Board testing is a relatively straight forward affair, being easy to control variables as you experiment with different set-ups in changeable conditions. Sail testing on the other hand can be quite tricky, as the main variable (i.e. the wind) has a frustrating ability to shift, fluctuate and generally not do what it is supposed to! And if you don’t get the results you expect, or feel the sail warrants, there are then a myriad of tweaks and adjustments that can be made to the set. You may even need to try the sail on an altogether different mast… Luckily, with the test centre so close to the water’s edge, the practicality of making all these tuning refinements during the testing period was as easy and pain-free as we have ever known, and the exposure to the wind that Portland experiences means the forecast is invariably right.
This test was originally published in the April 2015 issue.
FINDINGS So what new trend did this test bring up? Well, out of the nine sails tested, two are 4-battened whilst the rest retain the more conventional and accepted five-batten configuration. Is this to be expected? We think so. These sails have a hard job description, harder than most in our opinion. They should be powerful with good bottom end potential, yet light and balanced in the hands; versatile in their stance so that they can be used for most disciplines and can partner different board styles … and do all this over a massive wind range. No easy task.
It has been interesting to understand the different approaches used by the various lofts here to answer this tough design brief. Ezzy, North and Severne have incorporated relatively little luff curve, and by doing so have increased the responsive handling and flicky feel in their sails. The downside to this, is that the structure to the sail decays quickly as the wind increases, so to lock stability into the sail, they both use a significant amount of shaping in the sail’s profile. Their sails feel different in the hands, but the principle used by both is largely the same. Naish, however, are at the other end of the spectrum. The Boxer has much of its sail area above the boom to get the most influence possible to the wind. Great for light marginal winds, the worry is that this makes the sail vulnerable as the wind increases, so to help lock the structure in the sail, Naish have employed a good dose of luff curve, bending and tensioning the mast massively to provide the skin tension and therefore stability. Both are very interesting concepts and have their own merits, leading to very different feeling sails. It is up to you as the consumer to decide which style of sail is for you.
SUMMARY All these sails on test set on RDM masts as standard, but that is where the similarities for some stop! Some display more bias towards manoeuvres (the Ezzy for example), whilst others are most useful blasting around a break in a locked-in stance, such as the Simmer. The key to deciding which one is for you is to be honest with yourself in the style of sailing that you do. How subtle are you with power and delivering it to the board? What type of board are you likely to be partnering this sail with? And what other sails are you partnering this one with – will it be the largest in your wave quiver, or smallest in your blasting sail line-up? Answer these questions initially, then read the reports to see which sail matches your requirements best. There are some fantastic options here to match the market’s diverse needs.
THE OTC This test was conducted at the beaches of Overcombe and Bandstead within Weymouth bay and the Official Test Centre (OTC) at Portland, Dorset. The OTC centre is based within the grounds of the National Sailing Academy that hosted the Olympic sailing classes in 2012. With the best wind stats on the south coast, mirror flat water in prevailing winds and a safe launch area with excellent facilities, it provides the ideal test venue. Much of the kit is still on site, so why not go and try some of it for yourself?
OVERVIEW The Cross is the smallest sail on this test, both in terms of quoted sail area, as well as luff / boom dimensions. It’s a compact sail, with a reasonable tuning range on the downhaul (3-4cm between min and max) allowing the leech to fall away significantly in the upper panels, whilst fine-tuning is done on the outhaul. There is more shape in the bottom of the sail than in the past, yet it still sets quite flat above the boom, developing more shape as the power comes on, which in turn enables the protruding main batten above the boom to rotate freely. The Cross has been GA’s (or Gaastra’s) staple crossover sail for some years now, refined for the new season with a smoother luff curve and a number of the brand’s concepts such as Posi-leech, where the cut of this batten above the boom extends beyond the straight line of the leech.
BRAND CLAIM “For 2015 we have designed the Cross with 5 battens in all sizes and with a shorter boom. This was made possible by the new Posi Leech design and the Compact Batten Positioning… The result is an even lighter and easier bump & jump sail, with more power and range. In addition, it is possible to rig all sizes on a 430cm mast and a 160-210 boom.”
PERFORMANCE On the water, the Cross has the fantastic light, crisp handling characteristics we have come to expect from it over the years, but this year it also generates a good deal of bottom end power to boot. The power is precise and focused rather than soft, and the Dacron luff panel has an elastic limit enabling the sail to breathe and be pumpable as well. It is surprising how efficient it actually is, as the boom length is significantly shorter than others. As the wind increases, apply more tension and the power is locked low in the sail, providing excellent top-end stability. It is a fast comfortable sail for straight-line-blasting work, happily partnering a freerace, even slalom, platform. But that only tells half the story. It is in manoeuvres that the compact crisp nature of the sail really comes into its own. It would make a perfectly reasonable ‘largest sail’ in a wave quiver, providing the bottom end power to make the most of marginal winds, yet not feeling out of place on a wave face, where it can be de-powered easily to go neutral in the hands.A real chameleon of a sail, with great appeal to a wide spectrum of sailors and uses.
THE VERDICT A fast and very compact feeling sail, with a crisp power delivery and precise handling. Well recommended.
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2012 Pure 5.4 £529 £259 £270
2012 IQ 4.7 £515 £259 £256
2012 Cosmic 7.0 £520 £280 £240
2012 Cosmic 8.0 £549 £290 £259
2012 Phantom 7.1 £675 £339 £336
2014 Cosmic 7.0 £545 £335 £210
2014 Cosmic 7.5 £559 £345 £214
2014 Cosmic 8.0 £579 £355 £224
2014 Cosmic 8.5 £599 £369 £230
2014 Manic HD 3.7 £499 £299 £200
2014 Matrix 6.0 £469 £299 £170
2014 Phantom 5.7 £609 £369 £240
2014 Poison 4.5 £509 £299 £210
2014 Pilot 5.0 £345 £209 £136
2014 Pure 4.2 £495 £299 £196
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2.5 rrp £229 sale £169
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3.5 rrp £259 sale £169
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Many wave hungry sailors have faced those barren stretches of windless forecasts and then spotted a tiny glitch on the weather map hinting at a remote chance of a decent session. The big dilemma is whether to simply let those fifty /fifty gambits fly past or do you take the bull by the horns and go chase it down. Even once you are committed then nothing is guaranteed, this is one of those sketchy ones that might deliver a few cracking waves or you may be sat on the beach cursing your decision to burn a £100 in fuel and waste a day. John Carter talks us through a couple of scenarios earlier this year that may well boost your confidence to keep faith in the weather gurus and roll the dice and go for it!
