2011 Ezzy Wave Panther 3 Now in stock at 2XS

Posted on by Emile Kott

The new Ezzy Wave Panther 3 (2011) windsurfing wave sails are now in stock at 2XS. We have them in all colours and we also have demo sails, so you can try before you buy!

We also have some amazing deals on both new 2010 Ezzy Wave Panther 2s and 2009 Ezzy Wave Panther 1s that we have in stock and ready to ship to you.

To add to that, we have a selection of used Ezzy Wave Panther 2 Sails that you may be interested in.

The New Ezzy Wave Panther 3

The new Ezzy Wave Panther 3 is the 2011 replacement of 2010’s very successful Ezzy Wave Panther 2.

Dave Ezzy has worked to produce a sail that is even lighter in your hands than last year’s model.

The large changes to the Ezzy Wave Panther 3 are:

  • An enlarged centre scrim leech panel
  • A reduced technora leech panel
  • A modified (higher) foot profile
  • Mini leech battens

As always with Ezzy Wave Sails, the Ezzy Wave Panther 3 is an evolution of the previous year’s deisgns. This means that the sails will feel instantly familiar if you have an older Ezzy Wave SE, Ezzy Wave Panther or Ezzy Wave Panther 2.

If you haven’t used an Ezzy Sail for a while, you will notice the reduced weight of the sails – much lighter than previous models (Ezzy Wave SE and Ezzy Wave Panther 1).

The wind range of the Ezzy Wave Panther 3 is absolutely superb – each wave sail size has a great bottom and top end, getting you going early and being solid and dependible when maxed.

The tuning range has been increased on this new Ezzy Wave Panther 3. Both the outhaul and downhaul allow a large range of adjustment on the sails, stopping you having to walk up the beach to change!

Demo a New Ezzy Wave Panther 3 2011

If you are not 100% sure about buying an Ezzy Wave Panther 3 2011, then why not try before you buy?

We have 2011 Ezzy Wave Panther 3 sails at our West Wittering RRD and Ezzy test centre.

To arrange a demo during the winter months, call Simon on 0774 775 8883 or email him – simon@2xs.co.uk. The charge for testing is £25 per hour which we will refund against the cost of new sails.

Trade in?

We will trade in old Ezzy sails against an Ezzy Wave Panther 3. If you are interested in a trade in, give us a call on 01243 512 552 or email.

Masts

The Ezzy Wave Panther 3 works best on Ezzy Skinny Masts. These are the masts that are used during the testing of the sails so they ensure the best results.

The masts can be purchased complete or in sections.

The reason Ezzy is the only sail brand to offer this is that it gives you the best mast match for each size of sail, meaning you get 100% performance. It also means that generally you need less masts in your quiver!

To work out the best mast solution for your quver of sails, take a look at the Ezzy Skinny Mast Chart.

Check the Ezzy Wave Panther 3 (III) sail specs.

Ezzy and 2XS

2XS has been heavily involved with Ezzy from the beginning.

Simon Bassett was in Maui in March this year, testing the Ezzy Wave Panther 3 with Dave Ezzy. If you want more information, give Simon a call on 01243 512 552 or email him

Video of the Ezzy Wave Panther 3 in action

Escaping the cold: Emile, Neal, Jess and Jen’s Barbados trip 2010

Posted on by Emile Kott

Neal Gent, Jess, Jen and I (Emile Kott) are just nearing the end of a magic stay in Barbados.

We have had a real mixed bag of conditions and have been all over the island! We have surfed the East Coast (Parlors and The Soup Bowl), the South Coast (South Point and Freights) and the West Coast (Sandy Lane and Maycocks). To add to all of that, the trade winds decided to kick in a bit early this season, so we have had some great sailing and kiting at Silver Sands on the South Coast.

The truly special part of this trip for me was a really fun left-hand reef break in front of the expensive Sandy Lane Hotel. This was just a short walk from where we were staying. Being a west-facing Caribean side break, it is more fickle than the east (Atlantic side) so we have been really lucky to have this wave breaking for a lot of the time we have been here.

