Speedsurfing BLOG

Speedsurfingblog = history?

noreply@blogger.com (Eriksurf) — Thu, 22 Oct 2020 13:29:00 +0000

Should Speedsurfingblog.com end? Maybe someone does see an oppertunity? Nowadays I do a bit of freeriding, not very interesting for speedsurfers though. Is this site still in use (the tips etc?)

[review] Sonntag GPS_6

noreply@blogger.com (Eriksurf) — Thu, 12 Apr 2018 14:56:00 +0000

How much speed do you need! The GPS_6 takes medium wind efficiency to a higher level. It is not a lightwind fin, performance is below average in lightwind. I didn't test it in extreme high wind, however I believe the fin is best for 20~35kn of wind.

Why is it fast? I believe there is one reason, from 30kn of 55 km/h this fin can take more pressure/power compared to others. I definitly felt it during testing and swapping this fin for a normal (freeride) fin. The power doesn't result in extra drag, however you have to go 30kn to benefit.

If there isn't much space (short flat course) a fin with more acceleration performance between 30~55 km/h will be easier. But the GPS_6 is very quick if you are able to go 55 km/h into a gust and there is enough space to do a 10 second run from there.

The power can be a bit overwhelming at times, I don't use the fin as allrounder. However on certain days you will need something like this to reach the highest speed on your GPS.

[review] Tribal Powermax

noreply@blogger.com (Eriksurf) — Thu, 11 Jan 2018 16:44:00 +0000

I was looking for a fast freeride fin. In 2007 I had Tectonics Falcon F1 fins (which are freeride fins). Chris Lockwood recommended these fins and I really like them.

Last year I did a session with my Sonntag SL-S (an old competition fin) and I questioned myself if a freeride fin would make it easier for me to windsurf.

Why easier windurfing? A lack of physical strenght, My job offers not much exercise and to be honest I am not motivated to go to the gym for an extra % windsurf performance.

Last year after searching the web I found the Tribal Powermax. The fin is designed by Chris Lockwood, it is advertised as freeride fin. It is advertised as easy and fast. I decided to try the powermax (tuttlebox).

Findings
The description (power, topspeed, stable) does fit the fin, its a fin you can abuse in extreme conditions. The first thing I figured was the fact the size of the powermax doesn't matter, at least not for comfort or control. However if you want to go fast, better take a small one. When looking at the fin selector at tribal fins I estimate you can take 2-4cm off the chart if you are going to sail for speed. The best thing, the nose of the board doesn't drop with this fin, this makes it easy to accelerate and use each gust. The second best thing: this fin also rocks at sub 40 km/h speeds, if you are a bit tired it doesn't matter, this fin takes you home in control. I would recommend this fin for everyone looking for something simple.

How does the Powermax compare to the Tectonics Falcon F1?
Well I used the tectonics fin a long time ago. However I have a suspicion that the Powermax is better in windrange 12-30 kts, in really high wind it is (probably) still difficult to improve the Tectonics Falcon F1. The Powermax is easier to use.

How does the Powermax compare to carbon competition fins?
I use Sonntag Fins for a long time (7+ years now), these fins are carbon and do very well in competition slalom and speed. Last year I figured I got most of the time at 70~90% of the carbon fin performance at that moment (its not the fin, but me). In steady winds and waterstate a carbon competition fin will be most efficient, in good or perfect conditions these fins are my best ones.
However in unsteady winds or waterstate it is a different story (4 out of 5 sessions). I use the freeride fin (Powermax) most of the time at 100% performance. The Powermax in light/medium winds at 100% beats every competition fin at 70~90%. Thats the power of the Powermax. Powermax is something you will like if you want to: spend more time windsurfing on the water (instead of waiting/resting), get good performance and not training in gym to be able to use you equipment all day.

And yes you can overtake slalom stuff with a freeride fin. But most windsurfers know that (tectonics falcon f1 also did win my world cups in both speed and slalom).

(Sea)Weed and windsurfing future

noreply@blogger.com (Eriksurf) — Wed, 02 Aug 2017 11:49:00 +0000

Windsurfers do not like weed, seagrass, seaweed, algue, etc. The reason is simple, if you catch weed on your windsurf fin it feels like your pulling a boat and everything becomes unstable. The only way to get rid of weed is by pulling it off your fin (which means you have to take a swim deliberately, which is also something a windsurfer doesn't like).

In the Netherlands the green stuff in the water takes over more and more places in 2017. There are many theories:

Environmental protection plans (which result in green stuff not to be exterminated);
Farmer products (fertilizer) in water;
Fish (less plant eating species);
Global warming, the lack of a good winter will result in more green stuff that survives;
Windsurfer who has (weed)seeds on board/sail/fin and bringing the green stuff to a new lake/spot.