Words & Photos JOHN CARTER
CORNISH CRACKERS
“Are you guys on drugs?” Was the reaction from Blacky when he heard we were driving down to Cornwall on one of Timo’s hairbrained schemes to cure a dry spell on his normally fully booked windsurfing diary. We were looking at a wisp of North West wind that promised to scratch the very far corner of Cornwall along with a 2.5m long range south swell that could easily be tiny if the forecast was slightly wrong. A couple of times before we had thought about chasing a similar situation and once I had even made the three hour trip to Poole, checked the Bantham web cam and headed straight back home after spending ten minutes on the platform. Today I was equally committed having travelled up to Timo’s the previous night and judging by Blacky’s call we were lining up for another potential catastrophe. With the rest of the country one hundred per cent windless, we were chasing the very edge of a weak pressure system and possibly relying on some local acceleration for our gamble to pay dividends. The one thing the forecast was unanimous about was sunny weather at least; the rest was down to mother nature to cooperate.
“ Our wager was actually paying off, clean waves on a reef, no crowds, the sort of setup you would be happy to travel abroad for but we were scoring on UK shores ! ’’
Timo’s choice spot for the mission was a fickle reef break on the south coast of Cornwall that incidentally had a solid chance of being loaded with surfers at any hint of a south swell. The odds were certainly stacked against us. In order to pull off this crazed plan we left in the dark and were already in Cornwall by 8am staring out at some funky sets at Marazion and barely a breath of wind. We were both speechless, defiant to admit we had possibly blundered. Our first thought was damage limitation, grab a quick surf and then head back home to appease the wives at a reasonable hour. After a bit more driving around and now at Praa Sands, we were still deliberating when Blacky finally answered his phone, most likely just to rub salt in the wounds. But lo and behold, Blacky was slightly positive and reckoned the breeze was filling in down at Lands End and his brother had just checked the surf and some solid south sets were starting to hit the Cornish coast. Another half hour passed, the clock was ticking and we were now gathered on the cliffs looking down at this south coast secret reef break trying to guesstimate the strength of the wind.
“ on this rare occasion it was west/north west , the perfect cross offshore direction at Niton, with head to logo high sets and going off ! ’’
Sure it had picked up and was feathering the tops off the waves but then we spotted a couple of kiters trying to launch their kites but they dropped straight out of the sky and they ditched their plan in exchange for surfboards. Enough was enough for Timo and he ran back to the van to gather his light wind gear determined to give it a shot. After throwing his kit off the rocks and swimming it out to the wind line Timo was up on the board and planing straight off the bat, now it was Blacky’s turn to dash to the van ! Timo’s first wave was a half mast high pit, driving bottom turn and solid round house cutback, it was on ! Our wager was actually paying off, clean waves on a reef, no crowds, the sort of setup you would be happy to travel abroad for but we were scoring on UK shores ! Blacky was well up for a piece of the action and showed all the style on the water he is famous for. I am pretty certain Timo and Blacky were the only two guys wave sailing in the whole of the country on this particular day. So judge for yourself, was it worth it? Timo was pretty stoked to be out on the water catching waves and the alternative would have been zero action back at home, most likely checking the forecast down in Cornwall every half an hour wondering whether we were missing out or not. Plus we had the last laugh on Blacky who had probably missed the best of the conditions procrastinating about the conditions while Timo snagged the biggest waves of the day !
WIGHT WATERS
A couple of weeks later, I was at home in my office working away quite contentedly when my phone started buzzing with Ross Williams trying to contact me. As far as I was concerned today was out of the question for windsurfing, I knew the weather pattern had been calling for dying westerly winds overnight and had not even given the forecast a decent check over. Ross had different ideas and fair play to him, he was on it and reckoned that there was some good ground swell hitting the island and the wind was swinging west to north west through the morning meaning Niton could be classic. I played along with Ross on the phone and told him I would come straight down if the signs looked good when he was almost there.So I carried on behind the computer, not even bothering to pack any camera gear or make any preparations to head out; you could say I was being lazy but I simply was not convinced in my mind that this day was worth bothering with. Ten minutes later a text came through from Ross with a message saying it was looking sick and that he could see swell breaking along the coast. Finally I started to twitch and had a quick look at a few web cameras and channel wave buoys; just maybe, Ross was onto something !. Obviously this was an easy drive for me, half an hour and I would be at Niton, but all the same I did not want to waste my day on a wild goose chase, so without positive Intel I was staying put. But then my phone started buzzing again, it was Ross, now at the top of the track at Niton making one last call before the signal disappeared at the bottom of the cliffs. “JC, I hope you are on your way, please don’t tell me your still at home, Niton is on fire, its bloody epic!”
All of a sudden I had to shift through the gears, chuck all my camera equipment in the back of the car and blast up the road on a mad dash towards the southernmost point of the Island. For sure the forecast was one of those fickle ones but Ross had been hungry enough to believe it was worth a shot and I had been unusually caught totally off guard. By the time I had darted through every short cut known to man, I made it just in time to be at the top of the hill and see Ross launching and heading out to catch his first wave.
“ these sessions go to show, that just when you least expect it, windsurfing can catch you unaware and deliver some surprisingly magical conditions ’’
Normally westerly is a smidgen onshore while North West is a touch too offshore but on this rare occasion it was west/north west , the perfect cross offshore direction at Niton, with head to logo high sets and going off !. In a blind panic I careered down the bumpy track that leads to the car park just in time to watch Ross flying through an aerial on his first wave of the session. Luckily for me the magical window with the perfect wind direction continued for the next bunch of waves before the wind backed to the west and a more regular more cross shore day at Niton. Having being brought up surfing and sailing around this stunning stretch of coastline on the Island, Ross really does know Niton like the back of his hand. He knows every little idiosyncrasy of this spot, where to be, which swells to gybe on and when to charge and smack it hard. Niton may not quite be up there with the best breaks in Cornwall but on its day, it’s a real fun place to sail or surf. I will be the first to admit that my finger was not on the pulse for this particular sojourn. Niton is one of my favourite spots and I am not sure why I was not on the case. Thanks to Ross, at least I made it in time to shoot a few clean waves peeling down the point; if only I had been there an hour earlier; next time there will be no excuses !
Both these sessions go to show, that just when you least expect it, windsurfing can catch you unaware and deliver some surprisingly magical conditions. You just have to keep your goggles peeled to the forecasts and be prepared to keep checking that beach, whether its right on your doorstep or slightly off the beaten track. Next time you are in doubt, don’t miss out. JC
For the first time in seventeen years, Britain’s number one all-rounder, Ross Williams, made the decision to drop his normal winter training regime in reliable conditions abroad in exchange for a winter at home on the Isle of Wight. The plan paid off handsomely after he tapped in to a perfect pattern of low pressures which lit up all of his favourite breaks for windsurfing and surfing around the notorious southern tip and west coast of the island. With his slalom addictions taken care of by various trips to the OTC at Weymouth and one short training trip to visit GA team mate Ben Van Der Steen in Tarifa, Ross is now perfectly
recharged and refuelled for the forthcoming season. So what brought on the decision to exchange warm trade winds, board shorts and T-shirts for 5mm wetsuit’s, frosty mornings and numb fingers? We dispatched the UK’s number one windsurfing investigative journalist, John ‘Snoop’ Carter, to find out.
