Bart's Surfblog

For Sale

2011-12-16T08:43:00.000+01:00

Surfmate on AC-K 7.8

2011-05-26T18:38:00.001+02:00

YouTube Video

- Posted with iPhone

AC on Patrick Boards

2011-02-06T09:24:00.001+01:00

Andrea Cucchi will be racing on Patrick Boards this season.

- Posted with iPhone

MVM 1st place on GP3S

2011-02-05T20:18:00.001+01:00

Martin Van Meurs is currently first on the GPS speedsurfing ranking for 2011. He did this on a proto board and with the new AC-1 5.0 from Point-7.

Click here to go to GP3S
- Posted with iPhone

Lightwind Session

2011-01-30T22:28:00.002+01:00

There was some wind from the South predicted. I went surfing at the Grevelingen. During this session it was dificult to start planning and plane through lulls. I definitly need a longer fin to get the board foiling. I have to get me one of those new S11 fins and that in size 49.

- Posted with iPhone

iPhone 4 Windsurf Apps

2011-01-25T23:08:00.001+01:00

On my iPhone I installed the following windsurf related apps:

* Windguru (wind forecasting)
* Windfinder (wind forecasting)
* Tapatalk (to read and post on surfforum.be and windsurfing.nl)
* Blogpress (to post on my blog)

Download these Apps from the Apple AppStore.

If you know other winsurf related Apps, please let me know.

- Posted with iPhone

Location:België

AC-1 2K11

2011-01-25T14:46:00.002+01:00

The all new AC-1 2011.

Click this link to see the Camber Rotation

Location:België

Andrea Cucchi on AC-1

2010-12-20T09:14:00.003+01:00

Very nice video with Andrea Cucchi on AC-1. A boss who really enjoys his products!

click here

Herkingen

2010-08-26T20:24:00.010+02:00

The track

Max 9 kmh

Don't fly away

Close-up

Alpha

Me and the big guy.

TOW & PKD

2010-08-19T10:50:00.004+02:00

During the months June, July and August I went surfing 2 times. Not a lot of TOW (Time on Water) that is. I often lack the energy to go windsurfing because off my PKD (Polycystic kidney disease).
I was diagnosed to have this disease about 10 years ago. I now have a kidney function less than 10% and I have to take a lot off medication to reduce side effects. Medication such as blood pressure control, hard rhythm control, calium reduction, osteoporosis medication, arthritis medication, veins medication, …

Currently there is no cure for this illness. The only thing that can be done is to get another kidney. There is also a machine that can filter your blood but it is inefficient and it takes 3 half days per week to filter the blood.
There are 2 possibilities to get a new kidney: From a dead donor or from a living donor.

My blood type is O+. That means that are a lot of other people on the waiting list to get a kidney from a dead donor. I would take about 4 years from the moment that you are on the list for transplantation.The other solution is to get a kidney from a living donor. But then you first have to find someone who is willing to donate you one of his/her kidneys and the kidney has to match your blood/tissue.

I got a lot of luck here. My wife wants to donate her kidney and the blood/tissue matches.

Somewhere in the autumn I will get 2 operations. First they are going to remove my 2 kidneys and then about 6 weeks later me and my wife will be lying in 2 different surgeries at the same time. One team will remove one kidney from my wife and put it in me minutes later.

I hope that all this will work fine and I hope that my lovely wife will not suffer too much and will be recovering quickly.

I hope be windsurfing again (at full force) by the summer of 2011.

PWA Live

2010-06-08T17:14:00.006+02:00

It is now possible to follow the PWA Slalom Races at the Costa Brava live. The top racers have a GPS with GPRS which send GPS data live to a website. If you have the PWA Ticker also open you can see what 's happening.

Screenshot of the first Final today.

Race 1

May Sessions

2010-06-07T10:37:00.002+02:00

Ouddorphaven 06/05
To make it a tradition I went surfing again on my birthday. Last year I was lucky and I could break some PR’s at Herkingen on that day. This year the wind was N to NNO so I went to Ouddorp haven in the afternoon. The wind was a bit on/off and I was on my P7 AC-1 6.3 for the first time. The sail wasn’t rigged 100% and I couldn’t get the trim of the board right. I also made the mistake of choosing a fin which was a bit to big and a sail that was a bit too small. There were 2 other guys using a real speedboard with a 7.0 and that proved to be more efficient. However I’m still pleased with the speeds since I was also getting used to the spot. It has some really shallow area’s which made me surf with the brakes on. There was also some rolling chop on the speed course. I think this spot will work better with NO winds.

Kessenich 24/05
There was more wind predicted inland than at the coast on Monday the 24th. Time to check out Kessenich again. It had been a long time that I went surfing there. Kessenich has quite large gravel extraction which is filled with water from the “Maas”. The disadvantage is that you also have a lot of boats during non-working days. The best winds are winds from the East. Today the wind was North. A bit gusty but fairly strong in the gusts. My surfmate and me both took the SL78. He was on the RS Racing 9.0 and I was on the P7 AC-1 8.7. Although there were a lot of wind holes we were planning all the time and had al lot of fun. I also got some good reactions from the locals on the P7 sails. “Looks very nice on the Black Machine” it sounded. I think I will be going more there for afterwork sessions because of the short drive. Another nice thing there “freshwater and a nice beach”.

G-dam 29/05
Wind from the South at the G-dam. A lot of people were waiting for the wind to increase but they were mislead by the trees the covered the wind. Out on the water there was enough wind to plane. Very pleased with the low wind performance of the P1 AC-1 8.7 with the Exocet SL78. My secret weapon for lowwind is an old JP Slalom 48cm fin in G-10 which I made a bit thinner. Works great.