Long term==> I believe the Netherlands will be more like Australia. In Australia there is a lot of weed, also the environment is protected well (or better, the original nature is preserved) in Australia. In the Netherlands, probably whole Europe, the government aims for nature developments and protect certain species. Windsurfing will never be a bigger priority compared to the nature and a sustainable way of living for everybody, I think this is logical a sustainable way of living with billions of people on 1 planet earth should be priority number 1 for any government. If the current trend will proceed, green stuff in the water may come to your windsurf spot too.

I have tried recently some weedfins, and there is good news too! Windsurfing doesn't stop if there is green stuff in the water. It is a bit different, but just as much fun. Don't worry! If you do think to invest in a weedfin, have look here for all the current possibilities

Carbon content versus bendcurve

noreply@blogger.com (Eriksurf) — Tue, 18 Jul 2017 13:48:00 +0000

I have now multiple sails (different brands). In the past I always chose the recommended mast, but since 2017 I tried random masts (which we already had). Read the experiences of this year:

I have a loft sails blade with RDM mast, perfect sail well made. And than I got the mast, the mast was made 3~4 years later (a newer mast). Turned out the first sessions that this mast did make the sail a bit stiff (yes a RDM...). But after I used the mast in the same position (labels up) after 3 times it became better. I still use this sail, even did my best hour since a long time with this 2010 sail. Mast is 100%, however not perfect, but OK now. I think I will use this sail till it breaks in pieces. I feel very confident that this sail and mast won't let me down, the sail might tear at one point but if will take me back. This is my sail for crossings etc.

There are 2 prydes in the car (RS Slalom MK3), and X6 masts. Sails and masts match (same production year). A proof that recommended mast is good. (My brothers equipment)

I have a point 7 (in picture), I bought a 100% point7 mast (like recommended). However this mast was 7 years older than the sail. You might guess, the bendcurve is off. The sail is sailable, however its not sweet. Later I bought a 430 point 7 (same year), however this mast (base+top) broke in transport. At that moment I thought why not put the Neilpryde X6 mast in the point 7, and this 60% different bendcurve mast is my choice eversince. At first I was a bit affraid I would break the X6 (since I broke a X6 in a severne reflex). But the X6 mast is still in one piece after 10? sessions. X6 gives more control, there is a sweetspot and I like it. Even did my 2017 personal best on this mast.

Lessons:
-Recommended mast can be totally wrong if the years (sail and mast) don't match;
-A wrong bendcurve is probably worse than low carbon content;

Questions:
-How long will a 60% (or low carbon content) mast last in a fullrace sail, I am affraid that glassfibers wear (break) quicker compared to 100% carbon? Is this true or not? I will order a 100% mast soon, because I don't like to swim with windsurf gear.

windsurf crossing Monnickendam (Gouwzee) - Schellinghout

noreply@blogger.com (Eriksurf) — Mon, 01 Aug 2016 16:52:00 +0000

This is the first "successful" 20km+ crossing. There was today a (West-)Northwesterly 6~14 kn breeze and Sun.

It was a good challenge, I would rate it fun and not difficult in these conditions. The seaweeds are never fun, I estimated there would be no seaweed after the first 5 km, it turns out I was wrong... There are lots of seaweed (even 3km offshore). I stopped 10+ times to remove the seaweed, but it many times I caught new weed within a minute "clean surfing".

Next time I have to use my weedfin. Also have to fix the "daggerboard- rubber-strip", the glue came loose. A nice fountain came out of the daggerbox all the way back. I could not do speedy fast crossing, but I made it and thats a first for me.

movescount session: http://www.movescount.com/moves/move116418983

[review] Suunto Ambit Peak 3 for windsurfing

noreply@blogger.com (Eriksurf) — Wed, 01 Jun 2016 10:00:00 +0000

This is not my first GPS for windsurfing. A long time ago I started with the Garmin Foretrex (also a watch). After losing a foretrex twice I got a amarillo triptracker (navi GT 11), for this GPS a aquapack was required around my arm. After this I bought two GT31 devices, one was lost during a sailing trip, the other one was lost in another way.

I never liked the aquapack+GPS around my arm, however gps-speedsurfing demands the doppler gps for the 'official' rankings. I sold my GT 11 and later I bought this Suunto Watch. This is much much better again, its not too loose or tight. Its not heavy. A gps watch is just better in terms of design in my opinion.

Functionality
The GPS does everything, it works 2-3 sessions in a row. It displays speed, it can be used for navigation. It can even make a video of your track.

Could it be better?
I think soo, and yes I would buy the new one if these features would be added:

tilted display: let me explain. A normal watch is used everywhere. However this sportswatch is most often used during activities. In my case windsurfing. When windsurfing (or riding a bike) your arms are fixed to the boom or steering weel, in this position it is actually impossible to get a good look at the display. It would be better if the display was orientated towards (45~70 degrees) to the arm. I know the watch would be thicker, however you can read it during sailing (wouldn't that be fun?);
doppler gps: would be good if the GPS is approved according to gps-speedsurfing.com rules;
an optional second bluetooth large display which can be mounted on the boom. Wouldn't it be fun to have a large display mounted on the boom. It doesn't need fancy colordisplay.

