5-SECOND SHRED | THE CLAW
5-SECOND SHRED | THE CLAW
SAM ROSS COACHING | QUICK TIPS FOR IMPROVING, WHATEVER YOUR LEVEL
No matter who you’re instructed by or who’s technique articles you read, at some point the issue of your front hand ‘Claw’ will come up.
Extend it! Straighten it! Get the rig away from you! These tips all seem to be the key to pulling off those all-important moves right the way through from waterstarts to gybes, and loops and even blasting comfortably.
But if it’s so important then why is it the first hand we let go of in some of these transitions? From the one-handed laydown to the hand-drag gybe and even flakas or shakas. It’s not so much about the front hand doing the work, but more about the front hand not messing them up.
With skills such as the waterstart and gybe we’re trying to get the rig away from us and guide it into the best position. If we have a tight grip on the boom then getting this extension becomes more and more difficult. The urge to pull and bend is sometimes overwhelming.
If you think of it like a pool cue, the front hand does the guiding, while the back hand does the work. Without a steadying front hand your pool shot would end up with a loss of control and most likely some ripped felt.
So the key, when going into moves, is to try and get out of our defensive fallback position and let the front hand get back to guiding the rig and extending effectively. To release ‘The Claw’ all we need do is loosen our grip by wiggling the fingers of the front hand.
Next time you’re blasting around or going for that move, where the front hand is all-important, don’t think about how to work it harder, but see if you can almost get it to do no work at all – by loosening your grip so it can extend in a relaxed fashion.
Until next time…
For more tricks and tips, head over to
www.sam-ross.co.uk
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Windsurf Magazine
Roseland Paddle and Sail Team 15 Event
The south west zone teams were greeted by perfect flat water, sunshine and a gentle force 2-3 as all the teams rigged and readied themselves to do battle. With such perfect conditions the course was quickly set and a briefing signalled the start of what was set to be a fantastic day on the water. What’s more, the introduction of the new ‘open fleet’ meant it wasn’t just the T15ers who were chomping at the bit to get out there as kids and parents alike donned wetsuits and headed to the start line. The conditions remained consistent for the entire day leading to some excellent races and close finishes as all competitors found their feet and start pushing for the top spots.
As the day came to a close and the dust started to settle a prize giving was called to announce who had done enough to get on the podium in their respective fleets. However after the first few podium finishes were called it quickly became apparent that the Polkerris Pirates had exceeded all expectations and blown most of their rivals out of the water (so to speak)! Incredibly when the winning team was announced it was made clear that the Pirates had won by a whopping 12 points clear of the nearest team. After never winning an interclub event before the whole team were ecstatic, setting a very high precedent for the up-n-coming events and have clearly shown themselves to be a force to be reckoned with this year! Well done all of you!
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Tushingham
A LONG STANDING HISTORY
A LONG STANDING HISTORY
PETER HART MASTERCLASS
The way we stand on a board: Has it changed? Should it change? Does it really matter? Peter Hart looks backwards, and forward at windsurfing stances.
(This Technique feature originally appeared in the March 2012 issue of Windsurf Magazine. Print and digital subscriptions for readers worldwide are available HERE.)
Here are two quotes. Your quiz question is to deduce in what possible way they might be related.
“Our youth now love luxury. They have bad manners, contempt for authority; they show disrespect for their elders and love chatter in place of exercise; they contradict their parents and tyrannize their teachers.”
… and …
“On the board, it is important to hold the mast a little to windward, keep your hips and shoulders square to the boom, resist the power and try to relax!’
To read the whole article please click below to expand or on an iPad or some Macs click here
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Windsurf Magazine
Farmoor Inland Race Series
Whilst Saturday saw plenty of juniors compete in the Team 15 event, only three stayed for the 2nd day of the UKWA event. The Inland series is a great introduction to national level racing for all ages, and the next event (at Whitwell, Rutland water) runs alongside the RYA Junior National championships, which is a perfect event for all Team 15 windsurfers. 17 young windsurfers raced in the Techno class, and the promising forecast enticed four Formula racers to the gusty lake.
With a really gusty offshore wind, it was difficult to judge the wind strength from the ‘beach’. Race officer James Palin set a box course, with the Raceboards sailing an Inner loop course, with an Outer loop for the Techno’s, and a windward/leeward for Formula. The wind was pretty strong, with some big gusts in excess of 20 knots sweeping down the course.