G-dam 30/05
Wind in the morning coming from NW then N then W. Went to the “boothelling” and waited for the rain to stop. Then drove back to the G-dam and the wind again turned from N to W. It stopped raining. I went out with the AC-1 7.1 with the SL78. (Gusty) Then the wind increased and I took the SL61. I had mounted the backstraps to the last holes. This didn’t work in combination with the 7.1 and the chop. Then the wind increased even more and I wished I had the 6.3 ready. I went to the beach and at that moment a thundercloud was passing by with a lot of wind. I was glad I was on the beach. After that the wind decreased a lot. End of day for me.
Very difficult conditions and I was always on the water with the wrong set.

Ouddorp Haven 12/04

2010-04-18T11:40:00.007+02:00

I had a nice session at Ouddorp Haven on Monday 12th of April. The wind was decreasing when I arrived at the spot but the nice weather still made it good fun. I had chosen a short fin to make sure I didn't hit the ground. The spot is very shallow and that is a bit scary at times. This time the fin was actually too small to get decent speeds. The AC-1 7.1 felt like I was sailing a 6.7 with the power of the 7.1.

Jo and me

Marco and me

Realy crowdy sometimes

A perfect day

Point-7 8.7 AC-1

2010-04-16T22:16:00.006+02:00

AC-1 2008 & 2010

First time on the water with the Point-7 8.7 AC-1 and the impression is power and control.

P7 AC-1 7.1 on C100+ 430

2010-04-06T21:13:00.005+02:00

More Black stuff

2010-02-26T19:09:00.004+01:00

Point- 7 sails. I ordered some AC-1 sails together with C-100+ masts. I first came in contact with Point-7 when I went to Lake Garda in 2008. Then I saw the new sails on Boot 2010 and I was convinced.

Point-7 stands for 0.7 which is the highest score you can get in a windsurfing competition. The sails are originated from Italy and the company was started by Andrea Cucchi. They now also have a testcenter on Fuerteventura were the sails are designed by Peter Munzlinger.
Following this link to see some action on the P-7 site.

G-dam 22 November 2009

2009-12-29T17:50:00.003+01:00

This was a nice session together with my surf mate Dominique. The wind came from the South. This means off shore wind at the G-dam. This gives nice flat water but because of the trees nearby the wind is not very constant. Best thing is to choose a bigger board in combination with a small sail. I started with the 5.4 on the SL61. This gave good control but not enough power. Since I sold my 6.2 I had to go for the RS6 6.7. Very good combo. Dominique was out on the water with his SL66 in combination with an RS6 5.4 after he broke his mastfood on his Gaastra 6.0. At the end of the session Dominique made some fantastic pictures and I borrowed his SL66 and put the RS6 6.7 on it. Man this is a great combo in high wind for slalom. Good power in the lulls and nice control in the gust. This might be the next board on my wish list.

Select Fins 2010

2009-12-29T17:42:00.004+01:00

Select has launched the website with fins for 2010. The Pro Series no longer have the very popular SL7, SL9, ProSlam and Caspar fins. Now they have the Elite S07 to replace the SL7 and the Elite S09 for the SL9 and I guess the Elite S10 will replace the ProSlam. The Caspar speed fins are now only available in the Elite line. The good thing is that the price of the Elite series has gone down.

Also very nice is the fin selector where you even have a specific webpage for Exocet SL boards.

Test RS Racing EVO II 7.8

2009-11-04T22:17:00.007+01:00

I ordered some new RS Slalom sails in sizes 6.2, 7.0 and 8.6. I ‘m now waiting for the sails to be delivered in the shop. Meantime I got a sail from the shop the use during this period. A brand new RS Racing EVO II 7.8. At first I was even afraid the take this sail out on the water but the shop owner told me just use it and enjoy.
Last weekend I took the RS Racing EVO II 7.8 for a spin. I only have X6 masts but the X6 460 seemed to do just fine. Out on the water you immediately notice the better visibility compared to the RS6 and RS Racing. The sail also feels extremely light and smaller than the older sails. Probably caused by the shorter luff length and the lighter materials used in the top off the sail. The acceleration is very very good but most off all it is the control that you have that makes the difference. I was out on the water with a 7.8 and the other guys were on 7.0 and 6.5.
I cannot wait for my sails to arrive and I ‘m sure to get the same light feeling on the water.

Thank you Liquid Surfshop.

New Boom

2009-11-04T22:04:00.003+01:00

I replaced my X9 180-230 boom because there were some problems with it. The grip was coming off, the boom head was broken, and the clips were breaking from time to time. A new boom head was quite expensive and I didn’t want to replace the grip myself.
I started looking for a new monocoque carbon boom. I had a look at the new X9, AL360, Maui Sails, Unifiber and Techno Limits.
For a number of reasons I choose the Techno Limits XTR 180 – 240 Boom. It has the new curve, a solid boom head, 28mm grip, wide usable range and also important it was available.
After two sessions, one with 7.8 and one with 6.7 I’m very pleased with the grip and stiffness of the boom. And If you want to know, the new curve is an improvement. It just feels natural.
Highly recommended.

