Ross Williams might be a renowned racer, but he is also known for his ability to rip in any conditions. Along with Timo Mullen, he gives us some tips on making the most of typical cross-onshore wave riding conditions in the UK. 

WORDS – ROSS WILLIAMS, TIMO MULLEN  // PHOTOS – JOHN CARTER 

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ROSS WILLIAMS 

The regular conditions for most sailors in the UK are not cross-off down-the line-perfection. We have to make the most of what we have available. Even if it is side-shore, quite often the waves are bending away from you, meaning you have to sail clew first a little bit and feather your rig to keep the power towards the section that is going to break.  

My home spot, Niton on the Isle of Wight, I kind of know like the back of my hand. The wind can be all the way from slightly side-on, through the angles to side-off. The waves come in at all different directions, depending on if it’s ground or wind swell. I know the spot and the wave so well, I feel I can predict where the wave will be throwing and work out my angle of attack appropriately. I keep my sail nice and open and approach the wave clew-first so I can look towards the section that I want to hit. I try to balance and use the power in the sail to pull me towards the wave, so I have as much power as I can when I reach my manoeuvre. 

In slightly cross-onshore, or with a wave bending away from you, there usually tends to be a bit of a wind shadow. There can also be a bit of current on those days. So, to try and keep your speed up you really have to anticipate all your moves in advance and read where the section you are going for is about to break. So, when I am on a wave, I am kind of planning ahead of time where and when I will hit the lip. Before I even drop down into a wave and go into my bottom turn, I am looking down-the-line, sizing up the section. I will start upwind of the A-frame of the section. My plan is usually to hit the first big section if I can and then work down-the-line after my initial move. You need to make sure you have enough space that your turn will not be too tight! Otherwise, you can stall all the speed. By the same token if you are too far away from the wave, you will also lose speed when trying to make the section.  

So, looking ahead before engaging in that first bottom turn and then as you go into the turn, keep your sail as open as possible to the wind. So that aids you and keeps your speed flowing through the turn and pulls you towards the section you are aiming at. While you are looking at the section you are opening your back hand and almost following your leading hand, and will be heading clew first towards the section.  

HANDS 

To get any kind of power from a turn and have maximum stability, opening up your arms with your back hand quite a lot further back enables you to have more play and say of operating where your sail is going to go. With hands further apart you have more options and freedom to throw your body and lean off the sail. Having a wider stance makes you more connected to the sail. If you have a narrower grip on the boom, then the sail is going to feel a bit twitchier, and if you go to really lean in on a turn, the narrow grip just makes the rig a bit unstable. A nice wide arm stance keeps you closer to the sail and more connected.  

BOTTOM TURNS 

The bottom turn is obviously different in side / side onshore. If you are used to sailing perfect waves in cross-offshore winds, obviously the bottom turn is an awesome feeling. But in cross-onshore conditions there is definitely an art to having a nice driving bottom turn and cross-on top turn. You have to anticipate what the wave will throw at you, maybe even more than in cross-offshore down-the-line. You need to read the situation, the waves and the conditions quite a way before the moment when you are going to do your move. Your plan is a lot more thought out.  

PLAN OF ATTACK 

The first thing when I drop in is to get my speed up and make sure that I am able to approach the section round about the right area of the wave. Once I am there, the wave will offer me various options. It might be a critical section that you could either go for a 360 on, because that move will flick you back over, or if you are slightly away from said section, then it might set up better for a power carve in the pocket and send a bit of spray. If you are coming from behind the section then you are going to hit it as it has already broken because you are maybe a fraction late. Then you are going to integrate that into a nice top turn or even a taka. The bottom turn sets you up for all the options. As you are in that bottom turn and heading towards the next part of the wave, then you can gauge if it is a 360 section or a part of the wave you can hit. You will know what move you are going to do before you get there, but you leave the options on the table.  

CLEW FIRST 

The clew first bottom turn leaves you open to how the wave unfolds. What you thought might be a section that was going to throw, may back off to leave an open face. When I go into my bottom turn, as I am powering up, I almost go onto my front foot. I lean in on my front foot and try and keep the pressure on that foot so I keep my weight forward. I might want to extend the bottom turn depending on how the wave is forming. If I am on my back foot, I will be more likely to stall the speed. Once I am on the front foot, I am looking at the section and I can decide my move, for instance a 360 and continue with my front foot pressure all the way round until I am in that motion of the final flick of the board and sail in the 360. If I am going into a top turn, I will switch my weight to my back foot as I am driving into the top turn. Back foot to front foot!  

CROSS-ONSHORE 

I think it feels really awesome when you nail a really nice powerful turn in cross-onshore. It is a very satisfying move and believe me, I have sailed a lot and ridden thousands of waves to be able to do this well. It is a lot harder than in down the line conditions where you are tending to be in a more predictable environment and the wave is doing a lot of the work for you. In onshore, there is a lot more reading of the sections and unpredictable situations. Sometimes you have to extend the bottom turn, stall, or resort to a different move at the last moment. There are a lot more minor adjustments to be made! 

GEAR 

A guy like Brawzinho is super in tune with his wave sailing gear. He almost has a different board for every condition. I am ‘Mr Production’ and go on a standard board usually with standard settings. I might play around with fin position. I only use thrusters and usually, it is the front fins that I move around not the back one. The back fin I have directly under the back footstrap. If I am looking to do a more sliding turn I might move my fins closer together. If I want more grip or more power, then I will spread them out a little bit. On my side fins I prefer to have a cant on them and also toed in. Fin cant is the degree of outward angle a fin has in relation to the bottom of your board. If a fin has zero cant, its position is straight up and down, more cant means the fins are angled outwards towards the rails in the vertical plane Fin toe in refers to the angle the fin points towards the centre of the board, so my fins are ever so slightly facing in as you look down the board. The toed in aspect sharpens my turns up and gives me control and grip. Both cant and toe in together allows me to turn on my side fin as an axis and do tighter turns. When I am turning I get more drive this way. That allows me to have a smaller side fin, but gives the feeling of having a bigger fin with more control and bite. In theory it should keep me turning tightly with more power. Having my fins set up this way means I can use a smaller fin, which also allows me to have a bit more speed.  

MOVES 

Nowadays you can do all the moves in cross-onshore. When I was competing more, it was rare we competed in side-offshore, so knowing how to wave ride well in cross-onshore was essential. It is good to be able to sail in all conditions. Cross-onshore is all about timing, power and keeping your speed. With no speed you are not going to be able to hit the right part of the section, produce spray or do any of the tricks needed to win events. If your timing is off then you are going to be shooting off down past the section and missing the best part of the wave. If you have no power in the sail, then generally you are a bit unstable with your equipment. Even if you do try to do moves and you are in the right place, without power in the sail to help you recover then a lot of the time you will be eaten by the whitewater and fall off.  

TIPS 

For regular sailors I feel like they don’t commit enough to what they are doing and they don’t exaggerate the cross-on style enough. I tell guys to move their hands further apart and open the sail. In their eyes they are feeling like they are doing it, but when you look at them it tends to be only halfway there. It is best to exaggerate the keys things, looking where you are going, your hands further apart and just repeat doing the same thing over again. The amount of repetition that you do just allows you to read the situation better. If you are at your local spot and you sail that most of the time, then you will have a good understanding of how the waves and wind work there. It is just the technique and what you are doing with your equipment that is not allowing you to sail better in cross-onshore conditions. It is all about keeping speed and power. In side-onshore people sometimes take a sail that is a bit small. I like to have power in those wind shadows in front of the wave. It is not so nice for jumping when you are overpowered on the way out, but it all balances out when you are on the wave.  

A bigger board also helps in cross-onshore conditions. Just because it adds a little bit more flotation. So you are less reliant on getting so much power from the sail. The tendency is for sailors to drop to a board with too small volume. I would say go slightly bigger than what you would use in perfect conditions. Give yourself a bit more power and floatation, which will enable you to recover from mistakes. 

I am leading with my back hand and you can see that I am looking directly at the section of the wave I want to hit. I am leaning quite far with my body and hanging off the sail to keep it upright. I need the power in the sail to drive me towards the wave so I can have a powerful hit. The basics are all there though. My arms are locked out, I am looking where I am going and where I am intending to hit the wave.  

This is a bigger wave and I am coming around the section. You can still see the sail is leaned over. I have good speed in this shot so I am able to lean the rig over more. The sail is still open towards the wind. That shot is still cross-onshore. As soon as I come out of that bottom turn, I am going to be hit by that wind. That is a nice looking turn. The board is really engaged and you can see the drive coming off of those rails. The power is coming from the sail, through me and onto the board. It is a really nice driving position. I look like I have quite good control there.  

In this shot you can see I have gone past the breaking wave. If I were going to do a normal turn it would be on a flat section. So it looks like I have weighed up my options to go for a big 360. I am carving up harder and harder and looking at the section that is going to flick me back through the 360. Once you have done enough 360s you can make quite a high percentage of the attempts. I actually find them quite easy at Niton.  

In this shot, I am almost stalling on standby. You see the board is sitting flat. I am trying to lean a bit on my front foot and using the sail, which is nice and upright to balance on. I am waiting to see how the wave is going to set up. Then I have the option to go for a 360 or a turn depending how the wave breaks. 

I think I was getting blown out a bit in this shot, so my timing might have been a bit off. If the wave were a bit steeper it would have been nice to hit it. The sail has too much power in it and sometimes it can get ripped out of your back hand.  

The downside to onshore wave riding is that there is usually a very small critical section of the wave to hit. You can see that I am in the right place on the breaking wave, but even a metre away it is quite flat. It is hard to always nail a really nice turn in cross-onshore, as a lot of the time you are making the best of what is available. Side-offshore keeps the waves open for longer. Cross-onshore waves can crumble and be much more unpredictable. 

This is a nice shot. The sail is loaded up with power and I am hitting the section, even though the wave is quite choppy.  

That is a standard nice vertical top turn. I am happy with that. That shot with the board at that angle almost makes it look like it is cross-offshore. As you hit the lip your hands come together more. You are not going to be able to pull that board back around with your hands wide apart. As you come up to the lip you are feeding your front hand closer to your back hand again. Then you are able to pull in with power. 

TIMO MULLEN

In this shot you can see all my focus is on hitting that lip and all my weight is now transferred to my heel side rail which will help project the board off the lip and back to the shore, my rig is still open and my back arm is beginning to sheet in to help power the board through the lip.  

In this pic you can see my board is at maximum speed, my back hand has moved further down the boom and I am starting to open the sail up to the wind, all my weight is on my inside toe side rail and my eyes are focussed on the wave and the lip.  

