is like growing up in the snow and not skiing or snowboarding.
Where did you learn, and where are your favourite spots back in WA?
I learnt to windsurf at St. George’s beach in Geraldton. St. George’s is a sandy beach with a few patches of reef and about 300m of flat water before you reach a couple of little waves. I probably windsurfed there for about 6-12 months and learnt how to plane, waterstart and gybe before I started sailing at Coronation and getting in to the waves. Coronation is still one of my favourite places in the world. It is such a good set-up. There’s a really shallow reef just upwind of where we windsurf there, so it’s super smooth on the inside for about 200m, then as you get past that the waves progressively get bigger until you pass the bombies out the back. During the day it’s really good jumping being side-shore to cross-on, and then an hour before sunset the wind normally swings cross-off and it becomes sick for wave-riding. The whole W.A. coast is amazing for windsurfing though and Geraldton is right in the middle of a couple of my other favourite spots, Gnaraloo, Margaret River and Esperance. We have such good variety with these waves. Gnaraloo is a perfect long left, Margaret River is a massive bowl where you really need to be hitting or turning as close to the lip as possible to ride it well and Esperance is a punchy, fun cross-off beach break.
Where are you based now?
Now that I’ve finished with University I’ve moved back to Geraldton after 4 years in Perth. I have the best lifestyle here and the beach is so accessible. I can surf, windsurf or fish every day so for the moment Geraldton is perfect, especially while I am focusing on my windsurfing again.
What are your ambitions in windsurfing?
One day I’d like to be recognised as the best wave rider in the world, at least on port tack. Growing up I always wanted to be the Wave World Champion and that’s why I’m doing the tour now, to see if I can achieve that. I don’t think you need to be World Champion anymore to be recognised as the best wave rider in the world though and I guess Levi (primarily, but a couple of others are) is responsible for making me think like that.
How much was Scotty McKercher an influence on originally persuading you to do the world tour?
Scotty never persuaded me to do the World Tour, it was always something I wanted to do but when I was younger he just made it more appealing to travel. I enjoy travelling so much more when I have some of my mates with me. Scotty is really relaxed and we both like our space and getting away from the circus at the beach so we get along quite well. The first couple of years I travelled with him I was so quiet and shy I didn’t really talk to him at all. Once I get to know people though and start getting comfortable I’m the opposite and don’t mind trying to annoy them or giving them a hard time. Scotty has a good sense of humour too so most trips have a couple of belly laughs. I once let him talk me in to sculling a whole glass full of sweet and sour sauce for 5 Euros. He thought it was funny but it took me a good couple of years to even bear the smell of sweet and sour sauce again.
Hanging out with Scotty so much when I was younger though, and even now has definitely motivated me to progress my windsurfing further, especially my waveriding. He’s almost old enough to be my Great Grandad but he still hits bigger lips than just about anyone. Being around someone like that, when you’re looking at a big lip you just have to hit it or you walk up the beach with your head down and hope he didn’t see it. He still probably pushes my wave riding more than almost anyone else and to be able to travel and sail regularly with someone that pushes you so much is pretty cool.
Is it tougher for an Aussie to come to Europe to compete?
I think it’s more expensive to get to the events for sure, but it depends on how you do it. This year, ideally I would have liked to stay in Europe for the month off between Tenerife and Klitmoller, but I needed to go home and work to keep my job and maintain my learning as a Physiotherapist. If I had stayed, then it wouldn’t be too much more expensive and hopefully in the future I will be able to stay.
Was it a tough decision to take four years out to study to become Physio ? At times it was pretty hard to be at University while everyone else was windsurfing every day of the week but I really wanted to have something else to fall back on. When I finished school I wanted to commit to the Tour for a couple of years before studying but I ended up injuring my foot quite badly in 2009 and was unable to windsurf for over 6 months. That’s when I decided to go to University and finish a Physiotherapy degree before I gave the Tour another go. It was hard because I wasn’t able to live in Geraldton and my course was pretty full-on so I wasn’t able to windsurf anywhere near as much as I wanted. I’m happy now that I made that decision though and I feel that it was definitely worth it.
You must have a pretty cool boss to let you take time off to do the PWA? My boss is a keen windsurfer and he has been one of the biggest supporters of my Dad’s boards so I have known him since I was really young. Max (my boss) was my Physiotherapist growing up and always knew that I wanted to compete on the Tour for a few years. I am really lucky to be given the opportunity to travel and to take several months off a year to windsurf and then to come home to a job I really enjoy as well.
Why did you come back and compete on the tour, surely it was quite risky with the trials?
Competing on the World Tour was what I always wanted to do and to get back on to the Tour you don’t have a choice but to do the trials. The trials are quite nerve-racking for sure and I was really nervous about them in Pozo. That was where I felt the most pressure but it was pressure that I was putting on myself. Everyone in the trials is a threat and most of those guys are previous PWA sailors who have had some time off or they are the best local guys who know their home spot inside out and are looking to break on to the World Tour. I approached the trials like I would a normal heat and knew that if I wanted to be competitive in the main event then I had to beat those guys in the trials.
Why did your dad sign up as a member of the PWA rather than just let you sail on white boards or use another brands graphics?
It was more my choice to join the PWA than my Dad’s. Dad didn’t mind what I did but I wanted to represent Stone Surfboards and ride the boards that I prefer to ride without feeling like they had to be covered up, just to protect the bigger brands. Stone Surfboards isn’t a big brand at all, Dad shapes boards in a small shed behind our house and he has no aspirations to get any bigger. He’s just happy shaping 1-2 surfboards a week and 1 sailboard every 2 weeks or so, spending the rest of his time surfing, windsurfing or fishing. I earn more money than him now in my first year as a Physiotherapist too so I wanted to pay the fees to get a bit more involved myself. Now that I’ve finished studying I want to learn how to shape my own boards over the next few years too so maybe one day I’ll be riding those.
Was the prize money enough to cover all your expenses?
This year I was always expecting to have to spend some of the money I’ve earned through working, especially because I haven’t been in the windsurfing scene much over the last 4 years. Thankfully though, Severne and Kinetic IT who have supported me since I basically began windsurfing helped me to get to all the events this year. The prize money definitely helps and means that I don’t have to go too much in to my own money to pay for my travels.
Were you surprised you nailed two 4ths in Pozo and Tenerife?
Yeah, I was so focused in both events and it all happened pretty quickly so I didn’t think about it too much. I was definitely more surprised I finished 4th in Pozo though compared to Tenerife. Pozo was my first competition back in 3 years and it’s normally dominated by the local guys who focus on jumping. In Pozo, I guess you’re not expected to do well unless you’re doing doubles and the pressure is definitely there if you aren’t doing them. I didn’t feel comfortable doing them in the conditions I had during my heats though so I didn’t. At the moment doubles and push loop-forwards are the only jumps I’m not doing consistently but I started doing doubles again last season in W.A. which is the first full season I’ve sailed in 4-5 years. That was my goal for the last season, to start doing doubles again and I achieved that so I was happy. The goal for this season coming up though is to start doing them more consistently and to get back in to push-loop forwards. I’m just taking my time and making sure I feel comfortable though. I’ve had plenty of time off the water due to injuries and I’m really enjoying going sailing at the moment. In Tenerife I just had fun going sailing all the time and I always do when I’m in Tenerife. There are some waves there that you can do a proper turn on and the wave hits the reef in a similar way to one of the waves I sail in Geraldton.
What aspects of your sailing helped you beat some of the world’s best?
I’m not too sure, I think I just tried to sail smart and to focus on my strengths which I feel is my wave-riding. In both events, but Pozo in particular, sometimes the waves were quite small so it was really important to pick the best that were coming through. Picking the best waves allows you to do bigger and better turns and hopefully the judges are starting to reward that. The conditions weren’t the best in both competitions either, but it was still fun to go sailing and it felt like quite a few people didn’t really think that. I tried to stay positive throughout each heat and that was probably what I found to be the most helpful aspect.
Tell us about the boards you are using, what makes them so special?
All the boards I use are Stone Surf Designs shaped by my Dad, Mark. He’s been shaping surfboards for 30 years now and was shaping them for almost 20 years before he started shaping sailboards. I guess that ‘apprenticeship’ of shaping surfboards for so long prior to sailboards makes him think differently to some of the other sailboard designers. When he first started building my boards 13 or 14 years ago, it made more sense to him to shape thrusters. I always remember I felt so comfortable at home riding thrusters growing up because most of the locals were on Dad’s boards, but when I went to Hawaii I almost wanted to hide my board because I felt like I didn’t fit in and that not many people accepted multi-fin boards. It really wasn’t until Kauli started winning a few events on a twin fin that people started to try them out.Single fins and twin fins can be fun to sail but you don’t really see anyone on the ASP World Tour riding them.Dad’s always coming up with new ideas regarding construction, fins or new shapes to try but the focus is always to try and develop a sailboard that feels like a surfboard. The boards I am using at the moment are thrusters in high winds and quads in light winds. In high winds my thrusters allow me to push as hard as I can and release the fins or re-engage them whenever I want to. The quads are a little wider and have a straighter outline so in light winds I feel like I can produce more speed on the wave. The really short boards we’re using have a really similar rocker line to my quads with a couple of adjustments. I think trying different shapes and ideas whether it works or not helps us learn and keeps us moving forward.
How do you like the Pro edition Severne Sails?
The new sails are easily the best I’ve ever used. When I first started testing the proto-types I used them for a couple of sessions and put them away in the shed because I didn’t want to use them anymore. Not because they were bad but because they were so good I didn’t want to use my current sails anymore. I really feel that along with my boards they will help progress my wave riding and help me ride a wave as close as possible to the way a surfer would. These sails are so responsive that the transition from power to no power happens as quickly as you want it to and I think that immediate responsiveness is really important for wave-riding. Their weight is unbelievable as well and they will change what is possible to do on bigger gear.
How do you get along with Ben Severne?
I get along with Ben really well. When I first started sailing and Severne was just beginning I remember Ben made me a pink and yellow 3.0 that I used almost every day. I think it’s really cool that I’ve been using Severne Sails since they began and that I’ve known Ben since I was 11. He tries to talk me in to doing some pretty sketchy things sometimes (like dying my moustache black when I it was just blonde bum fluff) but other than that he helps me with everything and having his support, whether I’m away competing or not, definitely helps me windsurf as well as I can. I think of Ben as a coach and a mentor in many ways and often ask him for advice. Before competing against Alex in Round 1 in Pozo and Ricardo in Round 1 in Tenerife I was pretty nervous but being able to speak to Ben helped me to be mentally prepared for those heats. I don’t feel any pressure from Ben to perform well in contests or to get results and I feel like he always supports what I’m doing.
We heard Koester came out to Gnaraloo last year, what was it like to sail with him at one of your favourite breaks?
