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Coaching Young Men is Hard Work!!


		Name: Lucy Robson Age: 24yrs Home town: Brighton

Lucy packs up work and heads for Christchurch.


		He finished 10th overall in the PWA freestyle rankings, 24th overall in the Super X rankings and is 8th in the waves with one more event to go in Sylt. That makes him

part of a rare breed these days: an all-rounder. Victor is also very exciting to watch in competition. His heat routine is different, his style is unique and he performs moves that no other sailor does (try a switch stance ponch for starters!)

How does he do it?

PHOTO: Carter/PWA. Tweaked backside aerial.

Some sailors are starting to say you can't be good at waves AND freestyle. However you and a few others are proving that theory wrong. What's your secret?

I don’t have any secrets! I just go out and try to feel good with my equipment and myself. Most of the places I go, it’s not so good for waveriding so I do freestyle. For example, when I go to Maui and there are no waves in the north I sail freestyle in the south. I do love sailing waves but not only perfect down-the-line. In fact I learnt a lot in the beginning by sailing with all my friends at my home beach in Almeria , Spain which gets all sorts of wave conditions; onshore, cross shore etc.

Do you spend time training at freestyle, say in Margarita, and then train in waves, say in Maui, or do you just train at both all the time?

Two years ago I went to Margarita to get to know the place and sail with Cheo and Gollito because they talked so much about it!
I went there for one month to learn some new freestyle moves and it was very successful. However waves always come before freestyle but if there are no waves I don’t sit around, I train freestyle.

To get really, really good in the waves do you see yourself having to spend more time in Maui or Cape Town or can the Canaries provide good wave training all year around?


I see myself travelling everywhere because the world tour can change to different locations and it won’t always be at port tack, onshore Pozo or at Hookipa.

Every year I like to try a new place. This year I went to Chile and it was the best place I’ve ever been to so far. I also sail a lot in Almeria with its side/onshore wave conditions which complements all my Pozo training.

You have travelled to the best wave spots in the world yet you say your favourite spot is Almeria in Spain. WHY?

Yes, my favourite spot is my home beach in Almeria . I do love perfect waves and at home we don’t often have perfect conditions but I have the other important things there like my family, friends and also all my toys!

Who impresses you most in the waves at the moment and in freestyle?

Every rider does good things but I am always impressed with Levi Siver and Jason Polakow in the waves and Gollito and Tonky (Frans) in freestyle.

What's the hardest move you have learned?

At the moment that would have to be the Chacho. (No, not Salsa Dancing, we’re talking a simultaneous spock and a duck gybe!)

What moves are you working on now?

Now I am working on push loop into table top, doubles forwards and all the new freestyle moves like the shaka, chachos, air chachos etc.

When will sailors be doing triple forwards as often as they now do doubles?

I think not so long away now as a lot of sailors are landing perfect doubles.

Raging Bull

Enter Ian Clingan, a Raging Bull...

Whilst their have been murmurings for some time now, we can officially tell you that the UK 's top international racer, Ross Williams has signed to Tabou's international team.

Ross formally on Starboard, and one of the top Formula Windsurfers in the world, has made the move to develop the Manta series of Slalom boards in line with the PWA new racing format Slalom 42. (Slalom 42 aims to reduce the kit necessary to compete at top level windsurfing events, the idea that 4 pre-selected sails and 2 production boards can cover the conditions expected at any one event).

This is a great move for Ross, as it elevates him to the No.1 rider on the racing side of the international team. We will be hearing more from Ross on this soon.

You can see more of Ross in action on the new Gaastra movie at www.sideshoremedia.com

Keith Atkinson:Euro-Cup Champ!


Eurocup Silvaplana 2004 was a disaster for Keith Atkinson. His brand new super chipped VW Transporter Van blew up on the road to Switzerland and

resulted in a complete engine re-build. 2005 was much better. He super chipped himself and powered his way to his first International event win, beating the likes of Antoine Albeau, Steve Allen and Wojtek Brozowski in the process!!

Here’s what he had to say after winning the event:

Why the sudden boost of form?

Well everything just fell into place really! At events, something usually happens that disadvantages you, but in Silvaplana it all went perfectly with no mistakes or mishaps! I also really like the conditions you get there. The wind is extremely gusty and shifty making racing very tactical, which tends to suit me well.

What conditions did you get and what equipment were you using?

We did 3 races in total, the first of which was a 5 lap marathon! We had about 8-15 knots of wind for the marathon and about 12-18 knots for the 2 course races. I used my 10.7 RS5 and Starboard 159 in all races. I have trained on this combination loads this year and have it tuned up pretty well at the moment.

Wait!!...I need a lift home.

What does it mean to you to win a Eurocup event?

It means so much to me! Antoine Albeau has been my idol for years and to stand above him on the podium is a fantastic feeling!!

Will this result make a difference to your sponsorship?

I know that Gordon Way (Ultrasport) and Svein Rasmussen (Starboard) are both very happy with my result. I would really like to stay with both Neil Pryde and Starboard. In racing, its really important to have the fastest gear from year to year so you want to be with a brand who consistently produces good kit each year. I have been with Neil Pryde and Starboard for some time now and am really happy with the kit. The next step for me is to try and get outside-industry sponsorship.

You are member of Team GBR (Olympic Windsurfing Squad), so how are you getting on with the RS:X?

To be honest, I’m not that keen on the board! Its way too heavy (heavier than a Raceboard even) and its also pretty big. In light winds its much slower than a Formula board and in strong winds it’s a bit slower, so it just isn’t as appealing really.

However, having said that, I would really like to compete at the Olympics and I guess everyone has the same problem with the board, so I will be giving it my best shot!

Whats next on your agenda?

Well the next big event is the Formula Worlds in Melbourne Australia. I will try to go out there no more than a couple of weeks early to acclimatise and get used to the conditions. I don’t like to go too early to an event though. Some people go to events very early, to get used to the conditions/venue, but I much prefer to avoid the hanging around, psyching out and fatigue that often comes with going to an event too early.





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Coaching Young Men is Hard Work!!

Spotlight on a Pro: Victor Fernandez Lopez

Raging Bull

Keith Atkinson:Euro-Cup Champ!