During winter break before the start of Vahine's 1st year on the WCT, she decided to meet up in Hawaii with her favorite shaper Britt Merrick to test and give him some feedback on different boards she will be riding for some of the different stops on tour.

The post Kaa Surf Foil Session appeared first on SUPboarder Magazine.

PHILIP KSTER FLYING HIGH AT POZO!PHILIP KSTER FLYING HIGH AT POZO!Philip Kster makes it look easy while sailing at Pozo in Gran Canaria, as he launches into huge doubles, back loops and stalled forwards. Sit back and enjoy this raw footage from the Severne 24/ 25 product shoot!Severne tell us: Enjoy a few minutes of action packed wave sailing stripped back to its essence. No fancy edits, just pure action featuring Philip Kster riding his signature Pyro wave board and BladePro sail in Pozo Izquierdos nuking winds. Shot during our 2024-2025 product shooting phase, this unfiltered footage showcases both the rough nature of Pozo Izquierdo when the winds gust above 30 knots, and the playground it provides when the season is on. The combination of the SEVERNE Pyro and BladePro represent the pinnacle of wave sailing technology. Born from decades of R&D in Western Australia and refined through multiple world titles, these are the tools that truly set the benchmark for performance.Gear featured: Sail: BladePro Board: Pyro Boom: Enigma 140 Mast: RDM Red Mast Harness:PK-1 Follow SEVERNE: Website: https://severnewindsurfing.comThe post PHILIP KSTER FLYING HIGH AT POZO! appeared first on Windsurf Magazine.

RIGHT PLACE AT THE RIGHT TIME!RIGHT PLACE AT THE RIGHT TIME!Insane photos of Thomas Traversa and crew in Brittany, France!UK photographer, Matthew Burridge was in the right place at the right time on Monday, when Thomas Traversa and his crew came and sailed one of his local big wave breaks in France, as StormHerminia unleashed its raw power!!Matthew Burridge who is the designer at 5 Oceans Sailscommented:The wind almost took off the sail loft roof, it was howling all night, so we were mending it first thing were a bit late setting off to the lighthouse to see what was happening.A big thunderstorm came through just before we arrived, so the sailors were late getting on it, and probably missed the best bit as the tide pushed in in, least I think it was the thunderstorm that delayed them, but it could have been the local TV crew interviewing them, Windsurfing is still a big thing in France!Here are some photos of the dayThe post RIGHT PLACE AT THE RIGHT TIME! appeared first on Windsurf Magazine.

