GPS tracking with www.sports-tracker.com

Here is something I wanted to do for a long time. Track a windsurf session with a GPS.

I used an android phone in waterproof bag. Application is as you can see from the title the Sports Tracker. It was a recommended free app for windsurfing. I think it is enough for a start.

I was at Seča a few days ago. Wind was really strong. On land we measured between 25-30 knots but was even stronger on watter - up to 35 knots I think.

I went in with my 4,7 Challenger Konda and Fanatic HAWK 93 with 31cm fin. I was overpowered most of the time. After I changed the fin to 28 cm it was much better.

The ride was at moments really fast. Watter was choppy that's why the speeds recorded felt even faster I guess.

Well, all the data can be stored, shared and edited at the portal of the sports tracker. This way it is really easy to keep a sort of log.

Here is the session: http://www.sports-tracker.com/#/workout/gregorpi/545a69b9e4b08e603ce5feb9

My new used JP Super Sport PRO 118 freerace board - model 2009

I'm really not the most regular blogger. I just don't take time to write. So now I have decided to try a new approach. Shorter and more frequent posts ... and lets see how this works out for me.

Many things happened since my last post. I came across a used reasonably priced JP Super Sport 118l PRO board model 2009. This board is a blast ... it is light and super fast ... much faster than shark and I also enjoy it much more than shark.

Here is a link to a review in german language: http://www.surf-magazin.de/test_technik/test/boards/freerideboards/jp-australia-super-sport-69-pro/a1360.html

Tech. specs:

- Volume: 118 L
- Width: 69 cm
- Lenght: 250 cm
- Weight: 6,7 kg
- Fin: 42 cm G10 JP Freerace



I rode it only once with the 7,8 Challenger Fluido T3 sail. It was a great combo and was able to ride it well in overpowered conditions.

With the JP SS came also a mint 42 cm G10 fin which works well. My carbon 42 fin work even better but since I don't need two fins of the same size I decided to have carbon fin shortened to 38 cm and have it for 6,6 sail and use it also when riding overpowered wit 7,8. If I decide to sell the board I want to have original fin with it for the resale value.



Board has originally been damaged and repaired quite a few times but never took in any watter. Previous owner never had the graphics restored. Probably to keep reparation costs as low a possible, but I had it also repainted. It was done by CMD Mare. Guy does incredible job when repairing and restoring boards. He also does custom boards. Well now board looks really great. I'll try to post some images soon.

My first ride with Challanger Sails Fluido T3 6.6m2

After a long time there was finally a good wind-forecast for north Adriatic region. NE wind at Krk / Punat region was promising winds well over 20 knots. Saturday was the day. 

We, my girlfriend (also my camera girl :-)) and me have departed from Ljubljana somewhere before 6.00 AM. The highway to island Krk was opened recently so the ride wasn't that long. We were there before 9.00 AM which includes mandatory coffee break.

When we got there the wind was really great. On the water were mostly sails around 5m2. I really wanted to test my new Fluido T3 6.6, the smaller brother of the 7.8 which proved to be a splendid sail. So I set it up. 

This was the configuration:

• Mast:  Rushwind Strike SDM 430cm 85% Carbon CC
  this is an older mast model I managed to get last year. It was new and I got it really cheap.

• Mast extension:  North Sails Power XT (short) - yeah I bought me one :DI had one few years ago - sold it just to find out that I miss the option of easy and exact trimming.

• My good old Amex Core Monocoque Aluminum boom ...

I prepared my Fanatic Hawk 93 board with 31 cm fin ....

... and chickened out ... ha ha

I was watching guys on water which boiled at moments and decided that just maybe 6.6. sail is pushing it a bit. So I assembled quickly the Challenger Sails Konda 4,7 sail and went in. It was a good decision. I had some nice rides with it. It has been a while since I rode such small sail ... and it felt like a toy. After some time the wind had receded and I was just wading in the water with the 4,7. Now it was time to change to bigger sail :D ...

I just changed the sails quickly and went back in. Although the sail was a 6.6 I could handle it well when the wind picked up at 20-30 knots again. I had to really hang in there, pull it down as much as possible and then I was flying. 