Verdict
Up till now, its the very best gps I ever had. Though, functional and many options to play. If you're a programmer it might be fun to know that you can write your own apps for this watch.

Amsterdam-Pampus-Almere

noreply@blogger.com (Eriksurf) — Sun, 29 May 2016 17:03:00 +0000

Today I used my 380 Phantom raceboard and a 8.3 cambered sail. The windsurf conditions turned out to be good at IJburg. There was an increasingly Northeasterly wind. I was not alone, there were at least 20 others on the water (and some onshore). Waves where moderate (something like 0,7~1,2 m).

First I did some crosswind reaches, later I thought lets go a bit towards Pampus. I was halfway faster than expected (soo, I thought why not go all the way). On this first reach I used the daggerboard and a 3/4 front position of the masttrack. Now I analysed the "upwind speed" (speed against wind) was on the long run approx 5 km/hour. While the short reaches near Pampus turned out to be nearly average 10 km/hour, I remember to push harder near Pampus, this was because I just didn't make it. It turns out to be that pushing as tight as possible was faster (compared to balancing upwind).

upwind speed [km/h] with daggerboard

Second run
After I returned from Pampus I was tired. Using a daggerboard for a long distance in moderate chop/waves took my energy. Before I did a second run I changed my downhaul (a bit more) and I changed the fin. Now I used the Sonntag SL-S 450 instead of the standard Drake.

I chose a different strategy, I chose to go upwind without the daggerboard and plane. After analysis I see the following speed upwind:

upwind speed [km/h] when gliding

Conclusion
The second run was with more wind (17kn instead of 15kn). And it turns out upwind gliding wasn't much slower compared to pushing upwind with daggerboard, however the speed falls down rapidly when the wind decreases. Also the Sonntag Fin SL-S boosted the downwind speed significant, this is a surprise because with the Sonntag I didn't feel powered up and with the Drake I hardly felt very powered up (guess thats drag). But best lesson was, gliding was definitely less exhausting compared to going upwind with daggerboard. I will test it a few more times, but I think to prefer gliding (if the wind is allows).

Sonntag
100 m = 44.7 km/h
250 m = 43.94 km/h
500 m = 43.1 km/h
1000 m = 42.60 km/h
1852 m 41.93 km/h
10000 m = 36.31 km/h

Drake
100 m = 38.17 km/h
250 m = 37.23 km/h
500 m = 36.72 km/h
1000 m = 36.13 km/h
1852 m =35.67 km/h
10000 m = 30.52 km/h

session movescount:
http://www.movescount.com/moves/move107455632

Pretty cool stuff today :)

Some thoughts when picking a new sail for blasting around

noreply@blogger.com (Eriksurf) — Thu, 14 Apr 2016 11:51:00 +0000

I like to have a sail with a large windrange. I like a sail which is lightweight. I like something dureable. I like some speed, but more important not just a 3 second acceleration, speed which I can keep up all day (light sail on the hands). I like a cammed sail. I like a sail which is easy to gybe, waterstart, etc.

I don't care about acceleration from 0-30 km/h. I don't do slalom and getting into planning isn't a problem.
I don't care about max speed at 130~145 degrees downwind course. Most often I sail between 70-110 degrees.
I don't care if the sail is used by the (next) PWA slalom champion.

OK ok ok, above some thoughts for the sail I am looking for. It is required to filter some sails, because there are at least 15 brands and some of them have 2 types of cammed sails. To make chosing a bit easier I propose the following steps

All PWA-slalom sails are not included (warp, RS racing, vapor, reflex, etc.). These sails are marketed for slalom. I don't do slalom;
All non-cam sails are not included. I think non-cams sails have a smaller windrange. And having cams and a bit more weight is better than have to rig twice on a day;
All freeride-cam sails are not included (these are mostly focused on the 0-30km/h acceleration part);
It would be prefered if the sails are RDM and SDM compatible.

So what is left for those just blasting around?

KA Koncept (SDM/RDM compatible);
Severne Overdrive (SDM/RDM compatible);
Neilpryde RS:Racing LT1 (confusing is this a slalom sail or not?);
GA-sails Phantom ;
Point-7 ACK;
Gunsails Vector;
Avanti Condor;
Challenger GT2wing (kind of special?).

What didn't make the first cut?

North sails, what happened to the RAM range???? The S-type is not convincing. Windsurf.co.uk concludes "Delivering a benchmark all-round performance, the S_Type combines enough performance potential for all but the most dedicated with sublime handling and a massive tuneable range.";
These are a bit to much freeride for me, based on online reviews (Ezzy Lion, Tushingham Bolt, Simmer 2XS, Attitude Hornet).

My three sails for testing
If I had to choose three sails to test and do my final pick, I would choose between:

Severne Overdrive, again a new design, no fussle on the sail. Looks clean. RDM/SDM compatible. Increased twist and less back-hand pressure. If it is not just marketing, this sail sure sounds like a dream come true!
KA Koncept, RDM en SDM compatible. Lightweight character. Finetuned design for a decade. Sailsizes from 4.2-9.5 (very wide range). Looks durable.
Challenger GT2Wing, I mean who knows what to expect from this sail?? Is it racy or a fancy freeride sail?

