Wind & Water – the Invention of Windsurfing by Bill Weir

This is a superb documentary of the WINDSURFING  HISTORY, with first hand commentary by the people who shaped this magnificent free sport.

I’m sure you will immensely enjoy it.

News of courage (SARAH HEBERT) & Farewell to a legent (HAROLD IGGY) – thanks to NAISH WINDSURFING

My intention was to follow-up Sara through her blog. Unfortunately the updating is not very tidy. The 27th of February no report was issued, while at the time of my writing 24:00 March 1st, the blog has the February 29 report. Follow her blog on your own. We are told she rides a smaller combination, a 95l board with a 5.2 sail…

DAY  4  Back in the straps, 110l board/5.8 sail

Day 3  catamaran sailing

DAY  2  Unexpected problem- short stop

DAY  1  report   (You can switch to French/English from top right of Sara’s page)

Final countdown :  After a one day delay, Sara finaly sailed for the Transatlantic today February 22 – click for the press release. The description could be better – she is not using a classic Windsurf nor a classic Fun board and certainly NOT a PUBLIC board – she rides a 2012 Naish production board, like the one anybody can buy. Good luck Sara!

Follow her live : click to view Sara en route.
http://www.naishsails.com/2012/sarah-heberts-transatlantic-journey.html

Sarah Hebert – ParisMatch article

http://www.naishsails.com/2012/the-passing-of-a-legend-harold-iggy.html

NAISH WINDSURFING

The incredible run of PAT FARMER

I don’t enjoy running and running in general does not suit to my blog, but having posted about Dean Karnazes and coming across Farmer’s achievement, I feel nobody can overlook such a run.

•    From: AFP
•    January 19, 2012 3:00PM

AUSTRALIAN ultra-marathon man Pat Farmer has completed his epic run from the North Pole to the South Pole in a feat of endurance he said would take its toll on his body for as long as he lived.
The 48-year-old former politician set off from the North Pole on April 2 last year with the emotional Farmer finally planting a Red Cross flag 21,000km later at the world’s most southerly point.
His run was dedicated to highlighting and raising money for Red Cross water and sanitation projects and he said the thought of people worse off than himself kept him going through periods of extreme hardship.
“I’ve endured a lot on this run, but the people of Africa and East Timor and South America who have no clean water or have been victims of flood, earthquake, fire and famine do it very tough too,” he said from Antarctica.
The run from the world’s most northerly tip to its southernmost took in 14 countries and conditions from freezing ice wastes to mountains and sweltering tropics.

He said he endured snow blizzards, became lost in the blazing deserts of Peru, dodged polar bears, snakes, crocodiles, armed bandits and rogue militias, and narrowly avoided being wiped out by an out-of-control truck.

Running an incredible average of 80km every day, with no days off, he suffered dehydration, stress injuries and pushed through what he said was unimaginable pain to raise about $100,000.
“This run will take a toll on my body for as long as I live,” said the father-of-two.
“But every step, every frustration, and every moment when I’ve considered, but rejected the thought of lying down and not running another kilometre, has been worth it.
“Running long distances is my gift, my way of making a difference.”
Farmer has put himself through the pain barrier many times before, holding seven world records, including the fastest run around Australia – 15,000km in 191 days.
The ultra-marathon athlete has twice crossed Australia’s desert centre on foot and also raced across the US, finishing fourth despite 50 days of running with a fractured leg.
“Pat Farmer is an inspiration to all humanity,” Australian Red Cross chief executive Robert Tickner said, praising his “amazing feat of physical courage and endurance”.

FROM: www.theaustralian.com.au
http://poletopolerun.com/

Windsurfing SPECIAL

Here I present interesting ideas, unusual materials, beautiful custom boards, records & surfing beauties.

Εδώ παρουσιάζω ενδιαφέρουσες ιδέες, ασυνήθιστα υλικά, ωραία μοναδικά σανίδια, εξαιρετικές επιδόσεις & όμορφες παρουσίες του αθλήματος.