Tom Naylor flew past me soon after the start, but decided to take a trip to the other side of the lake, missing the layline and handing me the win. James Moon delivered a strong performance to take 3rd ahead of Rob and Annette Kent, with 15 year old Lewis Barnes delivering a solid 6th place.
I got a pretty bad start in the next race, but managed to get some good upwind speed and get the gusts and shifts right to arrive at the windward mark first and take the race, with Rob Kent in second.
After lunch, it looked like the wind had dropped, it had but there were still some pretty strong gusts coming through. I won both races, but didn’t get it all my own way; the gusty, shifty conditions causing big mix ups in the fleet each upwind leg. Downwind, some were unlucky to get stuck in a hole, whilst others could carry a gust to the leeward mark. A mixture of lots of pumping and following the gusts downwind helped me recover from some bad positions. Tom Naylor and James Moon seemed to be having their own private battle, with Tom just edging ahead in each race. Rob Kent found some good consistency, ending the day in 3rd behind Tom Naylor and ahead of James Moon. Consistency was hard to find in the tricky conditions, and whilst Tim Colles had some impressive speed to get a couple of top 6 results, Alan Jackson, Annette Kent, and Adrian Rippington fared better with their top 10 consistency.
The Techno and Formula fleets also managed 4 races, with Henry Bloodworth and James Hatcher showing the way around the course with four bullets and four seconds respectively in the Techno fleet, and Chris Bond dominating the Formulas.
The wind was much lighter and very shifty on Sunday, especially in the afternoon. I won each of the four races, with marginal winds rewarding me downwind, allowing me to make up for any mistakes on the shifty upwind legs. Rob Kent is quick in this wind, and was consistently 3rd except in the last race where he got done by a big wind shift. Tom Naylor was less consistent, but with two discards, he counted only 2nd and 3rd places to take 2nd place in the event, following his win at Rutland a few weeks ago. James Moon started the day well with a 3rd place, but couldn’t keep it up, and ended the event in fourth. Annette Kent performed well in the light winds, showing the fleet how it is done with her 8.5. It was Nick Welsh’s first time on a Raceboard, but some impressive results saw him finish first youth and 12th overall.
HB and James Hatcher were absent from the Techno fleet on Sunday, but Alice Read destroyed everyone with straight bullets to win overall as well as first 7.8 and first girl. Hugo Thomas was first 6.8, and Rebecca Kent first 6.8 girl.
Full results at https://ukwindsurfing.com/results/
Raceboard results summary:
- Louis Morris, 1st Lightweight (Tushingham XR Race 9.5/Starboard Phantom 377)
- Tom Naylor, 1st Veteran (Tushingham XR Race 9.5/Starboard Phantom 380)
- Robert Kent, 1st Master (Tushingham XR Race 9.5/Starboard Phantom 377)
1st Woman: Annette Kent, 5th overall (Tushingham XR Race 8.5/Starboard Phantom 377)
1st Senior Veteran: Alan Jackson, 6th overall (Tushingham XR 8.5/Demon 9.5/Phantom 380)
1st Heavyweight: Tim Colles, 9th overall (Tushingham XR 9.5/Phantom 380)
1st Youth: Nick Welsh, 12th overall (RSX 8.5/Phantom 380)
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Tushingham
TUSHINGHAM WINDSUP PHOTO COMPETITION
TUSHINGHAM WINDSUP PHOTO COMPETITION
To celebrate the summer weather, UK Starboard distributor Tushingham are holding a photo competition where the winner will be awarded a £100 gift voucher to redeem against any Starboard or Tushingham Sails product via their local dealer.
Entry details at the Tushingham website.
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Windsurf Magazine
WindSUP Photo Competition
The winner will receive a £100 gift voucher to redeem against any Starboard or Tushingham Sails product through their local retailer (a list of which can be seen HERE).
The rules are simple:
- The photos must include a SAIL on a SUP of some description.
- Be taken within the month of June.
- Be either your own photo or features you in the picture.
- You must have full permission to submit the photo and for this to be shared.
Entrants need to be emailed to lgreen@tushingham.com by MIDNIGHT on Sunday 30th June and the best shots will be put to a vote on our Starboard Windsurf UK Facebook page on Tuesday 2nd July 2013.
