Jeff Blemaster

For surfing journalist, a life of thrills and spills 

For a surfer, divining the behavior of waves can be like a lifetime lab project, one whose notes and observations are inscribed in the sinews.

In his vivid and propulsive memoir “Barbarian Days: A Surfing Life,” William Finnegan notes how that kind of hard-earned intuition about the ocean’s rhythms is based in part on “innumerable subcortical perceptions too subtle and fleeting to express.”

But it’s also based on less esoteric factors, and any surfer who’s been at it awhile will recognize Finnegan’s description of one of them:

“You watch someone paddle over the top of a swell and you try to assess, in the last instant before he disappears, what he sees outside.”

How to sail downwind in windsurfing

If you're a windsurfing beginner and you've just managed to sail upwind, you will need to master the art of sailing with the wind. Initially, the problem is just that you feel too much power in the sail.

As a result, it's never easy to keep the right balance between you, the board and the sail. The first useful tip is that you should keep your body low, and use it to counterbalance the increased pull of the rig.

There are two basic ways of sailing downwind: on a broad reach or a run. The broad reach is the easiest and most stable point of sail when learning to sail with the wind coming from behind. You can zigzag from broad reach to broad reach by jibing.

If you need to control excess power in the rig when heading downwind, move your feet further back down the board and get your body position even lower. Ready to steer the board into a run, i.e., with the wind directly behind your back?

1. Get one foot on each side of the board, with heels touching centerline; 2. Bend your legs; 3. Lean the mast over one side; 4. Keep your hands at shoulder width; 5. Leave your arms slightly bent; 6. Look forward through the window of the sail;

If you feel that you need more control of the rig, retract the centerboard. Don't forget to relax and keep your body loose and flexible, so that you can adapt to the overall movement of the board. The time is now:

1. Start sailing on a beam reach; 2. Turn the sail away from the wind; 3. Bring your front foot half a step behind the back foot; 4. Quickly move your back foot opposite other foot; 5. Bring the rig back and across the board; 6. You're sailing on a run;

2015 Vans US Open of Surfing Crowns Champions.

Huntington Beach, CA/USA (Sunday, August 2, 2015) – Johanne Defay (FRA) and Hiroto Ohhara (JPN) reigned supreme on the final day of the Vans US Open of Surfing in front of a capacity crowd. Defay has been crowned champion of the Women’s event, stop No. 6 on the Samsung Galaxy World Surf League (WSL) Championship Tour (CT), while Ohhara has won the Men’s Qualifying Series (QS) 10,000 event.

2015 PWA World Cup heads to Tenerife

How a City property favorite is helping surfing become an Olympic sport

It's not often one of the world's largest real estate consultancies can legitimately say it's had a hand in creating an Olympic sport - but Colliers International could be about to, after it advised on the feasibility and sustainability of a "Wavegarden" surf lagoon, part of the International Surf Association's (ISA) attempt at becoming an official Olympic sport in the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.

Surfing is one of eight sports shortlisted by Tokyo 2020 to be included in the games. But the difficulty for surfing competitions is guaranteeing the consistency of the wave.

The Wavegarden lagoon "creates high quality artificial waves on demand", generating two identical waves which break simultaneously for 30 seconds on either side of a central pier, said Sean Young, head of destination consultancy at Colliers.

And as those involved in planning for London 2012 will remember, "legacy" is the all-important word when it comes to Olympic planning. But Colliers suggested a surf lagoon could have lasting advantages in Tokyo.

"What [our] study showed, based on our experience and strong financial data, is that a surf park would not only be an investment for the Olympics but it would also have the longevity as a commercially successful leisure destination for residents and tourists for many years afterwards. A surf park in Tokyo has a strong basis for a long-term legacy.”

Three Israeli teens came in first in world youth tournament held in Poland

Israeli windsurfers brought home four gold medals from the 2015 windsurfing Youth World Championship over the weekend in Gdynia, Poland, coming in first in all four competition categories.

Noy Drihan and Yoav Omer won the girls and boys events, respectively. Drihan also won the women's under-17 category, and another Israeli, Kfir Azulay, came in top spot in the men's under 17.

Throw caution to the wind with kitesurfing in South Jersey

A person can see amazing feats standing on the beach at 41th Street in Ocean City here when the weather conditions produce gusty winds and high cresting waves.

Kites can be seen flying as high as 90 feet in the air. Flying lines extend down from the kite to a control bar being held by a harnessed rider. With the riders feet attached to a kiteboard with straps or unattached as if riding a surfboard, you can see practitioners flying into their air, doing flips and riding on top of waves.

"It's the most fun you could ever have with you clothes on," joked Chris Doyle, the owner of Leading Edge Kite School, based in Ocean City. "It's the most fun water sport I can think of, for sure, the most dynamic."