BEAUTIES

RECORDS

Arnaud de Rosnay europe - afrique & usa - Cuba crossings

SPECIAL  BOARDS

A very unusual early board was the aluminium French Wildfire Alusurf (1980), hollow if I recall well, which could be ordered in any anodised color! I have no idea how dangerous it must have been sailing it in overcast/rainy weather, especially using a hi-tec aluminium mast of that era…

Ένα πολύ ασυνήθιστο σκάφος, ήταν το αλουμινένιο Γαλλικό Wildfire Alusurf (1980), κούφιο αν θυμάμαι καλά, που με παραγγελία βαφόταν σε οιοδήποτε χρώμα με ανοδίωση! Φαντάζομαι πως θα ήταν ιδιαίτερα επικίνδυνο να σερφάρει κανείς με βροχερό καιρό, ιδίως αν χρησιμοποιούσε αλουμινένιο άλμπουρο – προχωρημένη επιλογή εκείνης της εποχής…

CUSTOM  BOARDS

WOODEN  WINDSURFING  BOARDS

I love wood, so I’m always facinated by boards made with visible the beauty of the material. Nowdays, quite a few companies use more or less wood into their boards, but I would say two companies lead the field in a different way. The one is STARBOARD, and the other is T1. If you are interested in the technology each one of them uses, just click their names .

Μ’αρέσει το ξύλο και ιδιαίτερα τα σκάφη που βασίζουν την εμφάνισή τους σ’αυτό. Στις μέρες μας, αρκετές εταιρείες χρησιμοποιούν λιγότερο ή περισσότερο ξύλο στην κατασκευή των σανίδων τους, αλλά θα ξεχώριζα 2 μάρκες που συμβάλλουν στην εξέλιξη αυτή, καθεμιά τους με διαφορετική προσέγγιση. Είναι η STARBOARD και η T1.  Αν θέλετε να μάθετε περισσότερα για τις σύγχρονες τεχνολογίες τους, κλικάρετε τα ονόματά τους.

This division II racer of immaculate finish was presented by the Greek magazine Surf & Ski. It was an entry to the international regatta that took place in Porto Carras in Greece, but although they took photos and provide the info that was made by a Greek in BRAZIL, they failed to record THE NAME of the guy. In the same article there is mention of a French entry of Herve Borde with an aluminium board.

Τόσο ενδιαφέρον το κομμάτι για το Βραζιλιάνικο σκάφος του Έλληνα κατασκευαστή, πλην όμως ξέχασαν να γράψουν τ’όνομά του. Αν το βρώ θα το συμπληρώσω. Στο ίδιο άρθρο αναφέρεται κι ένα Γαλλικό αλουμινένιο σκάφος.

There are 2 persons that influenced the evolution of wooden boards. The one is Jean Louis Colmas of Starboard and Gary Young of Bamboo Surfboards (also Woodwinds and WoodenBoards back then). Young has posted nice informative material @ his site.

Σημαντικές φυσιογνωμίες στην εξέλιξη των σέρφ με τη χρήση ξύλου, είναι ο Jean Louis Colmas της Starboard και ο Gary Young της Bamboo Surfboards (και Woodwinds και WoodenBoards παλιότερα)

Windsurfing SAILS, clothing & accessories (old brochures & adds)

The relative windsurfing boards post has already become very heavy (and it is not yet finished), so I decided to create a new post for SAILS & other windsurfing material.

Kaklamanakis’ Aegean crossing UPDATE

Nikolas arrived last Friday, October 21 in Andros island and the next morning sailed for the Aegean crossing.

He first called Myconos island, passed Delos and finaly for the night he had to stop in Donoussa due to heavy weather.

The journey proves more demanding than expected due to the hard weather conditions – wind mostly of force 7 and waves 3.5 to 4.5 meters on Saturday and 4 to 4.5 meters on Sunday.

Tumbled sea on the leg from Andros towards Tinos.

