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First iQFoils Arrive in Europe Germany’s first batch of iQfoil Boards got delivered and distributed, our Dream Team rider Lena Erdil was the lucky receiver of one of them! Together with her team mate Helena they unpack the boards and head for their first sessions. We caught up with Lena to ask about her first impressions. |
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"Would You Rather" with Maelle GuilbaudIn 2018, Maelle Guilbaud (Patrik / Loftsails) earned her first podium on the PWA Slalom World Tour after finishing 3rd in South Korea - showing her potential as one of the future young hopefuls who could potentially challenge for the world title in years to come. Last season, the 23-year-old was able to secure another event podium finish, again in South Korea, while her consistency which saw her record only one result outside the top 4 in 4 events led to her completing the prestigious overall top 3 for the first time in her career. Maëlle is up next in ‘Would You Rather’. Read the interview . . . |
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Blast from the Past - Marine Hunter With Marine Hunter
Hi Marine, take us back to the memory of your very first windsurf experience… Where were you?
It was in La Baule, France. My parents have a holiday flat in the area and we used to be there for almost every vacation. We learnt to sail on Optimists when we were kids, then small catamarans, a Hobie Cat 16 (soooooooo much fun!) and I wanted to learn something else. When was it?
It was during summer vacations, when I was 16 I think. Who were you with? Read more . . .
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20 Questions with Blanca Alabau Blanca Alabau (Starboard / Severne / Starboard Foil) together with her sister Marina (Starboard / Severne / Starboard Foil) made their debuts on the World Tour last year with the introduction of Foiling. Having come from a racing background the young Spaniard was constantly in contention for the top places last season and eventually finished 4th overall. Blanca recently took our 20 Questions: |
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Advancement of women in sailing I’m a huge fan of the Sailing Leadership Forum hosted by US Sailing. Held biennially, it brings together so many of the contributors in the sport for good vibes and motivation. I’ve gone to them all. I was happy to contribute to two panel discussions at the 2020 forum: – Hear Sailing Influencers debate their opinions on the hot topics in our Sport. – Recruiting & Retaining Women Sailors, Coaches, and Leaders. I felt confident to participate in the hot topics discussion, but the women’s session proved to be an education for me. While I’m not hesitant to lean into a discussion, this was a chance to learn by listening... |
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World Sailing Trust Launches Global Survey The World Sailing Trust is pleased to announce the launch of its global survey on women in sailing, looking at trends within sailing and the wider industry around gender disparity.
Announced on International Women’s Day earlier this year, the Strategic Review, that forms part of the World Sailing Trust’s Access to sailing work, focuses on increasing gender diversity across the sport. As a public document, published on the World Sailing Trust’s website, it will provide recommendations and actions for partners across the globe looking to be part of this change..
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Windsurfing got her hooked on a hobby This is the time of year when events rely on the hard work and dedication of volunteers on race committee duty. Often overlooked, Jane Price gives us a view from the committee boat at the Annapolis Windsurfing Festival held on Memorial Day Weekend. "I’m a new windsurfer – this summer is only my third summer in the sport though I grew up sailing. I always had a Sunfish growing up, we lived on a lake, and I even went to a wonderful sailing camp on Cape Cod.
My ‘aha moment’ was about five years ago, when I traveled to San Francisco and I saw people windsurfing in the Bay under the Golden Gate Bridge. Here was something that was exciting – and portable. I could fit it in my car and travel to lakes around Pennsylvania, where I live. I found out about BABA (Baltimore Area Boardsailing Association), attended their learn-to-windsurf event, took some lessons, bought some old equipment to get started, and I was hooked. |
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The inspiring story of Olympic windsurfing hopeful Saskia Sills is told in a new documentary released by the British Sailing Team.
Cornwall’s Sills, 22, is a former world champion at youth level and a key member of the British Sailing Team, with her sights set on representing Britain at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
However, her ride to the top has been anything but smooth – two years ago Sills underwent surgery to her forearms for debilitating compartment syndrome that almost ended her career.
