PWA - Finally Some Wind!

Hi
Today, (day 4 of the first event) the wind finally came through in Reggio at around 16:30.  Mens heats 1 to 13 were successfully staged before the wind finally died cutting heat 14 short.  The surviving sailors who will be in the winner/loser finals are as follows (in no particular order) - Van der Steen, Diethelm, Menegatti, Albeau, Diaz, Volwater, Questel, Costa Hoevel, Dagan, Toselli, Angulo, Dunkerbeck and Quentel.  Micah had a DNF in the first round (big sail too small Micah?) and Cyril also went out (big surprise because he usually shines in light winds)

Steve Allen, Bora Kozanoglu and Taty Frans were all disqualified in the late stages of the racing.  All over early and every one of them on a Starboard ISonic 117 Wide.  This is an interesting board - very thin, very wide for its volume and extremely light.  The acceleration of the board off the mark is explosive and this must make it really difficult to judge one's start when in the company of normal big slalom machines.  Real bad luck for these guys today but a useful demonstration for anyone looking for a light wind rocket ship.  One awesome and special board - thank you Starboard!

Another point of interest is the performance of the Point 7 AC1 Race sail with both Josh Angulo and Pascal Toselli stamping their authority on their respective heats.  I am a little disappointed with the performance of the new Avanti sails but both riders are through to the finals (no mean feat) so let's wait and see.

These are early days in the tour of course and all manner of place changes will occur as the racing continues over the coming months.

   

Speak to you soon

PWA Tour - First Event

Hi
The PWA tour has kicked off in Reggio in Calabria, Italy.  This is the first time that the small town has staged the event and there is much excitement.  They have kicked off with celebrations, dedicated a website for the occasion and have even issued a commemorative postage stamp to honor the event.  The crowds have arrived and an army of windsurfing's best are poised with mountains of kit.

The problem is that the wind has not arrived.  The same wind that blows every year at this time without fail has simply switched off.  This will not surprise any seasoned windsurfer of course.  We've all seen it before - a well planned event squashed by the fickle wind.

There were no heats yesterday and nothing so far today but I am told that the forecast for the rest of the day looks a bit better.  We can only hope because this year promises to be a really fascinating tour and one really hopes for a good first race.  I can't wait and will report back on the various heats should they occur.

Our wind here in Langebaan seems to be in sympathy with the conditions in Reggio.  It is following exactly the same pattern so I can't even go out for a sail.

Talk to you soon  

My Top Sailors For 2012 and Their Equipment Choices

Here are my top sailors for this year's PWA tour.  The table is a bit clumsy because it is copied from an Excel spreadsheet and format, colors, structure etc are lost when you do this.  You can still work your way back and forth.  Use the bar at the foot of the page (if you need to) to get to the sail sizes registered by each sailor.  I have a problem with the sizes registered by Micah Buzianis.  You will note that he has both a 6.6m and a 6.3m sail in his quiver.  This restricts the number of big sails he is able to include.  Compare his quiver to Finian's.  Finian starts at 6.1, goes on to 6.9, 7.7 etc and is able to include a 10m size at the top.  So many sailors drop out of heats in light winds when they fall off the plane at a gybe.  A big sail has to be a good thing to have for light days.

Notice that all of the Tabou sailors have included the new 71/113 Manta as their mid size board.