If you are new to SUP do not fear as there are a whole host of schools and centres which offer lessons or hire kit so there is no excuse not to get on the water! To find out where you can try SUP click HERE
All entrants agree to having their details stored and maybe contacted with product information in the future, these will not be shared with any other third party.
Happy Snapping!
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Tushingham
MULTI-CAM RACERS TEST
MULTI-CAM RACERS TEST
MULTI-CAM SLALOM RACING AND FREERACE SAILS TEST REVIEWS
(This feature appeared in the March ’13 issue of Windsurf Magazine. Print and digital subscriptions are available here.) Report by Dan Newman Pics Mark Kasprowicz
To run alongside our recent 2013 slalom boards test we drummed-up some suitable 7.0m cammed sails to power them through their paces.
Although some modern rotational sails roar like rockets, it’s still generally agreed that if you’re talking about all-out, top speed performance, you’re gonna need at least a couple of cambers in your luff tube to approach anything near a personal best or race-winning result.
MARGINALISED OR MAXIMISED?
With full-on speed and slalom sails requiring a pretty hard-core skillset, (coping with extra power, wide sleeves, being harder to manoeuvre to name a few) we’ve focused primarily on the ‘Freerace’ segment with a selection of sails offered for mere mortals and/or lighter sailors, plus a couple of range-leading racing models. For some brands ‘Freerace’ means a ‘de-tuned’ profile of their top-of-the-line race sail. For others it’s almost the same as the race sail, but with slightly lower spec, less sensitivity to mast choice (read cost) as well as perhaps cheaper and less breakable parts such as battens – which could be in your thinking if hitting top speeds or racing around the cans is new to you and a few crashes may be on-the-cards?
COMFORT AND JOY
Although outright speed is irreplaceable, comfort and turning ability are critical to finishing races, enduring long distance legs and, perhaps most importantly, having fun! Of course price is critical as well but control at the top-end is probably the most important factor to consider. If you’re dead-set on going as fast as possible – and having the best gear possible to use in doing so - then do consider putting some pride to one side and asking yourself the question, ‘will I do better and go faster on something easier to sail?’ And then go to a demo day and test out the theory.
TAKE THE FRIGGING OUT OF THE RIGGING
Rigging one of these beasts can be a little tricky and maybe cause you to get a little sweat on or maybe even curse a little. It’s never going to be as quick as rigging a rotational but it’s not too complicated either and, with a little practise, it shouldn’t take too long at all. In most cases there are some great tuning and rigging instructions on each sailmaker’s website.
Here are a few general tips on how to rig cambered sails successfully.
- Sleeve the mast, without engaging the cams
- Apply minimum down-haul and attach the boom
- Apply full outhaul
- Undo cam zips if fitted
- Push the cams into place
- Zip-up the pockets to prevent water flooding sleeve
- Downhaul fully and make final tweaks
MAST CHOICES
Choosing the correct mast for the job is always a very important factor and critical for how a sail will work. When it comes to high performance gear like this it‘s even more important, so, to get the most out of your sail, investing in the highest quality mast available is very important – although as we mentioned earlier, some of these sails are less sensitive and forgiving to mast choice. All of the sails we have tested here were supplied to us with 100% carbon masts, which is vital for us to get the very best out of them and push them to the absolute limit. Put simply, we’d urge you to consider the most-recommended mast with virtually any sail you buy.
PROCESS
Once we’ve unpacked the gear we get onto making our observations, weighing and measuring each sail and then rigging them ready for action, first of all according to the recommended settings. You can read about the chosen location in Dahab and the test team used in the boards test introduction in this issue.
RESULTS
We had an interesting range of models (ranging from 7.0 to 7.5) in this test. Five are ‘full-on’ models (Gaastra Vapor, Point-7 AC-1 2K13, Naish Bullet, Tushingham X-15 and RRD Firewing), of which, only the Gaastra and Point-7 have any current PWA racing pedigree. (RRD are a ‘registered brand’ on the tour but as we go to press we are unsure if the Firewing will be registered to race in 2013.) The Simmer 2XC was a bit of a ‘misfit’ in that it’s a twin cam and Simmer do manufacture a ‘detuned’ version of the SCR racing sail (the SCS) as well but we couldn’t get one in the correct size this time around but you might be surprised at the 2XC’s performance. (Look out for the upcoming test of a larger SCS in April though!) One more point was that the Severne Overdrive was noticeable larger than the others at 7.5. All-in-all however we think there’s an option for everyone in this selection, from lightweights to PWA-esque monsters, step-ups for freeriders and all-out speed strip drag racers. Read on and take your pick! DN
READ THE INDIVIDUAL REPORTS!