The 15-minute program, called Born on the Water, charts Sills’ life in windsurfing from learning to sail on a lake in Devon with her family to competing in junior competitions alongside her identical twin sister Imogen. It follows her rise to the British Sailing Team and the challenges she has faced on and off the water as she juggles the rigors of being an elite athlete with recovery from injury and a university education. |
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Jenna Gibson Nominated for UK Windsurfer of the Year The UKWA has unveiled their nominees for the prestigious UKWA windsurfer of the year.The roll call of names on this trophy reads like a who’s who of windsurfing royalty. Jenna has come up through the ranks honing her skills with RYA T15 then moved into UKWA Slalom racing. Starting in the Amateur fleet she is now taking some big scalps in the pro fleet. She has had amazing year internationally to rightfully earn her nomination in this category. Winning the IFCA Slalom Windsurfing World Championships at only 21 years old and coming 6th in the PWA women’s slalom fleet on her first full season. |
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37.29 knots: Zara Davis sets a new speed sailing record The British windsurfer sailed at 37.29 knots during the La Palme Speed Masters 2018, in the south of France. Davis, who held the record for nearly 12 years, saw her mark of 34.74 knots being smashed by Heidi Ulrich at the French event. On July 16, the Swiss windsurfer improved Zara's world record after sailing at 35.91 knots. However, the veteran sailor from Clevedon only needed five days to reclaim the fastest mark on a nautical mile speedway. "It was the first time I have sailed this spot. It was an interesting experience, even though I have not done the nautical mile for 12 years. I had some difficult kit choices," explained Davis. "It was again a close competition with Heidi Ulrich. It was hard having to fly home and go back to work with no world record that I had held for 12 years, but the mission to return to La Palme and take the record back was well worth it." The nautical mile is one of the three most popular speed sailing records, alongside the 500-meter record and the 24-hour distance record. The rules for the one nautical mile record are identical to the 500-meter regulations, except that instead of 500 meters, sailors can ride their craft over an 1852-meter course. The new achievement by Zara Davis has already been ratified by the World Sailing Speed Record Council (WSSRC). |  |
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For the first time in its history, the Gran Canaria Windsurf World Cup will award equal prize money to men and women at Pozo Izquierdo. The 30th anniversary of the windsurfing competition held in the Canary Islands will be a special one to all the female athletes involved in the waves discipline. "As women windsurfers, we have been dreaming about this moment for the last 21 years. We run the same risks, train hard and even worse, with lower salaries and opportunities," Daida Moreno, organizer, and competitor, told Continent Seven. The veteran sailor, who's in charge of the Gran Canaria Wind & Waves Festival for seven years, says they found the 20,000 euros needed to balance the prize money. "Some people think that women, as they cannot sail as powerful as men, should not get the same prize money. Of course, women have physical restrictions compared to men, but when competing on a higher level, they sail better than many men." Read the full article on Surfer Today |
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The UK is not just represented on the PWA tour by men, we are fortunate to have some very talented ladies representing us on the world stage with a passion to compete at the highest level. We profile three of our own about their experiences on tour. |
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Karo van Tonder: the first female windsurfer to complete an 80-kilometer race She is not just a pretty face. South African pro windsurfer Karo van Tonder is comfortable in all types of conditions. Whether she's competing on a downwinder, a speed sailing event, or slalom race, Tonder always pushes herself to the limit. In September 2017, the athlete from Langebaan became the first woman on the planet to complete an 80-kilometer race - the Defi Wind Mauritius. "It was the most intense physical and mental experience of my entire life. I saw most of the strong men retiring at the 40-kilometer mark. All the hard work and training paid off," underlined Karo van Tonder. |  |
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Lena Erdil - Female Force Despite some steps in the right direction, like writing almost the same amount about women as for men in event recaps and not sending us out in the worst possible conditions, the PWA showed me once more this year that there is some catching up to do! After about 4 years of meetings (these are just the ones I personally attended) discussing how to improve the situation for women in the sport (not the financial discrimination), the women still ended up having a lot less events. Women ended up having a slalom world tour with only 2 events and as little as 3 finals and a freestyle world cup with 1 single event in the past 3 years! Not having events is another way in which women are disadvantages from the start; less visibility, less credibility, less chance to gain experience. Read Lena's full article and the PWA and IFCA responses in Windsurf Magazine |  |
Zara Davis Breaks Women's Speed Windsurfing World Record
Zara Davis has broken the women's speed windsurfing world record, at the 2017 Luderitz Speed Challenge, in Namibia.
The world's most famous speed sailing canal has once again delivered the goods. British speed windsurfer Zara Davis broke a record set in 2015.
Two years ago, Swiss bullet Karin Jaggi raised the women's bar and stole the world record from Davis by sailing at 46.31 knots in a 500-meter run. But revenge for Zara Davis arrived this year. The experienced windsurfer set the new mark at 46.49 knots, improving the previous world record by 0.38 knots.
"I am so stoked to have achieved this record for the second time and especially to do it on the new Simmer Speed Demon 40, which was incredibly stable at speed and so fast," said Zara Davis. "I have been with Simmer sails now for nine years, so I know how good they are and broke the last record on them. But this year's SC Speed sails are a big step ahead and super fast. The combination is a real winner."
At the 2017 Luderitz Speed Challenge, Davis has also peaked at 49.35 knots, and became the fastest women on GPS speed surfing of all time at 5x10 seconds.
