A tempestuous start to 2014 has seen continuing growth of an emphasis on wild and extreme windsurfing and surfing coverage. But the wider public appeal and media thirst for footage shot in potentially life-threatening conditions is a double-edged sword.
Sure it’s great publicity for showcasing the sport and the incredible athletes dicing with death in intense situations. That’s definitely a motivator for some potential – and pardon the pun – new blood, to want to participate and learn to sail. We all need inspiration. But let’s not forget that windsurfing isn’t all about strong wind and waves of consequence …
THE BIG PICTURE
It’d be a shame if people only considered our favourite past time as an exclusive, élite activity only. We have a responsibility within our small media world to showcase all aspects of what it means to glide across the water – in any sea state or wind conditions.
I notice that our brethren in the S.U.P world are all-encompassing in their portrayal of paddleboarding, featuring imagery from the more genteel cruising aspect to the impressive big-wave chargers.
While the, near bankrupt, surfing industry currently seems hell-bent to focus on the jaw-dropping side of their sport – the recent Mavericks Big Wave Comp and Hercules-blown XXXL wave awards have been dominating headlines instead of the mellow, longboard-oriented vibes that saw them claw back a commercial revival in the nineties and early noughties.
Windsurfing, although a minority pursuit, is rather like cycling in that we have many disciplines, just like the two-wheeled world – with racing, stunt-filled freestyle and trickery, Olympic versions of touring, indoor and many more subsets with their own niche divisions.
This column originally appeared in the March 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!)
The Red Bull Storm Chase – that missed out on the ‘Hercules’ bandwagon – has undoubtedly given the world at large a refreshed view on what ‘those nutters who enjoy harsh weather’ are capable of.
But let’s remember, when dog walkers stop to quiz us as we rig-up on a blowy day, to tell them it’s not all about risk and hunting down gales, that a seabreeze or light wind can bring us just as much escapism – and that they should try it for themselves!
BACK DOWN TO EARTH
The balance between inspiration and reality is a tough nut to crack. Allan Cross (organizer of The National Watersports Festival) recently delivered a junior version of the festival in May. (3rd and 4th Stithians Lake, Cornwall.)
Seeing Thomas Traversa smash it in Tasmania might provide the stimulus to youngsters, but the real task was in how the presence of ex-army man Allan’s company of U.K. heroes offset the harsh reality of a chilly late-winter reservoir in the West Country with more incentive to keep at it until those blustery days are within their own reach.
Credit to Allan, because, with Dempsey or Baker there to sign a poster or hand out encouragement (and Mars Bars) between the shivers, a nice equilibrium may have been reached, at last.
The cover strapline for this [March] issue was ‘WILD AND FREE’ – and deservedly so. There’s a lot of content about courageous and skillful conquering ofpotentially punishing situations inside.
But really, what we all love about windsurfing is the ‘freedom’ element of that statement, because, no matter how many Beaufort or metres of swell it entails to deliver those unique experiences we all cherish so much, the fact is, when we’re on the water, we abandon all the drudgery and negativity of day-to-day life and, for a few precious hours, enjoy the most unique brand of escapism on offer.
Chase down weather systems by all means – although be safe and don’t endanger others with your daring – but just don’t forget the peace that also comes with the calm before – and after – the storm. BM
Drone-shot footage of action at Tenerife’s PWA tour stop at El Cabezo, filmed by Bartek Jankowski for Tenerife Windsurf Solution, featuring Dany Bruch, Alex Mussolini and more local rippers.
HOLY GRAIL
I can already sense feel the raw cold of the pre-dawn as I peer through the frosted window of the Weigh Inn hotel just on the outskirts of Thurso, Scotland.
It’s our final morning of our three-day road trip, on what promises to be the wildest day so far. Outside I can just make out the trees bending and waving around as the storm force north westerlies unleash themselves on this raw coastline.
The swell prediction is a massive seven metres, although from past experience you just never know what to expect. This rugged stretch of Scottish terrain is becoming a mystery to me with, forecasts that rarely deliver what and when they foretell, but then pounce back when you are least expecting it.
But, having said that, if you are chasing quality waves, both for windsurfing or surfing, then Thurso rarely lets you down. Of course the associated price tag can be a shed load of diesel, ice-cold water and a whole lot of waiting for those swells to come alive.
But an extra layer of neoprene, a few quid in diesel and a bit of patience is a price well worth paying if you want to score quality conditions.
I’m with a crew who are all prepared to pay their dues. Win some, lose some, the chase is all part of the allure. As the saying goes, you have to be ‘in it to win it’ and none of us like being the ones stuck at home wondering if the rest of the guys are scoring or not.
A mere 13-hr. drive from Portsmouth was all took it to transport us up to this harsh coastline and, over three days, our aim is cash in on two back–to-back weather systems that hold promise in setting alight some of Scotland’s best kept secrets.
For this is an area riddled with points, headlands, slabs and reefs that can handle anything the North Sea can throw at it.
Since a few major surf competitions have put this small Caithness town well and truly on the map, Thurso has become the Mecca of Scottish waveriding and the breaks in this area a steeped in local folk law, with only the hardiest souls making it their quest to discover its magic.
THE CREW
Irish wave addict Timo Mullen has been adopted as our location scout on this particular mission. He’s been up this way dozens of times, either on his own, part of a crew and even dragging his mum, dad, wife and new born child along for moral support at various times.
Mullen never quibbles about driving huge distances if solid conditions are at the end of that tarmac trail. Cold water isn’t an issue either – it’s all about the craic and quality and the quantity of quality, if that makes sense.
We’re riding in Ross Williams’ converted VW van. While in the UK, this wagon pretty much serves as Ross’s home, with a bed conversion in the back, fridge, cooker and massive equipment storage to the rear.
Now that he’s off the World Tour and working as Gaastra and Tabou’s U.K. distributor, Ross has committed himself to winters at home and doesn’t flinch about sailing or surfing in cold water, even on a wintery Scottish morning like today.
To save on fuel, all four of us have crammed into the van, but four sleeping in the back was slightly overcrowded as we found out on our first night in Thurso, hence the upgrade into the Weigh Inn Hotel.
The transition from slumber to a state of awakeness pains me dearly, but we know the days are short this time of year and we need to be on it with the tides, wind direction and peak of the swell.
Jamie Hancock is the fourth and final member of our crew. Despite the fact he’s still recovering from a broken leg, the allure of a road trip with the boys to a ‘new’ patch of Scottish coastline too tempting to decline.
He seems snuggled in his bed, but not for long once Timo is up and about strutting round the room in his pink pants, cracking jokes and revving up the team.
Jamie is back in the straps now, but has to hold back on his sailing while his foot returns to full strength.
In the meantime, as ‘Mini George’ is a killer video producer, Timo and Ross have deployed him on filming duties, plus (as he’s failed spectacularly in the past. Ed) he’s also appointed head of logistics for the trip, with his negation skills scoring us some great bargains, although Timo reckons it is his ‘puppy dog’ eyes that are the deal breaker.
STORM RIDERS
Outside it feels like a tempered-down version of the conditions at the storm chase in Ireland. 40-50-knot gusts are screaming across Thurso Bay under a grey blanket of cloud, while the temperature reads a grimacing 5 degrees.
Yesterday, the sun came out for a brief moment, lighting up the likes of Thurso East, adding a golden whiskey colour to the wave, which comes from to the peaty water from what was originally named Thor’s river into the line-up.
Just for a moment, there was a warmth in the atmosphere, the ruins of Thurso castle looked majestic, the surrounding fields were iridescent green and you may have been fooled we were enjoying the fruits of a warm autumnal afternoon.
Five minutes later, black storm clouds had swallowed the tiny patch of sunlight and we were all shivering as we witnessed 10-foot sets avalanche onto Thurso’s most-treasured slab.
RADIOACTIVE
Today’s quest looks like we will have to find shelter from this storm, anywhere exposed is going to be too wild to handle. We quickly load up on Tesco’s finest bacon and sausage rolls before hitting the A836 headed towards John O’ Groats.
After our first spot check at a spot we call The Spur, just out of town, Timo already has already called Sandside Bay as the spot, although sailing 3 k.m. to the west of the Dounreay Nuclear reactor does have it niggling worries.
Put it this way, over 50 nuclear particles have been found at Sandside Beach since 1984 – each one of these is a radioactive and is roughly the size of a grain of sand.
These particles are said to have been flushed into the sea in the 60s and 70s and, although specialists from the plant claim the danger from exposure is minimal (I guess they would!), there’ve been recent movements to shut the beach down completely until it’s declared officially safe.
The way it works at Sandside is that the brunt of the swells crash onto the wall outside the harbour, but then reform in the bay, where they grind along a slab section on the inside, which has just about enough water in front of it to bottom turn without taking your fins out – if you’re lucky.
After a brief survey, we decided to go for it with all three riders digging for their smallest sails. The wild conditions are far more of a concern by now than the radiation or contamination.
The boys will have to suit up with soggy 5mm rubber after spending all day surfing yesterday at Thurso East. It’s about five degrees above zero and the wind chill is making it feel even colder.
Timo has sailed and surfed this spot for years and the chances of getting one particle stuck down his wetsuit or wedged between his toes must be millions to one.
Even if the odds were much, much less I’m sure he’d still be heading out to surf and sail this break, its one of his favourites and nothing is going to stop him hitting the water!
By midday, low tide and fins scraping on the bottom signal a halt to proceedings, but at least we’d scored a decent fix of this slab reform, with some head-to-logo-high sets smashing onto the reef.
With the worst of the wind seemingly behind us, the decision was made to head back to The Spur, our last sail in Scotland before that dreaded 13-hr. night drive back to the south coast.
HARROWING CONDITIONS
A couple of days ago we arrived in Thurso and spent the night huddled up in the van, with Jamie sleeping in the foot well of the front cabin and Your’s Truly straddled across the seats.
The first morning was a frustrating affair as we waited in the freezing cold for the wind to swing, whilst also dealing with hailstorms, a weird swell direction and winds gusting from 5-30 knots.
At least with a cooker in the van, Ross was able to rustle up some bacon sarnies and a cup of tea, but we were all getting twitchy that maybe we were in the wrong place and might have to resort to Timo for a backup plan.
By lunchtime we’d thrown in the towel, moved to a spot called Harrow Harbour with Timo and Ross both hitting the water without even bothering to fully scope out the setup.
As we pulled into the bay, a perfect half-mast-high set was reeling down the reef with cross-off winds feathering the foam off the top of the waves, the sun was shining and we had no excuses not to give it a try.
These were potentially the best conditions we might score on this whole trip, so there was no time to waste, especially in the middle of one of the rare patches of wintery Scottish sunshine.
