The first event of the year for the PWA Racers is happening right now in Korea. The worlds best are here to show their stuff!! No wind on the first day but look for some later on in the week. You never know here in Korea and it looks as though everyone is ready to rip here and now!
What’s up PW crew, hope everyone is doing well and ready for the summer season. I have heard the ice is melting and the wind is warming up so that is great news. I have been a little quiet lately, been wanting to say hi for a while now and let you know what I have been up to-
Since the wind came back in March, things were full power, full blast. It was like someone hit the switch and Maui erupted with incredible conditions. They rolled through the month and I have to say it was one of the best March’s I have seen in a while. I was out on the water quite a lot- mostly sailing down at Kanaha or the Sprecks area trying to take it easy on my left leg before getting the metal out! I spent some good time on the water teaching some great people and had tons of fun. It was non-stop action.
My plan in April was to get down to my all-time favorite spot, Punta San Carlos for one of my annual Wave Camps! I hit the road with the whole family on the 15 of April and landed in Santa Barbara for a couple days. My right hand man Kevin McGillivray picked me up at 5am and we bolted down for the border- back in the days, we used to continue driving for another 8 hours of grueling roads but not anymore..... We jump on our private little plane and 1.5 hours later, we are on the water! Spoiled, YES but we have paid our dues. This is SoloSports Style..... put it on your bucket list and come join us for an amazing windsurfing experience. Check them out here: www.solosports.net and they can get you booked in. Our next camp is October 2-9.
I have been having a LOT of fun teaching the sport I known and love. I have not been competing so much and the art of teaching and helping someone learn a maneuver they have been working on for 10 years is very satisfying. In some way it comes close to winning a contest if that makes any sense?This particular camp in April we had sailors from Australia, New Zealand, San Francisco, some east coasters, the Gorge guys, some Midwesters and a couple crazy Canadians- a total of 19 people and we had a BLAST! The first and last days were the best of the trip and that is always nice. We had only one day without wind and that gave everyone a much needed break. I sailed on a 5.0 every session, sometimes underpowered and sometimes well powered...... The biggest hit of the camp session to most of the students are the Headzone helmets- we send you out with a helmet on that you can hear every word I say..... I can heckle you, tell you to turn around and go catch a real wave and also tell you when it’s time to start pumping and help you rip your first wave to pieces! The best part about the helmet head is that I can talk to you but you can’t talk back to me..... I can sit up on the cliff and see what is going on, I can tell you that there is a set coming, I can tell you to wait it out and I can sing songs to you when you are swimming after your gear- Lots of fun.
From every Wave Camp, we see a common denominator that really hurts most people learning to wave sail..... and that is the lack of speed. People have every intention of getting their weight forward and making a fast turn but more often than not, they pull back on the rig, straighten their legs and tell the board to STOP without meaning to. Our classroom sessions show exactly what you are doing wrong via video and there is no getting around us- we will be on you to get forward and keep your speed.Learning to wave sail at San Carlos is probably one of the best places in the world- when it is good, it is all glory. If you have never been in the waves, don’t worry- plenty of first timers come down and have a blast. My buddy Jim Haynes is 75 years old and he comes down every time and puts some hours on the water- he is learning to catch waves and is smiling each and every day- and that is what counts!!
After all the fun in Baja, it was back to Santa Barbara for a week of recovery and family time. From there I was on the road to San Francisco for one last operation..... This was to remove all the metal (16 screws and a plate) from my left ankle. Here below you can see the metal work and what I was dealing with. I was able to sail but it wasn’t exactly comfortable. I was pretty much in pain and not saying a word about it- no one would listen anyway...... ha ha. So my doc that put in the metal, took it out. I had the best anesthesia ever, got knocked out and woke up and never really had too much pain. They should sell that kind of medicine over the counter!!! They had to cut me back open through the same scar, dig through all the muscle again and get down into the bones. This was no picnic according to the man but all went exceptionally well and I’m feeling good already after a week out. I am on crutches for 2 weeks and once the scar heals and the staples come out, I’m straight back into some aggressive rehab! I love rehab....... once that is all done, hopefully you guys will not have to hear anymore about this surgery stuff-Just pure stoke.
As I write, I’m sitting at 36,000 feet enjoying a little computer catchup and talking with you guys.The rest of May I will be getting stronger and stronger- I will be going to Pistol River in June to help out with the judging to support these events in the USA.Next year, I plan to compete......
