Get ready for lift off

My friend Casey Hauser jointly with the epicsessions.tv team, with the support of Red Bull, selected a group of 16 windsurfers, for a new form of event in Gran Canaria on June 24th. This is a jumping contest, where participants carried a very special kind of GPS to record and broadcast live the very details of their jump (flight would be a more appropriate word).

3 categories:
- highest jump
- best trick
- biggest wipe-out (ouch...)

A video summary of the event:

More info here:

http://www.redbull.es/cs/Satellite/es_ES/Red-Bull-Rockets/001243025914428

And now, Kauli wins in SUP too

After Kai Lenny winning the first stage of the World Stand Up Tour, we now have 3 times windsurfing wave world champion Kauli Seadi winning in SUP too. But mind you, not in a surfing contest, but in a long distance contest! A physical and resistance statement at this long distance in Brazil, sponsored by Red Bull.

Kauli was riding a JP Australia SUP, but not a long distance prototype, despite the lower gliding speed of this allround board, he got the job done. Congrats!

More info:
http://www.redbull.com/cs/Satellite/en_INT/Sports/Water-Sports/001242745960432

Is this the short term future?

Weird leech design is making a come back on wave sails, quad fin wave boards are all the buzz (in addition to Kauli, it is rumored that Thomas Traversa is testing quad fins). We shall find out when the 2010 collections show up in surf shops if these are just R&D prototypes or the real thing.

quad fins for Kauli Seadi ? No more twinsers ?

Several news are giving me the impression that Kauli Seadi may be about to start a new trend.

Two years ago, at the Punta Preta Cabo Verde PWA event, Kauli's stellar surfing style on his new twinser boards made everyone realize this was a way to go. Fast forward to January 2009: every pro sailor has a twinser in his quiver and most brands have twin fin wave boards in their product line.

February 2009: if those photos are correct, it seems Kauli is now in Cabo Verde with quad fins board. Then again, if he impresses everyone with his waveriding style at the upcoming PWA event, will everyone scramble to move to 4 fins, swallow tails and wingers?

Time will tell.

For now, I let you meditate these photos found on:
Windmag.com (http://www.windmag.com/News/2154-exclu-des-nouveaux-jouets-pour-kauli.html)
and Windsurfjournal.com (http://www.windsurfjournal.com/frontblocks/news/pop_up_news.asp?id_news=16789&ID_BB_LANGUAGES=1)