While the guys scrambled their rigs together, I’d watched two or three heavy mast-high sets detonate down the point and, from where I was standing, the wind was looking really sketchy.
From a photographic point of view, it couldn’t have been better, but for sailing, the whole setup looked really sketchy, with a tonne of water moving around and only a small keyhole to make it back in.
The boys headed out and both scrambled over a mast-high set wrapping right through the bay. I’m sure by this time they must have realised they were now committed to some pretty heavy seas with plenty of consequence involved.
A half-an-hour survival session ensued, with both Timo and Ross scoring a handful of waves apiece, both thankful to make it back to dry land with rigs intact and no major dramas.
THE SPUR
With the wind now blowing from the North West, Harrow Harbour was out of the question, we were going to give The Spur one last chance with the tide on the push and the swell building fast.
This huge horseshoe-shaped chunk of slab certainly isn’t a break for beginners. To sail this spot you need to be competent and know how to handle yourself in the water.
Set against the backdrop of Atlantic waves crashing against the rugged cliffs of Dunnet Head, this wave grinds and bends its way down the spur, gradually cleaning up as the wind swings onshore to side and then offshore on the end bowl.
The only company you are likely to get round here on the water is the occasional nosy seal poking its head out of the water to see what’s up.
I’m always fooled by the direction at this place.A few days ago it was supposed to be westerly and it seemed a little offshore and now it’s North West it’s a touch on the wrong side of sideshore.
One day I’m sure we’ll nail this place, but for now we’ll have to deal with the cards we are given.
Today, the setup is just begging for wave 360s and both Timo and Ross nail a couple on solid waves, enough to send them home with smiles on their faces and already hungry for more the next time we head up this way.
So with a final session up our kilts – as they’d say in Scotland – we loaded the van one last time ready for the marathon drive back to the south coast.
By this time we’d all overstayed any promised return times and, despite the forecast calling for more of the same, we had to leave this wave-stricken shoreline and head back home to our loved ones.
That said, we were all already talking about the possibilities of the next operation. Thurso is no doubt a major mission – and can be fickle at times – but when it’s on it delivers the goods on par with pretty much any wavesailing spots on the planet.
READ ON FOR MORE VISITOR INFORMATION ON THE CAITHNESS COAST FOR WINDSURFER
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HANDY VISITOR FACTS
BEST WINDS: Pretty much anything from southwest to northwest, but remember this place is really for experienced sailors that have no problem handling powerful waves and heavy seas.
CHEAPEST ACCOMMODATION Sandra’s Backpackers will do the job if you are looking for a cheap place to stay. Prices range from £16 pound per bed per night.
There is a greasy snack bar right below and a curry house a few doors up. 24/26 Princes Street, Thurso, Caithness, Scotland. Tel/Fax: (01847) 894575 // info@sandras-backpackers.co.uk
TOP END The Forss Hotel was just out of price range for the Motley Crew. A delightful 19th Century country home nestling in 20 acres of woodlands about 5 miles of town, will definitely suffice those looking for a luxury option to keep the wives happy.
One bonus is that they offer over 300 Malts for you to work through during those cold and stormy evenings!
BEST CHIPPY
Reid’s Fish ‘n Chip shop serves a mean Iron Bru battered sausage, but the Motley Crew recommends the more traditional haddock and chips … yummy! (Note: the traditional Scottish white fish is Haddock, as opposed to Cod in England.)
INDIAN Spice Tandoori is our favourite in Thurso. From the moment you walk in onto their plush red carpet the service is polite and the quality of the food really is second to none.
We rate it as one of the best Indians we have ever tried, kind of strange considering its up in Thurso, but what the heck. Decent ice-cold Cobra too!
BE RESPECTFUL: When in the boozer or Thurso’s nightclub ‘Skinandi’s’ be aware that not all Scots take to kindly when they hear a posh English accent.
We’re not saying you are going to get smashed in the face every time you mention The Queen or any matter south of the border, but if some drunken looking locals are in your presence, it’s probably best to keep a low profile.
The July 2014 Issue of the world’s only monthly English-language windsurfing magazine is out now! Subscribe or grab your copy now in either App or Print versions! (Prices include delivery anywhere globally 10 times a year.)
ENDLESS SUMMER – SUN & WIND GALORE
JUICY READS
ALL ALONG THE WATCHTOWER ‘Two riders were approaching – and the wind began to howl’. JC journeyed to Jimi Hendrix country in Morocco for a mystical trip involving slabs, tree-climbing goats – and two of the most radical windsurfers on the planet, Boujmaa Guilloul and Kauli Seadi.
MOMENTS Freestyle sensation Dieter Van Der Eyken shows a different side to Western Australia, shunning the headline-grabbing surf spots and hunting down jaw-dropping flatwater paradises.
COAST The Motley crew stay in home waters for once with a trip to South Coast hotspot West Wittering.
BOLT FROM THE BLUE JC tells the story on how Tushingham Sails have simplified their range and made gear choice easier with the all-new sail line, The Bolt.
VIVE LA FRANCE John Carter was on-hand to witness a spectacular raid by the French, who darted over the border to Catalunya and claimed the entire podium at the opening PWA Slalom event in Costa Brava.
GEAR HEADS
BOARD TEST Seabreeze Sizzlers: (135L Freeride boards.) Summer fun and entry-level joy – we took the latest toys for a spin.
THE LINEUP FANATIC GECKO 135 LTD GOYA CARRERA 130 JPAUSTRALIA X-CITE RIDE PLUS PRO EDITION 135 RRD FIRESTORM LTD. V2 129 STARBOARD CARVE 131 CARBON
SAIL TEST Ready for Anything: (6.0 X-Over sails.) Crossover sails have the most demanding ‘want it all’ briefs of the lot. But which ones tick the most boxes? THE LINE-UP ATTITUDE SOURCE 5.8 EZZY LEGACY 5.8 GAASTRA CROSS 6.0 GOYA NEXUS 5.9 NAISH MOTO 6.0 NEILPRYDE FUSION 6.1 NORTH VOLT 5.9 POINT-7 HF 2G 5.9 RRD MOVE 6.2 SIMMER IRON 6.2 SEVERNE GATOR 6.0 VANDAL ADDICT 6.0
SUMMER ACCESSORIES GUIDE Essentials to make the most of your time on the water.
The gybe is never really ‘cracked.’ But continual progress comes from gathering more and more tools to help you cope with more and more situations. Peter Hart has a rummage through your toolbox.
MOVE ON UP – SKILLS AND DRILLS Light-wind workouts to polish your technique from Super Coach Jem Hall
BOARDSHORTS
LATEST & GREATEST Early 2015 gear and more tasty toys to salivate over.
PEOPLE & PLACES The Who’s Who and What’s What of the windsurfing world.
SITTIN’ ON THE DUNNY
EDITORIAL We can be heroes – when the wind blows.
AFFAIRS OF THE HART No, he’s not gone all evangelistic on us, but Harty definitely feels lucky to live in ‘God’s Pocket’. Get your copy by App or in Print now!
OVERVIEW Outline Short luff, squat racy outline. (Shortest luff and, due to large cut-out, shortest boom length model on the trip too.)
Build Quality Mostly coloured and graphic printed mono-film with x-ply reinforcements and all the usual well thought-out Gaastra features.
Rigging and Tuning Rigged cleanly pretty much exactly to specifications and settings printed on sail and bag. We found it better in nearly all conditions with near the maximum amount of downhaul and a slightly positive outhaul setting, even at the low-end.
BRAND POSITIONING ‘The Savage is a no cam slalom sail, which has all the features of a race sail, but in a much more accessible package, with no cambers. If you compare it to a classic free ride sail, the SAVAGE comes with 7 tube rod battens. A dropped tack that allows it to be rigged further down for a better gap closure, making it a more high end performance oriented sail. It is perfectly suited to freerace and slalom boards. The narrow sleeve and no cams make it very user friendly in the jibes.’ (Sic.)
PERFORMANCE The Savage is definitely one of the more ‘serious’ sails in this group with clear DNA from the Gaastra racing program evident from the off. The wind range is good, but it’s at the lighter end of the scale that the power is most present and useful. Not in a brutal, arm-stretching way, but the top speed in light winds and super-impressive acceleration are remarkable – and clearly the best in this selection – even for heavyweights in just 10-12 knots of wind. Clicking through the gears it’s super locked-in and really stable, with the race-cut foot closing the slot quickly to aid the drive. In windier weather we were also impressed by how able we were to hold onto it in wind gusting viciously in excess of 30 knots, the slalomy feel pinning down livelier boards with ease. That said, in terms of board suitability we think the Savage best matches the more planted, wider hulls, with the drive going into powering the board rather than as down force simply to control a narrower outline. OK, when the wind range is stretched it’s not quite the fastest, but it is very easy to pilot, and we think budding racers should give this one strong consideration for racing due to the acceleration on offer in lighter or dirtier air. Around the corners this 7.8 is settled and goes neutral easily but, with the deep cut-out and extra width, is understandably not the most manoevrable one in the mix.
THE VERDICT A refined, smooth power delivery and exceptional low-end acceleration make the Savage a strong contender for recreational racing use. The Gaastra slalom pedigree is evident in the behaviour across the wind range, with superb control in gusts. Ideal partner for wider, compact boards.
In recent seasons, for mere mortals, it’s pretty much been proven you don’t need cams in a freerace sail.
Yes, advanced racers reap the benefits of the stiffer foil camber inducers provide and speed addicts definitely rely on them in smaller sizes. But for you and I, the convenience of the cam-less rotational sail is liberating to say the least.
NO STRESS
So what does a no-cam freerace sail need to do? Well it has to be quick and easy to rig, not demand a massive, expensive mast (maybe even an RDM) and it has to perform, namely, in this size, in wind from 8 or 10 knots up to – at least – the high 20s.
Added to that, a no-cam freerace absolutely must be manoevrable. Maybe not as much as crossover or freeride sails, but you want to be able to duck gybe it too.
What else? Well these days, and in line with the 120 x 80 Freemove boards we largely tested these on in this issue, they have to increasingly drive wider and wider board outlines.
And we want all that with near racing-level speed yeah? Yep. Fear not. All this – and more – is all sitting on your dealer’s racks.
To read the latest tests and juiciest features hot-off-the-press and before they’re published online, treat yourself a subscription – go on, you deserve it!
WHAT DID WE FIND?
Well, even since last season, we reckon this group have all massively widened their wind range. Plus, powerful doesn’t necessarily mean fast – comfort can often win a race.
But there can be no outright test winner. Everyone’s requirements are so vastly different. You can read all about the individual intricacies of this group in the separate reports, but, for perspective’s sake here’s an overview of the ‘spectrum’ – from ‘race’ to ‘free’ – that this lineup covers.
