ED’S NOTE 3
WIND
SURFING
uk
TEZ PLAVENIEKS
FEBRUARY 2020
RIP DANNY SEALES:
1973-2020
I never met Danny
Seales. I do know
him as one of those
riders you always
heard about; a
ripper, a legend and
cheeky, friendly
chappy. Hailing from
Shoreham, learning
his windsurfing craft
with the likes of Nik
Baker Danny made the move to Fuerte where he
quickly stamped his signature all over Cotillo – one
of the heaviest beach breaks in the world.
Having taken up kiting, and quickly proving himself as a top
rider in that discipline, Danny established himself on the island
as one of the best. (He was a pretty good surfer too by all
accounts).
I learned about Danny’s recent passing via Corky Kirkham’s FB
stream. It’s hard for everyone to accept Danny has now moved
on. Not least because he was only in his 40s and leaves a
daughter, India, behind.
Danny will be remembered with great fondness, leaving a
legacy of top quality watermanship in his wake. His life may
have been cut short but from all I know he lived it to the full.
We should all do the same. Rest in peace Danny Seales.
The best time
I know I say this a lot but there’s definitely an air of positivity
and drive surrounding windsurfing at the moment. Just look at
the evidence. New brands popping up with big name team
riders (AV Boards recently signed Bjorn Dunkerbeck and
Jacopo Testa) whilst Exocet/XO partnered with Julien Quentel
and both brands got involved with the PWA (again for the
latter). And talking about big signings and the PWA, Naish
made a world tour support come back whilst nabbing
Campello and Sniady. Then there’s the Windsurfer LT class
which is going from strength.
Our very own UK crew were getting onboard last year (see Any
Stuart-William’s Euros report) and word on the grapevine is
Twitter:
@tezwoz
Instagram:
@tez_plavenieks_
sup_wind
Photos:
Source unknown
there’s going to be a bunch of WLT grass roots races held in
2020. That’s great news for ‘everyman windsurfing’ and all
comers who just want to get afloat in whatever conditions and
enjoy the social aspect with a bit of light racing and banter
afterwards. And don’t forget new innovations from the likes of
Mistral who should be landing soon with a new rig concept
(see cover shot) and inflatable windsurf board technology.
At ground level, from my own perspective, there’ve been good
days through winter which have attracted large numbers. In
previous years kiters outnumbered windies but of late it’s been
more or less equal. I’d rather not get into a measuring
contest, as both sports are great, but it’s nice to see.
And what of the recently announced iFoil for the Olympics?
Well, by and large it seems to have been received well. Sure,
there’ll be those not into the idea. But it’s a positive step
forwards and a way to inject a bit of excitement in to a stale
genre. By all accounts it’s doing a good job of (globally)
enticing younger sailors into the fold as well. Although that can
be attributed to foiling in general.
Then there’s these wingy things. Now some of you mightn’t be
bothered about them either. But, they’re sure doing a good job
of dangling carrots to those previously not into windy sports.
Purists may pfft at them, and some may not even call it
windsurfing. It isn’t. It’s a derivative but part of the same
family. And that’s positive for my money whilst also making it
applicable to coverage in this very mag.
Here’s to a brand new season on the water! And a brand new
season of Windsurfing UK magazine. Enjoy…season of
Windsurfing UK magazine. Enjoy…
uk
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