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Arthur…

Yes, it was my first trip in Chile and I really appreciated the trip, it’s one of my best trips for sure!

It was amazing to sail with two of the best riders in the world, Klaas and Victor, that permitted me to progress a lot, the condition were not so easy but when we were wave sailing it was incredible!

I’ve learnt a lot of things, there are a lot of things you need to know to be a good windsurfer.

Unfortunately, I got injured on the last day of the trip and I had to be operated on so I haven’t really been on the water since then, but I look forward to being on the water again soon.

I’m really happy to be on the Fanatic team, I feel really good with everybody like Victor, Klaas or Alessio

This year I want to progress as much as possible, have fun with my friends on the water and hope to go on the water everyday!

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Klaas…

We always go to Matanzas, one of the windiest places in the area. There are a few really good spots in a short driving distance. It’s also the closest spot to Santiago, so it’s the place where most of the locals come for sailing.

I’ve been there from middle of December and during my first two weeks i’ve had some good wind and waves. Then it calmed down for over a month and then we scored some good sailing towards tzhe end of the trip. It wasn’t the best year for wind, but we still had some good days. Also a lot of surfing. I had an annoying sinus infection that finally had to get operated in february, so i also missed a few days out of that reason.

I’m workiong on getting more and more safe in my wave moves and then there is another project coming up. I’ve been trying doubles for several years, but never really got them dialled – so that one needs some attention before the first event.

It’s great to finally see something new happening. Cape Town and Chile are both my winter training grounds, so i’m pretty happy about it. If we manage to still get Maui back on the calendar, we’re almost having a complete tour. Unfortunately all stops are port tack (except Sylt – can be both), so i don’t think the new addition will change much in the results, but at least we’ll have a chance to some great down the line sailing in Chile.

Arthur has been doing good and i think he has improved quite a lot. We’ve been jumping for a few days in Pupuya and he’s pretty fearless in trying things. Also he’s doing already very good on the SUP in the waves and you can see that it helps him to make quick steps in waveriding also on the windsurfboard.

There are a few young kids coming up like Alessio Stillrich, Bernd Roediger, Moritz Mauch, or Morgain from Maui – all have the ability to kick out some big names already. Bernd just won the AWT event on Maui against the Who is Who! Alessio made it into 13th place in both of the PWA events he did in 2012. It’s great to see these guys pushing.

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Victor…

We were based at Matanzas, it is small town at the coast around 2.30 hours from Santiago de Chile and we get the most windy days over there.

I´ve been 2 months. The first three weeks we were very unlucky with the wind but we had amazing surf with northwest swells in different surf spots. The last 3 weeks of the trip were really good, we sailed different spots as Matanzas, Pupuya or Topocalma. All three have completely different conditions and we just change the spots depending on the tides or wave size. If it´s very small we go a lot to Pupuya as it is more a jumping spot and it is the windiest. If the swell is bigger we do Topocalma or Matanzas.

I´m trying to get back on my level of 2012 as I felt sailing very good until I got injured on Sylt. Right now I feel much better and I want to gain the same level and do it even better.

I think all aditions are good for the Tour, specially the event in Chile, down the line wave riding which we did not have yet on the tour. Chile is one of the events that Iam really looking forward this year as it is new and I know how good the conditions can be.

Arthur is a great sailor for his age, he has good knowledge of the waves as he is very good Sup rider and you can see in his wave riding skills. We did a lot of jumping in Chile too and I think he is progressing a lot. I see other kids like Alessio Stillrich and Pablo Ramírez in Pozo, Bernd Roediger and Morgan Noireux on Maui, they are all riping and it is great to see young guys coming up.

Living in Maui, Cape Town or Western Australia with perfect waves on tap maybe the dream for many a wavesailor, but this is rarely a reality, even for the pros. The shores of the UK, the Canaries, Denmark etc may provide slightly less than perfect down the line riding, but they are still the training grounds of some of the best wavesailors around. Speaking with Victor Fernandez, Klaas Voget and Britain’s own Nik Baker, we find out why wavesailing is not all about finding the perfect wave.

(Photos of Nik Baker: Unknown.)