Photos John Carter
JC: Come on then Ross, spill the beans, what swung you to stay home this winter on the Isle of Wight rather than travel to Cape Town or Maui to train?
Ross: I am the UK agent for Gaastra/Tabou/Vandal with Windsurfing, kitesurfing and SUP. This will be my 3rd year in the role and sales are starting to pick up. We are seeing much more of the brands in the shops and on the water. It has been a lot of work, and I take this role very seriously, I want to be the best in whatever I take on. It took a lot of time to build the relationships up with the shops, finding ways that you can work together for mutual benefit. I am lucky I have such strong brands and I can offer pretty much any type of equipment that a shop would need. I have been very fortunate to have been able to travel and compete all over the world in my career as a pro, and now as I am a little older, it is actually nice to be more settled. I was actually looking forward to spending more time sailing and surfing in the UK over the winter when usually as a pro I go overseas to work and train. I lucked out with some amazing conditions at home on the Isle of Wight this winter so I have been able to spend a lot of time on the water, while constantly working side by side on my UK network. It is also nice to be back with my family, my brothers and their little kids; it’s been great for my soul. So in short, yes it is cold and maybe a little harder to motivate yourself, but if you are strong in your mind you can achieve whatever you want. Family, UK, competing and building a lifestyle that I am happy with, that is all the motivation I need.
JC: Has it been beneficial to you to have a permanent base ?
Ross: It certainly has been a pleasure to be back at home. I still live with my parents as this makes the most financial sense at the moment. My mum has been a rock for me, I think she understands that I basically have very little free time and I am working towards my goals. My dad, my brothers and everyone around me have been amazing and I feel I really missed that aspect in my life for many years while I was selfishly running around the world (laughs)! It has been great connecting with everyone in the UK, both friends and family. I think it is important to be around those people that make you happy. It’s a real help when it comes to understanding yourself and finding your way through life. Sometimes the people or places that you push away from while you are growing up are the things that will be always be there for you and that is what has been great about being home. It is also very refreshing to come back in from the water to a nice warm house, and to be around people that love you and want the best for you. I am still living out of my bags or van as I travel around the UK, but it has still been beneficial for me to be in the UK and build up that thirst again for the competition season when you know you have a few months of travelling around the globe coming up again.
“ yes it is cold and maybe a little harder to motivate yourself, but if you are strong in your mind you can achieve whatever you want ”
JC: Where have you been doing your slalom tuning and training?
Ross: I have actually been doing more slalom sailing this winter then in the last couple of years. I realized I haven’t really been taking care to be prepared in time, unrolling new sails and untested masts and fins at the first events and things like that. I decided it was time to focus a little more on that area. I have been training in Weymouth and helping some of the guys on the UK Gaastra/Tabou team and in turn they have helped me a lot. Kev Greenslade and Simon Petitfer have been awesome and the whole crew down with Tris Best at the OTC. Weymouth is for sure one of the best locations you can be to test and train slalom here in the UK. I have also been working a lot on fins with Steve Cook from F-hot. I think F-hot now have some of the best designs for slalom and is largely due to all the effort Steve has personally put in. I also made a short trip down to Tarifa to see and train with Benny Van Der Steen. He has also been a big help to us at Gaastra and Tabou. I see positive things happening to all our race team this year, we have been able to already make the step forward for 2016 Vapours and Mantas and everyone is getting on nicely in the team which in turn will benefit us all.
JC: What about your local breaks we heard Niton and Ventnor have been on fire this winter?
Ross: It has been a pleasure to score those sessions. With the forecasting being so accurate these days it is possible to look on the internet, pick those two or three hours that will be the best, go, have fun and then get back to work knowing you scored it. As usual in the UK, we have had a lot of these low pressures moving over us, so I reckon most of the winter I could get in the water for good surfing and wave sailing at these spots three to four times a week. For sure we had a great run up to Christmas and most of January without it being too cold. I remember having a really fun session at Ventnor while the tide was low and pushing, with the wind being south west, lots of sun. So we knew as the day went on the waves would get bigger and the wind also was due to swing more Westerly, which it did! So towards high tide we drove around to Niton and surfed it at high on the drop, and later when there was less water, we sailed again! It was brilliant, and you could pretty much guarantee that you would be able to do this every time a low pressure would pass over.
JC: Do any sessions stand out in particular?
Ross: You know what, there has been so many that I really can’t pick one out. Maybe it was a sailing and then surfing session at Niton when Jamie Hawkins and Neil Gent were over, I had so many sick waves that day. We even went for a pint in the Buddle Inn up the hill; you know it has been epic when everybody wants to stop for a pint on the way home to relive the best moments of the day!
JC: What about Surfing, we heard you have been building up quite a quiver of surfboards?
Ross: Yes, it is my little collection thing I have going on. I have a rather large section of JS boards that my brother’s shop, ‘Earth, Wind and Water’, has been dangling in front of me like a carrot in front of a donkey. In all honesty I surf all the boards I own; I like some for small front side waves and others for backside or heavier waves. It’s actually helped me understand a lot more about board shapes and rockers, so hopefully I can put some of those feelings across into some new windsurfing shapes for Tabou.
JC: What about the cold water, has this reduced your normal amount
of water time?
Ross: I didn’t think it was really that cold this winter, and if you got the right equipment then you can deal with it. I was staying in the water for up to four hours a session. Essential to me is being warm, so make sure you choose a decent wetsuit. Mystic have totally styled me out and I know I am lucky for that. I am fortunate to have a few winter Mystic Majestic and Legend’s so I try and make sure I put on a dry wettie. A few times I have been caught out by being lazy and not taking them in to dry overnight and then surfed a dawnie and had to suck it up.
JC: Having spent a winter in the UK – what are your tips for maximising winter UK sessions
Ross: I think the most important thing is to be prepared, that means to be really on it with the forecast, the best tides, waves and wind. The conditions can change quickly and you might need to react and change spots. I also always make sure I have at least a couple of dry wetsuits, water and food, so I maximise my sessions. Wind and rain can be off putting if you are cold so being well rested and warm before and during your beach trips can help motivate. I find also that sailing with a bunch of your friends helps you stay motivated and not notice the harsh climate!