Onshore wave sailing is all about visualising the waves throughout, I try to keep my eyes on the prize the whole time from the initial set up, all the way through to the final lip smack.  Speed is an absolute must, and the majority of your speed can be gained from the moment you begin your bottom turn. I try to initiate my bottom turn by waiting until the last moment when the wave is steepest, and drawing my bottom turn out by keeping my rig upright and opening my clew to show the maximum amount of the sail to the wind. The sail is providing the power after the initial drop down the wave, so my focus is on keeping plenty of power in the sail (it also helps to be slightly overpowered), try to not push too hard on your rail as the biggest mistake in onshore sailing is ‘bogging the rail’ by being a little too heavy footed, less is more! As my sail is open at the clew it allows me to utilise the power in the sail to power through the bottom turn and up to the lip, the open clew keeps a clear line of sight on the lip and power in the sail when I hit the lip. If my clew was not open, I would have nothing to power me through the turn and I would lose all power off the lip. As I finally hit the lip, the temptation is to oversheet the sail as I cutback, but my focus is now on carving the board onto the heel side rail and redirecting everything back to the shore, I will only begin to sheet in again once my board is facing back towards the beach, if I sheet in too early before I transfer my weight to the heel side rail I will simply kill all power and fall out the back of the wave or it will pass me by. As I project back down from the lip, I am also trying to keep my body upright as a lot of the time the move can all go wrong by hanging off the rig too much and the rig having not enough power to pull you back up, obviously the windier it is the less likely that is to happen. Now if it has all gone to plan you will come out of the move looking like Phillip Koster and all your mates wondering what hot ripper has bought your kit!  Speaking of kit, try and use slightly bigger gear than normal, be that a slightly bigger sail, bigger board or bigger fins, it all helps! In the shots I am using a Severne Nano 82 litre and a Severne Blade 4.5m sail, had I used my 92 litre Severne Nano this day I would have had a much better time, I really should heed my own advice! 

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GA SAILS COSMIC 8.3 2021 TEST REVIEW

THE VERDICT

The Cosmic has adorned the ‘Freerace’ motif for this season and for good reason. Easy to rig and set, it demands very little rider input, yet provides crisp, exciting performance in return.

OVERVIEW

The Cosmic sits neatly in the GA lineup, between the no-cam freerace Matrix and the three cammed Phantom. This 8.3m is the second largest size in the Cosmic range and has the added versatility of rigging and setting on either a 460 cm or 490 cm mast. Tested on the longer of the two here (a 100 SDM), the two small cams roll easily onto the mast with the pockets open and a small amount of downhaul tension applied. There are no rigging guides or trimming marks offered, so you have to go on feel, yet it wasn’t much of an issue – the set of the Cosmic being clean and attractive; just apply tension until it looks right! The moderate luff curve forces a good amount of shape into the sail’s profile, albeit set back a little further than most in the draft. Meanwhile, GA are keen to point out that they have spent time updating the Cosmic’s leech outline and seam shaping, with the apparent effect of tightening the mid-leech whilst it actively falls away in the upper panels. Available in a straight red colourway or red-blue as tested here, its finish is excellent, with plenty of detailing niceties and material consideration: x-ply use in the luff, foot and clew panels and C-film in the upper panels to ensure visual longevity.

BRAND CLAIM  

“This is the right sail for everybody, who doesn’t want to be overtaken by anybody at their local spot, without having to pass on comfort and ease of use. With the Cosmic’s already impressive low-end power we focused on adding control and performance in the top end.”

PERFORMANCE

We have had several Cosmic sails in the centre over the years and it has always been well received, offering plenty of bottom end grunt and useable torque to make the most of marginal winds. This year however, the feel and manner of the Cosmic has changed somewhat. The bottom end power is still certainly there, but it is more of a performance engine than its predecessors; more V8 than dependable diesel! It does feel its size before getting going, but quickly settles into a comfortable stance and accelerates willingly. The faster it goes, the lighter it becomes in the hands, really inspiring the rider to lock it in and push harder. As a gust hits, the extra energy the sail generates is tangible, pulling precisely in the hands and pushing the extra power efficiently into the board. The centre of effort is a little further back, focused around the rider, the feedback direct and engaging. Up to full speed, it feels more like a 7.5m than an 8.3m, encouraging the rider to enter transitions positively and confidently. And if the speed is maintained through the carve, the Cosmic rotates smoothly, the 220 cm boom length relatively short for this size of sail, whilst the cams click into place between tacks without any persuasion required. As the wind increased, we thought the tight-mid leech would begin to load up and show its displeasure, yet the twist in the upper panels seemed to cope admirably, giving the Cosmic an impressive wind range on one setting. A great twin cam contender, whose ease of use belies its performance potential, the Cosmic is compatible with every board, from the modern wide freeride right through to slalom boards, which in turn blesses it with real appeal through many rider styles and abilities.

www.ga-windsurfing.com

GA SAILS COSMIC 8.3 2021 TEST REVIEW

PRICE: £769.00

SPECS

Size: 8.3m

Luff: 494 cm

Boom: 220 cm

Battens: 7

Cams: 2

Ideal Mast: Gaastra 490 cm / 460 cm SDM

Available Sizes: 6.2, 6.7, 7.2, 7.7, 8.3, 9.0.

THE LINE UP

GOYA MARK 2 PRO 8.5

LOFTSAILS SWITCHBLADE 8.5

NEIL PRYDE V8 8.7

RRD FIRE 9.0

SEVERNE TURBO 8.1

GUNSAILS VECTOR 8.6

BACK TO TEST OVERVIEW

The post GA SAILS COSMIC 8.3 2021 TEST REVIEW appeared first on Windsurf Magazine.

THE AZURE COAST: MARSEILLE

Sandwiched between Spain and Italy, lies the sun-drenched Azure Coast of France, renowned for its relaxed Mediterranean lifestyle, beautiful beaches and a wide variety of windsurfing locations, including the legendary city of Marseille. From our August 2021 edition of Windsurf Magazine, John Carter hears from the GA Tabou team about their lives there and what makes the area so special. 

Photos: John Carter

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CEDRIC BORDES

In the city of Marseille, downtown is a great place to sail as there can be decent waves and strong wind. Parking can be a bit tricky because it is a city. But around Marseille there are plenty of spots and windsurfing here is still an extremely popular sport. Carro works with Mistral and southwest winds which blow from Corsica direction. La Coudoulière is also a popular wave spot and there are a lot of decent sailors that frequent there.

For slalom there are also lots of spots which go right up to Almanarre where Eric Thieme has his centre, as well as the lake where the PWA competed called Le Jaï near Marignane! Le Jaï is a very convenient and secure spot, with exceptional wind statistics, located only 15 minutes away from Marseille-Marignane Airport. The airport offers great connections to all of Europe, at all prices, and accommodation is easy to find in Marignane and surrounding areas.

WINDY

We have wind nearly all year round and only in summer are there days without wind when we have extremely hot weather. In summer we mostly have thermal winds, but one summer out of four we maybe have light winds for one month! Normally though we can sail in the summer three or four days a week. When we have Mistral wind it normally comes in a burst of three or four days. In the winter it is cold in February, but you can still sail no problem. From September until January we have a lot of southwest wind which brings waves from Corsica direction. The Mistral is southeast in direction and can blow anytime and we never know when it is coming. When it hits Carro it can be side-onshore and strong with decent waves up to mast high.

Many of the locals don’t sail in the city because of the parking, but all the spots around the coast are also good for sailing and are a bit less busy with traffic. Marseille area is quite different to Leucate area. Right in the middle is Montpelier where Pierre Mortefon lives and is bang in the middle of the Mistral and Tramontana wind areas. The winds often meet there and can give no wind at all as a result. So the guys there sail up in Gruissan where the Défi wind takes place. Gruissan and Leucate are both genuinely nice spots, but it is normally offshore and dead flat! Here because the coast wraps around we have lots of places for bump and jump, waves and flat water all on the same day. When the wind is west, I can have choppy water or flat water and then with southeast I can go to Carro for waves or if I need to, I can drive to Almanarre for dead flat conditions. It is great for testing.

WORK

I have lived here all my life. My main role for GA and Tabou is testing. The deadline to put boards in production is usually December, so we have to be ready for that, which means working one year in advance. We usually make two or three rounds of prototypes. Fabien needs time to design the boards, then time to send the files to Cobra (the factory in Thailand) and then time for testing here. We then modify the shapes and do it all over again. That is why we need a whole year to complete the process. This is my main target all year long. I also look out for which direction we need to push the range with testing and trends. After that I take care of the French shops, which means I am busy in March when all the deliveries take place. Again, to be ready for this you need to be ready six months in advance so you can present the collection and have all the products ready. So it is hard because I compete on the current boards when I am racing, but in my mind, I am thinking about the shapes we need to produce in the next year. Aside from these roles with GA and Tabou, I obviously train myself and prepare for the PWA race season. This is the part I enjoy the most. It can be frustrating because when I go to Asia at the beginning of the season, I usually know I am not one hundred per cent prepared like the other guys because I have been busy with my other duties. It can be a bit frustrating personally, but it is a choice I made because I want to have a safe future. I dream of the day I only compete for myself, but I don’t know if it will happen! I am in charge of a lot of the boards for Tabou, but obviously we have Thomas Traversa who is also super important with the wave shapes. For the GA sails all the team give feedback, but the main development is done in Marseille with Peter Munzlinger. A lot of our development is aimed at the freeride and freerace market. This is what people buy at the end of the day and I like to think we take special care with those products. We really push to develop our freeride gear!

Windsurfing was my hobby at first, as I was more into football when I was younger. Then I realized that I needed to make a living, so I studied business full power. I found that windsurfing and the business side of the sport fitted for me. It is a much better life than working in a factory! I have a lot of respect for people that do these jobs. As windsurfers we cannot really complain about anything! Windsurfing is still my hobby, but it has also been my work for the last ten years. I try to find the balance between working and still finding that passion because that it what makes you happy in life. I dream of the day that I will do a little bit less work so I can enjoy pure sailing for myself. I probably have five or ten days a year, where I just go out and have fun, but even then, I am usually trying out a board!

HOME

I love to travel, but I cannot live outside Marseille for more than three or four months. Here I have everything. We have the mountains behind us and the sea all around us. Every day is different here. There are plenty of good spots around the world, but often the wind always comes from the same direction, here we have a great variety and that keeps sailing exciting. For the next ten years I hope to still live here.

ANTONY RUENES

I was born close to Marseille, in a town that has the same spirit as the city. This whole area is a really special place. It is a hub, so there are a lot of people coming from different areas. People from this area really have a strong connection to where they live and a different mentality to the rest of France. This is where I started learning freestyle. It is the Mediterranean Sea, so there are not always so many waves. But it is windy here a lot and the weather is nice, so we are always out sailing anyways. You do what you can with what you have, so when freestyle came along it was perfect.

I normally sail in La Coudoulière, it is a spot on the east side of Marseille. It is a fun place for sailing when the Mistral is blowing. If we have east winds, we sail in Carro to the west of Marseille. I am trying to learn more and more wave sailing. It can be great conditions here sometimes. I sail a lot with Thomas so he has inspired me and I have been on a few trips with him. We have a lot of wind here, plus our location is close to Spain and Italy, so it is not too far to go explore. I think I sail around five days a week normally and usually with never bigger than a 4.8m sail!

