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WINDSURF MAGAZINE: NEWS BULLETIN

Our team of dedicated journalists have been working tirelessly through the night to bring you our latest instalment of juicy news and gossip to keep you up to date of what is happening in the ‘Windsurf’ world!

FAB NEWS!

MARION MORTEFON

Congratulations to Marion Mortefon who just announced will not be competing in the 2025 racing season as she is pregnant with her first child! We wish her all the best in this new chapter in her life and hope to see her back competing at some point in the future! Marion posted on her social media:

TRANSFER WINDOW

As we roll into February the tour season is closing in fast and the heat is on to get all those deals signed. There have been a few late transfers updates in the market going down.

BLANCA ALABAU

Blanca has switched from Starboard to We One boards but will be sticking with Severne sails as far as we know. Blanca posted on social media, this comment: “Excited for this new chapter! I am proud to officially join the We One board company! As an athlete, choosing the right gear is key to performing at my best, and I couldn’t be happier to have We One supporting my journey!”

ALESSIO STILLRICH

Gran Canaria high-flyer, Alessio Stillrich, is back on the water after his devasting ankle injury last season. Formerly with Simmer, Alessio has shifted his allegiance over to Bruch boards and sails for the 2025 season. Alessio announced “I am super excited and thankful for this new chapter! From the very first moment I started talking with Dany, I could feel his passion for the brand and his motivation to have me on the team. I am sure this will be the perfect fit—and my favourite option! I’ve already tested the gear, and it felt like home immediately. I can’t wait to start working closely with everyone involved and to create amazing things together, while hopefully helping the brand grow even more than it already has. Let’s get started!”

JOHN SOUKAS

On the race scene, we have seen the 2023 Youth Fin & Foil Slalom Champion; John Soukas, leave RRD in favour of Challenger sails. John commented “I am incredibly excited to announce that I’m going to be a part of the CHS windsurfing family for the next two seasons! It’s such an amazing opportunity to join a brand that’s all about innovation and performance. I can’t wait to get out on the water, test out the gear, and push my limits with the support of such an awesome team. As they say, “Don’t limit your challenges, always challenge your limits.”

CYRIL EVRARD

Cyril Evrard from Belgium also joins Challenger Sails for 2025. Cyril told the press: “I really happy to be sailing for Challengers sails for the upcoming season , the sails are just amazing and I feel that I will be in better position and battling in front ! The spirit of Claudio and the CHS Family is exactly what I was looking to help me to grown and push to achieve my goal. Now it is time to go to full on training mode and be ready for Guadeloupe!”

SACHA FORTUNE

Another young gun switching brands was the 2024 IFCA Slalom Europeans Fin Slalom U21 Youth Men winner, Sacha Fortune who joined the Duotone Team!

Sacha had this to say “I am so happy to join such an exceptional team like Duotone!  It is like a childhood dream come true! The gear is so fast and easy to use, I was surprised by its effectiveness during my first sessions. Everything is designed so that the gear performs well right out of the box, with plenty of markers that help you enjoy the ride from the very first use. I have literally fallen in love with my new gear, and I can’t wait to show what it’s worth both on fin and foil! A huge thank to the Duotone team for their trust and warm welcome!”

DUOTONE WINDSURFING

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CONTEST NEWS

IWT / PWA MARGARET RIVER WAVE CLASSIC

Julian Salmonn kicked off his journey with Naish Sails in style with a second place at the Margaret River Classic with 5 times PWA world champion, Philip Köster kicking off the season with the victory.

Philip stated, “The first event of the year couldn’t have started better for me. To have the Margaret River event as a 4 star was a great addition to the tour and we scored some amazing conditions. The level of the locals and pros has been as good as it gets, and every heat felt tricky. I am stoked to win this event; it has definitely been a huge challenge, and I can’t wait to be back next year!”.

Jaeger Stone failed to make the final after losing narrowly to Aussie local Peter Kenyen from Geraldton, who landed a big aerial close to the end of a difficult heat. It sounds like the conditions were extremely tricky, thus a few upsets were on the cards!!

Over in the women’s division there was a surprise result, when local ripper Jane Seman came second to newcomer Maria Shalin.

