Jason Polakow and Teahupoo, when these two forces of nature collide, the images are always spectacular! After Polakov first caught the brutal wave off Tahiti in 2006 with a windsurfing board, he returned in 2009. "There was only one set every hour or so over the razor-sharp and very shallow reef," he reported afterwards in surf. "There was only wind when a rain shower fell over the mountains. Then there were just a few gusts, which were enough for me to pump myself into the waves with the windsurfer."
Making of "Four Dimensions"
In October 2009, "Four Dimensions", André Paskowski's first "big" film, celebrated its premiere at the World Cup on Sylt. For surf, he talked about the idea, the filming and the challenges. Over lunch during training in Jeri, together with Marcilio Browne and Swedish filmmaker Peter Svensson, the idea for a film with the latest technical possibilities was born, which was to leave the previous free short clips behind. The budget of 18,000 euros was already severely stretched on the first trip to Cape Verde, where the conditions did not live up to their promise. Next up was the windsurfing mecca of Maui, where eight (!) helicopters were sometimes filming at the same time - drones were still out of reach in 2009. After that, the hard drives were full but the bank account was empty, and André began to focus more on the film project than on the contests. With new partners, he travelled to Dahab, Fuerte and Pozo, and ended up with a masterpiece that is still spectacular today. With "Minds Winde Open" and "Below the Surface", André created even more milestones, but in August 2013 he died far too early of cancer. The fact that his films have not only entertained countless windsurfers, but also inspired them, was recently demonstrated once again in "Pasko - the Magic Move" by Maarten Molenaar clearly.
Windsurf Cup in self-experiment
As a die-hard waverider, surf editor Manuel Vogel didn't have the best image of the German Windsurf Cup for a long time. During the midsurf crisis, however, Manuel was overcome by the urge to polish up his own regatta record after two miserable attempts during his time as a civilian. The focus is of course on wave and freestyle, but with minimal slalom equipment, the time on the water should at least be optimised a little. Formula is cancelled for monetary and aesthetic reasons. The first event on Norderney went better than expected, leaving aside little things like incorrect clock settings, catapults and early starts. Nothing worked on Rügen, but nothing at the final on Sylt: Manuel "muddled" his way through to the final several times and was shown how it's done by the really big names. "If you have your nose in front at the buoy, then you can drive more aggressively," advises Gunnar Asmussen. "If someone shouts, that's normal - so don't get scared!" And when Manuel is already dreaming of being the hero of Westerland during a short lead, Flessi rips him off cold. In the subsequent freestyle heat, Manuel is the best swimmer and leaves the island with a better slalom than freestyle result. "Does this mean I'm getting old?"
Portrait of starboard shaper Tiesda You
Not all windsurfers may recognise the name Tiesda You, but his ideas have been shaping many areas of the sport for many, many years: The Starboard shaper comes across as a "restless spirit in a serene body", writes Stephan Gölnitz about a visit to the brand's hallowed halls. Tiesda, a French citizen who grew up in Qatar and started out there as a shaper ("not necessarily the big business with around ten windsurfers"), applied to Starboard boss Svein Rasmussen by email after completing his studies in London. Unfortunately, Svein received this email as an unformatted tapeworm, but it was clear to him: "We have to get this man here!" Since then, the spirit of Rasmussen and You has characterised the brand - and the scene. Starboard Go, wide quad boards, extreme formula shapes - all ideas that the duo quickly developed and realised. "Exploring the extremes, pushing the boundaries - that's what always shines through as Starboard's philosophy, and more than a few times it's given them a head start." Both love the big steps, "which don't just add a knot of top speed, but bring real momentum to the market". Svein's main goal is for the market to grow again; he has high hopes for the SUP hype in 2009, which should then also push light wind surfing again.
You can click through the entire magazine in the gallery above!
And what else?
- The foil trimaran "L'Hydroptere" set a new world record for sail-powered vessels: the projectile travelled at 51.36 knots off Hyeres, with Anders Bringdal, the new Mistral owner, on board.
- Seven radical freestyle boards compete in the test, while freestyle cloths have to hold their own against their sideshore siblings. The DIY fin test is exciting: can you simply saw off a standard fin to get a small freestyle spine? You can, but with a big loss of speed, glide and upwind performance. "Two to two and a half centimetres" is where expert Dani Aeberli sees the limit for DIYers.
- The first quads on the market, after Starboard, JP-Australia has now also launched a quad. To introduce his new board, wave world champion Kauli Seadi came to the surf editorial office in Munich in person. White sausage breakfast included. The first impression of the board is also very promising.
- A real classic in the Spot Guide: hardly any other region offers as much variety and possibilities as Rügen. From tourist beaches to secret spots, from the finest shallow water to the crisp Baltic Sea waves. For those looking for more up-to-date information: The best windsurfing spots on Rügen
More surf reviews:
- surf 4/1977
- surf 6/1977
- surf 6/1978
- surf 4/1979
- surf 9/1980
- surf 11/1980
- surf 4/1981
- surf 5/1982
- surf 6/1982
- surf 4/1983
- surf 10/1983
- surf 9/1984
- surf 12/1984
- surf 8/1985
- surf 8/1986
- surf 9/1986
- surf 2/1987
- surf 5/1987
- surf 8/1988
- surf 5/1989
- surf 7/1989
- surf 4/1990
- surf 3/1991
- surf 6/1991
- surf 3/1992
- surf 10/1992
- surf 9/1993
- surf 10/1993
- surf 4/1994
- surf 7/1995
- surf 6/1996
- surf 11-12/1996
- surf 7/1997
- surf 8/1998
- surf 9/1998
- surf 4/1999
- surf 7/2001
- surf 5/2005
- surf 3/2006
Tobias Frauen
Editor