JC: You have a pretty trick van, does that make winter sailing more pleasant?
Ross: I have had my van a bit more kitted out for my UK demands, I wanted to be free to travel and make the most of conditions, so I need the van to be liveable in. I have a large storage space separate from the living area, as it’s no good having your wet gear in where you sleep and eat. This space can hold about 8 boards and 15 rolled up sails and masts, kites, surfboards, whatever you need. And then in the front is the living area. The van is insulated and has a sick heater and water tank that is connected to an outside shower, which is also heated . Then I have a sink and some hobs for cooking, lots of cupboard space for clothing and equipment, (cooking and camera.). Then the most important thing, the bed! It is the most comfortable big bed I have ever had with a memory foam mattress. There is also another pull out bed and small table for eating. I only really use these things when I am on the road and off the island. If I am going local, then I think the most useful thing has been the ability to get changed in the warm and not having to suffer the cold, wet, dirty ground outside!
JC: Do you tune your gear any differently for UK conditions ?
Ross: I don’t usually tune my gear differently, I have my style and that’s that. The wind is maybe more dense in the winter time so it can feel harder, so maybe you find yourself using slightly smaller equipment. This winter I found that the wind was actually pretty clean in the UK until the end of January, and then it seemed to become a little gustier and more unpredictable. I like to sail with a fully powered sail so I am always up and planing around.
So for me I look for a good, light feeling, controllable 5 batten sail that’s really comfortable to sail in the upper wind limits. From my experience, a good 5 batten sail is the key to enjoying your sailing in the maximum amount of wind ranges. That’s not to say that the 3 or 4 batten sails are not great sails, just that in the Manic 5 batten sail I feel we have the best of all worlds, it’s super light and soft, which helps let the sail breathe easily and pump to get the low end power, even if you do not feel the sail pulling, it’s discreetly efficient. At the high end, it’s for sure one of the fastest, most stable sails you can hope to use.
“ you know it has been epic when everybody wants to stop for a pint on the way home ! ”
JC: Thruster or quad for UK conditions?
Ross: Again this is quite a personal decision and depends on your board shapes. I use Thrusters, for my style they work the best with the compact ‘pocket’ shaped boards I ride. The Tabou pocket waves are easy planing, stable, flattish rocker and have thin rails that cut into the choppy water. This helps me get away with using lower volume boards. I would say that a lot of normal UK wave sailors would benefit from keeping it simple. Maybe too many of them get pushed too soon into taking multi fin boards, where they would actually make more progress if they kept to single fin boards that get going quickly and are stable.
JC: What are your ambitions for the forthcoming season?
Ross: Top five in slalom would be awesome! I would like our brands to be successful and for everyone who chooses one of our products to be stoked! Oh and maybe some surfing and wave travel trips! They are good for the mind!
JC: What about the future, how do you see your career developing?
Ross: The new role is great, I am very happy to be working within the company. Also the role as international team manager has been fun, I want to be useful and help out the company and the riders as best I can. I know how everything works, I have been with both brands now for fifteen years. We are becoming stronger and stronger each year. Thomas was world champion and Gaastra won the Constructor’s title, so 2014 was a solid year, I hope 2015 will be even better! I want to do what I am doing and keep windsurfing for as long as possible. At some point the international competing will stop, but I hope to continue to work and be of valuable service to the brands for many more years.
JC: Finally, what is your advice for budding young pros.
Ross: Watch the videos online, dream big, practice hard, always make sure you are enjoying your sailing and push your own limits every session!
Congratulations to Ross Williams on his win at the 2015 Tiree Wave Classic. Phil Horrocks was second and Andy Chambers came in third. Check out the day 5 video for what went down…
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!
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..
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.
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.
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.
Those nice guys at 4boards have some great offers running currently.
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www.4boards.co.uk for amazing clearance deals on 2012 & 2014 Gaastra Manics, Pure, IQ, Cosmic, Phantom, Poison, Pilot and Foxx junior sails.
Also offers on the Gaastra Foxx, Junior mast & boom packages. Plus special offers on Tabou; Twister, Manta and Speedster 2014 boards (subject to availability)!
Get an extra 5% discount on all orders over £25 placed before 19th July 2015 using code WSFB and as an extra bonus, free UK mainland delivery on all orders over £150.
GAASTRA CLEARANCE…
RRP SALE SAVING
2012 Manic 3.3 £459 £199 £260
2012 Manic 4.5 £539 £269 £270
2012 Manic 4.7 £555 £279 £276
2012 Manic 5.3 £579 £289 £290
2012 Pure 4.8 £515 £249 £266
2012 Pure 5.4 £529 £259 £270
2012 IQ 4.7 £515 £259 £256
2012 Cosmic 7.0 £520 £280 £240
2012 Cosmic 8.0 £549 £290 £259
2012 Phantom 7.1 £675 £339 £336
2014 Cosmic 7.0 £545 £335 £210
2014 Cosmic 7.5 £559 £345 £214
2014 Cosmic 8.0 £579 £355 £224
2014 Cosmic 8.5 £599 £369 £230
2014 Manic HD 3.7 £499 £299 £200
2014 Matrix 6.0 £469 £299 £170
2014 Phantom 5.7 £609 £369 £240
2014 Poison 4.5 £509 £299 £210
2014 Pilot 5.0 £345 £209 £136
2014 Pure 4.2 £495 £299 £196
2014 Pure 4.4 £499 £299 £200
2014 Pure 4.8 £515 £299 £216
Gaastra Foxx
2.2 rrp £219 sale £169
2.5 rrp £229 sale £169
3.0 rrp £249 sale £169
3.5 rrp £259 sale £169
Complete Rig
– includes 2 part GA Foxx epoxy mast
+ Adj Alu boom + mast base + uphaul
2.2 sale £299 2.5 sale £299
3.0 sale £299 3.5 sale £339
TABOU CLEARANCE…
2014 Manta 48 Speed £899
2014 Manta 54 Speed £899
2014 Twister 80 £699
2014 Speedster 65 CED £749
2014 Speedster 65 Ltd £849
Visit www.4boards.co.uk for more information or call +44 (0) 23 8089 4583
The 2016 Manics are back and better than ever. With an improved profile they deliver more stability; these are the ultimate competition wave sails. With its incredible wind range and newly designed smooth leech twist for increased top end speed. This range of sails delivers an unrivalled level of performance that any rider can enjoy.
For 2016 we have added the new convertible batten system to all the sizes in the range. This system allows the rider more control to customise their sail. Putting the shorter batten in place frees up the feeling in the rig and can be a useful tool to generate drive for light-wind wave riding. A new panel layout with fewer seams makes the sail stronger and lighter. The shorter luff and boxy outline helps give a more compact feeling, great for riding and tightening up your turns.
