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VIDEO: Oda Johanne – Bonaire in 30 seconds

Editor — Fri, 17 May 2013 07:21:38 +0000

Norwegian female freestyle talent Oda Johanne continues her quest around the world, training and windsurfing and perhaps even entering a PWA event this year… She just posted a new blog update which includes this little snippet from her last session in Bonaire, where she spent a few weeks training and enjoying the Bonaire life. Now back at home Oda has scored a few sessions in the icy cold Scandinavian waters, including one that could have resulted in a fine over €1000 for disrupting some birds. Tell us your thoughts below, is there a spot near you that looks epic but you are restricted because of wildlife related laws?

Check out the pictures and Oda’s full report on her website – odajohanne.com

VIDEO: OnBoard with Caesar Finies

Editor — Thu, 16 May 2013 10:22:10 +0000

Caesar Finies is well known for his ‘Flo-Style’ the art of light wind freestyle which sees him launching sails up to 30 feet in the air before catching them almost as if nothing had happened. Well he is also a pretty damn hot talent on a short board to. Check out this clip as we jump on the front of his board for a sail around Bonaire and into the Mangroves with Finies.

Curacao Challenge 2013 – What Went Down

Editor — Wed, 15 May 2013 15:51:03 +0000

Last weekend we also saw the Curacao Challenge take place. A slalom and freestyle contest this is aimed at getting all the wind loving types from the ABC Islands on to the water with some fun and friendly competition. This year the wind was a little light for freestyle so some tow-in was organised, check out the clip below, alongside that the slalom managed to take place with 11 races in total. In the end it was Taty Frans who took victory whilst Kiri Thode came home in second. How long before we see Kiri on the slalom tour? Read on to find out all there is to know about what went down from the official press release produced by the event organisers.

In a sun- and action filled weekend, Kiri Thode defended his Freestyle title successfully and Taty Frans took the Slalom pro division with ease. 85 windsurfers from some of the world’s best surf countries, Bonaire, Aruba and Curacao, competed in front of hundreds of spectators. In its fifth year, the Curacao Challenge again proved to be an event where high level of competition is mixed with a great atmosphere.

Kiri Thode

Freestyle
There wasn’t enough wind for the freestyle pros to perform their usual arsenal of tricks so a special tow-in sessions was organized, where the surfer gains high speeds by being pulled by a jet ski before letting go and doing a spectacular move. Tow-in competition is gaining popularity worldwide as the public can see the moves close to shore and no wind is needed. Remarkable were the efforts by local windsurfer Rafael de Windt, who went for extreme maneuvers but placed 4th behind the big three from Bonaire. Kiri Thode took first place, followed by Björn Saragoza and Taty Frans. Other competitors were Amado Vrieswijk and Quincy Offringa.

Taty Frans up in front

Slalom
Taty Frans did take home the slalom title in front of one the most beautiful beaches of Curacao with clear turquoise Caribbean water, the so-called Directors Bay. The 1st day of competition featured 20 knots of wind and a total of 7 ocean heats raced, which set a record for the Curacao Challenge. Kiri Thode proved to be very capable on a slalom board and took second place. Jean Patrick van der Wolde, another local Curacao talent, placed third.In the amateur divisions, Curacao showed where its real future of windsurfing is, with over 15 female competitors and some raw talent in winners Mylene de Vries and Evi Brandt.

Team Curacao Challenge

All smiles
The 3-day surf event was characterized by smiles, which showed at the award ceremony where, although Bonaire took the biggest prizes, the local talents climbed the podium with happy faces and pride. Taty Frans produced the biggest smiles of all, which truly makes him one of the greatest ambassadors and inspirations for the sport of windsurfing. He arrived on Curacao by surfing from Bonaire to Curacao in a world record 1 hour and 40 minutes for a fundraiser for his friend Jayson Muller.