Most other sails haven't been included because they don't feature RDM capability. Or many small features and fuzzle on the sail (all these small bits are weight and can be broken). Some seem to have a evolution in "looks" and not soo much "technical" evolution (eventhough these sails do not score #1 positions in tests).

Severne Overdrive R7 (2016)

noreply@blogger.com (Eriksurf) — Mon, 04 Apr 2016 14:05:00 +0000

The new Overdrive looks awesome, lighter, exact replica of proto, moderately wide mastsleef. It sounds like a big progression (previous years the new improvements didn't sound that great).

All credits go to Severne UK

Aruba

noreply@blogger.com (Eriksurf) — Mon, 28 Mar 2016 10:33:00 +0000

This year we (me, girlfriend and my brother) went to Aruba for a short vacation, during the 'winter' season in the Netherlands. It was the first time for us to windsurf in South-America. Me and my brother like to windsurf together from 10 knots in good weather. And that is what we have got. We had everyday 30 degrees celsius.

We stayed in the Holiday Inn and hired windsurf equipent at Vela. The wind was moderatly low according to the windsurfcenter Vela during our stay. Only the last day there was some good wind.

The equipment is the non-cammed windsurfsail range of Neilpryde. My brother first complained about these sails, but after a while we both got the hang of it. The spot did reminded me of the early days of windsurfing (when I couldn't drive to the best spots), our homespot was Geestmerambacht (Netherlands) and Geestmerambacht ment Gusty. In Aruba the wind is pretty gusty (thanks to the large hotels), on top of that Vela windsurf center is located in the middle of the large hotel buildings. This means a bit of walking or swimming was pretty normal, I have to note that the guys at Vela were awesome, if required they would pick you up with a boat (there was even a telephone surfboard out on the water to make a call).

Session 1: http://www.movescount.com/nl/moves/move96109674 (on hellcat 7.2 and isonic 117)
Session 2: http://www.movescount.com/nl/moves/move96109551 (on hellcat 8.2 and futura 124)
Session 3: http://www.movescount.com/nl/moves/move96293233 (on hellcat 7.7 and futura 114)
Session 4: http://www.movescount.com/nl/moves/move96603489 (on ryde 5.5 and futura 104)

The last day was pretty awesome, much more wind, swell. I never jumped a futura that high :).

We concluded that it is an awesome spot to chill, relax and re-energize. It is fun for everyone, there are plenty of restaurants, bars, events, etc. It is not the typical windsurf location, it is the location which has something to offer for everyone (including friends who don't windsurf). It is not the best windsurfing location in the world, however I say "every session counts".

[Test] Neilpryde no cam race- Hellcat 7.2-2015 and 8.2-2014

noreply@blogger.com (Eriksurf) — Mon, 07 Mar 2016 13:22:00 +0000

Yesterday I tested two Hellcat sails in the tropical winds. First no-cam racesails I tryed since forever... The wind was at the low end (below) 15kn. I learned no-cam sails can be good for a bit of racing. The main differences no-cam versus cam:

-no-cam needs wind for a profile. This means you lose power compared tot a cam-sail in a windgap;
-no-cam sail in a gust can be compareable with a cam sail. However the profile depth is very depending on boom stiffness (which means with the x3 rental boom more profile in gusts). Stiffer booms and trimsystem would probably give more performance boost (more control/wider windrange);
- no-cam is light to carry on the beach. On the water it doesn't feel lighter on the straight end (but it does while gybing);
- larger (or maybe older) Hellcat was less performance, maybe the no-cam concept is beter for smaller sails (I actually would nog recommend it);
- both no-cam sails have slightly less lateral/sideward lift compared to a race sail. At least, this is the case when you use it correct. Let me explain: when you (want to) start gliding you can sheet in 100% with a cam sail, but the no-cam sail is 50% (otherwise the lower profile will stall/oversheet). Therefor the sideward pressure is lower on fin and board. Which means the board will have less lift out of the water. To compensate I figured out it works to rail the board;
- no cam had much less downhaul tension. Therefor I expect the no cam sail to be more dureable and have more sailing hours without significant performance loss.

Conclusion "when should you buy a no-cam sail for freerace/speed":

(1) if a cam sail is too heavy to carry or gybe or waterstart;

(2) if you like to do a few manoeuvres;

(3) if you seek for a lower budget sail which will maintain a good shape for many years.

Score cam VS no-cam (1-10):

I trief to visualise my feeling between cam or no-cam sails.

My windsurfing kit 2015

noreply@blogger.com (Eriksurf) — Tue, 20 Oct 2015 13:36:00 +0000

My windsurfing kit has changed many times over the last decade. There was a period when I imported my equipment myself (from Germany and Australia). Later I got some sponsorships and could get the newest equipment locally (which was less hassle). It did cost me about the same each year, the amount of discussions for guarantee changed from year to year however...

