20 PROFILE PETE DAVIS
Really looking forward to this season. Zara has a lot
planned which I will be helping with. She is currently
taking part in the La Palme WSSRC Speed World
Record attempt in the south of France. We did two
weeks there on our drive home from Tenerife to the
UK. The wind angle was not the best so all the
competitors were well off their best but the wind can
get strong. The jury is out and we are on standby
until the end of April so let’s see what we get.
World Speed Championships
With my ISWC president’s hat on, we have the World
Speed Championships in Fuerteventura, June, which
is always an exciting event with a good showing of
Brits. It’s also great to have Luderitz back on the
calendar in October. Closer to home, I am an
instructor and race coach for my local T15 squad –
the Axbridge Animals – and we are hoping to repeat
the success of last year where we won the National
T15 Club Championships. No pressure then!
I have been a board member of the UKWA since 2005
and my main involvement is speed sailing. I have been
organising the UKWA Speed Championships since
2006 which is part of Weymouth Speed Week. More
recently I have been involved in the BSA Slalom Series
– doing the marketing and PR for them. Producing a
promo video for each event is a big job, but it’s been
worth it, swelling the numbers to almost twice we had
a few years ago. It’s also a much better return for
sponsors who bank roll events. Lastly, the part I really
enjoy, is organising the annual UKWA Windsurfer of the
Year Awards where a nominee is picked from five
disciplines before a winner is voted on. This has been
a great success and highlighted the fantastic work
done by the UKWA and also the talent we have here in
the UK.
Numbers on the water are holding well and as I said
before slalom sailing is definitely on the up. The sad
part is they are the same people that have been
windsurfing for a long time and we are all getting
older. I would encourage all experienced windsurfers
to get involved with their local T15 club – if there
isn’t one, start one! The satisfaction I get from
working with kids and seeing them progress is
fantastic – they are the future of our sport!
Encouraging youths to take up the sport is a good
start. But we all know someone who used to
windsurf and has given it up. Get in touch and get
them to come and have a go again. The kit from all
manufactures has gotten so much better in recent
years. It’s easy to use, lighter and faster. Better still,
bring them along to a UKWA comp or events like the
NWF and get them to join in.
uk
WIND
SURFING
I personally have not tried foiling but my mate Farrell
O’Shea has a couple and encouraged me to have a
go, which I will do soon. They will become more
mainstream with racers and organisers keen to use
them in lighter winds. The big benefit is lower wind
speeds you can use them in. But with the skills
needed I personally don’t think it’s going to tempt
new people into the sport. It will help the profile of
windsurfing though as they are definitely attention
grabbing.
Encouraging new people
I’m a BIG, BIG fan of windSUP. I have an O’Shea
inflatable and it’s great to get out in light winds and
improve your rig and board handling skills. If you
want to encourage new people into our sport these
are just the ticket. They don’t take up much space,
being the size of a big rucksack, so people can
chuck it in the boot of their car with no need for a
roof rack or a big van.
Simmer Style sails have supported me for about 10
years now and I really rate them. The Icons are
perfect for me – loads of low down power for my
large frame but still controllable and light on the
wave. Zara has a set of speed and slalom Simmer
race sails, which I nick occasionally. They are super-
fast and rock solid, especially when you combine
them with her RRD X-Fire boards. I am sure she has
an unfair advantage with them. We both use RRD
race and wave boards with my favourite being the
RRD Freestyle Wave 104L which makes me look OK
– no mean feat. It has plenty of volume but turns like
an 80L – I love it!