Talk us through your new sails. How do they compare with the Zone, Combat and Alpha?

This year, together with Neil Pryde, I am building a sail that will be designed totally for the way I want to ride waves and this sail will be called the ‘Fly’. It is a very unique sail. I have tried all three of the other wave sails (Alpha, Combat and the Zone) and I have taken a bit from them all. Also with the background of the sails I used to have (a powerful sail that drives you through the turns) we built the Fly. I am super happy with it; we combined all that I had (on my previous sails) but with a lighter feel and in the future once I adapt to this sail it will make me more fluid through my turns, connect through the bowls….all of this!

Have you found it difficult to adapt to them after sailing Boxers for so long?

In the beginning it was very funny when I first tried the Alpha, Zones and Combats. It was a total different feel from what I used to have. But I felt they had something special especially in the bottom turns; they felt super light, very soft and nice. That smooth feel which can give you a light way of sailing. The sails I used to have pushed me forward and I had to compensate for that but at the same time that ‘push’ is good to drive me through turns. When I built this new sail (the Fly) I could combine this sail to have enough tension on the luff and that the power was forward but fuller and could give me the drive but also have enough twist so I could hold onto it in stronger gusts and give me that light feel. For me, it was a great step in my career, working with different designers. I can improve my skills with a different feel.

Are you still using Keith Teboul shaped boards?

At the moment I am shaping with various different shapers and I will also be working with Werner (Gnigler) on the Twin Fin line boards. I used to work a lot with Keith (Teboul) but for the moment we’re not working together anymore and I’ll probably design a few boards with a friend at home as well. I’m going to shape with different people and try different equipment.

Will you be using single fins as well as twinsers in competition this year?

This year during the Tour we have the potential for a lot of different conditions. Most of the side/side offshore places, I will use a twin fin but if its strong winds and onshore like in Pozo I will use a single fin – that makes more sense when you are just going straight. But when you are wave riding and you want to make ‘curves’ on the wave then it makes sense to use the twinser as you gain more speed in the ‘hollow’ on the offshore waves.

Have you tried tri fins or asymmetrical twin fins?

I have tried tri fins a while ago. Maybe in the future when we can adapt different outlines, different rocker lines, maybe we can find something that will work on a tri fin. When I tried it, it didn’t make much sense for windsurfers; very slidey. Whereas the twin fins do make sense compared to the single fin; the turns are much tighter in the pocket of the wave and you can use more of the wave with less fin area because the fin area you have is totally effective during the turn whereas with a single fin most of it is out of the water during the turn so you are just relying on the rail of the board. Whereas with the twin fins you have both fins AND the rail so you can push much harder, your curves become tighter and you can throw more spray. I don’t know which way to go from here but I am stoked to try lots of different shapes across the fins, boards and sails.

JP clearly wants a Wave World Champion and has chosen you as the man to get it for them this year! How do you feel about this?

JP this year wanted someone to really focus on the wave tour and for me winning the wave tour is one of my goals and we could also combine some good ideas in the way I develop my boards and put something that I design into production as well as the Twin Fin line board. Then JP is a big brand that can push my image a lot. We both bring things to the table; I can get results for them and for me, I can have a company that is really excited to promote the rider and push hard his image. It will be a good combination between us.

What are the main differences that you have noticed so far being sponsored by JP and Neil Pryde?

Since joining the JP/Neil Pryde team, I have really been involved in the design of the graphics, the boards and especially the sails. We worked so hard for 20 days on Maui at the beginning of the year to design those sails right for Cape Verde . We had eight sails of the same size with different luff curve positions, different power positions, different twist. We finally got the best sail and then we designed the other sizes. They gave me the time and the opportunity to design as many sails as I needed to find the product I really wanted. The whole process was also really quick from me deciding on the finished product and getting it sent straight to China .

Will we see you doing double pushloops, triple forwards or any other new jumps this year?

I’m not sure about the jumps. I have, so far, just been training for wave riding mostly because that was my main goal at this first PWA event. Last year I got very close to the title here in Cape Verde and I was super excited to try to do well here. But from now on, when I go back to Maui, I will start practising jumps again and be ready for Guincho so maybe I come up with something cool again!

Who do you consider your biggest threat on the tour this year?

I think there are many guys who can perform very well and there are many events to go. I could give a list of 15 names that could win the World Tour. But, for example, Victor (Fernandez) is really consistent and good in waves, (Robby) Swift did really well here, Thomas Traversa, Alex Mussolini, Marcilio is doing really well and Ricardo – if he focuses he can do super well in the waves. I want to see all these guys come on; it will be good for the sport.

If you could steal one move from one other sailor what would it be?

There are a lot of sailors that do cool things. For example, I like Victor’s one-handed table tops, Boujamma (his push table tops), Levi (tweaked airs), Jason (nice turns), Keith (his off the tops), Robby (laid back bottom turns), Marcilio (double forwards), Ricardo (doubles again, huge stalled forwards), Jonas Ceballos (his backloops), Angulo (his one-handers).
However, I remember one special move in 1999 by Josh Angulo during my first time on Maui. I was watching the evening session at Ho’okipa. He came in on the waves, in the middle of an aerial, he pushed into what looked like a grubby but he reversed and span into a backside 360. Coolest move I’ve ever seen.

After sailing Jaws, has it inspired you to do more big wave riding?

I sailed Jaws last year at Easter and it was a good experience for me. That day for sure was the biggest day I have had on a windsurfer and a surfer. I was scared at the same time of feeling this is cool! I thought if I fell on a big set I wasn’t 100% prepared to deal with that. I was happy with that session but I wasn’t wanting to search for more storms like that. Maybe in the future and if I’m on Maui then I go again but I’m not the kind of guy who will be searching for big waves. I like average size and focus on the technique of the board, push the surfing style. Big wave riding can be really dangerous and you really need to be motivated to do it.

Finally, you have got the most surf orientated style of riding on the PWA tour, do you think you can still take it further or has it reached the limit of what windsurfing can do?

Windsurfing has no limit! When you play with nature, with the waves and all the different sailors riding the waves with all the different styles – no limits. Every person reads the waves in a different way and each style is set to one kind of gear. When you can make your style ‘flow’ then it looks cool. Angulo has a unique style, Jason, Levi, my style – all so different. But I am sure we can go further and connect it more to surf style; using the pit of the wave to make airs, curving in the bowl. My new sails and boards allow me to do this.