Now I am keen on getting good equipment. That sounds easier than it actually is. During my not sponsored days I had/have more control of getting good stuff. When I was sponsored it sometimes happened stuff broke down and a trip to the shop was a monthly routine in the season. I don't want that anymore..

I reviewed all my equipment over the years for durability and fun. I made the following rules for myself:

RDM lasts better compared to SDM;
Low tensions lasts better compared to high tension sails;
Thick boards last better (especially a complex thin rail with cutouts etc. are sensitive when getting the maximum out of a board);
Pre-financial crisis boards (<2008) tend to have better materials in the boards;
Old boards and sails are sometimes overstretched (making them perform bad);
Old parts are sometimes hard to get.

With the rules in mind I carefully changed my quiver:

My stuff:
-carbon art speed 44 (still have it :) )
-starboard hypersonic 105 wood (bargain, still going strong)
-starboard phantom 380 (I had doubts for a long time because of fragile carbon, however an old raceboard where parts are worn and hard to get was a much worse option, and the thick board is still in one piece)

-loft blade 2010 8.3 (low tension and the best quality sails I have ever seen/used)
-arrows maxx speed 6.9 (low/medium tension, bargain, not much used, has to be sailed on RDM)

-Sonntag (makes also old stuff perform)

-Aeron carbon 180-230 2013 (pretty good so far, a bit heavy though)
-Loft team edition RDM 490 (2013/2014)
-chinook alu extension & mastfoot

Upgrades/wishlist:
I am thinking of selling/trading the loft team edition mast as a 2016 upgrade. I do like the current 490/ 8.3 mast-sailcombination sometimes. But often it is sensitive for (OVER)downhaul, when looking to the sail it is definitly a bit stiff in the bottom for my liking in lightwind.

I came across this new AWESOME concept REPTILE REVERSE, TWO bendcurves in one mast. How about double chance you have a good bendcurve :) :), a 460 would fit both my sails..

Heartwarming

noreply@blogger.com (Eriksurf) — Sun, 11 Oct 2015 16:22:00 +0000

Sun, wind and a good winddirection for Gouwzee. Off I went, one little problem, my winterwetsuit is in the storage box of my brother, where I don't have the keys etc. But it is sunny and windy, shouldn't be too cold right?

About 10 degrees Celsius, and 10 m/s wind.. Right... In my shorty I started windsurfing and I managed a 30 minutes session. It didn't feel deadly cold, but not that much fun. I bet gybing improves when you will suffer once you fall ;). Last sessions I had quite some problems getting the hypersonic loose and fast, today there were heavy guys >90kg using 7.0 and small boards. I thought this should be enough wind, if the hypersonic is sticky today (with 8.3) than I would really be annoyed. To help the looseness of the board I did a couple of tuning, for example more battentension on the lower battens and less in the top, furthermore not much tension on other parts of the sail (except downhaul). The most impact was using a smaller fin.

On the water the kit was almost spot on, just had to move the harnasslines to the back for 5cm. ( thats the center of effort difference when using a sail in 5knt or 20knts). Speed was good, actually really good, since I have the hypersonic I didn't have such a smooth run. Crosswind, upwind and downwind all worked out very well.

After 30 minutes I had enough, comfy was something different. Especially going faster was not nice (higher apperent windspeed), it felt freeezzing.

On the beach my fellow windsurfers were laughing and I explained my situation. However one other windsurfer gave me his neoprene cap and his neoprene vest for warmth. I must say that was very friendly and heartwarming. Thanks! I really appreciate.

The session: http://www.movescount.com/moves/move79595973

Now time to order a new wetsuit.

Windsurfing without wind

noreply@blogger.com (Eriksurf) — Wed, 23 Sep 2015 09:18:00 +0000

It was not planned, it just happened. Windsurfing in wind below 2kn, been there done that after today. There should have been 12 kn last weekend (northerly wind)... I thought lets do a Almere-Amsterdam crossing...

It wasn't a normal Sunday however, it was jinxed Sunday. In the morning I was confronted with the fact I am just a village-man in the city. Innocent, I parked my car twice on the sidewalk (once in front of a bakery to get some bread and the second time to load my raceboard on the roof). However the city parking officers weren't amused, and gave me a ticket, a good reminder that this behaviour is absolutely not allowed in the city of Amsterdam.

After eating breakfast and loading the surfstuff I drove to Almere for a session. On the raceboard I could go out pretty OK. I thought, well this should be fun once the wind will turn on (at that moment it was 3-5kn). However the wind decreased after 40 minutes and I followed the weather pattern in the sky and looked upwind to other sailors. I didn't see anyone have better wind, I thought maybe there is some kind of front which has to move and will bring good wind...

