Surf

Alohkaa Pequeux and Antonio Cozzolino have dominated the Tecnho 293 Oceanics and RS:X New Zealand Nationals. Despite the light and shifty wind, the Kiwi fleet competed to get the trophies awarded to the best sailors, at the Manly Sailing Club. Windsurfing coach Grant Beck supported a small Green fleet, in which Australian Jessica Crisp was clearly a major standout. Her sailing performance impressed and she took the RS:X Women's division. The New Caledonian windsurfing team have also showed great skills in light breezes. The Under 17 and Under 17 divisions saw tight windsurf battles which promise a bright future for New Zealand...

Maui Sails was founded in 1978 by Barry Spanier and Geoffrey Bourne, after surviving a shipwreck on their way to the New Hebrides islands. While recovering from the loss of their 38 Cutter "Seminole", they've decided to create MauiSails. The mysterious and legendary dragon appears 19 years after the foundation of the windsurfing brand. Although dragons are not quite usual in the windsurfing world, this one has an interesting story. The MauiSails European-style dragon was created in 1997 by Artur Szpunar, the CAD manager and co-sail designer. Although it is not widely spread through MauiSails products, the animal has a story. ""I have...

Florida is the new capital of North American windsurfing. The East Coast of USA is gearing up for a series of A-level windsurfing events, in Spring 2012. The 2012 Island Style Classic is coming to Sarasota, between February 25th-26th, just 45 minutes south of Tampa, Florida. The USW National Racing Tour event will display the following A-Fleet divisions: Formula Men (12.5), Formula Women (11), Hybrid Men, Hybrid Women, Open Unlimited, Open Limited Men (7.5), Open Limited Women (7.5) and Kona. Next up, it's time for another windsurf classic. The 2012 Calema Midwinters Windsurfing Festival will continue its tradition of bringing together World...

Sarah Hebert will try to cross the Atlantic Ocean on a windsurf board. The professional windsurfer prepares to challenge more than 3500 kilometres (2170 miles) of choppy waters, strong winds, sharks and 30ft waves. Hebert is currently in Dakar, the capital city of Senegal, on the West Coast of Africa and is set to sail away on the 21st February. She will be crossing the Atlantic Ocean with a classic windsurfing equipment and will sleep on an escort boat. The goal is Saint-François, in Guadeloupe. Each stop will have registered the GPS coordinates, so that she leaves for another sailing day from...

"Rail to Rail" is the new windsurfing movie released by Fanatic and powered by NorthSails. The 2012 promo production feature 40 minutes of intense windsurfing action in some of the best wind spots in the world. The international team of riders include the 2010 Wave and Freestyle world champions Victor Fernández and Jose 'Gollito' Estredo plus many other pro windsurfers. The windsurf brand founded by Udo Schütz, in 1981, has not forgotten helicopter footage and all-round exotic windy locations. Watch the entire movie in HD, here.

The 2012 Starboard Product Movie has been released by the windsurf brand. Shot in exotic locations like Maui, Western Australia and the Canaries, the movie features the best windsurfers in the planet playing along with Starboard gear. Boujmaa Guilloul, Taty Frans, Kevin Pritchard, Philip Koester and more put on an impressive show of freestyle, speed and wave domination. There's even a special synchronised slo-mo jump that is pumping everyone's hearts. The windsurf movie was filmed and edited by Maui Nerd Productions, with additional footage from Scott McKercher and Matt Holder. You can watch the entire result,

Camille Juban has signed a contract deal with MauiSails. The hot Guadeloupe young wavesailor has recently won the AWT Ho'okipa Makani Classic wave contest, against a strong fleet of some of the world best sailors. "I'm really excited for 2012. I've worked hard for many years and I look forward to working with a leading brand in MauiSails. I believe this will help me take my sailing to another level", says Camille Juban. Given the opportunity, Juban decided to use MauiSails to help push his sailing skills and competition level to the top. He will be spending the wave months on Maui...

Paulo dos Reis has captured the 2012 Downunder Pro, at picturesque Jimmy’s Beach, Hawks Nest, Australia. The Brazilian racer dominated the four-day regatta by winning all 7 races over the event ahead of Jesper Vesterstrøm, from Denmark, and 56 other windsurfers. "This was the first time I’ve come to Australia and I was very impressed with the hospitality and the great racing conditions. It was windy, and that’s the conditions I like, so I’m very happy to win and I will definitely be back next year", says Paulo dos Reis. Sean O'Brien, event organizer and defending champion, was the first Australian over...