One last plug if you guys are ever thinking of coming to Maui and learning a thing or two.... Check out Aloha Windsurfing Clinics- My friend Shawna and I are going to be doing them on a regular basis so check the dates and book in to the most amazing Maui windsurfing experience ever- Accomodation and gear rental is all taken care of, all you have to do is show up with your harness...... come on over! You can email me for info or contact Shawna at
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There is also some more info on our website under the clinics tab..... http://www.pritchardwindsurfing.com/content/view/15/36/
The dates for these clinics are below: Comeon over and have some FUN!
Time for me to get to work and get back on the top spot of the ranking list. Been sailing quite a bit on the slalom stuff and doing some gybing practice with the boys and it seems like I have been going fast... You never really really know until the flag drops on the starting line.
I have been working on my filming a bit in the evenings and mornings before and after windsurfing, and man, Maui is so amazing. What a great place. If you have never been, it is a great place to come and windsurf and hang out. The wind the last couple days has been so nice and steady.. perfect.. anyhow, i think I am getting good footage but for the life of me can't edit it very well. I see things every time I watch something and want to change it but dont know how.. A nerdy friend of mine told me, it is just a feeling, you either have it or you dont. The next day when he asked me about forward looping, I was like.. It is just a feeling........... so maybe i need to get a better feeling. I guess it just takes time to learn. the more you do it, the more you figure it out. So... I am back on the water, learning and testing, and ... Feeling.. Enjoy.
Well Hookipa has been pretty packed with photoshooting. Neil Pryde JP Fanatic North Simmer.. all out there with a lot of guys.. Still pretty fun conditions.
Just wanted to show any of you race sail buyers out there, what sort of service you get when you buy your sail from Pritchard Windsurfing.com. Cause we ride the sails we sell, we can tune yours up and get them rigged just like we race on them. Which takes all the guess work as to if you have the sail rigged right or not. Check it out and next time you buy a sail, check out Pritchardwindsurfing.com!!
Time to get onto the testing. I have been doing some testing but not enough. All the photoshooting is done so that is good and now it is time to get on the slalom gear and ready for Korea. Oh Korea... Here we come!!
Maui is well... amazing.. Spring is here, the wind and waves are still here and it is a perfect time to be here. Check out Matt's rental deals or lessons and get on over here. It is also a great time to see all the new products out on the water with guys photoshooting from just about every brand out there.
I was driving by Hookipa after a great day of playing and saw Fredrick out there ripping it up. The sunset was amazing although I didnt capture what I wanted to capture... I did get these couple shots. When I put them up on the computer all I could do was try to photoshop what I was seeing.. Didnt really work but anyhow.. Thought you might enjoy them.. I had a epic session at Kanaha, none of pro guys were there so it was just me out there slashing it up. I have to say I had a good time and I was getting tired and I was like ok I can't go in until I make a taka or a 360.. That was a bit of a mistake cause after about 100... that is a bit of an exaggeration, but a lot of failed attempts I was like OK thats it I am going in on this wave anyway, I am done, and as I hate loosing a battle even if it is only in my own head, i was going in and saw this lip and without thinking I was like bam, taka, perfect taka.. how does that happen.. When you let it go... you just let it go and it all falls into place.
The shot below is what I was hoping to get with Fredrick hitting the lip right there.. anyhow.. maybe next time!
Hey Guys- Just got this test in from the crew at Boarseeker Magazine! If you haven't see thier site, you gotta check it out.... A lot of great stuff on there! It is pretty cool how they test- I find this writeup particularly interesting because I am a SINGLE fin kind of guy- It is just how I like to sail and how i want my board to react. The twin fins are tricky and unless you have perfect condtions, i don't think they are much of an advantage to the average Joe.... you gotta be really good to capitalize on the benefits! Everybody that has been getting the Pocket's LOVES them...... so here is a test to show what the mag had to say- if you are interested in trying one out, send me a mail and we can let you know where our demo's are taking place.... Hit the contact button on the site- Enjoy!!!
Here is the direct link: http://www.boardseekermag.com/windsurfing-equipment-tests/clone-quotes/2010/tabou-pocket-75-2010.html
Tabou Pocket 75
"Nice, loose and compact feeling on the wave with a
predictable, fairly tight bottom turn"
“Turns tighter than the other single fins and feels flowing and compact on the wave, although not as agile as the twin fins”
“Not the fastest board in a straight line, but very comfortable and controlled”
“Maintains speed well through the turns, but feels like it reaches a top speed which is more noticeable on bigger waves or side-shore conditions”
“Comes around off the top better than the other single fins”
The Tabou Pockets have received 4 years of development and Tabou are now confident enough in their performance that they have opted to maintain the same shapes for 2010 and change only the fins. The fin sizes have been reduced (with new shapes) to improve manoeuvrability, whilst according to Tabou, maintaining the early planing and directional performance of last years bigger fins.