Speedsession 03 october 2009

2009-10-19T21:33:00.004+02:00

There was a lot of wind predicted for the 3th of October. When I arrived the big guys were rigging 6.2 and their speed guns were ready to go. At that moment the wind wasn’t hard at all so I also rigged the 6.2 and I took my smallest board the SL56.
On the water the wind was really on/off and the course was very board. It was hard to get going from time to time and I saw the big guys swimming a lot. I decided to take a bigger board to at least be able to do some fun surfing. I also replaced the speed fin with the good old SL7 which takes loads of pressure. Now I was cruising around and having fun. I even managed to do some very broad runs without falling dead in the end.
Then the wind direction changed and the wind suddenly increased a lot. I saw one of the best Dutch speed surfer rigging his 5.1. I decided to pack in and leave.
When I downloaded the GPS I saw a very decent top speed of 65,77 kmh which is probably the fastest I sailed the SL61. I was even more surprised when I put the day ranking in 500m. I had sailed the 5th fastest 500m which was a new record for me.

RS6 for Sale 6.7

2009-10-12T14:16:00.005+02:00

RS6 6.7 sail for sales.

Always treated well and rinsed and dryed after use.

North Sails shox XTR

2009-09-14T20:27:00.005+02:00

North Sails have done it again.
They already had the PowerXT mast extension on the market for some years now. The PowerXT is an extension with a build-in sail tension mechanism. Now they have come up with a adjustable shock absorber build into this mast extension. The shox XTR.

Shox XTR

They also have the only 3 piece masts on the market. I didn't gave this one much attention before but now I've seen that they sell a top and a base together with 3 different middle pieces. This means you have a range from for instance 430 over 460 to 490 with one set.

3 piece masts

Recently they also invented a boom with an adjustable flex in the boom head. For a long time everybody was thinking the stiffer the faster but in chopping conditions more flex actually gives more control and more control means more speed.

adjustable boom head

They only thing left is the adjustable sail. Let's hope this one will also arrive soon to reduce the gear we have to transport and buy to sail in 12 till 40 knots of wind.

3 Games (5-6 sep 2009)

2009-09-09T15:08:00.009+02:00

The second event of the 3Games was organized at the “Kabbelaarsbank”.

After I registrated I joined Kurt to rig our sails. I measured an average 20 knots with peaks up to 25 knots. As we were getting ready for some slalom (long distance) racing I choose to rig the 6.7 together with my SL61 (92 liters). By the time the gear was rigged I noticed the wind was dropping a bit from time to time. I also rigged the 7.2 together with the SL78 and a 39cm fin just to be sure. Kurt had rigged a 7.8 (I don’t have that size) together with a Fanatic Falcon 105.
We bought went out for a test run. I was a bit too big on the board, Kurt was spot on.
I went to the skippers meeting. The race was a figure-eight slalom with reaches of 1 km. Start-Buoy1-Buoy2-Buoy1-Finish. The course was about 4 km in total. We were going to do full fleet starts. About 42 competitors had to start together. The race-directors made a nice wide starting zone to avoid collisions.

We started for the first heat. It is always difficult to get a good start and certainly important in such a big field. I started at the boot but still I immediately lost some places because I had to pump to get going. Two heats later I tried to start at the pin end. I got some very good tips from Nick D. but I didn’t start fast enough. Not a good result in this race but in the future I will try this starting position again because I noticed that the event winner was always starting there. I think you just need to be sure that the sail you’re using is big enough to plane through the wind holes that the other competitors are making starting upwind.
I learned a lot today. From time to time I could overtake some competitors although I wasn’t please with my speed. At the jibes I was also able to win some places due to solid gybing. I never fell once during the 7 races but I often loose speed at the end of the gybe. I have to start practicing these gybes seriously.

A fantastic day of windsurfing and thanks again for the great organization.

Finally some TOW again

2009-09-09T14:42:00.009+02:00

On the 28th of August I went surfing again at Herkingen. When I arrived there the wind was already blowing more then 22 knots average. The wind predictions for that day were 15 to 17 knots. I only brought my big stuff. The smallest sail I had with me was the 6.2. By the time I went on the water the wind was still increasing. I choose to put an Select Caspar Speed 27 fin under my Exocet SL56.

Lancel father and son

Koen

On the spot were about 30 people speedsurfing at the same time. The wind angle was not optimal and you had to bear away from the dam into the chop to get a decent topspeed. I say some people crashing with broken carbon masts and carbon booms as a result.

Crash (not me)

I wasn’t feeling that confident and not that fit but I tried to do some runs. I wish I had taken the 5.4 with me to have more control because the wind was already over 30 knots. The 27 cm fin was not creating enough lift and I decided to sail back through the chop to mount the 29 cm fin.
Sailing back I fell a couple of time and hurt my knee. I decided to stop. Not a lot of distance sailed on that day but speed thrill was there for sure.
Topspeed : 68,13 kmh = 36.79 knots
Average 10s : 63,82 kmh = 34.46 knots
New PR on 250m : 65,12 kmh = 35.16 knots

Next season I will replace my RS6 sails with the new RS Slalom MK IV. The current RS Slalom MKIII looks very stable in high wind and has a shorter luff – and boomlength. Some people say the the MKIII is as good as the EvoII sails for speedsurfing.

RS Slalom MK III

2009-09-09T14:35:00.003+02:00

I have not been windsurfing a lot the last months due to some medical problems. Mid june I had the chance to sail a few runs with the RS Slalom MKIII. I have been using the RS6 sails for some years now and I couldn’ t feel a big difference with the RS Racing or RS Slalom MKI or MKII sails. But now after I shortly tested the RS Slalom MKIII I could immediately feel that this would be an upgrade for my RS6 sails.