Shaping surfboards is a science. The best surfboard models in the world are a result of multiple experimentation methodologies and fine-tuning practices. In the last 10 years, computers have been working with shapers to improve the final performance of surfboards. Fortunately, now everyone can design a rough surfboard model and produce the plank of their dreams. BoardCAD is the ultimate open source CAD/CAM system for surfboards. This free software helps you with the surfboard design process, by allowing the amateur shaper to define all its parameters. Width, height, thickness, tail and rail types, channels, color, rocker and fin box position. It's up...

Anthony Ruffo has been sentenced to two years in Santa Cruz County Jail, two years in a sheriff's custody program and one year of mandatory supervision. The 48-year-old surfer from Santa Cruz will only serve one year in County Jail, after he pleaded no contest, last December, to possession, consumption and selling of methamphetamine. Darryl "Flea" Virotsko, Ken "Skindog" Collins and Rocky Romano, who is producing the Ruffo's biopic, have all attended the court where Judge Paul Marigonda took the final decision. In the last 11 months, Anthony Ruffo has been treating himself at the Clean Mind Healthy Planet Treatment Center, in...

Kelly Slater is not sure if he is going to run a full-time surf job at the 2012 ASP World Tour. Or perhaps those are his well-known mind games. Isn't "12" a nice number? "There have been years when this approach has been a little frustrating but it’s also sort of a wildcard way of deciding," Slater said. "I've had good success on the Goldy and this year should be fun again. I can't wait to be there. I'm undecided as to whether I'll apply full-time. That's probably no secret. I'll go by feel and whatever feels right internally, I'll stick...

Ant McColl has claimed the fourth stage of the 2012 Hyundai Tour, at Tay Street, Mount Maunganui, New Zealand. The surfer from Mount Maunganui surfed the best one-metre waves on offer, in offshore wind conditions. "Yeah super stoked, I have been doing this for ten years and have never won anything in the Open so for it to happen today in front of a home crowd I am over the moon", an almost rattled McColl exclaimed. McColl blocked Matt Cockayne from taking his first title of the Hyundai Tour, while current ratings leader Thomas Kibblewhite had to settle for third. McColl started the...

The 2012 Australian Open of Surfing has reached its climax with the victories of Matt Banting and Sally Fitzgibbons, in the final waves of comepetition, at Manly Beach. Thousands of surf fans gathered for the last heats of the inaugural Aussie event and they were treated to an exciting show with close back-and-forth battles, powerful turns and big airs as the world's best surfers fought for the prestigious crown. "This has been the best week of my life!" Banting said. "I'm so happy, this is the best feeling I've ever had! I'm shaking so much I can hardly talk. Evan (Gieselman) is...

More than 140 surfers will be battling for gold in the first edition of the ISA World StandUp Paddle (SUP) and Paddleboard Championship, which takes on the beaches of Miraflores, Lima, Peru. The home to the famous Waikiki Surf Club and the cradle of modern Peruvian surfing is a great venue and will certainly be the perfect stage for a beatiful wave competition. "StandUp Paddle surfing and racing are truly global sports and the ISA wants to support them with this yearly competition. The event also includes Paddleboarding, a classic discipline practiced by paddling prone over a board", said ISA President, Fernando...

The European surfing regions of North Devon (England), Donegal (Ireland) and West Brittany (France) have developed an innovative project of surf economics evaluation. The "Trisurf" study reached relevant conclusions that may be applied to many world coastal cities, villages and towns. The North Devon report concludes that each surfer spends £1,240 annually, in the region. It was established that there are approximately 42,000 people who surf in northern Devon, each year. This gives a total annual economic value of surfing in northern Devon of £52.1 million, which means 72% of the total northern Devon coastal tourism economy. In terms of employment, this would...

Surfin' Steven is a crazy dude. The almost blonde, almost Aussie, but above all almost surfer has headed to the busy streets of London, the capital of Englad, to teach British citizens how to ride waves. The result is hilarious. Surfin' Steven and his funny attitude towards others has conquered the heart of young ladies, anonymous lads, middle-aged gentlemen and even policewomen. Watch his surf stunt in Oxford Street, here. Despite the low temperatures of London, his orange boardshort-only style was enough to conquer everyone. Surfin' Steven kicked off his adventure catching an impossible wave at...