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Från Windsurfingmag Speed Sailing Bonus Interview
Speed Sailing Bonus Interview
Anders
At the Canary Islands trials, which technique proved most effective for high speeds?
Speed sailing is a bit different to sailing fast with bigger boards. On a speed board you have to pouch more on your front foot to flatten out the board in the water. Most important is to sail with control and not to move around when the gust hits.
Which gear did you use?
I used 3 boards, 244/43-240/40-237/37 the smaller one never hit the water due to the conditions was not good enough. Sails was the Speedseeker from Neil Pryde.
What advice have you given out, and what have you received from your fellow speed challengers?
I was working a bit with Antoine and we where playing around with fins. It is good to have some input on how the stuff really works.
Who are the most important people behind the scenes helping you out?
The AB+ team and the guys at Neil pryde, whitout them I could not do this.
How will they help you at the next stop in France?
Maurizio My Shaper will make some new boards and Liberty will make again more fins, I think I will stay with the sails I got.How will France offer a better shot at breaking the record? What, if anything, will you be doing differently there? France, when it happens the wind is stronger and the water is flatter. Nothing will really change but my fastest time so far was when the water was flat in 35 knots of wind. We are hoping for flat water and 50 knots of wind.
Do you still think 50 knots is possible?
I think given the right conditions we can smoke the record!!! Even the 50 knots barrier.Robby Nash
After your Canary Islands trials, how close are you to setting a new record? Will it be done in France, in New Zealand?
The Canaries ended up being a great test-bed, but definitely not the place to set a new record. The winds were quite gusty (big holes), and the water quite choppy and very tide dependant. It was a very good spot for the ”first run” though, as Bjorn could coordinate all of the chop block construction, logistics etc. as it is his home base and has good support. There is also wind just about every day, which helps in dialing things in. We all learned a lot, and at least got a taste of what will be possible with the right conditions. It is all about controlling the water and wind angle. With Steady winds and dead flat water I am confident that the record will go down. We now know that the chop block system works, and when done correctly, will make all the difference in the world. I am very much looking forward to France.
How have you managed to keep control at the high speeds? Good equipment. I was actually amazed at how well all of my gear worked. Clearly I have some experience… But not specifically in pure-speed gear and tuning. All of my sails, boards, and fins were perfect. Although I am considerably shorter and lighter than the other guys (Bjorn and Anders both over 100 kilos… I’m about78), my speeds right off the bat were not that far off. It took Bjorn and the boys two weeks to get over forty… For sure due a lot to conditions. I got to forty on my second day. I expected to be further off the pace, and was there to learn, have fun, and promote this great sport. I left having done all that, but also with a bit more confidence that my speeds could be right up there after a little more tuning and development. (and eating?) That said, control is not a big deal in flat water. Chop makes it a whole different story. Short, ”chatter chop” is different all together. When the wind has just enough distance over the flat water (off shore winds) to begin building chop, it is tightly spaced, short, and steep. Going 38-40 and hitting that stuff is tough, as it is really hard to keep your fin set. We would also get chop running along the chop block at high tide, which was spaced just far enough apart so that you were bouncing from one to the next… Also hard to deal with. The best times were always at the right tide, when the water was flattest… Regardless of the wind. My short ”hybrid style” boards were a key factor in my control. I had one eight foot ’normal’ speed needle with me, just as a reference. I used this part of one day in the beginning when the course was set up fairly square to the wind. It’s flatter rocker seemed good on a closer reach. Once out from behind the chop block though at the end of the run, trying to slow down in the big chop… It was a handful. My best crash was on that… And I never used it again. (I broke two booms while there, getting launched) Of my four other speed boards, three are seven foot and one is 6’6.” I set my fastest run (41 plus) on the 6’6″, and it is the easiest to control. No bounce, no nose lift. With my lighter weight and raked sailing style, eliminating the ’wing’ in front of my mast was important. It’s out of the water anyway! If you are touching anywhere near your mast base, you are going slow.
At your height and weight, what gear has proved most beneficial in your quest to break the record?
