Articles by Tez Plavenieks

Windsurfing history encyclopedia

M – Moreno twins: two ladies who dominate competitive female windsurfing

Iballa and Daida Moreno are two fiercely competitive twins hailing from the sunny Canary Island swho have dominated women’s windsurfing over the years. Both are extremely skilful in a variety of disciplines including wave sailing, freestyle and stand up paddle surfing. With the consistent Trade Winds of the Canaries, plus the proving grounds of Pozo on their doorstep, where inspiration […]

Windsurfing history encyclopedia

I – the iRig: 100% inflatable windsurfing rig designed for easy access to windsurfing

Designed to make windsurfing as accessible and easy to learn as possible the iRig debuted late 2016 and is billed as the first fully inflatable windsurfing rig. Utilising kitesurfing technology it’s described as being 70% lighter than standard rigs, floats on the water’s surface and requires next to instruction to use making is a hassle free product to use. Having […]

Windsurfing history encyclopedia

N – Nik Baker: x6 World Indoor Windsurfing Champion, Aloha Classic winner and one of Britain’s best windsurfing talents

In 1990 indoor windsurfing was born with the Palais Omnisports de Paris – Bercy making its spectacular debut. It was during this first indoor event that Britain’s Nik Baker, from the south coast, flourished and went on to add a whopping x6 Indoor World Championships to his name. Nik’s no slouch in the actual ocean either and following a long […]

Windsurfing history encyclopedia

O – Olympic debut for windsurfing during 1984; Stephan van den Berg takes gold

Windsurfing made its debut during the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. As a new sport anticipation was high but it was ultimately Stephan van den Berg who took the gold. Stephan then went on to also win the 1988 Olympics which took place in Seoul, South Korea. Competing in the LA Games against Stephan was the UK’s Dave Hackford who eventually ended […]

Windsurfing history encyclopedia

G – GPSspeedsurfing.com launches in 2008

When GPSspeedsurfing.com launched in 2008 this provided a virtual leaderboard and space for windsurfers addicted to breaking sound barriers to pit their wits and compete against fellow speed enthusiasts on a global scale. With cooperation from the ISWC and PKRA it was also an online platform for other craft to also get involved and compare just which water born sled is the […]

Windsurfing history encyclopedia

G – Goita: new school wave sailing manoeuvre

The goita, which crossed over from waves to flat water via the ponch (invented by Maui based Kevin Ponchitera), is a new school wave move that sees riders hit the lip before throwing the sail to windward and towards the tail. This causes the rider and board to rotate over the rig in 360 fashion and ideally land back on […]

Windsurfing history encyclopedia

Z – Zakynthos (Zante), Greece: lesser known Greek windsurfing holiday destination

Although the Peligoni Club is based on Zakynthos it’s not a Greek island widely popular with windsurfing crowds. Yet on it’s day the region’s Meltemi can kick in and blow up to planing speeds that’ll see most windsurfers blasting back and forth happily. Zante, as the island’s more commonly referred to, is a hotspot for Brits abroad style holidays, with […]

Windsurfing history encyclopedia

X – F2 Xantos: classic freeride design from long time windsurfing brand

F2’s Xantos has appeared in a few different guises, yet it’s always been a board about easy freeride. Utilising an egg shaped design, with the majority of volume towards the rear of the board underfoot, it was aimed at the freeride market and described as an easy blaster with decent speed and user friendly. Probably the most recognisable Xantos was […]

Windsurfing history encyclopedia

E – Egypt: windsurfing’s reliable flat water travel destination

Egypt, for many years, was a staple for many windsurfers looking for reliable winds, warm waters and good weather. In particular spots like Dahab, on the Sinai Peninsula, Hurghada, the harder to reach Soma Bay and wave spot of El Tur were big draws for many Euro’s in the off season. Apart from El Tur, which offers a second beach […]

Windsurfing history encyclopedia

C – cigarettes: big brand windsurfing support from tobacco companies

Back in the day, when windsurfing was still fledgeling, the health implication surrounding such things as cigarettes weren’t as widely promoted. These were days when smoking was still deemed cool and advertising standards not as stringent as today. Fag companies, as some refer to them, were big brand supporters of windsurfing which can be seen by some of the magazine […]