All of these photos were kindly taken by Graham Gent. The break is ideal for photographs as the waves break very close to a nice shady tree!

The following shots are from a Spot on the East Coast called “The Soup Bowl”. It’s a favourite of Kelly Slater and is quite a heavy, scary wave as you can see! (pics by Jess Napper)

The final shots are from a spot called Maycocks in the North West. Weirdly. We surfed it on quite a small day – weirdly, the photos make it look bigger than it felt! (pics by Graham Gent)

We will definitely be back to Barbados. Surfing, windsurfing and kiting in board shorts, friendly locals, great food, beautiful scenery and easy living make this the ideal place to escape the cold, European winter.

During our trip, we stayed in a great villa on the South Coast, very near Oistins and Silver Sands (so ideal for windsurfers). The self catered villa is beautiful with everything that you need (including ac in every room and even a washing maching and tumble dryer!)

The villa is owned by Paolo, an Italian pro surfer, so not only can he provide perfect accomodation, he can also give you ideas of where to go each day! For details, have a look at this Cotton Bay Villa

West Wittering Action Today

Posted on by Emile Kott

Jem,Paul,Innes, Tatsy, Andy R and plenty of others were out on the water this afternoon on 3.5s (including Jem) and 4.0s. The wind blasted through with gusts up to 50 knots some pretty decent action out there. The pics speak for them selves,nice backies from Paul and Innes, forwards from Jem and Paul.

pics by Simon Bassett /2XS


Ezzy Wave Panther 3 (III) 2011

Posted on by Emile Kott
New Ezzy Wave Panther 3s (III) will be arriving in UK sometime between late december and early January.

It looks like Dave Ezzy has rounded the clew and changed the panel layout, slightly reducing the technora leech panel and increasing the centre scrim (non-clear) panel.

From a handling point-of-view, on the 2011 Ezzy Wave Panther prototype that I tried in Maui in March: this will reduce the apparent weight of the sail (giving a lighter feel in your hands when you are on the water).

There will be 3 new colours available.
Prices to be confirmed.
If you want any more information, please contact simon@2xs.co.uk / 0774 775 8883

Fanatic and North 2011 Dealer trip to Mauritius

Posted on by Emile Kott

Simon Bassett was sent out to test some of the new 2011 Fanatic and North products at the Indian resort in La Mourne, Mauritius -a tough job but someone has to do it.

Simon:
Nik Baker told me before we left that we have all the Fanatic SUPs, North kite gear and Fanatic windsurfing toys available to us to use every day. When we got there it seemed to get better than paradise island -the itinerary seemed pretty good – yoga with Kirsty Jones(until she damaged her leg kiting)- paddle surfing then windsurfing or kiting all day. Then drink as much beer and rum as you could, all on Baker’s tab.

The place is an awesome 15 square miles of warm flat water with side shore, port tack winds. The outer reef, Manawa which is pretty amazing is around 100 meters offshore – a smaller inner reef called “little reef “ which bends round and turns into a fast charging hollow barrel called One Eye.

Not only did we get some decent wind and swell, but we had some of the worlds top riders on hand, On the windsurf frontk, Marcillo Browne, “Brawzihno”, World No1 Victor Fernandez and Klass Voget who were testing new boards and busting the big moves on the water. Sebastian Wetzel the shaper from Fanatic was on hand with North sail designer Kai Hopf.
There was a good crowd of UK dealers out on the trip – Callumn Edge, recent 2010 BKSA kitesurfing course race champion was looking after the kite side of things with the usual suspects at the bar each evening: Jamie Dodds, Jane and Pete Stephens, Craig, Jordy, Bucky the fashion king, Dave, Little John, Rick, Lisa, Matt from the Gower and Mark, the rum lord from Whitstable .
I caught up with Simon Bornhoft who was on a coaching trip on the beach and Wittering regulars Rom and his wife who were enjoying the place.

If you’ve not been before then put Mauritius on the list – great place for kids other halfs and awesome on and off the water.