THOMAS TRAVERSA

I live about half an hour outside Marseille city. There are a lot of people windsurfing here. We don’t have extremely good conditions, but for freeride and slalom it is exceptionally good. It is nearly always warm, even in the winter. If you don’t mind driving in the range of 100 km then you can sail nearly every day. I focus on waves so I don’t sail so often. For freestyle you can still sail many days also. We have thermal winds in the summer and in the winter we have the Mistral and low pressures that bring south wind. I think what is great here is the diversity of conditions you can get. We have strong wind, light wind, waves, wind from the right and wind from the left! The coastline also contours around a lot here so there are beaches facing different angles. We also have different landscapes, with cliffs, bays, and nice beaches. It does not get boring; you just have to drive half an hour and it is like sailing in a completely different place. I like it, Marseille has a bit of everything. It is great our whole team lives here. Plus, Antony, Cedric and Fabien also live here, which is great for the team. We can easily meet up to test equipment or just go sailing together. As a team we can all test in the same conditions so we are sure what is working and what is not working. I don’t feel like an isolated rider on my own! I don’t sail so much with all the guys because I am travelling quite a lot, but it is still nice to all live in the same area. We are all friends. Also, if you think about it, Ross can come here from England relatively easily as well. It does not take long to fly or he can even drive down in his van. It is about a ten-hour drive once he has taken the ferry to France. This place is quite central to Europe, so all countries are within a ten-hour drive or two hours flight.

From September until May it is a lot less crowded with tourists. You can go to any spot and just park in front. You don’t have to pay for parking. On the water it is quite busy with locals, even in winter. In the summer we have three months where it gets hectic with tourists from France, Switzerland, Holland and Germany. A lot of people come here and it is too much for me. Summer is still a windy time, especially with wing and wind foiling there is nearly always enough wind to go on the water. Personally, I don’t like the summer here and due to Covid, last summer was the first time since I was sixteen that I have been at home at this time. I usually skip these few months of craziness as I am usually away in the Canary Islands in summer competing. It is fine though, I can’t complain!

FABIEN VOLLENWEIDER

I grew up in Nice but moved here to Marseille in 1995. I liked the fact that here is a big city that has a wave spot. There are also plenty of other spots around like Carro and la Coudoulière. There is a lot more wind here compared to Nice, so for me it was a good balance of everything. I started Tabou in Nice, but brought my company here as it is a better place for testing and development. Now I have all the team around me which is perfect. We have spots for everything, slalom, freeride and wave. It is a great setup for me to have all the spots and riders close to me. I sail mostly in la Coudoulière, which is a wave spot that soon picks up swell when the wind is blowing. I also sail in Carro, but it is not so reliable for waves. In la Coudoulière, as soon as there is wind, like 30 knots, then we will have waves. It is mostly an onshore location, but in the spring or autumn it can swing almost side-shore, so it is a fun spot for sure. I like Marseille because the balance of people is more middle class. Nice was full of people with big cars, Ferraris, and that sort of thing. It is pretty cool and there are a lot of bars, concerts and events happening, so it is very nice. Marseille people have their own spirit. They are Marseille people before they are French!

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THOMAS TRAVERSA: LA REUNION

Thomas Traversa made a welcome return to Réunion Island for a strike mission last summer, keen to score some waves when travel was permitted. From our September issue of Windsurf Magazine, Thomas reflects on his trip, casting his worldly eye on the changes in travel and watersports on the island since his last visit ten years ago. We have also added his guided tour videos from the same trip!

WORDS – Thomas Traversa  // PHOTOS – Armand Daydé and Charly Bell.

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In 2021, is it possible to write a travel story without mentioning the Covid-19 crisis? I don’t think so. Is it simply possible to go on a trip? More or less, not really, kind of, but certainly not as before.

Let’s take a look at the situation. In July 2020, as a French citizen I regained the right to move freely in my own country, and European countries had just reopened their intra-community borders. Outside of the European Union, traffic remained very complicated, and countries like Australia had even announced that they wanted to keep their borders closed until 2021… one year later we can’t really say that situation has got much better.

If France no longer has the cultural, philosophical, artistic and scientific grandeur that it may have had in the past, it has been able to retain many assets from its former colonial empire: a real expertise in the manufacture and sale of military weapons, a powerful army present in the majority of armed conflicts, a certain political influence in North and West Africa and powerful oil companies. 

France has also retained control of vast maritime areas in various oceans, and still possesses many islands in Polynesia, the Caribbean and the southern seas, not to mention the Indian Ocean.

FRENCH HAWAII. 

This leads us to the island of Réunion, a region of France, not far from Madagascar and very close to Mauritius. Formed by a huge active volcano, the Piton de la Fournaise, and another volcano, the Piton des Neiges, which tops out at more than 3000 metres. Reunion strangely resembles the Hawaiian Islands. A wet, green and relatively wild east coast, a drier, more populated southwest coast, lined with coral reefs. Constant trade winds and powerful southern swells during the southern winter (our summer in Europe) make this island a paradise for surfers and windsurfers, a real French Hawaii.

I had already been to Reunion in 2004, then in 2009 and 2010 for the “Reunion Wave Classic” contest. Given the travel limitations due to Covid-19, it seemed obvious to me that it was the only place where I could score world-class windsurfing conditions in the middle of July. I had always wanted to come back to this island, but never had the time to do so, because of the PWA competitions, my family life ….and the sharks.

LOGISTICS 

Mandatory Covid-19 screening test within 72 hours before takeoff, an almost deserted Marseille airport, a somewhat sinister atmosphere at a barely less deserted Paris CDG airport, face masks, body temperature tests, some people wearing sterile suits, a feeling of general malaise, a half-empty plane, a service on board limited to a minimal crew, suspicious looks at the slightest sneeze and masks again. On arrival an endless queue to leave the lobby, a short individual interview with a doctor for each passenger, then finally the open air, the morning freshness of the southern winter, the smells of tropical plants, the volcano that dominates everything, the ocean, the people, life. The mask can be removed.

SHARKS 

In 2021, is it possible to write something about Réunion Island without mentioning the shark crisis? I don’t think so.  

 Is it simply possible to surf and windsurf? More or less, not really, kind of, but certainly not as before. 

 Over the last ten years, a large number of shark attacks have taken place on the Réunion coast. Attacks on bathers, and on surfers. Serious, often fatal, attacks. The “shark risk” quickly became “shark crisis”, and swimming and surfing were banned. Sharks have been caught, tagged, studied, killed, and culprits identified: bulldog sharks and tiger sharks. We have looked for explanations, causes and solutions. This divided the population – those who wanted to leave the sea to sharks and those who wanted to eliminate them. Between the two a majority of people who simply wanted to be able to enjoy the ocean without being devoured at any time.

A government plan was decided; some beaches have been protected, and elsewhere access to the sea has been prohibited. Windsurfing has never really been banned, but some have stopped, many have reduced their practice, preferring to go to Mauritius or Madagascar to sail a week or two in the year. Most surfers stopped surfing, a few continued despite the risk and prohibitions, adapting: rarely alone, never after 2 p.m., as it is always after 2 p.m. that large sharks equipped with trackers approach beaches and surf spots. Never when the water is blurry, almost always equipped with electric devices as “Shark Shield”, “NoShark” etc … whose effectiveness is not 100% proven. But so far no surfer wearing one of these devices has been attacked…

All this I learned once I was there, because I had not really followed what was happening in detail. I only knew that sharks were attacking, that people died, that the population was afraid and angry, and that surfing was forbidden. I also knew that no windsurfer had been attacked for a very long time, and on my Facebook feed I regularly saw images of my friends on Reunion windsurfing on perfect waves. 

EXCEPTIONAL 

 My trip lasted only 7 days, because the weather forecast was exceptional and I thought that the less time I stayed, the less chance of being attacked by a shark! Welcomed like a king at a friend’s house, I think I can say without exaggeration that this trip offered me the best 7 days in a row of windsurfing in my entire life. On the day I landed I was able to enjoy a dream session at the spot of Saint-Leu, accompanied by 2 local windsurfers and a kitesurfer. During my previous 3 visits I had never had the chance to sail on this wave that made the reputation of the island in the world of surfing, and was zealously protected by local surfers. The following days, I sailed every morning on the incredible wave of Etang-Salé, alone or with a few locals. This spot is just perfect, the wave wraps around a coral reef, and ends up forming a big bowl before dying in deeper waters, a hundred metres from a large black sand beach where the locals like to come picnic, play ball, or just enjoy the seaside. 

PURE PLEASURE 

 At each session, the same feelings of gratitude for these magnificent waves, the same large smiles exchanged on the water, and on the beach. Pure pleasure. In the afternoon, I go back to Saint-Leu or Pointe au Sel, another dream spot: a very fast wave, very hollow, very beautiful … which ends up in a closeout on a gnarly shallow reef. Again, very good times spent on the beach with the locals, delighted to share their spot with me. I am offered tea, and hang out and chat in the parking lot after the session. 

SAINT-LEU 

On the fifth day, I go to Saint-Leu for the afternoon session, the wind is light, but the waves are sublime and there is a windsurfer in the water. I join him, accompanied by Armand who follows me and has been taking pictures of me from the start of my trip: sometimes from land or from his small boat, and also in the water when conditions allow. I asked him if he was afraid to swim 2 hours at the peak with his camera, he tells me that he isn‘t, I trust him. After riding my first wave, I go back out to sea and watch the other windsurfer draw a superb turn in the bowl. Then he comes out of the wave, and I realize that he is missing a forearm and that he also has a prosthetic leg! While I have been living a sort of a dream for a few days, I am suddenly caught up by the reality of the shark risk. Armand tells me that he knows him, his name is Fabien, he is an excellent surfer and windsurfer who lost his two limbs during an attack while he was surfing at this very spot in the early 2010s. I can’t help but admire his attitude, and his level. A surfer joins us at the peak on his longboard; his nickname is “clean head”, another real local of the spot. As I say hello, he tells me that he is very happy to share these superb conditions, and these “good vibes”. The sun begins to drop, meaning it’s time for us to all leave the water, and “clean head” comes to chat with me on the beach… and leaves me to think of the times before the shark crisis, when the locals had the reputation of being aggressive, even violent, with tourists.

RISKY BUSINESS 

The next day, I do a short session in Pointe au Sel in the morning, then I decide to go sailing at Étang-Salé to enjoy the new powerful swell that is arriving. The sky is grey and the wind is very light. Armand films me from the land and for the first time since the beginning of my trip I tell myself that I am taking too many risks… it’s 4 p.m., the wind completely dies, but I manage to catch a last wave. I fall on the last section and my equipment is drifting towards the exit of the small lagoon. While I swim I try to keep my composure, but I keep telling myself that I’m stupid, that maybe I’m going to get bitten because of a failed aerial when I should have gone in as soon as possible. I finally reach my equipment, and spend the next 15 minutes floating as best I can on my board, without any wind. Drifting slowly, doing everything I can to reach the beach, which is only 100 metres away, but seems so far.

