It has been a while since my last post.... lots of wind and lots of water time in Maui! I have been teaching a lot of jibing tricks lately and wanted to share one of the key elements that a lot of jibers are missing out on! It has to do with the flip of the sail and when done correctly it makes things FLOW so much better! When you can plane out of your jibe just as fast as you went into it, your mission is accomplished.

If a picture is worth a thousand words, hopefully this video is worth a million words..... Hope you all learn from it and can pass it on to your friends-

Happy Summer!

The Boom Slide from Pritchard Windsurfing on Vimeo.

Check out the video from our trip to the Marshalls. If you ever want to go on a dream trip check it out here.  marshallwaves.com

Marshall Island Windsurfing Exploration from Kevin Pritchard on Vimeo.

Check out my latest production with Graham. Something a little different, kinda cool.

Graham Ezzy- Writing and The Sea from Ezzy Sails on Vimeo.

For all you freestylers, check out Tonky Frans here showing you his rigging tips and doing some cool moves on the Freestyle goods!!! Wow, have the moves changed these days- pretty mind blowing! Check it out-

Tonky Frans - 2013 Equipment from DSpromotions on Vimeo.

Maui Love from Kevin Pritchard on Vimeo.

Couple of clips that I threw together for you!

Spring is right around the corner, the ice is melted and its time to get out there again. The last thing you want to do is fall in that cold water so here are some examples of what you can do to improve your time on the water vs in the water! Peter was a great student that listened and learned quickly- He is what I would call an experienced sailor, about 6'2" and 190lbs. He had been using 22" lines for a long time and had his boom set too low so that he could hook into those short lines...... He was always having a hard time with arm pump so we changed a few things. We bumped up to 26" lines for 1/2 an hour and that was a world better for him, then we jumped up to 30" lines and after 2 reaches, he saw the light and said, "I can't believe how much a difference this makes- no more arm pump!" The key is understanding the stance and correct settings for longer lines. With newer boards and sails, things have changed since the 90's and so has the technique  in hanging on for the ride of your life! As for the jibes seen here, you gotta sheet in to get control in the turn. Move that back hand back, drop your weight by bending your knees to absorb chop, look where you want to go and you are off to a good start....I could write for hours on this but video shows it best!

Let us know if this helps you out! Comments are appreciated and any experience you have please share it!

Well, yep it is photoshoot time here on Maui. For some it is the best time, for others it is the worst. Busy beaches, helicopters flying over, on the other side, if your here on Maui, you get to see some of the best action in the world happening right in front of you. Weather forecast doesn't look ideal so we will have to wait and see.

Hi everyone, hope you are all getting ready for spring to really kick in! I did a lesson a little while ago and what a great student he was...... He sent me an email summarizing the session and the things that stood out most to him- I sent him back the comments in CAPS below and after reading it all, thought that a lot of people could benefit from just reading along..... Hope you enjoy and get some good tips here! If you are in need of upgrading any gear for this season, let us know or check out the new SHOP!

A little overhead view while out teaching.....

Harnesss Lines:

---------------

Matt doesn't want to give up on my using longer lines.

Should try to make everything 26" at least.  Right now I have a mix
of 24 and 26.
YES START OFF WITH 26 AND GET TO 28 EVENTUALLY.

Says today I seem to be working my arms continuously.  I need to stop
standing so erect.  Erect is fine for flat water or racing, but I'm
never in flat water.  Erect is like a "7".  He wants people to be
like a 6?  Butt out, hanging, zero effort on the arms, using
trunk twist to point and sheet in depending how you pressure
the harness.
YES, CORRECT AND EXACTLY. YOU LET THE HARNESS DO THE WORK-

You sort of crunch your abs.
YEP, SUCK IN THE SLACK FROM THE HARNESS LINES.