Kitesurfing, also known as kiteboarding, is the most extreme activity a person can do out in the ocean. You simultaneously control the kite above you and the board beneath your feet. You are at the mercy of the winds blowing all around you and the waves underneath your feet, but for people into the sport, the high that comes from doing it beats surfing, water skiing, wakeboarding, windsurfing or Hobie racing or sailing.

Santa Cruz surfers catch waves with replicas of historic boards

SANTA CRUZ, Calif. —Santa Cruz surfers caught waves at Cowell Beach Sunday using huge boards shaped from designs crafted by Hawaiian princes more than a century ago.

Three Hawaiian princes traveled to Santa Cruz 130 years ago, shaped surfboards out of redwood trees, and rode waves at the San Lorenzo River mouth. It was the first time anyone had surfed at a U.S. mainland beach.

Shaper Bob Pearson, of Arrow Surf Shop, recreated the Hawaiian princes' surfboards.

VIDEO: Surfers catch waves with replicas of historic boards

Coming in at 250 pounds and 17 feet long with no fins, the wooden surf boards are unlike any that surfer Ken Collins has ever ridden before.

RED, SURFER launch REDirect Surf 2015

IRVINE, Calif., June 17, 2015 — RED Digital Cinema and SURFER Magazine are pleased to announce the kickoff of REDirect Surf 2015.This  is the second installment of the REDirect series – a competition and   celebration of filmmaking visionaries across the globe, highlighting   varying genres. RED and The Berrics joined forces early last year to   launch the first ever REDirect, and after an extremely successful   collaboration and film festival showcasing the most renowned   skateboarding filmmakers in the world, the focus now turns to the art of  capturing surfing.

The best windsurfing spots in Africa

The African coastline is huge. In over 26,000 kilometers (16,000 miles), you can find multiple wind patterns. So, it's fair to say that the African continent is a windsurfing heaven.

The most frequent winds in Africa are east and southeast winds. Therefore, you can actually detect four different consistent windsurfing regions in the birth of humanity.

Northern Africa (Morocco, Canary Islands and Cape Verde), Southern Africa (Namibia and South Africa), Southeastern Africa (Mozambique) and Northeastern Africa (Tunisia and Egypt) will likely deliver above-average wind speeds, almost all year-round.

The Essaouira is the best windsurfing region in Morocco. The place is blessed with trade winds and stable Atlantic swells. The historic town offers hot, dry summers, and mild, rainy winters.

Longest Journey Kitesurfing by a Male

Portuguese kitesurfer Francisco Lufinha has completed an attempt to break the Guinness World Record for longest journey kitesurfing by a male. The current record of 446nm is held by Rimas Kinka (USA) when he sailed along the Florida coast from Jacksonville to Key West on February 5-8, 2015.

Lufinha’s effort was non-stop when he sailed off the Portuguese coast from Lisbon toward Madeira Island on July 5-7, covering 472 nm. However, the effort was not without incident or assistance.

Early on the first night, Lufinha had a big crash and was not able to recover his board. Having lost communication with the support boat, he activated a rescue light and was reached by the boat 20 minutes later which provided him with a new board to continue his course.

For real freedom head outdoors and try windsurfing

DON'T think kitesurfing is the only way to make the most of Mackay's killer winds.

Gordon Bourke reckons those chasing a true sense of freedom should look to the 80s, when windsurfers ruled the oceans.

"The big thing windsurfers have over kiters is the sense of freedom," Mr Bourke said.

"Kitesurfers need flat water. They generally stay close to shore.

"Back in the 80s it was a big sport. But now if you talk to someone about windsurfing, they think you mean kitesurfing."

Mr Bourke first started windsurfing in his 20s, and returned to the sport 12  years ago.

But he said on a windy day half a dozen was the most windsurfers he would see at the beach, along with 30 or 40 kitesurfers.

"The attraction with kite surfing is the height and the tricks," he said.

Master windsurfing without leaving Leeds

When you picture a windsurfer, you probably imagine golden sand, blue skies, and turquoise water. Leeds doesn’t automatically spring to mind.

But there is no need to leave this landlocked Northern city to discover whether this is the hobby for you.

Leeds Sailing and Activity Center, on the edge of Yeadon Tarn, now offers windsurfing courses for children and adults.

Instructor Jackie Friend said: “This is the perfect place for beginners and improvers. It’s always a bit windier here than further into Leeds but it’s safe. And in the sea you have to deal with the waves.” There’s a maximum of six people per instructor, plus a powerboat available which means help is always at hand if you drift in the wrong direction or fall in.

The sessions are taught using a RYA (Royal Yachting Association) 2.5m2 sail and a Rio medium board and start on land to help you master the basic movements from crouching to standing and pulling up the sail...