Fanatic welcome Marc Paré (E-334) to their Windsurf Family!
The young Spaniard is considered the greatest talent of the Wave World Tour and is already well known to the international scene as he made a mark with his effortless style in the waves. His style and values are a perfect fit for us, and we cannot wait to see what the future brings for him.
Marc will be seen travelling the world chasing podiums and waves. He will be a big part of testing and developing our wave range along with the rest of the team. He also rides for Duotone and ION.
Marc Paré: “I am stoked to get this unique opportunity to join the Fanatic family. The good vibes betwen the team was always something I enjoyed looking at and expecially Victor, Klaas and Adam are quite good friends of mine already and I am sure we will make a good match on the water during training and testing boards.“
Klaas Voget (Marketing Manager and Head of Wave R&D): I’ve been watching Marc’s progress for quite a few years and always been in close contact with him, so it felt this step was just a question of time. His humble personality combined with crazy talent is a very good match for our team and we’re all super excited to have him finally join the Fanatic family!
Another new Fanatic team member is Bernd Flessner (G-16)!
The 16-times German Champion is the most successful German windsurfing professional. From 1995 to 2011 he was consistently German windsurfing champion. After the Windsurf World Cup Sylt he finished his career in autumn 2013 after 25 years and his 25th participation in the World Cup Sylt. Now Bernd is cruising in Robinson Clubs all over the world for personal coachings and clinics. Since Club Robinson is partner with Fanatic, this is the perfect match and we are very much looking forward to lots of fruitful cooperations in the future.
Bernd Flessner: “Since I am working quite close with Club Robinson for quite a while, it´s the logical consensus that I am also using the gear they offer at their centers at one stage. I know the Fanatic team with Craig, Klaas and Karin for a very long time already and I’m looking forward to eventually work with them and use their gear!”
Craig Gertenbach (Brand Manager) “Bernd is a great addition to the team! I´ve known Bernd since my World Cup days and we have been good friends ever since. Looking forward to finally work with him and have him as a valuable team member. Bernd brings a wealth of experience and know how in both products and markting, the Robinson Club connection being one of many interesting projects that we can work on together!”
Karin Gertenbach (Head of Marketing): “I know Bernd for a very long time already and was working with him years ago. He is a top windsurfer, is absolutely reliable and has a great personality and lots of good ideas, what more can you ask for?
Alessio Stillrich has left the team at the end of December, we wish him all the best for his future and would like to thank him for a great cooperation during the last years he was with Fanatic!
Want to improve your windsurfing? Then start with your front hand says Sam Ross; he tells us why.
Words Sam Ross //Photos Greg Dennis
We quite often get trapped into the methods of doing things, with much time taken arguing which is the correct one. Good technique or bad technique is often in the eye of the beholder and if you get the intended output then it’s probably working ok. However whilst there are millions of methods, there are only a few key principles. If we can understand these then we can tweak our method to suit. The great news about principles is they tend to be less move specific, so as we work through different moves we can try and re-apply the principle and hopefully speed up our learning. So to start, let’s look at the rig.
UPRIGHT RIG
In short you want a modern rig to be upright and sheeted in the right amount. An upright rig should help us all the way from our first beach starts and water starts, right through to carve gybes and forward loops. If we can get the rig upright, we should be more planted on the board and more stable as well, making sure we are in the best position to get the rig/mast further away from us. It sounds complicated, but most of this can be achieved by doing one thing – moving your front hand back towards the harness lines. In fact to go a bit further into it, if your harness lines are in a neutral position, your front hand should be right by your front harness line.
Hand back plants the rig upright and forward in the gybe, helping keep the board flat on entry and allowing you to move across the board under control.
With the front hand back, the rig gets upright quicker, generating more lift, but also stopping the board turning off the wind.
EFFECTS
Let’s have a look at the impact having your front hand right by your front harness line might have on different scenarios.
Beach start/Waterstart: Gets the rig upright more easily and allows you to pull more weight down through the mast foot. Should allow you to get up in deeper water or less wind more easily.
Harness: You’ll be increasing your distance from the rig, so be able to use longer lines and be more upright on the board.
Footstraps: Rig is further forward, and so helps keep the board flatter. Should help stop the board spinning up into wind when you go for the straps.
Blasting: Rig more upright, so board flatter. As you go faster, you should now be able to sheet in more as the front arm extending will help bring the clew in.
Gybing: The front hand further back will get the mast forward and help engage the rail in gybes. You’ll be more sheeted in automatically. Also if your front hand is back you can get your back hand further back.
Looping: Front hand back allows the rig to move across your body more. This will help give a more lateral rotation rather than end over end or an accidental cheese roll.