This section divides the sailors up according to the boards they are on
Sailor	Sail No	Board	Board Volumes and Width				Sail	Sail Sizes Registered for the 2012 Tour
Micah Buzianis	USA-34	JP Slalom 8 12	96      59	108    66	130    78		Maui Sails TR8 12	6.3	6.6	7.0	7.6	8.4	9.2
Ben vd Steen	NED-57	Starboard IS 12	87       57	107    69	127     85		Loft Racing Blade 12	5.6	6.3	7.0	7.8	8.6	9.5
Cyril Moussilmani	F-71	Starboard IS 12	87       57	107    69	127     85		Severne Reflex 3 12	5.6	6.2	7.0	7.8	8.6	9.6
Bjorn Dunkerbeck	SUI-11	Starboard IS 12	87       57	107    69	127     85		Severne Reflex 3 12	5.6	6.2	7.0	7.8	8.6	9.6
Alberto Menegatti	ITA-4	Starboard IS 12	87       57	107    69	127     85		Gaastra Vapor 12	5.7	6.4	7.1	7.9	8.6	9.5
Ludo Jossin	E-12	Patrik SL 12	92       59	115    69	135     83		Loft Racing Blade 12	5.6	6.3	7.0	7.8	8.6	9.5
Ross Williams	GBR-83	Tabou Manta 12	86       59	113    71	134     84		Gaastra Vapor 12	5.4	6.4	7.1	7.9	8.6	9.5
Sylvain Moussilmani	F-7	Tabou Manta 12	95       61	113    71	134     84		Simmer SCR 12	5.5	6.2	7.0	7.8	8.6	9.5
Benoit Moussilmani	F-1	Tabou Manta 12	95       61	113    71	134     84		Simmer SCR 12	5.5	6.2	7.0	7.8	8.6	9.5
Peter Volwater	H-24	Fanatic Falcon 12	89       59	113    69	140     85		Avanti Machine 12	5.5	6.1	6.9	7.7	8.5	9.4
Pierre Mortefon	FRA-14	Fanatic Falcon 12	89       59	113    69	140     85		NS Warp 12	5.7	6.3	7.0	7.8	8.6	9.4
Antoin Albeau	F-192	RRD XFire V4 12	98       62	114    70	129     85		NP RSR Evo4 12	5.8	6.4	7.0	7.8	8.6	9.5
Finian Maynard	KV-11	RRD Xfire V4 12	98       62	114    70	129     85		Avanti Machine 12	6.1	6.9	7.7	8.5	9.4	10.0
Josh Angulo	CV-11	Angulo Magnum 12	92       60	112    71	132    84		Point 7 AC1 12	5.6	6.3	7.2	7.9	8.6	9.3
This section includes exactly the same names as above but divides the sailors up according to the sail brands they use.
Sailor	Sail No	Board	Board Volumes and Width				Sail	Sail Sizes Registered for the 2012 Tour
Micah Buzianis	USA-34	JP Slalom 8 12	96       59	108    66	130     78		Maui Sails TR8 12	6.3	6.6	7.0	7.6	8.4	9.2
Ben vd Steen	NED-57	Starboard IS 12	87       57	107    69	127     85		Loft Racing Blade 12	5.6	6.3	7.0	7.8	8.6	9.5
Ludo Jossin	E-12	Patrik SL 12	92       59	115    69	135     83		Loft Racing Blade 12	5.6	6.3	7.0	7.8	8.6	9.5
Bjorn Dunkerbeck	SUI-11	Starboard IS 12	87       57	107    69	127     85		Severne Reflex 3 12	5.6	6.2	7.0	7.8	8.6	9.6
Cyril Moussilmani	F-71	Starboard IS 12	87       57	107    69	127     85		Severne Reflex 3 12	5.6	6.2	7.0	7.8	8.6	9.6
Alberto Menegatti	ITA-4	Starboard IS 12	87       57	107    69	127     85		Gaastra Vapor 12	5.7	6.4	7.1	7.9	8.6	9.5
Ross Williams	GBR-83	Tabou Manta 12	86       59	113    71	134     84		Gaastra Vapor 12	5.4	6.4	7.1	7.9	8.6	9.5
Sylvain Moussilmani	F-7	Tabou Manta 12	95       61	113    71	134     84		Simmer SCR 12	5.5	6.2	7.0	7.8	8.6	9.5
Benoit Moussilmani	F-1	Tabou Manta 12	95       61	113    71	134     84		Simmer SCR 12	5.5	6.2	7.0	7.8	8.6	9.5
Peter Volwater	H-24	Fanatic Falcon 12	89       59	113    69	140     85		Avanti Machine 12	5.5	6.1	6.9	7.7	8.5	9.4
Finian Maynard	KV-11	RRD Xfire V4 12	98       62	114    70	129     85		Avanti Machine 12	6.1	6.9	7.7	8.5	9.4	10.0
Antoin Albeau	F-192	RRD XFire V4 12	98       62	114    70	129     85		NP RSR Evo4 12	5.8	6.4	7.0	7.8	8.6	9.5
Pierre Mortefon	FRA-14	Fanatic Falcon 12	89       59	113    69	140     85		NS Warp 12	5.7	6.3	7.0	7.8	8.6	9.4
Josh Angulo	CV-11	Angulo Magnum 12	92       60	112    71	132     84		Point 7 AC1 12	5.6	6.3	7.2	7.9	8.6	9.3