RS6

RS Slalom MK III

Select PRO SLAM

2009-06-10T09:50:00.006+02:00

Select has a new slalom fin for large slalomboards. After I saw the speeds that Ben was getting with these fins I ordered one for my new SL78. I choose the PRO SLAM 45 to use with a 8.4 sail.
Yesterday I received the fin. When I compare the fin with my RS7 45 I see the following differences :
• PRO SLAM has more rake
• PRO SLAM trailing edge is sharper
• PRO SLAM has a wider tip
• PRO SLAM has a bit more flex

Let’s hope we get some decent winds some to test the new board/fin combination.

Ben on the SL78

RS7 45 on PRO SLAM 45

PRO SLAM 45 on RS7 45

Exocet SL78 Promodel

2009-06-10T09:40:00.004+02:00

When the new Exocet SL range was introduced you could choose between the 71,66,61 and 56. When we asked Exocet if we could expect some larger SL model the answer was that the WarpS 85 and WarpS76 would be used by the Pro’s as larger slalom boards.

Then suddenly Exocet came up with the SL78 Honeycomb. A fantastic light wind slalom board for sure, but the honeycomb construction also made it very expensive.

A lot of people were asking Exocet on the forum for a SL78 Promodel version. Exocet responded and started building the SL78 in Promodel version at a lower price.

Last weekend I receive my SL78 Promodel. The first thing I did was to weight the board. Without foot straps I measure 7 kg. This is really good and the finish of the board is excellent.

7 kg !!!

SL78, SL61, SL56

3 Games – Brouwersdam – Kabbelaarsbank – 25-26/04/2009

2009-06-07T21:23:00.009+02:00

Tower

The first leg of the 3Games took place at the Brouwersdam. The 3 Games is a low entry windsurf competition organized by some Belgium competition windsurfers.
On the first day there wasn’t much wind in the morning. Therefore some fun races were organized. The windlimit for the official races was 12 knots. There is no material restriction so in the morning the formula guys were winning.
In the afternoon the wind started to pick up. We were ready for the first official race. Just before the start of the first official race the wind shifted completely. The race committee had their hands full to set a new course.
We were ready for the restart. There were 36 competitors and when the start was given we noticed that the starting line was a bit small. There were some people falling at the start and someone even hit the starting boat. During the race I was just behind Kurt. Kurt had started form the back of the field but he was able the plane over the starting line. I started for the front of the field but was standing still on the starting line. He was using an 85 cm wide board and a 9.5 sail. I was on my Exocet SL71 with an 8.4 sail. My speed was good but I could not overtake him. The race committee had placed the buoys at a very short distance. Once you got up to speed you had to jibe again. Felt a bit like indoor surfing but this certainly increased the adrenaline and fun. I took 11th place he was 10nd. It surprised me that surfing a race is a different thing than free surfing. The water is very rough and you need a bigger sail the get going.
The second official race. In the meantime the race officials had reset the course and the legs were now a lot longer. The same scenario at the starting line, Kurt starting for the back with wind and myself starting from the front but stalling at the starting line. Again Kurt in front of me and I was trying to catch him. At the last jibe Kurt had some bad luck. A competitor who was already 2 legs behind fell in the water just in front of the buoy. She was trying to get her sail out of the water but fell in again. Kurt had to do everything possible to avoid a crash and he missed his jibe. I came behind and no problem gibing and could overtake him.
My overall result was 8th place. Very happy with that. I’m already looking forward for the next 2 events in September.

Picture from the Tower

Good start

One leg to go

Holding off competitor

Select Caspar Speed

2009-05-07T10:16:00.004+02:00

Yesterday I took a day off to go speedsurfing at Herkingen. I bought some new Select Caspar speed fins and I wanted to try them out.
In the morning the wind was the strongest and I could catch some nice gusts. On the deep downwind course the fin is very stable. This in combination with the chopkiller Exocet SL56 gave me the confidence to push hard.
During a short break we compared some top speeds it seemed that I was doing well.
When I posted my results on the GPS-SPEEDSURFING.com website I say I had some good results.
The Select Caspar Speed fin does the job!

Belgian Speedweek Gruissan 09

2009-05-04T15:24:00.004+02:00

It had been very nice weather the week before we left to France. We drove to the South and the closer we came to Gruissan the worse the weather became. We left in Belgium in 20° C plus with sun and we arrived in the South of France with less than 10°C and rain on Saturday.
Sunday the same bad weather. Cold, rain but there was a Tramontana wind. I didn’t feel like going surfing in these conditions.
Monday, the first day of the competition and there was still some Tramontana left. It didn’t seem that hard in the morning but when I tested the 6.2 with the SL56 it became clear that I needed a smaller sail. Very hard gusts. I was still rigging the 5.4 when heat 1 had already started. I managed 2 runs but I wasn’t that confident and waited till the end of the race.
After heat 1 I did some runs, did some tuning and my confidence was growing. It had been more then a year ago that I used the 5.4.
Then heat 2 started. I did a couple of good runs but in the gusts the fin was a bit too big. Then the wind was decreasing and shifting a bit. I wanted to get the 6.2 but I couldn’t reach the beach where the sail was. Every time I was going towards the beach I got a gust and I decided to go for another run. Unfortunately the gusts didn’t last long enough the make a good 500m run.
After one hour the heat 2 was put on hold.
On Tuesday the weather got even better but no wind at all. The Tramontana didn’t came back for the rest of the week and the competition was over.
I recommend every speed windsurfer to try this competition once. The Belgian Speedweek is very well organized and accessible to every speed windsurfer. Everyone gets his go, Pro or Rookie and the Rescue is excellent with 1 dingy and 1 powerful jetski.

