Kerfuffle

Maria Antonia Dominguez joined her daughter, Spanish star Blanca Manchon, at the 2010 RS:X Worlds. She wasn't there just to watch and offer support, but rather to compete against her. The medal race concept of doubling the scores of the last race, was intended to bring drama to Olympic class regattas. The concept truly delivered the promise when Blanca won by one point. Unfortunately her Mom, an accomplished windsurfer and the 2010 Raceboard Master Class World Champion, finished last in the Silver fleet. This must have come up before, parents racing against their children, but at a World Championship? Apparently the two have raced together before. Blanca says, "All my family have been my inspiration as all of them have sailed since a very young age, and my mother participated in a Spanish Windsurfing Championship when she was five months pregnant with me! Blanca was the youngest sailor at the 2004 Olympics.

JP Australia has made their fashionably late, grand entrance to the 2011 New Gear Party. The complete line up of next year's gear is on the website. What's really different this year, besides the obvious new board lines and graphics, are some of the fins. The fin on the right is a new shape for the JP Free Style Wave.




The fin on the left is the X-Wave made by Maui Ultra Fins. Since the MUF fin was made first (2008), some will contend the JP is a copy. Folks, this is what the Brits would call a kerfuffle. Some of you may remember this same issue came up before, quite recently, on the 2010 JP Twin fin board. Olaf Sutor of MUF said they have made no deal with JP to allow use of their fin designs. Their products have European industrial design patents which fall under the EC laws with penalties for selling counterfeit products. They have brought this issue to JP and have asked for royalties. On the other hand, Olaf said he would have to worry about their fins if they weren't copied. He's confident MUF is truly innovative and no one can produce their quality.



Ever make the call from the beach to let a friend know it's windy, only to hear back questions tainted with skepticism? Why don't you make a run and let me know what you're on...There's an easier way to deal with the doubt: Show 'em. Bill's OBX Beachlife website has a brand new feature: live video beach reports via his cell phone; just in time for the 2010 Hatteras Wave Jam which starts September 15. Posting cell phone videos to your Facebook friends has been around for awhile, but embedding a video player gadget on your website/blog is new. Platform provider, Bambuser, will also be making it possible for the PWA to do their first ever live video broadcast. This wave sailing contest, the KIA Cold Hawaii, at Klitmoller, Denmark starts September 13.

If you read the Pistol River report in the just published winter issue of Windsurfing Magazine, you may have noticed Sampiero's brain fart where he misnamed the Florida Wave Challenge. Which by the way, turns out to be the last possible U.S. wave contest of the year. The FWC is run on the first possible weekend day, during a contest window of 3 consecutive weeks, only if the wind and waves allow. First possible date is November 6.

There's been talk about some kind of national wave contest tour for next year. Could be as many as 6 events. Even venerable racing org, U.S. Windsurfing may offer some help. And just in case it really happens, should such a tour end with a Championship on Maui? Maybe a few more freestyle contests sprinkled throughout the year are also in order.

Two weeks ago, the worlds longest windsurfing board video drew a lot of attention. That video and the ones below are certainly not new. All 3 can be found in the Learners guide to windsurfing on this page: Inside the brain of windsurfing. These videos really resonate with me...