Speedsurfing BLOG

Speedsurfingblog 2010 Top Surfing Blog Award winner

loots.e@gmail.com (Erik Loots) — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 10:08:00 +0000

Always nice to be recognized, speedsurfingblog.com is in the top 40 surfing blogs at www.onlineschools.org. The only speedsurfing orientated blog in the list and it makes me proud to show off speedsurfing and get recognized. The supersuccesfull mauisurfreport.blogspot.com is also listed, so far the only other windsurfing orientated group I know that made it to the blog top 40. I can only dream about the mauisurfreport visit numbers ;), at least twice as much as speedsurfingblog does nowadays. Mauisurfreport does demonstrate that content is king!!

Thanks for the award!!

New spots, new findings

loots.e@gmail.com (Erik Loots) — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 14:10:00 +0000

This year is really a recordyear for me, never visited soo many different spots. The idea is to windsurf in the widest range of conditions you can imagen. From deadflat till real chop (<1m high) with or without waves. Gusty or real stable wind. I just drove at some spots and just experience what it will bring me, often low expectations (since I believed it doesn't get much better than Amstelmeer near home), but it turns out most of the time in great sessions. Together with the Wad1team we are going more often than ever before to check out new spots.

At least I learned a few new effects on the water, which I was never knew about. My tip would be: Yes, going to new places might bring you to new helpfull findings, helping you to progress as a speedsurfer/windsurfer.

My 2010 visited spots:

Amstelmeer, most visited, close by home and best wind nearby my home
't Kuitje Den Helder, close by home and flattest water with Northeast wind
Gruissan mateille, April holiday
Gouwzee, long reaches and constant chop/waves with Northeast
Da Curve, flat water and wide range of windangles that work
Strand Horst, wide area with flat water and gusty wind
Poepegat, nice spot for NW speed and flat water
Razende Bol, nice spot for NW speed
La Nautique, crosswind matchracing
IJsselmeer Makkum, real choppy
IJsselmeer Kornwerderzand, with NW real flat water but not really fast (gusty)
IJsselmeer Andijk, waveriding with NE on a slalomboard ;)
IJsselmeer Den Oever, doing reaches along the longest in sea dyke

My wishlist to windsurf in 2010:

The Brace oosterland
IJsselmeer, De Houw
Lauwersmeer
Amsteldiep
Haringvliet
Alkmaardermeer
Northsea (bergen aan zee/egmond/texel??)
IJsselmeer crossing
Enkhuizerdijk
De Hors texel
De paal Den Helder

La Franqui video

loots.e@gmail.com (Erik Loots) — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 16:49:00 +0000

First I would like to congratulate all the speeders that did improve their speed. The "nautical mile weekend" looked like a nice trip with many dutch speeders. Check out the action in these 2 very nice videos. I don't have the same experiences than these video shows, one thing I learned over there, you need some days offshore wind before the place gets flat.

Thanks Ingolf for making these videos, it is very usefull for many other speeders to see what the conditions actually were. It might be the new popular speedspot... Check the videos if you are interested for a La Franqui trip.

Top-10 (Speedsurfing) Events

loots.e@gmail.com (Erik Loots) — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 09:26:00 +0000

For this top 10 we made a poll and everybody could vote for his favorite events to follow. The events included also some slalomevents just to check out if speedsurfers are interested in PWA, IFCA, etc. With 156 votes we closed the poll, for usit is now representative, many thanks for all the votes!!!!!!!!!! This definitly makes the poll useable for many to see what to follow. Or for manufacturers, maybe to improve a little bit the speedsurfing strategy.

[Number 10] IFCA Slalom (3%)

IFCA slalom was interesting to add since this event was twice nearby my home in Texel. Really good organized and a expensive event with lots of sponsors. It did get some votes, but just like I noticed onshore (I watched 2009). There wasn't much interest from the windsurfers themselves, strange for such a topevent.

[Number 9] Other recordattempts (4%)

Since I am aware that it is possible to forget something, even important things. For this poll I totally forgot Driven by Wind and Luderitz. Still 4% voted for other recordattempts. I have to say that Driven by Wind is by far my most favorite official recordattempt.