Yeah Philip came out in November/December and we had a sick couple of days in Gnaraloo with Scotty and Ben. It’s always good to sail with Philip and although we have different styles I feel like I learn something every time I do or I get inspired to keep working on new things and to push different aspects of my own windsurfing. Philip is the sailor that when he walks down the beach most people just stop what they’re doing and watch him sail and it was the same in Western Australia. I was happy to sit in the car park on the cliff and watch him for a while as well but after a few minutes I just wanted to be out there trying to learn it all myself. Now that he’s on Severne hopefully I get the opportunity to sail at different locations with him in W.A. every season.
What did you think of his sailing in Pozo and Tenerife?
Philip always sails well and he sailed really well in both events. Everybody is still trying to catch up to Philip in the air-game and although a few are starting to get closer he is still a level above. Pozo and Tenerife can be quite hard to adapt to and they are essentially Philip’s home spots but he looks so comfortable sailing in those winds compared to just about everyone else. There were a couple of times in Pozo and Tenerife when we were talking about gear and what size sails we were using and I felt a little feminine when I was taking out a 4.4 and he’s still holding down a 5.7. Philip let me know that though.
What are your plans for 2015?
Hopefully in 2015 I’ll be able to compete on the whole PWA World Tour again. I want to commit to the tour for a couple of years to give it my best shot and to see how I go. I can’t expect to do really well straight away on my first attempt at the whole tour so this year is to prepare for next year and to learn as much as I can. Depending on the support I get, I would like to have a bit more time off work to focus on windsurfing as much as I can and get to the events a little earlier to adapt and prepare. I want to spend a longer period of time training starboard tack as well. I would love to feel like I can sail equally as well on both tacks but that will just take some time and practise. I really like going on windsurfing trips with Scotty and Ben, chasing swells and perfect waves, so hopefully I can do a little more of that.
”After the PWA season ended last year I got approached by the guys of Bern Media if I was interested into making a little clip together. As it turned out just a few days later a good forecast appeared and we tried a new spot probably nobody had sailed before on a very small inlet near Hoorn with dead flat water but a bit gusty winds. In the end all worked out great although it was a typical dutch stormy day with almost no sun and a lot of rain me and the guys of Bern Media are happy how it turned out. It’s not about the action but more about why after doing this sport for almost 16 years and being a pro windsurfer for the past 5 years I still love it as much if not more than when I started! Hope it gets you pumped up to score that perfect session and you enjoy this clip which is a bit better than the other clips I normally put online!
Thanks also to my sponsors: Starboard, Severne, Camaro, Sunwise and C7”
HOW TO BE A PRO THE TRUTH BEHIND THE SPONSORSHIP MYTH
There’s a saying in motorsport, ‘’you can make a little money, providing you start with a lot !’’. Behind the glamour of fast cars and fancy logos lies the truth that most drivers outside of F1 actually pay for their drives and it can be equally hard to discern who is actually a financially independent pro rider in windsurfing these days. Windsurfing sponsorship or ability is not directly related to the number of stickers on your sail and the competition for Industry support has never been tougher. Nevertheless opportunities do exist and dreams can come true so we decided to decode the art of sponsorship from top pros to shop support. Read on for our guide from those that have been there, done that and either give or wear the coveted sponsored t shirt !
Intro Finn Mullen // Words Kevin Pritchard // Photos John Carter
Kevin Pritchard Multi World Champion
‘Photo shooting, competition results, social media, writing travel stories, arranging trips, booking tickets, training, travelling, packing, checking in, writing emails. Today’s athlete has little room for error. The art of being a team rider is becoming more and more difficult every year with budget cuts, new kids coming up, and the social media side of things ever changing the game. Combined with the small window of opportunity to be a professional athlete in a very small sport and you only have one shot when opportunity knocks.
So what does it take to become a team rider? Well the best way to get your foot in the door is results. Race results, wave events or some form of proof that you should be on the team. If you are not doing contests or there are no contests around your area, working with a key shop in your area and being the local hotshot on the beach is one of the best ways to get your first sponsor. When the shop that is buying the boards or sails recommends a rider to a brand, it is pretty hard for them to say no. You might not start off with a free board, but maybe a discount to help you move closer to your goal. Next up, start gathering some photos, videos and records of your results or coverage from magazines and websites. To be noticed and achieve exposure you need to stand out from the pack these days so offer Editors a different angle and make sure your videos are slick and clean. I like to keep my sponsors informed as much as possible and send in reports of what I have been up to. I am doing a lot of events throughout the year so it gives me plenty of things to write about. I try to tell them about the events, who was in it and how I did. This keeps your name going through their desk and the next time you come up for contract negotiation they are like oh yeah that guy has been working !
$ Any team rider needs to cruelly consider themselves as a ‘ prod- uct that will help grow sales $Dave Hackford
Sponsorship is pretty cut throat. For the last 20 years, every year around October, its contract renewal time. It is pretty rare unless you are Philip Køster to get more than a one year deal. You know the saying, you are only as good as your last race, well that holds so true when you are trying to keep your sponsorship budget alive. You start thinking about if you did good enough, if you are going to make the team, did I do enough travel stories, is the brand as a whole selling enough gear to keep up with the budgeting. This is stress month, you’re in? you’re out?, do you have another brand who wants to work with you? For me, I always do best when I had a backup plan. If I had a backup plan ready to go I could go in with all my confidence and be like I want to stay with you guys, I want to be loyal to the brand, but this is what I need to happen. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t.
// It is important to be able catch the shots your sponsors want; KP the consummate pro, at speed on a Futura at the Starboard photo shoot.
This year was no different for me, my contract is up at the end of the season and while yeah maybe I am getting on in age, I still want to keep this lifestyle going. I love windsurfing and I love to do promotions, test equipment and get creative with new designs but how do I justify myself to my sponsors if I am just sitting on the couch all year. As I approach contract renewal, I venture down to the Bangkok Headquarters and straight into the negotiating room to iron out my 2015 contract and hoping to get a raise. Straight away Starboard come in with an array of congratulatory comments on my performances throughout the year, it throws me off guard ! I continue with my game plan and whip out my list of things that I have been doing, current leader of the AWT, writing articles for magazines, being on the web, being on Facebook, making videos, promoting myself as well as the brand. After haggling back and forth I managed to snag some more boards on the old contract and thanked my lucky stars for my 15th year on Starboard’s Dream Team. It has been a good run ! Contracts will typically layout exactly what the brand expects from a rider and what they are prepared to give, what people may not realise is there are also sometimes cash incentives for world titles or exposure (please give me a front cover Mr Editor ! )
So now being in my older years, who do I think is worth the cash money moollah these days? Well as you can tell by now, the playing field has changed a bit. Of course I think that I am worth the most, Ha ha.. Well maybe not, but doing my fair share of internet, videos, magazine travel stories, and actually being able to discuss what a board or sail does or how it works to a potential customer or shop owner I feel like I am in a great position for a brand, because I can rip harder than most people on the beach and can also be a great ambassador for the brands that I am representing. The age, talent and ability to relate to the older cliental that buys windsurfing equipment is a huge plus.
// Chris ‘Muzza’ Murray will pretty much do anything for his sponsors, within reason!
Brands realize though they have to have the complete package. You have to have the riders doing the articles, media, testing the equipment as well as young kids doing the dreamy, insane moves that 99.9999% of windsurfers will never ever do. In my mind I see Robby Swift doing a great job. He has managed to keep a good contract with JP / Pryde throughout his injury prone years and I think it is mainly because what he does off the board as well as on the board. He makes all the JP videos and is filming all the time with his wife Heidy, and the brand can feel a real value coming back in. Sure when he goes out and does a pushloop forward in Gran Canaria, it is awesome and amazing, but if he does it and no one sees it, does it count for his sponsors ?
Boujamaa is one who gets a ton of print coverage. When I was in the office, nearly every mag had him on a cover or double page spread that was just some insane jump with a rainbow behind him. Working with photographers, doing crazy bad ass stuff always gets you a good look.
While so much of the hype is focused on Facebook and web related stuff, sponsors love to see tons of print media. When they pay so much for an advert, it helps them monetize how much it is worth for a rider to be on the cover. The brands spends a large amount of money to place an add on the inside cover, so for Bouj or whoever to be doing something unbelievable with the Starboard Tiki right in your face, that is worth a lot for a brand.
Thomas Traversa and his girlfriend do a great job together, awesome web clips, I even saw her out filming for the GA photoshoot last year. The cost savings to a brand to have these sort of girlfriend film teams is enormous and a real plus as a rider. Sure if you’re Køster, Brawzinio or Antoine you can get by on just being a badass but it sure looks to me like the people that are building their presence through print, web, and competition are the ones that are here to stay. While being a professional windsurfer sounds like all fun and games, you have to want it and make sure you do a great job on all aspects. When my nephew asks me if he should become a pro windsurfer like his dad and uncle what am I going to say. Is it too late to make the millions that the Naish, Dunkerbeck, Polokow, Pritchard, Siver era has enjoyed ? Every time I think yeah, it’s too late, you better start swinging a golf club, I see guys like Køster coming up, working hard, huge talent, getting the sponsorship, and living the dream. If you want it bad enough, and are ready to sacrifice everything you got, you can still do it. Work hard, play hard, and love it from your soul and there is nothing that can stop you.
Dave Hackford Brand Manager Tushingham
Working in the windsurfing industry is pretty extraordinary if you compare it to the cut throat nature of other industries. We all want to be on the water windsurfing, and for that reason team riders will always exist, because they take the brand on the water, and effectively take their sponsor’s with them. There is nothing quite as rewarding as having the phone call from one of you riders on Sunday night to say they have clinched the National title. Apart from winning it yourself! So How does Tushingham work out they need a team rider? The first step is to find out if there is a budget to spend on a rider. The general rule of thumb for a brand is to allocate 5% of turnover directly to marketing initiatives. Those initiatives are spread across diverse areas: For example; photo shoots, advertising, social media costs, exhibitions, promotions, conferences and team riders. So any team rider needs to cruelly consider themselves as a ‘product that will help grow sales by reaching the consumer’. Once that has registered – the goal should be clear.
It is pretty hard to quantify the expenditure on many marketing initiatives, like exhibitions and social media, but good team riders can directly show a return. Back in the wonder years of windsurfing a ‘racing’ team rider could have a direct influence on sales of a board. If the rider won a national race the importer would see sales arrive on Monday morning. Racing participation has dwindled over the years. Tushingham has a core market in the Freeride and crossover sector of windsurfing, so with declining coverage of events from around the UK, it was important for us to consider supporting more team riders to show the products off on the beach in local patches.
// Timo Mullen pulls in more than his fair share of coverage for Starboard and Severne. All those pics are not just a coincidence, Timo works hard at bringing the likes of JC and his brother Tam to photograph and video all the best sessions.
// Dream big…live the dream, Pritchard’s words to live by; seem to have worked for him!
Do’s and Don’ts
by Dave Hackford
DO
1.When getting started, build a relationship with your local shop or windsurfing centre. Every rider I know has started from this level.
