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January 21, 2008

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That's COOL! I like the musical instruments analogy.

I have been looking at a Pro-Am wave fin as my freestyle fin candidate, although these GSport fins look pretty popular in Bonaire. According to the (now 2 years out of date) GSport website, the T1 was designed with input from Taty Frans and family.

One thing to remember about the Bonaire sailors is that those guys are spectacular freestylers...they may be using a less forgiving fin. It's a much more upright fin than the sawed off wave fins that a number of people use (notably on Long Island is Mike Burns...you might ask him.)

GSport has historically been a mess online...arguably having the worst website of any manufacturer in the windsurfing business. That's too bad, because the fins are good.

I took a close look at a few of their rigs and thought -- how in the heck do these guys stay upwind? And why are they always using 5.6's and planing before everyone else?!

It's all about the TOW I suppose?

They've had enormous amounts of time on the water, but they also had excellent instruction when they were first windsurfing (Elvis Martinus, who teaches at Windsurf Place, was instructor and mentor to "The Bonaire Kids" before they were international freestyle sensations.) The old saying "there's no substitute for time on the water" is not entirely accurate. There IS a substitute for some time on the water: good instruction. If you can get yourself to an ABK clinic this year, ask about early planing on small sails. There's a lot to talk about...the technique is subtle, but it's definately technique, gear set-up and gear selection.)

It's all down to good instruction. When my son John did his clinic with Jem Hall one of the things Jem stressed on was the 'Early planing technique'. 90% of surfers worldwide do all the worst things to get planing early...........including me, but just a few of Jems tips and I already feel a big difference. John will get planing in absolutely anything - almost, so if he is not planing then it definitely is not worth rigging up.

When I borrowed Hendrick's board this past summer I looked at his 3 inch fin in dismay. I tried to sail it but could not...it's amazing how these guys shred on such tiny fins..crazy or loco as they say there..

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    "It's good to have a shredmobile" my friend Caldwell said, so I made one. It's a Ford E150 cargo van done up with lumber and k-mart plastic boxes.

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