FASTEST: In all-out top speed, in the mid-range – although mainly for light and medium weights – it’s definitely the Tushingham T4. One of the oldest designs – and just a 6-batten in a sea of 7s – but undeniably the quickest until you hit the …
BOTTOM-END: The Gaastra Savage and Pryde Hellcat both standout in this respect, especially for heavier riders. Not far behind would be the Simmer V-Max.
TOP-END: For all-out speed ‘past’ the reasonable ‘envelope’ you’d expect of a 7.5, the Hellcat will win a drag race, but only if you’re a 100 kg. monster and able to cope with the forces involved.
For lesser human beings, the Severne NCX will have you holding your own – in a more relaxed and efficient manner. Close behind would be the Point-7 AC-X.
PRINCIPAL TEST TEAM James Randall 70 kg. Med. Height
Julian Da Vall 83 kg. 1.95 Tall
Toby Gibson 87 kg. 1.90 Tall
Brian McDowell 98 kg. 1.90 Tall Thanks also to: Kevin Salmon 85 kg. & Kevin Pijl 70 kg.
ACCELERATION: The Gaastra Savage has the ‘gears’ at the low end, but so does the Simmer V-Max.
Also nearby are the RRD Fire, Severne NCX, Pryde Hellcat and the Attitude. (Yes, a new entry to the market!)
MANOEUVRABILITY: It’s got to be the Simmer V-Max, Ezzy, North and Goya Nexus.
EASY TO SAIL: They’re all accessible, but it’s the Ezzy Cheetah, North E_Type, Goya Nexus and Tushingham T4 that initially stand out as the friendliest and least technical to ride.
VALUE-FOR-MONEY: We’ve tried to take into account mast prices when coming to this conclusion too, but, in alphabetical order, we think the Attitude, Ezzy. Point-7, RRD and Tushingham deserve special mention for their pricing, build quality and performance mix. The North and Simmer are also tempting propositions.
THE BENCHMARK (Not printed in original test.) If we had to take one sail from this group to test next year’s offerings against – to truly represent the spirit and feel of no-cam freerace sails in this size – all our testers agree it would be the Severne NCX.
Read on and see which ones stir your go-fast juices!
It’s likely that, in ten year’s time, U.K. wavesailors will look back on the winter of 2013-14 and talk about it in the same tones as a sun worshipper reflects on the summer of 1976 – an all-time classic.
Amongst the recollections of all those wild and windy days we may well reminisce that the winter storm named Hercules provided some of the biggest waves the Atlantic’s ever produced.
Needless to say, the infamous Motley Crew Red Phone went berserk throughout the Christmas and New Year holidays, but on the morning of January 6th 2014, Hercules triggered the rare Code Black ring tone, indicating an incoming mega swell of unknown proportions. John Carter reports.
OFF THE SCALE With climate change seemingly tipping the scales in favour of wet, wild and windy weather, who knows what the future holds for U.K. weather patterns?
But as far as British wavesailors are concerned, I’ve not heard too many complaining! This winter, storm after storm has hammered the coastlines of Britain and Ireland, causing travel chaos, floods and widespread damage that most folk will remember as the worst in several years.
But for the hardy crew that are prepared to brave the elements, there has been barely a day between sessions to heal up those callouses or recover those sore shoulders the never-ending barrage.
The endless flow of massive low pressures was getting so ridiculous we were almost starting to take mast-high waves and 30 knot sou’wester for granted.
But then, one particular blip out there on the Atlantic radar became a kind of huge black boil and was even heralded ‘larger than the perfect storm’!
Pretty much the whole windsurfing and surfing world were talking about it. ‘Winter storm Hercules’ even mystified the weather experts!
Graphs that usually only go up to black signifying 50-ft. waves, forced them to stretch the scale to white and even gold. In fact the swell reached up to 70 ft. at the height of the storm, with an area of over 300 nautical miles of 50-foot-plus seas.
In simple English, this was the mother of all storms and the only real questions for anyone chasing XXL category waves was ‘where shall we go?’
WRONG PLACE RIGHT TIME Hercules promised two days of massive waves that were forecast to hit pretty much every single south and west-facing break in the U.K., not to mention the coastlines of France, Spain, Portugal, Morocco, the Canary Islands and every reef and beach all the way down to the Cape Verde islands.
Everywhere was set for a hammering, with many of the forecasts warning that it was simply going to be too big and out of control in most spots and advising all but the most experienced watermen to stay out of the water.
With this in mind, I had made a plan to head to Cornwall with an open brief as the storm hit on Monday morning and then possibly score the Tuesday at The Bluff, which hopefully would be cleaner and better with clearer weather and less chaotic conditions.
With huge spring tides a major factor and 60-knot winds as Hercules hit on Monday morning, we heard from local sailor Ian Black that The Bluff was off-the-scale and pretty much un-sailable.
At this point we were an hour away and pretty much committed to sailing somewhere on the north coast of Cornwall or Devon. Apparently Blacky, Andy Fawcett, Harvey Dawkins and a few others had made it in for an hour on the high tide, but none of them had barely ridden a wave and were all glad to make it back to the beach in one piece.
Bearing that in mind, we made a huge call to head up the coast to Lynmouth, a sheltered point break that promised clean waves, cross-off wind and down-the -line perfection.
Without paying too much attention to any maps we set off in convoy with Timo Mullen leading the line, myself and Ross Williams in the second wagon and Chris Murray ‘Muzza’ bringing up the rear.
To cut a long story short, we arrived in Lynmouth after a three-hour nightmare on the winding roads of Devon to find some semi-decent surf, but barely a breath of wind at the bottom of the surrounding cliffs.
In other words, we’d blown it. To make matters worse, Timo was committed to a meeting in Manchester the following day while the rest of us would have to retrace our tracks all the way back to Hayle and hope we could pull something back the next morning.
Six hours driving on that day of the year was a real killer, but as if the day hadn’t been bad enough, during the tedious journey back to Hayle through lashing rain and horrific conditions, reports were starting to filter through of Alfie Hart and a Welsh crew scoring epic mast-and-a-half point breaks, while we also heard the south coast back home was having it, with every break from Weymouth, Avon, The Isle of Wight, Hayling Island and Pagham all on fire.
Over in Ireland, Finn Mullen had scored in the North West and the final nail in the coffin was Blacky starting to rephrase his earlier report that the Bluff was not so bad after all.
On the surfing side of the news, a crew, that included Antoine Albeau, had posted shots from Belharra, France of themselves surfing 60-foot-plus waves.
Meanwhile down in Morocco, Boujmaa Guilloul paddled into huge surf at Anchor Point, while down in Guincho, Portugal, one of my favourite beach bars had been washed away. (What? No more icy-cold Superbocks? Ed.)
Further afield in the Canary Islands, Danny Bruch was making Social Media headlines, dropping into huge barrels at a secret slab on his paddleboard in Tenerife.
To say we were frustrated would be putting it mildly! Instead of that feeling of stoke after an amazing day on the water, we finally hit the pub in Hayle, merely to eat as a necessity, rather than a celebration of the great day it should’ve been.
I was feeling that low and empty, that even a beer wasn’t going to solve any issues. We were at rock bottom!
JUDGEMENT DAY If Lady Luck ever felt she owed somebody a break, surly we were first in line after the previous day’s catastrophe? All I could do was imagine all those shots I had missed but in all reality, maybe it had been too big and I was just feeling sorry for myself.
Having bunked down in the Travel Lodge in Hayle overnight, we headed to the Golden Arches to load up on Sausage McMuffins before heading to the Bluff.
New Year’s resolutions of a healthier diet were going to have to wait, this promised to be a big day and we had no time to mess about. Outside, the sky looked kind of clear and the trees were still waving around despite the forecast calling for it to drop off later in the afternoon.
Perhaps we were going to score a windfall of epic conditions? Surely after those ridiculous waves there must be plenty of leftovers for the second course?
After all, the call from Magic Seaweed was still giving a six-metre swell with an 18-sec. period. In my books, that’s still massive! ‘Come on Carter’ I murmured to myself, ‘Start focussing and look on the bright side!’
Up in the car park, the local crew were all sat in their vans and cars pensively checking the conditions. Andy Fawcett, Harvey and Blacky – the usual suspects – are always there when it’s big.
Fair play to these guys. With the tide right up to the rocks, the wind on the edge and pumping eight-to-ten-foot close-out sets, I already was thinking the worst.
That this was going to be one of those frustrating days when the elements don’t quite play ball the way you want them to. But Andy Fawcett and company looked pretty optimistic and were already starting to rig, ready for their second day up against the Herculean Storm.
Without further ado, everything started to click into place. The tide started to slowly recede, the waves were cleaning up and still firing, blue sky seemed to be dominating overhead – and the wind was even looking steadier.
The swell had no doubt subsided slightly from its peak, but there were still massive sets to make for an epic big-wave, Bluff session.
Out to sea, I could see massive lumps of swell marching across the horizon, while the waves crashing over the rocks at Godrevey lighthouse signified that this was no ordinary day.
Downwind I could just about make out a couple of brave punters headed out at Mexicos, but the Bluff seemed a little more cross-offshore and cleaner, so it made sense to stay put.
Within an hour everyone was out in the thick of the action, playing mental poker with their wave selection decisions. Choose the wrong one, get caught out by a bone-crunching set and for sure it would mean game over and one long swim back in.
Hayle breaks either side of a river mouth, so with the outgoing tide there’s also a nasty current that can drag you back out through the waves if you’re caught floundering with broken gear.
Ross Williams was simply not messing around and making no bones about picking off the biggest sets and charging hard from the word go!
After yesterday’s fiasco, it looked like he had a score to settle and was smacking aerials and powering out huge hacks as if were 3-4 feet rather than mast-high, top-to-bottom close-outs.
Andy Fawcett bided his time wisely before cranking out some huge aerials on the meatiest of sections, while Blacky was deep in the thick of the biggest sets and throwing down some full-rail turns when he could find a decent section to dice with.
By early afternoon both Harvey and Ross had broken masts and, for most of the crew it was game over, as the heavy waves dredged onto the shallows.
Muzza had also been revelling in the thick of the action though, ironically, his only equipment damage came when he slipped up on the rocks on leading back to the car park, poor guy.
With the tide racing out, the waves began slamming down on the sand bar, a situation Blacky refers to as ‘low tide death’ and it was time to trade places with Alan Stokes and a gang of Cornish hot shot surfers who had come down to film some huge barrels and challenge Hercules on their terms at The Bluff.
Despite a few hiccups along the way, Lady Luck had finally shone down on us and I reckon we must have been in one of the best spots to accommodate this Richter-Scale swell.
Every trip I take around the country on our quest to explore the best the U.K. coastline has to offer, I always come back armed with a few extra titbits of useful information, which is all useful knowledge for the future. Maybe Lynmouth goes off on its day in extraordinary conditions, but as far as I’m concerned, I won’t be heading that way for some time to come.