Previous Post, New Sail, Gybe Tips and PWA Thoughts

Hi
Andy has corrected me on a statement I made last time regarding him being untouchable on his Reflex2/69 Manta/39 Select S11.  He reminds me that 2 of the other local power sailors are far from easy to keep pace with.  One is Hennie, a world class sailor and the other is Harry, a force of nature.  Both of these guys are extremely strong, very heavy and really talented in wild conditions.  I will re-phrase my comment to "Andy is untouchable by normal human windsurfers"

I purchased a 6.4m Gaastra Cross yesterday as the start of my crusade against cambered sails for recreational sailors like me.  I spent much of the day tuning, tweaking and sailing with different equipment combinations.  This is a fine sail as I knew it would be and I had a lot of fun despite being underpowered at times.  I rigged the sail on a Fiberspar 430 Radius RDM mast which has always worked well on my Remedy 6.0.  I'm not sure whether this is the right mast for the Cross however and will need to do some comparisons with other masts when the wind blows again.  The new sail felt a bit heavy in the hands initially but lightened up with a bit more downhaul.  This removes power of course so my feeling is that it will be a higher wind sail than I initially thought.  In the gusts the sail was really easy and fast so I'm pretty satisfied.

The new Crosses are very cool and actually look better in the flesh than in photos.  Stunning graphics!

I had planned to replace my beloved North Ram 7.8m with a new Gaastra Savage 7.8m to continue the no camber journey but I have chickened out a bit for now.  The Ram is such a fine sail and so easy to use - I don't want to spend a whole lot of money just to be disappointed.  I am still considering the Savage but will need to think a bit.

A group of local windsurfers went out for dinner and drinks the other evening to a nearby game lodge and the conversation turned to matters of a windsurfing nature (surprise).  Grant is busy working on his gybes and mentioned that he has been advised to enter the gybe with his front hand in the palm-down position as opposed to his normal palm up grip.  This is absolutely right and was good advice.  Remember that one of the corner stones of a successful gybe is continuous mast foot pressure and this is achieved by pulling down on the boom with the front hand (elbows down!).  You can't really pull down on the boom with your palm facing up.  Pushing down with the front hand has other benefits as well.  It makes you bring your weight forward - another requirement for a successful planing gybe.  Transform your gybes by rotating your front hand 180 degrees!  Bargain.

On the PWA front I'm noticing some power pairs developing in the various sail and board constructor camps.  You have Bjorn and Cyril on Severne Reflex3's.  An awesome pair.  You have Antoine and Finian on RRD X-Fires.  The new Avanti sail brand has Finian and Peter Volwater.  Fascinating stuff.  The brands who have lost talent are Pryde (Micah joins Maui Sails), JP who lose Antoine and North who lose Cyril and (maybe less significantly) Patrik Diethelm.  Loft have one shining star in Ben van der Steen and I will be watching this guy with interest through the heats.  He is a phenomenal sailor and is currently on some of the best kit out there.  Gaastra seem to have adopted a slightly different approach.  None of their guys are currently top sailors but they are young, really talented and any of them could win any slalom race on the day.  Maybe a longer term approach?  I keep expecting the other two Moussilmani brothers to leave Simmer and join Gaastra but they seem to be hanging in there.  I must say I would miss the two green sails in the heats if they ever left Simmer.