At Muiden I actually didn't move anymore (visual at least). My speed was below 2 km/h. A new personal best I guess ;). I sat down on my board, still very positive laying in the sun (I thought this should be fun once the wind turns on). 10 minutes observating around me I started to doubt the windprediction, another 5 minutes later I thought I better get back (because 5 km swimming takes a long time)..

Guess what is the fastest way to move (almost) without wind on a raceboard?

paddling, putting the masttrack in the middle and start paddling with two hands;
normal windsurfing, holding the sail upright;
pumping, rotating the sail in a forward motion.

Number 3 was the quickest, however it required a different pumping technique compared to slalomstuff and >12kn wind. Pretty fun, in the end I even got the speed above 4 km/h ;). Number 2 was OK for 1-2km/h. And number one was good for 1-1.5km/h and cold hands....

The thing learned was: with pumping you can go double or triple the windspeed on a raceboard (on a crosswind course). A worst-case scenario (middle IJsselmeer) where you have to surf 10 km in 2 kn wind would take 2.5 hours. A long time, but not impossible or dangerous.

SUP 11-City Tour, there was a time windsurfers did it too

noreply@blogger.com (Eriksurf) — Tue, 08 Sep 2015 13:10:00 +0000

After I saw about thousand pictures comming by of the 11-City SUP tour, that was the moment I googled "elfstedentocht windsurf". And guess what (at the time when I was learning how to walk) windsurfers did it too. Inspiring.

Maybe thats why the average age of windsurfers is higher compared to other sports. They still know about these inspiring times and events around windsurfing... What would be the best windsurfkit today to do the Elfstedentocht?

A speedcross windsurfboard for long distance

noreply@blogger.com (Eriksurf) — Fri, 04 Sep 2015 12:08:00 +0000

I currently use my hypersonic for 12kn+ wind crossings and after these crossings I started to think: is this the ultimate board for my adventures?

These days most windsurf boards are developed and tested in a wide range of conditions. Yet if I may be honest, there is no production board which ticks all the boxes for me. What if I don't care how good a board gybes or accelerates out of a gybe? What if I don't care about flat water topspeed, or being able to do a spock on the board? What if I don't want to race and overtake others? If I just want a board that has an fast average and is easy on the longer reaches for true blasting..

I am curious and convinced most windsurfboards out there are developed with the same goals and beliefs. When sticking to the gliding boards you have currently three categories "slalom", "freerace" and "speed" (I belief freeride, wave and freestyle definitly don't bring any better characteristics for crossings).

My short translation for each boardtype:

Slalom-A fast short rockerline, wide tails, powerfull fins, able to accelerate quickly (from basically 5 km/h). Power of the fin/tail can be used for overtaking. Can take huge sails. Sometimes powerfull rails. The slalomboard really does "fly"over chop on the fin. Fast but demanding on the legs.
Freerace-A fast rockerline often longer and a bit higher nose, thinner boards, less demanding fins. Rounded rails... Sometimes thinner tails. For example the starboard futura (which is my favorite freeracer I have riden up till now)
Speed-A fast (flatter) short rockerline with small tail, short fin (for sailsize). Able to accelerate quick (from 40km/h on). Powerfull rails. Not built for large chop.

Speedcross board (dreaming and thinking about a better design)

When dreaming about a good board for blasting (freerace-speed-crossing board) I would like to mix the freerace and speed design. I am not that much interested in the 5-40km/h acceleration of a slalomboard (or gybing etc.)
My design would be based on the following beliefs:
-small tail (pintail for example), I don't want much pressure at my backfoot
-powerfull rails (not rounded for gybing or other tricks), the board should be able to take lots of lateral forces efficient (this way the finsize is less important)
-a fast rockerline, a bit longer than slalom for length stability. A short flat rockers make the board hard to trim fast, especially for lighter windsurfers which rely more on airflow over the front of the board for looseness.
-a thicker board (doesn't break or lose energy quickly), safe and good...
-a good upwind ability without the need for huge fins.

My current board the hypersonic
Is the hypersonic a good speedcross board? The hypersonic ticks a lot of boxes except the rockerline length and pintail, and thats exactly my most difficult part... The board length angle is hard to keep in a good angle for longer periods of time, however I am trying different trim options and not everything has been tried yet.

Best solution (in theory)
A bit something like the carbon art speed... I would like to fly on the tail with little effort for long times... I believe in theory that would be the best board design to do faster crossings.

To conclude: Wanted carbon art speed 100 liters +, in europe. mail loots.e@gmail.com if you are willing to sell such a board

successful 10km gps-windsurf crossing Markermeer

noreply@blogger.com (Eriksurf) — Sun, 30 Aug 2015 17:31:00 +0000

Today I used my Suunto to navigate from Gouwzee to Oostvaardersdiep. Not a very impressive distance between both (10km), however a good challenge for me as a beginner in crossings.