Boom flush with top of shoulder.
YES

Jibing:
-------
Wants me to keep sail further away, but during the sail flip
don't make a big rotation ending with the sail outside the turn
and "beside" you.  Keep the sail in front of you and flip it
there.
YES, KEEP THE SAIL FURTHER AWAY FROM YOU SO THAT IT PULLS YOU THROUGH THE TURN IN THE FINAL STAGES WHERE YOU NEED THAT SPEED MOST. YOU HAVE THE JIBE DOWN NICELY BUT YOU COULD BE PLANING OUT OF THEM ALL WITH A FEW CORRECTIONS. THE OTHER THING I NOTICE IS YOU ALWAYS GRAB THE MAST ON THE OUTSIDE- EVERY TIME. I  WOULD LIKE FOR THAT TO NOT HAPPEN- BOOM TO BOOM DROPPING YOUR WEIGHT LOW WITH YOUR RIG AWAY FROM YOU AND REACHING UNDER YOUR OLD FRONT HAND TO GRAB THE NEW SIDE OF THE BOOM!

Waves:
------

Move back hand back and forth a LOT more.
YES, GET MORE INTO A SURF GROOVE AS IF YOU DIDN'T HAVE POWER FROM THE SAIL, YOU NEED TO USE LEG MOVEMENT AND HAND MOVEMENT TO ESSENTIALLY PUMP THE BOARD TO MAKE IT MOVE.

Back on the boom for the bottom turn.
YES

Up on the boom for the top turn.
YES

Push down on the boom for your bottom turn.
DON'T THINK OF PUSHING DOWN SO MUCH AS LETTING THE RIG PULL YOU FORWARD INTO THE TURN, IF YOUR WEIGHT IS LOW IT NATURALLY PULLS DOWN SO THINK LOW AND THE REST HAPPENS.

This will help maintain speed and keep the rail engaged better.
YES

Don't get so far out in front of the wave. YES- USE THE WAVE AS YOUR DOWNHILL RAMP FOR SPEED
Watch your entry. YES, DONT' GET TOO FAR AWAY FROM THE WAVE, STAY TIGHTER TO IT LIKE YOU WERE HAVING TO PADDLE IN LIKE A SURFER.
Better to wait until the wave is more critical than making your
1st bottom turn too soon.
YES, BUT STARTING AT THE TOP OF THE WAVE AND HEADING DOWN IT ON AN ANGLE TO GENERATE SPEED.

Just because you did your first bottom turn doesn't mean you
can't ride upwind back on the wave to stay in the good spot.
YES, ALWAYS BE LOOKING UPWIND AND DOWNWIND-

You need to look downwind AND upwind as you are riding.
YES EXACTLY YOU GOT IT!!

VIDEO TO COME….

Top Turn:
---------
Everything twists back DOWN at the top -- hips torso head hands AND DRIVING HEELS TO MAKE THE BOARD TURN AND THROW SPRAY
go back DOWN the other way.

Fin Position:
-------------
I have a fairly narrow stance with my straps.  Matt is 2" wider.
YES,

My fin is back.  Matt says leading edge of fin in center of strap.
Mine is at back of strap.
YES

Fin back is for speed and ?pointing?  You can ride the fin better?
YES, CORRECT.

Fin forward is easier turning. YES, I understood the reverse.  I should
start with moving my fins forward.  Frankly I've always had my fins
in the middle of the A box and never experimented much.
WELL THIS WILL MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE AS YOU WILL HAVE MORE CONTROL OVER YOUR TURN.

Harness:
--------
"Yve" at Da Kine can help get adaptor that will prevent hook moving
around on Da Kine Thermo.  I need a much bigger spreader bar which
will help a lot.  I see a "leverlock" on their website, and they
are differentiating between sliding and locked spreader bars.
TO KEEP YOUR T4 HARNESS TO AVOID HAVING TO BUY A NEW ONE I WOULD SUGGEST GETTING A 12" BAR AND THE ADAPTER KIT FOR A FIXED BAR-

IF YOU HAVE ANY PROBLEMS THERE, LET ME KNOW I CAN HELP OUT.

GREAT SAILING WITH YOU, LOVE YOUR ENTHUSIASM TO LEARN!!

MP

A little talk on the Porch with Kevin Pritchard.

KP on the Porch from Ezzy Sails on Vimeo.

I love taking photos, especially when they come out good.  This week, we have been on it with some good results, I think.