[Number 7] National Slalom Championships (6%)

This is a little surprise, it seems worldwide the National slalom championships are a bit higher rated that the IFCA worlds. Maybe it is because the national slalom championships are closer by the windsurfers and more fun to follow. Makes me think about the theory for sponsoring local windsurfers and the big effect it can cause

[Number 7] Ultimate Speed Meeting (6%)

The ultimate speed meeting is something special, with 150 speeders on the water. Still the poll showed worldwide it is not that interesting to follow. It is really a dutch event, interesting for a small region. For international riders this event just is not (yet) good enough. Still I hope the organisation sticks to the "fun and easy to compete"-concept

[Number 6] National Speed Championships (8%)

The national speed championships (BK speed gruissan/ NK speed/ German speedtour/etc) get good attention. More and more countries start organising national speed championships. And its good to see worldwide attention for these events.

[Number 4] Speed:world:cup (10%)

At a tied position on number 4 we see the speedworldcup, I didn't know how much attention these events had. There is some bigger money involved than national speed events, also you can see the "big" windsurfers like Dunkerbeck/Albeau/Volwater/ vd Steen speeding on the courses.

[Number 4] Masters of Speed (10%)

This event is one or the most succesfull series for recordattempts. Amazing conditions, amazing numbers, amazing videos and amazing crashes. Everything is over the top, only suitable for extremly well trained windsurfers to be able to do a run. Yes it is fun to follow this event, you can feel at home that any second now the record might fall, live ticker is great!!

[Number 2] PWA (15%)

At this moment, THE place for professional windsurfers. The only place with enough attention for good sponsors. And it shows even on speedsurfingblog, a speedsurfing site it scores a tied second place. I always follow the slalomevents, both men and women.

[Number 2] GPS Team Challenge (15%)

The GPS team challenge scores high in this poll. I have to admit this fun competition is really great. The effect on our homespot for Wad1team is very positive. And I can imagen everybody follow this event to see how your team is doing against the others ;)

[Number 1] GPS-Speedsurfing.com (23%)

No surprise here for me, this is the most interesting speedevent out of them all. Everytime I start the computer I check gps-speedsurfing.com. I use my goldmembership to the bottom and check all stats. Here you can see what works, who is the best, how much some windsurfers train, what are the best spots. And who to beat! Pro-windsurfers should invest some time into gps-speedsurfing.com before it is to late for them.

[travel] Mexico, Salina Cruz

loots.e@gmail.com (Erik Loots) — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 14:36:00 +0000

Salina Cruz is an offshore wind spot, the speedstrip is slightly curved and long (5km length). The offshore wind increases because the spot lies between 2 mountains. It looks like La Franqui, France.

You might recognize the spot from the Björn Dunkerbeck world speed sailing challenge (at least I think this was the spot). He did some great speedsurfing over there, the water looks very fast check out the pictures below. With Dunkerbeck his history he really deserved this trip along many good speedspots. It is a dream for me to do the same some day, looks impossible right now, but 80km/h average also did look impossible not long ago ;)

Also found some onshore wind pictures and than you find real clean waves. This is a good sign, the bottom could be very consistent. For speedsurfing this is handy to have constant water or chop, it can boost speed a lot.

Definitly a spot to check out for speedsurfing when its offshore wind and you are in the neighborhood.

Vote to what speedcontest interests you the most!!!

loots.e@gmail.com (Erik Loots) — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 08:20:00 +0000

I made this poll http://www.speedsurfingblog.com/2010/01/vote-for-next-top-10.html to check out what speedcontests in windsurfing are really important. There is soo much to do lately, and I would like to see what the speedsurfingblog readers think. Which competitions are interesting, you may respond why too. For me it is not possible to do everything, but I like to do best and as much as possible. There are much more speedsurfers that are trying to do as much as possible, but what event should be (semi) professional speedsurfers focus?

Soo if you have 10 seconds of your time please vote. I didn't put the poll on the frontpage because it takes a bit too long before it loads. I hope to get at least 100 votes to have a bit valid result.

You can always find this poll back

TOPMENU===> TOP 10 ===> VOTE FOR THE NEXT TOP 10

Number 4 in the worldranking 2010!

loots.e@gmail.com (Erik Loots) — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 13:52:00 +0000

Now everything is checked by timekeepers I can put (at last) this picture on my blog. I am at this moment number 4 in the 2010 gps-speedsurfing world!!! Again many thanks for all positive reactions, all the links to speedsurfingblog.com definitly going to help promote speedsurfing ever further!!! I just read the Dailybits blogpost all these links together with windsurfing.nl, facebook, linkedin, fox-sports.nl and many others are worth a lot.