While the sail was OK I had some problems with the board. It was way too agile. I was riding a 93l board with a free move 31 cm fin and free race/slalom sail. The problem was obviously in the fin. The hawk is known to have slalom capabilities but with this fin it was more of a free move board. Unfortunately I didn't have a slalom or free race fin in this size. I was riding this setup for the rest of the day. It was some workout. I felt every muscle and felt great at the same time :-)

This was the end of one great surfing day. 

Unfortunately not much later it started to rain so we decided to go home instead of doing some sightseeing. And the trip home turned out to be a travel of 6 hours due to traffic congestions on the highway and border crossing but ... that is another story ...

P.S.: And yes, later I will post a movie that my girlfrend took :)

Fanatic Shark Review

This review about Fanatic Shark had a great influence on my decision to go with this board, that is why I have decided to reblog the post on my page. (Fanatic Shark: rebloged from joe windsurfer).

This is a board I have been looking at for a very, very long time.

I was looking at the Fanatic Viper and Shark when the Viper first came out in 2005. The Viper was of interest because I was coming off an old longboard. The Shark interested me since then because it was a great potential starting shortboard ie no centreboard. Some of my fellow windsurfers seem to consider shortboards as those used in high winds only. That is fine, however, we do live in a light wind area.

I asked our local Fanatic salesman for his wisdom on the Shark. People are always calling it a "beginner" board. Well...in his words, font size and colour ....

Most who talk shit, haven’t tried one.
All who love and rave about them, own one.
So tell me, who’s talking shit?
Wisdom enough for ya?

          Bruno

When I finally did purchase my first shortboard {brand new} in 2007, the Shark was a little more money. Perhaps I still should have chosen the Shark at that time due to its HRS cover {high resistance skin}. The AHD FastForward that I purchased did NOT have an extra protective coating and as such easily dented or scratched. This does not affect performance - only looks and resale value.

Here is a Fanatic Video where the Shark and Hawk are discussed and described:

That video has been removed from youtube - will try to find one similiar, butt for now here is one about the shark 2013...

Better one found - Nik Baker speaking about the different Fanatic boards and how they compare...

As you saw, there are LTD versions of the 135 and 150 litre Shark models... These are more sensitive to dings and catapaults and require expertise. For myself, an HRS covering is useful and my skills may not even be up to determining performance differences between the HRS and LTD models. The Hawk is considered to be a free-ride more performance oriented Fanatic board. Once again, are your skills up to knowing the difference ? The Shark is the get up and go board = KISS.

Keep It Simple and Standard.  or as I always say - let it RIP {and NO that is NOT rest in pieces :-) }

What I like about the Shark is it can get you started and then take you really far. There seemed to be some concern when Fanatic changed the volume and dimensions, butt Tinho Dornellas, a master instructor of Calema Florida fame, has put those ideas to rest !!
http://www.calema.com/forums/viewtopic.php?id=633

The Shark has many volumes - from 105 to 165 !! I thought it only went as far as 150. The widths are from 65 to 83 cm. At 83 cm the 165 liter board is cited as being able to handle a 10-oh sail and comes with a 52 cm fin. The more common sizes are the 120 and 135 litre models ... Even the 135 litre board with 73 cm width comes with a 48 cm fin and can handle sails up to 9-oh.
http://www.fanatic.com/content/products/windsurfboards/shark/index_eng.html#.UZAZS6I8DTo

So, these are easy riding boards that can handle quite large sails. This means they are ideal for light wind areas like where I live. Sails that large on flat water with an early planing board like this just blast. How much more performance does one need ??

Two things people worry about are tighter jibes and handling chop. These are critical performance areas as well. Let me see if we can find some magazine reviews for more detailed information ...

The German Windsurf Magazine suggests that the 135 board is able to come out of turns at break neck speeds and even handles laydown jibes very well for its width.
http://www.surf-magazin.de/test-center/freerideboards/fanatic-shark-135-ltd/

They do suggest a smaller fin for the smaller sails and this makes total sense since the supplied 48 cm fin is more aimed an 8-oh sails and this board can go all the way down to 6-oh where fins are typically under 40 cm !! In terms of performance the magazine is saying the board should satisfy the requirements for an amateur racer as well.

When Tinho evaluated the Shark 130 LTD originally he stated:

" It swallows the chop. Actually, it flies over it. There is an occasional tip tap on incoming chop just to remind you of how fast you are going, but nothing like any of the bothersome clanker and raucous clatter of the competition.

The jibe is great. Tight arcs, wide arcs, no problem. The standard fin is outstanding, light, proper twist, and perfectly matched to the board's function." 