2.Understand the raw basics of sponsorship, which is to help grow sales for the sponsor. The sponsor’s job is to help give you the tools to do it.
3. Stay in contact with your sponsor. But above all make sure you contact them more regularly with what you have delivered rather than asking them to deliver more to you.
4. Make sure you know about the equipment before you apply for sponsorship. You MUST believe in the kit.
5. Report back on the performance of the kit. Good and bad.
6. Look to the future. Consider the strength of the company that may sponsor you. A long term sponsorship relationship is generally beneficial. Is it the right company for five years ahead?
7. Understand how social media works, and use it.
8. When in the higher league – report back to your sponsor annually on what you have achieved.
DON’T
1. Assume potential sponsor’s know who you are, or you are looking for support.
2. Choose your sponsor based purely on financial return.
3. Only contact your sponsor when you need something
4. Criticise competitors kit too openly – you never know……..you may be knocking on their door.
5. Do not be seen on another brands kit
6. If you are going to switch sponsors let your old sponsor know well before hand. It’s a small sport so important to keep good relations within it if you want a career in professional windsurfing.
Luke Green Team and Digital Media Manager, Tushingham
Sponsorship has changed a lot, as a brand, content is king, the more the better, populating websites, social media and online videos are the platforms that help us promote our products and we would seek our sponsored athlete to assist in this with rider driven articles to balance alongside our product information online. In compiling our team we seek a diversity of characters so you have people like Muzza who are great online and on demos and people like Timo who are really strong in print and video production. Peter Hart is a great all rounder, he produces content on and offline, engages with customers on his clinics and supports customers questions by email and on our website. Simon Bornhoft is similar and for coaches there is a great synergy as they promote the brand and themselves. You don’t have to have the most talent to be a valuable rider, being approachable and easy to talk to on the beach is important too, our British Slalom Champion James Dinsmore is excellent at this.
Ian Gregorelli Owner Boardwise Windsurfing Shop
We have a long history of supporting up and coming sailors including Ben Proffitt, Byrony Shaw and Nick Dempsey. It shows how support can help people in the early stages of their career and no limit to what you can achieve with the right attitude. That is important to us, we want our riders to be good ambassadors off the water, willing to help other sailors and be influential on their local beach, in return typically we offer deals on kit. A good example of our riders would be top racer Sam Latham who is very active on the internet or Davey Edmondson, who is a larger than life wavesailor from Scotland who really helps get people excited about gear and directs business to our shop. You need that mix of characters on your team. Sponsorship can also come from being involved at grass roots in the sport, we like to support instructors at Club Vass for example and are heavily involved in Student Windsurfing where we help club leaders and bring kit to events so everyone can try our great sport. It’s something I enjoy doing, seeing people get on the water, it actually costs me money which people may laugh about me putting my hand in my pocket but I don’t mind, sponsorship is for the good of the sport !
Jimmy Diaz PWA Chairman
The best athletes I know are the ones who from an early age knew exactly what they wanted and immediately started going after it. I believe to get sponsored and to become successful in windsurfing, or any other aspect of life for that matter, you have to have a deep rooted passion and love for the sport or chosen profession. This is what will give you the fuel to pursue your goals. Once you know you have this then it’s up to hard work and time on the water, although if you really love the sport “hard work” is actually play.
To become sponsored you have to show potential and value to your sponsors. There is a variety of ways to do this in the windsurfing industry. Some of the ways are through competition results, magazine and media exposure, clinics, and equipment testing. The most important thing right now would be to start competing as much as possible at your local and regional level. Set your goals to ultimately start winning these events. As you are getting closer to achieving this goal you can start looking to your local shops or distributors to see if you can set up a sponsorship agreement with them. Let them know as clear as possible your goals and your plans and how you plan to execute them. The clearer the picture you have in your head about where you want to go, the more confidence you will give a company to sponsor you. Start making a resume of your event results and collect any pictures or articles you may get from your local paper, newsletters, or magazines. Present this to the shop or company and let them know how serious you are about achieving your goals. Prove it to them by working hard and also offering to help with things such as in store clinics or demos. Be yourself and remember that enthusiasm, initiative, and being on time go a long way.
OVERVIEW The 5.7m is one of 14 sizes in the mahoosive Gator range, going from 3.7m, right up to 8.0m. Rigging it is a cinch, as the tack roller pulley is orientated in line with the mast-foot rollers. More importantly, the Gator doesn’t possess a great deal of luff curve, so the bend induced in the mast isn’t as significant as most. In fact, it was that easy, we found ourselves playing the downhaul tension without the use of a downhaul tool – a real plus if doing it away from your launch spot. A closer look over the sail and you begin to see the attention to detail – it is a well thought out product that exudes quality.
BRAND CLAIM “The Gator is the perfect sail for plug and play rigging simplicity, combined with lifelong durability. The Gator is a single sail range that covers any windsurfing conditions, anywhere on the planet. From high-wind bump and 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.”
PERFORMANCE In marginal winds, the Gator can be set with minimal tension, the leech falling away in the top two panels, whilst the lower panels boast a good amount of shape. The power of the sail comes from high and far forwards and can be used effectively to drive the most stubborn board onto the plane. The centre of effort is really focused, making the sail super balanced in the hands. It’s not really a sail to grunt, pump and cajole a board onto the plane with; instead, hold it upright, adopt the right stance and let it do the work for you. Once going, that high and forward power never seems to pull the rider to his toes as you might expect, but instead promotes an upright, manoeuvre inducing sailing position. With little pressure in the backhand and a high cut foot, it is a great sail to throw into carving and ducking transitions. As the wind increases, the Gator exhibits excellent manners, even when poorly set, but apply more tension and the leech opens without pulling the shape out of the sail’s profile. The Gator 5.7m is a tall sail both in terms of dimensions and in the stature it adopts on the water, yet it has an impressive wind range and was a pleasure to use. All who tried it came off the water in a good mood. Now that can’t be a bad thing!
THE VERDICT A distinctive sail in both quality and feel, the Gator has a blend of light handling and balanced power that endeared it to many. Recommended.
Board testing is a relatively straight forward affair, being easy to control variables as you experiment with different set-ups in changeable conditions. Sail testing on the other hand can be quite tricky, as the main variable (i.e. the wind) has a frustrating ability to shift, fluctuate and generally not do what it is supposed to! And if you don’t get the results you expect, or feel the sail warrants, there are then a myriad of tweaks and adjustments that can be made to the set. You may even need to try the sail on an altogether different mast… Luckily, with the test centre so close to the water’s edge, the practicality of making all these tuning refinements during the testing period was as easy and pain-free as we have ever known, and the exposure to the wind that Portland experiences means the forecast is invariably right.
This test was originally published in the April 2015 issue.
FINDINGS So what new trend did this test bring up? Well, out of the nine sails tested, two are 4-battened whilst the rest retain the more conventional and accepted five-batten configuration. Is this to be expected? We think so. These sails have a hard job description, harder than most in our opinion. They should be powerful with good bottom end potential, yet light and balanced in the hands; versatile in their stance so that they can be used for most disciplines and can partner different board styles … and do all this over a massive wind range. No easy task.
It has been interesting to understand the different approaches used by the various lofts here to answer this tough design brief. Ezzy, North and Severne have incorporated relatively little luff curve, and by doing so have increased the responsive handling and flicky feel in their sails. The downside to this, is that the structure to the sail decays quickly as the wind increases, so to lock stability into the sail, they both use a significant amount of shaping in the sail’s profile. Their sails feel different in the hands, but the principle used by both is largely the same. Naish, however, are at the other end of the spectrum. The Boxer has much of its sail area above the boom to get the most influence possible to the wind. Great for light marginal winds, the worry is that this makes the sail vulnerable as the wind increases, so to help lock the structure in the sail, Naish have employed a good dose of luff curve, bending and tensioning the mast massively to provide the skin tension and therefore stability. Both are very interesting concepts and have their own merits, leading to very different feeling sails. It is up to you as the consumer to decide which style of sail is for you.
SUMMARY All these sails on test set on RDM masts as standard, but that is where the similarities for some stop! Some display more bias towards manoeuvres (the Ezzy for example), whilst others are most useful blasting around a break in a locked-in stance, such as the Simmer. The key to deciding which one is for you is to be honest with yourself in the style of sailing that you do. How subtle are you with power and delivering it to the board? What type of board are you likely to be partnering this sail with? And what other sails are you partnering this one with – will it be the largest in your wave quiver, or smallest in your blasting sail line-up? Answer these questions initially, then read the reports to see which sail matches your requirements best. There are some fantastic options here to match the market’s diverse needs.
THE OTC This test was conducted at the beaches of Overcombe and Bandstead within Weymouth bay and the Official Test Centre (OTC) at Portland, Dorset. The OTC centre is based within the grounds of the National Sailing Academy that hosted the Olympic sailing classes in 2012. With the best wind stats on the south coast, mirror flat water in prevailing winds and a safe launch area with excellent facilities, it provides the ideal test venue. Much of the kit is still on site, so why not go and try some of it for yourself?
“Couple sessions at home since I got back from the US, not the best sailing to prepare for a next event, thanks to my friend soufian for his time filming and my friends for being friends…”
In our new series highlighting some of the BSA’s most talented slalom sailors we kick off with the multi-talented; James Dinsmore. Not only does he hold down a full time job as a doctor specialising in anaesthetics, he has also been crowned UK slalom champion and also mixes it up with the PWA fleet whenever possible.
Words JOHN CARTER
Where and when did you learn to sail and why do you love windsurfing?
My father introduced me to windsurfing on a small gravel pit in Surrey when I was a teenager. I enjoyed the sense of freedom I got from flying across the water. A few years later I was lucky to find that the medical school I attended had an active university windsurfing club. A group of us would hire a van and a minibus and head down from London to Poole Harbour on long weekends. We would camp or stay in a caravan park. I remember the pain of rigging fifteen beginners’ sails at a time but the plus side was that I could borrow kit in between club trips.
How many years have you been racing on the BSA tour?
I did my first slalom competition in 2007 making it eight years!
How much equipment do you need to be able to compete at one of the BSA events and what do you typically take along?
When I started I bought a second hand racy 115L board as well as 7m and 8m sails and used a freestyle wave board and wave sails if it was too windy to sail the bigger board. I now have a full set of six Severne Reflex 6 slalom sails from 5.1m to 9.5m and three Starboard iSonic boards from 90L to 130L. This quiver is required to be competitive at international events but is absolutely not necessary when you are starting off in the BSA. The majority of racing that we do in the UK is in lighter winds so the most important thing is to have a board and sails that cover the range 12-18 knots. In order to be competitive when the winds are light I would suggest that a typical guy of 75-90kg goes initially for a largest sail of 8.0-9.0m and board 120-140L or 75-85cm wide. In the amateur fleet you can be very competitive on freerace or freeride equipment. In fact, as slalom equipment can be quite technical to sail, there is a lot to be said for starting to race on freerace or freeride equipment that is easy to sail around the marks and actually quicker around a course.