Mid Mykonos till past Delos ideal freeride conditions, but on the way to Donoussa things changed: 7 hours with waves and windward sailing, Nikos was forced to sail unhooked most of the time!

SUNDAY 23th of October

Today he sailed to Koufonissi and early in the aftenoon headed to Amorgos, where he arrived later in the afternoon, so he will spend the night there.

  The sailling to Tilos & windy Karpathos is for tomorrow, with moderate wind forecast. 

 

MONDAY 24th of OCTOBER

Well, maybe the forecast about “moderate” wind is just averaging the greatly variable conditions of this last sailing leg. Here is the description given by Nikolas’ support team late in the afternoon:

Good evening to everybody.. difficult day today..for those who dig about weather..the Karpathian Sea is one of the hardest aereas..The last update we got was 2 hours ago..(mobile phones are out of reach and we have no other means for information..)..Even if something happens they have to get really close to the island to get network signal.What we know is that the wind in quite a few places was dropping to 6-10knots(that is 2-3bft) demanding pumping…for extended periods..while there were spots where wind suddenly was coming back very strong…in 1hour & 28 minutes the sun will set and the port of Karpathos(facing East-not West)will have not much light after sunset..We are very worri

BUT HE DID IT ! Pumping & struggling in the dark he dropped his sail docking in the port of Karpathos…Bravo Nikola & THANK YOU.

Kaklamanakis’ Aegean crossing – Reminder of the Greek fighting spirit

In 1997 he challenged himself against the elements of nature and won, making with his windsurfing board the long distance crossing from cape Sounion down to Crete, in two days.

Back then, Nikolas Kaklamanakis  wanted to try his limits and at the same time promote his homeland, the Greek tourism and the effort of Greece  to claim the Olympic Games of 2004.

Fourteen years later the double Olympic medallist, rigs his windsurfing board and puts prow for one still bigger overshooting: Sail Aegean covering 320 naval miles in two days!

With ally the air and drawing energy & force by his internal need to prove that Greece always fights and overcome difficulties, the 43 y.o. champion will start from Andros -in the waters  of which  his father baptized baby Nikolas as a sailor – will pass in succession from Mykonos, the holy island of antiquity Delos and from Amorgos, will cross small Cyclades at Donoussa & Koufonissia and after a stop-over in  Tilos, he will end up in Karpathos.

There in the blue waters of Aegean, Nikolas will give asymbolic big battle, which he considers as his debt toward Greece & Greeks, that suffocate from the economic situation and are maligned internationally.

Go for it and for us Nikola!  (click to watch the short video)

FOLLOW NIKOLAS during his crossing: CLICK HERE

Windsurfing brochures & ads ’80′s – early 2000′s – part 2

Well when I started posting the old windsurfing brochures & advertisements, I published first brands I was most familiar with.

Adding more material, I realised I should keep an alphabetical order to make searching easier, so  I created a Windsurfing brochures & ads ’80′s – early 2000′s -  part 2

This part begins after the MARLIN boards of part 1.

My new Thommen T1 CX87 board

I hate the decorative graphics of most recent boards, while at the same time I appreciate riding Thommen shaped boards, having spent most of my windsurfing years on his F2 designs.Above: old loved Peter Thommen F2 boards

Having followed closely Thommen’s departure from F2 and the initiation of his own T1 brand, I realized that T1 not only produces the most aesthetically appealing to me boards, but is also the most ecological oriented brand, mainly thanks to their BambO2 construction, which is something that fits perfectly to the Veggie-Wedgie approach of my daughter.

I contacted T1 asking for a CX87 board in black (it is the color of the STYLEX freestyle board), instead of the standard white. Marije from the office in Holland responded immediately stating that “with us anything is possible”.

They needed 7 weeks for delivery and 10% surcharge over the standard board price, with the remark that the foot straps could not be black like the STYLEX photo, as these were a photoshop creation.

Considering this a fair deal, I placed my order.

The board arrived 10 weeks later, marginally in time to take it along for the usual Paros windsurfing vacations.