For the first time I used a raceboard. And yes, thats something different for sure! Some differences which I found out (I never had a board with 140liters+):

you would think it is very stable, but its just 70cm wide and thick.. Therefor it is actually less stable than a lightwind slalomboard;
you would think it is very heavy to sail it for 10km on a reach. It is actually very light on the feet/arms, just a good exercise. However I had to search on the board for a while (where do I put my feet);
you would think it is quite slow. It was a beautiful day and I shared the water with many other sailors. It was definitly not slow compared to a sailboat. My 25ft sailboat which I sold this year could not reach these speeds. The wind on the water was too less to glide for my good old hypersonic, soo it even beats my hypersonic (in these conditions);
you would think it is not playfull, however it actually is... You are constantly playing with the board angle and let it "surf" on the waves. If you use a wave good it will increase your speed.

upwind versus downwind & Gouwzee versus Oostvaardersdiep

In the graph below you can see the speed, I had higher speed at the start/end-point. At Oostvaarderdiep my speed upwind or downwind was equal. At the Gouwzee my downwind speed was higher. A reminder for next time: don't forget to start the session with my Suunto. Here is the Movescount session

Atlantic Windsurf Crossings

noreply@blogger.com (Eriksurf) — Tue, 25 Aug 2015 13:22:00 +0000

By the way lots of cool windsurf adventures have been undertaken, I never heard of most of them. Therefor I give these a place on the internet. Not because I want to do it, but it is inspiring for sure!

A normal windsurf kit has been used for this crossing, in contrary to the crossing in the Indian Ocean. The last crossing demonstrated (good footage) that it was really hard and the weather and conditions have to be good enough (winddirection and waves).

Kiters are crossing it too

A short overview what I found about windsurfing and the Atlantic:

1987 "Daring Frenchmen Stephane Peyron" - the first one (don't know/think he made it)

Stephane Peyron's bid to be the first solo windsurfer across the North Atlantic goes into its second month this weekend - and if all goes well, he will land on the shores of his native France sometime late this month. Peyron, the French board sailing champion, set off from New York on June 10 on the more than 3,000-mile journey, which is expected to take 40 to 45 days. But the long solo trek didn't seem to intimidate the 26-year-old adventurer, who already knew the perils of the voyage via a tandem crossing he made last year.

1998 4 teams conquer the Atlantic

Windsurfers are celebrating the first crossing of the Atlantic by board. Four teams sailed the 2,200-mile journey from St John's in Newfoundland to Weymouth, Dorset. During the seven-day race, competitors faced 30ft high waves and winds gusting to 35 knots. Jason Gilbert, who was part of a three-man European team to complete the journey, said: "The first thing I want to do now is go for a pint. "But I want to take part again if the race is on next year and I would like to lead my own UK team."

2012 Windsurf Transatlantic Sarah Hebert

A windsurf board that can carry a cooler!

noreply@blogger.com (Eriksurf) — Mon, 24 Aug 2015 11:20:00 +0000

I was scrolling through the 100+ windsurf blog list on this website and found the Kuleana adventures blog. Kuleana:

Here we seek out adventure using a custom designed windsurfer which can be used as a kayak or Stand-up paddle board and has five water tight hatches for storing camping gear. Follow along as we embark on treasure hunts, fishing trips, wildlife photography, exploration and adventure racing.

Link to blog: http://adventurewindsurfing.blogspot.com/

Never seen such a board, pretty cool given the fact its selfmade and the video does demonstrate he has a good time on this unique board.

IJburg, Markermeer, Amsterdam, IJmeer, windsurfing

noreply@blogger.com (Eriksurf) — Fri, 21 Aug 2015 16:49:00 +0000

Six spots around IJburg/Markermeer/Amsterdam, purple are weed sensitive area in summer

I work in Amsterdam, next to the largest lake of the Netherlands the Markermeer. I work there over a year now and have tried many windsurf spots. A few insights for those interested to windsurf here:

Spot at the electricity power masts, no weed over here all year round. Disadvantage are some rocks underwater around the mast. And you have to windsurf between the professional boats (cargo shippers, boats up to 80~100 m long). No parking fee;
Spot at the waterscooter spot. Easy to rig, no parking fee. Weed in summer and only works with North or South wind;
The IJburg/Amsterdam windsurf school. Easy to rig, spot with sand beach. Does require to pay for a parking ticket. In summer weed (lots);
According to the signs illegal parking, however my car didn't had a parking ticket yet. Also weeds at the start in summer;
Popular windsurfspot, you can stand everywhere. Also loads of weed. Sometimes difficult to find a parking spot nearby the beach;
A sandy beach, car cannot be parked close to the waterline, a weedy zone has to be crossed, however after this zone it is quite OK.

Summary

Windsurfing can be done with most winddirections. Spots 1-6 work all year round. However spot one could be dangerous (large cargo shippers). I would not recommend spot 1 to everyone... There is little to none flat water spots. the flatwater zones all have loads of weed.

Windsurfing Raceboards 2015

noreply@blogger.com (Eriksurf) — Tue, 18 Aug 2015 16:19:00 +0000

A month ago I had a very good windsurfing session together with my brother Wouter. It wasn't very windy that day, but that was no problem. Wouter used a starboard F-Type and me on a starboard Freeformula. I was having a good time, didn't know big board can be such fun. I was wondering if even bigger (raceboards) would be even better for light winds (non-planning conditions).

