58PROFILEMEGGIE KRAFT
And location to sail? For flat water I enjoy sailing at Weymouth because there is a lot of room inside the harbour walls to work on speed. For bump and jump West Wittering is a great location because at low tide it has The Trench. I can dip in and out of the waves as I see fit. Eastbourne also works well for bump and jump if the conditions suit.
Talk us through your kit – what are you using? For slalom sailing I have Tabou and Vandal kit. The boards I have are as follows: 2016 Tabou Speedster 85( 128 litres), the 2017 Tabou Speedster 75( 118 litres), the 2016 Tabou Rocket wide( 108 litres) and the 2017 Tabou Rocket wide( 100l). The sails I use are Vandal Missions( twin cam) in sizes 6.8m, 7.8m and 8.8m. I found that after some careful kit tuning I have some very quick combinations of kit that are durable and look great out on the water.
For bump and Jump I have a range of kit. The boards I have are: 2017 Tabou 3S( 96 litres), the 2017 Tabou Pocket Wave( 86 litres) and the 2009 Tabou DaCurve( 79 litres). The sails I use for bump and jump are the Vandal Riots. I have these in sizes 3.6m, 4.2m, 4.7m, 5.3m and 5.8m. I also have a Vandal Enemy 3.3m for when it is really windy. This huge variety allows me to get out regardless of the conditions, it means I can practice my Bump and Jump skills and get used to being in the waves.
Generally I have all bases covered for kit meaning I can get out whenever I have the time.
Do you compete? If so, what draws you to comps? I have competed since I was nine years old. I started out in the RYA racing programme called‘ Team 15’. This allowed me to race with other people of a similar age and ability over a series of four regional events. If we as a team, The Spray Sprites, won three or more of these events we were given the honour of attending the National Windsurfing Championships, previously known as the Champions Cup.
As a team we were incredibly successful and I attended the National Championships in 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016. I joined the RYA East / South East Techno Zone Squad in 2013 and trained with them for three years. Whilst with this squad I attended two Eric Twiname Championships( ET’ s). In 2016 at the ET’ s I placed 5th and won the title of first girl in the 7.8m Techno Class, helping my team win the event overall. In summer 2016 I also competed in the Techno 293 European Championships in Sopot, Poland. This was a great experience that offered me the chance to race on an international level. As of 2017 I am competing in the British Slalom Association events. This is a new discipline for me. I am excited to
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WIND SURFING try racing on new kit and with new people. I am a competitive person generally, so I enjoy racing and I enjoy the social side of the events, for example meeting and getting to know new people.
Any plans to take this further – PWA or Olympics for instance? I would like to place well this year within the British Slalom Association amateur fleet. My future plans are to inspire and encourage new people into the sport by being a windsurfing instructor. My first season of instructing will be at Buzz Active, which is the place where it all began for me.