(Pictures thanks to Herman Maes and Jan Dejonge)

Test WarpS 85 Pro

2009-03-30T16:26:00.005+02:00

The Exocet WarpS 85 Pro has been tested this weekend.
The first thing you noticed when you take the board out of the board bag is the very nice graphics. The board has 145liter but it feels like a smaller board on the water. Despite of that it is very capable of carrying large sails. We sailed it with an RSRacing 9.0 and that size didn't feel too big at all. The board has a very good speed and is easy to jibe. An ideal board for light wind racing.

15th March 2009

2009-03-19T13:20:00.005+01:00

I received a Exocet WarpS 85 Pro Edition for test. I will test the board the following 2 weekends. Follow the post at the Belgium surfforum if you want to have a go.

Grevelingendam 15th March 2009

2009-03-17T09:23:00.006+01:00

The surf season has definitely started.
I went surfing at the "Grevelingendam" yesterday and I wasn’t alone there. There were about 30 surfers on the water. The wind was blowing a 14 to 17 knots and sun was shining the whole day.
When we arrived at 10 am the wind was quite strong so we rigged a 7.2. The moment we got on the water the wind dropped a bit. On the other side of the lake there was still some more wind but we had to go for bigger sails. I put the RS6 8.4 on my Warp SL71. As the day progressed I felt more and more that the sweet spot of the SL71 is 7.8 sail. I'm convinced now. I will order the SL78 to carry my 8.4. I also need the extra volume to carry my 88 kg. No high speeds achieved today but I guess I made 2 people happy after they tested my SL71. When I came home somebody else made me happy. There were some very nice pictures of me on the forum. Thanks Philip.

Herkingen, 8th March 2009

2009-03-12T16:26:00.017+01:00

It has been a very long and cold winter in Belgium.

My latest session goes back to 15 November 2008 and now we are 7 March 2009. That is almost 4 months without windsurfing. There was some wind and sun predicted for Sunday. During the night it was raining a lot but in the morning it got dry and later on it turned out to be a beautiful day with 10° Celsius.

When I arrived at the spot the wind was about 20 knots max so I rigged the 7.2 to go with the Exocet SL61.

My mate was already on the water testing his brand new SL66 with the RSRacing 7.2. That was the ideal combination at that moment. I was a bit under boarded with my SL61with 94 liters because the wind was dropping a bit.

RS6 Under pressure

After a couple of runs I had a 56kmh on the display. Suddenly the wind increased a it and I was able to catch a nice gust. 63kmh on the display. Then the wind dropped again and it even got difficult to get on the plane. I went ashore for a break.

Hit the break before a jibe.

When I got back on the water the wind had increased a lot and I was no longer in ull control of the set. Although the wind was harder I couldn't increase my top speed. It would have been better to turn to the RS6 6.7 with a 31cm fin. "Power is nothing without control". Since it as the first session of the year I was already a bit tired and it was to much hassle to switch sail and fin.

Ride the fin

After testing the SL61 now with the 7.2 with 33cm fin and 6.7 with 31cm fin it is clear that the last combo is by far the preferred one for me. It hardly makes a difference in the low wind but it for sure makes a lot of difference in the high wind.

My preferred combo's are now
SL56 + 5.4 + SL7 27 speed high (+ 30 knots)
SL56 + 6.2 + SL7 29 speed medium (23 to 30 knots)
SL61 + 6.2 + SL7 29 speed low-medium gusty (18 to 30 knots)
SL61 + 6.7 + SL7 31 speed low (16 to 25 knots)
SL71 + 7.2 + SL7 39 slalom medium (+ 18 knots)
SL71 + 8.4 + RS7 45 slalom low (- 18 knots)

G-Dam November 2008

2008-11-25T20:45:00.014+01:00

During November 2008 we had some good sessions at the G-dam.

One time we had wind coming from the South. This direction gives a very flat section at the G-dam but the wind is never constant. I had the chance to test the Warp SL61 in combination with the RS6 6.2. At times the wind was very hard up to 7 Bft. At times there was a merely 5 Bft. The SL61 has the volume and control to cope with these conditions.

Me and my Black Machine.

The other guys.

Another day we had a light breeze from SW. Time to test the light wind strength of the Warp SL71 with the RS6 8.4. There was another Black board out there. I can just say I’m very pleased with the speed and acceleration of the SL71 even in 4 Bft.

Maidentrip Exocet Warp SL61

2008-10-27T14:32:00.020+01:00

Last week Thursday my Exocet Warp SL61 arrived in the shop. The board again has an impeccable finish and feels superlight. The volume is 94liters and this board will handle a 7.2 sail very well. On Sunday a SSW wind was predicted with a force 5-6 Beaufort. I rigged my RS6 6.7 and put a SL7 33 under the SL61. Also this size of the SL range has an extraordinary acceleration and is easy to sail. You feel at home immediately. This gives the confidence to keep searching for more power in the sail. The same reaction was given by a fellow windsurfer who borrowed my set for 15 minutes. Another one who will probably switch to the "Black Machines".

Going upwind.

Half wind.

Downwind.

Although the wind was not very constant I managed to get 60 kmh. This board has a very high speed potential as proven by Roger.