Also great to see teammate Jurjen van der Noord at the 5th spot with Starboard iSonic Speed Special W49+ Severne Reflex 6.2, also the bigger sizes have good speed :)

The tuning I used:
Starboard iSonic speed special W44, footstraps in the back, mastfoot at recommended
Severne Reflex 5.6 + Severne Enigma 400, downhaul till looseleech was at the vertical black-white stripe. 2 Reflex battens on good tension (just without extreme wrinkles around the tensioners), back battenparts totally loose. Topbattens loose, bottom 2 battens mediocre tension (I always do this on any sail/mast the first time to prevent breakage on first session). Outhaul a bit negative.
Sonntag GPS_2 24cm at 15 degrees rake

Erik 85kg +weightvest total 6kg of stuff (spare fins/ropes/harnasslines and 3kg lead)

1100km total Wad1team distance and more news

loots.e@gmail.com (Erik Loots) — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 08:22:00 +0000

As most readers know I am member of www.Wad1team.nl , in the gpsteamchallenge we had a few times problems with the distance discipline. But this month the whole team decided to help, eventhough the best 2 count it was the teamspirit which helped score well. And 1100km total distance by 8 people is not usual for us, a new record. On the Amstelmeer this is really a lot, when comparing with Strand Horst it took at least twice as much energy to do.

Teamsession: http://gpsteamchallenge.com.au/sailor_session/show?date=2010-07-17&team=63

I had the best windsurfing week since a long time, finally after many weeks with wind below 15kn. Some sessions I only went windsurfing to keep a good shape and to talk with some other wad1teamriders. The recordsession was magic as I wrote in the previouw blogpost. The distance session was also unusual, the session started bad, I wondered if I could reach 100km in the beginning. Also crashed my favorite iSonic 111 fin (Sonntag SL-S430) didn't make it easier. Had to surf 80km with iSonic 86 in 14-18kn and not easy chop.

Finally I reached 150km as promised to the team with the iSonic 86. Did 70km with iS111+ 80km with iS86. Yes I like to keep myself to what I promise. Now onshore the other teamriders convinced me to go for some more distance, at least 200km. After 15 minutes of sitting onshore I found a little bit of energy. Peter de Wit putted a select S10 39cm underneath the iSonic 111 and I was back on full speed. I do like the high average speed the iS111 can do. With Peter hunting me constantly the last 50km went by really fast, the board was more in the air than on the water thanks to the unconsistant chop. A 35.6kn peak on the open water was definitly a new record, this fast was impossible to do with the Falcon 91 at this place for me, but the iSonic 111 smashes all chop or is flying high above the chop. Ofcourse the ultrastable Severne Reflex 7.0 also helped. Again a new record, the Amstelmeer hour and distancerecord was improved!! Also doing 30kn on crosswind on open water is a new personal record in these conditions

My distance session: http://www.gps-speedsurfing.com/?mnu=user&val=64005&uid=870

It is really nice to read a lot of positive comments on the internet and by email. Both windsurfing.nl frontpage and forum. The GPS-speedsurfing.com session page. Also fox sports wrote a nice post about my personal recordsession.

New Starboard 2011 website online

1 Shot

loots.e@gmail.com (Erik Loots) — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 08:02:00 +0000

85km/h - 45.9kn TOPSPEED!! 80km/h+/ 43kn+ AVERAGE. Yesterday was great, I am stoked, the new equipment rocks. I was sooo afraid not being able to perform the first attempt on a good level, new sails and boards together are always hard to get tuned up.

Onshore we had to pick 1 board + 1 sail, I had well prepared the W44+ Reflex 6.2, all the time this looked like to be the best combination (battencheck, batten tension optimalisation, tested if fins fitted, etc.). Onshore just before packed I changed plans to use the brandnew Reflex 5.6, the water showed whitecaps and since I thought it would be good to have tested all equipment.

New board + new sail + rider that didn't do any 30kn+ wind session with flat water since somewhere in 2009... this hardly could be a succes, chose to relax and just see where it ends. It didn't took very long before the fastest run was done after rigging

Not forgetting to mention the starboard iSonic speed special W44+ sonntag GPS_2 240 which turned out to be a very controlable combination. The W44 is sooo easy on flat water, on chop it is also not very hard, but feels a bit more draggy than W49. Soo definitly a board for flat water, the first board that feels unlimited in topspeed ever for me. Just have to learn to stick to the flat water near the shoreline, fastest angle was 125 degrees downwind.

