North-Windsurf.com - News Feed

NEW VIDEO - NORTH SAILS FREESYTLE TEAM IN BRAZIL

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 13:29:00 +0100

Gollito Estredo, Max Rowe and Andre Pakowski ripping in Brazil. After having entered NorthSails international team, Max Rowe is pushing it on another level.

Watch now!

Video: Max Rowe

Editing: Josh Willmot

Getting Prepared for 2012

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 13:19:00 +0100

New video clip of our Austrian team rider Marco Lang (AUT 66) in Denmark and Teneriffe. Training hard and Getting prepared for 2012.
Check out the full clip!

Get more information on Marco Lang and the NorthSails Team, click here!

GPS Speedsurfing

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 10:23:00 +0100

The latest British GPS Speed Championship event in West Kirby, on Saturday, January 21st: Jim Crossley blasts with 46,4 knots (max. speed) on his 5.2 WARP and manages to reach 6th place in 2012 world rankings (14th in "all-time" speed rankings). Nice work Jim!

For further information on Jim and the British GPS Speed Championshiop, visit: http://www.gps-speedsurfing.com/?mnu=user&val=93140&uid=4275

Buenos Aires - River Surfing

Mon, 16 Jan 2012 10:13:00 +0100

"...loving the summer and the windy afternoons here in the river back home in Buenos Aires. Most of all, loving to be on the water with my new sails and boards, and tunning with my friends..."

..states Gonzalo as he blasts down the river on the 9,4 WARP F2012 and a FALCON 140.

"So far i am really surprised on the performance of the 9.4. The sail has unreal belly and is super balanced, the low end was improved a lot without compromising the high end. Still the 7.8 is to me the best sail, it has a huge range and very good speed on both ends of the range. I just love this size, it goes great on my 113 Falcon. in general I think that the improvements are considerable. The feel is very compact, stable and balanced. The rotation is unreal this year."

See here for all technical details

BIG DAY AT JAWS - EXCLUSIVE PICTURES!

Thu, 12 Jan 2012 15:25:00 +0100

Connor Baxter: "This was by far one of the better days out at Jaws. It started off with waking up super early and heading down to the harbor and loaded up all the gear on the ski. Then it was about a 45min drive up to Jaws. Once we got there, there was not much wind so we waited and watch the surfers catch some bombs. When the wind finally came up I rigged up my 4.7 ego North sail and went out. It was just Kai Lenny and me for a little bit by ourselves. It was a lot of fun out there and I caught a few bombs so I was stoked."

Pictures: Darrell Wong

NEW WARP F2012 OUT NOW!

Tue, 03 Jan 2012 15:45:00 +0100

The brand new WARP F2012 is out now! The ultimate World Cup Racing weapon is now available for you. The NorthSails R&D Team has been able to push the limits and to further improve the performance of the WARP F2012.

New features like a PRONOUNCED PROFILE DEPTH AT THE LEADING EDGE as well as a BALANCED.PROFILE.DISTRIBUTION enhance the sails performance through a better rotation of the cams, a higher low-end power and better acceleration after the jibe.

Check out the video here.

VICTOR'S MAUI SUMMARY

Tue, 03 Jan 2012 10:54:00 +0100

Check out the video on Victor Fernandez' trip to Maui.
After having spent two intense months of sailing in paradise, Victor Fernandez is finally back home and now preparing for his next trip. We are all looking forward to that and keep expecting even more action! As usual Victor's trips are full of incredible action, excitement and amazing pictures. For the new year, Victor has big plans and we are certain to hear a lots of him this 2012. Thanks, Victor. Stay tuned!

Check out the video!

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Sun, 01 Jan 2012 11:13:00 +0100

We would like to wish a happy and windy 2012 to all Windsurfers out there. We are looking forward to a windy new season full of news and surprises. Stay updated!

WARP F2012 TESTING

Tue, 20 Dec 2011 10:14:00 +0100

Marco Lang and Gunnar Asmussen testing the brand new WARP F2012 on Tenerife. Both were stoked of the sails' speed and performance. The WARP F2012 is coming soon to the stores.

To keep on track with the latest happenings, videos and pictures, follow us on facebook.

MOVE OF THE WEEK

Tue, 20 Dec 2011 09:46:00 +0100

Victor Fernandez' move of the week. Tweaked Air during a session on Maui.

JAPAN: POST TSUNAMI SCENE

Mon, 12 Dec 2011 09:39:00 +0100

Team Rider Jesper Vesterstrøm reporting from the 2011 Baien Cup. Since sales of Windsurfing in Japan having dropped dramatically after the Tsunami, this years' event can still be seen as a success, under the Motto "Pray for Japan" - to give tribute to what has happened.

Read the full report. Click here.

ANDRE PASKOWSKI CHARITY PROMOTION

Thu, 08 Dec 2011 13:48:00 +0100

Andre Paskowksi is now supporting the cancer charity of "House of Hope" - helping children who suffer from cancer. From each sold canvas print-out he will donate €30,00 to one of their projects. Right at the moment they are supporting Mohammed Kawser, a kid from Sri Lanka that needs treatment right away:http://www.houseofhope.de/en;projects-save-life;d:2453.htm
Check out and order the prints at: www.mindswideopenmovie.com

New Youth World Champion: Alice Arutkin!!

Wed, 16 Nov 2011 09:33:00 +0100

Our team rider Alice managed to win the PWA Wave U20 title!

Congratulations!! This year Alice excelled in wave sailing competitions as well as in slalom racing alike. She is a high potential windsurfer and we are certain that she will rule womans's competition in the future.

Laure's latest training session in Dahab

Tue, 15 Nov 2011 08:46:00 +0100

Check ou the video! Our team rider Laure Treboux showing some amazing freestyle in Dahab. She definitely skilled up and keeps training hard.

We think: The upcoming Freestyle Champ to be! Watch the full video here and get your own opinion.

ANDRE BACK IN ACTION!!!

Thu, 10 Nov 2011 09:45:00 +0100

We are very happy to see Andre back on the board! See the pics of his latest days of action in Brazil..

Jesper wins Australian Formula Series Event

Wed, 26 Oct 2011 13:48:00 +0200

Escaping the colder weather in Scandinavia I decided to migrate down under and spend summer in some warmer weather. Not only is it warmer its windy every day and it’s great for windsurfing. The 2nd event of the year was held south of Sydney in Jervis bay and the place is great for windsurfing. A big piece of water with challenging conditions, whales and sharks – yep that’s Australia for ya! We had 2 days and 30 people signed up to compete. Some where on the new 2012 boards and there is certainly a big improvement on the boards for the coming season. Next big question is what’s going to happen on the sails for 2012.
After 6 races and winning all of them over the 2 days – it was time to head home to Sydney and watch the Rugby semifinal between the Wallabies and the All Blacks – what a game that was, just another perfect weekend of sailing in Australia. I was using my 12 North Formula throughout the event and was having a pretty good lead to the people behind. Next stop Geraldton for some wave sailing and then a competition in Japan waits in the beginning of November.
Follow the formula tour "Downunder" - tour.windsurfingnsw.com

Cheers
DEN111/ JESPER VESTERSTRØM

Congrats for that from the whole North Team!!!

GERMAN FREESTYLE CHAMPION 2011: FABIAN WEBER

Wed, 12 Oct 2011 15:15:00 +0200

The Rollei Bullet HD Freestyle DM 2011 took place last Saturday in Stein/Laboe (Germany) during a 7 bft autumn storm. 17 competitors from whole Germany came to the Baltic sea coast to nominate the 2011 Freestyle Champ. NorthSails/Fanatic teamrider Fabi Weber (G-999) took the German Title in the Single- and Double Elimination. Fabi eventually won the final against Mathias Genkel (GER-984, Patrik Boards, Sailloft) showing the best repertoire on Freestyle tricks. Congratulations Blondie, we love you all!!!

NORTHSAILS APP UPDATE!

Wed, 05 Oct 2011 13:54:00 +0200

NEW WALLPAPERS:

Download the hottest 2012 Windsurf pictures to use as your personal wallpaper.

NEW LOCATOR:

Find all NorthSails dealers around you. Find all NorthSails centers world wide. Now with search function!

NEW SAILRANGE ONLINE:

Find the tech specs of all our products of the last 3 years within a blink of an eye.

NEW WIND-O-METER:

Measure the wind by using your iphone, Wonder how? Then try it...