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Sara Flowe: Fastest Woman on the East Coast
Sara Flowe was the first woman to cross the finish line in Monday's 20K long distance races. With 177 sailors on one start line for an exhilarating windsurfing adventure, Sara finished 27th overall. The International Windsurfing Tour got a chance to interview the champion and this is what she had to say: IWT: Congratulations on winning 1st in the women's division for the OBX-Wind 20k race on Monday! How does it feel? Thanks! It was a really fun race. I am very happy with my overall score too, this was only my second time racing so it was fun to beat so many of the men! We don't normally sail anything bigger than a 5.3 in Hatteras, so rigging a 6.5 in that much wind was a bit more work than normal, but it was worth it to be able to compete with the top riders." |
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Amanda Beenen about her Change to Hot Sails & Women's Windsurfing
In 2006 windsurfing came into Amanda's life and changed everything for her. "My dreams changed, I started thinking about how it would be to travel and surf amazing spots, I started dreaming of new moves and getting new skills,"? Amanda told us. A whole new world opened up for the blond Dutch and the dream to compete on the world tour started to grow.
Fast forward, since 2014 Amanda has been a regular top 4 overall finisher on the PWA wave tour, is currently living on Maui and still chasing her dreams.
Amanda is a very positive and spontaneous character, which seemed to have impressed Jeff Henderson from Hot Sails Maui, too. He decided to add the 30 year-old Amanda to his team. Read the full article on Continent Seven . . . |
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Maaike Huvermann's 2016 season recap 19 year-old Dutch windsurfer Maaike Huvermann released her 2016 recap clip, called "Hoverwoman"?. Maaike had a good season. She trained in Bonaire in the beginnin of the year and took part in the PWA World Cup in Fuerteventura, where she finished in 2nd position. In autmn she participated in the DAM-X EFPT event and made it in 3rd position. Unfortunately she injured her foot during the DAM-X event but she is on her way back. Maaike not only improved on her freestyle gear she as well made a step forward in wave sailing. Let’s see when she will enter the first international wave event. |
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Greta Marchegger - Windsurfing Italy "I started windsurfing when I was eight years old and I'm competing in the category Slalom since I was twelve years old. Short In short, I fell in love with windsurfing straight away. I grew up in this "crazy world of windsurfing"? because my dad has been a professional windsurfer and is working in windsurfing business since always." "Windsurfing is not only a sport but a passion and a lifestyle. I'm stoked about everything around it, the lifestyle, travelling, events and having friends all around the globe." Read more on Extreme Spots |
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Marion Lepert: A Pure Windsurfer Marion Lepert, America's premier female windsurfer, has dedicated much of her life to a sport which she describes as like "playing chess while running a marathon."? Since she was 11 years old, Lepert has been racing her board under sail number 143, a digit that was chosen without her knowledge but has come to define her career. With this number, she's posted top-10 performances at international regattas, frequently contended for the top spot at youth events and, most recently, qualified for the 31st Olympic Games this August in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
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Thoughts about women's freestyle by Arrianne Aukes Arrianne Aukes has been competing in freestyle for 5 years and belongs to the best female freestyle windsurfers at the moment. Since years there has only been one (or two) PWA freestyle event for the girls per season. The fact of having just one or two events makes it of course hard to make a living from competing. Hence Arrianne decided to focus not only on freestyle competition anymore, but also on wave competition and organizing windsurfing clinics. |
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A talk with Sam Bittner about the AWT Sam Bittner created the AWT (American Windsurfing Tour) more than 5 years ago and has been organizing and managing the tour since then. That was a tough move and it worked as Sam and her colleagues put their heart and soul into the project. A lot of work and dedication by her and a few others was necessary to keep the momentum. She even managed to create a yearly growth in terms of events and 2015 saw 7 wave events on 3 continents. Last winter Sam Bittner who is 31 years of age decided to start a regular job on Maui. |
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Oda Johanne with one minute windsurfing action from Bonaire Watch one minute in the life of pro freestyle windsurfer Oda Johanne. Looks like the Norwegian windsurfing pro is hungry for a few more podiums this year. She spent a lot of days on the water during her intense winter windsurfing season. 6 weeks on Bonaire is a good length for a trip having a few perfect days on the water. At the beginning of her trip the wind conditions were quite light on Bonaire and she had several sessions on the Slalom gear, too. |
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RS:X women stand up to escalating regatta costs Restricted and expensive access to good event venues are competitive sailing's biggest obstacle in the USA. Does this explain America's Olympic difficulties over the past few cycles? Windsurf Olympic lifer Farah Hall reports that in Miami, it's only getting worse. In preparation for the Miami Olympic Classes Regatta, the first World Cup event of 2016, many sailors competed in "Midwinters" regattas held at the sailing clubs in Coconut Grove. These small events have a history of about 4-5 years and are normally used as a low-key warm up before the World Cup. However, this year one little regatta was the victim of an unfortunate trend in both the Olympic class circuit and the American racing scene: escalating costs for sailors, facilitating exclusivity. |
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A miss, a beautiful model, a talented tv star, a caring mother, a supportive wife to our PWA president, and a windsurfing champion. Are these enough qualities to welcome Cagla to be part of our Point-7 Black Team? Well, there is a lot more to add, and we are more than happy to have her join our Girls' Black Team.