The Severne Reflex 5.6 was funny, first it didn't look very nice rigged, it didn't want to rotate. A brand new sail. On the first runs it was not super performance, but every run it became a bit better, than suddenly the sail got like 2 gears extra pulling me crazy downwind. In the end it rotated perfectly and performed well in a big windrange. The brandnew sail itself had to stretch and learn to go fast ;)

GPS Session: http://www.gps-speedsurfing.com/?mnu=forum&forum=2&val=22408

Records possible?? I had some doubts, but they are blasted away, I can doo records. With enough training time in stronger wind it is definitly possible to break all records, I didn't had a chance to finetune a single part yesterday. Also on my tactics there are some improvements possible, this is easy to solve with good quality TOW. I am convinced and will put more energy in searching for windy flat spots, this is the key.

The most exciting moment was going with 84km/h (45kn) full into a weedfield, first it felt like hitting the ground. I was full power and managed to break through, sadly my whole fin was covered with weed and made me spin-out and brake. This was the best gust for me, I was already smiling when I saw the 200m full wind in front of me, too bad. However I guess this is a weed-record :)

Thanks for all the compliments!!! Speedsurfing is just a great sport, without this big active speedsurfing group (gps-speedsurfing.com) it just would not be as fun and exciting.

Green Island Speed Week 2010

loots.e@gmail.com (Erik Loots) — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 12:27:00 +0000

During doing my weekly look around on the web I saw something really nice, in downunder there was a speedevent in paradise "Green Island Speed Week". The event took place between 8 and 12 July. Best speeds were around 33-35kn, but the photos tell enough. Very nice nature over there, must feel great sailing at the Green Island. Totally a different nature than we find in the Netherlands.

New style has been invented over there "no-front-foot-in-strap", must be a sign for good atmosphere. Last year the Alpha-500m was a division to score points, lots of gybe pictures on seabreeze. The event didn't have nuclear winds, again confirmation the whole world seems to be out of good wind in 2010.

For more information check out http://www.greenislandspeedweek.com and www.seabreeze.com.au .

Here is the location

Windsurfing Finlenght vs Speed 2010

loots.e@gmail.com (Erik Loots) — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 08:35:00 +0000

In the very beginning of this blog Finlenght vs Speed was written, now it is time to look again. We have to think everything around the finlenght was optimized for best speed... These are not mine speeds (I wish), but best performances from all around the world. The speed given is 5x fastest 10sec average, measured with GPS, data found in gps-speedsurfing.com database.

20cm__46,3kn
25cm__44,2kn
30cm__42,3kn
35cm__39,0kn
40cm__36,0kn
45cm__34,0kn
50cm__32,0kn
55cm__28,3kn
60cm__31,0kn

Interesting fact is that thin foils, thick twisty foils, powerfull fins, non twist or any other design seems to have almost the same speed vs lenght. Most seen is the tectonics falcon f1 in the lenght list.

A linear formula which suits a bit in finrange 20cm-55cm:

Speed [knots] = -0,45*Finlenght[cm] + 55

You should pick the right finsize for the speed you are aiming at, now this finlenght formula could become handy. SO far I used 1-3cm shorter than this formula, I bet <70kg speedsurfers can do up to 5cm shorter. Most high speed on maximum finlenght is done by heavier guys. So for lighter windsurfers I guess the formula should be changed a bit.

It is a guideline, nothing more ;)

Tiny board and big sail

loots.e@gmail.com (Erik Loots) — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 07:37:00 +0000

Last time on "the curve" I used the starboard isonic speed special W49 (64liters) + the severne reflex 7.0. For fins I chose to test 3 different 28cm, in the end the Sonntag SL-S was best. I hoped for at least 5 strong solid 20kn gusts and aimed for 38kn/ 70km/h runs, we got some short 18kn gusts and maybe a rare 20kn gust...

It is not comftable sailing with such a big sail, but not impossible either. The basic feeling is the trim gets more important, when something is wrong it gets very heavy sailing. Compared to other speedsurfers I had slower upwind speed. It was really hard since The Curve is a wide channel, so best is to go maximum upwind, still such a small board needs some downwind to get gliding which costs a lot upwind reach distance.

Downwind the trick was to let the board ride a bit deeper in the water, this might sound strange... But really high on the water was to much for such a small fin. If I got over 33/34kn I pushed the board on the water, however this happened only once.

Conclusion was till 20kn I better take the iSonic 86 on W53, this suits the conditions better. I think it would have been 2kn or more faster on all points. The W49 board had a high angle of attack 99% of the time, still the results are good. The tuning must have been good, I am curious what will it do in powerfull conditions...

Tabou Manta 2011

loots.e@gmail.com (Erik Loots) — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 21:40:00 +0000

The tabou manta 2011 has a brand new look, it looks like there will be a carbon version from 2011. The manta 54 has a good reputation for speed, lets see what 2011 will bring.