How much does a typical event cost?
The basic entry fee for a BSA event is £60 and you can get a 10% reduction for pre-entering online. At Weymouth there is an additional sailing academy charge for use of facilities (in the region of £10). Aside from that you need to factor in the cost of fuel, which will vary quite a bit depending on where you live. This year there are seven events, four on the South coast, two in East Anglia and one in Wales. Many sailors will sleep in their vehicles at events and venues are chosen so that this is possible. Others will pay for their accommodation – it rather depends on your vehicle and circumstances.
What do you do for a day job?
I am a doctor specialising in anaesthetics.
Where is your favourite location on tour besides the one closest to home!
Year to year the locations change a bit and the variety is welcome. I prefer open sea racing as opposed to harbour racing. This year we had a fantastic Worthing event run from the Baker Academy near the centre of the town and it was a great spectacle for the many locals thronging the promenade in the sunshine. Tenby is probably the most picturesque location on the tour this year and we will head there in late September. Wind or no wind it is a lovely location to spend a weekend.
Are there any equipment restrictions at a BSA event?
There is no restriction on boards that may be used in Amateur and Masterblaster fleets. Pro competitors may only use “production” boards which do not exceed 85cm in width. The maximum sail size in all fleets is 10m except juniors, where maximum is 7.8m.
What was it like stepping up from the competition at Worthing to the PWA in Costa Brava?
Difficult … as evidenced by me winning in Worthing and then being near the back of the pack in Spain. This year’s PWA Costa Brava was a particularly tricky event because of the very light winds that we experienced. Condition-wise it was probably the worst-case scenario for me as I have always done better when it is a bit windier. The light winds are also perhaps when having perfectly tuned kit makes the biggest difference. I discovered in Costa Brava I simply wasn’t tuned up enough in the borderline race-able conditions when everything has to be dialled in. It is somewhat understandable as not being a full time pro I haven’t tested masts and fins, tried different battens and done some of the things that help the top guys fly in the lightest puff. A second big factor was confidence and not having raced in the PWA at all in the previous season I wasn’t brimming with it. I started the competition off worrying about getting rolled by the big names and not sailing my own race. The way the course was set in Costa Brava, confident pin end starts were the way forward and it took me several rounds to work my way towards that end of the line. The World Tour is very competitive and a sailor’s results can vary dramatically race to race. A sequence of mishaps meant I ended up having to waterstart three times in the four races I did in Costa Brava which is not a good statistic. Sometimes things don’t go your way and you have to be philosophical about it. When I last raced in Costa Brava three years ago I had a finishing position twenty places higher than this year even though I know that I am a far better sailor now.
Is the BSA a good stepping-stone for the PWA world tour?
The PWA is undoubtedly the pinnacle of slalom racing but it is not easy to step straight to it from the BSA. Sailors without PWA rankings need to be given wildcards to enter and these are far from easy to get for popular events. Even if you do get one you only get a matter of a few weeks notice which makes forward planning very difficult indeed. The format of the PWA also means that if you struggle to make it past the first round (which is never an easy feat with the current strength in depth of the tour) then there is a danger that you don’t get all that much racing in during a competition. For that reason I would encourage up-and-coming sailors to enter Euro-Cup and IFCA international events as a stepping-stone which can offer the opportunity to race against some PWA-level sailors but with a better spread of abilities and more opportunity to make it through the first round.
Are you a very competitive person?
You have to be competitive to win slalom competitions and championships. Things don’t always go well on the racecourse and it is a trait that drives you to dig deep and turn it around when things are going badly. I have a healthy desire to win but it is not at all cost. The main thing is to have done my best.
What makes a winning racer?
A sailor has to make a lot of things come together to win in slalom. It is not just a question of sailing ability and this explains why older guys have won the last few world championships. The key areas are race craft, gear selection and tuning, and sailing performance. When I say race craft I think about the approach to the start, split second decisions made on the course such as ‘do I go for the gap?’, and knowing when to take risks and coolness under pressure. When it comes to gear the top guys have their set-up working for them to the extent that they feel comfortable even if conditions are difficult. For example they will have tested and chosen a fin that gives just the right amount of lift for the course and water state that day. It goes without saying that you have to be technically able to gybe well and sail fast but interestingly it is often not the fastest who win at the end of the day. Lastly it is worth noting that some people are very good at getting results whilst there are others who excel in some but not all aspects of the package and are unsuccessful in winning.
Why choose racing to get your kicks?
Racing is exciting and a fantastic way of de-stressing. You go out on the water and get absorbed in the battle with your friends and forget all about your daily troubles. One of the reasons that I started racing was that it suits me as a South Coast sailor. We don’t get all that much wind but even when the wind is only 12 knots I can be out on my big gear going pretty fast and training and focussing on how I can improve for the next event.
Do you ever test and train with any partners?
Not doing this often enough is probably my biggest Achilles heel as far as trying to improve my performance goes. Sailing in a structured fashion with a partner of a similar standard allows you to figure out your fastest set-up in terms of fins, sail settings, masts etc. I used to sail with Allan Cross and Anthony Todd but they are not sailing at Hayling very often anymore so in the last year I have done the majority of my sailing alone. With a young daughter at home my sessions tend to be short and snatched and so it is not so easy to fit in with anyone else. Recently Keith Atkinson and Leigh Kingaby have been kind enough to make the drive over and the sessions are doubly valuable when they are around.
Can you give us a few tips on how to tune up your slalom equipment?
You could write a book on this but the main thing is to actively try different settings. If you don’t try more or less downhaul than your norm then you won’t know if the sail might have the potential to perform better. Likewise try putting the boom up and down and move the mast track back and forward. Always change one thing at a time and work out a way that you can reproduce the settings for next time. For the downhaul this may involve taking a pen to the sail to mark how far it should twist off or even marking the downhaul rope.
How about a few tips for a first timer at a BSA race event?
The main thing is not to take it too seriously. It is relaxed, everyone is very friendly, and you have nothing to loose and everything to gain. Have fun and if you fall in at every gybe mark don’t worry about it. Any questions you should feel free to ask as people will be happy to advise. There is also an excellent guide here: https://ukwindsurfing.com/slalom/getting-started/
Any advice for the BSA organizers on how they might encourage more people to turn up at events?
The organisers already do an excellent job of putting on super events. Support from multinational companies and massive prize money would help!
Best and worst day ever on the BSA tour!
The worst day was at a Weymouth event in 2011 when everything that could go wrong did. I snapped a fin and then started trying too hard. After a catapult and a couple of dropped gybes I only managed to finish one of the four rounds and left feeling pretty disconsolate.
The best day was probably also at Weymouth a couple of years later when I won my first BSA title. It all came down to the final of the one round completed that weekend. To be honest things weren’t looking good on the first reach but I managed to overtake both my main title contender Simon Cofield and also Ross Williams at the first mark and hold on to the lead until the finish. I had pick-pocketed the championship from Simon. One thing about the BSA is that you are racing with guys who are your friends and your success may equate to their disappointment. That day I was thrilled to win but felt sad for Simon as he would have made an equally deserving champion.
Give us three words to describe yourself?
Calm under pressure (I hope!)
Born together on December the 1st 1977, Daida and Iballa Moreno have shared a rollercoaster ride through life, triggered when they first learned to windsurf back in 1995 on ‘’a broken board that someone was going to throw away’’. The rapid progression of these almost identical twins was unprecedented and within a few years they were ranked first and second in the women’s wave sailing rankings. The two Spanish beauties soon proved to be the most radical and talented female wave sailors on the planet and were snapped up by sponsors for their obvious marketing potential. Two decades down the line and they are both still dominating female windsurfing, despite a frightening brush with cancer for Daida and tough economic times for women on tour, even at the very top!
Words & Photos John Carter
(This feature originally appeared in the June 2015 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!)
Here at the office we have always struggled to differentiate between the twins in terms of their looks and their incredible ability as sailors but as for their personalities, well those that know them best would say they are both very distinct characters. So how could we uncover their deepest differences ?, it was time to call an expert, someone who is known for bringing people to their knees in interviews, a verbal interrogator of the very highest intellectual, think Jeremy Paxman meets Larry King but with a touch of David Frost. Yes of course we are not talking about JC but we sent him anyway with strict instructions for no chocolate, no conferring and no passes. Read on and learn more about the most successful windsurfing sisters the world has ever seen.
JC: What is the best and the worst aspect about being a twin?
DAIDA: In windsurfing, there are many positive things. My sister helps to push my level higher, it’s like a mirror effect. Also you never get to travel alone with your sister around which is pretty handy! On the flip side is people who do not know us think we have the same personality!
IBALLA: The best is growing up with a sister beside you, doing the same things since we were babies, I think that is very special! We spent our childhood together enjoying the same sports which has made us become great athletes. I think it has been amazing to have both of us successful in what we love the most. The worst is when people get us confused and they don’t know which one of us they are talking to. Sometimes they don’t believe that they are talking to the wrong person! I feel bad and it can be embarrassing. I even have to show my ID to prove it! The other negative part of being Twins is that people think we are the same and that we come as
a package!
JC: What is the one key feature for anyone in doubt to tell you apart?
DAIDA: I think we are really different, so I don’t think many people cannot tell us apart nowadays. I guess the easiest thing is to see that I am 10 kilos heavier!
IBALLA: Our voices are different and also the shape of our faces, mine is narrower. We also have very different expressions too. I used to have a pierced tongue but not for a long time now. I do have one more tattoo that Daida doesn’t have, but it is in a hard place to find, hee hee!
JC: You are sisters, friends and confidents on land, however in the water…
DAIDA: in the water we are competitors and we always try to sail the best we know. Iballa is a tough opponent and very hard to beat.
IBALLA: both of us work hard, and if it is possible to win, all the better!
JC: How important is social media these days to promote yourselves?
DAIDA: I personally think it’s extremely important but you need to know how to manage it and be professional with content. You have to constantly publish fresh news and images to keep your followers interested.
IBALLA: It is really important. It brings us close to our fans all over the world and I love to interact with them. The internet allows us to communicate with lots of interesting people. The good thing is that all our followers are windsurfers that love what we do and we get to show them our lifestyle from all angles.
“ We started windsurfing with a broken board that someone was going to throw away ’’ – DAIDA
JC: How has the windsurfing business changed since you were first sponsored back in the nineties?
DAIDA: We were sponsored for the first time back in 1998. The level of money and equipment offered has clearly declined especially from within the windsurf industry. I think our best years were around 2007-8 and since then the money has been in decline. For a girl today, it is really difficult to live out of windsurfing. I think the top 20th male windsurfer would probably receive more money than any of the top 3 female windsurfers.
IBALLA: Do we need to talk about this? All our sponsors are the best sponsors in the world! But it is true that things have changed to a lot worse and it’s a pity to see how many good athletes cannot afford to do the whole tour because of the lack of money.
JC: Why is it so tough for girls of your talent and obvious marketing potential to score big sponsorship deals in windsurfing?