Next time a massive storm of this proportion comes along, I have a few spots in mind where I’ll be headed and North Devon won’t be on the list!
Having said all that it was a beautiful spot and, for surfers, it’s one of the best breaks in England when most other beaches are maxed out – it’s just that at the time we were there we weren’t exactly in the frame of mind to appreciate the scenery!
HERCULES VS. NEPTUNE – THE AFTERMATH After causing ‘Polar Vortex’ havoc in the USA, Winter Storm Hercules certainly left its mark. In Porthcothan, Cornwall a huge rock arch formation was smashed by pounding waves, while up in Wales, the seafront at Aberystwyth was pummelled by the storm surges as the sea defences failed to cope with the waves.
On the South Coast, at Portland, the flood siren was sounded at Chesil Beach as powerful swells hammered the manmade defences. 70 mph. gusts at Sennen, near Lands End, helped fuel waves to crash over the whole town, while spectacular surf at the lighthouse in Porthcawl made the front page of most of the tabloids.
On the Continent, set waves in Portugal breached sea walls, flipped cars and tore down harbours, while many homes all along the Atlantic Coast were flooded or lost power.
Over in Ireland, one surge actually burst open through a pub door, imagine that, when you’re sipping a pint of Guinness in front of a log fire, although actually, in Ireland maybe they didn’t even notice?
The power and the dangers of the sea should never be underestimated and, even though many of us like to think we can cope with the big stuff, always weigh up the dangers when sailing in big storms, never sail alone – and watch out for your mates!
Even if you go along to watch a storm armed with a flask of hot chocolate and a camera, beware of standing too close to breaching waves and if you see a huge set coming, while you’re on a vulnerable promenade – run like hell!
ROSS WILLIAMS “I got so excited when I saw this last massive low pressure directly in the firing line for the U.K. All signs were pointing to this swell being The Big One! The night we drove down I don’t sleep at all.
“I kept thinking about what it would be like. Unfortunately the first day didn’t go according to plan and the hours of driving around the Devon and Cornish countryside crushed my spirit. That night I tried to relaxed and rest up ready for the second day.
“Though we had missed Big Monday, the actual forecast was looking amazing for the next morning and we were not disappointed. It was high tide at The Bluff when we arrived, but it was showing all the signs that it would turn into an epic day.
“By the time I was ready to set foot on the water most of the local crew were arriving too and rigging.
“I really don’t think we could’ve asked for more perfect conditions. I think they were the best waves I’ve sailed so far at The Bluff. There were still some big old lumps to chicken gybe around and equipment-breaking lips that made my heart pump.
“I remember hitting the lip just right on a few waves and I could feel the focus of the wave chucking me skywards – now that is one of the best feelings in windsurfing!
“This has been my first full winter in the U.K. in many years. It’s really brought home to me how good our own country can be on its day. I’m not sure if we’ll have many more sessions like this for a while, but I hope so!”
IAN BLACK Honestly, the last thing I needed was Hercules turning up on our doorstep! I wasn’t really up for it! I’d literally spent the last two weeks getting relentlessly beaten trying to keep up with ‘Marky’ Mark Meardon who seemed completely oblivious to the fact that every day was serving-up mast-high, dredging close outs!
‘Yeah it’s going off’ seemed to be his daily take on the situation!
After checking the forecast, Daymar looked like a definite possibility. But, for ‘the biggest swell of the century’, surely somewhere would be sailable other than Daymer?
Would the wind be too offshore for ‘over the river Bluff’? I took a chance along with the rest of the local crew and rocked up to check it out.
We were greeted by doom close outs, even at high tide. It looked like a no-win day, just like the other recent days I’d sailed and got slaughtered – but this time on steroids!
Everyone seemed keen Was I missing something? There were no excuses, the boys were rigging and heading out …
I’m glad I sailed, just to say I was out, but it was one of those frustrating days. The wind was just a fraction too offshore, certainly for the size of the swell.
Five degrees more to the west and it would have been off the scale. As the tide dropped out, the waves actually became more makeable – some of the best surf I’ve ever seen in Cornwall – but so many slipped underneath you, dam it was annoying!
Oh what a stupid, crazy sport! Still, we survived. I think all of us came close to getting The Bad News. There was a whole load of water moving about out there and in hindsight it was all a bit sketchy!
The following couple of days always looked the best on the forecast and, sure enough, it went off. The next day at The Bluff the Gods were kind to us and, for about an hour or so, was as good as it gets.
The Bluff, when it’s on, is as good as anywhere. Glassy, reeling lefthanders in the river mouth just like ‘the good old days’, the stuff dreams are made of! Just ‘INSANE’. These days really do make windsurfing the best sport in the world!
4Boards have just reached the landmark of 30 years in business.
The business was founded in 1984 as Specialised Sailing (still the official trading name) and subsequently became 4Boards when the internet revolution began.
Over the years, the guys have seen a number of brands come and go but have always been loyal to Gaastra (now GA) having promoted and sold their products every year since 1988.
4Boards ship to customers worldwide and as far flung as Reunion Island, USA, Australia and Japan, they are also the #1 retailer of K4 fins worldwide.
The proprietor is Bob Allinson, with Stu Rose as business manager, between them they have a wealth of experience in all aspects of water-born sports.
To celebrate – there will be customer promotions, look out for details @ www.4Boards.co.uk
Congratulations to 4BOARDS from everyone at WINDSURF.
It’s an age-old question. Tame and channel the power to your advantage, OR, be (arguably) smarter and choose a more energy-efficient method to beat your rivals?
But can you have both? And, is genuine, raw power actually ever controllable? We think it can be – and there are a couple of examples in this very test – although, largely, cammed sails generally all fit into a scale ranging from more user-friendly and freeridey, to unabashed, terrifying levels of force.
BETTER THAN BIG WAVES? If you haven’t read this issue’s slalom board test intro and picked-up on our newfound passion for slalom, then please do! We’re hooked! Normally we test all this stuff in Egypt where the going’s easy and everything feels perfect. But not in Tenerife where we ended-up!
However, despite having the workout of our lives, we’re addicted and can’t stop buzzing after sailing all this gear. If you’re a fanatical, wave-only sailor, we think you seriously need to look in the mirror and ask yourselves some critical questions.
Namely – without wanting to sound discriminative – have you got the balls? Because this is one side of the sport that will give you kicks you’d never imagine. It’s definitely time to ‘man-up’ …
Chest-beating aside, Slalom is a special scene – even just drag-racing as opposed to 4-minutes-of-genuine-intense-deep-downwind-racing – because you spend time in the shorebreak socialising and sharing info and experiences on the session.
You’re always tweaking kit and finding better combinations to suit the immediate conditions to hand and get better at being in-sync with your gear.
It goes without saying all this will carry over to other types of sailing you do – slalom WILL bring your sailing level higher all-round. Fact.
Why the shorebreak time then? Well, if you’re really pushing it, you won’t be able to breathe if you sail flat-out for more than ten minutes at a time! Go and try it for yourself and see…
WHAT DID WE FIND? So what have we got here then? Generally there’s two types of sail and power delivery types in this test. ‘Tractors’ and ‘Magic Carpets’.
Before we go into details – and just to confuse you – we also suggest you check our upcoming twin-cam tests and previous no-cam freerace sail reviews (April 2014 issue) as there’s some interesting overlaps.
If we picked our ideal quivers (okay, later in the year we may well do!) there would be sails/boards from all these categories mixed in with the hard-core stuff in our personal picks.
THE POWER SCALE
TRACTORS:
• For serious racing in mind
• Require skill and fitness, plus body weight helps too
• Are sailed overpowered at all times. (‘Rig for the lulls – man-up in the gusts’)
• Suit gusty conditions
• Perform best deep downwind
• Demand you to ‘sail efficient’ and, when required ‘pounce’ and to turn on the power.
MAGIC CARPETS – FRIENDLIER/DE-TUNED PRODUCTS:
• Good for entry-level racers and/or lightweights
• Easier to control and more energy efficient
• Suit more consistent conditions and less hard-core boards
• Overlap with ‘freerace’ models
• Best for across-the-wind reaching not just deep downwind legs
• Finer foils with less glide and ‘carry’ through lulls
• For rougher conditions where control beats brute strength
How to choose: GO TO DEMOS! After reading these reports and getting a shortlist to test, trust your instincts and be aware of ‘feel’ – but be brave.
Strive for low-resistance products that you can trim to suit your skill and style, yet leave yourself some ‘growing room’ for when you progress and are fitter. (Even regular wavesailors will struggle for breath!)
CONCLUSIONS Most Powerful A toss-up between the Point-7 AC-1 and the Gaastra Vapor.
Easiest To Handle The RRD is undoubtedly the easiest and most ‘freeridey’. The North, Simmer and NeilPryde are all ‘chuck-about-able’, but the surprise package is the grunty Severne Reflex 5 that’s also very forgiving despite being a ‘full-on’ sail.
Fastest That’s subjective as comfort can bring great speed over a course. It’s also pretty board-type and fin dependent too. In a straight line, on a dedicated top-of-the-line board and deep off the wind, for us it’s the Gaastra. But, if you’re a monster, the Point-7 would be hard to catch – and the Severne brings a great mix of both worlds to the table too.
Best Value For sail-only and without calculating mast prices in we think the Point-7 and RRD definitely deliver the most bang for the bucks.
Which Ones Would We Buy? With a mix of experienced slalom heads and new-to-the pain members on the team, our collective choice would be the Severne Reflex 5 closely followed by the Gaastra, which is not exclusively a heavyweights sail.
If we all weighed 110 kg. and only wanted to race downwind – not just tear around our local waters – the Point-7 would probably be the pick.
Lightweights should also consider the North, which is pretty rapid as well. Both newcomers to slalom and old hands might also want to read our no-cam freerace reviews and watch out for some interesting results in the upcoming 7.8 twin-cam test …
Julian Da Vall 83 kg. 1.95 Tall. Experience national and European-level racer.
Brian McDowell 100 kg. 1.90 Tall.
Thanks also to the various PWA pro sailors on hand in Tenerife who also lent a hand, showed us the best tweaks on their affiliated brands’ gear and gave opinion on boards and sails from rival manufacturers.
Due to camera battery and GoPro failures during our test trip, we’ve had to use brand-produced images to show the gear in action.
OVERVIEW
The Vapor is Gaastra’s flagship slalom and Formula racing sail that sits alongside the Phantom twin cam freerace and Cosmic no-cam freerace models in their line.