My Windsurfing Gear 2010

loots.e@gmail.com (Erik Loots) — Sun, 04 Jul 2010 10:20:00 +0000

This article shows brandnew photos of my gear for 2010. Also I try to explain why I chose these sizes/models. Friday I went to (speedsurfingblog) photographer Rolf Aalders, in the afternoon we did an equipment photoshoot. I think the result is really good, all gear looks soo nice ;). It is really great to work together with Rolf, he learned me a lot about photos and has a lot of good ideas, things you don't see easy as fulltime windsurfer. Rolf just started windsurfing and I use my knowledge to help (beside his windsurfing lessons). A win-win situation. We did the photoshoot on the hottest day in 20 years at the eurofun centre (zevenhuizerplas).

The boards for speed

Starboard iSonic Speed Special W44

This 44cm wide speedboard is build for flat water, this is the place where the board should perform really great. With this board it should be possible to do on flat water +5kn over all my old personal speedrecords. For every serious speedsurfer it is important to have a flat water canon in their quiver. Often you only get 1 shot in a few years, it would be stupid when you don't have the right gear at that moment. The bottomshape is V, the fastest you can get.... No doubt this thing does 50kn

Starboard iSonic Speed Special W49

This 49cm wide speedboard is capable to handle flat till moderate choppy water. With a bit different bottomshape this works good, there is a bit monoconcave/ doubleconcave. This gives the board more stability over chop.

In the Netherlands we compete in mediocre conditions, therefor you need a speedboard that handles chop in the most efficient way possible, this is were the W49 comes in action.

Starboard iSonic 86

This board performs great on chaotic water, it happens often with 40kn of wind the water gets a bit chaotic. When there is no flat water speedboards are often not that great. I actually wanted to get the speed special W53, since it was sold out I chose this one, now I am HAPPY because this a real open water blaster. Also on flat water the board amazed me... I hope some powered up session, I still have to break 38kn on open water. This board will do that.

Starboard iSonic 111 Woodcarbon

After almost 3 years with an 80-90 liter board as biggest I wanted comfort+width+speed. This is what I requested at the starboard importer and he adviced me the iS111 woodcarbon. Personally I even thought about the iSonic 121. The board starts to plane in really low wind, it takes about 11kn to have fun. So far I managed all sessions to double the windspeed or even more. No wonder Dunkerbeck is so fast this year. On one of the very first reaches I hit 60km/h, when it glides 50km/h is in reach even in ultra lowwind.

The sails for speed

The Severne Reflex sails are my weapons for 2010, with a deep belly and twist the sails have potential. The bendy last 30cm of the trailing edge makes it superstable, riding no-hand-on-boom is easy.

Severne Reflex 7.0

This is my biggest sail, it has got plenty of speedpotential. So far I used the 460 enigma mast and it feels almost magic. The sail will be used from 10-35kn depending on the conditions. Boards iS111-iS86-iS W49

Severne Reflex 6.2

The size that will be used for most speedsessions. For speedsurfers in competition 6.2 is most important. The first session out of the bag it did 70+km/h average, not bad... I am convinced this sail will bring me to new personal records. It feels soo powerfull, without drag..

Severne Reflex 5.6

An important size in (constant) wind from 25 till 45kn. This sail can reach worldrecord speed for sure, I rigged it and it is soooo sweet. This size should drive me to new records... Check out the speed (first session, new out of the bag!!!)

Severne Reflex 5.1

To survive mindblowing gusts while accelerating as a mad man. With this sail I hope to learn speedsurfing in 50kn+, big respect for windsurfers like Dirk Doppenberg, Martin van Meurs, Antoine, Finian, etc... I am still amateur at this part. Soo gimme wind, I want to master all conditions ;)

The fins for speed

The sonntag fins helped me so far to improve every record at any chance I had. The first session with starboard+sonntag gave me high confidence, the combination works great.

Sonntag GPS_2

I will be using this fin in sizes between 24-30cm, this fin can do over 50kn. It is an extreme design, wish there were more opportunities to use it. Still the fin is easy to use at lower speed considering profile and thickness. For iS W44-W49- iS86

Sonntag SL-S

I like this fin best in choppy conditions, flat water also works great. With choppy water there is an advantage which I never found in any other design. On broad courses it can go soo fast, and you never notice the chop/waves. I use this fin in sizes between 28-43cm.