We asked Maria to tell us about here background and her roller coaster ride into the competition scene in Australia.

MARIA SCHÄLIN 

“I used to work as an engineer in research and development, focusing on new processes and materials, while windsurfing was my full-on passion on the side. Last autumn, I made the big call to pause my career and fully dedicate myself to windsurfing. To chase my wave dreams (and dream waves!), my partner and I decided to sacrifice the European winter – we are dedicated freeride skiers and mountain lovers – and head to Western Australia.

After a four-week stopover in Mauritius with some awesome down-the-line conditions, we converted a van into a camper to properly explore the WA coastline. It’s my first time Down Under, and it has been fantastic! So far, we’ve been rewarded with solid training conditions and some amazing encounters. Originally, the Margaret River Wave Classic was announced as a 3-star event, which sounded like a great opportunity to dip my toes into competition.

Later, it got upgraded to a four-star event. But I thought, why not give it a go anyway?

We arrived in Margaret River about ten days before the contest, but a cyclone offshore disrupted the typical wind patterns. I managed to get in around six sessions at Main Break, and each one felt completely different because the weather system was still settling. During my first sessions, the waves were massive by my standards – some set waves were up to double mast high – and the wind was super light, making it extra tricky. Those were some seriously demanding days. But knowing I had to perform in all sorts of conditions during the contest really pushed me to expand my limits. Margaret River is definitely a challenging spot when you first sail there!

Surprisingly, the contest conditions were the most manageable I had experienced since arriving. The waves were considered as “small” (which is about mast high), but we had float-and-ride conditions, with side-onshore wind during the women’s heats. I actually felt quite comfortable – at least I didn’t have to worry about dodging giants eventually breaking on top of your head! That being said, it was still tricky. Positioning at the peak was key to catching waves. But with the onshore wind, there was barely any wind in front of the wave. Oh, and we even had a shark alarm during the heat! But the Aussies didn’t seem too fussed about that…

Well, I never expected to make it to the finals; that’s definitely a no! In mid-January, I had entered the Wave Rally in Geraldton – my first-ever windsurfing competition! It was an incredible weekend that ended even better – I actually won!

Fast forward two weeks, and I was wobbling out to the peak in my first-ever proper wave heat at Margaret River.

So, what did I expect? Not much! Just managing the basics was enough to keep me on my toes – making sure I had the right sail size, getting to the peak on time, sorting out my heat strategy, and balancing risk versus radicalness. These were all things I had never properly thought about before! The other women in the event were all experienced competitors, so winning a World Cup event was definitely a dream – one that somehow became reality way quicker than I ever imagined!

In my second heat, I landed an aerial on a smaller wave, but when I checked the scores, I realised I hadn’t been awarded many points for it. Meanwhile, bigger waves were scoring significantly higher, even if they weren’t ridden as aggressively. So, for the final, I knew what I had to do – focus on hunting down the biggest sets. And that strategy paid off!

Mentally, sailing against Jane Seman was a challenge. You could really feel the energy on the beach – the crowd wanted to see the Aussies take the win! But you just head out and sail the best you can in the conditions you get anyways. Of course, I knew Jane’s name well from following competitions over the years. Sharing a heat with her was already special – but actually winning was mad! She knows this spot like the back of her hand, so being able to compete with her after just a few sessions at her home spot definitely makes me proud!

Aside of the comp, she was very nice and gave me tips on how to survive big days at Main Break. Her sailing inspired me to do it on my own.

I saw I had won on Live Heats before the results were announced, but I told myself I wouldn’t believe it until I actually heard it! When it was confirmed, I was absolutely stoked – unreal! I had entered this event just to see if I could keep up with the level. And now, suddenly, I had won a four-star World Cup event at the legendary Margaret River. So cool!

Well, we’re living super simply in a van at the moment, so when we got back, we realised we didn’t even have a beer in the fridge! So, we just ate our focaccia and went to sleep after this crazy day.

We had to leave Australia right after the event to renew our visas. Right now, we’re already in Bali, and guess what? It’s windy! We’re on the hunt for some side offshore waves and getting some surf sessions in. In a week, we’ll fly back to Perth for a few more weeks of windsurfing before heading to the Canary Islands via Switzerland to train for the next World Cup events.