WHAT A TRIP
As you read this, you can guess that I made it back safely! On the last day of my trip I scored a truly epic session at Pointe au Sel, with strong winds and some very large sets. We had a goodbye party with the locals, and I flew back home the next morning, thinking I would go back again in 2021. It has not happened yet, and I am not sure it will be possible. But what a trip it was! 

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As the much anticipated PWA event approaches in Cape Verde, Takuma Sugi has just dropped this video of his first sessions since arriving on the island! Check it out!

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ICELAND: ICEBREAKERS

Thomas Traversa ventured to Iceland this autumn and scored big! He recounts the strike mission with his friends – Jules Denel, Sylvain Bourlard and Louis Depoers.

Words – Thomas Traversa // Photos – Thomas Traversa, Jules Denel, Sylvain Bourlard and Louis Depoers.

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RAW BEAUTY

There are places in the world that most people know about, places that are associated with the raw beauty of nature. Iceland is one of them. Saying that name is enough to wake up people’s curiosity, to excite our imagination, evoke images of a fantasy – the fjords, waterfalls, glaciers and volcanoes; the cold and stormy weather also.

The reality of the place is actually pretty close to all of this! But one thing that people tend to forget is that storms usually bring wind and waves, and the Reykjanes Peninsula in the southwest of the island, is just a perfect playground for us windsurfers. Almost like a cold version of Fuerteventura’s north shore, it has a relatively flat relief, allowing the wind to blow cleanly from all directions. Volcanic reef breaks facing east, south, west and even north, offer a possibility to ride nice waves wherever the wind comes from. One advantage over the Canary Islands is that you are almost guaranteed to find empty lineups, that brings a very cool “pioneer” vibe to any session!

POTENTIAL

As a professional windsurfer, I usually travel with a photographer and/or cameraman when I go on a trip, because it is part of my job to come back from a trip with nice images to share with the rest of the world. I first went to Iceland with Jules Denel and my wife Sophia in 2012, Sophia was filming us and shooting pictures. We had an epic trip, exploring the south coast and the centre of the country. In 2017 Jules and I went back, with our friend Sylvain Bourlard, and we focused more on the sailing. To keep things simple and cheap, we decided to bring a camera and shoot each other, taking breaks between sessions. We scored some really good sessions and ‘discovered’ 2 amazing spots: a point break looking a bit like Cabo Verde with wind from the right, and another point break with wind from the left, where unfortunately we did not get the best conditions to really see the full potential of the place. But we had a feeling it could be epic.

MAKING THE CALL

With the Covid pandemic changing a lot the way we can travel nowadays, Iceland was one of the places we kept an eye on, as it’s kind of easy to fly there. In a way, spending more time at home in the last 18 months has been a blessing, it gave us the chance to slow down everything and to live more in the moment. On the other hand, going on windsurfing trips is a huge part of our life and most of us are craving to travel again, so when the forecast started to show big swell and strong winds for Iceland, Jules and I started to get really excited! It looked like the wind and swell direction were going to create 2 days of amazing conditions to ride both spots. Another positive thing were the temperatures, still warm for Iceland, making the call easy – we had to go! It would be myself, Jules, Sylvain  Bourlard – our friend who was with us in 2017, and Louis Depoers, another friend who usually sails with Jules in the north of France and South Africa.

CAMERA DUTY

As it was a last minute call, it became very difficult to find someone to film or shoot pictures, so we decided to bring once again our own photo and video cameras, and thought it would not be too complicated to take turns behind the camera. Reality proved us wrong! When you arrive at a spot and see perfect waves and feel the wind, it is really painful to think one of our group actually has to stay on the beach… and when you are on the water, you know that your turn will come sooner or later to stop the fun session, go back to the beach, get changed and sit behind the camera for an hour.

We had to play rock-paper-scissor to decide who would be first to take pictures, who would be second and so on. To be honest I think all of us felt the frustration at some point, but I think we all tried our best to get decent pictures of each other riding these epic waves.

IMAGE DEPENDENT

Situations like these make us realize that we are really dependent on images. As much as we love travelling, sailing new places and riding big waves, it is very important to have someone there to capture our performances so that we can share it later. Imagine flying all the way to Iceland with a couple of friends, braving the cold, finding amazing waves, spending 2 days riding them and having a beer or two in the evening, a nice dinner and a good rest … and then going back home, happy, full of amazing memories, but having nothing to show for it. That would be pretty amazing in a way, but to be able to do these things for a living you need to document your trips; you need to tell a story. The reward is that it forces you to make the best of every moment, and by reflecting on your experience you kind of continue the journey, be it by writing a story or editing a travel video.

SPOT CHECK

Let’s go back to what went down in Iceland! We were not sure which of the 2 spots was going to work best, and there is almost two hours of driving from one to another… so for the first day we chose the spot we knew best, the right-hander point break. It was close to a harbour, easy to access, easy to shoot, and we knew how good it could be since we already had an amazing session there in the past. When we arrived, it was windy, but the waves didn’t look as good as we expected. Louis is a good windsurfer, but does not have much experience in big waves and rides almost exclusively with wind from the left, so he decided to stay on land with the camera.

We had a fun session for about an hour and a half and the waves were getting better and better, but then the wind direction changed and it became harder to get good rides. We were also feeling cold, coming from the end of the French summer and jumping straight away into winter conditions. Happy with the session, but not satisfied, we decided to try the other place, on the other side of the peninsula.

SECOND CHANCE

We found that second spot by chance in 2017, driving back after windsurfing at a nearby beach break. From the road we could see the swell bending and breaking into a nice long wave, but the wind was totally offshore. The wind forecast for the next day looked like it could work, so we gave it a try. Unfortunately the waves were a bit too small, the tide a bit too high and the wind did not last long before massive rain showers had us giving up. But we knew we had found something special, and we kept dreaming of scoring a big day there. One of the particularities of this place is that there is no proper road access, you must park on the main road and from there the wave is far, very far, 2 km according to Google Earth!

PERFECT POINT

This time the wind was strong and the swell looked big enough to allow the wave to break consistently all the way to the inside section. From up on the road we could not tell how big it was, and it was difficult to know exactly what sail size we should use, so we made a plan to prepare one board bag each, with 1 board, 2 wetsuits, 2 sails, 2 masts and one boom… and start the very long walk to the spot! One guy in the front, one in the back and one board bag on each hand, 2 groups of 2. But the kit was still too heavy and too long to walk all the way like this. We set up a “first camp” halfway, and walked the rest carrying only what we were going to use on this first day. I was feeling tired from the morning session so I chose to be on camera duty to start the session, and as soon as Jules, Louis and Sylvain got close to the waves, I realized it was big and perfect – 4 to 5 metre waves peeling forever, 30 knots cross-off wind and some blue sky. For one hour I ran around the point trying to find the best angles, filming some waves with one camera, then shooting pictures with the other camera. I was actually enjoying the show, but a part of me could not wait to jump in the water and join the party!

SPECIAL DAY

It was one of those very special days – we shared amazing waves, all to ourselves in the middle of nowhere. We just could not believe how good it was and stayed in the water until the sun came down. We left our equipment rigged up on the beach and walked our way back to the car through the dusk, completely stoked and exhausted. That session completely surpassed our expectations and we just wanted to get more the next day! The forecast was looking even better, but when we got there in the morning the spot did not look so good anymore. The waves were still over mast high, but it was a bit more messy, maybe because of the different tide, maybe because the wind was side-shore, so we waited. A few hours later the conditions became better, and we played another round of rock-paper-scissors. Louis and Sylvain went to the water first, I took pictures and Jules was filming. It looked harder to ride, but the waves were still solid, and once it was our turn to hit the water we had some really good waves. Both “groups” had 2 sessions that day, and we were totally done after packing all the board bags, walking the whole way back to the car with the rest of our food, wet wetsuits, photo and video cameras, but our mission was accomplished!

ERUPTION

During our stay in Iceland, every person we met asked us if we had gone to see the volcano which was in eruption, close to Reykjavik. In the evening we could see the red light from afar, but we were too focused on windsurfing to actually go. On the last day we could finally witness the lava erupting and flowing into a giant black smoking field, and it felt as special and rare as riding these dream waves … it was just a little bit more crowded!

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A PERFECT STORM: ROSS WILLIAMS

John Carter and Ross Williams tell the spooky tale of a freak Halloween storm that transformed the normally sleepy waters of Shanklin Beach into mast-high monsters.

Words and photos: John Carter

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INTRODUCTION

John Carter – “If you came to Shanklin Beach on the Isle of Wight in the summer, it would most likely be to bring the kids down to play with their buckets and spades. Situated on the eastern side of the island, at the far end of the picturesque Sandown Bay, it is a classic British flat water sandy beach with huts, cafés, amusement arcades and even a dinosaur crazy golf course thrown in for good measure. The possibility of wave sailing here, even in winter, is rare since it is so shielded from the elements and actually faces back towards the mainland of England. Many factors must fall into place to score wave sailing here, including tides, a complex mixture of winds to create swell, and of course the right wind direction. But, as many of us who live in sheltered spots know, every location can have its day and those abnormal days can happen when an unusual storm provides the rare combination of conditions that means your local comes to life, while many other spots are out of control.

That said, I don’t think I have ever seen any decent wave sailing conditions at Shanklin, except for the odd dreary southerly gale when the wind is cross-on with driving rain in the midst of winter. And I have certainly never taken any wave sailing shots there. So come the end of October, as we approached Halloween, it was the last place I was expecting to fire up. During the autumn and winter, Sandown Bay does score the occasional day where the wind blows southerly and then swings westerly as the storm blows through, which gives surprisingly good surfing as the wind swings from onshore to side offshore. Weirdly, as Halloween approached, we had the same identical forecast predicted for three consecutive days, which in my experience is almost unheard of. Friday through to Sunday the 31^st of October, the predictions were for overnight southerly gales, then swinging westerly in the day, with high tides slowly dropping during the morning. Yep, we were in for a rare treat of firing surf at home!

GALES GALORE

On Friday morning we were enduring a gnarly southerly gale as predicted, with howling winds and driving rain. My trick when we have this weather is to wait at home until I see blue sky looming and then go check the beach. When the rain eventually subsided, I drove up to the cliff top where you have a panorama of the bay for a quick surf check. Instead of dropping right off like normal, the wind had literally just switched and was now howling side-offshore. It was way too windy for any decent surfing, but for wave sailing it looked epic. I was straight on the phone to Ross who was down at his café, “Tradewinds”, midway along the bay and he was already rigging, hoping to catch this rare session while it was firing. By the time I made it down with my camera gear I managed to shoot two or three waves before the wind fizzled and it was back to business as usual with the expected good surfing conditions. On Saturday, the forecast was almost a carbon copy of Friday, but typically the predicted gales never really transpired and there was barely any wind or waves.