Follow or become part of the NorthSails Social Media world! Browse through our YouTube channel, the Facebook page and Twitter without having to leave the App.

CONVERTER:

Knots vs. beaufort, meter vs. inch - want to know what others are talking about? Just use our Universal Converter!

PACKING LIST:

Never arrive at the beach with a missing rope or screw. With our unique Packing List function that's a thing of the past!

PUSH NEWS:

Be the first to get the latest news directly onto your iPhone via Push-Notification! Stay up to date on what is happening in the NorthSails world. Team riders, photoshoots, products and much more!

DOWNLOAD

Racing, Performance and Crossover sails 2012 are online

Wed, 05 Oct 2011 10:22:00 +0200

BACK TO THE SAILS is our challenge for new sails concepts, innovative profiles, more power, playful handling and significant improvements down to the last detail. That goes for all sails of the new collection! In particularly we have worked on the weight, making all sails around 10% lighter without sacrificing durability. Proven also in 2012 through the unique NorthSails 5.YEAR.WARRANTY. Check out all new sails here:

The biggest downwind race in the Northern Hemisphere - WaterZ 2011

Wed, 14 Sep 2011 00:07:00 +0200

WaterZ is the biggest event in Denmark and held on the west coast. This is the 2nd year and the numbers of competitors are still increasing. More than 300 sailors (windsurfers and kitesurfer s) showed up to participate in the Marathon running from "Hvide Sande" to Rinkøbing. Its a 30 km stretch. Basically it´s a rabbit start and the Kitesurferes were on the left getting of the line first and then the windsurfers 10 seconds after the jet-skies past. It was a huge show. 1000 of people on the beach, 300 sailors in the water, Helicopters and boats to follow. The wind was up and down but settled nice for the start and we had about 14-16 knots around the course. The fog hit the waterZ and we had to follow a boat from mark to mark, making it all quite intense but it was great fun.

I got of the start okay, some sailors where in front but passed them quickly. I was on my Warp2011 10.0 and my 137 iSonic and had really good speed. Ross Williams (GBR83) was also in the race and a strong contender for the tittle and it also showed to be neck to neck to with Ross the whole way. He had a small lead and we had the same speed and nothing changed for 20 minutes - except that we got more and more drained for energy since we where both pushing hard to take the lead. In the end it was Ross who took the win and I came in 2nd. It was a full on race and after getting over the finish line we had to sit for a while before going back upwind for about 40 minutes - killer.
Just to mention - the first kitesurfer finished a long time after the 1st. windsurfer :-) , however they tried hard to beat us.

The whole WaterZ event was an event held over 3 days and included a lot of activities such as SUP, Surfing, Great food, Live Band, Big Saturday night party etc. YOu simply don't get bored.
The main sponsor of the event was VESTAS which is one of the biggest producers of windmills in the world and located right a Rinkøbing Fjord where the event was held and I hope they continue to support the event among with others such as North Sails.

It was a amazing event and I will for sure be back next year - to claim 1st place :-)
1. Ross Williams GBR83 - Gaastra/Tabou
2. Jesper Vesterstrøm DEN111 - North/ Starboard
3. Nikolai Kruppa DEN4 - Neilpryde/Starboard

Here are some links if you are thinking of going next year.

www.waterz.dk
www.riders.dk

Jesper Vesterstrøm DEN111

DID YOU EVER DREAM ABOUT WINDSURFING IN WAVES?!

Mon, 12 Sep 2011 10:24:00 +0200

Jumping, riding and enjoying the ultimate thrill of our sport? Here is your last chance for 2011. There are only a couple of spaces left on the hugely successful WAVE SPECIAL with Pro Trainer Tom Brendt. The windsurfing camp will be held at FBC MOULAY directly at this fantastic wave spot, where you will learn everything you need to windsurf with confidence and style in waves. The camp is open to all who can waterstart on a short board and complete their jibes once in a while! FBC Moulay is the perfect playground with plenty of easy waves for all styles and aspirations. Don’t miss out, book now and get ready to fly!

The camp is open to all who can waterstart on a short board and complete their jibes once in a while! FBC Moulay is the perfect playground with plenty of easy waves for all styles and aspirations. Don’t miss out, book now and get ready to fly!

Date: 21st September – 26th September.

All Info HERE

Bookings: travel@fanatic-boarderscenter.com

Tel: +49 (0)881 909 60150

Gunnar Asmussen leads the DWC

Fri, 26 Aug 2011 11:10:00 +0200

A succesfull start in the new DWC season 2011/2012 was experienced by the competitors of the German Windsurf Cup last weekend in Eckernförde. Due to good wind conditions and great weather three slalom eliminations and four Formula races took place. Overall Winner of the event is International NorthSails teamrider Gunnar Asmussen from Flensburg (GER-88, F2, North). "It was a difficult event, gusty and shifty winds brought us some hard conditions, but my gear works pretty perfect, so it made it a little bit easier for me. I’m very happy to win the contest and lead the German Championsship 2011/2012 now." Congratulations from the whole team, Gunnar!

Mission XL

Fri, 19 Aug 2011 13:08:00 +0200

The upcomig weekend 20 & 21 August 2011 Boardguru organises the MissionXL, one of the biggest amateur windsurf events in the world, held at the Kabbelaarsbank, at the Sail and Surf Centre Brouwersdam, Netherlands. The event is open for all ages and will be held with the Olympic spirit in mind: participating is more important than winning. The course sailed is a downwind slalom format, the rules are easy: just go for it, jibe and get your way to the finish line! For non-participants the event will certainly also be interesting: during the whole weekend the brand new 2012 windsurf equipment of the finest brands (Fanatic, North, ION, NP, JP, Unifiber, Select, Mystic, Quatro, Ezzy, F2, Choco Fins, Gaastra and Tabou) will be available for testing and teamriders will be on site to answer all questions about the new gear.
The event will be attended by many professional windsurfers amongst whom Gollito Estredo, Laure Treboux, Tonky Frans, PWA World Freestyle Champions 2011 Steven van Broeckhoven and Sarah-Quita Offringa, Peter Volwater, Dani Aeberli, Davy Scheffers, Pieter Bijl, Maarten van Ochten, Paul Boef. Of course national top riders from Holland and Belgium will attend to. In the Battle of Giants the pros will show all the latest moves. Who jumps the highest, who does the best move, who crashes his entire windsurf kit? The first day of the event will be finished off in style with a BBQ and a big party. The next day it is back to business with another series of racing and battles.
Registration for MissionXL is possible via www.the-mission.eu, Tombola, BBQ and a bag full of goodies, on site the fee is 40 euros. The program of The Mission starts the 20th of August at 11:00 with skippers-meeting and presentation of the Pro Riders, onsite registration is possible from 9.00 until 10.30. More info about the event can be found at www.facebook.com/missionXL.

You can’t windsurf? No problem, during the weekend you can get free introduction lessons at various times.

See you at The Mission!

Job offer at NorthSails International

Thu, 11 Aug 2011 15:17:00 +0200

NorthSails and Fanatic want to strengthen their marketing teams! If you're interested, check out the complete job offers here:

www.boards-and-more.com

Laure Treboux Interview!

Tue, 26 Jul 2011 15:15:00 +0200

Laure Treboux is definitly one of the best Freestyle Windsurfers in the world and guess what, she’s from Switzerland! In Bonaire and Aruba (the first two stops of the womens freestyle tour) she’s got two second places. And since we made this interview she allready competed in two other events. In Pozo she was not so happy with her Result, but in Teneriffe she did really good and got 5the in the waves. Right now she is competing in Fuerte and got second in the first single Elimination.

Concatulation Laure you finshed the PWA Worldcup in Aruba and Bonaire as 2.! are you happy with these results?
Thanks a lot. Yes I am very happy! I sailed really well in both competitions and was close to win a couple of eliminations. I would love to get a 1st one day of course, and I’m working on it, but with Sarah in front of me I’m happy with my 2nd place.

But Laure, can you ever beat Sarah – Quita?
Yes I’m sure I can. It’s difficult for sure, she’s sailing so well, and she’s got some moves that I can’t do yet. But some of our finals were very, very close, which means I’m able to do it for sure!