DAIDA: Girls work really hard on their marketing. Somehow the windsurfing industry and customers always compare females with the male windsurfing level. I believe it’s really unfair! Women will never have such a high level as it’s physically impossible. What girls need is a bigger chance to be able to travel and to be correctly equipped to train. Unfortunately for us windsurfing is still really male focussed. Windsurfing is also still far behind any other sports on TV, we need the sport to be featured more often in TV channels. From this we will have more outside industry sponsors interested in promoting windsurfing.
IBALLA: I would like to get to that point. Not sure how we can change the mentality of the industry and let them know we not only “sell equipment” to women. We are a great image for all genders and windsurfing in general. We not only win contests but work really hard all year to promote the sport, ourselves and our sponsors! You need to be very creative nowadays to be always at the top of the list for sponsors ! I don’t think many riders are getting a big deal in windsurfing except probably Philip Köster who is fortunate to have outside industry sponsors who support him very well. Lucky for him! Meanwhile we keep fighting every day to change things and reach outside industry sponsors and get them more interested in the sport of windsurfing. We are happy to announce our latest contract with ANFI. They are a company from the Canary Islands specializing in luxury and lifelong vacation resorts in the south of Gran Canaria. They believe in the “Moreno twins” and support us by using our image together with David Silva (Manchester City) and Alberto Contador (cycling). We need more companies like them to keep growing our sport but also it is beneficial for ANFI to promote in our market….it’s a perfect deal. You can see more of what they do at www.anfi.com
JC: Is windsurfing male dominated?
DAIDA: There is still a long way to go but Women are realizing their potential. We do not have men’s physical strength; however we have other characteristics that make us special in and out of the water. I hope and desire that soon we are more women enjoying windsurfing.
IBALLA: Sports in general has always been chauvinist in this sense. Gradually women have been specializing themselves in different sports and improving to the point of being better than many men. Physical strength is important and helps in the practice of every sport, but women have the facility to learn things faster than men as we use more technique. We are in one way fighting against stereotypes, encouraging women to practice sport, especially windsurfing, which is an incredible and beautiful sport.
JC: Would you like to compete against the guys in Pozo?
DAIDA: It’s not in my plans, I have too many things to do and organize during the event!
IBALLA: No, I think it is right to have girls and mens divisions. I would love to improve and give more incentives to women’s windsurfing. So I think it’s time for us to make some changes in some aspects for the women at the next PWA in Gran Canaria. At the moment we are fighting to make
a change!
JC: What can be done to improve and boost the image of
women’s windsurfing?
DAIDA: TV is a major must for windsurfing in general and then we need the industry to invest more into women to help them be able to train and raise their level.
IBALLA: Women need the help of the industry and of course the media. Magazines also need to give more push to women. Thanks for the interview Windsurf !
JC: Have you ever been jealous of your sister when she has won and you have been second?
DAIDA: It is the other way around, I know the feeling of winning many times and I also know what it is like to be second. When Iballa won this year, it was because she was more consistent with her results. She has deserved all the times she became World Champion. I personally don’t take second places as a losing position! It helps motivate me more to become even better and to share two first places with our friends and family is great.
IBALLA: No! I am always proud to be second and proud to see Daida win.
JC: Do you think you intimidate the other girls on tour?
DAIDA: I can imagine they are tired of seeing us always on the top. All I can say is that we hope they get more motivated to become better sailors and raise their level. We have offered many times to help them and to come to Canary Islands to train with us.
IBALLA: Not sure…maybe? During a contest we all get pretty stressed and nervous, but I think in general all the girls have respect of each other while we do our job.
JC: Have you plans to move into coaching?
DAIDA: We have done so in the past with training camps for women and children (in Fuerteventura, Tenerife and Gran Canaria). Additionally we also organize clinics for sailors from all over the world in Pozo Izquierdo with our Moreno Twins Club. Nevertheless, we would love to continue together with the Gran Canaria Wind Bay Centre in Bahía de Formas to try and bring other groups, women and children, to learn our beautiful sport
IBALLA: We have always made clinics for women and children and we love to introduce other people to our sport. I am still in the phase of training myself in order to continue improving. Nevertheless, who knows, perhaps one day I will dedicate myself to training others.
JC: How did you enjoy going to Maui for the Aloha Classic?
DAIDA: This year my head was not in Maui. First of all, there was only three weeks’ notice when the PWA confirmed the event after Sylt. I started my 4th and last year at University (Physiotherapy degree) and I had to leave everything to go there. Hawaii was not even in my economic plans but I was forced to go there after four years without training on starboard tack conditions. In addition, this year (from January until May 2014) I was off the water for 5 months due to a nasty foot injury. After my result I got really sick with flu from all the emotions and everything but now that I am home I look back and I see how lucky I was finishing 2nd overall with such a bad result in Maui.
IBALLA: It was tough. A last minute notice of race meant I had to miss some SUP contests, but the effort was worth it! I did enjoy my time in Maui a lot, sailing and of course winning! It was a dream come true to win there again without even having the chance to practice Starboard tack conditions much the whole year. For next season I hope we have a clear calendar from the word go, so we can train hard for all the events.
JC: Where do you see yourself in ten years’ time?
DAIDA: I will finish my physiotherapy degree in just a few months, so I see myself working to help people have better and healthy lives and readapt them to their daily activities if possible.
IBALLA: Sailing, SUP’ing, Surfing and living in Fuerteventura!
JC: How does it feel to be on the other side of the fence as event organizers of Pozo after competing all those years?
DAIDA: People cannot imagine how hard it is to study, train, organize events and compete. Sometimes I think “What am I doing?”, after all I went through fighting with cancer, it is almost too much stress for my body! It is really hard to balance everything, but we have a great team so during the dates of the event we can focus only on competing. Hardest part of being an organizer is always nine months prior to the event, when we start working to do more things with even smaller budgets!
IBALLA: I definitely see things from a different perspective. But it is clear for me to say that if you really want an event to happen, you can do it. It’s a lot of work behind the scenes! But I think we gave an extra push to the event in GC and we now have a good reputation world wide.
JC: What has been the highlight of your career to date?
DAIDA: The highlight of my career to date is winning my battle with cancer and being able to continue with the sport that I love.
IBALLA: I think this year has been very good for me. Winning the Aloha Classic, The PWA Tour and also, without doing all the events on tour, I managed to finish 4th in the SUWT (Stand Up World Tour), also 4th at the ISA SUP World Championships, Vice European SUP Surfing Champion and Spanish SUP Champion, 2013 was a similar year! So I think these last two years have been a great challenge for me and I am happy I was able to do this proving we are not retiring and are stronger than ever.
JC: Have you both ever had a big argument?
DAIDA: Like all brothers and sisters do in this world… We are two different people and we think differently about many aspects of life, sometimes it’s just a question of accepting each other.
IBALLA: We are sisters, twins, yes we argue but normal things! I guess it is what you expect after doing the same thing all our lives!
JC: Have you ever played twin style tricks on people or boyfriends in the past?
DAIDA: We did a few times at school ‘hee hee’, but nothing too serious! Iballa wanted me to do her driver’s licence exam, but I couldn’t do it, I was too scared !
IBALLA: Yes, the typical jokes! But I always promised to show my ID before anything happened! Once we exchanged boyfriends as a joke that was funny. Also in school we played a few tricks, the teachers didn’t know we were the other twin and the whole class did, our classmates were laughing all the time.
JC: What aspects of your sailing are you happy with and what parts would you like to improve?
DAIDA: I am improving my wave sailing now, doing tricks such as backside and front side 360, takas and trying to improve my goiters. My timing is getting there, but I still need to learn on starboard tack conditions much more. When I finish university I would love to travel for a few months and go to places that I have never experienced before like South Africa or Australia.
IBALLA: I am happy with my overall sailing, both on port tack and starboard tack. I would still like to improve my tricks on the waves of course. Also in my jumping, I have goals to improve, that’s what keeps me motivated and makes me want to go sailing every day!
JC: Describe a perfect windsurfing day
DAIDA: 4.2 Severne Blade, 74 L. Starboard Quad, head high, side-onshore.
IBALLA: Starboard 69 L. quad and 4.2 or 4.5 Severne Blade, side off, logo to mast high (if bigger no problem!) and down the line perfect air sections with clean waves! Four to five of us sailing and a beer in the afternoon with friends after the session.
JC: Talk us briefly through a typical day in your life?
DAIDA: My life right now is a bit complex, but I normally wake up at 7 am, then work for one hour with the computer. Then it is breakfast and go to do my physiotherapy practice from 9 am to 1pm. Return home, go sailing for an hour and a half (or some sports in case there is no wind), shower, lunch and back to Physio practice from 4pm until 8 pm.
IBALLA: The last two seasons have been pretty crazy. Lots of travelling and challenges. But a normal day will be waking up early, around 8am, have breakfast while checking my emails and go to the beach for whatever the sea can bring us: Windsurf, SUP or surf…anything! I love to surf so if there are waves I am happy! If it is a flat water day I train on my bike, SUP race or do cross training.
JC: Why do you love windsurfing?
DAIDA: It is really hard to explain if you don’t windsurf. Windsurfing keeps my heart alive and it helps to clean my soul. I dream about windsurfing every day!
IBALLA: Because it is the sport that helped me grow as a person and as an athlete. I love that it is always related to the sea, the wind and the waves. It was always my dream since I was really young to become a professional windsurfer and at the moment I am lucky to say that I am living my dream.
JC: Are you more comfortable in the water than on land ?
DAIDA: Definitively, there are days when it is better to disappear on the high seas, leave the stress and daily problems behind and enjoy the freedom and sensations that you only get from the wind and the sea.
IBALLA: The sea has given me everything. I feel better and more comfortable in the water, that is a reality.
JC: Do you remember your first time windsurfing?
DAIDA: (Laughter) I remember perfectly the first time I tried to windsurf and it was very frustrating. I thought I would be better at it, that it was going to be much easier. We didn’t have anyone to tell us what to do. We started windsurfing with a broken board that someone was going to throw away, that was the moment that we started the adventure of our lives. We learned from many falls and hits. Today everything is easier, you can learn in the proper school, with qualified teachers and the appropriate materials which are light and safe. Even so, I would never change my experience.
IBALLA: Of course I remember. Since we were very young our father put us in the sea. Then we just evolved to bodyboards, later the surf board and finally windsurfing. Every sport gave us different sensations but all had something in common: the sea.
JC: Did you ever imagine that that day was going to be the start of an incredible career?
DAIDA: I started sailing one year before starting university. In the second year of my course (MBA) I decided to dedicate myself 100% to windsurfing. Obviously I never imagined that I would get so far, we just simply took advantage of the opportunities that life gave us. I am currently finishing my degree in Physiotherapy and sailing in the afternoons. If I look back I will live every single day in the same way that I have lived until today.
