PWA live webcast from Bonaire - AWT Pistol River on Thursday

Live webcast from Bonaire started this Sunday and will continue through Thursday with commentary by Ben Proffitt and Andy Chambers. Live webcast will start again on Aruba, June 19. Bonaire has the same time (currently) as the U.S.eastern seaboard. Event information, written description of the heats, results, still photos and live video player, all on the PWA website. Many, many live replays on the PWA website. Even more videos of the PWA action from Bonaire on the Kuma Blog You Tube Channel.

Robby Naish is all you really need to say to promote the Pistol River Wave Bash. Last year he sailed; this year, will he compete? Robby headlines the A List of names, names, names. The second stop of the 2011 AWT will  pump it up some more for American windsurfing. If you're not able to attend, follow da action on DaNews. Some photos from last year.


Pistol River Oregon Wave Bash - June 2010 - Images by Roy Ivankoe

Hopefully, you'll find the Danamobile at the AWT  Pistol River Wave Bash and you can read it yourself. But in case you don't make it to the Oregon coast, the next best thing is to read what Dana Miller has been writing on his weibsite, Boardhead.

Photo by Olaf Mitchell

"WATERMANS®: APPLIED SCIENCE stands committed to providing quality sun protection products to those individuals for whom life in the shade is not an option.  We offer the best, most effective and functional, high-performance sunscreens on the market, specifically designed for high-intensity water and endurance athletes.  Our sunscreen is formulated to stand up to the rigorous demands of an active life in the sun, wind and water. Our goal: to ensure a day in the sun doesn’t mean a lifetime of dealing with the consequences." You can find all their products on the website.

Zane Schweitzer made the Waterman's Crew 'cause of his paddling prowess. We also know him as a windsurfer. Catch up with Zane in this Katie Crafts interview.

Our sport's iconic race is the Defi Wind Gruissan and yes, it's in France. The optics of this event are always quite spectacular. No matter where the lens is pointed the image is either the biggest or most ever, you fill in the rest: racers on a start line, racers on a course, racers on a beach. Canadian Carl Spiess reported, "I did meet New York Times photographer George Steinmetz who had flown in to do a photo essay of the Defi windsurfing tribe. I think the action from last year's sunny and very windy event may make for better images, but there is no masking the passion the tribe here has for our sport. I'm very much looking forward to seeing his pictures."  Carl reported on his time at the Defi Wind to Windsport, but, if you want, you can read it all on his blog: A Year (Windsurfing) en Provence. For more photos visit Le Defi.

Maui Ultra Fins' new concept fin, the Delta Wing, was introduced via press release this April 2011. So far so good. Keith Misch tested a 14 cm. Delta Wing on a 85 liter, JP FSW. He wrote, "The new Delta fin is a radical departure from traditional swept back wave fins…so I had no idea what to expect. And, truth be told, was somewhat skeptical. But, I was in for a surprise. The handling was superb­––the board felt so free and loose in challenging chop to logo size waves.  Though a single fin set up, the board’s turniness had a feeling of a twinser and perhaps even a quad. Getting vertical on the wave face was no problem…as simply sheeting in and applying some foot pressure brought the board to a new direction effortlessly. And, the feeling of snappiness was quite enjoyable. In gybes, the fin is also a high performer. I could pressure the rail quite firmly and the board/fin spun a tight radius, whilst keeping plenty of speed. In fact, planning through the gybe was the rule, not the exception. I think perhaps having reduced drag due to this shortened depth, the board speed remains high and also lightens the feel. Getting upwind was also no problem. In sum, extremely happy with this fin...would make it my standard fin without hesitation."

Maui Ultra Fins reports they have tested the Delta fin for Wave (Single, Quad), Freeride and Slalom with good results.  R & D continues with their focus now on how the fin performs for freestyle and speed. They expect to put the Delta into production sometime in the last quarter of this year.