Baja Chronicles

Punta San Carlos treats Levi Siver and the Quatro crew to some all time conditions courtesy of Solo Sports Camps.

Over to Levi for the low down:

“Bringing the years work of board design and progression to a place like Baja is very effective. Few waves set up like Baja that allow long rides to feel every dynamic of the board is key to unlocking future designs.  My mission on this trip was to take two identical board shapes but one was a single fin and the other a twin fin and really feel the difference on a long wave.  I told myself I will settle the feud in the desert and once and for all decide what's best for my riding. I thought it would be an easy contest but what I found after viewing the footage after the session was both boards have successful features that can't be denied.  I saw a lot of the same turns but in different lines on the wave.  When the waves are clean and nice I'm loving the twin.  When it's really windy or the wave has chop exposure then the single fin is perfect.  After realizing this I have both single and twin fin boards in the back of my truck in Maui for anything the ocean throws my way.

It was a dream to travel with the Quatro crew to one of my favourite waves. Riding a point break is paramount for style progression. It allows you to smooth out the kinks in your riding and learn to use the whole wave. Watching the Quatro crew gave a whole new meaning to surf sail progression that the new designs are permitting. Watching Keith hack the lip to pieces while keeping perfect control was amazing to watch. My 7'6 77 litre board allowed me to stay super tight to the pocket of the wave and ride like a surf board but still allowed planing and floatation which are the two fundamentals to board design.

Over the last few years gear design has re-invented the appearance of windsurfing. The difficulty of handling the old clunky neon gear scared people away from the sport in the past but now with the sleek light weight carbon rig with modern graphic design the sport is on arise with no limit insight. Years ago these gear advancements would be considered impossible but the sport is changing at a fast rate.  By eliminating the excess gear we don't need and utilizing the elements we do need, were getting more range of motion on the wave and our gear is becoming an extension of our body. Moving closer to the freedom of surfing without the hang-ups of sail restriction.  If excess gear is serving no purpose to the two fundamentals of sailing ''floatation and planing'' then cut them out of the equation and centralize the power more by utilizing the areas of the centre of the board and sail.

The Solo Sports camp offers the best of my world. Deluxe Mexican food, sleeping quarters 50 feet away from the launch of a perfect point break wave. No more crowds, no more rigging, I thought I was in Heaven.

We scored Baja the best I've ever seen it and I know I'll have a hard time topping that trip. I remember the last sunset after the last and best day the crew had that smile that say's it all WE SCORED!!! Peeling away from the camp I realized once again how sick windsurfing is.  It never gets old and there's always something to learn.  Keith looked ecstatic seeing the clients step their wave riding up to the next level on his shapes. After I cranked my own switch and turned my riding on, Keith gave me that look and I knew the boards were on fire.”

You can check out the Solo Sports camps at: www.solosports.net

And you’ll find Quatro's range of single and twin fin boards boards at: www.quatrointernational.com


PWA / Andrew Buchanan