New GPS PR’s with EXOCET WARP SL 56

2008-10-06T13:12:00.001+02:00

Herkingen, Wednessday 1 october 2008

For the first time in 3 weeks there was a decent wind prediction. There was also a call for an USM (Ultimate Speed meeting) at Strand Horst in the Netherlands. I decided not to go there because of the terrible traffic jam on weekdays in the Netherlands. Last time I went to Horst on a weekday it took me 3,5 hours to get there. I went to Herkingen and so did a bunch of other Belgian speedsurfers.
When I arrived at the spot the wind was blowing 30 to 35 knots. Some of the stronger, taller guys were rigging 6.2. Since I just recovered from a back injury I rigged my smallest sail, a RS6 5.4. I took the Warp SL 56 and put a Select SL7 27 under it.
At Herkingen there is a small dam which holds the waves. With NW to SW winds you can sail behind this dam. Although this dam is the entrance to a harbor we are allowed to sail there. So please fellow windsurfers, have respect for the place so that we can continue to surf there.
This fall the water level seemed to be higher than normal. This resulted in some waves flooding over the dam in the middle of the run. This made the runs very spectacular. At full speed you had to cross some waves.
My first run showed a 63.1 kmh on the GPS display. After some runs I moved the mast foot forward to 135 cm to give me some more control and I gave less outhaul for my sail. The speeds went up. Fastest run on the GPS display 68.3 kmh. Most of the other guys were using real speed boards but the control on the Warp SL was very good. I also managed to gibe at the end off the run in the chop.
Then I went back to eat something and warm up. When I went out again I put a Select Viper Speed 28 under the board. This fin was not as stable as the SL7 27 and I couldn’t reach the same top speed anymore.
When I downloaded the data from the GPS at home it became a fact that the WARP SL boards are very good. Hard to believe, it just seemed so easy.
New top speed record : 69,5 kmh
New 10s AVG record : 64,54 kmh

First impression of the Exocet Warp SL56

2008-09-17T15:09:00.011+02:00

As I arrived on the spot the wind was blowing 12 to 18 knots. I was disappointed about the conditions but I decided to rig the sail anyhow. I took the RS6 6.7 with minimum downhaul and put a SL7 33 under the board to maximize the chance to get the board planning.
I went out and immediately started planning. Did the wind increase or does this board plane so easy? I also have a Warp SL61 on order and while I was sailing I started to wonder if I really need a SL61 also.
The board has a very light feeling. Compared to the previous Warp’s the feeling is more direct and less soft. Good thing. The acceleration in a gust is instantaneous. As if the light and stiff board does not have any gravity at all.
I immediately felt at home on the board. It gives great confidence. That’s the thing you need to start pushing hard.
And then the first jibe, the board doesn’t lose any speed at all and comes storming out of the jibe. This is really a fantastic feeling. I once had a board (JP XCITE Ride) that was also a fantastic gyber in flat water. A long time ago I had a F2 Axxis which was fantastic in gybing in chop. The Warp SL56 is a combination of both. Very good exit speed and cutting through chop in a gybe.
The Exocet DDSA (double density shock absorbers) are still there and do their job. The foot straps are stiffer and even with the thick surf shoes (ION Ballistic) no problem to get in the straps.
I changed the SL7 33 for a SL7 31. Still enough grip for the RS6 6.7 in these light conditions. The speeds also went up a bit. I think that the SL31 will be my preferred fin for the 6.7 and I will put a SL7 29 for the RS6 6.2. When I get my other boards I will try the following combo’s.
Warp SL71 + RS6 8.4 + RS7 45
Warp SL71 + RS6 7.2 + SL7 39
Warp SL61 + RS6 7.2 + SL7 33
Warp SL61 + RS6 6.7 + SL7 31(33)
Warp SL56 + RS6 6.2 + SL7 29(31)
Warp SL56 + RS6 5.4 + SL7 27(29)

All I have to you now is to wait for some more wind to break my GPS records!

Lake Garda

2008-09-10T14:26:00.015+02:00

My first vacation to the Lake Garda in Italy. I heard of some good wind conditions in the summer and I decided to give it a go. I camped in Torbole. In the morning there was a slight breeze coming from the North. Not really enough wind to go out. In the afternoon the wind came from the South. This wind is called the ORA. The morning wind is called the PELER.
It is difficult to start from the town of Torbole because the wind is not as strong near the coastline as it is let’s say 200 meters from the shore. The best starting place in Torbole with ORA wind is the parking place near the windsurf school Conca. (You will have to pay 8 euro’s a day to park your car there) The ORA wind will blow from about 2:30 pm till 6:00pm with a force 3 to 5 beaufort.
After one week in Torbole I heard from another windsurfer that the PELER wind is much stronger in the morning in Malcesine. There is a bus-parking there were you can park. The PELER will blow from 6 am till 9:30 am. One morning I tried to leave the camping early to go to Malcesine. Unfortunately I couldn’t leave the camping before 7 am because the gate was still closed. When I arrived at the bus-parking about 7:20 am there was not one parking space left. About 50 to 60 windsurfers were already out on the water!
The ORA and PELER winds are best in the summer when the temperatures are high and there are no clouths. One exception to this is the wind you can get after a thunderstorm. Then you can have 6 to 7 Beaufort for a couple of hours.
The Lake Garda itself has clear blue water. The water is coming from several mountain rivers. The water temperature in august was about 21° Celsius in Torbole. I also visited the following towns in the north of the Lake. Riva Del Garda (good food, nice market places), Limone (famous for Lemon agriculture), Torbole (windsurf), Malcesine (beautiful town and castle). In the south of the Lake you have a completely different landscape. The lake is no longer surrounded with mountains and the lake is much wider. The towns Lazise (within walls) and Sirmione (island within Garda Lake only connected with the main land with a small road) are also worth visiting.

All pictures are taken from the surfsport Conca d'Oro.
Special thanks to Equipe-Trading for the loan of the Warp Slalom 73.
Special thanks to Datamotive, my sponsor.