HALLOWEEN

Come Halloween on the 31^st of October, stronger winds were predicted overnight, but I wasn’t banking on any anything apart from some decent surfing conditions. The strongest winds must have come through about 8 a.m. from the south, with Portland Bill reporting 80 mph gusts and the wind seemed to be backing to the southeast. I was thinking about heading over to the mainland to shoot at Avon or Branksome, but Timo Mullen rang to tell me two trees had blown down in his garden and a rogue flying trampoline had just missed his house. With the weather that wild, I thought the ferries were all going to get cancelled, so I decided to pack all my camera gear and go get an eyeball on my local bay to check out the conditions. Looking down from my spot at the top of the cliffs, the sea was just a cauldron of whitewater with the storm force onshore southerly waves battering the local pier. I have lived close to this bay for over fifty years and aside from the 1987 hurricane, these were some of the biggest seas I have witnessed at Shanklin. Over to the west I could already see a line of blue sky which no doubt would mark the switch in the wind, maybe we might get lucky for Halloween and score a freakish windsurf session.

PUMPING

This time round I was on the case and called Ross to see if he was up for another session. Of course, he was already getting psyched up for windsurfing, but weirdly he had been cursed by the fact the starter motor had just gone in his van, so he was waiting for a tow to get it bump started. Eventually the wind switched to the west and the sun came out, but it was extremely light. The waves were easy logo to mast high and wind side-offshore – it was absolutely pumping!

I headed down to Ross’s café to try to help start his van and eventually it spluttered into life. In order to take time off work Ross then needed to go pick up his chef (who doesn’t drive) and sort out provisions for the café so another frustrating hour went by before he was back and finally ready to hit the water. It felt like we had a spell of bad luck preventing us from hitting the water, I normally call this the black cat at photoshoots! By the time Ross was ready it seemed like the wind was starting to fill in, although it was still extremely offshore. We decided to drive along the revetment wall to check out the conditions at Shanklin where the coastline slightly juts out and where we could just catch the wind lin

SKETCHY

Up at the launch spot the wind was almost next to nothing on the inside, but out where the surf was firing there seemed like enough breeze on the water for float and ride. We were not sure if it was sailable, or even if Ross could make it out, but he was determined to give it a try. Were these conditions a trick or a treat? We were about to find out! It took about twenty minutes of challenging work for Ross to swim and then drift out to the wind line, but once he was out the back it looked like he had enough power to catch the sets. Straight away he tacked onto a bomb, shuffled into the straps, and charged down the line where a juicy bowling section was begging to be hit. Ross hit the section with perfect timing and flew into a huge aerial. With that amazing first wave under his belt, Ross was headed straight back out for more. The tide was already on the retreat and from my experience, the next hour or so would be the best of the waves before it would be game over. Ross knew the clock was ticking too and was on the case, navigating the tricky conditions like the pro he is and picked off some beautiful glassy waves. After a busy summer working in his café, I am sure a session like this was just what the doctor ordered!

Bearing in mind I have been shooting windsurfing for over thirty years and living in this bay for even longer, it was incredible that this was the first time I have ever seen conditions firing like this. I guess you could say this was our spooky, once in a lifetime storm and Ross even had a bright orange sail to go with the traditional Halloween colours.”

ROSS WILLIAMS

“I don’t think I have ever tried to sail at Shanklin in those kind of offshore conditions before, but the waves were looking so sick it seemed a waste to drive away and not give it a try. It looked epic cross-off down-the-line, but we were just not sure if there was enough wind. I am glad we did not drive away that is for sure! It just made sense to give it a stab. The wind overnight had even backed southeast, which was perfect to build up the wind swell. Then it veered around as it can do when low pressures pass over us in the UK. But for Shanklin, I don’t ever remember seeing it anything close to as good as that before. This was the perfect storm. It does happen, but not as big as that. It was legitimately as good as wave sailing gets!

I didn’t want to take kit that was too big, as it can be hard work when you do hit the wind line. I took my 88-litre board, which I know I can float and ride in anything. As for the sail, I took a 4.8m IQ, which covered me for a wide wind range. Most of the best waves came with the right amount of wind for that setup. Sometimes there was zero wind, but out the back it was windy. If there had been a full PWA crew there I think we would have seen some serious shredding going down. I am a bit out of practice, but I really enjoyed it. It was rare conditions, but it was epic.

The fact my starter motor went was typical luck for me at the moment as I have been so busy this year running the café. I was all prepared for the day, but that starter motor issue nearly scuppered all my plans. It was like the black cat throwing in one final curveball to keep me off the water; thankfully in the end, we were treated to an amazing session. For the south coast of the UK, it was epic. It was just like sailing a proper down-the-line spot. Getting out was tricky and I took a few in the face, but it was worth it when I was out. In the end Shanklin delivered like I have never seen it before!”

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THOMAS TRAVERSA: SCORING BIG

Thomas Traversa takes us on a wild ride through East Galicia and the west coast of Portugal as he recounts his latest big wave sessions. 

WORDS – THOMAS TRAVERSA // PHOTOS – Pierre Bouras, Mathieu Pelikan for France TV 

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Because of the Covid travel restrictions that we all had to deal with, I have spent more time than ever in Portugal and Galicia over the last two years. They were the only two places I could travel to and regularly score epic conditions in the winter, and fun conditions in the summer. And with the PWA tour having been paused these last 2 years, I had the opportunity to score every single swell I wanted there too. 

ADDICTED 

One could think I would get bored of sailing the same spots over and over again; at least this is what I used to think. The reality is that I became addicted to sailing these coasts. On each session I learned more about optimal tides, swell directions and what wind forecast I needed for each spot. Less is more, as they say, and the consequence of focusing on only 3 or 4 spots gave me some of my most exciting and scary, as well as fun sessions in a while. 

EAST GALICIA 

Let’s start with East Galicia. I only discovered the potential of that area 2 or 3 years ago, and it has everything that I love: relatively good weather, friendly locals, beautiful landscapes, consistent winds, and 2 heavy perfect waves that no one else is riding! It’s pretty insane to think that places like this even exist. I already had a big session earlier this year with Leon Jamaer at Illa Pancha, the big wave spot, so I wasn’t sure I would come back this winter. That was until I got contacted by an English production company that wanted to film a short movie with me. 

SURREAL 

It all sounds a bit surreal, but they had come across videos that we filmed with Jamie Hancock and other people in Galicia, and they wanted to film there. Usually I go there when the forecast looks epic, but this time we had a short window to shoot, so we decided to go there with a more normal swell: only 3 to 4 metres, nothing gigantic, but they wanted specific images, so we did not need to have the biggest waves ever. When I met Pierre Bouras, Jamie Hancock, Luke and the movie director Jack on the first day of shooting, I wasn’t expecting anything special. It turned out that we scored 3 amazing days of waves. It was light and tricky winds, but picture perfect waves and beautiful skies.  

RINLO 

The third day wasn’t even supposed to be good, but the forecast improved as we were there, and I had my best session at Rinlo. After getting dramatically dragged on to the rocks as I attempted to jump in the water, I escaped miraculously without any damage and already felt like the luckiest man on earth. The wind was extremely light and gusty, but I managed to catch a couple of waves that I will never forget. Pierre Bouras was doing the safety for me and the video crew with his jet ski. Luke Raistrick was filming from the water; Jamie Hancock was on land operating the drone with Jack, the director, looking over his shoulder. There was solid mast high waves barrelling, all for me to share with my friends watching and filming. After 2/3 good ones, I dropped into a bomb, drew a long bottom turn and sneaked under the lip of a perfect barrelling wall of water. After that ride I realized we had just scored the shot we wanted, I’d had an amazing wave ride and we were all stoked! I sat on my board and raised my arms in the air as I watched another set roll in, offering us the most beautiful view we could imagine. Then 3 dolphins cruised by, making the moment even more perfect than it already was. Sometimes I feel like I am breaking too much equipment, devoting large amounts of time looking at forecasts, and driving too much, for only a few waves. As well as spending lots of time, money and energy trying to bring people along to get pictures and videos … it can almost feel like it’s all too much, almost pointless… and then this happens. Nature offering us a perfect moment, seizing it, and all feeling genuinely blessed and happy at simply being at the right place at the right time, doing the right thing. 

SECOND MISSION 

Only 2 days later, I am back in Portugal welcoming a TV crew from France. They want to film me riding big waves, and the conditions are looking good for Peniche and Nazaré. I know they want me to go to Nazaré, but I want to take it easy and hope to go to Peniche. I had enough emotions in Galicia, and Nazaré is always very scary, scarier than anywhere else. On the morning of the first day the sky is filled with sand from the Sahara, it looks very weird… the swell is solid but the wind was not blowing as it should, probably because of the sand in the air. We spend the day at Peniche, but the TV crew convinces me to go spend the night at Nazaré, “in case it would be good there” the next day. The swell is supposed to get bigger then and the wind is forecasted to reach 35 knots. A part of me hopes it will be too windy and messy, so that I don’t have to sail there again! And a part of me hopes to score it… I was there earlier this winter and had big expectations, but the conditions were not worth trying on that day. I park my campervan in front of the spot and go to bed. 

IT’S ON 

 In the morning the wind is quite strong, but the sea is stormy and the swell is not really there; I feel relieved in a way. We shoot some interviews, meet my friend Mat Pelikan who came from Lisbon to film with his drone, and we all go and have a coffee in town. Time is passing and I am already anticipating the session in Peniche in the afternoon. As the TV crew goes to their hotel to get ready for the drive, I decide to walk back to my campervan on my own, and pass by the lighthouse to look at the ocean. In the last hour the swell has become much bigger and cleaner, the wind is solid, 25 knots side to side-off, and the biggest waves are breaking in the best spot I could imagine. Close enough to the lighthouse to form the famous ‘teepees’, but far enough from the cliff to leave kind of a clear channel to ‘escape’ from at the end of the ride. Not really a channel, but by Nazaré standards it looks kind of safe. From the beach at least! My friend Lourenco who usually does the safety for me is in Morocco, so we have to find another jet ski driver at last minute. Mat Pelikan has good connections with the local tow surfers and in no time he has arranged a good driver for me, who can be ready to go 30 minutes later. 

PREPARATION 

 I do put in a lot of time, focus and preparation to windsurf Nazaré, but this time I did not want to organize too much, because I did not feel like having that extra pressure. Looking at these waves and trying to visualize myself riding them is already something that I find uncomfortable, and having different people on hold and waiting for my decision just makes everything even heavier. But once I made the decision to go, it all goes very quickly. I drive straight to the harbour, get my equipment ready and put my wetsuit on while the TV crew is filming everything they can. I don’t want to have to think about them, I just want to go as fast as I can, before I start to think too much and change my mind.  

THE LINEUP 

I meet To (short for Antonio) Cardoso, the jet ski driver, as I jump on his ski, and explain to him quickly what I have in mind and how he can support me on the water. Basically his job will be to pick me up if I crash or get caught inside and bring me to the beach; he should not worry about my gear too much. The other part of his task is to stay at the peak, and help me choose the waves, or at least help me not to choose a small wave if there is a bigger set right behind.He brings me out of the harbour, and after a couple hundred of metres, we reach the wind line. I start to rig in the water, and once I am done, I slowly sail upwind for about 15 minutes. It is always a special moment… windsurfing in what feels like open ocean, getting closer and closer to these huge waves, passing in front of the iconic lighthouse, watching the sets breaking from outside, and trying to figure out where I should position myself. I always spend some time on land, looking closely at the lineup, so I don’t feel completely lost once I am on the water. Like always, what looked organized and clean from the cliff, looks like the last place you want to be riding from here – in the middle of brown swell lines, broken by a choppy wind swell. 

