Foils are the way to go?

Little by little, the developments of hydrofoils make those a viable option for windsurfers and kiteboarders. When the equipment becomes more affordable, no doubt we'll foil-equipped riders at our local spots.

A recent demo at the Wind Mag sponsored Dakhla festival:

Surfing in your garden

Wavegarden is a cost effective and environmentally friendly wave generation technology that is now available to the public. For the first time Wavegarden makes economically-viable inland wave sports and lifestyle facilities possible.

It is also a great tool to teach surfing.

Marisa Miller's SUP

In our celebrities series, we now introduce top model Marisa Miller endorsing her SUP board... and some flattering outfits to go out on the water with it.

Enjoy:

Good morning Richard!

In our series of high profile personnalities endorsing watersports advertisements, Sir Richard Branson raised the bar up to out-of-reach levels for us mere mortals. Fun little movie:

Robby Naish, the advertisement star

I was just recovering from seeing Robby windsurfing all dressed up in elegant Tommy Hilfiger business suits, now he's doing a stint for Porsche. Well, Robby has always been fond of cars, so it should be no surprise:

Kelly did it: 10x world champ10n !

Amazing career and achievement for the king of surfing:

 

http://www.aspworldtour.com/2010/11/06/kelly-slater-clinches-historic-10th-asp-world-title-in-puerto-rico-3/

Forget Nespresso and George Clooney, here comes Laird Hamilton's coffee!

If George's Nespresso is too posh for you and you're in the hunt for a real coffee for real men. Or if you want to live the surfing way of life all the way to your kitchen, Laird Hamilton's coffee is what you need. Sip and enjoy:

http://www.lairdhamilton.com/index.php/2010/10/30/lairds-italian-espresso-roasted-in-maui/

World record smashed, first wind powered man at over 100km/h on the water

Kitesurfer Alex Caizergues is the first wind powered rider, to achieve a speed of over 100km/h on the water on a 500m course. Currently racing at Luderitz / Namibia. The images are impressive:

I want my SUP served small, please

Gong SUP shaper, rider, manager, delivery-man, coffee-maker etc Patrice Guénolé seems totally convinced short SUPs are now ready for the market.
Check-out http://www.gongsup.com for a preview of the 2011 board line, which includes several of those short beauties, no longer than 6' and a few inches.

I can't wait to visit him and go for a ride on one of those beauties. Did I mention that the quality seems absolutely heads, shoulders and even hips above anything I've seen on the market? Made of carbon and bamboo fibers (dubbed caribou) and including additional natural components in the manufacturing process, these boards are a step in the right direction towards environment friendliness and are stiff, light, durable and with a mirror like touch!

See by yourself:

http://www.gongsup.com

Whales!

Check out the photo reporter's web site, worth visiting:

http://images.michaelpoliza.com/p920094955/h3c5571a2#h3c5571a2