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Stoked to finally get out on the new Neo SLS 9m & Clickbar all be it with a dodgy leg. Quick edit using GoPro App to share my thoughts and show it in action in the waves of Cornwall. If you want any more info or want to demo or buy any 2021 Duotone kit in Cornwall go to our shop
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 For those of you that know me, you know how much I love fins and always tell people how much fins can change the performance of boards, so much so that I own over 20 sets of Futures for my various kite and surf boards along with a crazy amount of windsurf fins. After hearing from my mates on the Duotone team about the Quobbas I was stoked to get sent a set of med and large Quobba Glass Series fins to try. So far I have used them kitesurfing in various conditions and boards, sadly we haven't had any good waves yet to test them surfing. I am 6'2 86kgs, 7 x British Kitesurf Champ and surfing for 35 years, sponsored by Duotone and ION. Read below for my honest thoughts- First thing you notice when they arrive is the quality and attention to details in the packaging. Great box, fin pouches, screws and spacers, instructions plus great looking fins. Size wise the Med Quobbas are similar size to Futures AM1 and the Large Quobbas similar to AM2 but with all 3 fins same size and slightly more upright with a wider tip making the template more similar to Futures JJF but size wise in area more like the AMs.      First test was in the Duotone Pro Whip 5'5 in small 2ft windswell, sideshore light wind using the Duotone Juice 11m. Normally in the Whip I use Futures P6 (formally WCT) which feel great. I fitted the Large Quobba fronts and med rear. First thing I noticed was the board felt slow. On the wave I had a lot of grip but was lacking the speed I normally have from the Whip in small conditions. Changed back to the P6s and was instantly faster. Not sure if lack of power and weak waves mean not suited to the Quobbas? Next day was bit windier but still small so tried again in the Whip this time with 9m Neo and Large Quobba fronts with P6 rear. Still felt draggy and slow so changed back to P6s and instantly more speed. I think the deep channels and bottom curves in the Whip somehow effect what the fins are doing so my recommendation for the Duotone Pro Whip remains to use Futures P6 fins if you are around 85kg, P8 if bigger and P4 if smaller. Next test is Pro Wam-  After the Whip I was excited to test out the Quobbas in the Pro Wam 5'11 which I normally ride with med JJF Futures. Conditions were cross on 3ft full power on 9m Neo. Starting off with Large Quobba fronts med Quobba rear, the board felt super good with loads of grip and speed. However in the small waves I did feel it to be hard to release the tail in the top turn so changed the rear fin to the med JJF. Now it felt super good, I could come off the bottom super tight with speed and have the release off the top. After a while I changed to all 3 med JJF Futures and instantly the board felt worse, having less grip and less speed in the bottom turn on the choppy cross on waves. Changed back to Large Quobba Fronts with Med JJF rear and was back feeling super good again, offering loads of grip both on the wave and for frontrolls. In the afternoon the wind switched to cross off and the small waves cleaned up to give small down the line conditions. The Quobbas still felt really good in the Pro Wam, holding well with great speed.     Next test was proper down the line condtions with overhead waves and good wind. I tested the Pro Wam again and found the best set up to still be large Quobba fronts with med JJF Futures rear. As the wind increased I changed to the 5'11 Pro Session with Med Quobbas and Neo 7m. On the steeper faster waves the Quobbas felt great, allowing me to come hard off the bottom and holding but releasing well at the same time off the top.    In conclusion-
On my traditional no channel boards the Quobbas felt great but didn't seem to work on the 2020 Duotone Pro Whip. Where I found them to excel was in choppy onshore windy conditions as well as cross off fast breaking waves where the extra grip, translates into more speed while still being able to crank a tight bottom turn to come vertical up the face. If you kite in these type of conditions then definately try some Quobbas and experiment with changing the rear fin to find the best set up for you and your board. Check out the fins at https://quobbafins.com/ and for the best Kites and Kitesurf boards - https://www.duotonesports.com/kiteboarding/ Wetsuits, Harnesses and Gear - https://www.ion-products.com/water/ For coaching in Waves, Foil and Big Air come and see me http://www.pastyadventures.co.uk/ and please follow