Conca

Impressive mountains

DataMotive

Andrea Cucchi and myself.

Speed

Speed2

Start planing and planing through lulls

2008-07-14T22:51:00.018+02:00

Start planning

When you are on the water and there isn’t enough wind to start planning you can do one of 2 things:

1 Start pumping to get onto the plane
2 Go to the beach, enjoy the sun and wait until the wind increases

I'm off to the beach.

When is this windforecast going to materialise?

Sail closed, waiting for gusts to come. (see picture above)

When there is a gust coming I open the sail and put the mast forward to catch the gust. Then sheet in and plane by pushing the board downwind. (see picture above)

Planing through lulls

You are surfing with a good speed and nice power in your sail. The board is planning. Suddenly you see a big lull (no more rinkles on the water) but you want to continue to plane.

I take all the weight of of my feet and hang on the boom to put as much mastfootpressure as possible. Also try to keep the sail open and do not oversheet. (Look at the surfer to the left. He is not putting his weight on the mastfoot, the board sinks and stops planning)

When you see a new gust coming, open up the sail even more to get maximum airflow over the sail. When you feel the sailpower increasing, put your weight back over you feet. Start to sheet in the sail and accelerate again.

(pictures taken with a windspeed of 12 to 15 knots)
Kit : Exocet Warp Slalom 73, Select Viper RS 45, NeilPryde RS6 8.4, Mystic Waist Harness

BK Racing G-dam 24-25 may 2008

2008-06-10T15:57:00.021+02:00

A bit of history.
In 2002 I bought my first formula board an AHD Diamond Formula 95 just to maximize surfing time in low wind conditions.

This board was very easy to surf and it was still fun on a half-wind course. It felt a bit like a very large slalom, very easy to control when the wind increased.

After a year I tried some Formula competitions. It became clear that I didn't have the same upwind angle as the competitors on the newer boards. In 2005 I bought the Fanatic TT Formula.

This board allowed a sharper upwind angle but the fun of half wind cruising was gone. Due to the sharper rails and the more powerful 70cm fin it became too physical for me to sail.

One year later I switched the Fanatic TT Formula for a JP Slalom 134.

This board was 80 cm wide and came with a 54cm fin and equipped with a NP V8 9.0m2 it gave nearly the same planning possibilities in light wind as the formula.

So far on the history.
On the 24th and 25th of May there was a BK racing competition on my home-spot. The wind was already there Saturday morning so it was very possible that they would also do some slalom competition. This convinced me to sign in. I knew that the BK still gives priority to the Formula-competition. Therefore I borrowed a formula-board and equipped it with an also borrowed 9.5m2 free race sail.

Although the wind looked strong enough in the morning we started with 2 formula races. No fun for me.

Then, after general request from the riders, they set the course for some slalom competition. In fact they only put out 2 buoys and it was actually a figure 8-slalom.

Anyhow the fun was there. This was my first ever slalom-race. We always had to do a full-fleet start which made it difficult for new guys like me. But it was very exciting. You can image the mesh at the first gibe! People gibing, falling, water starting in quite heavy chop. I was happy with my gibing technique. Didn't fell once. Only my starts were bad and the board-speed wasn't so good.
(this will certainly improve when I get these)
At the end of the day we had done 2 formula-races and 5 slalom-races.

Ben Vandersteen was also there and he even managed to end 5th in a fleet of 30 in one of the formula-races on an Exocet Warp Slalom 80 with a 9.0m2 sail.

On Sunday there was only one Formula Race and there wasn't enough wind for the slalom competition. Although the pictures taken that day shown here under may prove otherwise.

The results for the BK Formula and BK Slalom at the G-dam.

Test : Kona One

2008-05-15T19:34:00.010+02:00

The weather has been very, very good for more than 2 weeks (2 may till 14 may) in Belgium. With temperatures of 27°C Belgium was the warmest place in Europe! The downside was that we only had some thermal winds during this period.

I got a Kona One from the shop to test. At least I thought I was going to test it but it turned out I had to wait for my turn.

In the morning there was no wind at all and the kids used the board to peddle and play. The soft deck is great for this.

In the afternoon my wife took the board. I rigged an old Saber although it had been 2 years since she last surfed she
was cruising around immediately without any problem.

Then I took over, started with some light wind "freestyle". (have to get rid of that JP sticker)

Then suddenly the wind went to 12-14 knots. I rigged my RS6 8.4 and went out. With the dagger board out you can go really good upwind to prepare for
the good gusts. I collapsed the dagger board and the board gradually accelerated onto the plane.
Once you step into the foot straps the board rides flatter on the water. From that moment the board actually feels smaller because on the reduced water contact.
This is the effect of the ducktail. Then the board accelerates a second time. The board also jibes good. Again the effect of the duck tail.

Conclusion. Very versatile board.

Test : Exocet Warp Slalom 73 at the Wild Games

2008-05-08T09:31:00.012+02:00

Sunday 27th of April I went to the Kabbelaarsbank to join the fun slalom event called The Wild Games. This event is one of three events called the The 3-games. Since I already sold my Sonic 125 I didn't have a light wind slalom board. My local surf shop Zwemer managed to get a Exocet Warp Slalom 73 which I could pickup directly from the distributor.

In the morning the winds were very light. Together with the RS6 8.4 and Select RS7 45 cm I went out. In the beginning there wasn't a lot of wind. The board floats very well for my 86 kg. When the first gust came the board quickly jumped onto the plane. I immediately felt at home. The foot straps at the correct spot. “Very comfortable footpads with heel bumpers.”