This is why he was so concerned when Fanatic announced changes on this board. As seen earlier he raves about the new 135 even more !!


Found an article in the windsurfingmag of May 2006 where they reviewed the Fanatic Shark 145 LTD. They felt the Shark of this size was aimed at middle to heavyweights, planed early, had a steady jibe and went well at slow speeds ie schlogging. Several Experts gave the board a perfect ten rating !!! {It is unfortunate that this magazine is no longer with us - it is already missed dearly !!!}

http://epikoo.com/windsurfing/boards/fanatic-shark-2010  states The "Shark is a board especially dedicated to freeride lovers. And it is dedicated to both advanced or beginner riders, so that they will both enjoy high quality windsurfing sessions. The Shark is built on the successful pattern of the famous Eagle, but is more forgiving and tackles the waves in a gentle way so it can be used by beginner sailor without any effort or hassle. The shape is compact in features and has balanced rocker lines with a narrower tail which assure enough power for high speeds and extra maneuverability too. "

Let's see if we cannot find some videos :-)

I find it interesting that most of these videos are not of the marketing type. They are regular people going out and having simple fun. These boards are made to go out and have fun and yet still go fast !! The only negative comment I found was on the Auzzie forums where someone claimed it was too tame. From what I have seen and read, it may seem tame, butt it ain't lame :-)

The French Magazine Wind Magazine has a piece on the Shark 150 in FEB 2012. Hope there are no issues posting it here - I give them FULL credit !!! called "Liveliness in its Sweetness". I prefer to call it "lots of life in its soft ride". Soft ride is NOT a bad thing. It reminds me of when I rode in some sportier cars and found them to be too stiff and almost painful to ride. When going over chop, I prefer a softer ride over teeth chattering excitement. I will put some translation after ...

Translation:

SHAPE

Dating from 2010, the Shark 150 has a compact shape, shorter and wider than average. The board is well made with a fin that requires no tools to mount it. The HRS construction places the Fanatic among the lightest of the group! This board is also available in LTD based on carbon Kevlar.

{Personal Note: I would have thought the HRS made the board heavier. Also, what is interesting is, the HRS boards have NO vent plug !! }

On the Water

Strap inserts straps placed back slightly on the outside of the deck on this Fanatic bring a very appreciable, driving comfort due to ergonomic feet position that perfectly matches the roundness of the rail. Globally stable, good travel speeds are still very accessible. The planing is attained smoothly while remaining very competitive.

Once planing, this board is quick and fun to navigate. It navigates on the fin , very much alive on the water above. Consequently, the Fanatic goes over chop without tapping on it ; it goes over it. One does not feel anything underfoot as the Shark is alive and free, we provide effortless control as we remain in moderate wind conditions for the sail being  used.

When Aeolus panics {Greek god of the winds freaks out} ,there is a tendency to lift in the gusts which may make the ride more technical. These flights mean the pilot needs to know how to control his board in changing conditions.

The jibe excels in  sweetness, is easy to engage and is scalable if one seeks to attack or to tighten the radius of the curve. Its thin rails on the back really helps to cut its curve to turn in place ie tight curves

VERDICT

Highly valued for its feel on the water, its ease of riding and ergonomic comfort, the Shark provides good sensations ie FUN. This is a design evolves continually to give pleasure even to a higher level of rider ie not just for beginners. If the conditions are alive, we may see a smaller range of sail use in strong winds, forcing down a sail size quickly, which can also be an advantage.

It takes some basic skills and to be resourceful to be able to appreciate the true colours of the Shark! Once again, this board is NOT just for beginners and even suggest some skills to appreciate it.


Here is the Wind Magazine summary chart...

... here is a piece from WindSport Magazine 2013 gear guide- now realize i may not have listed specs

How does BUGFINS Freerace fin compare to the original Fanatic Shark Fin?

It is not totally fair to compare the original fanatic shark fin with this since one is freeride and other is freerace shape, so I'll just share my observations. 

On land

As I have mentioned the Freerace fin from Bugfins is a carbon fin. It is superlight, much narrower but still stiff enough. The Bugfins Freerace fin is 41 cm long and has rake of 10 degrees. Nice strait shape. Nice smooth finish with visible carbon fibers.

On the water - Shark with freerace character!

