Over the past few years many of our guests have asked Matt and I to bring our teaching style to the Gorge. Finally this summer we brought our Aloha to ‘The River’ for a four day weekend event. We ran the windsurfing clinic out of Rowena on a beach front property. The location was superb with ready rigged gear, endless array of boards and sail sizes, rolling greens for rigging with easy access to the water. The beauty of the surroundings painted a perfect backdrop, nestled amongst the towering red hills and the gurgling flow of the current.

The famous nuking Gorge winds did not rear it’s head during our long weekend event, but we did have enough wind to work on what needed to be worked on. As far as the teaching side of things go, we prefer no wind in the morning with gently planing winds for the afternoons. This gives us plenty of time to teach properly and for our guest to do their on land simulator work in the morning, non planing winds are useful for further understanding the dynamics of a move that can then be translated into more perfect form in the planing winds later. The real point of a clinic is to absorb as much information and get it grounded into our muscle memory so that when those winds scream back on again we will be able to sail in perfect harmony with the elements.

When it comes to learning new physical movements or steps there is only one true way to learn them. Slowly and repetitively. Whether it’s martial arts, dance or jibe steps for windsurfing.

There’s no way anyone would put a solid talented dancer on stage as a back dancer with Beyonce for one of her shows without first working for hours doing slow step by step practice. Imagine pushing that dancer out on stage in front of millions of people at a concert and just saying to them, “Here’s briefly what you need to do, just follow the others.” It would be a disaster! Even the most talented back up dancer would not be able to stay in sync without the the choreographed routine practiced over and over again before the event of a show.

How is it that windsurfers will start going for jibes in high winds before they’ve spent any real time learning the routine first? Before perfecting basics? Not only is it practically impossible to pull off a move without knowing the mechanics of the footwork, handwork and timing- It’s incredibly dangerous. It’s how things get broken. Either you or the gear.

A quote from a martial arts guru “Without the foundation arts you have no martial arts. You only have ego trying to balance on air.”

Learning to jibe or any other complex windsurfing moves is a routine you must first learn on land. Like for dance or any sports evolving steps, these tips are useful…

-Perform the same sequence of steps over and over again.
-The more you practice, the better your routine will be.
-It is more important that you be able to correctly perform the routine than learn it quickly.
-Don’t try to memorize the entire routine at once; set a more reasonable pace for yourself.
-A good way to learn is to first watch your teacher demonstrate the steps and then follow along with the teacher as he demonstrates again. Finally, the teacher should allow you to demonstrate the steps on your own, giving suggestions and corrections as needed.
-Good teachers will demonstrate these steps in the first few classes to help instill them in your muscle memory.
-Practice, Practice, Practice!
-The key to learning any routine is to continue to practice it until you have it memorized.
-At first, it may seem like you cannot remember the steps, but you will improve with time and practice. Set aside a few minutes every day to go over the routine. At home, you can practice by yourself in front of a mirror.
-Not only do you need to remember certain step patterns, you need to remember the order and timing.
Practice every technique you are shown until it becomes second nature, and then some…
And interesting quote from a Tai-Chi instructor:
“Learning is about learning new things and achieving new depth. Unfortunately, for many people, opportunities to learn are diminished in value when people show up and instead focus on showing that they already know something”-Key to Success: Laughing at Yourself – Having realized that, dive deep into practice, knowing you have nothing real to lose, and everything to gain.

During our Aloha Clinic we take photos of our guest in the light winds and the planning winds. It’s always interesting how the errors we make in the light winds if not corrected with happen in the high winds. For example here, one of our guest continue to reach over hand when he flips the sail in the non-planing conditions. This causes him to stand up during his planing jibes as well as make it difficult to reach far enough down the new side of the sail causing the sail to fall back and weight the back of the board- Instant stop…
Incorrect light wind practice…

Things that can Happen:= Lost of mast-foot-pressure- and sinking the back of the board (just slightly for a second)- The board veers out of the turn and upwind. Making it hard to plane out of jibes especially in light winds. Also-If you don’t reach underhand it’s hard to reach far enough down the boom when grabbing the other side of the sail. Which makes it harder to throw the sail far enough forward. Sail falls back and weights the back of the board. Imbalanced situation. Cannot plane out… Also if you catch the sail near the mast you can sheet out more easily and and lose mast foot pressure again on the new tack.
…Can bring trouble in the planing winds:

When this happens repeatedly in the high winds. The only way to corrected it is to go back to the drawing board and repeat the move on land or in non-planing winds until we’ve muscled memories ourselves out of the habit. And that’s exactly what our guest did and ended the week flying out of his jibes without a bother!

