The ultimate windsurf racing checklist

Racing is fun and addictive. When you're feeling the wind blowing in your face, you just want to go faster and faster. Progression is key to crossing the finish line in first place.

"RYA Youth Windsurfing Scheme" is a book that will help you go fast and race at pro level. It guides you through several stages until reaching perfection. So, how should you plan and check your steps in windsurf racing?

All three levels of preparation - Start, Intermediate and Advanced - are divided into pre-race preparation, technique tips, and racing theory. You will progress, as you tick boxes along the way.

Let's take a look at the most important issues in competitive windsurf racing:

Pre-Race Preparation

Equipment
> Boom height
> How to prevent boom slippage
> Tightening battens
> Rig setting for different conditions
> Knowing when to change up or down a sail size
> Adjustable harness lines and setting the lines in the correct position
> Legal sail numbers and positioning
> Rig settings using adjustable outhaul and downhaul... [Read More]

Surfing industry takes sustainability for a ride

 Surfing is a sport often described as spiritual -- about as close as you can get to being in sync with Mother Nature -- and now the industry is taking sustainability for a ride, CBS News' Carter Evans reports.

 "When I'm in the ocean, I feel alive. That's something that resonates so deep within my soul that it literally lights me up," surfer Greg Long said.

 It may come as a surprise that the tools of the trade are actually toxic to the environment. Wetsuits and surfboards have been made with harmful petroleum-based products for more than 50 years.

Long is one of the best big wave surfers in the world, paddling into swells six stories high. In 2014, he won Billabong's Ride of the Year.

Now, he's trying out the world's first surfboard made from algae.... [Read More]

The art of balance in windsurfing and life

 

Mastering flat waters, choppy seas, or even a 4.3 sail during a storm in windsurfing and life requires continuous effort to find balance. However, the notion of balance seems to have been misunderstood.

When life feels like a large sail in a storm, and you are struggling on the water, windsurfing may feel like Sisyphus' curse where you'll never reach your goal.

You keep falling off the board, or you get catapulted and slammed into the rough water. Repeating yet another waterstart, and getting back up on the board and riding another wave requires both effort and sometimes more than a pair of balls.

What's a good way of balancing rough terrain in water and life?... [Read More]

Switch launches the Element 4 All-Terrain kite

 

Switch Kiteboarding has announced the launch of the new Element 4 All-Terrain kite.

The brand developed the Element 4 All-Terrain for an all-round performance in any terrain. The kite is designed for water, land and snow. And Switch vehemently insists this is not marketing talk.

"We welcome anyone to prove us wrong. This mid-aspect ratio 3 strut open C design, supported rock solid by a pulley free compact bridle, features a tight pivotal turn, smooth power delivery and incredible wind range," notes Switch Kiteboarding.

The Element 4 All-Terrain is ready for the barrel hunting in Hawaii, free riding your local lake or exploring the snow-covered backcountry in the Alps... [Read More]

How to adjust boom height in windsurfing

 

In windsurfing, boom height is an element of power and control. But it should also be tuned according to wind speed, upwind or downwind sailing, and your height and experience with the sail.

Boom height is, alongside mast track position and harness lines length, a critical variable in fine-tuning windsurfing equipment.

There are several rules of thumb that you can memorize to adjust your boom height, in multiple conditions and under different scenarios. Let's see... [Read More]

If you haven't checked out my Facebook page, do so!

My Facebook page is packed with information on kitesurfing and a tone of other water sports, so if you're into being outdoors and having fun in the sun my Facebook is the page to checkout!... [Visit Page]

Kitesurfing the Stratosphere???

A team of research professors in the College of Engineering at Embry-Riddle's Daytona Beach Campus have been chosen by NASA to receive a $100,000 grant to develop a futuristic concept using unmanned aircraft to utilize wind and solar power 50,000 to 60,000 feet above the Earth that someday might augment cell towers and orbital satellites.... [Read More]

How to Have the Ultimate Caribbean Kitesurfing Vacation by Jeff Blemaster

 The Saba Rock Resort has announced an exciting new opportunity for thrill-seekers visiting the British Virgin Islands.

In addition to a four-night stay in a double-occupancy suite, the special features a private helicopter ride from the Virgin Gorda resort to the island of Anegada, where guests will enjoy an eight-mile downwind kite ride along the stunning coast, all the the while taking in the scenery and the natural wonders of the island.

The expedition is fit for experts and novices alike, as guests will be accompanied by renowned kiteboarding instructors.... [Read More]

New Site Number 2 Up

If you liked my other sites you'll love this new one! It's #2 of my 3 new sites that are up. This site has the links to my social media accounts and awesome information on Kitesurfing & other cool water sports. Check it out!!!... [View My Site]

One Of Three New Jeff Blemaster Sites Up

If you are into my life or can relate to the things I like check out one of my three new sites! This first one is jeffblemaster.info, this site has kinks to all of my different social media pages where you can find all sorts of cool information on kitesurfing, wind boarding, and more!... [Visit My Site]

The best kitesurfing spots I've been to in Denmark

In the end of the 90's there were only a few hundred windsurfers in this country. Today, the number of kite fans has increased. Denmark has 7,314 kilometres of coastline which is absolutely great for kitesurfing fans.