Then the fun slalom started. During the first 2 manches the wind was so light that I could hardly plane. There were some guys using 12m2 sails and formula boards!!! The start was always a full fleet start (40-50 competitors) which made it difficult to get a good start. Since I was on a test board I didn't want to risk damage during the crowdy starts so I started a bit later. Light guys or big sails got the advantage.

Later on when the wind even increased a bit more I started to feel the difference. Because of the comfortable ride over the chop you gain a lot of confidence which allows you the push the board harder and get better board speed. The board feels light and sporty.

During the next 2 manches I managed some better starts and I was overtaking some guys. Overall results here.

Exocet is now introducing their new Slalom range. These boards will be lighter and stiffer and will still have the famous DDSA (Double Density Shock Absorbers). They are using the same technology as they did on their new Formula, "The Black Beast".

I'm already on the list to test one of these.

Sonics on Sale

2008-04-15T17:14:00.004+02:00

My Starboard Sonics are on Sale. I will replace these boards with something new, lighter and with heel bumpers. Heel bumpers help to absorp impact when landing bad after forced jumps. The choppy waters where I sail a lot will certainly feel less choppy.

Session at Brouwersdam (05 april 2008)

2008-04-09T20:46:00.007+02:00

A nice session at the Brouwersdam with a NW wind from 12 to 18 knots. Although the weather forecast for today was filled with rain and even snow it turned out to be a sunny day. It was quite chilly but I surfed 54 km on the Starboard Sonic 125.. There was a nice section of flat water behind the dam, unfortunally the wind on that spot was also less strong.
The Neil Pryde RS6 8.4 was powerfull and at the same time light. I used a Select RS7 45 Silver. (nice overview of Select fins on this site) Very pleased with this fin. Enough flex to pump onto the plane and at the same time stiff enough to fully power downwind.
For some time I have been using a seat harness, but now I use a waist harness more and more. I gives me better control and the sailing position is more upright which simplifies the upright position of the sails.
When I was in Gruissan a couple weeks ago I got some very good sail-tuning tips from a pro-windsurfer Ben Vandersteen. He told me to use less downhoal for more power and less outhoal for more shape in the bottom of the sail.

Gruissan : Belgian Speedweek 2008

2008-04-02T10:19:00.019+02:00

The Belgian Speedweek took take place at Gruissan (South France) from monday 24th of March till friday 28 of March.

While driving to the South of France it is always strange to see 95% of the cars with skis on the roof while we have windsurf-equipment on the car. You see them people thinking, "where are they going"? To the beach of course!

This year we through Paris and passed over the higgest tow cable bridge in Europe "Viaduc de Millau".

When we arrived in Gruissan there was already a strong Tramontana blowing but it was only 10° celsius. The bravest guys were already on the water.

Monday morning at 10 am registration. It was impressive to see all the new stuff lying on the beach. Boars : F2 Missile and SX, Exocet Warp Speed and Warp Slalom, Tabou Manta, Fanatic Falcon, Starboard iSonic, ... Sails : NP RS-Racing, NP RS-6, North Warp, Gaastra Vapor, Simmer SC, Naish Stealth, ...

During the first heat on monday the wind was constantly changing in force and direction and it was difficult to be at the water with the right equipment. Wind from 18 to 45 knots. (For me 22nd place.)

Results 1st heat.
__________________________________
1 BEL-7 Pascal Somers
2 BEL-52 Patrick Van Hoof
3 BEL-3 Wolfgang Verlaeckt

During the second (and also last heat) on tuesday the wind was more constant but there was a nasty wave comming in over the course. During the run you had to cope with 2 or 3 waves which resulted in some major crashes. I also was washed by a wave and broke a sailbatten. Bying a bit overwelmed by the conditions I only managed to do one run during this heat.

Results 2nd heat.
__________________________________
1 BEL-52 Patrick Van Hoof
2 BEL-2 Koen Sonck
3 BEL-3 Wolfgang Verlaeckt

Unfortunaly the following days the predicted wind never materialised and the event was over. No discards, bad luck for competitors which didn't have good results in the difficult second heat.

Overall Results
__________________________________
1 BEL-52 Patrick Van Hoof
2 BEL-7 Pascal Somers
3 BEL-3 Wolfgang Verlaeckt

Patrick Van Hoof BEL-52

Pascal Somers BEL-7

Wolfgang Verlaeckt BEL-3

Although I was disappointed with my results the nice atmosphere on the beach and the nice tuning tips from Ben made up a lot.

Looking forward to the next events.

za 26/apr 3games : Wild Games G-dam
zo 27/apr 3games : Wild Games G-dam

za 10/mei BK FW & Slalom Oostende
zo 11/mei BK FW & Slalom Oostende

za 24/mei BK FW & Slalom G-dam
zo 25/mei BK FW & Slalom G-dam

za 30/aug BK FW & Slalom G-dam
zo 31/aug BK FW & Slalom G-dam

za 6/sep 3games : X-stream G-dam
zo 7/sep 3games : X-stream G-dam

za 13/sep Finale BK Slalom Stby
zo 14/sep Finale BK Slalom Stby

za 20/sep Finale BK Slalom Stby
zo 21/sep Finale BK Slalom Stby

za 27/sep 3games : Master Games G-dam
zo 28/sep 3games : Master Games G-dam

(pictures Jan-Cas Smith)

G-dam 08-03-2008

2008-03-10T23:09:00.004+01:00

: First session posted with NAVI GT-11 in doppler. Moderate wind but nice session together with Herman and Jeffrey. (Photo thanks to Jeffrey's dad)