BUGFINS freerace fin enables me to get on plane faster than with the original fanatic shark fin. I could get on plane also in marginal wind conditions where I normally wouldn’t manage to get planing. It is incredibly fast. My Fanatic Shark 120 has become quite a freerace board with this fin. I could easily compete with other surfers on the water that were riding freerace and even slalom boards. 

In optimal conditions I had virtually no spin outs. I could feel the bubble forming before the actual spin out happened and had time to release the pressure, go a bit downwind and avoid the spin out. 

When over powered there were less spinout as well (I was riding only the Challenger sails Fluido T3 7,8 sail with three cambers). 

Upwind performance is also superior to the fanatic shark freeride fin. It is slightly less maneuverable compared to sharks freeride shape but still enables me to turn tight enough.

I recommend BUGFINS :)

All in all I am really satisfied with the freerace fin from BUGFINS and can recommend it with no restrictions. I think you can get them also online. If you are from Slovenia or somewhere close it is best to contact Rajko. I think he has some test fins that you can try before you buy them.

Changed the Aerotech Freesped for the Challenger Sails Fluido T3

I am really satisfied with the ChallengerSails Fluido T3 7,8 so I decided to buy another one in the 6,6 size. This way I would cover all my range of the Fanatic Shark 120 and the Fluido T3 6,6 I can use also on the Fanatic hawk 93. 

I did not get to rig the sail until we were on vacations (Peljesac, Perna, Croatia). Here are some of the photos:

When I assembled the sail I noticed that there were numerous small dents in three monofilm windows (not visible on the photos) so I disassembled it and packed it away. Fortunately this year was really a bad one wind-wise and I was sailing only the 7,8. 

Now I'm waiting to meet Tine Slabe so he can check the sail and exchange it for another one. I'm puzzled about how this could have happened because the sail was factory wrapped when I opened it.

Custom freerace fin for the Shark - Now it really bites :)

It was really a bad time to be without a fin since we intended to go on vacations soon. So I needed to find one fast. I was checking portals for a good used fin but could not find any, so I decided to buy a new one. All larger sails I have are freerace, so I decided to buy a freerace fin for the shark as was recommended in one of the test magazines (link to test).

I was looking at two fins - Select Free Slam 41cm and the MFC Freerace 40 cm. Both fins are available on powerbox. Both are also quite costly at around 119 EUR (retail price). 

            

The third option was a custom made carbon freerace fin. You would imagine that such a fin costs even more, but it is not so. We have a guy in Slovenia with extensive experience in fin design. BUG-FINS / www.bugfins.com. 


I contacted him and we exchanged a few e-mails about my knowledge and style of windsurfing and what kind of fin I would like to have. He offered to make me a carbon freerace fin for 90 EUR which was, as you can imagine, no brainer :) Fin was ready in a few days. Fin is incredibly light, narrow yet stiff enough. I couldn’t wait to test it out.

 Not original foto

My Fanatic Shark fin broke ...

Last time I told you that something happened to me while I was windsurfing in Seča but didn't just get to write about it. 

Well what happened is that my fin broke in the middle of the bay a good km away from shore. It broke just below the head of the fin. Luckily there were enough windsurfers on the water and I managed to get ones attention. He called for help a sailboat that was in the vicinity and they dragged me and my board to shore. 

I was thinking later on that this could as easily happen to me on a cold winter day or in stronger wind when there are not many windsurfers there. Wind direction there is away from shore! That is why I always wear a lifejacket and I'm thinking of talking also a mobile phone next time.

What could be the problem?

One possibility is that the fin was damaged before I bought it. It was a test board and we know that test boards are not handled with much care. I myself also had an accident when hitting a large branch that was floating on the water on one occasion. It could have caused invisible fracture to the fin. It could also be a construction error.

On the water all I really did was put the pressure on the fin after a small jump and it snapped...

Anyway I have contacted Fanatic and asked if they had any reported problems with this fin:

Here is their answer: http://2013.fanatic.com/forum_neu/read.php?1,22083

I bought a custom made carbon fin to replace the broken shark fin ... read my next post :)

Breaking the fast - Weekend Windsurfing at Island Krk (14.-15. June)

Finally weather conditions and my free time biorhythms matched and we went to island Krk for some Bora windsurfing :-)

There is a great spot for Bora (NE) conditions near town Punta. It is an idyllic bay called "Dunatsko more" with a small island with a Christian monastery in the middle.