Words: Scott WarrenPhotos: P3T PhotographySprinting is a fundamental part of SUP and is found in almost every discipline in some form. Its how we accelerate our board beyond normal paddling, allowing us to catch waves, get up on the foil in SUP Foiling, chase down the ball in SUP Polo, or get through a particular stretch of white water. As a fundamental skill, its essential that we practise technique and learn skills about when and how to use our sprinting so we can unlock progression in our chosen disciplines. For this article, however, we will be focusing on the competitive element of sprint, which is often our first experience of paddling fast with the purpose of achieving our goal.Where did it start?Sprinting has been a mainstay of SUP in the UK since the first boards arrived on our shores and the first adopters picked up a paddle. Doing fun sprints with your mates or learning to catch waves standing up put sprinting right at the heart of the foundation SUP technique. Many of the early races were held at the club level, so were, in reality, versions of a sprint being short in distance and accessible for newcomers to try, with the Coke bottle races being a great early example. Simple drop in a bottle tied to a weight, and you have yourself a marker to race around. Sprinting at its core. From there, many of the big events tagged in fun SUP sprints as a way to fill the gap around the main distance race, encouraging paddlers of all levels to give it a go.What about now is competitive sprinting still a thing?Over the years, with the development of the sport and the progression of paddlers taking part, distances and formats have become longer and more challenging, but sprinting has always been a fundamental part of the sport. Whilst it did not have the limelight or any real specialist sprinters who only did short distances, sprinting could be found at most events, culminating in the Sprint National Championships held at the National Watersports Centre in Nottingham as part of the then British Canoeing Sprint Regattas.So what is considered a sprint?The easiest way to think of SUP sprinting is to compare it to athletics and track sprinting. Sprinting is competitive SUP in its shortest forms, taking place over distances of up to 500m. Beyond that, you can consider it starting to become a middle-distance race, just like a 1500m track race at the Olympics. Typically, sprints are held over 100m, 150m and 200m in various formats across flatwater and beach locations.What formats are there?The most common sprints are either a ltraight-line format similar to track sprinting, with paddlers starting a set distance from the finish and paddling a straight course, or a tech sprint, which is usually an out-and-back setup where paddlers sprint from a start position out to a buoy or set of marks, turn 180, and race back to the finish.Sprinting techniqueThe fundamentalsThere are many ways to sprint, making the short-distance side of SUP very accessible. You will see a wide variety of styles and skills deployed as paddlers look to reach their highest speeds and maintain their effort of the course distance, but to start, lets look at the fundamentals.The bottom handGenerally, you want to use more power when sprinting, so the easiest way to do this is by dropping your bottom hand one hands width lower on your paddle than you would typically have if paddling fast for a distance race. If you are coming from a recreational paddling technique, then moving your bottom hand down a couple of hands width is a great place to start. Moving your bottom hand changes the leverage point on the shaft and blade, allowing you to put more power through your paddle stroke, typically unlocking more speed over a short distance.Reach point and shortening your strokeOne of the most common misconceptions about sprinting is that you must shorten your stroke to paddle fast and start sprinting. Now, whilst this statement is true, which goes against that very statement, how we apply that principle is the key part. You should maintain your normal reach point, out in front of you, without overstretching too far. Shortening your stroke in sprinting usually means exiting earlier and achieving a shorter stroke length this way rather than putting the paddle in closer to you and still exiting close to your feet. The goal is to have an efficient yet shorter stroke to allow for a higher cadence.What is cadence?Cadence is the term used to understand how many strokes you take per minute when paddling, sometimes called stroke rate. Typically, when progressing, a higher stroke rate or cadence will allow you to achieve higher speeds by increasing the number of strokes you are taking per minute over your normal paddling style. As you progress further, there is a balance between speed, power, and cadence, but we will come to that later. Typically, achieving 60 to 70 strokes per minute is a great baseline to aim for when looking to sprint.Adding powerPaddling at a higher stroke rate alone wont necessarily make you start sprinting. Combining the bottom-hand placement and an increased cadence will start the process, but you will likely need to increase your power.So what is Power? Put simply; power can be defined and measured as an increased output or effort over your normal baseline levels of effort when paddling normally. Increased power comes from a harder pull through your bottom hand, engagement of the core muscles and use of your body weight to drive the board forward quicker.An excellent way to think about this is opening a heavy door. Pulling gently on the handle while standing square to the door will make it difficult to open. However, if you reach forward with your bottom hand and then engage your core to pull harder on the handle or even rotate your body while pulling, you will be able to open the door more easily.Getting faster unlocking progressionSo now that you understand sprinting and its fundamentals, how do you progress? Several advanced techniques and skills come into play to get faster at sprinting, and for this, we will focus purely on the straight-line elements and miss out on more tech sprint-based elements such as beach starts and buoy turns.Getting off the lineSimply paddling faster and with more power will allow you to start sprinting, but a key element to progression is getting off the line quicker and more efficiently. Returning to our track sprinters, especially in the shorter distances of 100m and 200m, the athletes have a starting phase where they drive out the blocks at the starting gun. The same goes for SUP in that you cant reach peak speed immediately and must drive away from the line as quickly but as efficiently as possible to achieve your best start.A great way to achieve this is to start with your paddle out in front of you ready, and at the start, single bury the blade deeper than normal to get hold of the water more effectively. Your goal is to initiate forward momentum in the most efficient way. What you want to avoid is a great big splash but smacking your paddle into the water surface, almost like the wheelspin of a car lots of smoke and style but minimal forward momentum at first.AccelerationMuch like getting off the line, you cant suddenly reach peak speed immediately, so you must go through an acceleration phase to get the board moving effectively across the water. Each paddler is different, but experiment with 10-15 strokes or maybe 20, depending on the sprint distance and your preference. With each stroke, you push your speed up by increasing the stroke rate and power and bringing in other elements of your sprint technique, such as leg drive and rotational power. The goal is to get you through the acceleration phase efficiently without burning out before you hit the maintenance phase.Maintaining your speedThe secret to a fast sprint is how effectively you can maintain your peak speed. Notice this is not top speed, which is your highest physical number. Given that we are in a very dynamic environment and with each stroke, we have acceleration and drag to contend with; peak speed is considered to be your highest average and sustainable speed across your sprint distance. Usain Bolt was considered not the fastest starter or accelerator, yet he often finished first. His success came from his ability to maintain his peak speed for longer than his competitors and, more often than not, take fewer strides to complete the same distance. Not bad for someone considered too tall for sprinting! The maintenance phase of your sprint will likely be the longest, so its important to work on that area the most. To maintain your peak speed, you can reduce the overall power so you dont burn out, find a cadence that keeps the board moving effectively through the water without losing speed between each stroke and use your legs to spread the load and lactic acid away from your arms.How can you start sprinting?Sprinting is a great way to train, allowing you to do short bursts to increase your speed and power. Many short interval sessions (sub 2-minute efforts) can be done at a sprint speed. Sprints are also a fun way to get into racing if youre a newcomer to competitive SUP. Pick a point a short distance away, line up with your fellow paddlers and see who gets there first. You dont need any specialist kit; although there is a real skill in making a big round-nose iSUP move quickly, they are just as fun to sprint as a dedicated race board.Most clubs will run fun racing with a sprint element, and dedicated sprinters such as Anni at Frangipani SUP are pushing the sprint discipline with introduction days and clinics.What about competing in sprints?Sprints can often be found at various events, from Beach-based Tech Sprints on the GBSUP National Series to a Sprint element included in the GBSUP British National Championships. Other events will also have sprint elements, so its always worth checking out whats on the schedule and what you can get involved in. 2024 also sees the return of the GBSUP National Sprint Championships at this years Paddle UK September regatta at the National Watersports Centre, which, as the name suggests, is a dedicated Sprint Championship held over 200m with paddlers competing in their own lanes.Haywood SportsHere at Haywood Sports, we are always happy to help. Our coaching covers all areas of SUP, and our home is on the coast in Kent. We are also always happy to answer any questions on paddling, from locations to conditions to kit and safety. Get in touch by phone, email, or social media. https://www.haywoodsports.com