We get pretty obsessed about moving the back hand in windsurfing. In fact so many higher level moves rely on it, for example – carve gybe, duck gybe, bottom turn and forward loop. However how far you can move your back hand is totally limited by your front hand position. So if you’re struggling to get that back hand way down the boom. Try bringing the front hand back first and see what that does to your reach.
“The front hand further back will get the mast forward and help engage the rail in gybes.”
NAME: MARC PARÉ RICO
HOMEBASE: RICO MANLLEU, SPAIN
NATIONALITY: SPAINISH
SAIL NUMBER: E-334
DATE OF BIRTH: 22/05/1998
PLACE OF BIRTH: VIC, SPAIN
STARTED WINDSURFING: 2003
PEOPLE YOU LIKE TO SAIL WITH: My friends from home and friends from the Tour.
FAVOURITE SPOT: Topocalma, Scarborough and Ho’okipa.
FAVOURITE FOOD: A big salad full of ingredients, steak, pizza (and chocolate 😉 )
FAVOURITE MAGAZINE: My favorite is Windsurf Magazine, but I do watch more Video Channels about biking and surfing than magazines!
HOBBIES: Surfing, biking and skiing.
WHY DUOTONE: It was always a dream of mine to be on this amazing brand, because of their awesome gear, their image and their Team!
WHAT IS YOUR TRUE WINDSURFING MOMENT?
That moment when you are floating back upwind and you are having an epic wave riding session with a couple of friends and you just start yelling of pure JOY.
WHAT DOES TRUE MEAN TO YOU?
For me TRUE means enjoying and having the most fun out there!
WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE REMEMBERED FOR?
A nice down-to-earth guy and good windsurfer and sports-man
YOUR MOTTO OR PHILOSOPHY OF LIFE?
If you really want something, just work hard for it and it will eventually come!
ANYTHING TO ADD…?
I’d love to travel and discover new places with just a few friends and a camera crew!
INTERVIEW
Who is Marc Paré E-334?
Just a really passionate windsurfer who enjoys a lot sailing, training, traveling and testing gear!
What is your super power?
I don’t actually have a super power, but if I could choose one would be teleportation. So then I could get faster to the spots and always score the best sessions!
What are your favourite conditions in general / favourite spot / favourite gear?
Mmm… That’s a tough question! I actually like as much a a Side-On jumping session on 3,4 / 3,7 than a down-the-line session just floating on a 5,0. But if I could choose would probably be a nice down-the-line session just because I have less chances always to sail these type of conditions.
You have just tried your new sails for the first time, how do you like them?
I’m loving the new sails! They are really balanced, powerful and stable in higher wind conditions. I’m loving the fact that they help you so much when you are wave-riding, giving you a lot of drive in the bottom turn and helping you whip the board in the top turn.
Who are your best buddies on the PWA tour?
Victor Fernández, Adam Lewis, Julian Salmonn, Ben Profitt and Marino Gil.
What are your goals for the upcoming season?
Sail consistently at my maximum level in all my heats and try and brake into the top 5.
What are your hobbies besides windsurfing?
I love surfing and biking when I’m not windsurfing!
What is the funniest thing that happened to you recently?
We did a challenge where you had to stand up while lifting a chair and because you are in an awkward position somehow I couldn’t stand up, then my friends tried it too and couldn’t stand up either. We had a great laugh! hahaha
What would you do if you found 1 Mio Euro?
First of all it would go to my family and the rest I would probably invest it (and of course probably buy loads of surfboards hahaha).
Anything else, you want to tell the world?
The more I sail, the more I want to windsurf! Windsurfing is like a drug for me!
Francesca Floris, ITA-2111, is an insiprational Italian windsurfer who doesn’t let age get in the way of ability. In her late fifties she competed earlier this year in the PWA freestyle event in Bonaire, winning heats and finishing a very respectable 6th place overall. She gives us an insight into her life and how she started freestyling at 47!
Words Francesca Floris //Photos John Carter, Lorenzo Mittiga & Michela D’Orazio.
Iwas born in Olbia, a coastal city in northeast Sardinia on the 21st of November 1961. I still live in Sardinia, where I am a physical education and sports teacher. I have been active in sports most of my life. As a child I was very restless and by the age of 5 my parents had me involved in lots of sporting activities. Around the age of eight I discovered fencing, which became my main sport until I was 30! After many years I took up other sports and passions and among these was windsurfing, which I started practising during my summer holidays. Around 12 years ago, I returned to live in Sardinia and that is when windsurfing became almost a daily activity. I work at school in the morning and then in the afternoon, when I am free, go windsurfing in one of the many spots in northern Sardinia.