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After completing her studies, 2015 saw Sarah-Quita Offringa (Starboard / NeilPryde / Mystic / Maui Ultra Fins) return to competing in all 3 disciplines full-time. Some may have thought that this may be too taller order to remain competing at the very top of her game, but she emphatically proved any doubters wrong as she claimed world titles in the freestyle and slalom, while breaking into the overall top 3 for the first time in the waves. After a hugely successful year we caught up with SQ, who now holds 10 world titles to her name — 8 freestyle and 2 slalom — for an interview. |
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Sarah Hauser is the star of "Girl On Wave," a documentary that reveals how the New Caledonian conquered the 2015 American Windsurfing Tour. Hauser is more than a highly skilled wave windsurfer. She is a force of Nature, and an inspiring athlete. Sarah has braved stormy seas in uber-windy conditions, and her first appearance on the PWA World Tour in 2014 confirmed her natural talent. After receiving her masters in computer science and applied mathematics, Sara Hauser took on a few jobs like anyone else. The young pianist - she studied classical piano at the New Caledonia Conservatory of Music for 12 years - wanted to increase her skills before dedicating her life to what she really loved: windsurfing. "Girl On Wave," directed by Steven Esparza, features interviews with windsurfing legends, champions, and top PWA sailors who inspired Hauser on her journey to success in the always challenging AWT season. |
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WSSRC ratifies Women’s Windsurfer/10sqm recordThe World Sailing Speed Record Council has ratified a new Women’s Windsurfer/10sq m Class record. On November 2, 2015 Karin Jaggi (SUI), aboard her Patrik Board 37 Custom with Loft Sail 5 sq m, completed a course length of 501 meters with an elapsed time of 21:03 at a speed of 46.31 knots in Luderitz, Namibia. The previous record was set by Zara Davis (GBR), also in Luderitz, with a speed of 45.83 knots in 2012. Watch the video interview with Karin |
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Alessandra Sensini has been inducted into the World Sailing Hall of Fame.The Italian windsurfer is the most successful female Olympic sailor in history, with a total medal count of one gold, one silver and two bronze medals. Throughout her career, Alessandra competed in three different windsurfing classes: Lechner A-390, Mistral and RS:X. Sensini was born in Grosseto, in 1970. She competed in five Olympic Games: Atlanta (1996), Sydney (2000), Athens (2004), Beijing (2008), and London (2012). She was presented with a blue World Sailing logo pennant at the ISAF ceremony held in Sanya, China. "I want to thank you all because it is an honour for me to be here today. Some years ago, I received the ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year Award, and that was amazing for me. To be inducted into the Hall of Fame is totally unexpected," said Sensini. "I want to thank ISAF President Carlo Croce because after I stopped competing he brought me into the Italian Federation to support and promote Youth Sailing and the new generation. I hope that I will be able to inspire the new generation and pass on my knowledge in the sport of sailing." The World Sailing Hall of Fame was created in 2007. Inductions are announced every three years, and the next induction will be in 2019. |
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Lena Erdil given the green light to begin epic journey from Turkey to CyprusLena Erdil (Patrik / Point-7 / Mystic / AL360) currently sits second in the PWA Women’s Slalom World Rankings, but for the moment she has her eye on a slightly different project. The current vice-world champion is set to partake in an epic challenge in which the Turkish beauty will attempt to sail from Turkey to Cyprus. "I have never attempted a long distance crossing like this one before and I will just have to keep my fingers crossed for favourable conditions, I’m really excited to finally make this project happen doing a long distance crossing has been a dream of mine for quite some time now!” To stay up to date with all of Lena Erdil’s latest news be sure to ‘like’ her Facebook fan page, which can be found here. |
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Who is Nicole Bandini?Nicole Bandini (ITA-613) is a 16 year-old windsurfing lady from Italy. She is extremely motivated and has big goals. Nicole left her home town Forli and moved to Sant’Antioco on Sardinia to be able to windsurf more: “In my home town Forli (Emiglia Romagna) it is difficult to find good freestyle and wave conditions, but Sardinia is perfect for both. The Windsurfing Club Sa Barra is my freestyle home spot where I usually train myself with Gigi Madeddu and all the SaBarraStyle project riders.” |
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Zara Davis Winter TrainingZara Davis travels to El Medano in Tenerife for some winter Slalom training for the upcoming season and tune her new RRD, Simmer, AL360 and Sonntag gear. She was joined by some old friends and made some new ones. Trained with Coach, Mark Hosegood from Pro X Training. Enjoy some on and off water action. |
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Lene Kyte in Egypt The Norwegian windsurfer Lene Kyte released a nice clip with action from Egypt. Follow the link to watch this and other Girls Windsurfing Videos |
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Wind in my hair ft. Lizzie BaillieLizzie Baillie (former Smith) edited a clip with some freestyle clips from this winter in Dahab. Lizzie: “It is a short farewell to windsurfing for me for the next 6 months as we are super excited to say we are expecting a baby boy in July!” We wish good luck for the upcoming months! See you back on the board soon. |