‘I took the ferry over earlier this week (with my dog, Fergus) to meet Ross Williams at a little spot on the southern tip of the UK right by St. Catherines Point. It was a little bit onshore but still plenty of fun’
When the king of windsurfing, Robby Naish, calls a session his best ever, you know it must be special. When the wind and waves align at Fiji’s famed big wave, Cloudbreak, Robby calls it one of the greatest windsurfing waves in the world. Read on as King Naish recounts a day when the magic happened.
Words Robby Naish // Photos Glen Duffos
(This feature originally appeared in the October 2015 issue of Windsurf Magazine. To read more features like this first, Print and Digital subscriptions are available. Prices include delivery globally for 10 x issues a year!)HISTORY The first time I went to Fiji was almost thirty years ago, when I flew with Pete Cabrinha and the rest of the Gaastra crew to shoot the windsurfing movie “Angle of Attack”. You can find the intro on www.windsurf.co.uk/angle-of-attack …a time warp into the days of windsurfing past with short shorts, bright fluoro colors and a new sport that was taking the world by storm. At that time the “island” of Namotu was just an atoll with a few bushes and one or two coconut trees on it. We stayed on Plantation Island and took a boat out to Namotu each day to sail the barrier reef break now known as Namotu Lefts. The wind is side–shore (though not always strong enough to windsurf), the waves are long and clean, and it is normally warm, sunny and beautiful. I have been there many times over the years since that first trip, for windsurfing competitions, waterman multi sport events, family holidays (even over the millennium in 2000) and photo shoots, kitesurfing and stand up paddling. But this last trip was my all time windsurfing score. I have been working with a Dutch film crew called Eyeforce on a kitesurfing documentary film, and we wanted to include a trip to Fiji and more specifically Cloudbreak into the project. Initially the idea was to shoot with Naish team rider Kevin Langeree along with Pete Cabrinha and Keahi Deaboitz to kind of pair up some first generation kiters with some younger blood. The Cabrinha crew and the filmers would be on a big catamaran for a couple of weeks and Kevin and I would fly in if and when the conditions looked firing. Unfortunately, for the two week window that was planned, the wind and waves never really got sweet enough to justify flying all the way to Fiji. Then the forecast changed. A really solid swell with strong winds appeared just after our holding period. So they extended their trip and I packed up my equipment. This was a kitesurfing trip. But I could not go to Cloudbreak with the forecast that I was looking at and not bring some windsurfing gear! BARE MINIMUM I love windsurfing. But after decades on tour traveling with massive amounts of equipment, I really don’t like traveling with windsurfing gear. So I packed up the bare minimum: an 82 litre wave board, two 5.0’s, one mast, one boom, and one base and stuck it all in a single layer fitted board bag to make it as small and light as possible. It didn’t even look like a windsurfer it was so small. Stoked. Traveling these days is not what it used to be. I checked in with Air Fiji and as the roll of the dice would have it, they decided that for my three bags (one fairly large duffle bag with my kites, fins, harness, clothes etc., one small surfboard bag with two directional kite wave boards and my tiny little windsurf bag) I would have to pay $630.00. Darn it. I hoped the conditions would justify the expense. FIJI AT LAST They did. I arrived in Nadi along with Naish kite team rider Jesse Richmann (Kevin missed the window and had to compete in Tarifa) and his friend Patri McLaughlin from North. We jumped into our little shuttle vans, theirs taking them to Surf Fiji where they were staying on the mainland, and mine driving me to the dock where the Namotu boat would come and pick me up. Namotu and Tavarua are the two most famous surf resorts in Fiji. Tavarua is much bigger, hosting close to a hundred people on the island. About a mile away is Namotu, which at low tide is only about two hundred metres long and a hundred metres wide…and quite a bit smaller at high tide! It sleeps around thirty people if fully booked. Owned by Australian ex professional windsurfer Scotty O’Connor and his wife Mandy, Namotu has slowly evolved, grown, and transformed over the past thirty years from a rough and bare bones surf camp into a high end, comfortable, unique and very exclusive resort. It is a snorkeling, diving, fishing, surfing, kitesurfing and windsurfing paradise. Though the island was full, and because I was only going to be there for three days, and I knew the majority of the guests on the island (mostly kiters) and they had ok’d it, Scotty was able to squeeze me in!
WARM UP SESSION My timing was perfect. Arriving mid morning allowed for an afternoon kite session at Cloudbreak. Fellow pro kiter Ben Wilson was also on the island, so we shared one of the open deck outboard boats and made the two–‐mile upwind trek to Cloudbreak from Namotu. If you think rigging windsurfing equipment on a boat is tough, you should try kiting. You have to lay out your lines on land, pump up your kite, connect your lines, deflate your kite, very very very carefully, wind up your lines onto your control bar, pack up your kite and carefully stick it in the boat. Once at the break, you have to back the boat into the wind, carefully pump up your kite, have someone knowledgeable hold it while you even more carefully jump in the water and swim out your lines…then have them launch your kite – hoping that your lines are not twisted etc. etc.! What could possibly go wrong?! The wind was just strong enough to get around and catch some waves on a kite, and the surf was three to four feet (Hawaiian, which means just over head to double over head on the sets) and it was a solid warm up for what was forecast for the next day. CLOUDBREAK TURNS ON You have all seen the articles from Jason Polakow and his sessions at giant Cloudbreak. Sick. I tried to get him to come along on this trip but his shoulder injury had not quite healed up yet so he had to pass. The wind at Cloudbreak is normally pretty light, and almost always quite offshore, making it pretty sketchy for windsurfing. You can get into the waves once out in the lineup, but getting back out can be difficult, and getting caught inside is a session ending event. The reef is VERY shallow and very sharp…and once you get caught inside you are not getting back out. The second day of my trip, the wind was already cranking at breakfast…quite unusual as it normally builds through the day. It was also more side–‐shore than normal rather than offshore. And the swell was pumping and forecast to pick up all day long. Things looked promising for a windsurf session. We arrived up at Cloudbreak around 9:30 am. In the boat with me were eight pro kiters and photographer Glenn Duffus. Eight kiters is already a crowd in the surf, especially at a point or reef break. Once you get your kite up when boat launching at Cloudy, that’s it. You have one session because landing your kite and getting your lines sorted, put away, and re–set to go again later is near impossible. If the boat is anchored you can leave your kite in the water with your bar attached to the boat…but out here the boat has to stay moving the whole time. The wind was solid and the surf was already mast high. Until the waves get mast high or so, Cloudbreak is too crowded with surfers to kite or windsurf. But once the waves reach a height where paddling in becomes difficult, it becomes one of the best wind and kite waves anywhere. I was going windsurfing! I get seasick on a boat faster than lightning. Even having taken Dramamine, I needed to get off that thing after just a few minutes of putting around watching the conditions. I rigged up as quickly as I could (just thinking of looking down rigging my sail on a boat makes me want to puke) and got out there. I planed right off the boat with a 5.0, which is really unusual wind for Fiji. The summer in Hawaii has not been the best, and I have not flown to Oahu to windsurf Diamond Head even once. So the last time I rode my favored tack was Kona wind Lanes several months ago. I sailed out back and waited for a set. DIALING IN! The outside peak at Cloudbreak is big and fat as it pulls off the deep water, then builds up speed, power, and cleans up as the wave wraps in along the reef. By the time it reaches the inside section it is a roping hollow wave with almost straight offshore winds. From my very first wave I felt at home, surprised that my board, fin setup etc. felt so comfortable after so long standing the other way. It’s like riding a bike. You can take a break, feel a little apprehensive at first, but after a few minutes you are back to riding wheelies. Although I was not smacking the lip or doing aerials, I had a blast. I laid down some bottom turns that felt like they were pulling several G’s. If I got the second or third wave of a set, the wave was so smooth it felt like you could almost ride without fins at all and still be fine…just carving off your rail… no bumps, no chop at all, and a perfectly peeling and predictable wave with no closeouts or sections. It is almost too easy, yet at the same time extremely intimidating because you know that if you do go down or get caught behind the section and have to straighten out… your day is likely done. Most waves were in the five to eight foot range, but a couple of sets looked like small Peahi turned into a left…something I normally only dream about.