Pics by Simon Bassett / Jamie Dodds

Inspirational Forward Loop tips from Victor Fernandez (E42)

Posted on by Emile Kott

When it comes to jumping, Victor Fernandez is undoubtedly one of the best windsurfers in the world. He is currently ranked number 1 in the PWA wave fleet after beating Koster at Gran Canaria and just losing out to Kauli Seadi in Klitmoller.

He took the time to quickly give us some forward loop tips at a recent dealer meeting in Mauritius:

What advice can you give to someone who is trying their first forwards?
Just when you feel prepare to do your first try, choose a good day with little ramps,4.5 sail size good power but never power up and try to grab the boom with your hands separated to spin very sideways. I think if you do this you can break through the fear barrier, that´s how it worked for me when I was 11 years old!

How do you spot your landing when everything happens so fast?
A good landing normally comes when you have a good start at the beginning of the move. Having good speed before starting any move for me is one of the keys to land a move properly.

If you were to give 3 tips on landing planing forwards consistently, what would they be?

  • Good speed before getting the ramp to get enough high on the beginning,
  • Move your hands back of the boom to give an extra push an make the rotation more sideways,
  • Once you rotate the move open the sail a bit to stop the spin

And here is the master at ‘home’ in Pozo:


http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xcn8zt_victor-fernandez-pozo_sport

A Short Interview with Marcillo Browne (BRA 105) about Fanatic Quads and Single Fins

Posted on by Emile Kott

Brawzinho (Marcillo Browne) has taken the wavesailing world by storm in the last few years. He is leading the way in combining the best wavesailing with modern freestyle and is incredible to watch on the water.

In 2009 he claimed 4th Place in Cabo Verde (big waves, down the line) and 4th place in Lanzarote (freestyle) – truly an alround genius!

Simon Bassett in a recent dealer trip to Mauritius (such a hard life) and he gave us the following information on these new Fanatic Quads:

Marcillo Browne
Height : 1,88 m

Weight : 86 Kg

A lot of people don’t tune their boards much, do you think it makes much difference to these new quads moving the fins and the mast base?
For sure a big diference, having them on the right place fully changes the performance of the board . It took a lot of time to find the right distance, angles … Etc . But now we have a pretty good set up for all conditions I would say .

How do you like to set yours up (fins and mast base)? Do you change them much for different conditions?
The front fins on our boards are already set in the best position we found while testing . For me i usually have a distance of ” 2,5 fingers ” in betwenn fins. The mast base normally a bit more in front of the center, but depending on conditions i move it around. If its more onshore and smaller waves a put it a bit more towards the back. If the waves are bigger and more down the line conditions i would have it more towards the front .

What do you think these new Quads offer to the average Joe-Punter over a single or twin?
They are great for all levels . With the quads it’s just easier to go where you want in the waves, and also to recover when something goes wrong. Not only on the waves, but also in general they are able with even bigger sizes hold up much more wind than normal singles or twins. For example, it would be easy to sail on a 86 quad even on sizes like 4,5 , the board would still turn amazing and not feel over powered. So people could probably have less boards and still be able to have lots of fun on all conditions .

When it comes to riding, how do the new Quads differ from the twin fins?
The front fins give some extra control and stability to the board and also add lots of drive, allowing better performance on bigger waves . Also, for smaller waves I think it made it easier . Much more control when hitting white water, releasing tail and keep much more speed in the wave . This boards have extra projection so its easier to accelerate with the power of the wave instead of with the wind on the sail . In general i think it makes a bit easier for everything, its just a lot more control .

Do you think the tail slide is going out and the gouge is coming back in?
Oh yes , during the past few seasons the level of riding from everyone has rised a lot . Pretty much all riders on tour are sailing a lot better, people now are reading waves way better, sailing closer to the pocket and also using the rails a lot more . Also with the lastest super high performance production boards everyone has a chance to sail the same boards as the top riders, so also guys that only sail for fun have been improving really really fast .

Are the quad fin boards making much of a difference to your jumping over the twin fin?
The difference is not that big as for wavering, but i think its a bit easier to set up before the ramps, even when coming full speed, to keep that extra control before the jump .

