Was the prize money enough to cover all your expenses?
This year I was always expecting to have to spend some of the money I’ve earned through working, especially because I haven’t been in the windsurfing scene much over the last 4 years. Thankfully though, Severne and Kinetic IT who have supported me since I basically began windsurfing helped me to get to all the events this year. The prize money definitely helps and means that I don’t have to go too much in to my own money to pay for my travels.
Were you surprised you nailed two 4ths in Pozo and Tenerife?
Yeah, I was so focused in both events and it all happened pretty quickly so I didn’t think about it too much. I was definitely more surprised I finished 4th in Pozo though compared to Tenerife. Pozo was my first competition back in 3 years and it’s normally dominated by the local guys who focus on jumping. In Pozo, I guess you’re not expected to do well unless you’re doing doubles and the pressure is definitely there if you aren’t doing them. I didn’t feel comfortable doing them in the conditions I had during my heats though so I didn’t. At the moment doubles and push loop-forwards are the only jumps I’m not doing consistently but I started doing doubles again last season in W.A. which is the first full season I’ve sailed in 4-5 years. That was my goal for the last season, to start doing doubles again and I achieved that so I was happy. The goal for this season coming up though is to start doing them more consistently and to get back in to push-loop forwards. I’m just taking my time and making sure I feel comfortable though. I’ve had plenty of time off the water due to injuries and I’m really enjoying going sailing at the moment. In Tenerife I just had fun going sailing all the time and I always do when I’m in Tenerife. There are some waves there that you can do a proper turn on and the wave hits the reef in a similar way to one of the waves I sail in Geraldton.
What aspects of your sailing helped you beat some of the world’s best?
I’m not too sure, I think I just tried to sail smart and to focus on my strengths which I feel is my wave-riding. In both events, but Pozo in particular, sometimes the waves were quite small so it was really important to pick the best that were coming through. Picking the best waves allows you to do bigger and better turns and hopefully the judges are starting to reward that. The conditions weren’t the best in both competitions either, but it was still fun to go sailing and it felt like quite a few people didn’t really think that. I tried to stay positive throughout each heat and that was probably what I found to be the most helpful aspect.
Tell us about the boards you are using, what makes them so special?
All the boards I use are Stone Surf Designs shaped by my Dad, Mark. He’s been shaping surfboards for 30 years now and was shaping them for almost 20 years before he started shaping sailboards. I guess that ‘apprenticeship’ of shaping surfboards for so long prior to sailboards makes him think differently to some of the other sailboard designers. When he first started building my boards 13 or 14 years ago, it made more sense to him to shape thrusters. I always remember I felt so comfortable at home riding thrusters growing up because most of the locals were on Dad’s boards, but when I went to Hawaii I almost wanted to hide my board because I felt like I didn’t fit in and that not many people accepted multi-fin boards. It really wasn’t until Kauli started winning a few events on a twin fin that people started to try them out.Single fins and twin fins can be fun to sail but you don’t really see anyone on the ASP World Tour riding them.Dad’s always coming up with new ideas regarding construction, fins or new shapes to try but the focus is always to try and develop a sailboard that feels like a surfboard. The boards I am using at the moment are thrusters in high winds and quads in light winds. In high winds my thrusters allow me to push as hard as I can and release the fins or re-engage them whenever I want to. The quads are a little wider and have a straighter outline so in light winds I feel like I can produce more speed on the wave. The really short boards we’re using have a really similar rocker line to my quads with a couple of adjustments. I think trying different shapes and ideas whether it works or not helps us learn and keeps us moving forward.
How do you like the Pro edition Severne Sails?
The new sails are easily the best I’ve ever used. When I first started testing the proto-types I used them for a couple of sessions and put them away in the shed because I didn’t want to use them anymore. Not because they were bad but because they were so good I didn’t want to use my current sails anymore. I really feel that along with my boards they will help progress my wave riding and help me ride a wave as close as possible to the way a surfer would. These sails are so responsive that the transition from power to no power happens as quickly as you want it to and I think that immediate responsiveness is really important for wave-riding. Their weight is unbelievable as well and they will change what is possible to do on bigger gear.