Taty Frans powering ahead in the SUP Racing

Stand Up Paddle
For the first time on Curacao, a SUP competition was held. With 48 competitors this sport rapidly becomes popular on Curacao. Again, Bonaire took control and Taty Frans claimed the title with a board length after 4 rounds of elimination, followed by Ingmar Schnitzler and Felix Martina, both from Curacao.

Next year
Both the organization and the competitors are excited for the sixth edition in 2014, where the international focus of the event will be continued and hopefully generates more competitors from Aruba, Bonaire and possibly even neighboring country Venezuela.

The Curacao Challenge was sponsored by Amstel Bright, Goisco, Insel Air, HICC, EWT, het Kinderfeestje, PRGV, Windsurfing Curacao, Merlin Internet Marketing, Securitas, Dolfijn FM and many more.

Curacao has great wind conditions year round with trade winds blowing at around 20 knots. With an average of 8 sun hours a day and absolutely no need for a wetsuit, this beautiful Caribbean island is a windsurfer’s dream. The conditions are similar to neighboring islands Aruba and Bonaire, which are two of the world’s most popular windsurf destinations.

Event website – http://www.curacaochallenge.com
Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/curacaochallenge

VIDEO: Gnarloo Going Off with Severne and Holder

Editor — Wed, 15 May 2013 06:43:37 +0000

Ben Severne and Matt Holder recently scored Gnarloo when it was firing, the two filmed for only 20 minutes and it appears that that is all they needed. Check out them shredding at this famous spot way down under.

WindSurfCoaching Euro Trip – Austria to Italy

Editor — Wed, 15 May 2013 05:45:12 +0000

The WindSurfCoaching duo that is Colin ‘Whippy’ Dixon and Marco ‘Dancing’ Wedele have been spreading the coaching love all over Europe already. Departing the UK and driving down to Tarifa they held a successful camp in what is fast becoming the ‘re-discovered’ wind capital of Europe, perhaps an iconic and appropriate destination to visit first. So what could possible beat that, well perhaps even more appropriate was their next stop in Podersdorf where they joined the PWA freestylers on the 25th year of the Surf World Cup for a week of fun before their next clinic on Lake Neusiedler, here for just a few more hours the boys are enjoying a final session of their own before heading off to their next iconic location – Lake Garda. The heart of modern day windsurfing, this is where names such as Josh Stone and Diony Guadagnino became famous from the King of the Lake contest back in the day. With just a few spaces up for grabs there is still a chance to get some top quality coaching from two of the most highly respected coaches in the industry. We caught up with Colin before the two set off to Italian shores, check out his words below and our one piece of advice to them is be sure to fill up your tank before leaving Austria…

Getting prepared for their first clinic in Austria

“Hi guys, just a quick hello from WindSurfCoaching touring around in the mega van, we are on our last days in Austria where we have been here for three weeks already. The first two weeks for the world cup, that was unreal and I’m sure you seen all the footage, we hosted a clinic at the end of the world cup and the weather has been really good to us, sunny and windy for most of the time, got to love this place, so many cool chilled friendly people. To be fair the clinic wasn’t as busy as we thought it was going to be, bearing in mind that if it’s windy here it’s like a completely different world, there are a massive amount of windsurfers, from real old people riding retro kit to the youths that are spinning like mad, it’s really nice to see so many people still loving the sport the we love so much. At the same time it was very frustrating because we know if half of them came along to the lessons they would really get so much out of the weekend! That said, the guys who came really enjoyed their time, learnt a lot and are all happy and are going to come back to spread the windsurf coaching love for next year. Big thanks for everyone who looked after us and made us feel so welcome.

We are off to Italy, Lake Garda next, another clinic and the forecast looks ok but we are big karma fans and the wind gods have been so good to us with Tarifa and now Austria 100% wind we hope to get something similar in Italy, you never know with their thermal winds.

We have a few places left so get on last minute flight or jump in your van and join us by emailing colin@windsurfcoaching.com.

We also are going to southern Italy before finally ending up in ClubVass for the summer so stay tuned and keep an eye out for the UK dates coming very very soon…

Cheers Colin and Marco”

Check out their poster for the up and coming stop in Garda, you’d be a fool to miss out on such top quality coaching.