DREAM SESSION! I sailed for at least a couple of hours. In fact I sailed longer than I should have. I shared the waves with the kite crew, but was having so much fun that I didn’t want to stop. As with many waves around the world, the tide plays a big part in determining when it is good, bad, or even un-rideable. I windsurfed right through the best period of the day, even though I was there to shoot a kitesurfing film. The photos don’t really do it justice because with one photographer sitting on a boat, you can only capture one part of the wave…from the peak…and everything inside of that can only be shot from the judging tower on the reef. The crew was shooting video from there, but not stills. Eventually I had to call it a session, and headed to the boat, de–rigged, and set up my kite for round two. That afternoon and the two days that followed were kite only…but that couple of hours of windsurfing all alone (except for some good friends on kites) at one of the best waves in the world was one of my best ever windsurfing moments. At 52, and with 41 years of windsurfing under my belt, it’s pretty awesome to be able to say that. Aloha, Robby Naish.
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Many wave hungry sailors have faced those barren stretches of windless forecasts and then spotted a tiny glitch on the weather map hinting at a remote chance of a decent session. The big dilemma is whether to simply let those fifty /fifty gambits fly past or do you take the bull by the horns and go chase it down. Even once you are committed then nothing is guaranteed, this is one of those sketchy ones that might deliver a few cracking waves or you may be sat on the beach cursing your decision to burn a £100 in fuel and waste a day. John Carter talks us through a couple of scenarios earlier this year that may well boost your confidence to keep faith in the weather gurus and roll the dice and go for it!
Words & Photos JOHN CARTER
CORNISH CRACKERS
“Are you guys on drugs?” Was the reaction from Blacky when he heard we were driving down to Cornwall on one of Timo’s hairbrained schemes to cure a dry spell on his normally fully booked windsurfing diary. We were looking at a wisp of North West wind that promised to scratch the very far corner of Cornwall along with a 2.5m long range south swell that could easily be tiny if the forecast was slightly wrong. A couple of times before we had thought about chasing a similar situation and once I had even made the three hour trip to Poole, checked the Bantham web cam and headed straight back home after spending ten minutes on the platform. Today I was equally committed having travelled up to Timo’s the previous night and judging by Blacky’s call we were lining up for another potential catastrophe. With the rest of the country one hundred per cent windless, we were chasing the very edge of a weak pressure system and possibly relying on some local acceleration for our gamble to pay dividends. The one thing the forecast was unanimous about was sunny weather at least; the rest was down to mother nature to cooperate.
“ Our wager was actually paying off, clean waves on a reef, no crowds, the sort of setup you would be happy to travel abroad for but we were scoring on UK shores ! ’’
Timo’s choice spot for the mission was a fickle reef break on the south coast of Cornwall that incidentally had a solid chance of being loaded with surfers at any hint of a south swell. The odds were certainly stacked against us. In order to pull off this crazed plan we left in the dark and were already in Cornwall by 8am staring out at some funky sets at Marazion and barely a breath of wind. We were both speechless, defiant to admit we had possibly blundered. Our first thought was damage limitation, grab a quick surf and then head back home to appease the wives at a reasonable hour. After a bit more driving around and now at Praa Sands, we were still deliberating when Blacky finally answered his phone, most likely just to rub salt in the wounds. But lo and behold, Blacky was slightly positive and reckoned the breeze was filling in down at Lands End and his brother had just checked the surf and some solid south sets were starting to hit the Cornish coast. Another half hour passed, the clock was ticking and we were now gathered on the cliffs looking down at this south coast secret reef break trying to guesstimate the strength of the wind.
“ on this rare occasion it was west/north west , the perfect cross offshore direction at Niton, with head to logo high sets and going off ! ’’
Sure it had picked up and was feathering the tops off the waves but then we spotted a couple of kiters trying to launch their kites but they dropped straight out of the sky and they ditched their plan in exchange for surfboards. Enough was enough for Timo and he ran back to the van to gather his light wind gear determined to give it a shot. After throwing his kit off the rocks and swimming it out to the wind line Timo was up on the board and planing straight off the bat, now it was Blacky’s turn to dash to the van ! Timo’s first wave was a half mast high pit, driving bottom turn and solid round house cutback, it was on ! Our wager was actually paying off, clean waves on a reef, no crowds, the sort of setup you would be happy to travel abroad for but we were scoring on UK shores ! Blacky was well up for a piece of the action and showed all the style on the water he is famous for. I am pretty certain Timo and Blacky were the only two guys wave sailing in the whole of the country on this particular day. So judge for yourself, was it worth it? Timo was pretty stoked to be out on the water catching waves and the alternative would have been zero action back at home, most likely checking the forecast down in Cornwall every half an hour wondering whether we were missing out or not. Plus we had the last laugh on Blacky who had probably missed the best of the conditions procrastinating about the conditions while Timo snagged the biggest waves of the day !