The climate is temperate with Autumn being the wettest season and Spring the driest one. SurferToday.com thinks every pro or amateur kitesurfer should try some of the spots Denmark has to offer.

Basically, this country is a large peninsula, Jutland, and many islands, bordering the Baltic and the North Sea. The best kitesurfing spots in Denmark are:

Åkrogen (inland, near Horsens)
Allerød (near Copenhagen)
Amager (near Copenhagen)
Bork Havn (W)
Bugten near Aarhus (E)
Hanstholm (NW)
Hvide Sande (W)
Ishøj (near Copenhagen)
Klitmøller (NW)
Klitmøller (NW)
Øer ved Ebeltoft (NE)
Ringkøbing Fjord (W)
Rømø, (W)
...[Read More]

Who said you can't get barreled in kitesurfing?

 A kitesurfer getting barreled? Is that possible? The correct answer is "yes, but it's rare and difficult".

Robert Kidnie has been traveling around the globe with his kitesurfing gear and skills. In a recent trip to the Southeast Asia, in search for wind, he transformed what is usually rare into an "easy" task.

"No kite-mares, but some pretty sketchy wipeouts. I got dragged by three waves one time, when I dropped it in a wave. That was scary! But both me and my kite survived", says Kidnie.

Ride a kite wave just like in surfing. Your body and surfboard positions in the wave are similar, but the kite part is harder.

Try to get the kite lines coming out of the barrel, almost parallel to the sea level, avoiding the wave lip to hit them, as much as possible.

In above average kitesurfing conditions, everything is possible, but Kidnie clearly shows there are no limits in the kiting world.... [Learn More]

A Kitesurfing Short Film by Jeff Blemaster

The North shore of Hawaii is the birthplace of surfing. Where heroes gather and legends are made. Home to Cabrinha kites. Infamous for massive winter swells. In the first act of this kitesurfing short feature we see how easy a love affair with the ocean or with a pretty girl begins. II Fade from black and white to full color. III has the goods wrapped in barrels of fun. Its intoxicating lure calling us out to ride.... [Watch the Film]

How to repair tears in the kite canopy by Jeff Blemaster

It's easy to damage your kite. Whether you're packing, transporting or riding, the kite's ripstop fabric will be in contact with multiple surfaces and objects. It could your nails, but it can also be a rock, sand and water.

If you found a very large rip on your kite (more than ten centimeters), you should let a professional fix it. However, if you feel you've got what it takes to repair the damaged area, then let's do it properly.

Here's what you'll need to apply a patch to your kite sail:

1. Ripstop Tape
2. Scissors
3. Iron
4. Alcohol Wipes

 Now, follow these steps carefully:

... [Read More]

The secrets to planing effortlessly in windsurfing

The theory behind planing in windsurfing is to transmit all the power obtained through the sail into the board, as horizontally as possible, so that it lifts out of the water and continues gliding over it.

This means that you need to get as much wind power into the sail as it allows first. To achieve this, we need to bear away onto a broad reach (90 degrees plus from the wind) and sheet in while trying to keep the sail as vertical as possible.

Now that we have the power sorted out, we need to transmit it to the board horizontally. To do this, you want to get the shoulders as far back as possible to hold the power of the sail. At the same time, push your hips forward so that you are pushing your front foot into the board towards the nose.

Very important: do not just lean back and put your weight down on the board as this will just sink the board into the water rather than out of it. Focus on pushing forwards with the front foot.

Read More... [Jeff Blemaster Windsurfing]

Classic Kitesurfing event lined up for 2016

THE dates are set for next year’s Lancelin Ocean Classic, with four days of windsurfing and kitesurfing planned.

Organisers announced last month the 31st classic would take place from January 14 to 17.

This year’s winner of the 25km windsurfing marathon from Ledge Point to Lancelin, Steve Allen, said he would return in 2016.

“This is such an important race for the windsurfing community and we all look forward to it every year,” he said.

Organisers will attempt to break the world record for the longest open ocean kitesurfing race. Read More... [Jeff Blemaster Kitesurfing]

Leave your fears behind and dive into kitesurfing

Keeping a cool head is fundamental for pioneering kitesurfer Jeff Blemaster, he needs to feel completely calm if he is going to nail that next Megaloop. So what better why to chill out than by entering the domain of some of the world’s deadliest predators? See how Jeff deals with a freedive adventure surrounded by sharks off the South African coast. [Jeff Blemaster Kitesurfing]