Sarah Quita Offringa and her new website

Editor — Tue, 14 May 2013 08:45:21 +0000

The ladies are certainly making the headlines lately. Having recently been assigned with the new title of Lady SQ, Sarah Quita has now launched her own website where you can follow all her progress throughout this coming year. With 5 PWA World Titles to her name across slalom and freestyle, will she be fighting for both again this year? We certainly think so but we will have to wait and see what she has in store to unleash at the first female events of the year. For now head on over to her fresh and funky new website, follower her on twitter and facebook and read about where she came from by clicking on the photo below.

Taty Challenge – New Record

Editor — Fri, 10 May 2013 13:47:55 +0000

Taty Frans is one of windsurfings top stars. The multi-disciplined Bonairian has found himself at the top of the game in slalom and sits comfortably within the top 5 in freestyle almost every year. So what does someone with so much do for fun? Well what can be better than challenging yourself, Taty Frans took to the water from his homespot in Bonaire and raced across the open ocean to Curaco. having previously completed the challenge in 2 hours 14 minutes he smashed his own record this time by completing the crossing in 1 hour 40 minutes. Read on to hear the words from a totally elated Taty himself.

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Taty:

“On the 9th May 2013 I made the crossing from Bonaire to Curacao with a time of 1:40 minutes, this is 34 minutes less compared to my previous record about three years ago.

BONEIRUUUUUUUUUUUUU, HOPI HOPI DANKI, thank you to each one of you for the support and to keep following me through this journey.
1 hour 40 minutes is a record, and I am proud of it. It was not an easy task but we made it.

It’s not what you can hold in your hand, it’s what you can do with what you hold in your hand.

I consider myself a winner but more importantly I want to encourage others to WORK And follow their dreams.

The smile remains And we keep moving forward with a positive mind.

Taty Frans NB-9“

What Does It Take to Win a PWA Title?

Amy Carter - Editor — Fri, 10 May 2013 12:32:18 +0000

The PWA and its sailors are evolving. 2013 is set to be a year like no other; new names and new locations are already mixing up the tour, could this be the year we see the previous domination from certain riders disappear? A new generation of riders are ready to pounce and more willing than ever to do exactly what it takes to reach the top.

One event down on the PWA slalom tour and already we have a new face to watch out for: Point7’s Alberto Menegatti. We say new face, but is he really? Surely someone cannot come in and land straight at the top of the rankings? Of course not. Alberto is a very talented racer that has taken youth world titles and been in the top ten for over 10 years, so what has changed? How did 28 year old Alberto (or Bambi as he is, or maybe now was, known on tour) go from top 10 to leading from start to finish in Korea?

As you can see here it’s all about the winter training.

Like many other competitors Alberto is a natural on the water, always known for his incredible early planing and smart tactics, plus at 194cm tall he’s built to race. This alone maybe enough to win a race, but taking an event win is a whole other matter. Alberto obviously decided at the end of the 2012 season to re-evaluate his training and take an even more serious look at exactly what he needed to do to win. In came more dedicated off water training, whilst on the water El Medano bay became THE slalom training ground with bouys, starts and many, many races held in all manner of conditions.

This wasn’t just some equipment tuning with a training partner, this was day in, day out, fully focussed racing on the water complimented with a completely structured, functional training programme off the water.

In short, putting the hours into a structured, focussed training plan has clearly worked wonders.

This begs the question, if more racers adopted an increasingly serious attitude to all aspects of their training could we see some further new faces at the top of the rankings?

Alberto Menegatti Alberto Menegatti Antoine Questel Julien Quentel Bjorn Dunkerbeck Antoine Albeau Ben van der Steen

Just windsurfing isn’t enough anymore to win you need to be a true athlete, which obviously Alberto has come to realise. Who else could be at the top if they followed in his footsteps? Did the lighter winds of Korea play into Alberto’s hands, or was it a fluke win? Will Antoine and Bjorn reign supreme as the season continues?