DANGER ZONE 

The hardest wave to catch is always the first one, because you don’t know what it’s going to be like until you really drop in and put yourself in the danger zone, where pretty much anything could happen. It turns out that my first wave is not too bad; I get a decent bottom turn and safely reach the shoulder… the tension starts to go down, replaced by adrenaline. My jet ski driver, To, is helping me so much, and every wave I commit to ride he tells me “no”, waving his arm if it is a bad one, and screams “GO!” and puts his thumb up when I am on a good one. After 3 or 4 nice rides, I already feel satisfied and I start to think of going back to the harbour, but To is pushing me! “Man, you are in control, keep going and catch a big one!” he tells me. I have to crack a smile and decide to refocus on the moment, forget about the harbour, my camper, and a nice cup of coffee… just focus on the water, the waves, and the cliff!  

THE BIG ONE! 

The cliff… I am getting closer and closer to it, where the waves are the biggest and the most unpredictable. A big set comes in and starts to form one of Nazaré’s famous huge ‘teepees’. I go for it and I am in the perfect spot. It is not 25 meters high, maybe 8 or 10 “only”, but the wave sucks perfectly, the water gets glassy and I drop all the way down to the flats and lay a big bottom turn… the lip looks so heavy! The wave starts to run down the line so I have to cut my turn short, but I feel like this was the ride I was hoping for, smooth and powerful, big and fast. After that one I definitely want to end my session, but To convinces me to go for more. I catch a wave on the next set, but I already know that I had my moment, and ride it safely. I sail back to the outside and sail downwind to the harbour, extremely happy and grateful for To and his positive energy and support. I’m so glad I made the decision to go, and am sure I will come back and try to get an even bigger one, one day. 

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GA SAILS WINDSURF HYBRID ALU FOIL SET 90 + HP1150 2022 TEST REVIEW

THEY SAY

“The Hybrid Foil offers all-round performance and the freedom to customize the foil to your individual requirements.”

WE SAY

In this rapidly changing landscape, GA have revised their foil range extensively for 2022 to make things straightforward and to meet market demand. Firstly, there’s the choice to opt for either a 90 cm carbon mast (Mach-1), or an 85 cm aluminium mast (Hybrid). The second choice is whether you’d like a plate or Deep Tuttle head, both of which are available in the Mach-1 or Hybrid setup, (the latter having the additional bonus of interchangeable adaptor heads (sold separately), so that you can switch between plate, Power box or Deep Tuttle). The ‘base sets’ of the foil kits include the mast, fuselage (the length of the fuse referenced in the base-set’s name), tail wing, bolt set and torx tool, all supplied in a well-presented compartmentalised bag. It’s then just a case of adding the desired front wing to the set … and GA have plenty to choose from. There is the original lower aspect Freeride front wing range, stemming from 900 cm² to 2500 cm² or the brand’s new High Performance (HP) series of four wings, which range from 1050 cm² to 1750 cm² (each with an aspect ratio of 5.6). There are a total of nine front wings across the two ranges and they’re all compatible with both platforms. To add a final dimension, GA also have a third platform, called Phantom – a wind foil specific option, with a 90 cm Deep Tuttle carbon mast and a 110 cm aluminium fuse. But most interestingly, the two SL front wing options for the Phantom are also compatible with Hybrid and Mach-1, making all the wings of the GA foiling programme fully modular.

Last season we tested the GA Hybrid foil set, which came complete with the Free 1200 front as standard, so this year we’ve opted to maintain focus on the popular Hybrid platform, but to swap in the HP1150 – a front wing highly recommended by the brand for expert riders of all weights. Assembly is straightforward; the printed guide supplied providing clear information. The aluminium Deep Tuttle box slots effortlessly into boards, with plenty of angle adjustment through the head to locate and connect the bolts and barrel nuts easily. Launching the Hybrid on the water, it wasn’t long before it reminded us why it’s been a popular foil with our team over the years. The move to a longer fuse and from an 80 cm to an 85 cm mast last season was a positive development, giving that extra little margin for error as you push the foil to explore its straight-line potential. The Hybrid structure is stable and dependable, the ride balanced between both feet and bestowing the confidence to experiment with new manoeuvres, different conditions, or new wing setups. The HP1150 on test here is certainly a step up from the 1200. It needs a little more rider intervention to full appreciate its early lift, but once released, it accelerates with interest and covers ground effortlessly. Last year, we noted the 1200 had freerace-like tendencies and was capable of entering amateur races without embarrassment. Well, this HP wing builds upon that notion and has the speed to make the most of the Hybrid’s stable platform. In the gybe the HP wing didn’t feel nervous or unpredictable as some high aspect wings may feel, but thrived on a more committed riding style – keep the speed and focus through the turn to ensure a full flight exit. GA were late to the foiling party initially, but have developed their Hybrid platform into a very user-friendly and practical option for both wind foiling and wing surfing. It offers a one-stop solution, and excellent adaptable performance at a very affordable price point.

GA SAILS WINDSURF HYBRID ALU FOIL SET 90 + HP1150 2022 TEST REVIEW

WEBSITE www.ga-windsurfing.com

VITAL STATS

PRICE: £989.00

FOIL

Head: Deep Tuttle

Mast Length: 85 cm

Mast Material: Aluminium

Fuselage Length: 90 cm

Fuselage Material: Aluminium

Front Wing Span: 82.4 cm

Front Wing Chord: 17.5 cm

Front Wing Area (Quoted): 1150 cm²

Tail Wing Span: 44.2 cm

Tail Wing Area (Quoted): 303 cm²

Wing Material: Carbon

Weight: 5.03 kg

OTHER FOILS IN THIS TEST

AFS WINDFOIL RANGE 

NP FLIGHT FR 

STARBOARD SUPER FLYER 

BACK TO FOIL TEST OVERVIEW

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GA POISON 5.2 2022 TEST REVIEW

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THE VERDICT

This Mk 3 Poison represents an impressive step forward for the new season, putting GA right into the performance mix with the best. Super lightweight and neutral when parked, it combines bottom end punch and connection, with top end stability and control.

THEY SAY

“With an updated profile, reworked skin tension and a Kevlar line in the trailing edge the Poison provides incredible dimension stability, speed and controllability in a huge wind range.”

WE SAY

In 2022, the Poison enters its third season of production, sitting alongside the all-round (and windowed) Cross wing as GA’s “feather-light performance” wing. A lot of work and development is said to have gone into its design, with a new outline, shaping and construction, targeted towards those that demand acceleration and upwind performance in instances such as catching waves. Inflation to the recommended 7-8 PSI is quick and simple, with a single bayonet inflation valve on the main strut, feeding the central strut via an adjoining tube. And a neat addition for this year: on the other side of the central strut, there’s now a dump valve for quick deflation, the simple shoulder bag supplied providing plenty of room to house the wing, however hurried your pack-down is. The handles have been reworked for the new season too, with a much firmer form and a carefully repositioned neutral handle on the LE strut. There is then a single front hand handle for simplicity, complimented by three for the back hand to determine the power delivery required. The leash supplied is made from elasticated Dyneema and was the right length for most, albeit a common comment was the desire for a buckle incorporated at the wrist cuff, for easy single hand fixing.

Once inflated and flying, the first impression of the Poison is that it’s incredibly light and balanced – a fact confirmed as it tips the scales at just 2.22 kg, making it the lightest on test here. It’s impressive as the construction of the Poison hasn’t been compromised, with all the reinforcement and Kevlar abrasion patches you’d expect. Instead, GA has attributed the weight reduction to the adoption of a new Dacron material from Dimension Polyant.

Powering easily, it is a very different prospect to its predecessor, its relatively low aspect and medium-tight canopy powering well to provide good bottom end power, the handles offering plenty of connection and feedback. It also has much more capacity for pumping, the medium dihedral shaping and prolife in the canopy’s leading edge helping to provide the punch and response to encourage an active riding style. Accelerating positively in the hands, there is plenty of stability to the Poison’s flight, its structure assured by inflating to the upper limit of its recommended PSI. Pointing upwind efficiently, it is also fast on all points of sail, the wing easy to depower in an instant, thanks to the multiple back handle options. The handles themselves are in exactly the right place and are comfortable during long periods of use, striking the right balance between tempered softness and direct control. This quality is all the more apparent when parking the Poison during transition, a downwind pump, glide or wave ride. It just sits so beautifully, the neutral handle in just the right place so that the GA floats perfectly behind you. With improved structural stability and straightforward handle positions, the Poison’s wind range is impressive, giving it plenty of appeal, from the novice to the advanced rider.

ga-foils.com

SPECS

Price: £779.00

Size: 5.2m

Weight: 2.22 kg

Recommended PSI: 7-8

Centre Strut Inflation: Single tube

Handles: 4

Supplied with: Bag, leash.

Available Sizes: 2.8, 3.5, 4.2, 5.2, 6.2, 7.2.

OTHER BOARDS IN TEST

GA POISON 5.2 2022 TEST REVIEW

AFS WILF 5.0

AZTRON WING 5.0

CABRINHA MANTIS V2 5.0

DAKINE CYCLONE 5.0

DUOTONE UNIT 5.0

ENSIS SCORE 5.2

FREEWING AIR V2 5.0

GUNSAILS HY-WING V2 5.0

KT WING AIR 5.0

NAISH WING-SURFER MK4 5.0

NORTH NOVA 5.0

RRD WIND WING Y27 5.0

SLINGSHOT SLINGWING V3 5.0

UNIFIBER AVIATOR 5.3

VAYU AURA 5.0

BACK TO TEST OVERVIEW

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THE STORM CHASER: THOMAS TRAVERSA

The Storm Chaser is an awesome new film from writer/director Jack Pirie. Storm-chasing legend Thomas Traversa embarks on a perilous journey in search of a mythical storm, the likes of which the world has never witnessed. 

The post THE STORM CHASER: THOMAS TRAVERSA appeared first on Windsurf Magazine.

COMPTON: WEST SIDE STORY

Ross Williams reaps the rewards of being in the right place at the right time as he scores Compton on the west side of his native Isle of Wight. He tells us more about the session.

WORDS – ROSS WILLIAMS // PHOTOS – JOHN CARTER

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PRELUDE

I knew there was a big swell coming at the weekend and I am always on the lookout to sail different spots when there is unusual conditions. In the winter I am normally ready to go if the opportunity arises.