You may think that professional riders have it sussed, spending an endless summer globe trotting in search of the perfect waves, and whilst some may do this, in fact many are not. Like most of the population those working in the windsurfing industry have other commitments that keep them away from much longed for conditions.

Klaas: I’m not actually sailing in down the line conditions very often, the days when it all comes together are rare. Between May and October I hardly catch any perfect days, I’m in Germany and Denmark most of the time, with regular trips to Gran Canaria and Tenerife each year. To catch it cross off in Klitmöller is possible, but most days are cross to cross-onshore, but I still love it!”

It’s not always about the most ideal conditions, in fact there are many other factors that go into making a great day on the water, not just epic wind and waves. If every day was logo high, smooth, cross off shore waves, would you get bored? Well, maybe not, but as they say variety is the spice of life. And it is also variety that will help improve your windsurfing level.

Nik: “In cross on, mushy conditions you really have to learn how to ride and make the most of the wave. To ride well in onshore you have to learn to use the wave and wind together, as this is the only way to ride well in these slow conditions. When you then apply this to a good, fast moving wave you should generate a lot more speed which help with all wave riding.”

But what specifically could, and should, you be practicing? With riding, body position is really important, you have to be able to really open up the clew of the sail as you approach the top turn, this comes from bringing a lot of rotation through the body.

Nik: “If you can learn to rotate the upper body from the waist, like a spring, through the bottom turn and then use this spring like twist as you cut back, it will give you maximum power off the top turn.”

Plus, believe it or not, it is actually a lot easier to take your first steps into wave tricks in small waves. As the power of the waves goes down, so does the fear factor; in smaller waves you will probably feel a lot more comfortable and when you feel relaxed, it is a lot easier to learn new things.

Klaas: “A lot of moves and jumps are much easier to learn in cross-on conditions than in cross-off. Plus mushy waves are more forgiving, and usually less painful than a logo high plus wave if you fall. A perfect wave usually comes with a good, punchy lip that can smack you pretty hard; not so good for trying the Taka for the first time! Whereas these conditions are great for trying moves like the Taka, plus front and backside 360s, and they make sailing shitty conditions look pretty good too!”

Whilst these aren’t moves that can be nailed in a day, if you are competent riding and want to push your style more they are definitely worth going for. The taka in particular, which is a effectively an upwind 360 off the top of the wave, is within the reach of many. And even if you don’t manage to land a trick or two “trying new moves will open up your windsurfing skills a lot more”.

Your new found skills, and what you have learnt on the on shore days, can then be taken forward into the sessions when you are lucky enough to be in wavesailing heaven. This is what will truly make you a great all round wavesailor.

Klaas: “If you go to a place with constant cross off waveriding conditions, you mostly see the locals with a good waveriding level, but they don’t jump or do tricks on the wave much. With a good mix of conditions you get the best progress in your sailing and if you have a look at the top guys in the world tour, hardly any of them grew up in a perfect down the line spot.”

But do they enjoy it? Surely any rider would rather be in down the line perfection given the choice? Victor makes the Canaries his home and believes it is the ultimate spot for not only learning moves, but for having fun.

Victor: “I do really enjoy windsurfing in these conditions, especially at home because I can try all kinds of moves. In more down the line conditions I focus more on pure waveriding and some wave moves, but I don´t jump because the wind tends to be offshore and light. I always like to sail different spots, different tacks to get better in all conditions. This really is the key to becoming the best overall wavesailor you can be.”

Fun is also the most important thing to Nik now, although he has always enjoyed windsurfing in all conditions.

Nik: “I love it here. I have always loved sailing in mushy onshore conditions as it really varies from frontside to back side riding, plus lots of jumping. It is generally a really fun time on the water, and not so intense!”

So to all of you that imagine wavesailing as Ho’okipa, One Eye or Jaws at it’s best, yes this is part of this adrenaline filled side of our sport. However in reality all of us, from pro to amateur and instructor to office worker, spend most of our wavesailing time at our local break in less than perfect conditions. But that does not mean that we cannot enjoy ourselves and progress immensely, or that these conditions should be looked down upon. In fact, the small, mushy days the true champions shine through.

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