Tell us about your final Heat in Bonaire, how many and wich tricks did you land?
That final was the best heat I ever sailed – and Sarah’s too I think. We were pushing each other at each move, building momentum and going for more and more difficult tricks. People on the beach were going crazy and Duncan, the PWA head judge, did the official statement, that it was the best woman’s freestyle they ever saw – always good to hear! In that final I did flaka, double flaka, 1handed puneta, switch kono, shove it spock, full planing grubby, and I think probably spock, clew first spock, I can’t remember exactly every move I did…

Wich trick do you need to beat her?
I need to learn normal stance kono, culo, and burner. These are my goals now.

How do you wann learn these new tricks?
I watch videos of the moves I want to learn, visualize the movements, and go out and train it until it works – about a million times sometimes. I sail with other guys too which helps a lot, watching them and listening to their advice is priceless to learn new moves.

How long are you at home (in CH) during a year?
Not much… I’ve spent in spring a month at home, which was really nice. It gave me time to see and spend time with my family and my friends. The rest of the year I’m only a few days at home, between my trips. Somtetime it’s not so easy to do everything and see everyone I’d like to. But I make the most out of it and being away all the time makes you appreciate home a lot more. Switzerland is such an amazing place, I’m always so happy to go back!

Where do you sail here in CH?
Usually it’s on Lac Léman, in Préverenges with south westerly wind, or a bit further down with bise.

On your Web you mention snowboarding as one of your hobbies, how often are you on the snow? Are you as good as in windsurfing on the Snowboard?
Yes I love snowboarding and I make sure I get a few days on the snow every year. Sometimes I miss it quite a lot when I’m away, especially when I hear from my mates what a sick day they just had, but you can’t have every thing . I’m doing ok on my snowboard, but not quite as good as on a windsurf board unfortunately! I wish we could add a couple of month to the year so I’d just spend them in the mountains!

Which are your goals for the rest of the season?
Keep on sailing good heats like I did so far, keep enjoying it – that’s a very big factor for me to do well, and stay in the top 2 in freestyle. We have one more freestyle event to do, Fuerteventura. I will do all I can to get a first place – this is my goal for sure! We also have the wave event in Tenerife coming up, I really like it there and hope to do well too.

Thanx a lot Laure, we wish you a really good luck in Fuerte, Pozo and El Medano!
Thank you! And big ups for your website. Awesome to see so many passionated windsurfers in Switzerland!

Check Laures Website for more infos!

Fotos: PWA/Carter

INTERVIEW DONE BY Jonas Aschwanden. Check out out their online mag www.surfmag.ch

Gollito Estredo 1st again!

Mon, 25 Jul 2011 12:50:01 +0200

Incredible conditions allow Jose Gollito Estredo and Sarah-Quita Offringa to bulldoze their way through the single elimination in Fuerteventura. Twenty knots of wind, blazing sun and turquoise waters provided the perfect conditions for the world’s finest freestylers to wow the crowds with an amazing afternoon of action. Consistent conditions allowed the remaining heats of the single elimination and the opening heats on the men’s double elimination to be completed.

Having spent the morning tuning their equipment and planning for the heats ahead the sailors were fired up to hit the water when the green flag went up at 1:30pm.

Men’s Fleet

The men’s fleet were first onto the battle ground, picking up the action from heat twenty-one. The opening heat of the day witnessed Steven Van Broeckhoven (F2 / Gaastra) put a stop to Youp Schmit’s (JP / NeilPryde / Dakine) advances in the single elimination, whilst Kiri Thode (Starboard / Gaastra) claimed victory over Phil Soltysiak (Starboard / Dakine). Despite not being against each other Van Broeckhoven and Thode went about matching each other move for move, working out each other’s weakness and planning for the next round.

In the following heat, style king Taty Frans (Starboard / MauiSails / Mystic / Maui Ultra Fins) slayed Quincy Offringa (Starboard) with a sky-high air chachoo, securing his place in the top four. Four times world champion Jose Estredo (Fanatic / North) started the day on a high, landing an enormous shaka flaka and a monster air funnel to defeat the young Belgian star Dieter Van der Eyken (Starboard / Severne).

An incredibly exciting battle for a sacred place in the winners' final saw Van Broeckhoven and Thode go head-to-head, unleashing their most insane tricks. Thode pulled a planing Kabicutchi and a perfect culo-spock, however Van Broeckhoven was on superb form, boosting super high into all of his moves and landing them with precision. Estredo continued with his routine of mind-blowing maneuvers to conquer Taty for his place in the final.

Men’s Final

Both parties entered the men’s final with all guns blazing, determined to take the early advantage in Fuerteventura. Van Broeckhoven took the lead landing a colossal shaka flaka and a planing burner. Estredo was quick to fight back landing a bolt upright spock-culo and future diablo. The pair was neck and neck until the closing seconds of the heat when Estredo separated the score sheets with a skopu into puneta, forcing Van Broeckhoven to attempt an astounding double burner. Estredo was announced the victor at the prize giving on the beach.

Women’s Fleet

Heat twenty-three of the women’s single elimination saw the ladies battle it out for their place in the winners' final. Laure Treboux (Fanatic / North) and Sarah-Quita Offringa (Starboard / Gaastra / Mystic) dominated their opponents Yoli De Brendt (Fanatic / North) and Arrianne Aukes (RRD / Simmer / Dakine / AL360).

Women’s Final

With just seven minutes to perform their most impressive stunts, the duo immediately burst into action. Treboux opened the heat with a clean spock 540 and a planing grubby diablo in front of the judges. Eager to take control, Offringa launched into a perfect toad, a switch kono and a smooth funnel. Treboux attempted to fight back with a shove-it spock but Offringa was already too far ahead on the score-sheets.

Double Elimination

With the wind still howling and the crowds on the beach hungry for more action, the judges made the decision to continue directly in the double elimination. Providing the sailors that slipped up early in the single elimination to fight back and raise their overall scores.

The first round of the double elimination witnessed three exceptional heats from Jakub Kosmowski (RRD / Simmer / Dakine), Tilo Eber (JP / NeilPryde) and Levi Lenz (Dakine). The sailors each scored an amazing twenty-two out of a possible thirty points guaranteeing their passes into the next round.

The standout sailors from the double elimination and advancing through two heats each were, Eber continuing his winning streak, Edvan De Souza Pedro (RRD / Simmer), Andy Chambers (JP / NeilPryde), Julien Mas (Patrik / Hot Sails), Max Rowe (Fanatic / North), Nicola Spadea (Starboard / Gun), and Christofer Kalk (Fanatic / Gaastra). However the might of the sailors in the third round quickly put a stop to their rampage in the double elimination.

The only sailor break through the barrier was the super technical Nicolas Akgazciyan (Starboard / Gun). Akgazciyan made sure he was awarded extra style points by landing an enormous ponch, a fully planing switch flaka and floaty kono, leaving Leo Ray (Naish / Naish / MFC) to question where he had gone wrong.

After an action-packed afternoon the sailors were released at 7pm. The third day of competition will kick off at 10:30am with the skippers’ meeting and a first possible start to competition at 11am.

First up tomorrow morning, in heat number 42, will be Davy Scheffers (Tabou / Gaastra) vs Yegor Popretinskiy (JP / NeilPryde / MFC) and the cool Bjorn Saragoza (Starboard / Hot Sails) vs Israel’s Yarden Meir (Fanatic / Simmer).

Men’s Single Elimination Results

1^st Jose Estredo (Fanatic / North)
2^nd Steven Van Broeckhoven (F2 / Gaastra)
3^rd Kiri Thode (Starboard / Gaastra)
4^th Taty Frans (Starboard / MauiSails / Mystic / Maui Ultra Fins)

Women’s Single Elimination Results

1^st Sarah-Quita Offringa (Starboard / Gaastra / Mystic)
2^nd Laure Treboux (Fanatic / North)
3^rd Yoli De Brendt (Fanatic / North)
4^th Arrianne Aukes (RRD / Simmer / Dakine / AL360)

Scope the action

For more information on all the entrants, and to keep up to date with every piece of the action, click on www.pwaworldtour.com

FANATIC PRO CAMPS AT FBC KOS

Mon, 25 Jul 2011 12:00:29 +0200

BOOKING NOW!! There are 2 amazing camps lined up for you at FBC KOS with our Pro Riders Tom and Yoli Brendt who will move you and improve you beyond your windsurfing dreams! Guaranteed.

CAMP 1: IMPROVE & MOVE (WATERSTART & PLANING) - 1^st September – 6^th September.

CAMP 2: IMPROVE YOUR SKILLS (GYBE & BEYOND) - 8th September – 13^th September.