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Emma Wilson - More to Come from this World ChampionEmma Wilson from Christchurch already holds an RS:X youth world title, but is just looking for more and more in 2015 and beyond. Daughter of one of the most successful female British racers Penny Way (now Wilson), racing is in Emma’s blood… but she is proving she has more than that as she makes it to the top. |
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Girls For Sail Backs Sport England's 'This Girl Can' CampaignGirls For Sail principal Annie O'Sullivan, founder of the UK's only female sailing school, is backing Sport England's new campaign to encourage more women into sport. |
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Oda Johanne in Brazil – VideoOda Johanne Stokstad Br?dholt (N-500), number 2 in the 2014 ladies freestyle world ranking, spent a few months in Brazil. She enjoyed windsurfing a lot at Jericoacoara and Camocim and picked up a lot of new tricks. Now she lands Shakas, Goiters, Airflakas, Funnels, Airfunnels, Backloops, Grubbies. She even goes for Burners and Takas. The 25 year old former handball player seems to be fully focused in windsurfing and obviously has big plans for 2015. Her moves are powerful, with a lot of height. Keep on going that great Oda! |
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Sarah-Quita Offringa – Interview with Continent SevenSarah-Quita Offringa won 8 Windsurfing World titles, has been competing for 11 years and recently changed her sail sponsor. She is fully motivated for the upcoming season and will compete in Freestyle, Wave and Slalom. We thought it was about time to catch up with the exceptional windsurfing lady for a bigger interview. |
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Amanda Beenen’s awesome 2014 – Video & InterviewAmanda Beenen released a short windsurfing clip which she called “my 2014 was pretty awesome”. So, we asked Amanda, why 2014 was so awesome: “I think in 2014 I got the chance to step it up a bit. I said at the beginning of the year I want to get into the top 5. And it went better than expected. I managed to get 4th overall and won the indoor event in Poland. I put a lot of effort into my training on but also especially off the water and I do think this really helped me get better results. I was really stoked to be competing in the indoor event, this was a dream come true! It was such a well organized event. Just unreal! The whole year went so fast and I had such a great time it’s amazing! I got to meet and hang out with a shit ton of awesome people and I feel like it’s just the start!” |
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Dominant Shaw Seals The Deal In the Women's RS:XBryony Shaw (GBR) converted her outstanding week of racing into ISAF Sailing World Cup Final gold on the final day of racing in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The British racer has been flawless throughout the series and took a 16 point lead into the Medal Race. The Beijing 2008 Olympic bronze medallist put in an assured, astute performance coming through in second to claim the honours. |
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70 and unstoppable!As the weather gets a little colder we’re all in need of some windsurfing inspiration, and today it’s coming from 70-year-old reader and windsurf addict Teena Gustafsson. We catch up with Teena to find out if anything will ever stop her windsurfing… It was my husband who started windsurfing first, way back in 1984 when our two boys were little. It p…….. me off because he was having all this free time enjoying himself with me left with the kids; I insisted on having a go, so it must have been in 1985. My husband was also rather concerned because I’m not really a swimmer, I only learned to swim a length when I was an adult! I had very limited time on the water because then he had to do the babysitting, but I persevered, and the first board was a ‘Wayler Gipsy’. |
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Girls Want to Get Wet – Episode 1.5Sarah Hauser edited a nice, entertaining clip featuring the AWT girls having fun in Punta San Carlos (Baja California) during the AWT Punta San Carlos event. The girls: Vickey Abbott (Cape Verde), Fiona Wylde (Hood River), Ingrid Larouche (Canada), Sam Bittner (Maui), Sarah Hauser (New Caledonia), Katie McAnena (Ireland), Kate Barker (Australia), Roz Thomson (Canada) |
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Fiona Wylde Breaks ThroughFiona Wylde is just a teenager, yet she is setting the bar high with incredible results on both the AWT and world SUP tour this year. Fiona won Breakthrough Performance of the year at the recent SUP Awards, which she adds to her AWT event win. Watch out for this girl, here's why: Read more on Boards |
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Making the 1000 mph car
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Screw Loose Windsurfing ft. Justyna SniadyDespite a severe foot injury in 2012 and a long time off the water the Polish windsurfing lady Justyna Sniady fought her way back to be able to windsurf and compete again. She never gave up and has released a video with footage filmed at different locations over the last two years. "'Rocky' voice-over part was made while I was waiting for my first surgery 2 years ago. His words kept me motivated to push the rehabilitation and get back on the water," Justyna said. Watch Video |
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17 Year Old Fiona Wylde Baja Women's ChampionThe AWT (American Windsurfing Tour) is doing a fantastic job at showcasing the brilliant talent of new up and coming talent. First Bernd Roediger, now Morgan Noireaux and seventeen year old Fiona Wylde. These guys are all taking over their predecessors and already winning tour stops in style. Check out this unbelievable video of Fiona ripping in Baja, where she recently won the women's AWT event. |
