The Loft Sails are happy to announce that Israeli freestyle expert Yarden Meir joins our international team for 2013!
Yarden was ranked 11th PWA in 2011 after 6 events that year, but last year he was not able tocompete due to an injury that kept him out of the competition season. He is back in 2013 with Loftsails, and targets the podiums on the PWA. Yarden is currently training in Vietnam for 2 months and preparing a new action movie.
Best of luck to Yarden in the 2013 season !
Hot Sails Maui is pleased to announce thatUk speed sailor, wave sailor and fin designer Steve Thorp has signed with them. Steve who is one of a handful of people to sail at over 50 knots will be working closely with designer Tom Hammerton and team mate Martyn Ogier as they all prepare for a mission to Luderitz 2013.
Steve joins a growing team of talented riders at Hot Sails Maui as the brand continues to develop and move into new markets.
News passes around the windsurfing community of another tragic death this month. Andy ‘Buzz’ Buchanan lost his battle with cancer on Tuesday 29th January. Andy Buchanan served as the PWA Press Officer from 2008 through till 2009 when he was first diagnosed with cancer at the age of 27. Andy remained very much one of the team and paid frequent visits to the crew at events over the following years.
Andy brought passion to windsurfing and his life as a whole which was obvious in his work. Never one to back away from a
challenge – never mind how ridiculous and never mind how small the chance of success – Andy brought entertainment to many through his writing and his own activities. – PWAWordlTour.com
Rest in Peach Andy Buchanan.
Another update from Fanatic on sponsorship and the Business side.
Today Fanatic announced that Daniel Aeberli, previously Brand Manager/Shaper at F2, will join our Fanatic Team as International Product Manager. Daniel will start his new job February 1st.
“I have known Dani since many years, he has provided us with some great Choco Fins for a number of our Fanatic board models. Dani brings a wealth of experience with him in both Product Development and Marketing. He will be a perfect addition to our team, supporting both Sebastian Wenzel, Juergen May and myself in the Product Development department. As well as being a great brand ambassador at events and connecting with our Pro Team, to develop the best products out there. We are really excited to get Dani started, we will be keeping him very busy in future!” – Craig Gertenbach, Fanatic Brand Manager
“What a great change! I am more than happy to join the Fanatic team. I always knew if I would ever change to another brand, that I would want people around me who live 100% for our great sport. Craig Gertenbach and Sebastian Wenzel are in the industry since many years and have so much experience to share. They both started their careers as racers and made their way to the top at a brand like Fanatic, one of the strongest brands in Windsurfing and Stand Up Paddling. I believe I proved at F2 over the last years that I have high quality design skills, as well as good organisational and marketing talents. And now I will have this amazing chance to join this already powerful team to develop even better products for Fanatic. I am more motivated than ever, looking forward to a great future to push my love of windsurfing to the next level.” – Daniel Aeberli
Fanatic International announced yesterday that German wavesailor Leon Jamaer is being promoted to their International Windsurf Team. Leon is a very talented youngster from Germany and been part of the Fanatic National team for a few seasons. He finishes his schooling in 2013, and will be 100% dedicated to windsurfing, and Fanatic is looking forward to his great potential in both German National and PWA events. Leo in a radical “no fear” sailor, and just competed in Mission 1 of the Red Bull Storm Chase.
“It´s great to have Leon in our Fanatic International team now. If you ever had the chance to watch him free sailing in pretty much any conditions, your first reaction would be: “that guy is nuts”. When he sails he just goes for it 200% and the energy on his moves is unbelievable. Together with Alessio Stillrich, Arthur Arutkin and Noah Voecker-Roche, we will are building our next wave generation to follow in the footsteps of Victor Fernandez and Klaas Voget. – Craig Gertenbach, Fanatic Brand Manager
“I´m really happy to be part of the International Team now! I hope I can spend in future even more time with my team mates on the water, especially Victor, Klaas, Alessio and Arthur, travel around the world, compete and improve my sailing. I hope I can finish my studies this summer and then start improving my skills throughout the contest season and fully attack the PWA tour.” – Leon Jamaer (G-208)
Leon Jamaer also recently joined Project Black Fins, More on that here.
Video: Leon Jamaer in Ponta Preta
More about Leon Jamaer on Fanatic on fan
Windsurfing Fin manufacture Black Project fins announced a few days ago the addition of Leon Jamaer to their ever growing team. Here’s what they had to say on blackprojectfins.com.
We are extremely pleased to be able to report that up and coming German ripper LEON JAMAER has chosen to ride for Black Project Fins in 2013. Leon who broke into the PWA top ten for the first time last year in Denmark and finished 16th overall for the season is looking to find his home securely within the top 10. Leon has just returned home from Cape Verde, despite the limited action he was able to get these great photos and produce this thought provoking video. Known for his video prowess, Leon is a new bread of windsurfing professional who is active both on the water and in the media. He makes the perfect addition to the team as we look to develop the German market this year.
Hot Sails Maui is pleased to announce former three time Worl Wave Champion Kauili Seadi has joined there team.
Kauli joins the innovative Hawaiian brand at a time when development is at its fastest pace in years and he will immediately be working closely with our renowned and talented designers Jeffrey Henderson & Tom Hammerton in Maui. Together Kauli and the team aim to further develop the wave range in the coming months and subsequent seasons. Kauli is well known as an innovator himself and working with Hot Sails Maui will be a perfect fit. The addition of Kauli to this closely knit team, will generate fresh ideas and give a new energy to all in the Hot Sails Maui Ohana worldwide.