In a straight line, compared with some of the other boards here, the Tabou can feel a little sticky to get going. It’s more a technique issue than anything else, but the nose is definitely slightly more catchy and takes a little getting used to at first.
Once up to speed, the stickiness goes and the Tabou is very settled and controlled. The nose sits quite low and the ride is more ‘planted‘ than the other single fins actually feeling a bit more like a twin fin in the way it rides. It’s not as directional or quite as fast as say the JP and RRD, but this is a wave board after all and it’s actually quite nice to have the feeling that the board is ready to turn and react at the twitch of a toe. The pads are very comfortable and the board rides with a safe and controlled feeling, even in the roughest conditions.
It's on the wave however, where this board really excels. It’s the tightest turning single fin in this group and with its short and wide shape, feels very compact and manoeuvrable underfoot. The Pocket is noticeably better than the other single fins (although not as good as the twins) at carving off the top, particularly in onshore conditions. It's noticeable that most single fins struggle to come around enough off the top for the sail to power up again in onshore conditions, but the Pocket is actually pretty good and can carve a surprisingly tight turn off the top.
It's a fairly easy board for maintaining speed through the turns (perhaps also helped by its fairly generous tail width). We did notice however that on bigger, faster waves, the Pocket seems to reach a maximum speed and is more suited to making tighter turns in the ‘pocket’ (hence the name!), than gunning out in front of a wave and coming vertically back into it. This trait was more noticeable in side-shore conditions than side-on.
Our 80kg Clones found that the Pocket worked best when comfortably powered up with 4.7m - 4.0m sails. When underpowered or using bigger rigs, the slight stickiness that we described earlier was more apparent and made the board a bit slower to get going, albeit still nice on the wave. The mast track worked best around the middle and a bit further back for smaller sails.
Summary
Well, the board's name says a lot about its character! With its compact feel and ability to turn tighter than any of the other single fins, it definitely feels like a board that was designed to ride in the ‘Pocket’. Novice and intermediate wave riders will love the way the board maintains speed through the turns and corners with predictably and ease. More advanced riders looking for this style of board, won't find a more suited single fin, but may be better off looking for a twin fin such as the DaCurve, which will give even sharper turning ability on the wave face.
Well sorry I have been so slack on the updates, but it has been too much fun around here. We have been having wind all over the place, some slalom sailing on the other side, some wavesailing at Hookipa and I have been working on getting you some videos up. Well working, not that hard I guess as you havent seen anything.. Anyhow, here is a Pistol River video, for your viewing pleasure.. Post it up anywhere and get this thing pumped up!!
Yep that is right, finally a mainland USA wave contest is on the scheduling blocks and is going to happen. I just talked with the organizer Samatha Bittner and she is fired up about the event. She has some great sponsors and has everything set to make for a great event! I am going, I think Matt is going, Kai Katch and a bunch of rippers will be out there to shred there stuff. It is going to be fun weekend for everyone. Go to the website HERE and register. It is limited to 100 entrants and spaces are filling up fast so I would recommend getting your entry's in soon. Every bit of support is appreciated so if you want to help out by volunteering or show some support with your sponsorship dollars, you can contact Sam and hook it up.
Wow, what a long short trip I just had. Arrived Wednesday then left Monday early in the morning. Had a great trip, we ended up doing a 28 mile race in Guadeloupe which was fun to get everything really nice and tired and then got to discover the island a bit. The race didn't go really as planned as I never received my baggage. I managed to borrow some of my gear that I sold to a friend of mine two years ago and lucky for me it had all my logos on and ready for action. So I got out on the 8.2 and 122 and did the best I could with what I had. It was great fun to be out in the water! We even got some surfing in and seeing Guadeloupe and Martinique was quite fun.
Well the photo business is really starting to take off. Just got a bunch of Butterfly Effect coverage published so that is pretty good. Check out Tatiana's blog for more details of upcoming events and plan up one of the next BE events.
Well lots of hype concerning the Tsunami but nothing really happening. A beautiful day here in the Islands with no wind and perfect bright blue sunshine.. What a nice day!!
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