 How old are you?
22.
Where & when did you start windsurfing?
I learned windsurfing at a week-long windsurfing camp in Friesland (Northern province of the Netherlands) when I was 16. Thereafter, I practiced a lot at The Noord-Aa, a small lake near The Hague where I live.
What do you like about windsurfing?
Since I started planing I really get a thrilled. I like the feeling of going fast, covering a lot distance only driven by wind.
How often do you windsurf with a GPS?
If I’m sailing on flat water, I often take my GPS with me. It motivates me to really go fast downwind.
What does GPS do for your windsurfing?
GPS allows speed and slalom surfers to analyze their speed performances on different tracks. In Holland there are quite a few people that surf with GPS. Therefore, on a windy day, we sort of compete with each other. At the end of the day, we post our speed results at gps-speedsurfing.com. That way, you can see how you did in comparison to others. Furthermore, we have special GPS races, racing together with other speed surfers on a lake and then we are ranked on gps-speedsurfing.com
Are the complications about GPS worth the input received from GPS?
Yes, definitely. You only need to make sure you can store your GPS watertight like in a Boxit (www.boxit.net)
Can you improve your performance effectively from GPS data? How?
I do my trimming intuitively rather then with GPS; but sometimes your intuition is wrong. For example, if you put your mast foot too far backward it feels like you are going faster, but it is only because you out of control. Therefore, it is good to use my GPS to check my intuition.
Which GPS model do you recommend? Is it waterproof? How do you make it waterproof?
I recommend the Geko 201, as this is the cheapest GPS that allows you to download your data to a PC. He is not really waterproof until 1 meter. That is not sufficient for windsurfing, since if you fall into the water it is exposed to al lot pressure. As far as I know, there are no GPS on the market that are really waterproof.
Which software do you use for GPS data analysis?
I use GPSAR (you can find al the info you need about GPS units and related software on www.gps-speedsurfing.com).
Describe an ideal windsurfing session.
For slalom and speed, flat water and a constant wind for my 6.2 Blade -and some good racers around me to compete with!
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