The classy board bag in which boards of this high category are packed, gives a very good first impression.                                                                                    Having read in the windsurfing magazines reviews about the exceptional T1 boards finish, I must confess that the CX87 is impressive (especially in black), but upon closer examination, finish is not always something to rave about.

Above: My new T1 CX87 black board

As you can see grass hoppers love the bamboo board

The head-turner board

This is the first time I ride such a short board – 2.42m (my short board has been a 2.67m), while wind was strong enough only 3 days to test the CX.

I can say it is a light, fast & responsive board, relatively fast planning. The high stiffness combined to the firm pads are ideal for slalom use, but landings of even medium height jumps, are hard to the rider.

The foot straps offer average comfort, while the one screw fixation system is not very effective.

I used 3.7m, 4.7 & 5.5 sails and I think the CX87 should be offered with one more fin (30), as the standard 27 fin barely accommodates the pressure of a 5.5 sail, not to mention the 6.8 indicated by T1.

I asked Arnaud Deschamps who again this year was in New Golden Beach testing all the 2012 material for the French Planchemag magazine, to have a go and comment, but unfortunately, his schedule was very tight.

Upon return, while rinsing the board, the automatic valve just fell off, broken in half.

I contacted the willing & communicative Marije @ T1, and she told me that replacement valve was send immediately.

The valve together with the special tool arrived one week later although they were send by courier.

The very nice and helpful T1 Greek importer Zois Theoharis fitted the new valve easily & fast, while I noticed that the material of the broken one was rather fragile.  Without knowing if it is technically feasible, I think the valve should be made out of Teflon or metal, while I have my doubts about the trouble-free operation of the valve for sea use.

Above: broken valve removed, new one ready to be fitted with special tool

As with most products, innovative solutions need time & care to be perfected, but if you fancy a T1, go to the local dealer, check the available boards,  choose the one that satisfies your standards and take it home with you, being sure it will ride exeptionally.

The windsurfing DEAN KARNAZES

This incredible Greek origin super athlete, is also a veteran windsurfer who contributed in the production of this pioneering Californian windsurfing video guide.

Ε λοιπόν, αυτός ο Ελληνικής καταγωγής υπεραθλητής Κωνσταντίνος Καρνάζης, που ξεκίνησε να τρέχει μεγάλες αποστάσεις μετά από ένα μεθύσι το βράδυ των 30^ων του γεννεθλίων και μεταξύ άλλων έχει τρέξει 50 μαραθώνιους ΤΗ ΜΙΑ ΜΕΡΑ ΜΕΤΑ ΤΗΝ ΑΛΛΗ, στις 50 πολιτείες των ΗΠΑ, είναι καλός βετεράνος σερφίστας και συντελεστής ενός εξαιρετικού βίντεο – οδηγού για windsurfing στην Καλιφόρνια. 
VIDEO  -  ΒΙΝΤΕΟ

I came across Karnazes for the first time in 1998, while searching the net to get info about new board designs, and not knowing his already unbelievable long-running achievments.

Το  όνομα του Καρνάζη το πρωτοείδα το 1998, αναζητώντας στο διαδίκτυο πληροφορίες για τις νέες σχεδιαστικές τάσεις στο σέρφ και δίχως να γνωρίζω τις ήδη απίστευτες επιδόσεις του στους δρόμους μεγάλων αποστάσεων.

The Perfect Human

Dean Karnazes ran 50 marathons in 50 days. He does 200 miles just for fun. He’ll race in 120-degree heat. 12 secrets to his success.

By Joshua Davis @ WIRED

DEAN KARNAZES WAS SLOBBERING DRUNK. IT WAS HIS 30TH BIRTHDAY, and he’d started with beer and moved on to tequila shots at a bar near his home in San Francisco. Now, after midnight, an attractive young woman – not his wife – was hitting on him. This was not the life he’d imagined for himself. He was a corporate hack desperately running the rat race. The company had just bought him a new Lexus. He wanted to vomit. Karnazes resisted the urge and, instead, slipped out the bar’s back door and walked the few blocks to his house. On the back porch, he found an old pair of sneakers. He stripped down to his T-shirt and underwear, laced up the shoes, and started running. It seemed like a good idea at the time.