Who do you think has the talent and determination to make it onto the podium in 2013?

And which riders have the potential but need to take a closer look at exactly how to make it to the top?

Share your views in the comments below!

Next time Boardseeker will take a look at how the 2013 PWA Wave tour is shaping up and how a whole host of new events could really shake things up at the top.

VIDEO: What is MFC to you

Editor — Thu, 09 May 2013 09:58:00 +0000

MFC have produced a clip featuring almost all their top riders tearing apart the famous Hookipa Beach park. Outstanding action, filming and edit this is certainly worth the few minutes it takes to watch, especially with the line up they managed to interview…

PWA Korea – Day 4 & 5

Editor — Wed, 08 May 2013 12:32:06 +0000

Day 4 in Korea saw all fleets take to the water and complete a number of rounds. As it stands Alberto Menegatti continues to hold his form ahead of Antoine Albeau (2nd) and Ben Van Der Steen (3rd). In the womens fleet Karin Jaggi still sits at the top after an impressive performance in all her races. Read on for the official PWA press.

Karin Jaggi in control

Day 4

The decision to hold an earlier skippers’ meeting on day four of the Ulsan PWA World Cup was duly rewarded as Jinha beach was transformed into a port tack slalom sailors playground, which allowed an epic – but grueling – eight hours of racing to be completed. The usual thermal winds – which so often grace South Korea’s number one windsurfing beach – were replaced with a frontal cross shore wind from the left. By the end of the day, two eliminations for both the men and women were completed, whilst the first round of the men’s race four was also sailed. Today’s action saw four separate winners’, firstly the two reigning world champions Antoine Albeau (RRD / NeilPryde) and Valerie Arrighetti (Tabou / Gaastra / Mystic) both claimed their first race victories of the year, before Arnon Dagan (RRD / NeilPryde) claimed his first elimination victory in four years. Unfortunately for Arrighetti, Karin Jaggi (Patrik / Severne) soon reasserted her authority over the event with another bullet. The conditions today truly showed exactly why South Korea is one of the most challenging stops on the tour… more

Jimmy Diaz

Day 5 was a long day for the crew and competitors as they remained on their toes as the wind built then dropped several times throughout the day. probably worse than a no wind forecast for those at the event as they really have to be ready for action all day long. However with tomorrow promising good wind, the final day of competition could well prove to be fruitful for those lying in the lower positions. Read on for the official PWA press.

The calm on day 5

DAY 5

A day of teasing winds – despite an unfavourable forecast – on the fifth day of the Ulsan PWA World Cup saw the sailors experience a long day on hold, but ultimately the wind never quite materialized enough to allow the competition to resume. However, the glorious sunshine returned allowing the competitors and crowds to relax on the beach. The sailors were eventually released at 4:45pm and they will now prepare themselves to battle it out on the last day of racing tomorrow – which should see an action packed day of fully charged slalom… more

The final day promises more of this

Lady Sarah Quita

Editor — Fri, 03 May 2013 09:40:28 +0000

Multiple times PWA womens freestyle and slalom champion, Sarah Quita Offringa has received perhaps her highest accolade yet. Having accepted and received her new knighthood, Lady Sarah Quita is the first female windsurfer to ever gain such recognition. We caught up with Lady SQ to get the low down about her achievement, and of course a huge congratulations from us all at Boardseeker (and Boards).

Lady SQ also looking worthy of a knighthood

“On the 1st of May I received a recognition for being 6 times world champion from the Aruban governor Fredis Refunjol with consent from Queen Beatrix of Holland.

I was knighted and am now a knight in the order of Orange Nassau. I was the youngest person to be knighted this year in the Netherlands.
It’s quite special as this was the last time Queen Beatrix would give her consent for these recognitions as she has abdicated in favor of her son King Willem-Alexander.