Do you think that the quads are as good as the old trusty single fin for jumping?
I think if we are talking only jumping i would say a single fin is still a bit better. Its for sure a bit faster as it has less drag, and also has more push in the back of the board which helps to go higher.

Is there else that you think people need to know about the new boards?
Humm, i dont know, i just think we have a pretty complete range of wave boards right now . The single fins have flatter rocker lines, they go really fast, amazing for jumping and still turn pretty well, for example Victor and Klass are competing in the world cup with those boards . The quads are the line with more rocker curve, made specially for high performance wave riding but also working on all kinds of conditions, they are my personal choice for the season as well as other riders , have been riding them all around and loving it . The twins are something in between in terms of rocker, it feels pretty fast, still turns amazing and does all the new school tricks.

Thanks Brawzinho

Just take a look at this short clip of Marcillo… double wave taka anyone??:

Double Air Taka attemp from marcilio browne on Vimeo.

Neal Gent is BSUPA SUP Surf 2010 National Champion.

Posted on by Emile Kott


A big well done for Neal for becoming National champion, Bobby and Matt also did very well in the comp. The guys from the Witterings did pretty well at the BSUPA nationals down in Watergate Bay last weekend. With no waves at any of the other events this year it meant Watergate became the Nationals!

The surf was head high in the morning and glassy, but became more challenging through the rounds as a sideshore breeze came up and the swell dropped. We were lucky though, with enough conditions to run right through the comp in one day. It was really noticeable that the average board length has dropped loads since last year- most were between 8’4” and 9’2”, which is about a foot less than last year! John Hibbard had some new starboards down to 7’4”. Even in this really small surf the shorter boards were standout all day. Matt Argyle SUP GLOBAL-2XS and i were both riding Nah-Skwell 8′”8″s which have already shown they can still rip in Wittering mush!! It’s amazing how quickly you can get these boards going and the shorter length and surfboard style outline make decent turns possible even in small stuff. Definitely helped us both make the final! My tactic of waiting further out for the sets rather than surfing lower scoring small inside waves nearly let me down in the final, but near the end of the heat I got lucky and rode a couple of ‘bigger’ sets and narrowly beat John Hibbard for the event win and the national title! Matt didn’t get quite as lucky with his waves and took fourth in the final having surfed well all day.

In the ladies, Bobby Cooper (2XS/Fanatic) narrowly missed top spot taking 2nd, and Claire Blacklock took 3rd, with difficult conditions making wave selection a bit of a lottery. Sunday saw Bobby take the racing silverware as well-having raced in two classes this year she actually managed to place 2nd overall in both for the year!! In tiny but clean waves we finished with an expression session, and my run of luck with the waves lasted one more heat!! About the only decent wave in all three heats arrived twenty seconds after my heat started and i managed enough to get a 7.0 wave score which turned out to win the expression session as well!!

That’s it for the events this year, but it was great to see a load of new riders attend, even if they weren’t challenging for the medals-it’s a great social and if you’re eying a new board it’s a perfect chance to try out some of next years kit!

All pics Bob Berry/BSUPA

Tabou / Gaastra Demo this Saturday 16th October

Posted on by Emile Kott

The Tabou and Gaastra demo will go ahead this Saturday 16th October at West Wittering Windsurf Club.

There is a tonne of kit for you to come and try. The current forecast is for medium Northerly winds, so it should be enough to come down and test some brand new 2011 equipment….FOR FREE!

The following kit will be there for anyone to try out (there is no day launching fee for people trying this demo kit):

Boards

106 Tabou 3S Ltd
Tabou Da Cuvre Quad 85
Tabou Pocket 80 Tri Fin
Tabou Pocket 75 Tri Fin
Tabou Twister 100

Sails
Gaastra Manic H.D 4.2
Gaastra Manic 4.7
Gaastra Poison 4.7
Gaastra iQ 5.4
Gaastra Remedy 5.6

Hope to see you down there

Cheers

Emile