Waterproof Videocamera

loots.e@gmail.com (Erik Loots) — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 15:00:00 +0000

I am almost at the point to buy a waterproof videocamera. I would like to do HD surfvideo's, to shoot speedsurfing action, lifestyle and much more... While having hundreds of idea's and being very enthousiastic, the costs are a bit the downside of the whole plan. The Gopro HD helmet cam + SD card = €400,-. Would it be worth investing this much money for speedsurfingblog videos. Compared to everything else ($10,-/year domaincosts) this is much more money.

Buying the camera yes or no??? For €400,- I also could last 1 month longer without work. Difficult decision...

I don't want to give all idea's already away (otherwise there is no surprise), I would start with these videos:

1 About speedsurfing video, a video to point out the whole idea of speedsurfing. What is making speedsurfing such a nice addicting sport. For non-windsurfers and non-speedsurfers.
A few tuning tips on video. For speedsurfers.
Video featuring (small) crossings (10-30km) which I am planning to do. For getting more attention from non-windsurfers.
Spotreview video's, can it be easier to check out by video if a spot suits your needs?? For people that are looking for holiday/ alternative places to windsurf.
much more...

Is there a place you can buy the gopro HD helmet cam cheap??? So far buying directly at the gopro website is the best price.

Windless days

loots.e@gmail.com (Erik Loots) — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 07:58:00 +0000

There are some windless days forecasted... Soo I reviewed all my gear again, sorted the fins. Realized how many things I have to test (still didn't found a favorite fin for starboard W44/W49/ iS86). Also would like to test new settings on the 6.2, soo far I see only oppurtunities for iSonic 111 + long fins + 7.0... Better try to get this one going fast ;)

It would be handy to sell my stuff that will not be used in the next couple of windless days.
This gear is for sale:

Neilpryde X9 160-210 (2009), like new, SOLD
Fanatic Falcon 91 (2006), bought new 11-2009 for 600,-, used a 15-20x, now for €450,-
Fanatic Falcon Speed (2006), carbon, 75km/h average on Strand Horst, used, for €350,-
F2 Missile XS (2007), used a few times, €350,-
Neilpryde MXT extender 48/34cm, €60,-

Gear can be sended worldwide, buyer arranges transport.

Contact me for more info

iSonic 111 + 43cm Sonntag Fins Testday

loots.e@gmail.com (Erik Loots) — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 21:11:00 +0000

10-13kn, sunny, onshore, Amstelmeer

Today it was a perfect day for testing longer SL-S 43cm fins, my first session in a boardshort. Nice warm, couldn't imagen a few days ago I needed my winter wetsuit...

For lowwind with the iSonic 111+ Reflex 7.0 the SL-S 43cm was a good size. I tested 2 version:

stiffer 43cm 13 degrees rake
softer 43cm 11 degrees rake

The softer one gave me a bit better "speed" feeling, lower drag. The stiffer one could handle more pressure, which is nice for lowwind (upwind). In the "best gust" the stiffer one did 50km/h run.

On the Afsluitdijk trip I used the SL-S 40cm 12 degrees rake, this fin rocks and allows choppy conditions. For lowwind however the 43cm gives a much easier ride. The iSonic can be trimmed well with these different fins, I am happy with the results.

Next goal: SL-P + iSonic 111

[preview] Neilpryde RS:Slalom MK4

loots.e@gmail.com (Erik Loots) — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 19:02:00 +0000

The new 2011 Neilpryde RS:Slalom MK4 prototypes look nice. Pieter Bijl still rides the fanatic falcons, guess he still likes them.

Looking to the sailprofile it would be rigged on the X6 mast, I might be way off, but that is about how the MK3 looks like with X6.

Or will this be the new RS:Slalom MK4?? Or maybe the H2 2011?? Nice board BTW ;)

Karpathos, King of Paradise 2010

loots.e@gmail.com (Erik Loots) — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 20:50:00 +0000

Karpathos, Chris Schill Procenter organises a great speedevent. If you are looking for a holiday with some speed action you might like this one!! For attending check out this facebook event page: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/event.php?eid=129702213720020

The contest will take place during week 29, 30 and 31.
19th July - August 8th.

Location
Chris Schill Procenter Paradise bay (Devils bay), Afiarti, Karpathos Greece.

The Race
The best 3 days a week of every sailor will give the rank for the King of Paradise. Each week is a different contest. Upload your best 10-second run from the current race day in GPS speedsurfing.com. In this way we can all participate, despite different arrival days. Every rider should also report his/her best 10-second run (display) everyday at the notice board at the Procenter before 19.00 every evening.