Flipping the Sail and Planing Out of Jibe
Correct light wind hand work.

In high winds it looks like this:

The sail remains forward. Hand reaches far enough down the boom on the new tack. Nothing falls backwards. Looking into your turns. Come out low and in ‘rescue stance’ to handle power of the sail and keep board trimmed and off the winds slightly for a full planing jibe.

Stay low and look where you want to go!

Words and Photos by Shawna Cropas

Injuries have always been good to me in one way or another. It seems I have a pattern, every 5 years I take a dive into something that displaces bones. Yeah yeah yeah….. I did it again, but not with a motorcycle  this time. I was out on an easy downhill Mountain Bike ride with 2 of my closest friends in Hood River. Both of these guys have a good history with risking life and limb in search of adrenaline! As we drove to the top of Post Canyon for what promised to be an epic ride, thoughts ran through my head of “What could Possibly go Wrong”- I should have known better. I did know better actually. I found a quarter on the ground while suiting up and put it in my shoe so that I had a constant reminder to “TAKE IT EASY!” It worked for a while until we found some jumps- and I’m a big sucker for air time. It didn’t really help that I was on a $10,000 all tricked out Carbon Santa Cruz Nomad, what an incredible machine! After hitting a few jumps and feeling like superman, I forgot about my “TAKE IT EASY” promise I made to myself. OOOOPSYYYYY! There was a downhill double and all I had to do was clear the landing ramp right? The bike would do the rest.  The last thing I wanted to do was land short,  so I over jumped it, landing much further down the hill into some soft dirt that caused me to slide out and SLAM into the side of the hill jamming my elbow up and dislocating my shoulder.  The impact also broke a small bone in the shoulder called the Acromion- fortunately it did not get displaced enough to require surgery! Yahoooo- there is always good news to be heard.

I’m officially 3 weeks in and progressing quickly. I’m in re-build mode already, just taking it easy and letting the bone heal. No stupid stuff for me for a while! I love the rehab and taking it one step at a time. You can feel the progress and watch the muscles get stronger. You have a focus, a motivation to come back with more strength. This is what keeps me going. I’ll be in the gym the next couple weeks charging it and getting ready to hit the water soon!

Product Overview

Team Pritchard has used these Streamlined Twist on One Bolt Tendon Uni mast bases for more than 2 decades. Both Kevin and Matt, as well as, many other world-class windsurfers have used these in competitions because of their strength and overall durability.

Streamlined Windsurfing was established in 1982 by David Dominy to design and produce high performance windsurfing components. Streamlined Windsurfing manufactures everything in the USA and imposes high standards of quality and workmanship, using the best materials.

When he started, Dave’s first design was the first ‘Tendon’ universal joint. Since then his design has been the industry standard, with many other windsurfing gear manufacturers imitating it regularly. Performance and durability are the top priorities of Streamlined Corporation.

To this day, the ‘Streamlined Tendon’ has been the strongest and best performing of all of their products. Streamlined loves windsurfing just as much as we do and they aim to enhance your windsurfing experience.

The “twist-on” board attachment system on the Streamlined Twist on One Bolt Tendon Uni allows you to attach, adjust and remove it by hand. It is low profile, has a low bend point and is free rotating above and below the Streamlined joint. The joint has a 4 line safety that helps get you back without damaging your board.

If you want the best, look no further. This is Pro Tested and recommended!

Buy now (From $73.95)

Key Features:

• Attach, adjust and remove it by hand
• Low Profile
• Low bend point
• Free rotating
• 4 line safety
• Virtually break proof strength

Product Overview

David Ezzy started making his custom windsurfing sails that were renowned for strength and power on Maui in 1983. Today, Ezzy sails are made in a 20,000 square foot, state-of-the art factory in Sri Lanka. Ezzy Sails has expanded through word of mouth to windsurfers worldwide because of the high quality standards that name Ezzy stands for.

The Ezzy Lion is inspired by 8-time world champion Kevin Pritchard, and it’s the best cambered freeride sail out there.

This Freeride / Freerace camber induced sail is powerful, light weight and incredibly strong. For 2014 Ezzy added a new panel layout to improve load paths on the sail surface. The new 5 mil polyester X-film that was added in the upper sections are designed to minimize stretch and reduce weight. Also, the Lion’s twist in the head batten has been reduced, producing “Function Twist”. As a result, the Lion feels “crisper” and goes to upwind extremely well.