Wow what an event, the Geraldton Wave Rally 2025 was a big success! After a year of planning, we were greeted on the Friday morning with a forecast of 15 knots, clouds and even rain! Its very unseasonal weather for Geraldton in January however the show had to go on. Thankfully 12 inflatable WindSups were []

The post The 2025 UK Caravan, Camping & Motorhome Show appeared first on SUPboarder Magazine.

CALL OF DUTY: CODE RED BLUFF!CALL OF DUTY: CODE RED BLUFF!When the swell is forecast for 7m at 18 seconds, you can be sure the Motley Crew red phone will start ringing from beneath the pile of unpaid bills in JCs office. This forecast was a no brainer, but the tough decision was where to go! Read on for the first instalment of crazy two-day mission of storm chasing in Cornwall!Words: Timo Mullenand John Carter// Photos: John Carter.TIMO MULLENFORECASTWhen I heard about the forecast, I had every man and his dog sending me messages about this huge swell hitting Cornwall. Even the south coast was giving southwest swell of 6m at 18 seconds! These forecasts are often hyped up and dont always deliver as expected. This one did seem to be showing on every single surf forecast. I normally wave sail in Ireland on these big forecasts, where you have got reefs. Big swells love reefs, the wave breaks thicker on a bigger period and sometimes taller. In the UK there are not so many reefs that handle this sort of swell.There are a few spots on the south coast, in Wales and Scotland but Cornwall doesnt not have many reefs that work on such a swell with SW wind. 18 feet at 18 seconds is going to close out any beach break in Cornwall. We had to hope that the swell wasnt going to be as big as they were saying, because if it was somewhere like the Bluff in Cornwall would be a close out!THE PLANWe made a plan that SW wind is side shore right where I live in Poole. There are some sick beach breaks that would work well if this swell was as big as they forecast. It would be amazing on a 6m at 18 second swell! The plan was to check it at first light. JC had come over to stay at my place the night before as it was likely no ferries would be running from the Isle of Wight. We would have enough time to get to Cornwall for the Bluff at premium tide if it was noy looking good. We checked the beaches at Poole in the morning and sure enough that SW swell did not turn up. It was pretty much flat but howling windy!We looked at the web cam for the Bluff and it did not look so bad. We could see it wasnt totally out of control. It was big but not crazy bigyet! So, the decision was made that we were heading to Cornwall.THE BLUFFOne of my best friends is Ian Black, he has lived in Cornwall pretty much most of his life. He is one of the local rippers. We arranged to meet Blacky at the Bluff for around 12.30. Low tide was at 10am, so already the tide would be on its way in. A pushing tide is probably what you want on that size swell at the Bluff. Ian Ross was there in the carpark as we arrived as well as quite a few Cornish crew and a couple of brave guys that had travelled up from the south coast. It was cool to see quite a few sailors ready to go out on such a big forecast!To start with, the session was pretty manageable. It was solid mast high but there didnt seem to be any sets closing across the whole bay. After I rigged and was ready to hit the water, the swell really started to kick in. As I was walking down to the beach, there were some sets that looked to be mast and a half. We knew it was going to be an epic day.THE SESSIONI was on a 4.2m, which is a pretty small sail for me to use wave riding. That meant that sub 80 kilo guys were all on 3.7m and smaller. I think Andrew Fawcett ended up on a 3.1m. It was bloody windy. I was a bit lucky. I was one of the first guys out and I scored about twenty minutes of it being perfect 4.2m weather. I would say during that first bit of the session I had my best moments. I had one pretty big aerial, which put me in a decent mindset for the rest of the session. I just managed to land it without being swallowed by the white water.After about 45 minutes the wind notched up another force. I could hardly sail in a straight line. It got pretty crazy. I would say we were all sailing at the limit. The last time I saw the Bluff like that was during the Red Bull Storm Chase in February 2014. Obviously back then they had four Jet Skis and a bunch of safety crew. We did not have any of that. To be fair, because it was a long period swell, it was not that bad to get out if you timed it right.There was one guy that got it totally wrong. He sailed straight into a mast high set and got annihilated. He broke his outhaul right in the impact zone. It was definitely on the limit!JOHN CARTERWhen I saw this forecast looming, it felt like a call of duty to head to the biggest waves. I knew the better sailing could be the sheltered spots but photographically I wanted to see the gnarliest conditions. I was actually relieved when it was flat at Branksome, as that meant we would have no choice but to head west. As soon as we arrived at the Bluff the swell stared picking up fast but at the same time dark clouds were looming over St Ives. I wasted no time getting all my gear ready and making sure I changed into my best rain jacket, waterproof trousers and wellington boots for the oncoming onslaught of weather!The session all went by so fast. I was trying not to miss any crazy moments but at the same time wanted to move to a few different angles. Luckily I caught Timos aerial otherwise I dont think he would of ever forgiven me, but a few moments were missed as I was moving about. Ian Black and Andrew Fawcett were catching some bombs upwind, while most of the crew were sailing close to the river mouth. I think everybody caught a few mast high waves, there was no choice! Ian Ross, Sam Latham, Steve Thorp and Joe Vernon all latched onto a few monster sets. Just before the end of the session PWA Head Judge, Duncan Coombs rocked with his dog up to check out the waves. He didnt have a sail small enough otherwise he would have been out there charging. By the end of the day I think, every sailor was stoked to have survived unscathed. There were a few brutal wipe outs but nobody was injured luckily. Even without the windsurfing it was epic just to see some of those massive waves at the end of the day!We were so knackered that I even forgot to buy beer on the way back to Timos. The next day was also promising some massive north west winds and a 5m swell on the south coast so we just crashed, so we were ready for the call of duty all over again!Click any picture to enlarge!The post CALL OF DUTY: CODE RED BLUFF! appeared first on Windsurf Magazine.