The wind was forecast southeast which meant that Compton was most likely the best place for epic conditions. So with that in mind I was trying to get my family stuff done in the morning. We had an open day at my daughter Sienna’s nursery to go to. I was trying to play it cool with my wife and enjoy that before hopefully heading to the west side of the island later. I had one eye on the surfing chat on my phone and the boys were saying that the surf was pumping. It was sunny and there was a bit more wind than forecast. It was a long period 15-second swell, so likely to be some decent size sets. The day dragged on a bit and I was not able to leave until around 3 p.m. to head west. I didn’t even know if JC was back from his trip to Cape Verde and Fuerteventura, but sent him a message just in case. Poor Carter had planned an afternoon with his wife at home, but my call sparked a call of duty and he managed to negotiate a two-hour pass. Just to complicate matters he wasn’t sure if he had enough fuel to make it to the west side as all the garages were sold out due to panic buying after rising fuel prices!

COMPTON

Most swells that come up the channel hit Compton Beach bang on, so that was where I was planning on heading, although breaks like Chiltern Chine also work in the same direction. Compton is also a port tack break, which I like as I am a goofy foot surfer and it is nice to be on my forehand. It was just one of those lush afternoons in the winter with the sun shining, swell pumping and a decent south east breeze blowing side-offshore. To be honest this combination of wind and swell rarely happens so I was quite excited as I headed over. As I hit the Military Road, where you can see right up the coast to the Needles, I was shocked to see how big it was. Chiltern was probably bigger, maybe mast and a half, but Compton was perfect side-off and cleaner. I just had it in my head that Compton was going to offer quality sailing, more down-the-line than just a big drop.

I arranged to meet up with local kiter Tom Court to share the session. We have both been back on the island a lot more since the lockdowns. He is a top kiter and also a sick surfer. It is nice to go out in big waves with somebody else rather than just sail by myself. We are two island boys that love the water, riding waves and share the same passion. We both have made careers out of doing what we love in the water, so that is cool.

GEARING UP

I decided to go with a 4.8m sail and my 88-litre board. It looked a little bit windier than what it was. I was barely planing any of the session. I did struggle a little bit, but I had plenty enough power on the wave. I did not want to be overpowered when it was so cross-offshore. I like to have that surfing feel when I am sailing those conditions. Once I was on a wave, I didn’t need too much sail and a 4.8 felt small enough to still throw around a bit.

MAKE OR BREAK

On the way out there were some pretty daunting sets, so it was not easy punching through. The current was going against the wind, which was actually helping me a little navigate through the waves. I just had enough wind to creep out and the way the current was working it was pulling me upwind away from the worst of the impact zone. I was kind of drifting out and around through the area where the rip takes you out to get out the back. Experience comes into play in these situations. It was almost the perfect setup to be able to take a smaller sail than normal. There were some chunky barrelling closeouts, but somehow I never got caught out. I had to climb over a few whitewater sections, but it all worked out fine. The best wave riding is often when you are struggling to get moving, so I was happy with the setup I took.

SCORING THE GEMS

Out the back it was really difficult to read which waves would be the gems. There were kind of two swells running, so some sets were doubling up, while other waves snuck through and were the best shaped walls for riding. A few waves that were not really showing on the outside just scooped out when they hit the sandy reef. These were the real dredging hollow ones and nicer looking waves. I did not want to break anything out there, but I did hit a few chunky airs. I would love to have two or three days like that to really dial into those conditions. Those chances are few and far between, but at the end of winter we sometimes score these rare days when the stars align. The weather has been settled after the big storms and this was a high pressure backing off a low pressure and we were kind of in the middle.

So all in all it was an epic session to cap off a decent winter. I loved it and wished we had these type days more often. I was juggling family time as well so was just content to score that amazing session with Tom.

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GA SAILS PHANTOM 7.8 2022 TEST REVIEW

THE VERDICT

Light in handling and with easy, accessible performance, the Phantom is not cheap, yet provides an electric exciting ride over an impressive wind range.

OVERVIEW

The Phantom sits alongside the Vapor in GA Sails’ lineup, said to offer “top racing performance without demanding too much from the rider”. It differs from the brand’s full race engine by having a narrower luff sleeve and just two race cambers, complimented with one ‘small camber inducer’ on batten four. For this season the brand’s focus has been on improving controllability, with a redesigned batten configuration (whilst retaining their ‘cross batten concept’), and a slightly lowered clew position. Its luff curve has been refined, said to enhance forward pull for acceleration initially whilst getting going and also out of transition. In addition the luff panels are now continuous to assist the sail’s load distribution, efficiency and longevity they say. Rigged here on a 100 SDM, it sets with a moderate to high amount of luff curve, the leech falling away significantly in the mid and upper panels. There’s a reasonable amount of depth to the Phantom’s profile at rest, set back in the draft, so that the leading-edge entry is quite shallow. Using x-ply in the foot and luff panels, the rest of the sail’s panels are C-Film, said to have excellent colour retention properties, with the batten pockets integrated, so that the C-Film is visible in the upper panels, reducing weight and maximising symmetry between tacks. It is certainly a good-looking sail, with plenty of skin tension through its luff panels, a race-oriented outline and aggressive upward oriented batten geometry, indicating the locked in sailing style it is targeted towards. Time to get it on the water!

BRAND CLAIM

“Reaching top racing performance without demanding too much from the rider – the Phantom is ready to compete with pure slalom sails. Sharing most characteristics with the Vapor reflects in the Phantom’s performance, while a narrower mast sleeve and the 2 + 1 camber setup makes it easier to handle and use.”

PERFORMANCE

Light and composed in the hands at rest, the Phantom feels positive and active as soon as a gust hits and pressure builds. It accelerates willingly and reaches a high natural cruising speed with very little input or technical skill required from the rider. It’s instantly got that addictive slippery feel of a high-performance sail, which makes us wonder whether the gap between this Phantom and the race-oriented Vapor has narrowed further still? This Phantom certainly has race winning potential, especially at national level. There may be a compromise in out-and-out performance, yet what the Phantom loses in this respect it undoubtedly makes up for in light handling and practicality. Used on a freerace or slalom board, the power generated by the Phantom seems to bypass the rider and simply push the board to greater speeds. Fast on all points of sail, its race heritage and intended use is clearer than ever, with adjustable outhaul cringles in the clew. As a result, it has excellent natural range on one setting (dropping to the lower clew cringle in overpowered conditions), using the adjustment available to optimise its power delivery during a session. We also reduced the downhaul tension to tighten the mid-leech and try the Phantom for wind foiling, its light handling and higher aspect making it viable as a crossover. During the gybe, the Phantom’s handling is again its trump card, entering at speed and encouraging the rider to throw it around assertively for a fast dynamic exit, the three cams rotating smoothly as if on autopilot.

www.ga-windsurfing.com

GA SAILS PHANTOM 7.8 2022 TEST REVIEW

SPECS

Price: £1044.00

Size: 7.8m

Luff: 487 cm

Boom: 215 cm

Battens: 7

Cams: 3

Ideal Mast: Gaastra 460 cm SDM

Available Sizes: 5.6, 6.4, 7.1, 7.8, 8.6, 9.4.

OTHER SAILS IN THIS TEST

DUOTONE S_PACE 7.8

GOYA MARK 2 7.8

GUNSAILS EXCEED 8.0

LOFTSAILS SWITCHBLADE 7.8

NEIL PRYDE V8 7.7

POINT-7 AC-Z 7.8

RRD X-WING 7.8

SEVERNE MACH 5 7.8

SIMMER STYLE S MAX 7.8

BACK TO TEST OVERVIEW

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THOMAS TRAVERSA: ALL IN!

Check out  this awesome video of Thomas Traversa charging huge waves in the Basque country, Spain back in December 2022

The post THOMAS TRAVERSA: ALL IN appeared first on Windsurf Magazine.

DOUBLE TROUBLE: TAKUMA SUGI AND TAKARA ISHII MAUI

Japanese rippers, Takuma Sugi have both just dropped action packed videos! Takuma’s features his highlights of 2022 while Takara shows some of his best moments from his Maui 2022 winter! These guys are definitely ones too look out for this year on tour!

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RAW PORTUGAL: THOMAS TRAVERSA

Check out this incredible RAW footage of Thomas Traversa taking on the giant waves at Nazare in Portugal.

Thomas Says: “After a little pause I am back on youtube! This time I will share with you a little series about some outstanding sessions in Portugal. For Episode 1 I take you through a session at the notorious wave of Nazaré. hopefully you get a bit of the feeling we had on that day! Huge thanks to Lourenço Katzenstein and Francisco Pinho from team Red Herrings for the water safety!”

filmed by Mat & Uli from SIAM Images

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GA SAILS MANIC 5.0 2023 TEST REVIEW

The verdict

The Manic is a sail that allows riders to really produce a surf-oriented style that keeps the sail neutral and the rails digging hard.

The lowdown

Hardcore wave is where GA lays its claim for the 2023 Manic, which is said to have improved weight and optimised stretch with the brand’s newly introduced one-piece mast sleeve. In addition, the sail is built with extra light and durable 2-ply scrim in the upper panels reducing the Manic’s swing weight, along with three carbon radial load tapes extending from the clew across the centre of the sail producing a stable profile. By the luff, the Manic possesses a breathable Dacron panel, granting the mast more range to twist.

The Manic is produced to be a perfect all-round wave sail. However, there are some minor tweaks as you go through the sizes. The larger sizes deliver more power to assist in onshore conditions, while the smaller sizes have a flatter profile to assist their down-the-line potential. For the 2023 season, GA has produced the Manic in their classic red colourway and a new, classy, slick black and white colourway.

As with many GA sails, the Manic is manufactured with a few valuable extras, including a GA silicon patch above the boom cutout, which keeps the mast pocket open to allow riders to insert the mast with ease, Vario protection on the mast cap, adding durability to the top of the sail and a redesigned tack fairing that makes fold and flow at the foot of the sail much easier. The Manic also comes in an HD construction, which uses an x-ply scrim across the whole sail, including the window.

Brand claim

“The Manic’s inimitable combination of controllability, power and handling will fascinate you both when blasting down the line in side-off conditions and during onshore sessions in gusty winds and small waves.”

Performance

Rigged and at rest, the Manic has a modest amount of shape in its profile which is enhanced by the sail’s Dacron panel when powered. As the power is delivered, the Dacron panel breathes, bestowing the Manic with plenty of bottom-end power, and with its relatively high and centred draft, the sail drives you quickly onto the plane. Once at speed, the most notable feeling is balance, allowing the rider to sit comfortably weighted in the harness with no real interference in stance produced by changes in pressure. This feature enables the rider to set up confidently on the way out, with gratefully received time to prepare for the next manoeuvre, whether that’s boosting into the air for an aerial rotation or setting up for a smooth gybe. The consistent stance also allows the rider to generate constant high speeds where the Manic maintains its controlled sensation.

On the wave, the Manic feels light and free, asking the rider to focus their drive and attention through the board, as the sail’s neutral feel yields a surf-like nature through the turns, making it a good match for boards that have a similar surf style, like the Tabou Da Curve from GA’s sister board brand.