IBALLA: I remember the day that I came back from the university and told my parents….Daida also decided the same thing. We were lucky that our parents supported us in that decision and it is something that I will never regret. It was a shame that at the time the teachers did not support sportsmen/sportswomen as they do today (it seems that they help more nowadays) as I had to leave University to face the University of Life.
JC : You have been competing at the highest level for years, don’t you get bored?
DAIDA: I have always said that top-level competition has its good and bad sides. The ideal world would be to live from windsurfing, without having to compete, avoiding many expenses such as economic, physical or psychic…even doctors say that high level competitions are counterproductive to one’s health. The problem is that if you do not compete you won’t have the publicity and in turn, the support of your sponsors; so it is a vicious circle. To date we are achieving our goals, we compete and can still afford to travel and enjoy our work, our office is located in the sea, how could you be bored ?
IBALLA: In order to be at the top you have to focus on challenges and targets at short and long terms. There are always ups and downs but you always have to move forward. There are still many places to discover and to visit. The competitions are a very important part of this sport, however, it is not the only way to move forward.
JC: How do you combine top-level competition with an ordinary lifestyle?
DAIDA: I have always believed the lifestyle of top-level sportsmen/sportswomen is very complicated even if people always tend to think differently. Windsurfing requires a lot of work and effort, there are days that I just simply do not know how I have got through them, and other days that I can’t even say what day of the week it is. I try to organize myself between university, physio practice, training and my job. Without doubt, the best moment of the day is when I put on my wetsuit and I get into the water.
IBALLA: Competition is a small part, although very important one of our lifestyle as sportswomen. The rest of the time that we are not competing we are training and looking for new targets. That is my ordinary lifestyle. Always looking at aiming for new challenges, training and enjoying what we do.
JC: Who are your biggest rivals and why?
DAIDA: Myself, because when I think negative thoughts my head does not work properly !. It is up to me to walk away from those thoughts and be positive and to always have fun in the water.
IBALLA: I guess Daida is my biggest rival and at the same time my biggest supporter. There are lots of girls coming in the waves who are very strong and motivated and it is the same in the other disciplines so it is great to see that!
JC: You are stranded on a desert island, you can have three people aside from your sister, three personal items, one board, one sail, one book, one movie and one TV series to watch…make your choices!
DAIDA: My boyfriend, my friends Tamara and David. Shower gel, sunscreen and sunglasses. Board and sail, the 79 L. Starboard Quad and a 4.7 Severne Blade! My book would be Black Beauty, Movie Invincible and TV series Game of Thrones!
IBALLA: Stefan Etienne, Nicole Boronat and Scott McKercher. A 69 L. Starboard Quad and 4.7 Severne Blade. My three items would be a SUP (with paddle) or surf board, a survival guide and sunglasses, my
book – 50 shades of grey, the latest movie from Angelina Jolie and TV series Homeland!
JC: Who has inspired you in your life and why?
DAIDA: My mum, she was a true fighter in life. She raised five kids with almost no money and always with a big smile on her face.
IBALLA: Daida; for the way she fights for things in life.
JC: What makes you angry?
DAIDA: People who have opinions about me without ever having a conversation with me!
IBALLA: People´s hate!
JC: What do you worry about, and why?
DAIDA: I worry about my family, friends and their health. Without health, we won’t have a good life!
IBALLA: I worry about hurting other people!
JC: What do you consider about your personality your best and worst quality?
DAIDA: Best thing is I am constant with my goals. Worse thing, I am straight forward.
IBALLA: My best is that I am intelligent and I always find a way to keep following my path. My worst, sometimes I am too sensitive.
JC: What is your most visited web site?
DAIDA: www.morenotwins.com
IBALLA: facebook.com
JC: Three words to describe yourself?
DAIDA: Worker, dreamer and consistent.
IBALLA: Clever, a good sportswomen and humble!
JC: Who is the most mischievous out of the Twins?
DAIDA: We haven’t been so mischievous since we were little girls but I guess I was pretty bad when we were younger!
IBALLA: I think we both have our days!
JC: Which of you was the first to learn a forward loop?
DAIDA: I think it was me, we were both sharing the same board and sail though and we both did it the same day!
IBALLA: I tried the first time without success, then Daida did it after we swopped our harness; we were sharing the equipment! But later that same day I did it too!
JC: Who was born first?
DAIDA: Yep that was me!
IBALLA: Daida has always been my elder sister ha ha
JC: Who was the brightest at school?
DAIDA: We were both about the same in class!
IBALLA: Daida!!!
JC: Who had the first boyfriend?
DAIDA: Yep that was me, I was the first!
IBALLA: Daida ha ha ha ha!
JC: Finally, you have achieved a lot, who else has helped you ?
DAIDA: Without a doubt, our family. They have been a great support in our fight to maintain our position at the top of our sport. Thanks to family, friends and sponsors we can continue with our dream. We currently count on sponsorships from the Anfi Group, VW Comerciales, Starboard, Severne, Maui Ultra Fins, Heliocare.
IBALLA: To my parents, to allow us to make our dream come true when we were still young. They made things easier. Also thanks to our brothers and sisters for bearing with us and of course, as Daida says, thanks to our sponsors; without them we would not be who we are.
For those of you that don’t know Philip Koester, I would describe him as laid back, funny, humble and a young man who just loves to windsurf. There’s a quiet determination about him, nothing is in your face with Philip, he’s just like any other surf loving kid down the beach, except he’s extremely talented and gifted at what he does – which just happens to be the most extreme windsurfing jumps in the world. He’s way more than a one trick pony though; on a photo shoot with him in Western Oz a few years ago, it was cross off beach break perfection, Koester was putting on a wave riding show that would leave any pro blushing, when I asked how often he got to sail in these sort of conditions, he said never!. Yes he is that freakishly, naturally talented! After an emphatic victory at Pozo, JC and I sat down with the young champion for a must read interview. “Two recorders?” Koester questions. “Is it that important?” Minutes tick by while I fumble with my phone to find the voice recorder as JC shakes his head in embarrassment. “Ok Koester; are you ready?”
(This feature originally appeared in the September 2015 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!)
Words FINN MULLEN // Photos JOHN CARTER
FM: So Philip, what’s your favourite magazine? (everyone laughs) JC: Did you see our Wild West story in Windsurf magazine? PK: Yeah that was very funny. FM: Do you read any sports or windsurfing magazines? PK: Yeah but I never really get them. FM: Sounds like you are fishing for a free subscription? PK: That would be nice! If I am at the airport I’ll buy a magazine, snowboarding, skateboarding any radical action sports. FM: Football? PK: Football! (said with a voice of distain) nah not really!
FM: A lot of sailors have training partners like Swifty and Brawzinho for example, but you mostly sail alone, is that because you are at such a high level there is nobody around to push you? PK: I am self-motivating but the only guy I really sail with is Skyeboy (John Skye) at Vargas! JC: He must pull your level way down, I bet you have to sail worse just to make him not sack it all in! PK: (Laughs) Nah I just like sailing with good friends. I always sail with Skye, that is where he sails. JC: Every time you sail, do you go balls to the wall? Like jump as high as you can possibly go? PK: Yes that is just the way I sail. After the competition obviously I will take it a bit easy before Tenerife and I won’t do as many doubles. Of course when I compete again I will do doubles but I don’t need to do them free sailing. JC: So what jumps do you normally do when you are free sailing on your own at Vargas? PK: Well I jump, like push loop forwards and big back loops, just normal jumps! I just really like wave riding so I stick to that mostly. When I do jump I go as high as I can! (later Ben Severne tells us about a free sailing session he had with Philip at Vargas during the week, it was an average day but Ben said Philip was doing stuff that he had never seen before, yet alone could begin to describe or name!) JC: You are not worried about breaking boards? PK: No, no, no. I don’t think about that. If I would think about breaking equipment when I sail, it would be very bad for me. I would not improve that much I don’t think. I would care too much about the gear. Every time I sail it is flat out! FM: Do you still get the same buzz as the first time you made a planning double forward? PK: There is almost no emotion anymore! It is almost robotic! It is not that I land every double perfect but after training twenty or thirty everyday it just kills the emotions. I don’t know how many I have done; hundreds. When I land a very good one I am still happy and if I land one in a heat it is even better. If I land a planning one straight off the bat in a final I can say to myself now I have a decent jump and that allows me to focus on the waves. It helps boost my confidence! FM: Do you have a heat plan? PK: Normally all I do is try to nail my jumps at the beginning and then just focus on wave riding but in the last final I did my second jump right at the end of the heat. Sometimes the ramps don’t come or you feel you could have gone higher. It was fine because Duncan gives us plenty of time in the heats. FM: Rumour has it you landed a push double forward in Margaret River? PK: Did Ben Severne tell you that? FM: I can’t disclose that information! PK: (Laughing) Yes I did a push double forward but it is like nothing really happened because no camera was there. It does not count without evidence! If it is not on tape or camera it does not count. Nobody will believe it so I did not post anything about it. JC: Did you go for it? PK: No I just wanted to do a push forward but I was too high so I did a double!
(Everyone laughing)
FM: As you do! PK: I was just surprised, I did not really claim it or clench my fist, I don’t really do that! But I did do it and it was at South Point, Margaret River. FM: Did you think about going for one in Pozo? PK: Nah, not really. I was very high on the one in the first final, I could have done a double but I played it safe with the single. It might have ruined the jump and at that moment my focus was on winning. I wanted to have a safe score. FM: Do you enjoy doing expression sessions? PK: When the conditions are firing they are fun. I don’t like it when it is light wind and not that much waves. Then I have to go for no handed back loops or no handed one footed back loops, moves like that. JC: No handed, one footed back loops? PK: Yes, I have done them! FM: How do you train to make new moves? PK: I have not done many new moves! I just think about them in my head a lot and then just go for it. FM: What about slalom, do you ever think about competing in that? PK: Yes I will do slalom but when I’m older (laughing)..when I’m done with the doubles and jumping. I have slalom gear and sometimes I go for a slalom session but to compete there’s so much testing, rigging right, fins..but in the future yes I would like to race maybe. FM: Are you fast?..you are certainly fast on your wave gear! PK: Well I’m fat so yes (everyone laughs)..sometimes yes I’m fast..I’m not afraid to go fast.
“ During the double I was in control but when I passed beyond that I just did not know where I was ”
TRIPLE LOOP
JC: Did you plan to do the triple in the final or was it spontaneous? PK: I was just doing the final and playing it safe! But I knew everyone wanted to see the triple and it had been talked about for years now. I just wanted to get it over with. I knew there were cameras on the beach so it was the right time. I just said to myself why not try it. I already knew I had great scores with the jumps, I had a perfect double and a huge push loop so my scores were safe. I was feeling confident, even my wave riding was in the bag so I was feeling in the right mood for it. I had two minutes left in the heat to try one, so I spent the time looking for the right ramp and making my way a bit more upwind. The moment came ten seconds from the end of the heat. It was not a big ramp, definitely not the perfect one. I just wanted to try it and it was then or never. I had great power in the sail on my 4m with my 82 litre board so I just tried it to see what would happen. FM: Did you know it was 10 seconds to the buzzer? PK: Yeah, I’d looked at my watch and saw time was running out. I had to go over a wave to get to the ramp so I lost a little bit of speed but it was fine. JC: When you hit that ramp what went through your mind? PK: During the double I was in control but when I passed beyond that I just did not know where I was. It was a totally new feeling! It was like starting a normal forward when you are a beginner. I just had that feeling that I did not know where I was or what to do even! Coming down it did not feel like I had that much wind in the sail as I was coming down behind the wave.
