Review: These were the highlights in surf 6/1996

Which side do you prefer? Almost every surfer has a favourite side on which the manoeuvres simply work better. This is usually characterised by the conditions at the home spot or where certain things have been learned. It starts with the beach start and doesn't end with complex moves, even for seasoned pros. Dave Kalama, for example, reports that although he can perform jumps equally well with training on both sides, he can only perform smooth turns on the wave with his right foot behind. A sports scientist confirms that the one-sidedness is inherent in every body and can only be trained differently to a limited extent, keyword left or right-handed. Even those who play out manoeuvres in their mind's eye are usually unconsciously on their strong side. Ingo Meyer trained for three months each on Maui (wind from the right) and in South Africa (wind from the left) to achieve his balance, and he also had a "doc" on Maui stimulate neglected muscle areas with electric shocks. According to Karsten Gallo from the VDWS, however, many amateur surfers have their own method of dealing with their weaker side: "Somehow, for many people, there is always something wrong with the harness lines in one direction. They inevitably have to get off the board and fiddle with their lines. If they're already down, they might as well turn the board round."

F2 brings new tandem

"Your whoop will be heard" is how an old tandem rider sums up his love of windsurfing in a double pack. After tandem surfing was omnipresent in the childhood days, the huge double planks fell into oblivion in the meantime. In 1996, F2 launched a new tandem - which, however, was unable to herald a real renaissance (another attempt was the Starboard tandem, to which Kai Lenny and Ricardo Campello achieved brief fame in 2020). Kutte Priessner begins with a nostalgic account of his own tandem experiences, followed by a test of the new F2 "thunderbolt". Very important: the coordination of the pilots, especially in manoeuvres. You can almost completely forget about water starts, and sheet starts are no less difficult ("The risk of sweeping your co-pilot off the board when you're picking up the sail is more of a guarantee."). The riding experience on the tandem is quite different: the person in front (always the lighter one, the technician) floats over the water with ease when travelling faster, while the surfer behind (the heavy powerhouse) has to keep the boat on course. The fun, according to the unanimous opinion of everyone who has ever stood on the board in pairs, is unrivalled: "The risk of drowning is pretty high," says F2 rider Chris Calthrop, "because you have to laugh so much when tandem surfing!"

From Fuerte to Morocco to the ship graveyard

Brothers Thomas and Christian Miklautsch take on a somewhat arduous journey to discover a mysterious secret spot in Morocco. They surfed 110 kilometres across the Atlantic from Fuerteventura and then made their way along the coast with an off-roader, camel and two donkeys towards the wave paradise. The 13-hour long haul is characterised by calm and seasickness, and a surreal spot awaits halfway in Morocco: a huge ship graveyard with rusty wrecks makes for spectacular images. But the session is short-lived, with razor-sharp debris lurking just below the surface: "We quickly feel our way out of this labyrinth and take with us the certainty that we will never return to this strange place." The destination doesn't really make up for the effort: there is no wind or waves for five days. At least the promise "no other surfers far and wide" wasn't a lie.

And what else?

"The limits of the Powerbox system are reached at some point," says a Mistral man in view of fins well beyond 40 centimetres and rows of burst boxes at the World Series Board Championships. Even back then, AHD relied on the new Tuttlebox - still the standard for slalom boards today, it can even withstand foils!
Björn Schrader is ending his career as a professional surfer. As the longest-serving Worldcupper alongside Robby Naish, he was always a candidate for the top ten in course racing. In 1996 there was no more room for Schrader in Team Germany, and "all negotiations with potential sponsors didn't work out for the life of me".
Does the moon influence the wind? Surf author Gerd Kloos investigates this question and finds arguments in favour of there being more wind during a full moon as well as arguments that do not show any connection.
Adjustable harness lines for different conditions and courses are the new fashion, but some pros are still sceptical. Bernd Flessner thinks 24 centimetres is enough, Andy Laufer straps both 24 and 26 centimetres to his boom at the same time.
surf smashes 14 boards in the lab to test the durability of the construction methods. Unsurprisingly, composite boards turn out to be more durable than their sandwich counterparts, although their resistance varies greatly. The HiFly 295, the only PE bomber in the test, only stands out due to its high weight; it is one of the first to fail when it hits the nose
Ties made of pure silk, hand-painted with surf motifs by a female artist, advertises surf in a newsflash. It could hardly be more nineties.
During the production of the Spot Guide Ijsselmeer, Caroline, a French worldcupper, wants to do a speed run with her slalom equipment and 40 mm fin for the picture. She "accelerates like a Dutch flat-bottomed ship" and leaves a wide furrow in the ground. "Well girl, the Ijsselmeer is just a standing area!" comments a Rhinelander dryly.
What does Mike Eskimo actually do? In 1996, the colourful Viennese made art from flotsam and dreams of a major exhibition. He still works as a designer with Eskyflavor today!

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Review: These were the highlights in surf 6/1996

F2 brings new tandem

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From Fuerte to Morocco to the ship graveyard

And what else?

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