BRAND POSITIONING
‘The Vapor is our no compromise racing sail. It’s R&D process develops throughout the whole year … [this 2014] season we changed many things, the main being the new masts, we developed a new line of 100% carbon masts with a new Constant bend curve … what we achieved is a sail which is much more effortless and less tiring to sail fast. And much better and effective to pump.’
PERFORMANCE
After initially using the original Gaastra (not the new curve) mast we used a Unifiber constant curve SDM and found a radically enhanced behaviour with a really nice and stable draft resulting in a more settled rig that was a million times less physically demanding to sail. The first thing you notice is that the Vapor demands a nice upright stance over the board that helps visibility and control and is particularly useful when approaching and avoiding obstacles or entering gybes. This is true ‘tractor’, that most of the testers found to be the most powerful in the group – yet, in a straight line at least, gaining control is not out of reach of the committed, steadfast sailor. The drive is nice and balanced with ample acceleration to get you out of trouble and back up-and-running again, particularly after gybes. In pure speed terms, both across and off the wind, the Vapor is unmistakably fast with a super competitive, electric top speed. There’s a real mix of power bands and aspect ratios in this group that throw the general rules of high/low aspect behaviour out of the window and the Vapor is pretty much in the middle outline-wise, but is for sure one of the more demanding profiles to gybe and does require a higher skill level – in rougher water at least – to get the best from in terms of making turns and being able to initially kill the back hand on initiating gybes. At full chat this foil pins all types of boards down beautifully and allows the pilot to really let fly and attack even the roughest water states with bucket loads of confidence. A rewarding sail that asks for a fair bit of input and/or skill, but is still attainable by those who really want the rewards!
THE VERDICT A true no-compromise professional level race product that both demands and rewards committed sailors. A perfect pairing for the latest slalom boards that truly fly across the water, the Vapor will pin the most lively hulls down and deliver great security to those who dare explore the upper limits of its high-speed potential.
After taking a bunch of no-cam freerace sails (7.5s, see April 2014 issue), we questioned why anyone would want camber inducers on a recreational racing or fast freeride sail?
Offered as ‘de-tuned’ versions of brands’ no-compromise slalom machines, they’re designed to offer a little more user-friendliness and comfort that allow everyday windsurfers a chance to maximize their speed or dip their toes into the racing or GPS competition scenes.
Arriving in Tenerife to test these 7.8 twin cams, alongside full-on, cammed slalom racing sails and slalom and freerace boards (see May 2014 issue for reports, here and here), gave us the perfect opportunity to test the theory out. (Apart from the fact we should’ve brought the ‘benchmark’ no-cam sail for comparison, which in our opinion is the Severne NCX.)
This test was originally published in the June issue.
TO CAM OR NOT TO CAM? Even without such a ‘control’ sail, after the first run-throughs on each sail we continued to think that twin cams may no longer have a place in our quivers – apart from maybe in sizes over 8.0m and for use in gusty locations, such as tree-lined lakes and other locations with a lot of holes and light, fluky wind.
But there is, once again – as we see in so many sail and board test categories – a real ‘scale’ of use, generally ranging from the powerful, deep, drafty, more-technical-to-sail end, stretching to a friendly, efficient – which can arguably be faster – nature at the other extreme. So what should a twin cam deliver then? This question certainly had us scratching our heads. We remember them always being actually quite tight-sleeved, easy to use and still quite manoevrable toys for use over 6.5m. More hours on the water soon began to throw up a few answers …
PRINCIPAL TEST TEAM
Chris Rainbow 75 kg. Med. Height
Julian Da Vall 83 kg. 1.95 Tall. Experience national and European-level racer.
Brian McDowell 100 kg. 1.90 Tall. Thanks also to the various PWA pro sailors on hand in Tenerife who also lent a hand, showed us the best tweaks on their affiliated brands’ gear and gave opinion on boards and sails from rival manufacturers.
DRINK IN THE DRAFT Primarily using the 110L freerace boards that are also reported on in this same (June) edition, we soon began to find that some of these twin cams are actually performance machines and, that, especially if you read the May issue slalom report findings, that there are some serious overlaps in range-of-use between these twins and some of the full-on racing machines, with some of them having, relatively speaking, quite deep sleeves and pretty full-on wind range and acceleration. That’s what cambers bring over the no-cam sails – that little extra boost in the dirty air and, of course, some vital glide through lulls and holes around the park. Can a no-cam bring that and the same wind range? No – and yes – respectively is the answer.
TESTING CONDITIONS OK, so it’s fair to say we only really got to test the upper limits of this gear thanks to howling wind and a super challenging sea state in El Médano, Tenerife. The lightest wind we got in two weeks was about 18 knots and most of the testing was carried out in 20-30 knots! But it’s impressive how this group coped on the whole – another big plus for camber inducers.
CONCLUSIONS Yes, yes, there’s never any outright winners – although we do generally reach consensus on ‘benchmark’ products that encapsulate a category and are what we’d judge next year’s gear or new entries to the market against. We’d like to start taking our benchmarks back out on trips with us to use as the yardstick of progress and the required standard. To help you sort out what’s best for you from the individual reports to follow this is what we found:
Fastest: Comfy can be faster than pure power, but the Severne Turbo offers both. Light and medium weights will love the North S-Type too.
Best Entry-Level Racing Potential: The Severne Turbo or Gaastra Cosmic.
Best Wind Range:
For low-end the Severne Turbo, Gaastra Cosmic and the Pryde Hornet. The Ezzy Lion also has a vast tuning range.
THINGS TO BEAR IN MIND
ABOUT THE TESTING
• We’ve tested individual models, NOT ranges, so have an open mind if it’s other sizes of the products we review that you’re considering.
Most Manoevrable: Ezzy Lion and Simmer 2XC.
Easiest to Rig:
Ezzy Lion by a country mile.
Which Ones Would We Buy?:
For hassle-free, comfortable freeriding, the Ezzy Lion. To accessibly crossover into genuine racing/GPS performance the Severne Turbo or Cosmic. They’d both help you go straight into a top-end slalom board too. The North S-Type is also a
lovely ‘fingertip’ sailing product.
Benchmark Product: Absolutely everybody loved the Severne Turbo and we think it best bridges the gap between no-cams and full-on slalom sails – and can genuinely compete with many all-out racing models.
OVERVIEW Gaastra – or GA Sails as they’re re-branding themselves – have two twin cams on the market. The Phantom – a racier 7-batten number and this 6-batten Cosmic. The Cosmic and Phantom are accompanied in the GA race/freerace range by the no-cam Savage freerace sail (tested in April 2014 issue) and the all-out PWA-level Vapor slalom/race sail – as tested in the May edition.
BRAND POSITIONING ‘The Cosmic is our 2 cam freeride machine. The new LUFF CURVE CONCEPT delivers more low end and great handling. Its a 6 batten freeride sail for the camber fans, who love that locked in feeling that keeps the profile more stable. The relatively wide sleeve with zippers make it super easy to rig the sail with the method of popping the cambers on the mast later when the sail is already rigged. The rotation of the cambers is super soft and smooth. With the improvements on the 2014 design we were able to increase the performance and make the Cos- mic more efficient for a wider wind range.’ (Sic.)
PERFORMANCE The best thing about the DNA that filters down from Gaastra’s racing programme is the undisputed low-end push and the control that the deep-bellied draft provides. As obvious as the grunt is, it’s not raw or physical as the power delivery’s beautifully refined. Like a lot of Gaastra’s race, freerace and freeride products there’s a definite presence of ‘gears’ as you accelerate from standing to full-tilt. The draft is steady and predictable with a slight element of flex from the 6-batten frame and the depth of camber really pins down the livelier, racier boards that want to fly and hydrofoil over the rough water. As you’ll read elsewhere amongst this selection, the control the draft lends is very confidence-inducing and we found this to be one of the sails that we didn’t notice much during head-to-heads, simply because it’s just naturally reliable and really brought out the intricacies of the boards instead. If you’re thinking of some recreational racing then this characteristic can’t be underestimated. An ‘invisible’ sail that’s actually pretty powerful – yet still so easy to control – is a gift. The handling in gybes is pretty good for a 7.5 cammed sail and the rotation smooth and slick. Speed-wise the Cosmic is strong and the comfort will only help to maximise that. Although it’d be a good match for a freerace or performance freeride board, we think this is a sail that will allow you to progress straight onto a dedicated slalom board if you’re ambitious and want to experiment with fins and become familiar with the levels of acceleration and step-up in gybing ability required. Later on you’ll then perhaps be tempted into sailing a dedicated race sail fully overpowered, but who knows, with this level of control perhaps you won’t need to?
THE VERDICT A perfect example of how a classic twin-cam sail’s control can now deliver the performance of an accomplished freerace model. Deep and drafty and capable of pinning-down quite advanced, racier boards, the Cosmic has a sophisticated engine with strong acceleration and excellent high-speed potential..
Fifty-six and a half hours on the road with JC and the Motley Crew!
Ever had everything organized for that perfect storm chase style road trip – but then at the last minute the weather throws a curveball and all your meticulous plans fall apart? With the latest forecast revisions calling for chaos and disruption, any normal crew might abort and wait for the next low pressure to hit. Well that was exactly the situation we were in when one of the wildest storms of the winter hit back in December – right on-cue for a pre-scheduled, two-day road trip. Everything was literally in place and we were all set
to hit the road to explore the fabled East Coast reefs with a huge swell and strong cross offshore wind forecast…
Although forecasters sometimes throw out warnings, often you can read between the lines that it’s still okay to head into the eye of a storm. With devastation, real travel chaos, flooding and closed-down beaches now actually reality rather than just a threat, pulling the plug on any mission to the North Sea was the only sensible option. But we’re talking about ‘the Motley Crew’ here and, rather than throw in the towel, a new plan was instigated and within minutes we were now unexpectedly headed over to Ireland instead – with an
8-metre swell predicted! John Carter tells the story:
Words & Photos JOHN CARTER
(This feature originally appeared in the May 2014 issue of Windsurf Magazine. To read more features like this first, Print and Digital subscriptions are available. Prices include delivery globally for 10 x issues a year!)
The plan
10 a.m. I’m on the phone to Timo, having just checked the latest weather updates. Our mission (myself, Timo and Ross Williams) to the East Coast is rapidly falling apart. I’m usually one to head directly without stopping at ‘GO’ to the eye of any storm, but this low was wrapping up into such a tight ball of isobars that it was insanity to head into travel chaos. Timo was having none of it and, rather than focus on our initial target, his radar had broadened to cover every single nook and cranny within a day’s drive of the south coast rather than abort this mission. After scouring the maps he finally made a call. Despite north-westerly winds, which are predominantly onshore in Ireland, Timo had dug out a harbour wall surf break that should be cross-off and work in a big swell. Madness I know, but he was adamant he was going ahead regardless and it was now up to me and Ross if we wanted to commit to 24 hours of madness?