JC: How was the impact when you landed? PK: The impact was terrible. It was horrible, I hit the water very, very hard. I was not wearing any vest or helmet. I still can’t remember things clearly, it made me dizzy. When I came back to the beach I knew I had won because everyone was cheering but that was also for the triple! When I made it back to the beach I still wasn’t sure if I had done a triple. I had hit my head really hard! JC: Have you tried them before? PK: I tried them a little bit but more just perfecting planning doubles to get them ready
The West coast of Ireland has one of Europe’s wildest coastlines that has long drawn artists, writers and surfers to its shores. The Motley crew enjoy a stellar day of Irish Atlantic action along with the inevitable Motley mishap and learn what has drawn some of the local crew of windsurfers to make their home out west.
Words & Photos JOHN CARTER
(This feature originally appeared in the October 2015 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!)
Thibault Peigne and Andreas Mohr sharing the swell.
Artist Graham Reid and pilot Mike Scott trade waves in their adopted home.
Mayday – emergency! “Mayday, Mayday, Mayday, this is the Motley Crew, err I mean Timo Mullen and John Carter. We are camped out on a remote beach on the North West coast of Ireland and are in desperate peril. It’s wall to wall sunshine, the wind is howling 40 knots perfect cross off, the swell is picking up by the minute and Timo has forgotten his harness. I repeat, Mayday, Mayday, Mayday, this is a dire emergency!!! Please somebody help us”
You really need to know Timo to realize how much of an utter disaster this situation was. Somehow in a moment of confusion back at his parent’s house, a bag containing his wet suit and harness was mistakenly removed from our car and left in the kitchen. So after leaving home at 3am, driving from Poole to Bristol, flying to Ireland and driving a further two and a half hours to the beach we were finally on location. Timo was truly frothing at the conditions and was rigging within moments of checking the waves. With barely a cloud in the sky, the wind cross off from the south west and just a hand-full of guys out, this was indeed setting up to be a special day in Ireland. As you might gather, you have to be pretty committed to make such a journey just for a days windsurfing, but for Timo, these are the days he lives for. There is something etched into his DNA that says he has to be on it, he can’t miss out and will go to extremes to track down perfect wave sailing at all costs. So therefore to be in this ridiculous situation where we had gone to all the effort and then be without the essential harness and wet suit was nothing short of torture for poor Timo.
So what do next? I actually had a Mystic wetsuit in my bag so the problem was half solved although Timo had just moved over to ION suits courtesy of Nik Baker so it was not an ideal situation. No phone signal was the next problem but there were a couple of guys out on the water and there was a possibility that they might have a spare harness and at least Timo would be able to sail. Timo was prepared to hit the water without a harness and see how long he would last but the wind was picking up even stronger and the guys on the water looked to be headed in to change down to small sails. To cut a long story short, Timo was saved by the cavalry, with the local crew of sailors on hand sourcing a spare harness, while we managed to contact his Dad, who heroically drove the aforementioned bag, with suit and harness all the way to the beach in perfect time for the afternoon session. Luckily the coastguard was not required! Perfect day It turned out to be one of those few and far between sessions when all the elements combined together to make it a day to remember. Unbroken sunshine, relentless wind and countless waves and all with just a handful of sailors out on the water on a beautiful May day in Ireland. It truly was one of those rare occasions where if you were lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time then it was like finding that elusive pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. For Timo, years of scouring this coastline meant it was no accident he had honed in on this particular beach on this particular day. All the signs were there on the forecast and it was just a matter of making sure he was in location to be on the receiving end of the conditions to make the most of it. As for the other local sailors on the water, they were equally tuned in to the weather to reap the rewards of this magical Irish day of wave sailing. We caught up with them to learn their thoughts on the day and how their lives working and playing on this coast have come about.
“ Everyone was maxed-out but the sun was shining and with the dropping tide the sets were getting heavier and cleaner ”Katie McAnena
Dr Katie McAnena – overworked and overpowered but happy out west.
Doctor’s note
Katie McAnena – Doctor. ‘’I’m a doctor working full-time in Sligo General Hospital. I’ve been here for the last 18 months and I am loving it. I chose to work and train here because it’s right beside some of the best surf in Ireland. It’s the only Hospital in Ireland where you can see the surf from the windows on the wards! It’s 2 hours up the road from my home city of Galway so it’s super close to home too. So many of the doctors who work here also surf and chose to come to Sligo to strike the best water/work balance they can. Work in the public health sector in Ireland is super tough, regardless of the discipline. I usually work 70 hours per week and every 2nd or 3rd weekend. This is standard across Ireland, so it makes finding time to train and compete really difficult. I’m so insanely fortunate to live in Sligo because it simply takes away the time wasted through driving. I surf and SUP probably 4 days a week at least and with the long Northern Hemisphere days in Spring to Autumn, I can often get out on the water both before and after work. I live in a small surf village called Strandhill. It’s perfect!! It’s at the base of a large hill called Knocknarea which is ideal for hiking and cross-training when the water’s flat. The beach is 200m from my doorstep along with the local pub, surf cafe, shop and seaweed baths…what more could you want?! There’s also a classic collection of locals and ex-pats from the UK, Oz, New Zealand and South Africa. Windsurfers around these parts are few and far between but the crew who do sail and live here are awesome!
On this day I’d finished work and scrambled to the van to hit the reef which is only fifteen minutes from the hospital. I knew all the local boys were out sailing and that Timo had flown over with JC but more importantly that it was sunny and warm and there was wind and waves to be had. A rare old combo here in the North West of Ireland! I rigged my 4.3 Hot Sails Firelight and my 69L Starboard Quad and stumbled down the grassy cliff to join the fun. My anticipation and excitement was quickly dampened by the fact that I was insanely over-powered! I was getting flattened by the gusts and couldn’t help but hydrofoil and catapult repeatedly. So‘eager as you like’ I came back in re-rigged and ignored Timo’s advice to don some booties. Big mistake. Note to self, Timo doesn’t always wear booties but when he does I should too! The tide was dropping out fast making the waves more punchy and hollow and with that the reef sucked dry and I got to endure the tortuous clamber over jagged/slimy/pointy rocks. Graceful as a newborn elephant on roller skates!. I’d rigged my 3.4 at this stage and I definitely needed it. Everyone was maxed-out but the sun was shining and with the dropping tide the sets were getting heavier and cleaner. Timo was busting out some big aerials and hacking away at the biggest sets. Andreas was a total tour-de-force. I’d never seen him sail so well! He knows this reef and it shows, I was stoked to see him sailing like this. I on the other hand didn’t have my finest hour. It was the classic combo of sailing a spot for the first time and being wrecked from work, but it didn’t matter, the sun was shining, the reef was firing, I was with some of my closest friends and I was only twenty minutes away from my own shower and bed. Magic!’’
Timo air spray.
High Flyer
Mike Scott – Helicopter rescue pilot. ‘’I’ve lived in Strandhill, Sligo for 8 years but am originally from the UK. I work for a company called CHC who supply the search and rescue helicopters to the Irish Coastguard. I’m based at Sligo airport. We work a 24 hour shift pattern that allows a fair amount of free time during the week for sailing and supping (All sailors know there is more wind during the week than at weekends). There are not many sailors locally and those who are, are ‘blow ins’. We tend to try to stick together but we have differing needs; one lad won’t get out of bed if it is less than logo high, while I get scared when it gets above waist high. We are fairly flexible which is essential here. The forecast is often a long way out and the ‘good’ spots can be quite fickle. This May-day was special because it was windy and sunny; a very rare combination here. There was also a full turn out of local lads and lasses; five or six on the water is a rare pleasure. I turned up having had about two hours sleep due to work, and met you guys, who had had one hours sleep, so stopped feeling sorry for myself.
What was great for me that day was it was windy, but the swell was manageable. Often at this spot in the winter it is huge and almost unsailable (unless you are Finn). It is also quite unusual to get the wind blowing from the right direction for there. It also blew for the whole day which meant I had to make an emergency call to the missus to get her to pick the kids up from school! The day was rounded off with a debrief in the local pub. A German, Frenchman, South African and Brit sitting in an Irish pub not complaining about the weather; very rare indeed. That’s the most I’ve written since I left school!’’
Wild and windy, Timo enjoying the perfectly lined up waves in the west.
Artist in residence
Graham Reid – Artist (www.grahamreiddesign.com). ‘’I’m a sculptor and glassblower originally from South Africa. My great grandfather was from Cork so I came for a visit and fell in love with the wild West coast. At that time the perfect waves were almost deserted, so I bought a two hundred year old derelict cottage and started blowing glass. It was the perfect place for a home base to travel the world and go surfing and sailing. Because I work for myself I don’t have a fixed routine. I generally check the charts in the morning and either go surfing or sailing, or stay home and work in my studio. Being a wave sailor as well as a surfer means there are so many more surfable days in these very changeable weather conditions. There are only a few other hardcore sailors on this stretch of coast, so we are a tight and friendly crew. There are many days in the depths of winter when I’ll be the only one out, so I’ll call one of the other guys and ask them to come looking for me if I don’t report back. Mike is the best guy to call because he flies the rescue helicopter!
The spot we were sailing is one of our favourites, but very fickle. If you look at a wind graph for the year, you’ll notice that perfect cross off is rare. If you add in tides and the need for proper ground swell, you have to be local or willing to travel long distances at a moment’s notice like Timo does to score this spot when it’s on. This particular day was special because it was sunny and most of the local crew was out, so it felt fun and playful on an often wild coastline.’’
Finn Mullen, not at work! but on days like this who can blame him – certainly not the editor!’ Photo Ronan Oertzen
‘’I grew up on the West Coast of Brittany (FR), where water sports are part and parcel of daily life. After studying in the UK and working/windsurfing in South Africa for a number of years, I came to Ireland in 2005, in search of work and waves. Little did I know that I would fall in love with baking (sourdough) and a lovely Irish girl. I live in Dublin so sailing on the west coast involves a 500 to 800km round trip, many nights on a couch and many hearty meals after long and cold sessions. You make good friends very quickly rescuing each other in these cold waters! Windsurfing in Ireland certainly requires patience and a lot of driving to find the perfect spot when it comes to actual conditions vs forecast, but sailing those waves with the rugged Irish landscape in the background is just magic! I haven’t been in the water much the last few years, as I was busy setting up my bakery; so that spring session on one of my favourite spots, with pretty much everyone there, felt good. Thankfully the bakery is looking after itself and I am already plotting my next trip west!’’