The Lion now has a calibrated downhaul system for both Ezzy masts and non-Ezzy masts. The 2 cam system is fully customizable to fit any standard diameter mast and any RDM system.
The Ezzy Lion is light, making jibes snappier and more consistent. The Ezzy Lion also has a narrow mast sleeve that won’t weigh you down with water, making it easy to waterstart and uphaul.

And of course, like every Ezzy sail, each Lion is rigged and tuned in the factory so that it is ready for you right out of the bag.

Buy now (From $744.95)

Key Features:

• Twin cams provide great light wind power and high wind control.
• Narrow mast sleeve doesn’t fill with water, making water starts easy.
• Bullet-proof construction. No monofilm. RBS epoxy battens are stronger and stiffer than vinyl-ester battens.
• Materials include: Technora, Tri-Lite scrim, Spectra X Film, red 5 mil X Film and Weft-Stop sleeve.
• Profiled panels produce a molded shape that locks the draft in the sail.
• 6-7 RBS epoxy batten profile
• 2-cams · Ezzy cam system – will fit any RDM or SDM mast made in the past 20 years.
• Calibrated rigging system for all mast type: The guide gives precise tuning for better performance.
• Adjustable top-haul strap, built in mast pad and S.S Tack Pulley.
• Every Ezzy sail is rigged and tuned before being shipped.

Product Overview

Chinook has been designing and manufacturing innovative parts for windsurfing for 20 years. The Chinook one-piece fin/mast box and the clamp-on boom head are just a few of the original designs that have advanced windsurfing to where it is today. Chinook takes pride in USA design and manufacturing. This enables us to offer the best designed, best built products available.

The Chinook Pro1 Aluminum Boom is one of the greatest Aluminum performers out there it’s outrageously stiff and light. You will notice that your sailing has improved as soon as you start using it! Chinook put it all into these top end aluminum booms.

You might not usually think of a boom as a performance enhancing piece of windsurfing gear. Rather, you may view your boom as just creating a solid skeleton for your sail, but the shape of this boom affects sail handling in a very nice way. The articulation is as smooth as it gets, and there’s just barely enough flex in the head to dampen chop, and the boom head is very easy to use and feels plenty solid without having to crank it shut.

Pro 1 Alloy booms have exceptional torsional rigidity and fit both standard and reduced diameter masts perfectly. The front end is awesome, and the boom is light stiff and very FRIENDLY to use very simple and sturdy.  They also added absolute length markings on a generous 62cm tail-piece to aid with rigging your sail properly. The tail piece on this boom is really something special. It is a lot wider than most and has the clamcleat part molded to it, which looks really nice and is stronger than other solutions we have used.

This boom offers a very smooth clamping system which attaches directly to RDMs without a shim (there’s a shim built into the head which can be removed for SDMs). And it’s also very easy to adjust the tightness for different masts.

For both tacking, and sail flips in the jibes the Chinook Pro1 Aluminum Boom has a very comfortable, controlled feel with very little stress to your wrists, hands, and posture due to the straighter and wider monocoque front end, which allows the Chinook Pro1 Aluminum Boom to carry most of the stresses. And the rounded curve of the 135, 150 and 165 models makes hand transitions during jibes, tacks, and the most advanced freestyle moves feel natural with a grip diameter of 29mm.

Besides the monocoque body, the Chinook Pro1 Aluminum Boom features a fully articulating head, absolute length markings, easy to use adjustment collars, positive snap-in skinny adapter, modern bend curve, and is made from a custom alloy.

The two larger Race sizes (185 and 225) include an oversized forged tail for added stiffness, 2-pin adjustment collars, and three pulleys in the outhaul block for in-flight outhaul system compatibility. Also, the grip diameter tapers down in the critical grip area,: back end- 33mm tapered to 29mm.

We highly recommend the Chinook Pro1 Aluminum Boom! Try it – you won’t be disappointed!

Buy now (From $231)

Key Features:

• Outstanding torsional rigidity and stiffness
• One piece aluminum arm
• New school modern bend curve
• Monocoque body
• Custom alloy
• Easy to use adjustment collars
• Good boom head
  Absolute length markings in the extension
• Long adjustment range (62cm) – will fit many sails
• The boom clamp is over 12cm long on the mast – this gives a very solid connection and minimizes point loading
• Easy snap-on skinny adaptor for use with RDM masts
• Absolute boom length markings on a blue anodized
• Wider tail piece
• Effortless “loop-n-go” attachment from tail piece to the clew of sail
• Foam filled tubing keeps water out

The Rocket is Tabou’s free ride / race windsurfing board line. Tabou packed it with features that came directly from their slalom, freestyle and wave boards, to make them as fast and as lively as possible. For 2014, the super popular Rocket range offers three new shapes in the 115, 125 and 135 with even better performance (faster, more early planning and better acceleration) keeping all of the great features from the past.