me on Instagram for all the latest news https://www.instagram.com/pastyadventures/ Thanks for the pics - Jo Malyon and Ian Butt  Having picked up a rib injury this week, meaning I am now off the water for a bit, I can look back on the past couple of months which have been going off!After a windless summer, the wind and waves turned up in Cornwall just as the new DUOTONE kites and boards were launched. Boy the new kit is so good, perfect for all kitesurfing disciplines. Check out the full range in our shop http://www.pastyadventures.co.uk/duotone-kitesurfing-shop.html or at https://www.duotonesports.com/ The middle of September saw the British Kitesurfing Wave Championships held at Gwithian. With a great turn out and two days of wind and waves, I was super stoked to regain my title for the 6th year in a row, winning the Pro mens division riding the Duotone Neo 9m and Pro Wam 6’0. Read the full event report at https://www.britishkitesports.org/news/bksa-wavemasters-2018/ Next it was back on the Foil for the Edge Cup, British Kitefoiling Championships in Exmouth over the last weekend of September. The biggest turn out for the last few years had light wind on Saturday followed by 7 races run all on Sunday in tricky gusty nw wind. After limited time on the foil this year I was happy to take 2nd in the Masters, although my legs paid the price and I struggled to walk on the Tuesday after! Well done to Olly Bridge for making it 5 years in a row as British Champ. Here come the storms-  October kicked in with storm after storm producing great Windsurfing and Kitesurfing all over the Country. With a crazy forecast we decided to head north for The Tiree Wave Classic windsurfing event. Big winds and waves challenged everyone over the week with a lot of cancelled ferries but in the end we managed a full day of competition at the Maze. In 40 mph cross on, logo high closeouts, i was super pleased to take 2nd place in the masters. See the event video here - https://windsurfing.tv/video/tiree-wave-classic-2018-full-story/ We then headed back home to great surf, before the 2nd event of the British Windsurfing Wave Tour at Gwithian over the last weekend in October. Northerly winds made it super cold but fun conditions, allowing a double elimination in all fleets. Sadly I missed out on the final as the wind died towards the end of the day but 6th place was enough to take 3rd Overall for the year. Well done to Mark Dowson winning the masters title, Adam Lewis the Pro mens and Sara Kellet the womens. With the comps over for the year the storms kicked up a notch and from the first weekend in November it blew over 30mph with 10ft plus waves for 3 weeks.  The kitesurfing and Windsurfing was world class at Gwithian, with some of the biggest days for a few years. Amongst this we had some classic surf days and some super fun south coast conditions. At times it was a toss up wether to kitesurf or windsurf, so on the really good days I did both, switching to the kite as the wind dropped below 30 mph. The last couple of weeks has seen the swell drop down a bit but the wind has still been blowing hard. On the lighter onshore days I have been loving the new Fanatic surf foil and sky surf board, getting to grips with super long rides at Marazion.
Unfortunately on Sunday I landed on the mast windsurfing in 40 mph at Maza and have picked up a rib injury. Fingers crossed it will heal soon as we have more big waves and wind on the way. Thanks to Steve Clarke and John Carter for the pics and my sponsors for making the best gear out there- Duotone Kiteboarding, ION, Duotone Windsurfing, Fanatic. Cheers and see you on the water soon Lee ‘Pasty’ Harvey  Pro Men - 1st Lee Harvey, 2nd Mike Dawson, 3rd Alex Bird The British Kitesurfing Wave Championships were held at Gwithian on Saturday 23rd September. 28 competitors from across the country were greeted to blazing Cornish sunshine, cross offshore wind and 2-3 feet of surf. In the Pro Men category Lee showed a dominant performance to retain the British Champion title he has held since 2013. Riding the 2018 North Neo 9m paired with the new Clickbar and Pro Wam, Pasty blitzed the field scoring 19 out of a possible 20 in the final with one judge awarding a 10 point ride! For a full event report chceck out www.britishkitesports.org If you want to learn to wave ride with a kite or improve your kitesurfing skills, Pasty is running Wave clinics in Cornwall this autumn with the Intro to Wave on the 7th October and Wave Improver on 4th November. Limited space so sign up quick. All the info here - http://www.pastyadventures.co.uk/kitesurf-clinics.html pics by Joe Cockle photography |
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November 2021
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