Finest wave riding action by the windsurfing Samurai Bernd Roediger, who enjoys hitting lips clew first. Paul Karaolidis from Fish Bowl Diaries filmed these nice clips. Clew first riding has so much potential. Just think about the freestyle discipline: clew first Body Drag, clew first Spock, Toad, Flaka cf, Voquech… In the wave discipline the big names like Robby Naish, Björn Dunkerbeck, Mark Angulo or Kauli Seadi showed a lot of clew first wavering and even jumping. Kauli nailed big cf Back loops in stormy conditions in Pozo Izquierdo.
Thanks to FishBowl Diaries for the footage. Riding clew first opens up a whole plethora of different angles to work with on the wave. The first wave on this video is an example of how the ducked sail allows you to “hang” out on the topturn. From that point you’re given a little more freedom in applying pressure to either foot, meaning you can guide the turn around by shifting your weight through the “arc”. Bernd Roediger
Sweet! I like clew-first waveriding, though I suppose it makes more sense in side-on conditions.