UK born Will Ward is a permanent resident on Fuertevnetura. With a unmistakable aggressive riding style his go for it approach is the perfect fit for Witchcraft. We caught up with Will to get the lowdown.
Witchcraft boards are known for their strength but so far this was based on experience and not on calculations. It is hard to know how high the forces on a board actually are when sailing but we can compare a board’s resistance against the most common failures. So we asked engineering student David Cadel from France to perform strength analyses on these 2 main areas: heel area and bottom. Besides comparing the strength of new boards, also fatigue was taken into consideration.
Witchcraft has been existence for a considerable amount of time with the brand’s helm – Bouke Becker – being a part of windsurfing for longer still. As such his knowledge and understanding of the industry, product manufacturing and all things windsurfing is unsurpassed. What follows are a bunch of key quotes from the man himself which sums up the sport and the Witchcraft brand (it also makes for interesting reading).
As newbie windsurfers we’ve all had our fair share of faux pars when it comes to mishaps, either on land or on the water. Even us long in the tooth sailors can have some of the following occur still to this day – if we’re not paying attention. Here’s a tongue in cheek look at some of the many windsurfing fails that’ll be familiar to a good number of us.
As most sailors will know there are a whole host of key moments through windsurfing’s colourful history that make it unique. This heritage and legacy is constantly being updated, after all time never stands still. Here are a few key events to refresh memories or give insight to those ne wto windsurfing. We’re sure there are plenty more – what would you add?
Pics: Richard Whitson and Ian Guthrie.
John Blackwell is the UK importer/distributor for Witchcraft windsurfing sails and board sin the UK. He also helped with input during the conceptualisation and prototyping phase of Witchcraft’s Karma and Slayer sail range. We caught up with John to find out more.
Everyone loves an image or video edit of your fave windsurfer going big at spot XXX. As mesmerising as these stunts are they’re a world away from what the majority could achieve? Many of these riders are paid up pros with a large support crew behind them. In most instances he/she going large will have the necessary equipment on tap and most likely access a fat cheque for their troubles at the end of the session. This isn’t to say the everyday windsurfers can’t achieve similar levels of stoke – if not actual similar levels of extreme performance. But that doesn’t matter as long as you’re having fun…
So how do you go bigger? Here are a few tips to help you on your way.
You may have seen the footage of Kelly Slater’s Ranch wave pool recently, especially if you follow surfing as well as windsurfing. While man made surf installations aren’t new (Wave Garden and others have been around for ages) Kelly Slater’s version is possibly the dreamiest, most picture postcard version to date.
Love it or hate you can’t deny the images and videos of the recent WSL pro test event look amazing. And really, what’s not to like? Perfect fun peeling hollow surf on tap. Left and rights sliding through all day long. Fun at the flick of a switch. Some may suggest this isn’t surfing at its purest; doing battle with Mother Nature’s natural offerings is the only way to achieve that. But for those juice starved riders or rippers looking for a consistent training ground the benefits can’t be ignored.
We often hear about the differences of onshore wave riding versus side shore. When talking side shore, however, there are nuances within these wind directions as well. For instance, as nice as side shore actually is to sail in, what about side offshore? Here we look at the slightly different way of approaching wave sailing with these wind directions.
If you’re a wave sailor then you obviously have a love for riding waves – the clue’s in the name. But what type of surf break you sail at can be a factor, and how you approach things, across all your riding. Here on Fuerteventura, where Witchcraft is based, it’s mainly reefs that tend to be sailed – although some beaches are available too. So what are the differences?
Although it’s hard to categorise each spot accordingly, as local anomalies, bathymetry and other factors can influence the way a wave breaks, there are certain traits which allow us to categorise in general fashion.