In Sardinia there are plenty of radical wave spots, as well as flat water spots ideal for freestyle or slalom. Initially I was more into wave sailing, but I realised that all the good flat water spots were located close to my house, so it was very easy for me to get there after work and have a windsurfing session. That is mainly the reason why I became passionate about freestyle at the tender age of 47. I actually started my first Vulcan attempts at that age and slowly learned more moves. I must admit that it has become a real addiction, but also a personal challenge to those who told me that at that age it was impossible to learn freestyle.
LEARNING Certainly the speed of learning is not the same as when you were fifteen years old, but with commitment and a bit of stubbornness even at 47 years old you can do it. I have my own method when I am learning a new move. I don’t just look at the move and try it, but I analyse it, break it up into small sections and learn it one section at a time. This method may take longer, but it always works for me. For me, there is no greater feeling than when I am learning a new trick, it gives me an immense boost.
The manoeuvre that was a real challenge for me to learn was the flaka. It still makes me crazy. Now I am committed to learn the Eslider and Puneta. We will see how I progress!
Being competitive for most of my life, I couldn’t resist signing up for some windsurfing events. First in Italy and then at some PWA events. It has always been a great experience and most of all a motivation to continue to improve. I hope I am a good example to any women who might not believe that it is possible to have fun and progress in whatever you do and show also that windsurfing is not a sport for men only. Most of all I strongly believe that taking part in sport is the best way to stay young!
KIT I have been using RRD boards and sails for years, while my friend Francesco Cominardi sponsors me with the best booms (AL360) and Alessandro Carluccio supplies me with fins (LSD). I somehow manage not to spend too much on equipment and everything I save I spend on travelling as much as possible.
I mainly practise freestyle, using a RRD TWINTIP 92 litre and RRD STYLE PRO sails from 3.8 to 5.2. My favourite sizes to use are 4.4 or 4.8, rather than small sails and very strong winds. On light wind days I use an X-FIRE 114 with a 7.8 sail, which I find really good for training.
LIFESTYLE When I am at home my life is very simple. I teach physical education and sport at school in the mornings, then for the rest of the day I am at the beach with my partner (of course he is a good windsurfer) and loyal dog looking for wind. If there’s no wind I just enjoy the fantastic landscapes of Sardinia. Sport and nature are a big part of my life.
Another great passion of mine has always been travelling. Getting to know new people and different cultures excites me. I either travel alone or with my partner. I want to discover the best windsurfing spots on the planet and my goal is to travel and windsurf as much as possible, finding new and unexplored windsurf spots. In Sardinia our climate allows us to windsurf during the winter season, but whenever possible I try to spend the colder months in warm places.
In recent years I have often gone to Bonaire, which is truly a paradise for freestyle. I find it a really easy spot to progress both for the conditions, which are ideal, but most of all for the great vibes and company we have there. There are incredibly good windsurfers which are always there to help and encourage me. During the summer I often travel around Europe with my orange van fully loaded with equipment. Greece, Spain, Portugal and France, are my favourite destinations. I’ve also had some memorable trips overseas. I travelled to Australia where I spent four months in a little van in search of waves, but I’ve also been to Chile, South Africa, Madagascar, Mauritius, Indonesia, Hawaii and Brazil. All were unforgettable trips that have increased my passion for the sea and windsurfing. Soon I hope to be able to discover new spots in Colombia and Central America.
“For me, there is no greater feeling than when I am learning a new trick.”
With three days to complete a photo shoot and a last minute diversion across continents, Geraldton based photographer / fireman, Mathias Moerman, charts how a mission to capture Severne’s team and 2020 product in action turned into love at first sight with the island of Fuerteventura.
Words & Photos Two Goat Media// Mathias Moerman & Manca Notar
Normally when Ben Severne calls trying to talk me into a windsurfing mission, it’s the night before he wants to leave. Most of the time, like most people, I have things I’m committed to, like work or projects at home, so the answer is usually no, or something to that effect. This trip was different, I had the time booked off work and we had a plan. I like having a plan. In Australia they call me the German, I was born in Belgium but the Aussies in Geraldton have never heard of Belgium, that makes me the German.
THE PLAN So, the plan was…. Mauritius for 2 weeks. Windsurfing…. lots of windsurfing, and photos with the new 2020 Severne gear. We had an epic crew lined up – Jaeger Stone, Phillip Koester, Iballa Moreno, Timo Mullen, Mauritz Mauch, Dieter Van Der Eken, the man himself – Ben Severne, and Thewes De Boer from Severne Europe. The forecast was looking solid and it was all lining up to be a great trip.
However, as we got a bit closer to departure, Mauritius started looking dodgy. Every 10 minutes I was checking Windguru and the colours were fading and fading. We had to make a call. Drinking spicy pineapple mojitos and playing poker with Russian tourists sounds fun, but that wasn’t the plan, the plan was simple – windsurfing was the plan.