February 2025 ISSUE 81 CONTENTSALSO AVAILABLE ON JOOMAG AS A DOWNLOADABLE PDF: https://joom.ag/to7dA chat with Ben Marr By Peter TranterSea kayaking the Bohuslan Archipelago, SwedenBy Julian Taylor & Sarah WebsterA chat with Steve Childs By Peter TranterSUPing the midnight sun By Simon Hutchinson, Barbara and Gnter BurgsteinerWhite water Exercise Rapid Zambezi By Lt Cdr Oliver Taylor-Wood RNPaddler Spotlight: 1,400 young people try paddlesports in Birmingham The start of Paddle UKs Eight-page featurePaddling goals for 2025 Can you find yours?Medals galore 2024 GB paddlers winning on the international stageBig Paddle Cleanup 2025 Are you getting ready?A white water Christmas in Snowdonia By Del ReadThe Hawaiki Nui 2024 race By Steve DickinsonCanoeing theres always a catch By Marc OrnsteinWild Water racing on the Dee By Nick BorehamA Lofoten SUP adventure By Beata PlutkaReviews:Kendal Mountain Festival ReviewBy Jo MoseleyYak Xipe 60N PFDBy Sarah Thornely (supjunkie.uk)VE Riva SUP paddleBy Dale MearsEquafleece Polartec fleece socksBy Dale MearsCover: Ben MarrPhoto: Caleb RobertsAdditional thanks to: Jo Moseley, Sarah Thornely Dale Mears, Caleb Roberts, Dan Sutherland, Barb St Aubyn, Bruce Kemp, RAW Abenteuer Reisen, Julius Nalishebo, Birmingham Community Paddle Sports Project, Matt Brook, Stefan Whatcott, Jamie Greenhalgh, Adventure/Ski&Snow Media, Pete Atkinson, Piotr Plutka & Hallgeir ThorbjrnsenThe International magazine for recreational paddlersDownload the full magazine in PDF format for free:

Download the FREE PDF edition of the Paddler Magazinehttps://joom.ag/to7dAlso available to purchase in perfect-bound and high-quality glossy print https://paddlerezine.com/printed-subs/