He sobered up in Daly City, about 15 miles south. It was nearly four in the morning. The air was cool, slightly damp from the fog, and Karnazes was in a residential neighborhood, burping tequila, with no pants on. He felt ridiculous, but it brought a smile to his face. He hadn’t had this much fun in a long time. So he decided to keep running.

When the sun came up, Karnazes was trotting south along Route 1, heading toward Santa Cruz. He had covered 30 miles. In the process, he’d had a blinding realization: There were untapped reservoirs within him. It was like a religious conversion. He had been born again as a long-distance runner. More than anything else now, he wanted to find out how far he could go. But at that exact moment, what he really needed to do was stop. He called his wife from a pay phone, and an hour later she found him in the parking lot of a 7-Eleven. He passed out in the car on the way home.

That was August 1992. Over the next 14 years, Karnazes challenged almost every known endurance running limit. He covered 350 miles without sleeping. (It took more than three days.) He ran the first and only marathon to the South Pole (finishing second), and a few months ago, at age 44, he completed 50 marathons in 50 consecutive days, one in each of the 50 states. (The last one was in New York City. After that, he decided to run home to San Francisco.) Karnazes’ transformation from a tequila-sodden party animal into an international symbol of human achievement is as educational as it is inspirational. Here’s his advice for pushing athletic performance from the unthinkable to the untouchable.

1. BE AUDACIOUS
Finding the right challenge is the first challenge. “Any goal worth achieving involves an element of risk,” Karnazes says in his autobiography, Ultramarathon Man: Confessions of an All-Night Runner. Risk, yes, and creativity too. For instance, looking for the ultimate endurance running challenge, in 1995 Karnazes entered a 199-mile relay race – by himself. He competed against eight teams of 12 and finished eighth.

2. GO LACELESS
One of the biggest annoyances in long-distance running is lace management. After banging out 50 miles, it can be hard to squat or even bend over long enough to tie your shoes. The North Face recently responded to Karnazes’ complaints and came out with the $130 M Endurus XCR Boa. Its laceless upper is enmeshed in thin steel cables that connect to a tension dial at the back. A simple turn cinches the shoe onto the foot. No more slowing down to fiddle with laces.

3. FLIRT WITH DISASTER
In 1995, Karnazes ran his first Badwater Ultramarathon, a 135-mile trek that starts in Death Valley, California, in the middle of summer and finishes at the Mt. Whitney Portals, 8,360 feet above sea level. After running 72 miles in 120-degree heat, Karnazes collapsed on the side of the road suffering from hallucinations, diarrhea, and nausea. He had pushed himself to the point of death to find out whether he was strong enough to survive. He was. Though he didn’t finish the race that year, Karnazes came back the next and placed 10th. He won it on his fifth attempt, in 2004. “Somewhere along the line, we seem to have confused comfort with happiness,” he says.

4. EAT JUNK – LOTS OF IT
You wouldn’t believe the stuff Karnazes consumes on a run. He carries a cell phone and regularly orders an extra-large Hawaiian pizza. The delivery car waits for him at an intersection, and when he gets there he grabs the pie and rams the whole thing down his gullet on the go. The trick: Roll it up for easy scarfing. He’ll chase the pizza with cheesecake, cinnamon buns, chocolate éclairs, and all-natural cookies. The high-fat pig-out fuels Karnazes’ long jaunts, which can burn more than 9,000 calories a day. What he needs is massive amounts of energy, and fat contains roughly twice as many calories per gram as carbohydrates. Hence, pizza and éclairs. When he’s not in the midst of some record-breaking exploit, Karnazes maintains a monkish diet, eating grilled salmon five nights a week. He strictly avoids processed sugars and fried foods – no cookies or doughnuts. He even tries to steer clear of too much fruit because it contains a lot of sugar. He believes this approach – which nutritionists call a slow-carb diet – has reshaped him, lowering his body fat and building lean muscle. It also makes him look forward to running a race, because he can eat whatever he wants.