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Twin Towers and Duck Tacks - Marji Keith's StoryThe most inspiring, life-changing windsurf story read. If this doesn't inspire you to get on the water, nothing will. Marjorie Keith was born in Michigan, USA in 1972 . She was employed as a broker in New York on the 105th floor of the World Trade Centre from 1993 to 1999. In 1999 Marjorie took an internal transfer and began work in Milan; however, her life was still dramatically affected by the events of 9/11. Now, her life that was once filled with the facts and figures of the stock exchange, has been taken over by vulcans, flakas and words of wisdom from the Frans brothers. Read more on Boards . . . |
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Why I Windsurf by Sarah BibbyBecause windsurfing is the best sport in the world. Fact. Why? Because windsurfing gives you the best feeling, whether it be speed, airtime, landing tricks or riding waves, there is no feeling like it. You are the integral join between your board and sail, riding an ever changing sea, battling the elements, floating in the sky and chasing the dream wave. It is a combination of gymnastic moves and surfing, requiring strength and agility, there is no sport quite like it! Read more . . . |
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How to Master the Master BlasterRS:X champion Izzy Hamilton knows a thing or two about racing, here she shares a few things she learnt from her first slalom event in Weymouth. 'Slalom' racing isn't just about the pro fleet, it's great to see rising numbers in the amateur and master blaster fleets. Boards brings you the ultimate guide to mastering the master blaster, starting off with some words of wisdom from BSA Weymouth top woman Izzy Hamilton: Read more |
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Windsurfing – a male dominated sport?The Danish windsurfer Sara Sommer spent her winter windsurf training in Western Australia, mainly around Geraldton and was happy to meet many girls on the water. Sara is sure, that the girls on the water are getting more and more. Read her story from Western Australia and watch the video. |
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Shaw Explores the West CoastBritain's own Olympic medallist Bryony Shaw journeys to the west coast of Ireland to soak up the beautiful windsurfing conditions it has to offer. Stepping off the RS:X and onto her wave gear, Bryony blasts around the idyllic shores sharing just why she loves windsurfing. Bryony is amidst another Olympic campaign, which should see her heading to Rio in 2016; fingers crossed Bryony can bring home yet more medals! Check out the video and more on Boards |
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Arrianne Aukes Sport Woman of the YearAfter my nomination for 'Sport Woman of the Year from the Stellingwerven last month, there was the prize giving last Tuesday and I received the title of Sport Woman of 2013! So happy with this title, it gives such a good feeling knowing that people support me and appreciate my hard work and achievements! It was a very good organised evening, good speakers, lots of banter, some impressive athletic shows and a lot of people. Big thanks to the organisation of the event. During my speech I had the chance to thank my parents for their incredible amount of support, and my sponsors who make me help realising my dream. And of course I now want to thanks you all as well for voting for me! |
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Windsurfing? from Eva Oude Ophuis on Vimeo.I just finished a short clip of some windsurf video material from all kind of places over the world: Hawaii, Canaries, Brazil, Denmark and my home: The Netherlands. Read more at Boardseeker.com |
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Queen of Freestyle Windsurfing in South AfricaFor her first time ever, the queen of freestyle windsurfing took to the air to visit South Africa, just for the pleasure of travelling and windsurfing; no competition, no photo-shoots, just doing what she wanted, when she wanted. Obviously freestyle windsurfing was on the agenda, waves also, but does this mean she will be entering the PWA wave tour this year or is she staying true to freeestyle and slalom. Read on to find out about why Cape Town, what she got up to and if she is considering the wave tour… |
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Launch of Ultramarina "Girls Only" ClinicsWe are pleased to announce Sarah Hebert will join the Ultramarina clinics team! Always striving to improve our services in our clinic programs, Sarah will be responsible for the organization and coaching for girls only clinics. These clinics aim to meet the expectations of ladies in combining growth and expansion around a common passion: windsurfing. The first "Girls Only" event will be held in the run up to Wind Challenge May 24 to 28. This course, run in parallel with two groups of boys coached by Nicolas Warembourg with Stephan Krause, will aim to prepare girls for Wind Challenge! A second "Girls Only" event will be held in October titled "progression in Freeride". Check the dates and info on our website |
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Lena Erdil & Alice Arutkin in South AfricaThe Turkish windsurfer Lena Erdil and the French windsurfer Alice Arutkin chose South Africa as their winter destination and the Estonian photographer Jaanus Ree captured some nice images. Additionally we have hooked up with Lena to get more infos about her trip this year. |
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Carbon Art Rider - TammyAn interview with CA Rider Tammy, who grew up in the US Virgin Islands and shares with us some of her windsurfing stories and her true love of the sport. |
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Katya takes us to Sao Miguel do GostosoEvery winter my friends and I travel around the world. We look for wind, waves and the endless summer. This year I spent my winter holidays in Brazil. The small village of Sao Miguel do Gostoso, located in the northeastern tip of Brazil, is famous for two reasons: stable winds and the windsurf-club of the legendary, three times World Champion - Kauli Seadi. That's why it didn't take long to decide which spot in Brazil to visit. This place exceeded all my expectations and gave me two months of: windsurfing every day, a positive morale and an unforgettable journey. |