1 p.m. Ross and I are at Yarmouth on the Isle of Wight in line for the next ferry. Don’t ask me why! We’re now committed. Timo’s booked a Stena Line ferry from Birkenhead (Yes, that’s from Liverpool) to Belfast and Ross and I are rushing over to meet him in Poole. From there it’s a race to make the last check in at 9 p.m. for the 10.30 crossing. Bearing in mind 80 mph winds are forecast during the night in the Irish Sea, we’re not even sure if the ferry will go. This trip is already verging on insanity.
3 p.m. Made it to Poole! A quick re load of vehicles as we all pile into Timo’s van and get ready to hit the road. Once I’m on board, I know anything is possible during the next couple of days. If the ferry doesn’t run, we could even be back tomorrow morning!
STORM BREWING
7 p.m. So far the weather is calm, but every warning possible is coming through on the radio. The ferry’s still on schedule however, but I think we’re going to be in for a rough night ahead. As we stop for refreshments en-route, the headline on the paper reads ‘Killer Winter Storms’ as we brace for a bumpy night on the ferry.
10.30 p.m. We make it to Liverpool and enjoy a smooth check in with Stena Ferries. Perfect timing as we tune into midweek match-of-the-day in the bar. The locals sure are happy with Suarez banging in four goals past Norwich just as the TV fades out of reception as we head into the Irish Sea.
3 a.m. I wake in the middle of the night to the noises of the whole ship creaking as the hull crashes through the wind and waves. Am I going to be seasick? That is the question. There’s too much noise and turbulence to get back to sleep – this is hell! Meanwhile, Timo and Ross are both happily snoring away! B******s!
INTO THE EMERALD ISLE
7.30 a.m. We arrive in Belfast, one hour late due to the rough seas that wouldn’t normally be a problem aside from the fact it gets dark at 4 p.m., so the clock is ticking …
8 a.m. A quick stop at Timo’s parents house on Loch Neagh, just outside Belfast, where we grab a bacon sandwich and pick up his brother Finn, who’s joining us for the excursion. Now Finn is well known as one of Ireland’s big wave Gurus, so I’m not sure if it’s a good thing or a bad thing when I see him load a bag full of buoyancy jackets, a fin belt and First Aid kit. I guess you’ve got to be prepared for anything if they’re calling for 30-foot waves?
10 p.m. Just a wee four-hour drive across Ireland as we head to the tip of the North West coastline. It’s overcast and hell windy, with the morning surf
reports at Bundoran calling for massive, blown-out wind swell.
Where we’re headed is open to the same swell, but is tucked away where hopefully the NW wind will be blowing cross-offshore – not much to ask for!
11.45 a.m. I pop the question to Timo before we reach the beach. You have the choice, turn back time and be back in the comfort of your own home, or be in this van right now on a 50/50 gamble with the conditions, still another full day’s travel away from Poole? Of course Timo would rather be part of the chase. He lives for these days and knows you have to be ‘In it to win it’. Fingers crossed, here we go!
MASSIVE!
12 p.m. Finally, can I say that again, finally, we’re at the beach. Just the 24 hours since I left my front door yesterday. As we pull over the hill into your quintessential Irish harbour, my first vision is of a huge wave crashing down the reef. We’re not alone. A small crew of Irish sailors and kiters have cottoned on to this forecast and are casually rigging down by the harbour wall. These guys seem to be showing no signs of fear whatsoever for the mast-high mountains of white water they’re about to face – fair play!
12.30 p.m. The first half hour has been a bit sketchy with the wind but it soon starts picking up and the boys look overpowered out the back. I guess we’re at the very tail end of this storm? Definitely not 80 mph here, but mast-and-a -half waves will do us nicely!
1.15 p.m. One of the local Irish sailors goes down in the surf and looks like he’s broken his mast. The rip is taking him downwind fast towards a massive bombie and, with no rescue around, the sailor looks to be in a pretty sketchy situation. Finn (a.k.a. Red Bull Storm Chase Head of Safety) comes to the rescue, although the guy has to ditch his rig in order to ensure survival and enable a tow back in. A small price to pay against the possibility of drowning!
2 p.m. Timo drops into a big ‘un – probably mast-and-a quarter on the peak – but as he works his way to the inside bowl, the wave engulfs his rig completely and spits his sail out through the white water. Moments later he’s swimming like Michael Phelps as he tries to catch his rig before it smashes on the rocks. Ross and Finn sail in to check he is okay – and somehow he pulls his kit out of the boulders with no damage tendered. When the conditions are big and sketchy, it’s wise not to sail alone and, if your sailing buddy is in trouble, make sure they’re okay before you smash the next lip!
2.30 p.m. Finn is picking off the bomb sets, hugging the reef and dropping in deep. The big sets are easily mast-and-a-half high, although the swell direction seems a little north for the waves to fully reel down the point. Instead, these mountains of water are coming through like huge battering rams, heavy liquid walls that are tough to ride and bear nasty consequences if you wipe out. What is already striking a chord in my mind, is that I have to come back here when there’s another huge swell – but with the correct swell direction and cross-off wind.
The potential is there for this place to break like Cape Verde!
3 p.m. Ross is linking up some multiple turn waves on the smaller sets that are sneaking through along the reef. When I say smaller, they’re still logo high, hitting the reef with enough power where the consequences of wiping out will no doubt result in a trip to the rocks.
3.30 p.m. After nearly three hours on the water fighting with these huge waves, the boys finally return to the beach, somehow with all the gear intact.
HOMEWARD BOUND
8 p.m. We make it back to Timo’s parents house on Loch Neagh just in time to scoff down one of Anne Mullen’s finest Shepherds Pies, served up with hot baked beans, sausages and a Pavlova (with ice cream) for dessert.
The whole trip was almost worth it for that meal alone!
12 p.m. Back on the Stena Ferry, this time poised for a calmer crossing and hopefully a decent night’s kip. It’s Timo’s birthday, we’ve scored a pretty heavy session and there’s beer on board. Even though I’m trying to cut back on my intake, it seems rude not to celebrate.
8 a.m. Back into Liverpool as the sun comes up, with just another five hours on the motorway before we’ll be in Southampton. There is a temptation to head to the east coast to check out the aftermath of the storm, but dropping winds seem inevitable and the option of three hours less diving wins the vote.
12 p.m. Today’s headlines are a split between the death of Nelson Mandela and the massive storm and associated tidal surge. The floods that hit the east coast were reported as the most serious in the past 60 years, with thousands forced to abandon their homes, while seven cliff-top houses collapsed into the sea in Norfolk. Meanwhile, wind of up to 140 mph was reported up in the Scottish Highlands causing more havoc and chaos on the roads. Somehow we had managed to thread our way through the carnage and make it back-and-forth to Ireland with barely any disruption.
4 p.m. Timo drops me at the railway station at Southampton airport en-route to Poole, leaving just a train, bus, ferry, two more buses and a walk and I’ll be back at home! Since the final decision was made to head to Ireland, it’s now a total of 54 hours travel in exchange for four or five hours at the beach. The trip was definitely an adventure and, somewhere in my mind I have an awful premonition that I’m going to have to do it all over again in order to catch this place on its day. My gut instinct tells me that this Point Break could be insane and, knowing Timo and Finn, they’ll want to ride it again in the not-so-distant future.
6.30 p.m. I drag my bags through the front door. Seconds later the phone rings. It’s Timo “JC, East Coast looks on tomorrow …” After a moment’s hesitation, I reply: “Oh Jesus Christ – what time do we have to leave?”
THE LOW-DOWN Gaastra have re-worked the Cross range for this season and thrown quite a lot of expensive materials and tech into the re-worked profile. Sizes 6.0 and larger are both RDM and SDM compatible. The Cross fits alongside the Pilot (entry-level) and their wave sail collection in the Gaastra range.
BRAND POSITIONING ‘The Cross has been redesigned from scratch. With a new luff curve and more shape we realised more power in the low end and we made it lighter and more user friendly. With one less batten in the sizes below the 6,4, the Cross is the perfect multipurpose sail, it combines the maneuverability of a wave sail with the stability and speed of a freeride sail. Its skeleton is combined with normal and tube battens giving an incredible amount of control in the gusts and at higher speed making it the perfect bump & jump sail with tons of speed and turn ability.’ (Sic.)
PERFORMANCE As promised by Gaastra, as soon as we’d completed our first runs it was the low-end – and notably the acceleration – that struck us most. That and the added softness that the one less batten and the new material spec provide. The big boys usually like the more ‘locked’ and solid sail profiles for these types of all-terrain, ‘scrambler’ types of sail, but were loving the way the Cross filled early and seemed spongy without sapping any of the usable power away. We sailed this size between 14 and 30 knots, mainly over chop and flat water and thought the newer, softer feel dealt with harder gusts very well indeed, although we’re not 100% convinced that it’s as fast as some of the more rigid foils on offer. Head to head the speed seemed pretty good still too and generally the ride is quite forgiving and lenient to the odd misplaced harness line or sketchy rig control in rougher water. However the real joy with this sail is in the manoeuvrability. It’s super light and flicky in transition and, in terms of gybing and carving, has a lovely backhand element to it – rather like a powerful wave sail – that allows awesome control over turns. Ideal for all shapes and sizes, we think this 6.0 would pair perfectly with a larger FSW board for coastal sailors dealing with strong currents and moderate breeze or inland sailors looking for early planing, acceleration and control for dealing with erratic gusts and holes in the wind.
THE VERDICT Soft and forgiving, but with heaps of low-end power and acceleration, the Gaastra Cross is a superbly manoevrable and versatile sail with a rich mix of freeride and wave-sailing characteristics.
Crossover sails probably have the most demanding brief of all brands’ development programs.
As the clichéd ‘Swiss Army Knife’ rig of choice, they have to, in the 6.0 range, ideally, span wave use – probably in more moderate wind, onshore environments – be fast enough to enjoy some drag-racing and bump and jump action, (most likely as a change-down size for inland sailors), have enough manoeuvrability to enjoy some freestyle – as well as being a sensible and popular choice for entry-level freeriders.
That’s a tough call so it’ll come as no surprise that there is a little bit of a spectrum ranging from the blastier, more freeride-oriented end to genuine onshore wavesailing powerhouses.
This test was originally published in the July issue.
TRENDS – WHAT DID WE FIND? Well, compared to recent seasons we reckon this category has seen a massive increase in the upper end of the wind ranges. On this trip we were more than happy in over 30 knots of wind on 105L FSW boards, which equated to a effective wind range of 14-33 knots. That’s not a ‘we could hang on in 33 knots’ statement. We’re talking excellent control and comfort in most cases. Considering some of these sails are more expensive than others, it’s worth bearing in mind that you definitely need less of them these days so budget can arguably be less of an issue than in the past. Bear in mind though that all our test findings are only relevant and in context of what else we had on the beach at the same time. If a sail isn’t the earliest planer in this group for example, it doesn’t mean it’s not got good low-end, it’s just that we can only state what its performance is like compared to what else we were trying on the same days in the same conditions.