5. CUT BACK ON SLEEP
Karnazes has a wife and two kids, and he worked a 9-to-5 job for the first eight years of his quest to transcend his own limits. Finding four hours for a 30-mile run during the day was next to impossible. The solution: sleep less. “Forgoing sleep is the only way I’ve figured out how to fit it all in,” he says, noting that running in the dark can be soothing. Plus, there’s less traffic to contend with. He now gets about four hours of shut-eye a night. Before he started running, however, he was just a regular guy who got a regular eight. As he started to run more, he found that he could sleep less. The National Sleep Foundation reports that exercise does lead to more restful sleep, and Karnazes takes this idea to the extreme. “The human body,” he says, “is capable of extraordinary feats.”

6. SHOW YOUR BODY WHO’S BOSS
“The human body has limitations,” Karnazes says. “The human spirit is boundless.” Your mind, in other words, is your most important muscle. As a running buddy told him: “Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention to arrive safely in a pretty and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming: Wow!! What a ride!”

 

7. GET A COOL WATCH
Karnazes wears a souped-up Timex that monitors his speed, distance, calories burned, and elevation, all of which is critical for deciding when to order the next pizza while in the midst of a 200-mile trek. Besides letting him order a pie on the run, his cell phone uses specialized GPS software to broadcast his location to the Internet for all to see. It’s fun to follow his icon rolling across the digital landscape, but it’s also useful when Karnazes disappears into the night. If he ever pushes himself too hard and collapses, his people can locate him. And fans would know something was wrong if his signal landed on top of a hospital icon.

8. LEARN TO LOVE KRAZY GLUE
If something goes wrong – and it inevitably will – it’s usually with Karnazes’ feet. In races and on training runs, he has battled giant, foot-devouring blisters. A surprisingly effective treatment: Krazy Glue. Pop the blister, slather the wound with the super-adhesive, and voilà – your foot is ready to take a beating again. The glue acts as a kind of indestructible second skin and has helped Karnazes finish competitions he wouldn’t have otherwise. (Officially, Krazy Glue recommends avoiding all contact with skin.)

9. GET USED TO IT
If you’re going to explore the boundaries of human endurance, you’ll have to learn to adapt to more and more pain. To prepare for the searing heat of the Badwater race, Karnazes went on 30-mile jogs wearing a ski parka over a wool sweater. He trained himself to urinate while running. He got so he could go out and run a marathon on any given day – no mileage buildup or tapering required. This training made the extreme seem ordinary and made the impossible seem the next logical step. Eventually, when he grew accustomed to the pain, it stopped hurting. “There is magic in misery,” he says.

10. PROMOTE THE HELL OUT OF YOURSELF
Before he became Superman, Karnazes was the Clark Kent of the PR world: a humdrum marketing executive at a pharmaceutical company. But in the past three years, he’s published a memoir, nabbed a sponsorship from the North Face, appeared on Late Show With David Letterman, and gotten himself on the cover of a handful of magazines. The book and the North Face contract generate enough money to support his family, and the high profile translates into maximum motivation: Failure is scarier when the family income is on the line.

11. BREAK IT DOWN
Fifty-six miles into his first Western States Endurance Run – one of the oldest 100-mile races in the country – Karnazes found himself alone entering a canyon at twilight. It was tough going – the trek boasts a total elevation change of 38,000 feet. With 44 miles to go, his spirit was flagging, but he found a way to make it seem conquerable: He remembered the next checkpoint would leave only a marathon and two 10Ks left to go. He knew he could run each leg, and that helped him achieve the whole.

12. AVOID KRYPTONITE
Forget tequila. Karnazes has given up hard drinking. His big vice these days: chocolate-covered

Dean Karnazes  SITE  –   Η  ΙΣΤΟΣΕΛΙΔΑ  ΤΟΥ