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Another day in the crazy life of Justyna SniadyThere's only one girl we know that could break a rib, break a harness and STILL complete a 15km downwind race. "So far it doesn't look like 2014 will be any easier on me then the last year, although maybe it's just 2013 rubbing off." "2014: SAME STORY – DIFFERENT YEAR!!! haha" Read more . . . |
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Heleen Muijsers on the North Shore SardiniaSurfing in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea. A pure windsurfing lifestyle movie with love of the ocean and nature. While traveling and discovering planet earth's special treasures I'm happy to share my passion. The last seven months I've been surfing, windsurfing and climbing on Sardinia, La Madalena, Caprera and the South of Corsica. Enjoy my latest clip 'North Shore Sardinia'. |
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A day at the beach featuring Arrianne AukesArrianne Aukes had a busy summer travelling the coast of Europe including La Tajita in Tenerife, Sagres in Portugal, Sancti Petri in Cadiz, Costa Calma in Fuerteventura, Matas Blancas in Fuerteventura . . . . Watch her stylish clip. |
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Sarah Bibby in ChileSarah Bibby and Stef Hilder are now back from the first trip of their Dream Sabbatical (check out all their plans here!), and it looks and sounds like it was a trip to remember. For an insight into the Matanzas conditions, which pros were ripping and Sarah's time out there check out these words and vide |
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Hanna Poschinger in FuerteventuraTwo months in Fuerteventura compressed to 4 minutes with EFPT Press officer and Austrian freestyle lady Hanna Poschinger. Way to go…. |
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What keeps women from sailing?A Facebook post on the Scuttlebutt Sailing News page asked for women to submit commentary on what keeps women from wanting to participate in sailing. Here is the first of many replies… Jillian Humphreys: I am a woman, I also have taught sailing for 13-14 years, both adults and kids. Most women are afraid that it requires a certain amount of strength that they do not have. While I grew up sailing, racing and cruising I still look at it as I will never be strong enough when I do certain tasks, but when I try I learn that I can and want to be able to . . . |
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Starboard AROUND: Episode 6 Holland with Sara-QuitaThe sixth episode of the "AROUND" series by Sean O'Brien takes us to the Netherlands and the new adopted home of 6x World Champion freestyler, Sarah-Quita Offringa from Aruba. Sarah-Quita has been living in Holland for three years now and in this video see our Dream Team rider at home in the city of Utrecht and surrounds, full of canals, boats, windmills and wooden shoes! |
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Zara Davis, from NamibiaThe UK's very own Zara Davis has been out in Namibia at the world famous speed trench in Luderitz. Already known for inflecting far too much pain on herself, Zara racked up a pretty hefty stitch count last year, we heard in excess of 50 stitches! Despite this, she showed her no fear approach and returned again this year, so how could it possibly get any worse? Whilst waiting for a brace from Ossur to come from the UK so she can sail on, Zara passes on her Top 5 Speed Tips and Top 5 Fin Tips |
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What's up? Laure TrebouxWe used to meet the Swiss sailor Laure Treboux on the PWA events on the Canaries. This year we did not. Swiss freestyle lady Laure Treboux (30/ SUI-4) decided to stop her competition career after being several years on the PWA tour. She has started to compete in freestyle in 2005, scored great results and was a regular podium finisher with her best results in 2011 and 2012. She won an IFCA freestyle title and several Swiss titles during her career. In 2008 Laure decided to compete on the PWA wave tour, too. She has moved to Western Australia and was able to push her waveriding level and in her fifth season she managed to make it in 4th position overall. Although her results were improving, Laure decided to stop her competition career at the age of 29. Laure has never won a PWA freestyle event during her career, although she gave Sarah-Quita a hard time on the water, but she impressed with her fluid style on the water. Read an interview, what Laure is up to at the moment and about her plans in the near future. |
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Ingrid LaroucheUnlike some of the pros that we've come to know over the years, Ingrid hails from a cold part of the North American continent in north eastern Quebec, far away from any environment that drums up the notion of wanting to become a full-time windsurfer. |
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Sarah-Quita 6 x PWA Freestyle World Champion!It's official! Sarah-Quita Offringa claimed her 6th consecutive PWA Freestyle World Title in Brouwersdam by winning three out of three eliminations and showed exactly why she is considered the Queen of Freestyle. Undefeated since 2008, she has the skills to beat most men and the same number of titles as Michael Jordan! And she'll be back next year, competing in the three disciplines to get more titles to her belt. In the meantime, congratulations on that title! |
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Delphine Cousin wins maiden PWA Slalom Windsurfing podium placeThe Meltemi wind continued to blow for the final day of the 2013 PWA Pegasus Airlines World Cup. Delphine Cousin will never forget the last days of August. She has reasons to celebrate. Cousin finished the Turkish event runner-up, right behind Sarah-Quita Offringa, and secured the first world windsurfing podium place of her career. |