For UK readers, the range of the sail is undoubtedly vital in our classically changeable conditions. Whilst the Manic has some real low-end strengths, the sail also has strong tuning potential taking additional downhaul well to improve control and maintain performance as the draft stays relatively high and neutral. The Dacron panel by the luff is a strength at both ends of the wind range, ensuring the sail does the work for you and keeping you locked in.

ga-windsurfing.com

GA SAILS MANIC 5.0 2023 TEST REVIEW

SPECS

Price: £849

Size: 5.0

Luff: 409 cm

Boom: 167 cm

Battens: 4

Ideal Mast: GA C100 RDM

Available Sizes: 3.0, 3.3, 3.7, 4.0, 4.2, 4.5, 4.7, 5.0, 5.4, 5.8.

THE LINEUP

Duotone Super_Hero 5.0

Goya Eclipse 5.0

Gunsails Seal 5.0

Loftsails Purelip 5.2

Naish Force 4 5.0

North Windsurfing X-Over 5.0

RRD Vogue HD 5.0

Severne S-1 5.0

Simmer Style Blacktip 5.0

Back to test overview: 

The post GA SAILS MANIC 5.0 2023 TEST REVIEW appeared first on Windsurf Magazine.

Thomas Traversa’s second instalment from the Raw series, filmed in Portugal with heavy, fast and powerful waves at Peniche.

Filmed by Mat & Uli from SIAM Images music by Bachar Mar-Khalifé // Lemon (feat. Yolla Khalifé)

The post THOMAS TRAVERSA | PORTGUAL – RAW EPISODE 2 appeared first on Windsurf Magazine.

ROSS WILLIAMS: WILD SIDE

Lockdowns and the increasing cost of fuel have had us all looking a little closer to home lately for adventure and UK ripper Ross Williams is no exception. The Isle of Wight native has been exploring the wilder side of the island and talks us through some recent recon missions to two new for him sailing spots on his home shores – ‘Bonchurch’ and ‘The Grange’.

Words: Ross Williams / Photos: John Carter

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BONCHURCH

“I have always kept an eye on Bonchurch as I usually pass by it on the costal route when I am heading out to my go-to spots like Niton in a strong southwesterly wind. I have often looked over the edge of the cliffs there thinking that the line of rocks could be a perfect setup. But nearly always I get drawn further up the coast to Niton because that is my bread-and-butter spot and I know it so well. But Bonchurch has always been on my radar and I knew that there is massive potential there. It seems like there are various parts of the reef all the way down from Ventnor that could be amazing. At the same time, it is quite a sensitive spot tide wise, so you need the right combination of a dropping tide and a massive swell pumping up the channel.

The more I look at it and now I have sailed there a couple of times this winter, I have realized it works more regularly than I thought it did in the past, and it can actually be better than Niton. After sailing it a bit more I’m more dialled into where I can line up by looking at different houses and landmarks. It is really amazing for jumping as well. The wave comes straight at you and you have a relatively flat section on the inside where you can get a decent run up. At Niton you are always fighting cross current on the inside, which is not nice for lining up and jumping.

EVERYTHING

Bonchurch has a bit of everything and I can’t really think of a spot I can compare it to. Plus, I feel like I still have not seen it at its optimum best. It is definitely my favourite spot on the island for jumping now. It has given me confidence in my jumping again because the wind feels really consistent and not very gusty there.

The waves can also line up really well; you just need that right tide so the current is working with you. But there are rocks! If you went there and just sailed without any reconnaissance and so didn’t know where the little shallow areas are, I think you could hit them, especially on a low spring tide. But it is not that bad, it looks worse than it is.

TIDAL

When the tide is coming in, the current can be very strong pushing down the channel. It turns a bit quicker than it does at Niton so the current will start going with the wind a bit earlier. Once that happens it is hard to stay upwind and difficult to get back up to the peak after you ride a wave. But on a dropping tide it is like a conveyer belt that takes you back out up the point. I don’t think I would sail it on an incoming tide and big swell. It would be ok for a downwinder, but it would be tough to stay in the right position. So the chances to sail Bonchurch are few and far between, but on its day, I reckon you could get five or six nice turns and then fly out for a really big jump. Potentially it has all the ingredients to eclipse all the other spots that I sail on the island. I rate it so much that it could be my number one spot in the future. After all these years sailing, I have discovered somewhere new right on my own doorstep. I sailed it back in the day on an easterly and thought that was only when it worked. I’m glad I have finally started looking outside the box and not just sailing Niton after all these years. This winter I spent a bit more time trying to find those diamonds in the rough and making an effort to explore. That is when you can discover something super special that has been right in front of you all along. Now I think of all those good days where I went somewhere else and it was probably firing!

THE SESSION

Jamie Hancock had come over to film interviews and me riding the new 2022 Gaastra equipment for some of my ‘Island Life’ videos. We started the day as usual at Niton at first light. I was out sailing and I just felt this gut instinct that it was not that good. I felt it was not firing the way I thought it would, so I said let’s go to Bonchurch and take a chance. That is probably a twenty-minute drive. I took a punt. I knew Jamie had his gear with him so I said, let’s just go sailing.

We had not sailed together for such a long time and I thought it would be a good thing for both of us to score some time on the water together. It was mild, sunny, howling windy and the waves were pumping. We had an awesome sail at this new spot with the only thing spoiling the session being that I locked my keys in the van, but that is another story!

THE GRANGE

‘The Grange’ is definitely one of my favourite surfing waves on the island and is one of the spots along ‘Military Road’ as you drive out towards Freshwater. All along the West Wight coastline there are various little reefs that get covered and uncovered by sand throughout the year. On the right direction of swell, ‘The Grange’ can have epic powerful waves and on the inside it can suck up into a really nice barrelling section. I hate sailing ‘Brook’, which is the more user friendly and popular spot up the coast. I never found it to be a consistent place for any decent jumping or wave riding. That is why I always seem to end up at Niton and not bother driving any further. For this session the wind was a bit more northwest and I felt Niton would be too offshore to sail, but would be really good for surfing. I just thought that maybe Grange would turn out to be another hidden gem, as I knew the wave has quite a bit of punch and is something different. Grange is in a nice setting as well as you walk down past the llamas and pigs at ‘Grange Farm’, which has some nice camping and accommodation too. The cliffs look straight down on the main section of the wave, so this spot ticked a lot of boxes for me. I thought it would be a cool place to shoot and fun to sail at.

RECONNAISSANCE

This was the first time I sailed it and the wind was quite light. So I kind of took this as a reconnaissance mission to sail out there and see what it was like and what the possibilities were to sail this wave. It is definitely a spot where you will probably need more wind I think as there was quite a lot of current moving on the inside. The swell out the back was pretty big, but then the wave would go soft until it hit the inside. The suck out from the first set wave seemed to offer the best rides, as the first wave of the set was just pushing the water up over the reef and then the next one it seemed to suck up and turn really hollow. A small looking bump could turn into a dredging thick insider. That is why we surf it. It has more push and power than somewhere like Compton just up the coast. In fact I think ‘The Grange’ has a lot more power than anywhere on this stretch of coast. I had a few really nice hits and am now fully interested to go back there again and sail it with a bit more wind. It definitely has massive potential for wave riding and jumping especially on a pushing tide.

BIG GEAR

I was on my 5.2m and a 98-litre wave board, which was a combination I have not sailed in a long time. I was getting in and out and catching waves no problem. Usually if it is less than 5.0m conditions, I tend not to go wave sailing, but I feel I can enjoy days like this with bigger equipment. I think there is huge potential to score epic sailing on that size of gear. I don’t want to feel like I’m struggling just to catch a few waves for the sake of it, I want to go out there and say that was radical and you can rip in it and the big kit makes all the difference for that. At Bonchurch I was on a 4.0m and an 88-litre wave board and just totally stacked and then at Grange it was 5.2m and 98-litre, which was totally the other end of the spectrum wind wise! This session got me motivated to go out whatever the conditions, rather than just go wing foiling if it is light!”

The post ROSS WILLIAMS: WILD SIDE appeared first on Windsurf Magazine.

GA HYBRID 6.0 2023 TEST REVIEW

Verdict 

A true all-rounder, the Hybrid combines stability with some playful qualities that allow you to get the best out of every moment you are sailing. At speed, the sail locks into position with ease, and the moment you ask it to move, it obeys its command and releases with smooth intention.

The Lowdown

The GA Hybrid is the brand’s ultimate all-rounder that, in the smaller sizes, is geared towards freemove and graduates to a more freeride style in bigger sizes. The most interesting aspect of the Hybrid line is its adaptations through the sizes. The smaller sizes (below 5.2) are all-round wave sails that evolve into a versatile freemove sail between the 5.2 to 6.4 sizes and finally develop into a powerful freeride sail in the bigger sizes. This aspect of the range allows riders to have one quiver of sails with familiar feelings that provide the option to ride in various conditions and disciplines.

The sail’s weight has been an avid focus for the 2023 design, with a one-piece mast sleeve and integrated batten technology making the sail lighter than ever. The Hybrid, like many other GA sails, is designed with a Dacron luff panel to ensure that the power has a smooth delivery. This, combined with the integrated batten technology, is sure to provide an incredibly stable feel between the hands. GA use top-of-the-line 4mm X-ply along with double seams to ensure the sail has solid durability even in heavy conditions. Additionally, GA has safeguarded the longevity of the sail’s colour by using C-film to get the best colour for the longest time, ensuring that the sail will avoid looking faded.

Brand Claim
One sail line for all circumstances – the Hybrid adjusts to your requirements and provides agility, control and power in waves as well as bump and jump or flat water conditions.

Performance
GA’s Hybrid almost feels like two different sails at times. Before planing, the sail behaves in a playful way with plenty of back hand action available, allowing the rider to work the sail between the hands to encourage the board onto the plane. Once up to speed, the sail’s behaviour changes dramatically, becoming extremely stable. The sail’s power is highly useable, allowing the rider to direct the drive into the board and squeeze every ounce of acceleration out of the kit.

Through pressure changes, the delivery of power remains smooth due to the breathing ability of the Dacron panel, allowing the rider to settle into a consistent stance even in gusty conditions. The sail moves on command through manoeuvres while keeping its stable qualities. Maintaining power once positioned, the sail encourages the rider to commit to the rail through the turns and asks to be directed in a smooth and gentle manner, providing consistent drive.

www.ga-windsurfing.com

GA HYBRID 6.0 2023 TEST REVIEW

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Specs

Price: £729

Size: 6.0

Luff: 446 cm

Boom: 189 cm

Battens: 5

Ideal Mast: RDM 430

Available Sizes: 3.7, 4.2, 4.7, 5.2, 5.6, 6.0, 6.4, 6.7, 7.2, 7.7, 8.2.

OTHER SAILS IN THIS TEST

DUOTONE DUKE 6.2
GOYA NEXUS B 5.9
GUNSAILS TORRO 6.0
LOFTSAILS PURELIP 6.2
NAISH FORCE 5 6.2
NEILPRYDE ATLAS 5.8
NORTH SAILS X-OVER 6.2
RRD MOVE 5.7
SEVERNE GATOR 6.0
SIMMER ENDURO 5.9

BACK TO TEST OVERVIEW

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