JANE SEMAN

Jane Seman worked tirelessly to help organize and run the 2025 Margaret River Wave Classic. Her dual role as both organizer and competitor is a testament to her passion and commitment to the sport.

Jane said: “It’s definitely quite stressful to run this event and then also add in competing and helping my son compete at the same time. But we had great conditions and a really fun vibe. It is rewarding to see the stoke on everyone’s faces.

The visiting Europeans loved the wave and the locals really loved having top world tour competitors to sail against”

A big thank you must also go out to the event sponsors, including Severne Windsurfing and the Shire of Augusta-Margaret River, whose support was instrumental in elevating the competition to a 4-star event.

Their contributions, along with those of other partners and volunteers, were crucial in bringing this event to fruition.

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CORNWALL COLD WATER CLASSIC

Sounds like the Cornwall Cold water classic has been delayed until the weekend 21-23rd February due to an inconsistent forecast!

Lets hope next weekend delivers some conditions like these!!

TRIPS AND MEGA SESSIONS

Down in Cape Town it looks like they have been scoring some firing conditions and as usual Maleen Hoekstra has been busy chasing down the best sessions and scoring some epic photos!

Those turquoise waves look epic!

CAPE VERDE

More swells are due to hit Cape Verde according to Kai Katchadourian’s latest swell alert, he has already touched down in Sal ready for his third strike mission of the season. Victor Fernandez is still down in the islands so he will be getting fired up for the next batch of swell!

 

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IRELAND MISSION

JC and Timo Mullen (AKA The Motley Crew) headed over to Ireland last Monday chasing down a monster swell combined with howling SSW winds at Magheroarty.

Known for their hair brained schemes, The Motley Crew managed to work out an itinerary that involved just over twenty hours of travel, for a mere four hours actually at the beach. Are they mad? …Well…yes probably…you can read about this ridiculous mission sometime soon, when JC has fully recovered!

Poor JC had to sleep for two hours on the concrete outside the Southampton Red Funnel Ferry Terminal from 1am – 3am… (The waiting room was closed!) he was not a happy bunny!

SARAH JACKSON – TENERIFE BOUND

Sarah Jackson is on a monster journey down to Tenerife in her trusty van, Lets hope she makes is as last time we saw her down on the south coast chasing the remnants of Hurricane Lee the engine light and various others were constantly flashing and she ended up having to get towed back to Manchester. Reports have come in that she is almost at Tarifa, so it sounds like all is going to plan so far!

MAUI

Some epic days went down at Lanes in the past few weeks and the usual suspects were on it including Robby Naish, Robby Swift and Marcilio Browne. Poor Boujmaa Guilloul got stuck in the airport on the Big Island for over a day due to Kona storms. Meanwhile Levi Siver has recovered from injury and is back out on the water ripping at Ho’okipa!

GOYA WINDSURFING

MARC PARE

SIMMER STYLE

We hear Marc Pare is off to Chile on a training and testing mission so hope to get some insights from him on how the mission goes!

THINKING OF A HOLIDAY!

CLUB VASS

We hear there are still a few early bird specials on the Club Vass website, plus spaces are going fast for the upcoming summer! So get that dream holiday booked up quick!!!

HARRY NASS

If you fancy a windsurf trip to Egypt then don’t forget to check out the Harry Nass website for some of the amazing deals they have on offer.

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COMING UP!

We have lots of new and interesting features in the pipeline! There are some more Board Talks with Victor Fernandez and Marc Pare coming soon as well as a speed special with no other than Antoine Albeau and Bjorn Dunkerbeck, who tell us about the 2024 season in Lüderitz! There are some big galleries coming up from some of the latest storms in the UK as well as the much-anticipated return of the Big Fifty, Taty Frans just kicked off the latest in the series and we have some very special guests who are busy filling out their answers as we speak! Ooooh and how about Playlists of the Pro’s?…What do the Windsurf stars listen to to get fired up for a session or a competition heat?…Don’t worry we are on the case!

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