But who does make such a board in 2015??? the French! Starboard and Neilpryde:

AHD Tactik (320 x 76 cm, 250 liters, 13kg)
A board without footstraps, not very heavy and made for fun surfing. No adjustable masttrack. Tuttlebox and with dagger.

BIC Hybrid One-Design (308 x 82 cm, 240 liters, 15.5kg)
A board with footstraps, dagger and adjustable masttrack. Made for one-design surfing in france. Wind 5-30 kn, very popular design.

Exocet RS 380 ELITE (380 x 65 cm, 295 liters, 13.5 kg)
A complete raceboard. RS Elite 380 has a totally different shape, a lot quicker on reaching legs than the previous version. A very competitive board.

Exocet RS D2 ELITE (380 x 70 cm, 428 liters, 14.5kg)
Something like the older starboard Z-class, a competitive board from 2- 20kn. Complete with everything.

Kona One (250 x 70 cm, 220 liters, 15.5 kg)
Another big fun class from France, without adjustable masttrack. However with powerbox.

Neilpryde RS:One (300 x 80 cm, 209 liters, 14 kg)
A board that looks similar to the popular BIC board. With powerbox..

Neilpryde RS:X ( 286 x 93 cm, 220 liters, 15.5 kg)
The olympic board. Tuttlebox.

Starboard Phantom 295 (294 x 72.5 cm, 192 liters, 13.5kg)
A complete board and rather light, the successor of the 320 phantom series. Also built as reasonable priced one-design fun board.

Starboard Phantom 377 (377 x 67 cm, 265 liter, 13 kg)
Favorite in world championship raceboarding.

Surfersgroup SG-R380 (380x65 cm, 290 liters, 12.5kg)
A dutch brand raceboard. Ecofriendly built, less energy and less polution during construction.

Summary and conclusion

There are 6 "fun" one-design class boards from different brands, where starboard, neilpryde and bic are alike (more competitive). AHD and Kona seem to be a bit more highwind shaped;
There are 4 "hardcore" raceboards, where Exocet offers two models and does cover the widest range. The other two are Starboard and Surfersgroup.
There are two price classes, the hardcore raceboards tend to be +-€ 3000,-- till € 4500,-- and the fun boards about half (start at low € 1200,-- till € 2000,--).

Is there a board you would like to get?

I actually don't know which is my favorite.. I am interested which one is your favorite and why, respond below.

Lightwind average speed is increasing!

noreply@blogger.com (Eriksurf) — Sat, 15 Aug 2015 18:44:00 +0000

I started at the south Gouwzee windsurf spot and wind was light all day, the original plan was to sail to Lelystad, but I didn't trust the weather/wind.
I am actually surprised I could get the average speed above 30 km/h. I think the wind was 10-14 kn. The previous times I just didn't sail long enough to make a good hour, but this time I did :).

I am proud to have done 65 km distance in these conditions, a good training!

Movescount session can be found at the link below
ejloots's 2:17 h Windsurfing/Surfing Move #SuuntoSurf #Suunto #Ambit3Peak

In the video you can see the track I sailed today. I started off with some normal crosswind sailing, halfway the session I decided to sail all the way to the Northern dam, I took me 35 minutes of upwind surfing to get there, and the way back was done in 15 minutes.. Quite a difference, I think a bigger fin would probably decrease the difference between up- and downwind surfing. That's something to test next time :), I still have a 46 cm Sonntag Windsurfing Fin.

EL-11 Windsurfing: Lake Winnebago Super Crossing 2013

noreply@blogger.com (Eriksurf) — Fri, 14 Aug 2015 18:09:00 +0000

Check out! Cool Stuff :), another crossing event :)

EL-11 Windsurfing: Lake Winnebago Super Crossing 2013: We had a great Super Crossing ahead of the Windpower Championships today. 15-25 mph wind out of the west at the start. I took my Starboard...

Did you know someone is windsurfing solo around Great-Britain right now?

noreply@blogger.com (Eriksurf) — Tue, 11 Aug 2015 09:11:00 +0000

His name is Jono Dunnet, 41 years old, he is windsurfing solo around Great-Brittain right now. You can follow him on the website or facebook page.

Jono is windsurfing on a raceboard around the UK, he does this alone without support on the water. However he does go onshore the eat, sleep and rest. It is actually really inspiring because Jono does rely on local contacts onshore. I haven't counted, but it looks like hundred or more enthusiasts volunteered to arrange a place to stay for Jono.

Charity
Jono his windsurf quest is a fund raising vehicle for two charities:

Numbers

Three other men have rounded Britain, but aided by yacht/powerboat. The distance of such a trip is roughly 2500+km (in a straight line around). However the coastline is 17.820 km long, if Jono would follow the coastline around it would be much longer.