PRINCIPAL TEST TEAM
James Randall 70 kg. Med. Height.
Julian Da Vall 83 kg. 1.95 Tall.
Toby Gibson 87kg. 1.90 Tall.
Brian McDowell 100 kg. 1.90 Tall. Thanks also to: Kevin Salmon 85kg & Kevin Pijl 70kg.
FOR BLASTING AND SPEED: The Vandal Addict, Severne Gator and the NeilPryde Fusion are probably your best bet in a drag race.
MANOEUVRABILITY: A tough call in this multipurpose category but the North Volt, Attitude Source, Severne Gator, Gaastra Cross and Pryde Fusion stand out as the most throwabout picks.
GENUINE WAVE PERFORMANCE: The compact Attitude Source, RRD Move, Simmer Iron, Severne Gator and, to some extent. the Naish Moto will all serve well in cross-on wave environments.
WIND RANGE: The widest overall range came from the Naish Moto, Gaastra Cross, North Volt and Severne Gator. For bottom end grunt it’s the Simmer Iron, Goya Nexus and Gaastra Cross that will power the big boys, wider boards and deal with current and patchy wind best.
BUILD QUALITY: The Naish Moto, Pryde Fusion and Severne Gator both display the techiest materials in the lightest packages. At the budget end of the scale the Attitude and Ezzy will be hard to beat too. For techy, cutting-edge materials it’s Pryde and Naish that stand out most.
EASY RIGGING: The straight-luffed Ezzy and the Vandal are probably the easiest to assemble without breaking into a sweat!
VALUE FOR MONEY: There’s the most bang for your buck in the Attitude, Vandal, Point-7 and Ezzy.
FOR ENTRY-LEVEL USE: The Point-7 HF and the Vandal Addict are hard to beat.
FOR HEAVYWEIGHTS: The Gaastra Cross, Severne Gator, Simmer Iron and Goya Nexus will haul your ass best.
FOR LIGHTWEIGHTS: The Vandal Addict and the Point-7 are probably best for ladies, kids and lightweights.
SOMETHING NEW & DIFFERENT: Naish have produced a unique feel with the ‘Fusion’ construction used in the Moto. The Dacron skin is nice and flexy but the frame is well tensioned and locked. You have to try one to experience it!
THE BENCHMARKS: This large group makes it a tough call. If a new crop launched on the market tomorrow, we’d probably take the Severne Gator as the most representative of this selection to measure them by. A sort of ‘Desert Island’ sail if you like. That said, we all liked the Moto’s unique feel. However, nobody would complain if they were given the Attitude for Christmas. Darn it we’d like them all for Christmas! Amongst the various size testers the Ezzy, Gaastra and RRD were all very popular across the board too.
* Also consider: Tushingham submitted their long-standing Storm to this test but have since released the Bolt, a line that changes throughout the sizes to suit most conditions in any given wind strength. We aim to find out the wave credentials of the 5.5 on our upcoming wave sails test trip.
Read on and see which ones stir your burn and turn juices!
KSB Collective published this short profiling Gran Canarian hell-man Dario Ojeda.
‘2 years ago we made a little focus on Dario Ojeda during the Fuerte Wave Classic.
‘After that we had the project to do a complete video about him and start to look for money and time to build this project.
‘We didn’t find what we want to accomplish our goal properly. We don’t give up and for now, have a look at this rebuild interview which was a part of our “Project production file”.
‘For sure you already saw some of this footage, and some informations are no longer valid, but this video was not intended to be broadcast.’
OVERVIEW Gaastra – or GA Sails as they’re re-branding themselves – have two twin cams on the market. The Phantom – a racier 7-batten number and this 6-batten Cosmic. The Cosmic and Phantom are accompanied in the GA race/freerace range by the no-cam Savage freerace sail (tested in April 2014 issue) and the all-out PWA-level Vapor slalom/race sail – as tested in the May edition.
BRAND POSITIONING ‘The Cosmic is our 2 cam freeride machine. The new LUFF CURVE CONCEPT delivers more low end and great handling. Its a 6 batten freeride sail for the camber fans, who love that locked in feeling that keeps the profile more stable. The relatively wide sleeve with zippers make it super easy to rig the sail with the method of popping the cambers on the mast later when the sail is already rigged. The rotation of the cambers is super soft and smooth. With the improvements on the 2014 design we were able to increase the performance and make the Cos- mic more efficient for a wider wind range.’ (Sic.)
PERFORMANCE The best thing about the DNA that filters down from Gaastra’s racing programme is the undisputed low-end push and the control that the deep-bellied draft provides. As obvious as the grunt is, it’s not raw or physical as the power delivery’s beautifully refined. Like a lot of Gaastra’s race, freerace and freeride products there’s a definite presence of ‘gears’ as you accelerate from standing to full-tilt. The draft is steady and predictable with a slight element of flex from the 6-batten frame and the depth of camber really pins down the livelier, racier boards that want to fly and hydrofoil over the rough water. As you’ll read elsewhere amongst this selection, the control the draft lends is very confidence-inducing and we found this to be one of the sails that we didn’t notice much during head-to-heads, simply because it’s just naturally reliable and really brought out the intricacies of the boards instead. If you’re thinking of some recreational racing then this characteristic can’t be underestimated. An ‘invisible’ sail that’s actually pretty powerful – yet still so easy to control – is a gift. The handling in gybes is pretty good for a 7.5 cammed sail and the rotation smooth and slick. Speed-wise the Cosmic is strong and the comfort will only help to maximise that. Although it’d be a good match for a freerace or performance freeride board, we think this is a sail that will allow you to progress straight onto a dedicated slalom board if you’re ambitious and want to experiment with fins and become familiar with the levels of acceleration and step-up in gybing ability required. Later on you’ll then perhaps be tempted into sailing a dedicated race sail fully overpowered, but who knows, with this level of control perhaps you won’t need to?
THE VERDICT A perfect example of how a classic twin-cam sail’s control can now deliver the performance of an accomplished freerace model. Deep and drafty and capable of pinning-down quite advanced, racier boards, the Cosmic has a sophisticated engine with strong acceleration and excellent high-speed potential..
OVERVIEW ‘GA Sails from Gaastra’ have re-vamped the popular Poison powerhouse with a new reduced seam outline and batten layout that apparently lowers the centre of gravity plus they’ve beefed-up the head and clew, brought the draft back slightly, raised the clew height for more direct power and have added x-ply higher up in the profile. All the range will fit on two masts (400 and 430) and there’s also a new EVA mast protector that’s lighter and intended to be easier to use.
BRAND CLAIM ‘Whether you are in wavy or flat water conditions, the Poison is an excellent choice. Anyone who likes a direct sail with useable power through the backhand is in the right place with the Poison. Just sheet in and gusty winds or strong currents are no longer an issue.’ (Sic.)
PERFORMANCE We certainly got to test the low end of the Poison early in this trip and definitely felt like the sail produced less obvious, direct force than earlier incarnations, yet the power delivery is undoubtedly much smoother, subtler and more refined. The Poison is certainly light and there’s also an element of spongy, forgiving springiness to the way it reacts and fills nice and early. At the extreme low end the pressure does struggle to convert 100% into usable drive, with some testers describing a ‘heavy’ – but not in a physical way – feel from the downward drive, but generally it’s very smooth and efficient and actually quite deceptive in the way the power is put through the board. The clew feels quite narrow and the profile tall, but checking the specs it’s actually fairly short and high aspect overall. Okay, so it’s not the most manoevrable, but a 5.4 ‘power wave’ is rarely ever going to manage this anyway. Additionally, the strong element of backhand pressure is very helpful in the turns in onshore conditions. With that in mind, overall we think this is great sail for larger, gnarlier surf conditions, be they stormy onshore mush burgers with a lot of rip involved, or sideshore and down-the-line setups of good size where the slightly less throw-about nature will be right at home. We honestly can’t vouch for the more extreme top-end, but everything got easier and easier as the wind increased which is often a vital sign of high-end range.
THE VERDICT A light, efficient foil with a smooth power output and forgiving feel. Ideal for doing all the hard work in tricky conditions, the Poison’s would serve well at a wide range of sailing locations.
More marginal wind on a wave test trip had us really testing the bottom-end of this selection of the latest 5.3s for all-round wave sailing use. But actually, that’s a good thing, as you’ll see…
5.3 is the size most likely to be most peoples’ biggest wave sail. As well as it being the largest efficient, workable size for boards down to around the 78-litre mark, without being too big or draggy on a toothpick, the do-it-all 5.3 is also more than workable on an 105-litre freestyle-wave. But, as we mentioned last season, the humble 5.3 has a big brief to fulfill, needing to be a powerhouse for heavyweights at the lower end of the scale – and manageable enough for lighter or medium-weight riders to use on a floaty board in on-the-edge conditions.
So 5.3’s a key size that can span a realistic range of use spanning 14-30 knots. Some of this assortment fall into a ‘feel bigger than they are’ group (Gaastra, Vandal and Tushingham), while others have the sensation of being nearer the physical size of a 5.0 or even 4.7 model – but have the grunt of their actual size. (RRD, the North – not in the group, but read on about that – and the Attitude.) If you want real torquey, bottom-end drive, then why not consider a 5.7? There’s plenty around, but before you go shopping, consider that another advantage of an efficient 5.3 is that its mostly the largest size you’ll fit onto a 400 mast, where most 5.7s or 6.0s will require an additional and/or potentially more vulnerable-to-breakages 430. (Although you could use said 430 on a 7-metre-plus freerace or freeride sail on an 110 or 105L slalom or FSW/small freeride board to widen your range of use and justify the spend.) For now though we’ll concentrate on the 5.3s and see how they got on …
PRINCIPAL TEST TEAM
Chris Rainbow 75 kg. Med. Height.
Julian Da Vall 83 kg. 1.95 Tall.
Brian McDowell 100 kg. 1.90 Tall. Also thanks to: Cormac de Roiste,
Laoise ni Dhuda, Chris Grainger and Robby De Wit.
Thanks also to the various other guest testers on hand in Tenerife who also lent a hand, plus the various PWA pro sailors that showed us the best tweaks on their affiliated brands’ gear and gave opinion on boards and sails from rival manufacturers.