Gaastra Vapour 7.1
Naish Bullet 7.0
North Ram F13 7.0
NeilPryde H2 Racing 7.2
Point 7 AC-1 7.2
RRD Firewing 7.0
Severne Overdrive 7.5
Simmer 2XC 7.1
Tushingham X-15 7.0
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Windsurf Magazine
2013 TUSHINGHAM X-15 7.0M
2013 TUSHINGHAM X-15 7.0M
2013 TUSHINGHAM X-15 7.0M TEST REVIEW REPORT
The low-down
The X-15 is Tushingham’s dedicated speed and slalom sail range that’s featured in the line-up for a number of seasons and benefited from constant developments year-on-year.
At-a-glance
Seven battens with three micro battens and four cams
Moderate width luff sleeve
Large clear film window
Tack pulley
Dacron sleeve
Square low cut foot
Higher aspect shape
Padded tack fairing
Two outhaul options
X-ply reinforcement in critical areas
Progressive leech twist
Rigging
Largely due to the narrow sleeve the X-15 is easy to rig considering it’s a 4-cam race sail. Tush supply a comprehensive tuning guide which is helpful as the sail is designed to work with two of their recommended masts (one for top-end and downwind performance and the other for low-end and acceleration) but for most conditions it’s best tweaked largely using the outhaul. We tested the sail with the Ultimate Pro 100% carbon mast that’s intended more for all-round slalom use rather than all-out speed sailing.
Performance
Feeling neutral and light in the hands the X-15 has impressive low-down torque for early planing that would also be useful to drive wider boards than most we had on test. We found it stable at the top end and capable of pulling some serious high speeds when pushed. The wind range is impressive and, with a bit of fine tuning, it covers a wide variety of conditions. The light handling comes into its own when gybing, the higher aspect shape (one of the shortest boom lengths on test) being easy to flick around aided by a smooth rotation, ready for rapid acceleration onto the next straight.
The Verdict
The X-15 is a very competitive speed and slalom race sail that delivers extremely easily accessible top performance to all riders. It is one of the easiest sails to use – which for many will directly translate into faster reaches. Suitable for all levels of racers and freeriders hungry for some extra speed and power.
READ THE OTHER REPORTS!
Gaastra Vapour 7.1
Naish Bullet 7.0
North Ram F13 7.0
NeilPryde H2 Racing 7.2
Point 7 AC-1 7.2
RRD Firewing 7.0
Severne Overdrive 7.5
Simmer 2XC 7.1
TEST OVERVIEW PAGE
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Windsurf Magazine
BEGINNERS & KIDS WINDSURFING
As part of our initiative to get more people into windsurfing, Simon Bornhoft Windwise have kicked off the first of their beginner & kids windsurfing courses.
It’s great to see so many newbies getting into the sport and learning to windsurf.
If you want to find out how you can get into windsurfing or want to introduce a friend to windsurfing, get in contact with www.windwise.net to find out the fastest way to improve and have a great time!
Check out this link for more photos! http://www.windwise.net/news-latest/267-women-childrens-windsurfing-courses
For a windsurfing holiday that gives your windsurfing a serious boost check out www.windwise.net
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Tushingham
UK DAYS ARE GO
Over the last few weeks we’ve been really busy with our Improver, Intermediate, Advanced and WaveWise courses with a real mix of conditions and some pretty determined action on the water. From super high wind control, waves, jumps, survival gybes and fine tuning the intricacies of hovering, positioning, tacking and helicopter tacking short boards, we covered a lot in a short space of time. We’ve also had some lighter wind courses, but have always made the most of the conditions with masses of skills training and sowing the seeds for higher wind mastery!
Check out more photos @ http://www.windwise.net/news-latest/264-uk-days-are-go
To find out more on Simon Bornhoft future UK windsurfing courses and holidays go to www.windwise.net
Windwise client Brian Lindley carves a mean arc with his Storm 6m!
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Tushingham