Long time no hear ...

Hi! Well I'm obviously not the most up to date blogger as there has been a while since my last post. Well I'll try to catch up.

This autumn was incredibly nice weather wise. There has been wind almost every weekend, so we did a lot of windsurfing (not a lot of filming though). I started to learn to jibe and had my share of falls ... and unfortunately my share of hammers :(

My Mistral Syncro Pro 115 (2008), which is BTW my first short board that I bought after I sold my Tabou Coolrider 160, took some pretty heavy beating. It is carbon model. Very light (6,8 kg) and very fragile. I paid more than 200 EUR for repairs this year which is a lot if you consider the price of 400 EUR that I paid for the used board almost mint condition. Mistral Syncro PRO 115 is by all tests a superb freecarve board. It is extremely maneuverable with original fin and planes well but it is a bit complicated to progress from a 160l board if you are not persistent.

 
Tabou Coolrider 160

 
Mistral Syncro PRO 115

This summer I was windsurfing at Peljesac in Croatia and one day there was a really strong wind averaging around 20knt with gusts over 40knt (keep in mind that I'm lets say an intermediate sailor). I went out with 5m sail and my Syncro. This was the smallest I had. Needless to say ... I was all over :D but am proud of myself that I dared to surf in such conditions. Well after that experience I again studied internet, blogs, etc. to find out what was happening to me at the sea. I found out that I would have to buy a smaller board and obviously a smaller sail. All the other guys were riding boards of 90L or less with sails from 4,5 to 5,0. (syncro has 120L real volume).

So when I got home I started to look for a smaller board. I found a new FanaticHawk 93L model 2008. It was a great deal. Then I had to wait for good forecast to test it out. It wasn't until November that I had a chance to do so. It was a SE wind and we went to Seča a great spot for SE. The wind looked really strong. I don't have the feeling yet to assess the strength just by looking at the sea especially if the wind is blowing from the shore and there are no waves. Usually I ask for advice someone who looks more experienced.

I assembled Challenger Konda 4,7 and Hawk 93 with a 31cm fin and went in. When I first did the water start it was like standing on a small log :D. The board was really sinking while I was trying to surf out to where the stronger wind seemed to be. I was struggling and finally went to plane. It was a stretch of maybe 300m and then I sank again  ...  turned around ... picture me tacking a 93L board for the first time ... picture me swimming :D ... water start ... went back ... swam last few 10m and went out. I needed a larger setup.

So, I assembled 5,8 Challenger Liquido and took Syncro for a spin with 36 cm fin. Again I was all over ... overpowered ... wrestling, not surfing ... the board seemed to want to just flip over ... ??? 

After a few rides I was tired and wanted to just get out. I was thinking of how I have nothing between the 4,7 and 5,8 ... and what should I do. I could change the fin but that won't solve it. Then I remembered what Marko, a guy that serviced my syncro said to me when we discussed the Hawk I bought. He said: "Hawk is a great board, and you will not have to change the sails so fast when the wind picks up!" This was a revelation for me! I took the Hawk that waited for me outside and the 5,8 Liquido and went in again ... suddenly everything was so easy, well except for the tacking part :) There was no more board lifting, almost no spinouts and I had such immense fun. So If you can water start don't be afraid to try a board that is smaller than you might think you can handle. You'll be surprised.

To return to my hammering the syncro ... three weeks ago I did my last abuse of the board ... and after spending 50 EUR on repairs decided that I’ll sell it and buy something more durable until I learn how to jibe properly. I decided to buy a used Fanatic Shark 120L board 2013. It looks as new and is waiting for its chance. Adding to my quiver also another Challenger Fluido T3 7,8m2 which is a 3 cam free race sail. This will substitute my Neil Pryde V6 7,5 (2005) that I bought used a few seasons back and is practically falling apart although it looked perfect to me when I first bought it. If I knew all the thing I know today I would know that the mono film is at its end and that I will damage the cambers if using the wrong mast, etc ... My way of gaining experience was not the cheapest way, but more on that in my next post. I just hope it won't take me that much to write it.