WIGHT WATERS
A couple of weeks later, I was at home in my office working away quite contentedly when my phone started buzzing with Ross Williams trying to contact me. As far as I was concerned today was out of the question for windsurfing, I knew the weather pattern had been calling for dying westerly winds overnight and had not even given the forecast a decent check over. Ross had different ideas and fair play to him, he was on it and reckoned that there was some good ground swell hitting the island and the wind was swinging west to north west through the morning meaning Niton could be classic. I played along with Ross on the phone and told him I would come straight down if the signs looked good when he was almost there.So I carried on behind the computer, not even bothering to pack any camera gear or make any preparations to head out; you could say I was being lazy but I simply was not convinced in my mind that this day was worth bothering with. Ten minutes later a text came through from Ross with a message saying it was looking sick and that he could see swell breaking along the coast. Finally I started to twitch and had a quick look at a few web cameras and channel wave buoys; just maybe, Ross was onto something !. Obviously this was an easy drive for me, half an hour and I would be at Niton, but all the same I did not want to waste my day on a wild goose chase, so without positive Intel I was staying put. But then my phone started buzzing again, it was Ross, now at the top of the track at Niton making one last call before the signal disappeared at the bottom of the cliffs. “JC, I hope you are on your way, please don’t tell me your still at home, Niton is on fire, its bloody epic!”
All of a sudden I had to shift through the gears, chuck all my camera equipment in the back of the car and blast up the road on a mad dash towards the southernmost point of the Island. For sure the forecast was one of those fickle ones but Ross had been hungry enough to believe it was worth a shot and I had been unusually caught totally off guard. By the time I had darted through every short cut known to man, I made it just in time to be at the top of the hill and see Ross launching and heading out to catch his first wave.
“ these sessions go to show, that just when you least expect it, windsurfing can catch you unaware and deliver some surprisingly magical conditions ’’
Normally westerly is a smidgen onshore while North West is a touch too offshore but on this rare occasion it was west/north west , the perfect cross offshore direction at Niton, with head to logo high sets and going off !. In a blind panic I careered down the bumpy track that leads to the car park just in time to watch Ross flying through an aerial on his first wave of the session. Luckily for me the magical window with the perfect wind direction continued for the next bunch of waves before the wind backed to the west and a more regular more cross shore day at Niton. Having being brought up surfing and sailing around this stunning stretch of coastline on the Island, Ross really does know Niton like the back of his hand. He knows every little idiosyncrasy of this spot, where to be, which swells to gybe on and when to charge and smack it hard. Niton may not quite be up there with the best breaks in Cornwall but on its day, it’s a real fun place to sail or surf. I will be the first to admit that my finger was not on the pulse for this particular sojourn. Niton is one of my favourite spots and I am not sure why I was not on the case. Thanks to Ross, at least I made it in time to shoot a few clean waves peeling down the point; if only I had been there an hour earlier; next time there will be no excuses !
Both these sessions go to show, that just when you least expect it, windsurfing can catch you unaware and deliver some surprisingly magical conditions. You just have to keep your goggles peeled to the forecasts and be prepared to keep checking that beach, whether its right on your doorstep or slightly off the beaten track. Next time you are in doubt, don’t miss out. JC
For the first time in seventeen years, Britain’s number one all-rounder, Ross Williams, made the decision to drop his normal winter training regime in reliable conditions abroad in exchange for a winter at home on the Isle of Wight. The plan paid off handsomely after he tapped in to a perfect pattern of low pressures which lit up all of his favourite breaks for windsurfing and surfing around the notorious southern tip and west coast of the island. With his slalom addictions taken care of by various trips to the OTC at Weymouth and one short training trip to visit GA team mate Ben Van Der Steen in Tarifa, Ross is now perfectly
recharged and refuelled for the forthcoming season. So what brought on the decision to exchange warm trade winds, board shorts and T-shirts for 5mm wetsuit’s, frosty mornings and numb fingers? We dispatched the UK’s number one windsurfing investigative journalist, John ‘Snoop’ Carter, to find out.
Photos John Carter
JC: Come on then Ross, spill the beans, what swung you to stay home this winter on the Isle of Wight rather than travel to Cape Town or Maui to train?
Ross: I am the UK agent for Gaastra/Tabou/Vandal with Windsurfing, kitesurfing and SUP. This will be my 3rd year in the role and sales are starting to pick up. We are seeing much more of the brands in the shops and on the water. It has been a lot of work, and I take this role very seriously, I want to be the best in whatever I take on. It took a lot of time to build the relationships up with the shops, finding ways that you can work together for mutual benefit. I am lucky I have such strong brands and I can offer pretty much any type of equipment that a shop would need. I have been very fortunate to have been able to travel and compete all over the world in my career as a pro, and now as I am a little older, it is actually nice to be more settled. I was actually looking forward to spending more time sailing and surfing in the UK over the winter when usually as a pro I go overseas to work and train. I lucked out with some amazing conditions at home on the Isle of Wight this winter so I have been able to spend a lot of time on the water, while constantly working side by side on my UK network. It is also nice to be back with my family, my brothers and their little kids; it’s been great for my soul. So in short, yes it is cold and maybe a little harder to motivate yourself, but if you are strong in your mind you can achieve whatever you want. Family, UK, competing and building a lifestyle that I am happy with, that is all the motivation I need.
JC: Has it been beneficial to you to have a permanent base ?
Ross: It certainly has been a pleasure to be back at home. I still live with my parents as this makes the most financial sense at the moment. My mum has been a rock for me, I think she understands that I basically have very little free time and I am working towards my goals. My dad, my brothers and everyone around me have been amazing and I feel I really missed that aspect in my life for many years while I was selfishly running around the world (laughs)! It has been great connecting with everyone in the UK, both friends and family. I think it is important to be around those people that make you happy. It’s a real help when it comes to understanding yourself and finding your way through life. Sometimes the people or places that you push away from while you are growing up are the things that will be always be there for you and that is what has been great about being home. It is also very refreshing to come back in from the water to a nice warm house, and to be around people that love you and want the best for you. I am still living out of my bags or van as I travel around the UK, but it has still been beneficial for me to be in the UK and build up that thirst again for the competition season when you know you have a few months of travelling around the globe coming up again.
“ yes it is cold and maybe a little harder to motivate yourself, but if you are strong in your mind you can achieve whatever you want ”
JC: Where have you been doing your slalom tuning and training?
Ross: I have actually been doing more slalom sailing this winter then in the last couple of years. I realized I haven’t really been taking care to be prepared in time, unrolling new sails and untested masts and fins at the first events and things like that. I decided it was time to focus a little more on that area. I have been training in Weymouth and helping some of the guys on the UK Gaastra/Tabou team and in turn they have helped me a lot. Kev Greenslade and Simon Petitfer have been awesome and the whole crew down with Tris Best at the OTC. Weymouth is for sure one of the best locations you can be to test and train slalom here in the UK. I have also been working a lot on fins with Steve Cook from F-hot. I think F-hot now have some of the best designs for slalom and is largely due to all the effort Steve has personally put in. I also made a short trip down to Tarifa to see and train with Benny Van Der Steen. He has also been a big help to us at Gaastra and Tabou. I see positive things happening to all our race team this year, we have been able to already make the step forward for 2016 Vapours and Mantas and everyone is getting on nicely in the team which in turn will benefit us all.