All Info: http://www.fanatic-boarderscenter.com/en/action_sports/clinics

Bookings: travel@fanatic-boarderscenter.com

Tel: +49 (0)881 909 60150

FBC “The Official Fanatic Centers” - MORE chances and MORE choices than ever before to improve your windsurfing and to realize your dreams!

American Formula Champion 2011: Paulo dos Reis

Mon, 18 Jul 2011 10:42:09 +0200

After the World Championships in Puerto Rico Paulo dos Reis BRA-333 went to San Francisco for the American Formula Championships 2011.

"The bay area is really incredible for Formula Racing, so we had 11 races and a long distance race that is worth doubled, so actually 13 races in total, with winds between 18 to 35 knots! It was a great championship for me winning 11 of 13 races including the long distance. I am very happy with my results and kind of proud being the American Champion 2011 now. Many thanks to my sponsors for this very belief in my potential!"

Congratulations from the whole NorthSails team, keep up the good work, Paulo!

Slate bounces back, wins two titles

Mon, 18 Jul 2011 10:12:30 +0200

KAHULUI - International NorthSails teamrider Peter Slate sailed consistently in breezy conditions to win two divisions in the Quiksilver Cup on Saturday at Kanaha Beach Park. The Quiksilver was the fourth event of the 27th annual Maui Race Series. Slate won a heat on Saturday, took second twice and was third once to win the men's pro title in morning racing, and in the afternoon, won four straight races in the 40-49 division.

"It was much different, had a little bad luck last time," Slate said. "It all came together today, really good conditions. It was a great course and a perfect Maui race day." Slate moonlights as a tester for NorthSails and Fanatic sailboards."They call me when they need me. I'm fortunate to be in their development program," he said.

Argentina Bonilla-Jimenez of Lahaina was able to handle the winds of 25-30 mph and won three of four heats to claim the women's open title.

"It was so windy, wind all the time," she said. "All of us were overpowered. I didn't have good jibes, but I didn't fall down."

Laurence Carey, a 17-year-old from Auckland, New Zealand, won the junior division in his first MRS experience. Going into the fourth and final heat, the wins were divided among Carey; Deniz Bicakci; a sophomore-to-be at Kihei Charter School; and Casey Rehrer, an 8th-grader-to-be at Seabury Hall. After a close start, Carey and Bicakci were able to pull away when Rehrer stumbled at the first mark. Carey then held off Bicacki. Carey also took eighth in the semipro division. He won his first junior heat, but had trouble in the next two.

"I was pretty tired in the juniors after competing in the semipro," he said. "I fell in the second heat and couldn't catch up. In the third heat, I was trying to be safe on the last outside mark, and (Bicakci) threaded the needle and cut in between me and the buoy."

Carey has been busy in his first year of competitive racing. In November, he was seventh in the Auckland Slalom Championship, racing against men. He was also seventh in the International Funboard Class Association World Slalom Championships' 17-and-under division last month in Curacao. Carey is a flanker on his school's rugby team as well.

"We're on holiday now, so I'm only missing one game while I'm here," he said. "I've been training for rugby, I haven't had time to sail. So since I've arrived on Thursday morning, I've been practicing, practicing, practicing."

Carey was impressed with the racing.

"There's really a high standard of sailors here, best I've ever seen. The high wind was epic. Definitely the most consistent wind I've sailed in."

Worldcup Pozo done, Victor with the largest wave score took 2nd

Tue, 12 Jul 2011 00:00:00 +0200

Great results for our North riders at Pozo Worldcup 2012: Victor Fernandez finished 2nd, Marcilio Browne 5th and Laure Treboux 7th. The largest wave score of the competition made an appearance in heat 50; Victor Fernandez Lopez (Fanatic / North / MFC) versus Dario Ojeda. Fernandez Lopez caught the set and took that as his opportunity to put an end to Ojeda’s rampage, landing an enormous backside 360 on the steepest section of the wave and then turning straight into a shaka and then a frontside turn. The judges awarded Fernandez Lopez with straight ten’s for his exceptional sailing.

Men’s final: A huge crowd lined the beach to watch the action unfold for the men’s final, and the sailors certainly didn’t disappoint. Philip Koster (Starboard / NeilPryde / Dakine) opened the heat with an ankle dry double forward loop, which was quickly matched by Fernandez Lopez’s own. The sailors then went about upstaging each other with a series of radical maneuvers, Koster went for a wave 360 and Fernandez Lopez chose a goiter. The big crescendo came when Koster threw himself into a triple loop sending his equipment flying, however the work was done and Koster had earned enough points to secure himself the victory.

Radical wave riding, extreme jumps and colossal crashes ensured the emotions were running high as nuclear winds powered the sailors through this years Pozo Worldcup!

Some toughts about our sport from Evi Tsape

Mon, 11 Jul 2011 00:00:00 +0200

All of us are aware of the list of common misconceptions; they are everywhere! So many widely held, false ideas about everything concerning everyday life. If we would make a list of the most common fallacies, I am most certain that windsurfing would be somewhere among the top 10, and if it weren’t, then we should definitely add it there! Onlookers of our sport frequently assume that learning how to windsurf involves extraordinary muscular strength, extreme balance skills and a lot of frustration. Only the latter is (partly) true, and still, with good instruction, it can be eliminated.

At any beach in any part of the world you will see more men than women and more people in their 40s than children. But what about Athens, Greece? Is windsurfing a popular sport for children in the land of Aeolus, the greek ruler of the wind? Travel only as far as Schinias on a weekday evening or weekend morning and you will find yourself rubbing your eyes with surprise. Something strange is going on there; there are children cruising along with their 1.5 and 2m sails, big smiles on their faces and definitely proud that they can finally practice a sport that their parents find it difficult to learn!

Now, how did that happen? Not out of the blue of course. These children are part of a team that has long got together to draw up a plan on how to make windsurfing reachable as well as fun for children of all ages. If we introduced you to who is encouraging all these young children to try windsurfing, and guiding them through their first steps, to ensure that they will all be having a blast in the water 100% of the time, then we wouldn’t need to say much. As with food, when you use first class ingredients you are guaranteed a good meal. Equivalently, if you put together two great partners, an athlete -who loves windsurfing, teaching windsurfing and working with children- and a school -which excels in nurturing children's’ love of learning-, then you can imagine what will come out of it!

To put names to the theoretical characters above, we are pleased to announce that Evi Tsape and Costeas-Geitonas schools have joined forces towards a common cause: to fill the windsurfing sites of Athens and consequently Greece with children (initially) and then with their teachers, parents and whoever else will be put to shame by 7-18 year-old windsurfers who have already started training and will be effortlessly gliding on the water in zero time, showing us all how windsurfing is supposed to be done...

The windsurfing academy is being hosted at the windsurfing school of Karavi Schinias, on the northeast coast of Athens, Greece. The academy offers a windsurfing program which starts from scratch and covers everything up to intermediate and advanced sailing, in a continuous manner. Students are taught the beginning skills one-to-one, and are consequently put within a team of 4, to be given supervised lessons and keep progressing day by day. The windsurfing academy is presently manned by 22 students of Costeas-Geitonas School, all keen to learn how to windsurf. These kids all have such a natural talent and enjoy windsurfing so much; they are at the moment on their fourth week windsurfing, taking to it like ducks to water! They are amazing, so enthusiastic, so spontaneous, always living the moment out there on the windsurf board. And so proud to be able to master the kind of equipment that their parents think would need a PhD in physics to be able to handle!

So, if you come along and ask Costeas-Geitonas’ students at the academy, they can tell you that you don’t need any PhD, or strength, or anything in particular to be able to learn how to windsurf. They can tell you that windsurfing is really fun, and that it’s not so hard after all! There are no secrets; all there is to it is to learn how to use your body weight correctly, in order to counterbalance the force of the wind in your sail. Simple! We are most certain that we can show everybody that being out on the water is the most amazing thing in the world; when you become a windsurfer, nothing is the same anymore. You see the world from another perspective, you experience unique sensations, you push your own limits every day, you are able to see pictures that very few people have seen. Our young windsurfers are already enjoying one of life’s greatest privileges; why don’t you bring your kid over as well? You will be most surprised by what’s going to happen!

The NorthSails App

Wed, 06 Jul 2011 00:00:00 +0200

Only 10 days left and you can enjoy the NorthSails experience at your fingertips. It has never been this easy to get all the information you need. Browse through our product range, check a bunch of windsurfing clips, find your nearest dealer and much, much more, all of this within a single, simple and well designed App, we will launch on July the 15th!