Best speed
We count only one of the participant's best 10-second average speed per race day. 07.00-19.00. The session must be uploaded to the GPS Speedsurfing ”Karpathos” not later than 15th of August.Furthermore, so you should mark the event as "King of Paradise 2010”. Be prepared to RTK can recover samples of your file. If the participant has an Amaryllo, GT11, GT31 device, you should always use the timing from that device.

Facilities
The speed course at Paradise bay (Devils bay) will be clear at least 3 hours a day, free from kite- and freestyle-riders. Every rider has to wear a Chris Schill-lycra to get a clear course. The Lycras are avaible only for competitors during the event.

The competitors can book storage and airport pickup at Chris Schill Pro Center, 65 EUR one week, 90 EUR for two weeks. That also includes all services at the center, as rescue pickup etc. http://www.chris-schill.com/2010 We do not have to pay for extra equipment (additional boards and rigs).

Entry fee and prize
We do not plan to take any entry fee. The winner will get the title “King of Paradise week XX”, a diploma and a lot of respect!

Safety
Each participant should take responsibility for himself and can be disqualified if he/she exposes herself or others at unnecessary risk. If you use extra weights a vest must support the weights or equivalent that provides a positive buoyancy of the weights. Wetsuit, etc. are not counted as flotation devices. Failure to provide help to those who show emergency signal will be disqualified. Anyone who gives assistance to such an extent that he/she does not itself implement the competition can apply to have estimated results of the race.

Disclaimer
Every rider has responsibility for himself. He/she has to have all insurances needed. TTVK will not take any responsibility for rescue operations nor racing accidents.

Equipment
Just windsurfing equipment is approved. It is therefore the same rules that apply to GPS speedsurfing.com

Considerations
Why a race? When a race is proclaimed every rider perform the little extra!But the most important thing is not to win but to enjoy and have fun together!

Quickly Go Mad Speed Sailing DVD

loots.e@gmail.com (Erik Loots) — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 21:08:00 +0000

I just saw a DVD about the Sandy Point action is out! Haven't seen the actual DVD yet, but there is a preview video.

To buy the DVD go here: http://www.seabreeze.com.au/Shop/Scripts/prodView.asp?idproduct=46

Quickly Go Mad is a locally produced DVD that is a must for anybody into speed sailing.This video is a landmark in Australian windsurfing as it captures the spirit and character of these humble, yet world class windsurfers who are taking their bodies to the highest speeds possible on windsurfing gear.
A trully entertaining documentary, and an extras section featuring GoPro onboard footage of speed runs, and a few stacks.For me, this video leaves me smiling every time as the passion of the people involved comes through.

Quickly Go Mad from drift media on Vimeo.

Afsluitdijk Windsurfing Trip

loots.e@gmail.com (Erik Loots) — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 15:02:00 +0000

Wad1team member Marcel Braas had a nice idea to go along the afsluitdijk, together with teammembers Tjitse and Gauke we were in for some adventure! The idea was to test the spot potential for long distance. We sailed between 12:00-13:00 (GMT+2hrs), the winddirection was far to North 340 degrees in the beginning and we ended with 345 degrees. For me it was just possible to reach upwind along the Afsluitdijk, I was sailing 60 degrees at this moment, speed upwind 34km/h!!

The downwind part was 120 degrees, which was fun if there was a bit of wind, most of the time (windgaps etc.) we had difficulty to go this deep downwind. With this in mind we didn't go further than the Monument.

Downwind I could barely keep the dail above 50km/h average. There was normal chop + chop @ 90 degrees of the Afsluitdijk. A bit messy but OK.

I liked the experiment, it was short but a lot of fun and something totally new!! I used my Isonic 111 Woodcarbon + Reflex 7.0 + Sonntag SL-S 40cm 12 degrees, it matched quite good :). I had soo much fun, maybe I should do more long distance and less 10sec peaks... at least in low wind ;)

GPS-Speedsurfing.com session: http://www.gps-speedsurfing.com/default.aspx?mnu=user&val=62879&uid=870

Another Surfsession

loots.e@gmail.com (Erik Loots) — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 07:26:00 +0000

Yesterday I went to Strand Horst for many reasons. Had to transfer my RS:Slalom sails, meeting with Joerg Sonntag, my brother wanted to go to Horst, teamchallenge Nautical Mile, lots of wind predicted and last but not least check out if I still was able to do some speedsurfing on Strand Horst since my worst USM result ever ;).