Rad radiologist
Andreas Mohr – Radiologist ‘’I work as a Radiologist but surfing and windsurfing are my passions. In 2007 the search for the right place brought me from Germany all the way to the NW of Ireland. I never regretted the move. All I need is right in front of my doorstep here in Ireland. This guarantees lots of quality water time all year around with like-minded friends and a simple good life. I can’t believe Timo just turned up out of the blue on such a perfect day. We scored quality waves, wind and sunshine all together and I can tell you that is a pretty rare combo on this extreme stretch of wild Irish Coast. When this spot is on it is like a ski lift, just without a queue. Friends cheer at each other while riding solid stuff; yep that is total bliss and why we all live here!’’
“ Days like this when the richness of the natural surroundings blend with the excitement of our sport yield a feeling of contentment that only a windsurfer could define as paradise ” Finn Mullen
Editor’s explanation
Finn Mullen – Editor..sometimes..if it’s not windy! ‘’I’m sure anyone who studies windguru must think the west coast of Ireland is a cold water windsurfing paradise. It is, but not for the wind. The mountains that fringe the shores here make for inspiring vistas but often can lessen the wind strength, much to surfer’s delight. Other times storms can be so ferocious that it just isn’t safe to sail. What makes here a windsurfing paradise though is the people, the peacefulness and days like this when the richness of the natural surroundings blend with the excitement of our sport to yield a feeling of contentment that only a windsurfer could define as paradise. There’s times you wonder in the depths of bitter winters why you live here, then there’s times when the wind and Atlantic swells rise that make you wonder why you’d live anywhere else. We all wander, but when the West calls we all find our way home’’
TIMO’S TALE
Timo Mullen – Professional Windsurfer “The west coast of Ireland is a really special place. Sam Ireland from Canada was the first guy to sail this spot many years ago, since then myself and Finn have sailed it quite a bit, but it is sensitive to the wind direction, swell size and tide so we only really score it a few times a year. This day was one of those lucky times. The conditions were pretty perfect, not too big and plenty of wind, normally this spot is either onshore or no wind and raining, but this was side off and howling, it was like a skate park with waves linking all the way from the way outside point to right in front of where we park, roughly a 300m long ride!! You are literally shattered at the end of each ride. I was on my smallest gear which is so rare here, it made everything a lot easier, Starboard really have come up trumps with the 74 Quad! It’s great now to have a good solid local crew at the spot which means you no longer have to brave the elements on your own, which on a cold Irish day is warming to the soul!”
“ The West coast of Ireland has one of Europe’s wildest coastlines that has long drawn artists, writers and surfers to its shores”
“A little freeride session to have a feel of the boom after long waiting period for some solid swells coming out this week, looking forward to score something hopefully insane” boujmaa guilloul
“Fun couple waves caught between 5:30pm and sunset time at 6:30 after traveling around the cap of Taghazout area where we spent hours looking for the perfect set up to launch from, but ended launching through some mean sea urchin field, very happy I made it through almost safe but destroyed my fins and a bit my board and off course, took back some seas urchins in my feet and few cuts,,, Looking forward for the next session there, maybe Paradise Plage hotel crew will help us with the logistics for a better perspective? :)”
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Last winter was fruitful in terms of chunky low pressure systems battering the south west but time and again the wind was from the west or northwest. There were no complaints from the Motley Crew who capitalized on this trend with numerous visits to the far flung corners of Cornwall but like starved addicts they were hungry for a classic southerly forecast to light up St Ives bay and feast on the joys of the thumping beach breaks from Hayle to Gwithian. Duly rewarded, the crew scored such a session, JC reports from the dunes of Mexico’s, a small sandbar with a big punch!
Words John Carter, Finn Mullen //
Photos John Carter
(This feature originally appeared in the November Descember 2015 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!)
EARLY WARNING
My first warning came from Timo who had spotted this blip on the weather map a week early. The red phone in my office had been dormant most of the winter, submerged under piles of overdue bills, hard drives and letters from the editor asking me to stop writing about my red phone, but one morning I luckily spotted that good old familiar glow flashing on and off through the debris. I scrambled to pick up the receiver wiping the layers of dust as I listened to the encrypted message (well it wasn’t encrypted but I can’t speak Northern Ireland’ese so I had to decode it) – ‘JC, this is just a warning, but next Saturday in Cornwall is looking epic, I know you had promised to take the Mrs to that fancy new restaurant at Portsmouth’s Tesco but this could be one of those days you don’t want to miss!’ A week is a long time for a forecast to change but gradually as the next days unfolded, the stars started to line up and frantic plans were made to swap round my dinner date and prepare for being locked out of the house for the next year and a bit.
GREEN LIGHT
Then on Thursday I heard Jamie Hancock was back in the UK fresh from three months in Cape Town and knowing he loves sailing down in Cornwall sent him a message to see if he was up for it. Now bearing in mind he had just spent all that time away from his girlfriend Becky, a trip to Cornwall on his first weekend home was going to go down like a lead balloon with extra lead and no balloon. Apparently she was riding her bike when he finally mustered up the guts to make the phone call informing her of his imminent departure to head west with the crew. Mid phone call, she hit a pot hole and went over the handle bars, to make matters worse she had just had a terrible day at work and this latest news was the last straw. But fortunately Becky has a heart of gold and despite a few cuts and bruises as she lay crying in the middle of the road, she gave the green light for Jamie to join the crew. Any normal person would of course refused and tended to their girlfriend lying in the road, fortunately Jamie is a Motley and left her there thankful that it was not his own bike that was potentially damaged and his day with the lads would not be ruined.
EARLY KICK OFF
So come Friday night (which was also Timo’s wife’s birthday!) we were gathered uncomfortably and guilt ridden at Timo’s place in Poole, all revved up for a 4am departure. According to Timo we had to be at the beach for first light because the tide was going to be flooding out and arriving any later we would miss the prime window. On top of the tides, we had heard through the grapevine that a convoy of would be warriors were also heading down from Witterings and other south coast haunts since Cornwall was the only place with a solid forecast. We were now in a race against the tide and the crowds!
So, after leaving behind three disgruntled wives and partners and enduring the miserable three and a half hour drive in the darkness, we finally pulled into Gwithian at 7.30am, eager for our first view of the conditions and to see if all this hassle had been worth it. Bitter disappointment was an understatement; for starters the sky was totally overcast, the swell looked kind of sloppy, there was barely a breath of wind and it was slightly onshore; it looked and was, utter pants. We sat in silence in the van as we contemplated this could be a wasted day, not to mention the £80 worth of diesel down the pan! We were at a low point normally reserved for watching England in a world cup penalty shootout. Timo however was still optimistic and declared we needed to move further round the bay where at least it would be more cross off. Next stop was Uptons but the caravan site was closed until 8am so we trundled further round the bay to Mexico’s, duly named after a pub that is no longer there – which was just as well as I might have called in for one or two crates of Corona!. Maybe not quite as clean as the Bluff but usually a foot or two bigger, Mexico’s is also less messy in a southwest wind than Gwithian and always worth a look if you are stuck for options in the area.
We were first in the car park and after watching from the dunes for five minutes Timo was looking far more positive that we could be on for a decent session. Over towards St Ives, the grey clouds were starting to disperse with a hint of blue occasionally peaking through. A few solid gusts were starting to blow the tops off the sets which seemed to be building as the tide started to flood out. I carefully assembled all the camera gear I would possibly need to last the day, in full knowledge that the last time I was here the walk down to the beach is an absolute killer and even worse back up.
The first thirty minutes were kind of slow going but all of a sudden the wind, waves and sunshine all just cranked in and the conditions started to fire. From fickle, big board, plod out, 5.3m weather, the wind started to howl, while the sets simultaneously hit the golden slot at mid-tide, with long peeling walls and smack-able lips wedging up on the inside. With the skyline of St Ives providing an awesome backdrop and the lush Atlantic waves rearing up as long green lines up on the sandbar, Mexico’s was providing a picture postcard back drop for every single ride. Jamie was hot on Timo’s heals to hit the water and wasted no time dialling into the conditions, smashing out enormous airs and throwing heavy hits on every section possible.
Timo was out for glory throwing down multiple forward loops off the lip, late hits and monster aerials. By mid-morning there was a solid crowd on the water, with the likes of Jamie Hawkins, Stefan Hilder, Sarah Bibby and the predicted south coast posse joining the Mexican wave fiesta (minus the dodgy hats and even dodgier tacos). Timo was forced to change down gear mid-session which meant a painstaking walk back up the sand dune back to the van to re-rig to his 4.7m and smaller board but when he came back he was charging harder than ever. By 1pm we were all toasted. The combo of a 4am wake up, on the water by 8.15am and four solid hours of hard-core conditions was enough; plus the wind had pretty much died come low tide. We stopped at M & S in Hayle to stock up on flowers, chocolate and anything else three apologetic windsurfers could offer in appeasement to our better halves for a day spent enjoying ourselves on the beach, while chucking in a few cans of spicy Pringles for the road in honour of our Mexican sojourn. It was a classic Cornwall day and even more classic Motley day as we learned the wind had filled back in on the pushing tide as soon as we left. Hasta la vista Mexico’s – we will be back! (if our wives and girlfriends don’t read this!).
JAMIE HANCOCK
“I’d only been back in the UK for a few days before the first charts started to light up. I was gagging to go on a trip with the boys and this Cornwall forecast looked perfect to try and acclimatise back to the UK winter conditions.
It turned out to be great fun once we made that dreaded trek down the hill to the beach. The higher perspective from the car park was deceptive to knowing the actual size of the swell; it turned out to be quite punchy. After the initial shock to the system of the colder water I slowly started to dial into the way the waves were hitting the sandbar. I went for bigger kit with a 4.5m Vandal prototype and my Tabou 75 litre board but that quickly proved to be way too big. The hill is a nightmare to get up and down at Mexico’s so I stuck with the 4.5m but could have easily dropped to a 4.0m and small board by the middle of the session. I was lucky enough to nail one or two decent airs and plenty of other fun waves. There were plenty of others charging and everyone was absolutely loving it on the water. Most amazing moment of the day? Well that has to go to Jamie Hawkins and how many times he dropped in on everyone, must have been a record!”
“ It was a classic Cornwall day and even more classic Motley day as we learned the wind had filled back in on the pushing tide as soon as we left ”
TIMO MULLEN
“Mexico’s has always been one of my favourite spots to sail in Cornwall, it is a lot cleaner in a SW wind than Gwithian and in my opinion a bit more punchy. This day was really good fun, big enough to get the adrenaline pumping yet
still pretty playful. Sessions like this remind me why I am building a house at Gwithian!!’’
PWA World Cup windsurfer Oda Johanne enjoying her training days in the Caribbean on Bonaire. Watch this 1 minute clip and see her day at the office
Filmed by lacbayvilla.com.