PUSH NEWS: Be the first to get the latest news directly onto your iPhone via Push-Notification! Stay up to date on what is happening in the NorthSails world. Team riders, photoshoots, products and much more!

FOLLOW US: Follow or become part of the NorthSails Social Media world! Browse through our YouTube channel, the Facebook page and Twitter without having to leave the App.

WALLPAPER: Download the hottest Windsurf pictures to use as your personal wallpaper.

LOCATOR: Find all NorthSails dealers around you.
Find all NorthSails centers world wide.

PRODUCTS: Find the tech specs of all our products of the last 3 years within a blink of an eye.

CONVERTER: Knots vs. beaufort, meter vs. inch -- want to know what others are talking about? Just use our Universal Converter!

PACKING LIST: Never arrive at the beach with a missing rope or screw. With our unique Packing List function that's a thing of the past!

Maui Race Series 2011

Tue, 05 Jul 2011 00:00:00 +0200

After a delayed start of racing due to light winds, the third race of the 2011 Maui Race Series went off on Saturday with a full round of age class and ability level heats, beginning with the age group heats. NorthSails designer Kai Hopf became 2nd within the pros and shows off his class as racer. Here’s a video recap of the day’s action.

DWC: Asmussen relegated his competition to 2nd place and beyond

Mon, 04 Jul 2011 00:00:00 +0200

Gunnar Asmussen wins the German Windsurf Cup Boltenhagen. Current tour leader Vincent Langer and IFCA Slalom World Champion 2011 Bernd Flessner got 2nd and 3rd, so the initial position for Gunnar looks really interesting regarding the next race. Stay tuned, the last competition for the season will be at the Flens Worldcup presented by Volvo on Sylt from July the 27th to the 31st! We keep our fingers crossed, Gunnar!

IFCA Slalom World Championships 2011

Sat, 25 Jun 2011 00:00:00 +0200

Here comes a short report on the IFCA Slalom World Championships in Texel from NorthSails rider Kasper Juul Larsen:

"Yesterday was the third day of competition here in Holland. It is a big event, which is held in conjunction with a big catamaran event. The organiser have put up a really big eventsite and there is a lot of spectators on the beach. So far the conditions have been really great, we have been sailing eight eliminations on the first three days, with conditions varying from full power 7,0 to light wind 8,6. I had a really good day today with two bullets and a fourth, which puts me in second position overall. Bernd Flessner from Germany is currently leading the event. So far I have been using 8,6 and 7,8, and they are working really well. I have great speed and the Shox.XTR are working super in the chop we have here in Holland.

We have two more days to go of the event, with three more races planned. The weather forecast for next couple of days is looking good, so we will probably have the maximum 11 races."

Best regards

DEN-11
Kasper Juul Larsen

Surf Festival Pelzerhaken

Mon, 06 Jun 2011 00:00:00 +0200

The Surf Festival in Pelzerhaken is over and was a big success for all participants. A lot of interested customers met the industry, a great platform for a lively exchange on typical windsurf issues. Our rep Axel Wallem and his team with some intentions from the event:

Maui Race series 2011 dominated by NorthSails

Mon, 06 Jun 2011 00:00:00 +0200

Great news from Maui, Dan Ellis (age group 19-39) and Peter Slate (40-49) won the 2011 event series, both on Northsails WARPs. Apart from that Slate also took the men pro division. Congratulations from the whole team!

Patrik Diethelm in front of 1111 windsurfers at Defi Wind

Sun, 05 Jun 2011 00:00:00 +0200

Patrick Diethelm was not registered on the Def Wind, the biggest windsurf event of the world, as he took part in the PWA event Costa Brava at the same time. At the very last minute the NortSails teamrider finally came to Gruissan. Great idea as he took the honours! Congratulations Patrik. The 2nd place goes to our national rider Bieuzy Mauffret, so two NorthSails WARPs on top of the field is a honour for us as well and a worthy sequel as North rider Pierre Mortefon won the event last year. Well done guys!

DEFI WIND 2011 RESULTS
Overall Men
1/ Patrick Diethelm (Italie)
2/ Bieuzy Mauffret (France)
3/ Laurent Gaüzère (Nouvelle Calédonie)

Overall Women
1/ Karin Jaggi (Suisse) 79ème
2/ Marion Dusart (France) 82ème
3/ Sarah Hébert (Arménie) 120ème

Check out the report on French TV channel TF1:
http://videos.tf1.fr/jt-we/defi-wind-gruissan-attire-les-windsurfers-du-monde-entier-6518170.html

Costa Brava Worldcup

Fri, 03 Jun 2011 00:00:00 +0200

Marking the third stop for the men’s slalom tour, the Costa Brava World Cup takes place at Sant Pere Pescador, 150km to the north east of Barcelona on Spain’s alluring Mediterranean coastline. Since three days the event is on and the really high wind conditions are quite hard for all riders, but a great stage for some crazy shots, so check it out:

Source and pics by PWA

NorthSails BEST PIC AWARD

Thu, 12 May 2011 00:00:00 +0200

The NorthSails "BEST PIC AWARD" has started right now! Win a brand new sail and other prices exclusively on Facebook. All you have to do is to post an action or lifestyle pic on our FB wall showing you and your North stuff. Let the community decide and get the most Likes until June the 1st and you are in! Check out the pic below for more information.

Good luck to all of you guys, we're really looking forward to some great input and some fun pics!

http://www.facebook.com/NorthSailsWindsurfingInternational

Seven questions to Gollito

Thu, 12 May 2011 00:00:00 +0200

After the first 2 PWA Events of the year the Minds Wide Open crew thought it is time to catch up with Gollito Estredo about his results and future plans. See the full interview here:

Scoring a 2nd and 4th place at the first 2 Events of the year Gollito is currently sitting on 2nd place overall having still plenty of events left. Filming right now on his biggest Movie Project "Minds Wide Open" he is getting ready for the Caribbean leg of the Tour were he will face the local Bonaire crew to maintain all chances for his world champion campaign.

Q: We have seen the first 2 Events of the year already. What do you think about the actual Freestyle Level?
A: The freestyle level went up a lot. We see lots of new people enter the PWA and some of the older people leave the PWA Tour. We always have about 5 people at each event who can win and then a big group who fight for the places after and still can surprise and reach Top Rankings too.

Q: So far we have seen Kiri and Steven win Events in Vietnam and Podersdorf. What are the chances of you fighting back and reaching the top spot?
A: I see my chance to get back on top, but i need to wait for my conditions. Vietnam and Podersdorf are nice but special Events. I think the upcoming Events suit me better.

Q: Did you analyze any Mistakes you may have done?
A: Vietnam was quite close and I had good heats. Maybe in one of the finals I should have used a bigger sail but the wind was very up and down and with the new freestyle approach we tend to use smaller sails. In Podersdorf it was very cold the majority of the time but the last day was just too cold for me!

Q: How do you prepare for the Caribbean Event?
A: Right now I am in Egypt training every day dependent on the wind. I try to improve my sailing and most of all have fun. It is very important to get Top Results in Bonaire and Aruba so that I have a good chance for the year ranking.

Q: Any new strategies for your upcoming events?
A: Not really. My focus is to get my moves higher and faster and double them if possible. That is what brings the high scores on flat water Events.

Q: You say that you have also filmed a new movie. What can we expect?
A: Yes, we work on ‘Minds Wide Open’. I was not on the first Wave Trips so we started with freestyle here in Egypt. Basti and Sumsi brought lots of new Camera Gear. I saw some of the clips from CapeVerde, Maui and here and the quality looks amazing. I have a good feeling that the movie is going to be very impressive.

Q: Any other freestyle destinations planned for the movie?
A: Yes we will have one more to fit in but we haven’t decided on where exactly yet. We will be looking for a spot were I can jump and do some more radical air moves. Lets just wait and see…

Thanks Gollito for your Time and Good Luck!

Follow Gollito and the rest of the Minds Wide Open Crew on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/mindswideopen

Minds Wide Open Sponsors are:

Planet Allsports
Pousada Windjeri
RedBull
NorthSails
Fanatic
JP
NeilPryde
Starboard

Wave Special Moulay

Wed, 11 May 2011 00:00:00 +0200

Tom Brendt with a report on his event in Morocco this year: "The pretty critical political situation in some northern African countries and the fact that our Wave Specials in 2009 and 2010 both have been windy and wavy and a big success, made me wonder if our first Wave Special in 2011 in Moulay / Essaouira could be as succesful especially when i saw the wind and wave forecasts in the weeks before our camp.