TRENDS Okay so we’ve already stated this group are a bit more subtle than you’d think and how they ‘used to be’ and how a good few 5.3s are now quite ‘efficient’ feeling instead of being total animals. However, this size and the brief involved still often means some pretty slack outhaul settings are required to gain the maximum power, as well as widening the upper wind range by pinning boards down further in hectic sea states. The looser, fuller settings also increase backhand control for tightening-up frontside, onshore riding turns. This year the trend is still quite apparent, but there is a finer entry option (Attitude) that bucks that movement slightly, requiring noticeably more outhaul tension. The Tushingham is also quite outhaul sensitive and only ever needs one or two cm. maximum to get the best from it.
MISSING There are a few key brands ‘missing’ here. There’s always a struggle getting some brands’ gear in time to publish the early release tests you all crave so much. A warehousing staff error unfortunately saw us having the North Idol as the early test leader, until we noticed it was the 2014 model that they’d sent … (On the aero platinum mast which revolutionises its performance compared to the mast supplied last season.) This is a real shame, but we highly recommend you strongly consider both the ‘old’ and new Heros – and only with that mast – for your demo lists. The Hero would’ve rivalled the test winner and, who knows, maybe even have taken the title? But sadly we had to stop sailing it as soon as we found out.
CONCLUSIONS Well this time we have an outright winner. There can’t always be, but this time it was pretty clear to all of us which was the most workable, widely popular and best all-round performer, so congratulations to RRD for the Move 5.2.
Not everyone’s the same, so to help you sort out what’s best for you from the individual reports to follow this is what we found:
Early Planing: The RRD Move had competition from the ‘North that never was’ but emerged clearly in the low-end, upwind and acceleration up-to-speed front. The Gaastra Poison and Vandal Enemy are also pretty drivey, direct picks too.
Onshore riding: The RRD was outstanding in onshore slop, but the Severne Blade is also excellent in this department. The Tushingham Bolt and Attitude Rebel are also very manoevrable on the wave.
Best Outright Wind Range: The Move, Blade and Attitude seem to have the widest overall range, but we didn’t get to really test the top-end enough to be totally honest.
Easiest to Rig: Non of these were in the Ezzy league of easy rigging, but the Tushingham – bar the fiddly mast cutout – is a pretty simple ‘one set’ sail while the Severne, Attitude, RRD, Gaastra and Vandal are all quite straight forward and hard to get majorly wrong.
Which Ones Would We Buy?: If we sailed a lot in sideshore we’d consider the Blade, which has added light weight and construction strength benefits too. For value for money the Tush and Vandal and Attitude are impressive, but, taking into account the reasonable RRD mast prices too, it’s got to be the RRD, especially for mostly ‘real world’ wavesailing and FSW outings. BM
Special thanks to Tenerife Windsurf Solution (TWS) centre for hosting us – the best demo/hire centre in the world, F-Hot/Dave White for the loan of their mast mounts, I Love Meet and Greet Gatwick Parking Services and 211 Components for supplying excellent reduced diameter carbon booms that really helped us feel the max from the sails. (Without any forearm cramp or funny blisters!)
December 2013 just has to go down as the most consistent months for UK wave sailing in decades. With low-pressure systems lined up in an orderly queue out in the Atlantic, the British coastline was duly battered from every angle. After scoring epic missions to Scotland, Ireland and England for our COAST series, it seemed a trip to Wales was in order to represent the four nations at their best.
With Christmas closing in fast, John Carter and Ross Williams pulled open a cracker, snapped on their paper crowns and headed up to the Gower hoping to unwrap some early presents. As usual, when Carter is involved, festivities did not quite go according to plan…
TOTAL DISBELIEF
For the second time in my life I’m stood in the car park at this stunning Welsh Beach looking out over almost flat calm water. It’s a few days before Christmas and, so far today, it doesn’t feel like Santa managed any deliveries. This is hardly the sight you really relish after waking at 1 a.m. and driving through the night to catch a UK winter wave session. But if memory serves me correct, this place is all about the tide and, according to local sailor Ian Pierce, who is confidently rigging up alongside a hardy Welsh crew, it’s going to be firing within half an hour. Even though I’ve experienced this weird phenomenon once before, I still don’t believe it and head back to the comfort of the van to find some warmth and a pillow for a quick snooze. Ross Williams, who is sat beside me in the van, can’t fathom this situation either. His premonition of logo-high, clean offshore waves has been shattered – especially since we were hoping to erase the memory of yesterday’s skunking. You see this story actually emanates over 24 hours prior to this moment of disappointment. A hair-brained scheme of mine to hit two locations in two consecutive days was backfiring in an excruciatingly painful fashion.
Rewind to the previous morning and we had headed to Lyme Regis on the 4 a.m. ferry on a forecast that suggested a 35-knot sou’wester and sunny skies, but, instead, we had been on the receiving end of a 15-20 knot gusty mess with 100% cloud cover and misty rain. Well they say you can’t win them all, but this one was an absolutely miserable day, not to mention a 100 quid’s worth of fuel down the pan and a wasted journey. We did manage to squeeze in a bit of Christmas shopping in the quaint town of Lyme Regis, but that was hardly a reason for six hours in the van and zero action on the water. To make matters worse, I had to be home that evening to look after the kids, so we travelled all the way back to the Isle of Wight before setting out just after midnight on a concerted quest to recover from this wasted road trip. But now, here we are on the coast of the Gower Peninsula, another 4-hr. drive away, minus another tank of fuel, looking out at a thumping shore dump and a Welsh crew that all seem to have a screw loose as they rig up in the car park.
BLINK AND YOU’LL MISS IT
The reason we are here so early is the tide though. According to Ian, the moment the water starts ebbing out, then this place will come alive. Logically I can’t doubt him this time round since, four years ago, I was at this very same beach with Timo Mullen and Jamie Hancock and presented with exactly the same scenario. True to his word, the conditions went off. But even though I’ve seen it happen once before, with still nothing more than a shoredump in front of us, it’s still almost impossible to believe this place will be firing within the hour. Ross, who has not experienced this place before, seems to have resigned to the fact that this is another write-off. It’s a week before Christmas and, just like you tell your kids they have to believe in Santa or they will get no presents, maybe we should put our faith in Ian’s or we won’t get our Xmas stockings full of waves? Surely Ian would never have made us drive all this way for nothing and must be confident in his call? I was certainly hoping so!
Watching from the warmth of the van, the waves are still barely breaking as Ian Pierce, Jim Brookes-Dowsett and the rest of the crew start filtering into the water. But once they are half a mile downwind or so it looks like they are flying straight into the first sets of the day. Where in the hell did those sets come from? Well maybe Santa has got those Reindeers up and running and is starting to dosh out the presents? All of a sudden, Ross is twitching as he sees Ian crack a top turn right under an inviting barrelling lip as finally, this Welsh secret is revealing her true colours under the crisp morning sunlight.
It doesn’t take Williams long to throw together his 5.0 Gaastra Manic, attach an 80-litre Tabou Pocket Wave and, within 10 minutes he is out on the water tacking onto his first set wave.
WELSH MAGIC
With stunning cliffs downwind, pristine dunes, woodlands and even a couple of castles nestled into the landscape, this stunning bay typifies the all the best ingredients the British Coastline has to offer. Throw in clean, half-mast-high waves – which are suddenly starting to pile through the bay – and it’sw not hard to see why Ian owns one of the houses up on top of the cliffs and has no intention of ever moving.
The real magic of this location as the tide whips out is the fact the waves are so clean, cross-offshore and throwing, with enough power to nicely stir up the adrenaline. No wonder the canny Welsh crew don’t boast too heavily about the location of their most precious spots. This beach is a real gem, with the magical formula as to when it works a closely guarded secret. Within the hour, the tide has passed the golden slot and the waves start to drop off. The surf was still as clean as a whistle and great fun to ride, but show up now and you would wonder what all the fuss was about. One thing that kind of bothers me about winter sessions, is that the daylight hours pretty much allow you to score just one phase of the tide. Normally in the summer we would be more than happy to string the day out for the incoming session, but, looking at the watch, by the time it’d be properly on the push again, Ross would be sailing in the dark.
With that in mind we decide to head towards Cardiff and sail another spot closer to home – after a tip-off from Jim – which should be working right through low tide. We both had to swear to secrecy as Jim handed out the sat nav co-ordinates and, with the location locked in, we are back on the road, racing across the Gower to catch a second session before the sun goes down. As luck would have it, we arrived an hour before dark, with the tide just starting to turn and half-mast-high sets peeling down an exposed reef/point break. With dramatic cliffs, drenched in the warmth the wintery sunlight provided, as the backdrop to this awesome location, there was time enough for Ross to build an appetite for this break and leave him with the desire to return. After a quick bowl of leek and potato soup (well we just had to since we were in Wales) we were back on the road one last time headed back home just in time for Christmas! I wouldn’t say Santa had totally unloaded all the toys out of the sleigh while we were at the Gower, but that magic hour was enough of a taster to leave us both hungry for more.
WATER OVER THE BRIDGE
On their day, the reefs and beaches of Wales are as good as anywhere in the UK – and usually less crowded. Throw in the fact the drive is pretty much the same distance for most south coasters as Cornwall, heading over the Severn Bridge to Wales is certainly well worth considering, especially on those days where the West Country might be maxing out and too big. The Gower in particular is a stunning area of beautiful, unspoilt scenery and designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. LLangennith faces dead west and is the first beach to cop the brunt of any swell, but search around this peninsula and there are beaches to accommodate most wind directions.
JC
WALES FUN FACTS
Mount Everest was named after Welshman Sir George Everest from Gwernvale, Breconshire.
The population sheep in Wales is four times greater than the Welsh population of humans.
The Welsh motto is “Cymru am byth” which means “Wales forever”.
The Millennium Stadium in Cardiff has the largest retractable roof of any sports arena in the World.
Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch is the name of a town in North Wales, which translates as “The church of St. Mary in the hollow of white hazel trees near the rapid whirlpool by St. Tysilio’s of the red cave”. It is believed to be the longest place name in the world. (No problem for Windsurf’s spell checker!)
Wales has a population of around 3 million, but only 21% of the Taffys can speak their native language!
Famous people from Wales include Richard Burton, Sir Anthony Hopkins, Tom Jones, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Shirley Bassey, Timothy Dalton and Charlotte Church.
A Welsh tradition reckons that the person who first spots a flowering daffodil in Spring will be blessed with more gold than silver during the coming year.
Wales is believed to have more castles per square mile than anywhere else in the world. It is also the land of the mythical King Arthur.
42% of the South and West Wales coastline is designated as ‘Heritage Coast’.
Major Walter Clopton Wingfield is generally credited with inventing lawn tennis when in 1873 he designed and patented a similar game for his guests to play on his estate of Nantclwyd in Llanelidan Wales.
MOVE ON UP – SKILLS AND DRILLS Light-wind workouts to polish your technique from Super Coach Jem Hall