That's all for now.  Our wind is quickly backing off now as winter approaches so any decent breeze is a bonus.    

News and Some Gybing Tips

Hi
Sorry for the break but I have been pre-occupied with other things.  We have had some really good wind for slalom lately which is lucky given that our sailing season is drawing to a close here.  Winter is just round the corner.  The Reflexes have been out in force and giving a good account of themselves (for the most part).  Andy has developed some abnormally fast speeds in overpowered conditions on his Manta 69/110 with Reflex2 7.8 and Select S11 39cm fin.  He has optimized all of the settings for his style and abilities and is currently untouchable in strong wind.  Nice to see.

The three bits of news are as follows:

The new Vmax slalom fins from Select seemed to be priced from 20% to 26% higher than the equivalent S12's.  This is based on a few of the European websites offering Select products.  I can't comment on the performance of the new fins but if I can get my hands on one I will report back.

Josh Angulo has left Gun Sails to join Point-7.  A good move for both Josh and for Point-7 I think.

Patrik Diethelm has joined forces with Loft Sails.

Gybing Tips

We all know how a gybe is meant to work and most of us will have purchased instructional videos to help us with the various steps so I will not restate all of the points.  What I would like to do is to concentrate on two aspects of the gybe which most of us tend to do poorly even though we know about them.  I have made a point lately, of observing closely the gybes of struggling gybers and also paying attention to my own gybes and this brings me to these two points:

We all know that a successful step gybe requires one to enter at speed, commit the inside rail to initiate the turn (bend knees, pull down on the boom to retain mast foot pressure, keep front arm straight etc), switch feet, flip the sail and exit.  What I observe even from some experienced sailors is a failure at the stage of the foot switch and this causes the gybe to break down and stall.  The thing that is often not done properly is the flaring of the sail before the step and flip.  Every one of the instructional videos mention the need to flare the sail as soon as one is moving downwind but somehow most of us don't concentrate on this aspect.  As you get downwind you must swing the rig towards the outside of the turn.  This gives you the space to step and also seems to provide some balance during the transition.

The other aspect is the bending of the knees to initiate and maintain the banking needed to turn smoothly.  I looked at a recent photo of myself gybing and my knees were nowhere near to being properly bent.  I spent some time concentrating on this aspect and the improvement was immediate.

The bending of the knees is self explanatory and just needs you to concentrate on it.  If you need to watch some really good sailors flaring nicely in their gybes go to the Loftsails website and watch the video called "Tarifa March Slalom with the Team".  Turn the backing music track off so that you can concentrate on the moves and watch for the rig flares in the gybes (minutes 1:08, 1:46, 1:57, 2:11 etc)

On the subject of Loft Sails, their 2012 slalom sails look really hot I have to say.  I started paying attention to Loft last year when Ludo Jossin and Antoine Questel started featuring in the heats.  Ben van der Steen had joined Loft at that time and kicked everyone's ass in one of the finals.  The sails had clearly come of age and are now a force on the tour.  The 2012 Racing Blade just looks right to me.  Loft sails are not sold here but if you have never considered the brand and happen to live in a part of the world serviced by them and you are looking for something a bit different then you may want to have a look at these sails.  Monty Spindler is one of the grand masters of windsurfing sail design and knows what he is doing.  I like the fact that all their race sails can be rigged on RDM masts (with the option of rigging on SDM if you prefer).  I don't like the fact that they don't post any weights for their sails, masts or booms in their published spec sheets but this is my only niggle.  Their freeride sail (Oxygen) looks extremely tasty.

Talk to you soon.