Hot Sails Maui has been gaining a lot of attention recently with products including the Firelight, theSuperFreak Maui Edition and most recently the QU4D, which all stand out from the crowd on the water for their innovative designs and exceptional performance.
Kauli is stoked to have Hot Sails Maui support his new project ‘My Dream Tour’ with the aim of inspiring others to travel, dream, and share our wonderful sport with new friends and in new places. The first project on his agenda is his Gostoso adventure, which you will be hearing far more about in the coming weeks and subsequent interviews. With this new move Kauli plans to scale back his PWA appearances in 2013 only competing in waves events with surfing style conditions.
In the months ahead Kauli, Jeff, Tom and the team at Hot Sails Maui will be focused on developing new and exciting products which will push your sailing further than ever before.
The father of Mikey Clancy has released a statement about the sudden death of his son. Mikey took his own life and his father urges anybody who is in a similar situation to seek help and speak out.
Fanatic Boards and North Sails proudly announce 3 all new rookie riders to their International team. Joining the Fanatic North team are youngster Arthur Arutkin, his sister Alice Arutkin, and the beautiful Maxime van Gent. North has also announced the signing of an all new light wind master, Caesar Finies.
The Dutch rider Pieter Bijl (33), currently living on Maui, a very experienced rider who started his profession career in 1998 on the PWA tour. Peter is not only a racer but has worked for Fanatic, NeilPryde and JP to develop many products for the sport. After two year riding and working for JP he’s going to be joining Angulo boards. He joins Angulo as European commercial manager and product developer.
“The fun factor mixed with a very high level of professionalism is what Pieter brings to the table. He and I really see eye to eye on how we like to push things forward with minimum beaurocracy and great expediency . Pieter’s work ethic is probably unrivalled in the windsurf industry and now Angulo and it’s customers will benefit directly from his skill and experience. Also, I’m confident that Pieter will be firmly established in PWA top 10, which is a nice feather in our cap. Pieter and I will work hand in hand to develop the brand and have agreed that focus on the product is off first and foremost importance and our 2013 boards reflect the attention to detail. Welcome Pieter!” Josh Angulo
Philip Köster is just 1 of 6 nominies in the action category of the prestigious Laureus Awards alongside the likes of Stephanie Gilmore (who won 5 of 6 surfing title) and Felix Baumgartner (who jumped from the edge of space with a parachute).
Congratulations to Koester and good luck!
Yesterday tragic news passed through the windsurfing community. Late on Sunday night a passionate and beloved windsurfer left us. At 22 his passing is baffling and more details have not been released as we respect his family’s wish for privacy. This great ambassador for the sport will be true missed and send the deepest sympathies to his family and friends.
Arnon Dagon (ISR-1) Is leaving Gaastra Sails after 4 years riding for them, to go back to Neil Pryde. Arnon is also leaving the Tabou board brand, but that deal is not finalized, saying “Yes, it’s not a done deal yet, but it will be for sure a super top company.” Arnon had some ups and downs on the PWA season this year, but had some highlights in other competitions, including athird place at the Storm Rider Wave event in Israel, the second place at the Formula Europeans at Sylt and the second place at the IFCA Slalom Europeans at Rosas, Catalunya, Spain.
Ben van der Steen (Ned-57) is very fasts Slalom sailor and he has the potential to win a worldtitle, beat the much experienced older racers like Antoine Albeau, Björn Dunkerbeck or Micah Buzianis. In the past two seasons Ben placed 2nd on 4 events, twice in 3rd, and wrapped up the 2011 PWA tour in 3rd overall. After two successful seasons sailing with Loft Sails, he has decided to leave the company and signed a contract with Gaastra.
Josh Angulo and Point-7 recently departed ways so Point-7 could open sponsorship money up to younger team members. Point-7’s International team consitintley generated top 10 results over the last season in all disiciplines of the PWA tour. Windsurfing is very much an individual sport with Point-7 goal to change the training dynamic, and have welcomed 5 new riders aboard who will join the team in Tenerife from mid January until the end of April, to work together in improving their skills, tuning their gear, and develop new ideas.
The five new riders welcomed are:
Maciek Rutkowski – POL 23 – Maciek was first seen on the Formula race fields at a very young age. He is the youngest slalom sailor doing the whole PWA tour and is currently ranked on the 27th place overall.
Alberto Menegatti – ITA 4 – Logistically Alberto is based in the same area as the Point-7 HQ in Italy. Alberto Menegatti “I tried the sails, and I was immediately impressed with their performance. The idea of working together with all the Point-7 team, and directly day after day with Andrea in Garda made me sure that this was the right path!”
Bora Kazanoglu – TUR 11 – is multiple Turkish Champion and at times he takes part in PWA events, and currently leads the IFCA Slalom ranking. Bora also own and run an extremely well organized windsurfing school in Alacati.
Enrico Marotti – CRO 401 – Poiont-7 says, “Enrico had impressed with his speed during his first PWA tour race in Turkey in 2012, and we were happy to take him in the Black Team and give him the team support that is needed get him the experience.”
Bruno Martini – ITA 160 -Seriously dedicated, Bruno is another young Italian Slalom sailor, who is very motivated to improve his skills on the race course.