It wasn't really nice, the biggest mistake would have been my 2mm summer shortarm wetsuit, singlelined. I assume with only a few hours before the longest day it would be OK, but it was way to cold. Something about 10 degrees celsius, I was shaking all the time. And the speed wasn't very exciting which couldn't make me warm. The plan was to stick and make 5 runs till 20:00, but I just made it till 17:30 and was happy to have my clothes on.

Today I might use my WINTER wetsuit again, global warming...

I am satisfied with yesterdays dayranking since I know what I have done. There was definitly some space, the fastest run was a bit dangerous, I was quickly accelerating to 69.8km/h slowing down in the middle to 63km/h to cross a few windsurfers, than full throttle back again to 70km/h peak. Yep this was my 67.5km/h run, could have been faster for sure. I didn't want to push it at that moment, because I had no precedence... And it was no record day anyhow, soo don't want to spoil someone else his day ;).

Tuning was good for the 7.0, now loose leach was just at the black/white vertical stripe. This is excellent for speed. My small sonntag SL-S also need more rake for strand horst, think something about 13 or maybe 14 degrees for high speed potential. This is a big difference with the fanatic falcon monoconcave.

[preview] F2 Missile Racing LTD

loots.e@gmail.com (Erik Loots) — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 12:09:00 +0000

Dutch speed recordholder Dirk Doppenberg showed some pictures of the 2011 F2 missile. The board looks nice, knowing the history of F2 (holding the current production world record) it will be a sweet board. According to Dirk they are in a very early stage of development, very cool to share already some pictures.

I think all F2 fans will be stoked when they can add some new speedboards to their quiver. Maybe finally a big speedboard for them?? I know some F2 riders really wanted something for lightwind.

Here you can find all info: windsurfing.nl

[preview] Starboard iSonic Super Speed Special

loots.e@gmail.com (Erik Loots) — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 17:11:00 +0000

I accidentally found these pictures (www.windsurf-today.com) of the new 2011 Starboard iSonic Super Speed Special. Looks sweeet, already I see some usefull details! It is really great starboard takes speedsurfing serious! Hope to ride my very own Speed Special W44 (2010) soon in good powerfull wind.

The newer on the pictures has more footstrap positions, thinner under the mastfoot (concave in deck). A bit different outline?!?, the tail looks even smaller, but I don't know for sure.

't Kuitje Den Helder Sessions

loots.e@gmail.com (Erik Loots) — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 08:36:00 +0000

Photo by Ger, sail underdownhauled (first run)

Already 2 sessions in a row and it looks like today will be the third on 't Kuitje, it is a nice oppurtunity to test. Not only I learned about my new gear, finally I got my speed a bit better with Northeast wind. The trick is getting a lot of speed crosswind, this can be used to booost the downwind speed. My acceleration was good, only the short track makes it challenging. Next time my focus will be a bit more on crosswind speed.

The first session on 't Kuitje was not much wind, I spend most of the time on shore. In the end the wind looked like it increased and on the water the latest tuning worked out great. I think to have found for the 7.0 a nice trim in lowwind. Link to session speed

Yesterday I did the second session, this one was a bit more challenging since I tried again both a new board and sail. The pressure was high with lots of good speedsurfers, after lots of tuning and changing fins I was satified by doing some 70km/h+ runs, my fastest runs ever on 't Kuitje. I feel like there is more to get and I hope to give it a shot today. The speedspecial boards are something different than all other speedboards I have owned, have to get used to how they trim, still not bad breaking my previous spotrecord ;). The big men did big speed on their favorite equipment, amazing what speed Jurjen and Dirk-Jan can get with a 7.0!?! I hope to prove this year that with 83-85kg I also can come close to these guys on this short and tight course.

I saw lightweight teammember Jan Wolters struggling eventhough he had a nice trim, normally Jan can do some damage on the Waddenzee, the wind was not superstrong soo this might prove his point weight does influence results on this course (looking to the dayranking I start to become a believer too). Maybe I take 2kg lead with me next time... Teammembers Marco and Tim (80-82kg) surfed really quick with such a big board (falcon 80).

I am proud to be teamcaptain of the Wad1team, all the Wadjes did great yesterday. The teamperformance resulted in a first place tied with the unbeatable JP/NP team. http://gpsteamchallenge.com.au/ . I think all teammembers performed above their normal level on at least 1 or 2 points we can score at. The teamspirit is best to boost performance for individuals !!

With the 6.2 Severne Reflex I ended fastest with downhaul on specs and loose leach till the little black line.