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From Team 15 to Windsurf Pro"I honestly don't know what I’d be doing now if I hadn't started windsurfing." At 21, Jo Wright has already crammed a lifetime of windsurfing experience into just a decade. But despite carving out a reputation as one of the UK's most proactive, young windsurfing ambassadors, not to mention having an impressive PWA Slalom performance under her belt, as far as Jo is concerned she hasn't even started to scratch the surface of what the sport can bring to the rest of her life. |
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Fiona Wylde considered the "Gorge Windsurfer of the Year 2013".Born in Port Townsend, Washington, on the 18th February 1997, Fiona Wylde is one of the best windsurfing talents of her generation. The young windsurfer has been sailing for 12 years and competing for seven years. Her first contest was the Gorge Cup Race, when she was only 11. Wylde, a passionate Slalom and Wave rider, is a frequent passenger in the Hood River waters, but she has already tasted the powerful waves of Hookipa, in Hawaii. |
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Lena Erdil in waves – InterviewAylin Lena Erdil (Tur-33) is a 24 year-old windsurfing addict born in Izmir, Turkey. Her family moved to Germany when she was 2 years old and Lena lived in Germany until 10 years of age and finished primary school there. Spending her summer vacations in ?esme every year, Lena Erdil was taught windsurfing by her father. In 2005, she became the Turkish junior champion, has been competing on the PWA Slalom tour since 2008, has a Bachelor degree in Politics and Philosophy from the University of Sussex and speaks 4 languages. Big companies like Red Bull Turkey, Roxy or Turkish airlines have seen her potential and have been sponsoring her for many years. |
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Delphine Cousin stands out in the 2013 French Windsurfing Championship Delphine Cousin is shining a light in the 2013 French Windsurfing Championship, with a victory in the second stage, held in Brest. Despite the difficult conditions - three days of disoriented and gusty winds - sailors were able to complete two races. The organization worked hard to try to get more races, but even if the windsurfing fleet had spent many hours on the water every day, nothing could be done. "I won both races and I am really happy about it. I still need to work on my start so I used my good speed and jibes to win races", explains Delphine Cousin. "This second victory allows to get closer to a second French title, although there are two more steps that I must concentrate on. Now I have a two-month break to work on my weak points", the windsurfer adds. |
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Club Vass are well known for running very successful women's windsurfing tuition, their Diva Weeks helping hundreds of women progress their windsurfing skills whilst having a blast off the water too. Boards catches up with Diva coach, Bethany Mercer, to find out more about what's in store for the Divas in 2013. .... more on Boards |
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"The thing that puts most people off windsurfing is they think it's too difficult. Or they won't be strong enough or are too old. But none of these things are true. Windsurfing is about learning technique and anyone can do that, especially with all the new developments in equipment. Then the windsurfing world is their oyster." These are some of the common misconceptions held up as 'daunting' reasons why potential newcomers to the sport never go any further than thinking it might be a cool pastime reflects Amanda Van Santen, RYA Chief Instructor, Dinghy and Windsurfing. There are arguably more routes than ever before into taking those first tentative steps on to a board, yet the common reasons not to remain all too well-worn. Amanda and Gillian Wright, RYA National Windsurfing Development Officer, make it their raison d'etre to explain to the population at large - adults and kids - why these 'reasons' are nothing more than myths. .... more on Boards |
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Looking forward to the BWA Boards catches up with some of the regular competitors in the women's fleet of the BWA. It looks like there could be some surprises and very competitive faces on the women's fleet for the new season …more |
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Izzy Hamilton Brazil Update Whilst Nick Dempsey and Bryony Shaw took medals the the recent RS:X World Champs, up coming sailors (surely next in line to follow in the footsteps of Nick and Bryony?) including Izzy Hamilton also produced some fantastic results, showing they have what it takes to reach the top too. Izzy's shared her thoughts upon returning from Brazil, you can check out more updates from Izzy on her blog here. |
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Interview with Amanda Beenen In 2004 horse riding was her favourite thing, but back then a traumatic accident changed everything and her life turned in a totally different direction and windsurfing came into her life. In the video W.H.Y by Manuel Grafenauer we see a very thoughtful Amanda, talking about her life-changing horse riding crash and her thoughts. We wanted to dig a bit deeper and find out more about this blond, dedicated Dutch girl. |
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Zara Davis Speed windsurfing is dominated by big powerful guys, the likes of Bjorn Dunkerbeck and Antoine Albeau, so how can a non-professional women, weighing the same 75KG (ish) as your average recreational sailor, ever hope to compete let alone beat them at their own game? Boardseeker catches up with Zara Davis who has just returned from Luderitz, Namibia where she not only broke the women's windsurfing record, but she upset quite a few of the men as well. |