My parents flew in from Holland, my brother was there, many friends as well as Aruban Parliamentarians including prime minister Mike Eman.
I gave a short speech and most of all have to thank God for blessing me with all of these achievements.

Furthermore everything I achieved up until now has been because of the input of so many people! Biggest thank you goes to my parents Ruud, Esther and my brother Quincy for being my role-models in everything they do.

I actually made it on national television as well with some freestyle footage so that was cool! It would be cool to get more exposure for the sport!
I have received a massive response to all of this and can’t put in words how much I appreciate all of it!”

PWA Korea Event Preview

Editor — Thu, 02 May 2013 15:45:39 +0000

The official PWA event preview has been released, read all about what is in store below as we head into the first stage of the PWA Slalom Tour.

Event Preview: Prepare for adrenaline-fueled slalom as the PWA returns to South Korea

Between the 4th to the 10th May the opening slalom event of the year will see the fastest sailors in the world heading to South Korea’s famed Jinha beach, which is situated just half an hours drive from the bustling metropolitan city of Ulsan.

Jinha beach has quickly earned itself the reputation of being the top windsurfing destination in the country, due to it’s beautiful white sand beaches and reliable trade winds, which blow consistently between May and June. South Korea often proves to be one of the most challenging stops on the tour, which guarantees an enthralling week of warp speed slalom. Expect tempers to flare as the sailors try to take the highs with the lows.

What’s the Deal?

Seven days of fully charged slalom as the fastest sailors in the world go head-to-head in the opening slalom event of the year, as they battle it out for those crucial early season world tour points.

Ones to Watch

Men

After a long winter break it’s going to be interesting to see if anyone can break the old rearguard consisting of the reining world champion Antoine Albeau (RRD / NeilPryde) and his arch nemesis Bjorn Dunkerbeck (Starboard / Severne / Dunkerbeck Eyewear / Chris Benz) who have dominated the slalom scene in recent seasons. Dunkerbeck will be looking to exact revenge against his biggest rival, after Albeau snatched the world title from beneath the terminator’s nose in the final event of 2012.

Micah Buzianis (JP / Maui Sails) enjoyed a fantastic season in 2012 as he returned to the overall podium for the first time since 2007. The American will hold fond memories of South Korea having claimed victory here last year and he’ll be hoping he can replicate the same form again over the coming week. Buzianis has a wealth of experience and is one of the best starters on the tour, so he’ll certainly be in the thick of the action.

Julien Quentel (RRD / NeilPryde) showed his true potential over the duration of last season. Not only did Quentel demonstrate that he is one of the quickest sailors on the tour, but he also showed the level of consistency that is needed to challenge for top honors. The man from Saint Maarten enjoyed his best year to date in 2012 – claiming fourth – and he’ll now be looking to earn himself a place on the coveted podium.

After completing his winter move to Gaastra it’s going to be interesting to see how Ben van der Steen (Starboard / Gaastra / Mystic / Different) performs in the first event of the year. The flying Dutchman is without doubt one the quickest and most talented sailors on the tour, and he’ll be looking to combine his straight line speed with fully planing gybes to claim a place in the top three by the end of the week.

Josh Angulo returned to Gun Sails during the close season, after his well publicized split from them in 2011. Angulo has finished in the overall top ten for the previous two years and we see no reason for this to change. Having finished ninth in 2011 and sixth for 2012, the two times PWA wave world champion will be hoping to continue his trend of moving onwards and upwards as he goes in quest of a third world crown.

Other sailors who will all be vying for a place in the top ten come the end of the week include the ever consistent Jimmy Diaz (Starboard / North), who tends to revel in the challenging conditions that the Sea of Japan produces. France’s fiery Frenchman, Cyril Moussilmani (Starboard / Severne / Mystic) made a slow start to the season last year, but if he can show the sort of form he produced at the backend of last year, he’ll certainly be challenging for the top spots. Peter Volwater (Fanatic / Avanti) is one of the most competitive sailors on the tour and he’ll be hoping to replicate the form which saw him finish eight last season. Also the trio of Australia’s Steve Allen (Starboard / Severne), Spain’s Ludovic Jossin (Patrik / Loft Sails) and Itlay’s Alberto Menegatti (Starboard / Point-7) will all be battling it out to force their way into an extremely competitive top ten.