We started looking at different spots, Fiji…. no wind, Indo…. no wind, everywhere we looked…. no wind. Then the Canaries popped up on the radar. I wasn’t overly excited about the Canaries, I had never been there, so all I could think about was trying to get decent shots in 45 knots onshore. But the forecast started looking good for a 3 day strike mission and next thing it was on….Canaries was the plan. Ben had some work in Germany, so left Australia early, Thewes left from Holland, Timo from UK, Phillip and Mauritz from Gran Canaria, Dieter from Tenerife and Iballa got to wait for us all to arrive. I pulled the short straw, a 400 km drive to Perth, flight to Doha, flight to Barcelona, 10 hour stopover then a flight to Fuerte’. By the time I got there, I was cursing Ben and his great ideas!
“The plan was simple – windsurfing was the plan.”
PUERTO LAJAS Iballa picked me up from the airport and took us straight to the beach, first stop Puerto Lajas. This place looked like lots of fun. Waist to head high waves with side offshore wind. First thing I noticed was the angle of the sun. As a water photographer in Western Australia we can’t shoot wave riding after 1 p.m. because of the sunlight, this place was the opposite, awesome. Flippers on and out we went. I felt pretty relaxed, the water temp. was similar to home, the current was mild and there were no men in grey suits to worry about. In Australia sharks are always in the back of your mind when you’re swimming.
It was a great afternoon, side-off with plenty of waves, definitely not the 45 knot onshores I was dreading. Lajas has waves for all levels, the perfect spot to progress your riding and the locals were super friendly and helpful. Phillip’s girlfriend, Manca Notar, was taking photos from the beach, so it was great to see the two different perspectives from the same session. This was all lining up to be a great 3 days. After the session I was in need of a beer, and quickly, but when I realized it was 9:30 p.m., I started to panic about getting dinner. In Geraldton you’d be lucky to find anything other than fast food after 9 p.m. but Iballa assured us there was no stress, it’s all “tranquilo’’ on Fuerte’, you can get croissants and steaks at midnight! That night I woke up after 3 hours sleep, wide awake with jet lag, so I edited photos until the morning and got pumped for day two.
“It’s all ‘’tranquilo’’on Fuerte’.”
COTILLO The plan was to head to El Cotillo on the other side of the island to try and find some beach break action. We had to wait for the tide to come up when we arrived, but I could already tell this place had massive potential. Really nice water colours and super smackable sections. It reminded me of a spot in Esperance, Australia, just the opposite tack and maybe a little more onshore. It was fairly heavy and everyone was hitting some big sections. The shorebreak was nasty too, so it was surprising no one broke a mast! We had a couple of hours before the wind went too onshore and brought the session to an end.
As we were packing up, we were invaded by little squirrels living in the rocks. Really amazing stuff. This place has it all, beautiful beaches, friendly squirrels, cold beer everywhere, midnight croissants and steaks, absolute heaven!
SLAB TIME Day three was the highlight of the trip. After another daily dose of croissants, it was back to the west side of the island to have a look at a bodyboard wave that can be ‘sailable’ on certain tides and wind directions. When we arrived there was some solid sets rolling in, not massive in height, maybe ¾ mast, but very wide. Big barrel sections breaking on a shelf.
I was a little nervous jumping off the rocks. There was a fair bit of surge and you had to wait for a wave to time your jump. But if bodyboarders could do it, we could do it..or so I thought!
Phillip made it out first while I was swimming out and launched an air on the barrel section but lost his gear. I was thinking noooo! That’s it. It’s over, but magically his gear gently landed on the rocks where someone could grab it and carry it back. No damage!
Once I made it out the back, I noticed my camera was stuck on the wrong aperture setting and I couldn’t use the back dial on the housing to change it. I had to swim back in and pass my camera to Ben so he could open the housing and restart the camera. Not a good start, but luckily, we didn’t miss any action and made it back out for Phillip’s second round. By that time Mauritz and Timo were also out and the spot fired for about 45 minutes until the tide became too high and the waves were literally breaking on the rocks!
In that 45 minutes everyone had some amazing waves. Philip had huge airs hitting the barrel section, Mauritz had rail to rail hacks and Timo’s all-round skills were really cool to watch from the water. Getting in was a little tricky because the tide had risen and the surge on the rocks was a lot worse. It took me about 30 minutes to find a spot to climb back up!
After a few beers it was time to start my journey to the legendary Défi Wind de Gruissan in France. My three days in Fuerte’ was really amazing stuff, what a place, it has it all, cheap flights from Europe, good windsurfing, good food and cold beers. As a windsurf destination it really has a place on my map and I’m stoked the Canaries became the plan! I can’t wait to come back and check out all the other islands.
“My three days in Fuerte’ was really amazing stuff.”
