A short while ago someone asked if there were any good images out there of Pro Formula sailors they could use as desktop wallpapers. A short scout of the windsurfing sites out there and it was quickly decided that there isn’t a single desktop wallpaper out there of anyone sailing Formula bar the small few available on Star-Board.com. In retaliation, I have compiled a series of 12 of the best images I could find of a few of the top Pro’s in Formula Windsurfing and made them available to download for FREE right here on CarbonSugar. Various screen-resolutions are available. Enjoy!

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One of the single most important aspects to your FW setup is what is under your feet; fins. As a result, fins have been somewhat an aspect that people obsess about a little too much. As it stands right now, there are 4 mainstream fin makers in the World who’s fins are actively being used on the FW Pro Circuit (apologies to the smaller, lesser known fin companies who I have left out): Deboichet, Kashy, Select, Hurricane, whereby nearly 70% of those are Deboichet made. Each fin company makes a variety of foils in a number of flex stiffnesses, torsional stiffnesses, rakes and twist, which doesn’t make buying a new fin an easily made decision. Coupled with long queues on fin orders and high price tags, many people end up spending money on fins that aren’t helping them. Understanding some basic theory and terminology used in the fin-world might just help you make an informed decision before you part with your hard earned money. Understanding what the fin does to the trim of your board and what you should be looking for when you test fins against each other, might even be more useful. Here we will attempt to do both …

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There’s been a number of emails received here about the contrast and clarity issues associated with a dark website with light text. As a result, I’ve decided to update the design to reflect the opposite; dark text on a light background. Please bear with me as I iron out all the new bugs associated with doing anything web related when all you really want to be doing is windsurfing!

And kudos to all the support and positive emails I have been receiving regarding this site so far …

One of the most difficult aspects of improving your time around the course is understanding and applying tactics. A plethora of fantastic sailing books have been written on tactics but the simple fact of the matter is you only get so good by reading; real world experience goes a very long way and most likely has a lot to do with why the best windsurfing racers in the World are all in their 30’s. Since handheld personal GPS units have become available and popular it has opened a whole new kettle of fish into how we can learn, train and critique our tactics around the course. In this article I am going to show you how to create GPSAR (GPS Action Replays) of your local fleet’s racing which will let you play back the races in real-time; a perfect way to fine tune your tactics to be ready for the second day of racing.

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In the previous article we saw that the leaning curve for formula will have some plateaus and most likely if you spend some time analysing why this learning plateau has occurred, you just might find a few insights on how to improve. More often than not, it is the sailor, rather than the sails or having the right fin helping fuel these problems. This is not to say that having the best equipment and tuning worked out is not important, because in FW it very crucial, BUT most of us do not lose the race on account of not having the right equipment; far more do because our technique is not up to scratch. Not being able to quickly initiate planing out of the start or out of manoeuvres means you will always be sailing in the dirty winds created by others. Technique is vital for being able to get out of the pack and get yourself into clean air. Jan Witteveen (NED-22) continues his Learning Plateau articles this week, focusing on the training for gybes.

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In the early stages of formula racing you may be on a steady learning curve. You improve the trim/tuning of your equipment and you gain confidence in sailing around a race course and applying the tactics you have learnt through experience. And then suddenly it happens… You have arrived at the mystical learning plateau. Most sailors that have seen this happening to them begin to get a little frustrated because they are at a loss at how to improve their speed around the course any further. Some have money to spend and start buying all kinds of new gear, hoping that this will help them improve and others (heaven forbid) start critisising the formula format for being to hard. Either way it appears to be a factor in many sailor’s decision to stop competing in this great game of FW racing. Personally speaking, you yourself have not given up yet because you are reading this to improve right? Dutch windsurfer Jan Witteveen (NED-22) gives us this article outlining some simple aspects of your sailing you can work on to improve your speed around the course and climb off the learning plateau you’ve just reached. Continue reading →