The main name of note missing from the men’s fleet will be Britain’s Ross Williams (Tabou / Gaastra), who finished third here last year whilst claiming seventh place overall. Williams suffered a fractured Talus (ankle bone) at the end of March, and unfortunately South Korea has come a little too soon for Williams to be able to make the inaugural slalom event of 2013.

Finally there will be a whole host of Korean and Asian sailors who have the potential to cause an upset. With their extra inside knowledge about the local conditions, there’s certainly going to be no easy races at this event.

Women

All eyes will be on the reigning world champion, Valerie Arrighetti (Tabou / Gaastra / Mystic), the French star usually excels in the challenging conditions of South Korea, which is further demonstrated by the fact she has won here for the past two seasons. Arrighetti will be determined to complete an illustrious hat-trick of event wins.

Karin Jaggi (Patrik / Severne) came as close as you can to winning the world title as she finished on equal points with Arrighetti in 2012. The Swiss Gem will be looking to exact revenge on her fierce rival. Jaggi is renowned for her outstanding top speed and silky smooth gybes, which make her a serious contender for the not just the title in South Korea, but also for the overall crown.

Lena Erdil (Patrik / Loft Sails / AL360 / Mystic) created windsurfing history last year as she became the first Turkish lady to finish in the top three overall. With an ever improving skill set and the ambition to match, Erdil will be looking to break into the illustrious top two.

Also in contention will be the youthful talent of Delphine Cousin (JP / NeilPryde). The twenty-one year old demonstrated last season her fantastically timed starts time and time again. With a little more composure over the remainder of the course Cousin could easily be challenging for podium honors come the end of the week. Finally Cagla Kubat (Starboard / Loft Sails) and Marion Mortefon (Starboard / Severne) will be hoping that they can break into the top five and above.

Due to her studying commitments the 2011 PWA Slalom world champion, Sarah-Quita Offringa (Starboard / Gaastra / Mystic / Maui Ultra Fins / Chris Benz) will unfortunately be missing from the women’s fleet, which leaves the door wide open for the rest of the women to take full advantage of her absence.

The first instalment of the PWA Slalom World Tour is just days away, so all that’s left for you to do is sit back, relax and enjoy seven days of warp speed slalom. Expect to see tempers flare as the best men and women in the world look to get off to a winning start. The PWA is also proud to announce that you’ll be able to watch the adrenaline fuelled action unfold as it happens via our live stream, which is available on the PWA TV player at www.pwaworldtour.com

VIDEO: Bonaire Boys

Editor — Thu, 02 May 2013 11:12:34 +0000

The Bonaire crew recently had a lot of success at this years PWA World Tour stop in Austria. Their flare and style impressed both on and off the water and in this next video it does exactly the same. I nice clip pieced together of the boys in training.

VIDEO: Kiri Thode Mangrove Session

Editor — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 18:09:09 +0000

Kiri Thode who showed his form in Austria this weekend by taking second place in the single elimination and third in the double has released an inspiring clip of him sailing back at home in the Mangroves. Check out the action as he rips through his usual insane repertoire of moves.

VIDEO: Starboard Phantom Action

Editor — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 08:38:42 +0000

Check out this nice action clip from Starboard highlighting the Starboard Phantom 295. A racing machine for those wishing to take up longboard course racing.

VIDEO: 2013 Starboard DVD

Editor — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 09:32:36 +0000

This one truly had us glued to our screens, nothing and we mean nothing got in the way. Check out this awesome video from Starboard, one of the worlds leading windsurfing brands stacked to the hilt with World Champions, vice World Champions and we are fairly sure future World Champions. We won’t hold you any longer, enjoy the clip and check out www.star-board.com for more.