The 2014 Tabou Rocket is a perfect balance of speed and acceleration, maneuverability and control; these boards continue to raise the bar for any freeride board. The Rocket and Rocket LTD are made for freeriders who want it all! More speed, more power, more FUN!.

For these boards Tabou introduced the double step tail cutout that is engineered to get a better top end speed and remain ultra versatile

The Tabou Rocket is a serious high performance freerider, it really is like a rocket, as its name suggests, and it’s suited to a wide range of rider abilities, from intermediates right through to experts. Intermediates will appreciate the stability and control while experts will love to show up their competition on the water.

CED (Standard) version From $1750 – Buy Here

LTD (Limited Edition). From $2199 – Buy Here

Key Features:

• Perfect Rocker for smoother planing, better non active planing balance
• Balanced V and concave: More acceleration, keeps you planing better through wind holes and generates more top speed
• More volume and wider in the tail: Better acceleration, more power in wind holes, better upwind

Happy Monday! Hope everyone is having a GREAT SUMMER! Just finished up our June Aloha Windsurfing Clinic and what a great week we had! A great team and group of people learning the tricks of the trade. The common theme was to GET LOW! Everyone thinks they are low but when we see the video and photo’s LOW still has a long way to GO! Where does it all apply?

Up hauling- this is one of the most important ones……. trying to uphaul with straight legs is a recipe for diving into the water, more like a guarantee. Spread the feet apart, get a SUMO style stance nice and LOW and then pull the sail up.

Beach starts- as soon as you jump on your board, get that front foot all the way up to the mast base, drop your weight and be LOW and centered on the board.

Light Wind Jibing- über important in the light winds to get into LOW LOW LOW stance. I try to sit on my heels and keep the sail up nice and high to hold me on the board. I pull with my bag leg the fin into the wind to steer the board while LOOKING where I want to go. Not at my feet, not at my hands, where I need to go! Just like driving a car- you don’t look at your gas pedal when you pull out into traffic do you? Hope not

High Winds- Using your harness is key in high winds unless you are made of steel…. Staying low in high winds commits you to the harness and gives you control. Straight and upright legs will toss you around in chop and throw you off your steed. How can you get LOW with short harness lines? You can’t really….. Check this link here to find out more: Harness Line Help

In the end, we all want to have more fun, sail longer and smarter and be able to move the next day without too much pain. Try some longer lines, get your weight to work for you! If you want to Buy New Lines, click the link and we will get you set up!

Got another email the other day asking about forward loops tips and tricks….. decided to pass  this on to anyone that cares! Here is the question:

well yes, it can be scary. the trick is to not chicken out and go FULL POWER without hesitating. That is the biggest problem I see people do, is hesitate….. NOT GOOD. You have to visualize yourself doing it correctly. it is such a simple move, you just have to commit, tuck your head and pull with your back hand HARD while pushing with your front hand HARD and at the same time PULLING with your back leg to get the tail of the board under your BUMM! The wind just pulls you around. Whatever you do DON’T LOOK at the water, tuck and roll brotha……

1. When inserting your mast, make sure the 2 pieces are together before down hauling. You can check this by running your hand over where the joint should be. Always check at the top of the sail to be sure the mast/sail connection is secure and where it should be.
2. Understand how your downhaul lines likes to be threaded. Most extensions have different ways of doing it- this helps ease the strain of down hauling to the proper setting.
3. If your boom is difficult to put on, apply only 60% downhaul, then put the boom on- the boom cutout of your sail is more open like this and you can dinker with ropes and settings without struggling to get your hands in there. If you have no problem with this, pull the sail to desired downhaul setting so you only have to sit down/get up once- Save that energy for the water!
4. Outhaul settings- don’t believe everything you read for settings….. especially if you are not using the recommended mast! A good trick to get you close is to put your elbow at the clew of the sail and extend your arm towards the center of the sail. If your hand is easily able to push the sail down onto the boom it is a sign that you need more outhaul.
5. Make sure your battens have proper tension. What is proper tension? You want as many wrinkles taken out of the batten pockets to create a smooth foil. With your tensioning tool, feel the pressure and watch what happens as you increase or decrease tension.… you don’t want to go too tight or else you risk punching your battens through their stopper at the mast. Feel it out and get them snug.