What can I say, it has been even better than our previous events. Again some very nice clients found their way from Germany, Switzerland, Holland and France down south to join our clinic. Six days at the Magic Fun Center Moulay, a Fanatic „The Boarderscenter“ with the IBIS Hotel Essaouira as our home and base for nightlife action.

After the last check of the forecast there was no doubt that, if the forecast was telling the truth, we might have ideal Moulay conditions for the whole week. Indeed, after some spot, wave and safety explanations the group could head out straight away into 2 meter high waves, powered up with 5,0 and 5,3 sails, just perfect for the first steps in wavesailing or just to play a little on the waves and learn the easiest ways to cross the waves. Knowledge which should be important for the following days. With each day the waves were growing and the conditions became more and more challenging, but since it has all been filmed we could just watch and learn during the video sessions at the chilly Cafe Resto, right on top of the Magic Fun Center and with a great view right onto the Spot, and quickly all participants looked much more confidant in and on the waves, even if some knees started shaking when the next windsurf session came closer.

Something i got asked between all our sessions was what all that SUP is about ? Well on day four of the Clinic the wind took a little break and we all got the chance to take out the Fanatic SUP Fly and Surfboards and try out Stand Up Paddling and Surf. Not the easiest task with still 2- 3 meter high sets rolling over the massive reef, even more impressive that almost all of my clients managed to carve some turns into a couple of waves. That had to be celebrated with a nice couscous night in Essaouira, which should also charge the batteries for the next day, where already at our arrival the wind was blowing for the 4,2 sails with again logo high waves. Time to not only work on the waveriding skills but also on jump techniques. During the day the waves kept on growing and the wind decided to blow a bit harder, too. After a long long day on the water in close to perfect conditions, we had to skip our night program as already at late afternoon and our transfer back to Essaouira most of the group weren´t even able to speak and just needed their bed. One more day to go, and it was the biggest day I´ve ever witnessed in Moulay, well over masthigh waves were rolling in, massive walls of whitewater. Unluckily the wind direction, which had slightly shifted, forced anybody to stay on the inside as crossing those beasts was just not possible even for the top local guys. We used the time for some last theory and excercises at the beach, so that no question was left unanswered and just anybody of that group came to the conlusion that it just couldn´t have been any better. Well, i would say they were right. One week with very nice people, perfect wave conditions, great windsurf gear, a very nice and charming windsurf center plus a bunch of new real wavesailors and those who are on the way to get one.!

This time we won´t wait another year to go back to this magic spot, we have our next Wave Special Moulay scheduled for 21st - 26th of September 2011

Tom Brendt

You can get all Informations at:

http://www.fanatic-boarderscenter.com
http://www.windsurflabor.de

Windsurf Clinic Fuerteventura

Fri, 06 May 2011 00:00:00 +0200

Join us from 19th till 25th of June on the beautiful island of Fuerteventura which has great wind conditions and spots for all levels. The island is well known as one of the windiest spots on the planet.

Apart from windsurfing there are plenty of other activities to do like:

Surfing
Stand-Up Paddling
Mountain Biking
Sightseeing...

Book the true windsurfing experience!

When: from 19th till 25th of June 2011

You can join
Beginner Group
Advanced Group
Waves&Loops Group
Prices: from 425€ per week, includes: 7 days of windsurfing tuition with video analysis, rent of equipment, accommodation at house Manawai
http://www.manawai.si

Or from 240€ if you'll bring your own equipment, including 7 days of windsurfing tuition with video analysis and accommodation.

You can bring your own equipment or rent it at Flag beach Center (Fanatic boards and NorthSails).

We can help you find the cheapest flight. Booking and additional info: msmilos@hotmail.com

Paulo dos Reis wins Lagos Iberian Cup 2011

Wed, 27 Apr 2011 00:00:00 +0200

The Lagos Iberian Cup, Campeonato Nacional / Copa De Espanha 2011 was held from the 21-24th of April. After 4 days of competing the championships were finished with NorthSails teamrider Paulo dos Reis in first place, Miguel Martinho second and Pablo Barrachina third.

Everyone was very happy with the organization, because the place where was the race office and the place where everyone have his car´s, van´s and motorhomes was 20 m from the water and 10 meter´s from the organization club. On the 3º day of the event the club had made a big barbecue on the beach with lots of food and drink for everyone, competitor´s and their company.

The feedback of everyone was extremely good, and also the feedback from Paulo dos Reis saying that this is a great place for big international and national events, a professional organizing club and excellent conditions on the water and on the beach. When Portugal organizes another big event in Lagos I will go for sure!"

Speed Worldcup Gruissan

Wed, 27 Apr 2011 00:00:00 +0200

After some days with bad weather forecast 51 enthousiastic riders opened the Speed Worldcup in Gruissan which was held from 17th to 22nd of April.

On day one the wind strength was good, but not the direction and a swell of 2 meter waves as well. The race officer decided that he couldn’t guarantee the safety of the riders, so he canceled the race for that day. On Tuesday, the wind was not very strong, around 14 knots, so they planned a slalom race. 14 riders were ready to join the funrace but when the course was all set up the wind dropped to 8 knots, so no more races on that day.

On Wednesday, the wind was strong enough to open the course, so we had a counting round. We had a lot of positive comments, a beautiful day and the following results:

Results men top 5:

1. David Garrel

2. Thorsten Mallon (NorthSails, PD)

3. Patrick Van Hoof

4. Wilfried Vanherweghe

5. Alain Degendt

For teamrider Thorsten, who is now on 2nd place within the European Speed Ranking this is a good basis for the next event in Sweden in June. Congratulations!

Evi Tsape Windsurf Camps 2011

Thu, 14 Apr 2011 00:00:00 +0200

A series of windsurf camps will be organized by Evi Tsape for the fourth year in a row in May 2011. The series will take place at “Karavi water sports”, which is located on the beach of Schinias, Athens. Evi has also started a partnership with the windsurfing school that is lodged there. The camp will run for 3 consecutive weekends, 2 of them have been dedicated to girls only, whereas 1 of them will be open to men as well.
Alongside Evi Tsape, the host, the instructors and all the crew of the windsurfing school of Karavi water sports will be there to guarantee a super fun and productive weekend for those that will join in. Participation is open to men and women of all ages and levels, whether they would like to know what windsurfing is about and try for their very first time to stand on a windsurfing board, or if they want to improve their level or learn a specific technique. Everything about windsurfing, including basic theory and first steps on a windsurfer as well as more advanced techniques, will be covered during the weekends that the camps will take place, depending on the level and the progress of the participants.

Dates that the camps will be running are 7-8 May (girls only), 14-15 May and 21-22 May (girls only). There will only be a limited number of places this year, so if you would like to take part please make sure that you send in your registration form early.

For more information, you can contact wsurfcamp@gmail.com or Evi directly (evi@evitsape.com).

The camp is supported by Evis’ sponsors: NorthSails, F2 international, Brunotti, ION, Funsports.gr as well as Karavi Schinias, 3S magazine and windsurfing.gr.

First stop of the Italian Slalom Tour 2011

Wed, 06 Apr 2011 00:00:00 +0200

Roberto Hofmann has taken 3rd place Overall after three completed Slaloms in Andora located in the Northern Italian region Liguria. The spot delivered some great conditions with winds around 18 knots. Victoty went to Malte Reuscher and second to Marco Begalli. Roberto says: "I was very happy with the new WARP sails!" A statement we like to hear Roberto!

Jesper back from triumphant Australia trip

Fri, 01 Apr 2011 00:00:00 +0200

International NorthSails teamrider Jesper Vesterstrom got back from Down Under with a small report and great pics showing him and the new WARP in action.

"I am back in Europe for some weeks already after a fantastic trip to Australia once again. It really never disappoints. I have had a few months to tune my Formula sails and get them ready for the first event, which will be the worlds in Puerto Rico. In Australia I participated in the local Sydney race series which can be compared to the danish or dutch races. There is about 40 sailors and its full on racing trough out the weekend. I won all the events and races (except from 1 race) so I am really happy with the performance of my new sails and boards... In a few weeks I am off of to New York where I will be working for a little while and try to find a piece of water to keep up the training...After the Formula World championships there are lots of big formula events and I cant wait to get back into the racing scene again"

Copa ONA 2011

Tue, 29 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0200

Great results for Gollito Estredo and Yoli de Brendt at Copa ONA 2011, which was held in El Yaque from March 24th to 27th: Gollito wins Freestyle & Slalom and finished 2nd in Long Distance, Yoli wins Freestyle and finished 2nd in Slalom!