  

Here is a link to spot at Windguru: http://www.windguru.cz/int/index.php?sc=328027&sty=m_spot

Last year when I was there it was a still a problem to get to the water. If you had a sporty car then it was no option. Access road or shall we say goat track was more suited for 4x4 vehicles and for those who didn’t care too much for their cars, but this year the owner of the land (at whose place we squatted) got organized, made a nice graveled road and charges your stay 100 HRK per day - locals get some discount. Obviously the word spread because the spot was packed with windsurfers ... and two kiters (it is really not friendly for them).

Saturday, June 14th

We have arrived in the afternoon at about 4:00 PM. We did not miss much since the wind really did not start sooner than 1:00 PM ... and it was not that strong either. I have set up the Fluido T3 7.8 with Fanatic Shark 121. I also went in with a seat-harness that I had borrowed from my colleague. It was nice intro to a windsurfing weekend ... Some strong pulls with some long lulls which I used for some swimming :) Punat is known for inconsistent wind (as Bora is in general). Seat-harness was great! For free-racing it is much better than waist-harness in my opinion. I can really put minimal strain on my arms. It needs some time to get used to though.

Problems?

Yes! I have recently sold my Mistral 43 cm freeride fin (a got a new one with the new shark) ... and I accidentally sold with it also a screw that matched my board. I only found that out when I tried to fit it on the board at the spot. No screw I had was long enough. So finally I screwed it on without any washers. It gripped only about 2 mm but it had to do. 

What I have learned from this?

You really need to check your gear before you leave home ... especially if the spot is 175 km away!

Next day was really something ... wind was well over 25 knots with even stronger gusts. And some more gear problems that could really be dangerous if the spot wasn't so safe ... coming soon :)

Challanger Sails Fluido T3 7,8m2 model 2014

This will be a short post. I have put together a short video of the new Challanger Sails Fluido T3 sail. Rigging is very easy. It would help if I had a NS PowerXT Extension or some other gadget for downhaul aid. As visible in the video it is really a nice sail. Nice and smooth shape.

Winter surfing on 17. january ...

17. January could very well be one of those moody days. It was Friday and forecast was cloudy with rain and temperatures around 10 degrees Celsius. But there was also a relatively promising wind forecast - SE wind 10-15 knots. So I decided to take a day off from the office and drove to the coast (spot Seca) with my friend Matjaž. Forecast was ideal for my new equipment - the 7,8 Fluido T3 sail from Challenger and the Fanatic Shark 120L board. 

We arrived at the spot at around 9.30 AM and at first it did not look good. Sea was too calm and wind was - well it was blowing but not nearly enough for the 7,8. Since that is quite common situation with the SE wind in Seca we decided to set up the equipment and go in anyway. 

My first time rigging the Fluido T3

I have never rigged a sail with cambers. My old neil pryde does not count since it rigs much the same as any other nocam sail, so I had my doubts about it. But I got some really simple instructions from Tine Slabe and following them step by step did the job. The sail was set up in minutes. First look at it - well it looks great :-) 

We put on the wet-suite set up the bard with 43 cm free ride hyfly fin and went in ...

First time on the Fanatic Shark

Fanatic Shark seemed to me much bigger than the Syncro so I was really surprised when I tried first beach start. I stepped on it as if it were a 160l board ... I soon realized that the volume is really much the same as the syncros so I turned on the light feet mode. I had to ride a good 100m to get to the windy area of the bay and then the fun began.

Shark went on plane really fast. The foot straps were in just the right place - I slipped in and went ... it accelerated and gained really good speed. This board is darn fast but really a lot brings the sail to this joy ...

The new combination that brought a smile on my face

I had some problems with the turns in the beginning because I was not yet familiar with the board. It has a bit different volume distribution than Syncro ... but got over that. After a few rounds the wind picked up and I had a blast. Board was pinned to the water and I could pull the sail all the way down so it almost touched the water surface. I never could do that before. I was flying. Sail goes through gusts and lulls incredibly well. You don't even know they are there and all the time the sail feels really light and balanced. I was really impressed and it was my first time using the gear. Unfortunately at 1:00 PM we had to wrap it up. Went out of the watter, put gear in and on the car and went home – this part is really not so interesting, but to sum this day up - we had a blast :-)

 

Seca channel - where the wind blows from

Gear waiting for the good guys (we were also the only guys :-)