Surfladle

Been another chilly week and apart from a blisteringly good Big Wednesday for the SUP and Surf community, as a rather nice swell brought shoulder high waves to the South Coast, it has been pretty uneventful, apart from more MP shuffling and another rise in interest rates. Very sadly that cannot be said of Turkey and Syria, as the destruction caused by a natural event is just dreadful and I don’t think anyone cannot be ‘moved’ by so many lives taken and by so much suffering for those that have survived but have lost everything, including their loved ones. 

War is just as devastating and in every conflict taking place in this World, we as a race dish out the pain,  but in most cases you can see it coming and will, in a way, be prepared for it.. no one was ready for what happened last Monday. 

 

I mentioned earlier today that Karl from Poole, who is the head honcho at Pryde Group UK dropped by earlier in the week and this morning Andy Chambers from Goya / Quatro -KT also came along from Poole to give us a quick run-down on the new kit for 2023. Their KT Ginxou Wing foiling boards are definitely offering something different as KT (Keith Taboul of Quatro fame)  have moved the releasing tail channel from behind the foil to in front of it. This creates a better releasing edge but more so, a better rider ‘feel’ and foil reaction to rider input, due to there being less board volume / material between the foil top plate and your foot (more depth between the deck and the foil means a greater amount of rider movement is required to alter the flight angle of the foil.. I think). Of course, for every good action there is generally a bad reaction and the downside of this design is that the board tends to tail sink when getting onto it, but as KT have gone to the trouble of placing a Patent on the design, the ‘good action’ must work really well and likely to have been hijacked by other designers!  Boards are available in sizes from 4’2” to 5’6”  and the price ranges from £1849.00 to £2249.00. 

 

The Quatro SUP board range is becoming available again,  after a shortage due to the company focusing on their windsurfing board production whilst Covid curbed the output of the Cobra factory (in Thailand) where all of the boards, including the KT wing boards, are manufactured.

The Glide has been their all-round design but in previous years they were maybe ‘all round’ in Hawaii but not quite Euro style. So, for 23 they have improved the boards to give more stability and a better directional ability, which has made them into a board that suits our area, where people do like to do a bit of flatwater / river paddling, as well as playing on those Big Wednesday waves, as and when available. The boards also have a windsurfing deckplate mount, as why not sail it when it is too windy to paddle? They are available in five sizes from 8’6” to 10’2” and in two constructions, Wood and the Max Pro carbon. RRP in Wood ranges from £1469.00 to £1549.00 and for the Pro it’s £1969.00 to £2069.00 (weight is approx. .8kg less ).

 

The Varioflex paddle range is pretty impressive too, with ALL of their paddles incorporating a D shaped fiberglass or carbon handle shaft to prevent twist. The carbon content (adds stiffness and subtracts weight) and blade sizes (Small 75 blade, faster / easier paddling rate for Small People and wave use, where acceleration is a must.. through to a Medium 80 and onto the Large 90 blade for a more ‘relaxed’ rate or Big People on wave boards, that need to Move Water) paddling stroke to suit all paddlers needs. The composite bladed 2-part paddle with a fiberglass D shaft is £109.00, the C35 2 part is £179.00 (pretty light for 35%!) , the Pro 65% 2 part is £299.00. The 100% paddle is only available in 75 / 80 and is a reassuring £379.00. We will have stock arriving in the near future.

You can see more about the KT wing kit,  Quatro SUP kit and of course Keith’s world famous windsurfing boards at https://quatromaui.com/

 

We have a couple of used windsurfing boards ‘just in’ and I will post more about the Naish Starship 100lt and RRD Wave Cult Quad 75 tomorrow, but now, it’s time for the weekends main event, the Weather and Tides! 

 

Saturday, the Met Office have the wind coming in from a Nor- Westerly direction first thing at 4-10kt and then staying Nor-West 3-9kt  during the morning, decreasing to 5kt during the afternoon as it swings to almost a Westerly by dusk. Windguru have a slightly different view on directions and timing but the wind is just not strong enough to have any worth… or does it?

No rain but overcast with a top temp of 11°C. Tide is High at 14.17hrs on a 5.7m. Could be good SUP weather, if you have waterwear to suit of course.

 

Sunday, the wind has gone around 180° and is coming in from the East at 6 -10kt. By midday it has swung to the Sou-East and will be 6-13kts during the afternoon, so Wings and Kite foil is possible.. as is SUP! More overcast than Saturday with a 10% chance of rain and a temp of 9°C tops. Tide is High at 14.55hrs on a 5.6m.

 

And that’s that for this week’s ramble.. sorry if it has not been particularly varied and I will try to get more local news, along with Whats’on this Weekend, just as soon as our winter weather ‘goes away’ and beach life resumes. Do have a great weekend and be prepared for Valentine’s Day, which is next Tuesday.

I’m off to go a wandering, along a dark and lonely track…