It was time for the Copa ONA at El Yaque Beach again, the well known windsurf contest at the windy Caribbean village and Gollito Estredo and Yoli de Brendt were both keen to defend their titles from 2010, possibly in Slalom, Freestye and Long Distance.

Four times World Champion in Freestyle had not an easy time to get into the final of his favourite discipline, but with some awesome performances he made it all the way up. So did Deivis Paternina, who was on fire and ready for the battle with Gollito. The final was a fireworks of New School Freestyle Tricks, but whatever Paternina landed in perfect execution, Gollito just made it higher and more extreme and without a doubt the cup was well deserved, while Deivis Paternina was happy with his second place.

Yoli de Brendt won every single Freestyle Contest in El Yaque in the past years and in 2011 that shouldn´t change. With solid heats she jumped herself onto the Top Place of the Freestyle Podium once again.

Time for Estredo to get his new North Warps and Fanatic Falcons ready, a gear which made him fly over the water in the past training days and just before the start of the long distance race with a full speed downwind run towards the crowds at the beach he showed that he wanted the Long Distance Race title. The full fleet race, which should lead the racers almost all the way to Coche Island and back to El Yaque, so around 18 kilometers, started with good 27 knots windspeed and a Gollito Estredo flying over the starting line and around the first jibe mark before the fleed went out far to not be seen for a while. Unluckily when the racers came back towards El Yaque, Estredo had lost his leading position in a massive windhole but was fighting hard to catch up with now leading Alexis Carache. In the end he finshihed on second place.

During the 2010 Venezuelan Slalom Season a tough battle between Gollito and Diony Guadagnino decided about the Championchip which in the end went to Gollito Estredo and also in the first events of 2011 it has been the same story. So no big surprise that the two friends flew around the marks with full speed to fight for the number one spot of the podium. A massive crash from Estredo and another one from Guadagnino made the races even more exciting, as the the rest of the fleed was catching up in the overall rankings, but until the last heat Guadagnino kept his lead in front of Estredo who just risked it all in the last Heat of the Competition, and it was worth it. With another first place in this last heat he secured first place of the Slalom competition with Guadagnino and Carache in his neck.

Also women Vize World Champion in Freestyle Yoli de Brendt tried to find her luck in the women Slalom, only that she couldn´t find the gear and so went with her Freestyle Skate 90 around the course but still was able to win one or the other race. and finish second overall in Slalom.

Gollito Estredo: "Freestyle at my home spot was just great fun, to make some show for my people and all the spectators at the beach and I really liked the Slalom contest, even when it was a hard fight, but my new Falcons and the new North Warp are just amazing, for sure the fastest setup I have ever used. I was on the 2011 Fanatic Falcon 101 and 111 and the 2011 North Warp 7,0m² and 7,8m².

Yoli de Brendt : Of course I wanted to defend my Freestyle title here at my home spot and I tried everything to show also the Spectators the women Freestyle skills. The Slalom Contest was fun, also when i had to use my Fanatic Skate 90 and the North Dukes for the racing, but it was nice to see that even with that equipment I could win some races."

Victorian Wave sailing series Australia

Fri, 18 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0100

Round three of the Victorian Wave sailing series was held at Sandy Pt in Victoria Australia. More famously known for its world class natural speed strip, Sandy Pt is also home to some awesome wavesailing conditions.

25-30 knots and some clean swell provided some great conditions for the comp. 30 sailors entered the open expression session with only 5 sailors going through to the 20min final.

Alistair McLeod got some really good rides early on and secured his place in the final, Andrew 'Hock' Hocking milked his waves managing heaps of turns which put him in the final. Joel Ryan & Evan Hawkey got some solid jumps and consistent wave riding which put both of them through.

Further down the beach Simon Hanson got some long rides which gave him the last spot in the final.

Andy Ackland struggled to find waves early in the heat which made him narrowly miss out for a place in the final, although a spectacular goiter attempt at the end of the heat got a few cheers from the judges!
Local Phil Vawdry also just fell short of making the final, he just needed a few more waves.

It seemed like as soon as the final started - the swell went flat with competitors finding it hard to find rides for the first part of the heat!

Hock's waveriding scoring highly with the judges getting long rides with lots of turns, while Alistair's wave riding also scored very highly with some really powerful smacks and aerials. Both sailors not managing to find enough jumps to score well in the overall though.

Simon stayed downwind finding some good waves while Evan and Joel put together a solid overall performance scoring highly on both waves and jumps.
Evan managed a couple of nice forwards and a backloop, while Joel managed to knock him off with a higher scoring backloop and a few forward loops as well.

Final results for round 3:

1st Joel Ryan, North, Fanatic, ION
2nd Evan Hawkey
3rd Andrew Hocking, North
4th Simon Hanson
5th Alistair McLeod

Massive swell in Jaws

Thu, 17 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0100

Jaws (Pe?ahi) was going off two days ago and our teamriders Victor and Marcilio worked some massive waves! There are not many days a year where you have this kind of conditions, so lean back and enjoy the snapshots!

Max Rowe and Pierre Mortefon Interview

Wed, 02 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0100

Just a few weeks ago UK newcomer Max Rowe as well as French rookie Pierre Mortefon joined the NorthSails International Team. We caught up with Max and Pierre for a chat at PWA Mui Ne, Vietnam...

MAX ROWE (K-448)

NorthSails: Tell us a bit about your local spot and where you learned to windsurf?

Max Rowe: I learnt to windsurf with my Dad at home in Essex. Our local spot was Mersea Island, it‘s far from ideal with a very long muddy walk at low tide but good fun all the same. I started getting into freestyle when I went to Club Vass, Vassiliki on holiday and met all the guys there.

NorthSails: Why North and where do you see the biggest strengths at your new sail brand?

Max Rowe: North because I wanted the best gear possible! I think North’s biggest strength is having two world champions developing and testing the sails to make sure that they are always at the cutting edge of all the latest developments.

NorthSails: Which disciplines and contests will you focus on for 2011 and why?

Max Rowe: I will focus mainly on the PWA and UK freestyle tours. It has always been my dream to become British champion so continuing to pursue this is really important to me. Doing the PWA tour is such an experience, every competition continues to push my level and hopefully this year I can finish in the top 16. I will also compete at some of the UK wave events to gain some more experience in the wave discipline.

NorthSails: What do you think about the new ICE 2011 and the DUKE 2011?

Max Rowe: I think that they are both amazing sails and I was so impressed with how the North gear all fits together really well. I am using the Ice’s in my smaller sizes and the Duke’s in 5.4 and 5.9 they both feel really well balanced and have helped make my moves more powerful and explosive.

NorthSails: What do you think about the UK scene, is there a lot potential?

Max Rowe: I think there is an awesome scene in the UK there are so many good spots that everywhere I go there seems to be loads of keen windsurfers. There is also a lot of potential in the freestyle scene at the moment with loads of young kids getting into the sport.

NorthSails: What are your goals for the upcoming season?

Max Rowe: My goal is to become British champion and to finish in the top 16 on the PWA but also to have as much fun as I can windsurfing and travelling.

Alice Arutkin dominates first PWA event 2011 in Vietnam

Wed, 02 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0100

Alice Arutkin draws the slalom fleet’s first blood with victory in the opening race elimination of the Vietnam PWA Grand Slam.

In the women’s first elimination, both Karin Jaggi (Patrik / Severne) and Alice Arutkin (Starboard / North) made strong starts by winning their opening heats. Continuing her run of form into the winners final, Arutkin dominated from the start line to secure a decisive victory, and early event lead. In her wake, stellar performances from Morane Demont (Starboard / Severne) and Delphine Cousin (JP / NeilPryde) in second and third ensured that day five’s podium was an all French affair.

Today we pick up the slalom where it left off yesterday, completing both men’s finals, and the women’s losers final before going into the second race elimination. Tune in from the 10.00am (GMT+7) skippers meeting to follow all the action live @ www.pwaworldtour.com??

source and pics PWA

Dakhla Festival 2011, Morocco

Tue, 01 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0100

The 5th edition of the Dakhla Festival 2011 in Morocco was a great one : moderate to strong winds in the lagoon for the long distance race - 25 and 40 km of pure downwind, and logo to high masts waves on the ocean side during the whole week.

