Action-packed in Tenerife this week!
I’m taking a clinic at El Medano where the Duotone and TWS centers are. ...Just arrived. More to come!

Wow! Can't wait for more. What a view!

First day was cranking 25-32kn! After 3 months of inactivity, that was a bit steep. But never mind how I did on the water; how cool that is to have dinner with Marco Lang, Jordy Vonk, Lena Erdil and Nimet Tulumen!

Lena and Jordy, (Nimet looking away)


Marco foreground and Lena + Jordy in the background

Incredible! Have lot’s of fun!!

Yes! This is a lot of fun. this trip was organized by 2Rad, the windsurf shop in Canada. Accommodations are modern condos on the beach where you can pack 6 guys and discover that snoring comes in a wide range of sound effects. The place is literally 50 yards away from the Duotone/TWS Center which is just next door to a delicious and affordable breakfast and lunch restaurant with outdoor seatings and fresh-squeezed orange juice.
We’re about 20 on this trip: US, German, French, and mostly Canadians!

So far, the wind wasn’t missing: the place is a bit crazy with 26-28 knots gusting all the time above +32 knots. The ocean is generating big swell with that kind of weather but the shorebreak is manageable. The only downside is the first 100-150 yards out is a bit fluky with one of the tall town buildings protecting the bay and generating a wind shadow. So it’s good to time the exit out the shorebreak during a good gust and between series of waves.

The centers have the latest in top conditions. The Duotone center has mostly new Fanatic and Duotone 2020 stuff plus a few 2019 in great conditions. I’ve been riding Fanatic Freewave 95 and 105, and Fanatic Grip 92 and 102 in a thruster configuration so far with Super Hero and Super Session sails ranging from 4.0 to 5.2 (mostly 4.0, 4.2, 4.5). Some might think 95 liter in these conditions is too much. Well, I’m 90kg and I like a bit of buoyancy to help planning through the “lulls”!

After 3 months of winter inactivity, the kind of conditions we have so far are just the slap in the face one needs to wake up from hibernation. Good training for those once or twice a year offshore Lake Michigan big days though. A few pics from the first 2 days just to bring a bit of color to this post. And again, the GoPro flattens nicely the swell which I guess is 10-14 feet deep in some cases.

A few pics from the first 2 days just to bring a bit of colors to this post.

Can I have a free lesson when you get back ?

looks awesome!

Tenerife is over.
What an experience! This trip confirmed how average my sailing skills are but how addictive this sport is and how great the people doing it are.

A few highlights:
Top-notch organization from Vincent at 2RAD
Great food everywhere in El Medano
Great camaraderie from all the windsurfers on this trip (about 15 of us)
Five days on freewave kits with 28-38 knots and one day on freerace kits with 15-20 knots
Face to face breakfast with Adam Lewis
A couple of dinners and chats with The Pros: Jordy Vonk, Lena Erdill, Marco Lang, Vincent Langer
A live question and answer session with Pierre Mortefon via Video Conference
A visit of the Duotone sail loft and development center with a chat with Kai Hopf, Chief Sail Designer
A sail tuning clinic with Jordy Vonk and Marco Lang on one of Jordy’s race sail
A prime and unobstructed view of the Pros rigging alley and the training courses from the terrasse of our appartement
Most recent 2020 equipment from the TWS and Duotone Center
A twisted knee and ankle
A lot of screwed up jibes
And a few of my most under-control “high” jumps!
In short, this trip was a blast. I need a vacation to recover, though!

In case of danger, let go of everything


Woohoo!


Flip it, now!




Catching up to Vincent


Jumpy-Greg! (Photo credit Benjamin Boerez)


Shark bait


More pics coming up:
El Medano, the Pros and the Duotone Loft

that last pic bro

awesome trip!

Thanks Kevin.

Still watchin’? Here’s time with the pros. I’m not a big fan of autograph chasing and selfies with celebs so no intentional pics of me with one of these. But I have to say that having the chance to casually exchange life experiences during breakfast with Adam Lewis or asking a few tips to Jordy Vonk on how to best set my foil at home on my Falcon, or just sharing a beer with Marco Lang is nice. Good PR for Duotone and a unique experience for us. Nice of them for taking the time - even though it might be part of their job supporting their sponsor.

Beer time with questions and answers. Always interesting to be given a glimpse at the lifestyle of PWA athletes.


How about a live chat session with Pierre Mortefon, 2019 World Slalom Champion?


“Private” tuning lesson with Jordy and Marco. Got some very interesting tips on how they set their sails!



And the Duotone Loft visit. This is where Kai Hopf designs and fine-tune sails and works with the Pros to test, alter and improve the next season’s sails. Expert craftsman and woman from SriLanka are building prototypes that will be tested on the water tomorrow!





And finally Adam Lewis shredding this tiny shorebreak to pieces in an aggressive off the lip!

Awesome! Ezzy take notes, you might loose a customer to Duotone !

Ady wrote:
Ha! Good point! ...Been drinking the kool-aid!

By the way, After trying a few sails and boards from the same company, here are my favorites:
Fanatic Jag 125l + Duotone S-Pace 8.3 in lightwind conditions
Fanatic Freewave 105l Thruster fin setup + Duotone SuperSession 4.5 to 5.3

I'm close to 90kg and the extra byoancy as well as the power of the 5 batten sail and the cams on the freerace was keeping things going without too much work!

I tried the E-Pace 7.3 and it almost felt as heavy to handle as the 8.3 S-Pace. In that size sail, I really don't like the on/off nature of rotational sails. I'm sure some will love the E-Pace but to me, if you're in for some freeracing and are on the heavyweight side, I'd go S-Pace without hesitation. I didn't try the Warp but was told that it is a beast!
I also tried the SuperHero (4-batten) and for the same reason as above, that sail is too much on/off for me. I like things a bit more powered all the time.
The Jag was fun to ride on the single light wind day we had. I couldn't really found what it really had under the hood as the conditions were still full with swell and chop but very comparable to my Goya Bolt. And I also tried the Fanatic Grip 92l and found that it needs a lot of work to get it going - was coming off planning too often to make this a fun experience. Others with more active riding style really liked it.
Finally, I sailed the 105 Freewave (also tried the 95l) and by far the thruster setup was my favorite. The board is incredibly fast in that setup (I clocked 28mph in heavy conditions!), offers easy planing and good turning in the swell.