For sure the short boards, but everything has to work together… Board, sail, and fin. Dan made some great sails. Super clean, easy to ride, and fast. I was on a 5.3 and 5.0 most of the time. I don’t think Bjorn ever got off of his 5.8 while I was there… It just wasn’t that windy. I had fins from a few different people, including Techtonics and Vector on Maui. I did my best runs and had the best control on my smallest fins, both 22 from Vector. As the water conditions become better ”controlled” the fins can get smaller, and I plan on working with Jeff at Vector on some smaller fins for sure. Ultimately you want as little fin in the water as possible. Dan and I are also working on some further evolutions of our standard speed sails, as well as furthering the development of the double surface ones to try in France. I am pretty happy with my boards, and see little room for improvement at this stage, although I will be trying a couple more things. All three components have to work together. Equipment that is easy to ride, and comfortable is key to going fast. Right now I’ve got that, and can go to work on fine details.You’ve said this isn’t a competition and that everyone is helping each other. What advice have you given out, and what have you received from your fellow speed challengers?
We talk fins, downhaul, rake angles etc. They got me to put on my weight jacket and hook in! (the first day I wouldn’t put on weight and made every run all day out of the harness! I had to build up the comfort level..) A lot of our discussions were based around the chop block, it’s placement etc. This was a big effort and a lot of work from Bjorn’s friends to get made, get onto the water, and try to keep in place… Much less get to the right angle to the wind and straight. It looked like a giant snake in the water much of the time, not exactly a straight shot from start to finish. It took most of the month holding period to get finished too… Bjorn and I really only had one afternoon on the last day with all perfectly situated. That is where he did his 43’s and I made it into the 41’s. The atmosphere was great. I am there to go as fast as I can. I want one of these guys to break the record. If I can help, through moral support, sponsorship draw, or whatever, I am on it. I’m pretty fast for a ”little guy” too, and might even get the lucky gust, just the right gear setup, and surprise some people. Even though the conditions were terrible for kiting, I still managed to go 38.47 on a kiteboard as well, and plan on going faster in France. I am having a great time! After more than 27 years in the sport, it’s nice to still have new challenges that can get you fired up!What is the latest news in terms of planning for France and New Zealand? Who will be participating and what’s your timetable?
Right now we are looking at something like the 15th of October to 15th November. Location in France is pretty set, but I don’t want to say until it is confirmed. It has been decided that for this year, and these three challenges, only Bjorn, Anders, Antoine, and myself will be taking part. After this, we will see where it all goes, and how the concept might be developed. I plan on spending ten day to two weeks in France, as I did in GC.Bjorn
Now that you’ve hit 46.30 knots in a shortened course, will that make it easier to hit the current record of 46.52 over the whole course?
Yes indeed. It very much boosted our confidence that we are well capable of breaking the 46,52 knots average speed over the 500-meter. Unfortunately that day we were limited to go the sprint distance, as the speed course did not allow for more. Nonetheless, it was a good motivator and shows that windsurfers can really do it!
What is the trick to maintaining that high speed over 500 meters?
It is all about having the right conditions over the full distance – like one solid wind gust – to carry you all the way over a smooth surface. This assumes of course that the sail and board as well as the fin will perform 99.9%!What was that sensation of speed like compared to your previous personal record?
It is always an incredible sensation, because you feel like going 150mph in a convertible car over the Autobahn. The difference to my old personal best of 43,8 knots and the 43,87 knots this time at Arinaga was the efficiency. Back then it took over 40 knot winds in perfect conditions. However this time around, we had much lighter winds in not so perfect conditions.How confident are you that you can set a new record at the next stop in France?
Now with Arinaga behind us, I am more confident than ever. We have learned a lot and know exactly what our shortcomings are. So improving on those will give my fellow challengers and me a very realistic chance to set a new record in France.Which technique has proved most effective for high speed? Apart from physical conditioning – for what is very demanding discipline on your body’s stamina – the ability to absorb extremely treacherous hits to your board once you go over 50mph requires perfect mental conditioning.
Which gear has been the biggest asset so far?
Certainly the newly developed Speedspeeker? sails made a dramatic impact, given their much more efficient performance. But of course we have also made noticeable improvements to my Proof boards with Carlos Sosa & Peter Thommen as the design team. -
4 Svar
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Var denna interviuven innan elller efter Finian M. slog speedrekordet?
Misstänkar att det var innan? Då det inte finns några hänvisningar till detta
Men vilket fall som helst, så blir man rätt sugen på att ge sig ut speeda lite själv… -
Vart i Frankrike ska dom köra? The trench?
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Det är väl inte 100% bestämt enligt hemsidan
”Introducing the final two candidates to become the host city of the World Speed Sailing Challenge in France: Port-Saint-Louis-du-Rhône and Ville de Gruissan” -
Vet ej säkert.
Tror det var innan.
Kolla förresten in http://www.worldspeedsurfing.com/
i framtiden.
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