From 22nd to 27th of February, about 30 international surfing, windsurfing, SUP and kitesurfing stars were the guests of a multi watersports event in South Morocco. During 6 days, Dakhla was the host city of all these sports and for the windsurfing part, it was a good opportunity for french Fanatic & North Sails teamriders Gerald Pelleau and Bieuzy Mauffret to show their speed potential on two incredible long distance races launched in the beautiful lagoon of Dakhla's peninsula.

In 20 to 30 knots of wind and a difficult run with snaky chop and strong current in the middle of bay, Pelleau and Mauffret were facing another fast rider, Venezuelan Guadagnino. In the end, after 2 races, Pelleau and Guadagnino both take the first place while Mauffret got 2nd !

On the ocean side, in the waves of worldclass spot Foum Labouir, the frenchies could take advantage of insane wave conditions. Perfect side to side offshore moderate wind, beautiful long and glassy rights breaking over the point... An awesome playground to have fun and enjoy some sessions with their wave equipment or on their SUP between 2 wave contests where Moroccan locals from Essaouira, Abdel Fettah and Abdel Ouahed Elabdi, could show up their skills with their NorthSails equipment.

This was a very nice experience for Mauffret and Pelleau who came back home yesterday with loads of good images and souvenirs in mind... and great results on the Dakhla 2011 Long Distance!

Cabo Verde Shooting: Minds Wide Open

Thu, 24 Feb 2011 00:00:00 +0100

Andre Paskowski came up with some news regarding his latest movie project "Minds Wide Open", so here the moviemakers short update:

Hi Friends,
we just returned from CaboVerde. After not scoring the conditions we
expected in November, we decided to go when a good
forecast is on the way. Apart from Philip Köster, who could not join because his flight was delayed and he missed his connection to Lisbon, everybody made it in time.

Conditions have been extremely great with wind and waves pretty much all the time. A highlight was surely Sunday the 13th with perfect Ponta Preta
conditions and our last day with something even bigger.

We are sure now, that we got all we need for our CV chapter and move on to
Maui beginning of next week.

Charles Perret unbeatable on WARP F2011

Mon, 14 Feb 2011 00:00:00 +0100

Charles Perret has won all 5 races of the SOFRANA Challenge 2011 this weekend in New Caledonia. Kim Chan also on North has taken the 3rd place. Around forty competitors showed up to race at Anse Vata for the first appointment of the Sofrana One Hour Challenge. Congratulations from the whole team!

Only one week to go for Victor: Laureus World Sports Award

Tue, 01 Feb 2011 00:00:00 +0100

Who is Kelly Slater? Who is Shaun White? Keep your fingers crossed for NorthSails teamrider and Wave World Champion Victor Fernandez, who is Laureus World Sports Award nominee!!!

This is what the Laureus commission says about his nomination:

"Spanish windsurfer Victor Fernandez won the 2010 PWA Wave Tour champion and led the ranking during the whole season, winning the PWA Pozo Grand Prix, in July, for the fourth time in a row and also finished second at the KIA World Cup in Denmark after a spectacular showdown.

His title is the result of a lifetime of hard work. He began windsurfing at the age of five and did his first forward loop at 11 years of age. Over the last five years he has won more world Cups than any other top rider and finished twice as Vice World Champion by the closest of margins.

A professional, hard working and super talented windsurfer, but also one of the most popular characters on the PWA World Tour, Fernandez is tipped to celebrate many more victories and titles in the future."

The prestigious Laureus World Sports Awards celebrate the top sporting achievements each year, so stay tuned...

SURF & MORE Bonus Program by Club Mistral

Wed, 26 Jan 2011 17:55:03 +0100

From now on there will be points given for all travel bookings with Travel People! Everybody who books board rental, instruction or storage at one of our Club Mistral & Skyriders Centers, in addition to the travel package, will collect the so called “Travel Points”. From 500€ depending on the travel price you can collect 5 - 20 points extra.

For more information and examples please visit:
www.club-mistral.com/en/service/surfmore

First race >> first victory for the brand-new Warp F2011

Thu, 20 Jan 2011 17:55:29 +0100

Paulo Dos Reis finished in first at the Alex Caviglia Bluewater Regatta Race this past weekend after 6 races and difficult and light wind with 3 days of racing.

In second was Willhelm Shurmann and in third Fernando Martinez also with NorthSails.

A great beginning for the Warp F2011!!!

Congrats to the winners!

Jesper Vesterstrom joins NorthSails >> first impressions

Tue, 18 Jan 2011 17:56:00 +0100

Living The Dream...
It´s what I do and it became my lifestyle and brand of what I make a living of today.
I work close with the corporate business world selling my dream, always trying to get new sponsors and media coverage. Modeling I have been doing for 16 years and that keeps me busy traveling when not windsurfing ... That´s pretty much my life how it is today. Hard work, lots of travel - but I love my job...

I have been windsurfing for 24 years and this is the first time on NorthSails ever in my Windsurfing Career and I'm very excited to start the season on new Warp F2011...
Top quality, nice design and great performance are some of the things I really like about the NorthSails products. It really looks like that a lot of R&D have been put into the development of all the different pieces.
Looking at the performance of the NorthSails in 2010 in both Formula and slalom I don't think there was much doubt in how the sails where performing. I was ready for a change and tried the sails and after that I was convinced.

My training for the season is taking place in Australia . I just love it out here. Got the best friends, perfect windsurfing conditions and there is a great night life too. The Aussies have a great life style, which is not hard to adapt too, it´s simple, fun and filled with a lot of humor and fun with friends. What more do you want!
All my sails, mast, booms etc. was delivered in Australia and I have already been spending a fair amount of time on it. Manly the formula sails , because that´s mostly what windsurfers are doing in Sydney. There is a nice round of local series and from the 2-5th. Feb. there is the Oceanics held in Hawks Nest, little North of Sydney. It´s a big event for Australia and will attract a fair amount of good sailors world wide and big brands like Qantas and Blackberry are sponsoring the event.
I am very excited about the performance of the Warp F2011 Formula sails. Personally I think these are the best sails I ever had since NP launched their RS6 many years ago. Rigging the sails is just so easy, no worries about getting cams on, easy downhaul and the back end system on the North booms is actually very smart! No need to untie knots anymore for the outhaul system.
Performance on the water is great. I felt straight away how light the sails where in my hands. The rotation was just so easy and handling in maneuvers is just another dimension compared to what else I am use to ("no more kicking on the cams")...
The wind range on the sails is great. The 12 has a huge wind range, in 6-7 knots it goes without any worries and holds easily in up to 16 knots. Great acceleration and top end too. In general the 10, 11 and 12 just work and they are very easy to tune.
Design and Colours: First look I found them super cool - after spending more time on them and doing a bit of TV and photoshoots for promotion I realized how nice they stand out compared to a simple monofilm sail. Really think it´s something all sail makers in windsurfing should do. Get rid of monofilm and make the sails visible! The amount of feedback from random people on the beach who come up and say "wow, actually nice to be able to see whats going on out there" is quite amazing actually. It makes you think if it should not be made as a rule so people can see it from the beach. A NorthSails or Point 7 next to a monofilm sail - well, take a look!

This weekend we had Heat 5 of the Sydney Race series. There where about 40 sailors turning up for a very unusual weekend - with not much wind. However we got one race on the last day in a very, very light breeze which where the only conditions I have not yet tried my 12 before. Everyone on NeilPryde looked pretty good in the 6-7 knots of wind, which I think was the max we had. However I still managed to win the race by 1 min and did not stop once. It just kept going and going. Probably the race should have been canceled, however - it didn't! So I took 1st. place.
In 2 weeks the Oceanics kicks off and I am sure that will be an exciting event. The top racers from Brazil are coming all the way, so should be a lot of fun and great competition...

Will keep you posted on how that goes...

Here is a link from a TV interview made the other day from Sydney for the main Danish TV station:
sporten

DEN-111
Jesper Vesterstrøm
vesterstrom

Whats up?!

Wed, 05 Jan 2011 17:56:32 +0100

Laure Treboux has a long answer to this question. As she currently is in West Australia, she is travelling from one spot to another, is providing us with some great pics and is writing about her experiences down under on her website. So check it out and keep in mind: The trip is not over yet, so there is a lot more to see the next days..

http://www.lauretreboux.com/