JC: What about your local breaks we heard Niton and Ventnor have been on fire this winter?
Ross: It has been a pleasure to score those sessions. With the forecasting being so accurate these days it is possible to look on the internet, pick those two or three hours that will be the best, go, have fun and then get back to work knowing you scored it. As usual in the UK, we have had a lot of these low pressures moving over us, so I reckon most of the winter I could get in the water for good surfing and wave sailing at these spots three to four times a week. For sure we had a great run up to Christmas and most of January without it being too cold. I remember having a really fun session at Ventnor while the tide was low and pushing, with the wind being south west, lots of sun. So we knew as the day went on the waves would get bigger and the wind also was due to swing more Westerly, which it did! So towards high tide we drove around to Niton and surfed it at high on the drop, and later when there was less water, we sailed again! It was brilliant, and you could pretty much guarantee that you would be able to do this every time a low pressure would pass over.
JC: Do any sessions stand out in particular?
Ross: You know what, there has been so many that I really can’t pick one out. Maybe it was a sailing and then surfing session at Niton when Jamie Hawkins and Neil Gent were over, I had so many sick waves that day. We even went for a pint in the Buddle Inn up the hill; you know it has been epic when everybody wants to stop for a pint on the way home to relive the best moments of the day!
JC: What about Surfing, we heard you have been building up quite a quiver of surfboards?
Ross: Yes, it is my little collection thing I have going on. I have a rather large section of JS boards that my brother’s shop, ‘Earth, Wind and Water’, has been dangling in front of me like a carrot in front of a donkey. In all honesty I surf all the boards I own; I like some for small front side waves and others for backside or heavier waves. It’s actually helped me understand a lot more about board shapes and rockers, so hopefully I can put some of those feelings across into some new windsurfing shapes for Tabou.
JC: What about the cold water, has this reduced your normal amount
of water time?
Ross: I didn’t think it was really that cold this winter, and if you got the right equipment then you can deal with it. I was staying in the water for up to four hours a session. Essential to me is being warm, so make sure you choose a decent wetsuit. Mystic have totally styled me out and I know I am lucky for that. I am fortunate to have a few winter Mystic Majestic and Legend’s so I try and make sure I put on a dry wettie. A few times I have been caught out by being lazy and not taking them in to dry overnight and then surfed a dawnie and had to suck it up.
JC: Having spent a winter in the UK – what are your tips for maximising winter UK sessions
Ross: I think the most important thing is to be prepared, that means to be really on it with the forecast, the best tides, waves and wind. The conditions can change quickly and you might need to react and change spots. I also always make sure I have at least a couple of dry wetsuits, water and food, so I maximise my sessions. Wind and rain can be off putting if you are cold so being well rested and warm before and during your beach trips can help motivate. I find also that sailing with a bunch of your friends helps you stay motivated and not notice the harsh climate!
JC: You have a pretty trick van, does that make winter sailing more pleasant?
Ross: I have had my van a bit more kitted out for my UK demands, I wanted to be free to travel and make the most of conditions, so I need the van to be liveable in. I have a large storage space separate from the living area, as it’s no good having your wet gear in where you sleep and eat. This space can hold about 8 boards and 15 rolled up sails and masts, kites, surfboards, whatever you need. And then in the front is the living area. The van is insulated and has a sick heater and water tank that is connected to an outside shower, which is also heated . Then I have a sink and some hobs for cooking, lots of cupboard space for clothing and equipment, (cooking and camera.). Then the most important thing, the bed! It is the most comfortable big bed I have ever had with a memory foam mattress. There is also another pull out bed and small table for eating. I only really use these things when I am on the road and off the island. If I am going local, then I think the most useful thing has been the ability to get changed in the warm and not having to suffer the cold, wet, dirty ground outside!
JC: Do you tune your gear any differently for UK conditions ?
Ross: I don’t usually tune my gear differently, I have my style and that’s that. The wind is maybe more dense in the winter time so it can feel harder, so maybe you find yourself using slightly smaller equipment. This winter I found that the wind was actually pretty clean in the UK until the end of January, and then it seemed to become a little gustier and more unpredictable. I like to sail with a fully powered sail so I am always up and planing around.
So for me I look for a good, light feeling, controllable 5 batten sail that’s really comfortable to sail in the upper wind limits. From my experience, a good 5 batten sail is the key to enjoying your sailing in the maximum amount of wind ranges. That’s not to say that the 3 or 4 batten sails are not great sails, just that in the Manic 5 batten sail I feel we have the best of all worlds, it’s super light and soft, which helps let the sail breathe easily and pump to get the low end power, even if you do not feel the sail pulling, it’s discreetly efficient. At the high end, it’s for sure one of the fastest, most stable sails you can hope to use.
“ you know it has been epic when everybody wants to stop for a pint on the way home ! ”
JC: Thruster or quad for UK conditions?
Ross: Again this is quite a personal decision and depends on your board shapes. I use Thrusters, for my style they work the best with the compact ‘pocket’ shaped boards I ride. The Tabou pocket waves are easy planing, stable, flattish rocker and have thin rails that cut into the choppy water. This helps me get away with using lower volume boards. I would say that a lot of normal UK wave sailors would benefit from keeping it simple. Maybe too many of them get pushed too soon into taking multi fin boards, where they would actually make more progress if they kept to single fin boards that get going quickly and are stable.
JC: What are your ambitions for the forthcoming season?
Ross: Top five in slalom would be awesome! I would like our brands to be successful and for everyone who chooses one of our products to be stoked! Oh and maybe some surfing and wave travel trips! They are good for the mind!
JC: What about the future, how do you see your career developing?
Ross: The new role is great, I am very happy to be working within the company. Also the role as international team manager has been fun, I want to be useful and help out the company and the riders as best I can. I know how everything works, I have been with both brands now for fifteen years. We are becoming stronger and stronger each year. Thomas was world champion and Gaastra won the Constructor’s title, so 2014 was a solid year, I hope 2015 will be even better! I want to do what I am doing and keep windsurfing for as long as possible. At some point the international competing will stop, but I hope to continue to work and be of valuable service to the brands for many more years.
JC: Finally, what is your advice for budding young pros.
Ross: Watch the videos online, dream big, practice hard, always make sure you are enjoying your sailing and push your own limits every session!
