windsurfing

It was so big and heavy that I found it too difficult to enjoy the sport, so I waited a year or two. Now my little brother sails with me and we have gone ''professional''.

Our Sail numbers are (me - born October 1993) and Kai (born April 1994).

Please click on the thumbnail to see each photograph and on your browsers 'back' button to return to this page

2007, More zone squad, UKWA events, teachers and mentors and a partnership with Seasprite Sports which goes from Strength to Strength

The Partnership with Seasprite Sports (UK Distributor for Ezzy Sails and RRD Boards) and Surfstore

In May, Seasprite Sports launched the RRD Clothing brand into the UK and extended Connors sponsorship to include the fashion range of hats, T-shirts, rash vests and shirts. They also launched the Atan range of windsurfing boots and he was lucky to have my sponsorship extended to cover the boots as well.

Great onshore clothing from traditional to radical styles

great range of rash vests

RYA Zone Squad

Connor was lucky to be selected for the North & West Zone Squad for the second year. He moved from sailing the 6.8 m One Design sail in 2006 to the 7.8 m fleet in 2007

Easter Training Camp at Weymouth

High wind racing at Chasewater

Boardseeker Magazine

In March 2007 Connor began his first regular articles in Boardseeker Online Magazine

Link to Boardseeker Magazine

Link to Connors articles

Jem Hall

Jem has done a great job of mentoring Connor and when not at a clinic ten Jem manages Connor's personal objectives and goals and via Skype the go through video footage of Connor to fine tune his technique. A wave sailing Clinic in Ireland was a great success, with the final day delivering mast high waves

Link to Ireland 2007 photo gallery

Team Grasshopper

Thanks to an introduction from Jem, Team Grasshopper agreed to sponsor Connor with Porridge to make sure he keeps fuelled up during his windsurfing sessions

Link to Team Grasshopper

Red Nemesis Dog sponsors first windsurfing event

The Rutland Marathon was the first windsurfing event sponsored by Red Nemesis Dog and all money went to the NCH charity

Formula training with Mark Kay

Every weekend over the winter months was spent training, either with the zone squad or mark Kay at the West Pennine Windsurfing club. It was very cold...

Connor and Mark off to the start line

First challenge is to get through the snow to the water

Freewave

Any ''spare'' weekends are spent at Rhosneigr in the wind and waves

great jumping conditions make for great jumps

out with Sam Neal

UKWA

This year we want to attend all the UKWA Race events and as many Wave events as possible

Kai is determined to improve and is competing in all the Inland series events in the Open Techno fleet

Marazion, what a great place to sail

Marazion and dolphins on the start line made everyone weekend

2006, the year of the North Zone Squad, UKWA events, teachers and mentors and far away windsurfing venues...
RYA Youth & Masters	The Y&M is the major RYA/UKWA racing event of the year. High winds meant that racing was not possible on the first day. A slalom series was run on the Sunday. Connor came 1st in the 6.8m Techno Fleet, and Kai came 3rd Boy in the 3.5m Open fleet	Bainbridge Brothers showing off their medals	Connor receives his cup
Freewave Clinic	this was the 3rd time that Connor attended the Freewave Clinic at Christchurch and he was rewarded with a first place in the intermediate group competition on the final day	jumping the Super-X sausage	the wind was perfect for freestyle
The Partnership with Seasprite Sports (UK Distributor for Ezzy Sails and RRD Boards) and Surfstore	This has been a great year for Connor working with Wouter and Jai at Seasprite and Little John at Surfstore, with great exposure in all the windsurfing press and meeting Graham Ezzy at West Wittering	Jai, Jem, Wouter, Graham & Connor at 2XS	Connor introduced Graham Ezzy to Dirt Windsurfing
Formula training with Mark Kay	The weekends during the winter months were spent at West Pennine Club training on Formula kit with Mark (no excuses) Kay. It was very cold, but the improvement was very noticeable	Mark explaining the lay-down gybe	Planing to the finish
Tobago with Boards Magazine	The ''chance of a life time'' took us to Tobago to test the 2007 boards and sails with the great team of Ian Leonard, Gregg Dunnett and Jem Hall. 2 weeks of sailing all day, every day...bliss!	Guesters and Testers on the verandah at the hotel	warm and shallow water means trying tricks is easier
Zone Squad	After 2 years of working to join one of the RYA Zone Squads, Connor got his wish. Under the guidance of Ian Roberts the North Zone won the national Championship. Zone Squad training occurs predominantly in the spring, when it is very cold - not for the faint hearted...	5mm wet suits and all the rash vests you can wear	Snow at Carsington training session in March
Jem Hall	We had previously met Jem in Ireland by coincidence, however the Boards Magazine test trip meant that we shared 2 weeks on the water with Jem, who has kindly agreed to be Connor's mentor, not only for windsurfing, but also diet and fitness.	Jem setting Connors next training goals in Tobago	Classic Jem Hall sailing style
Kai T15	2006 is Kai's T15 year, competing in all the North Zone events and training every Saturday alongside the Pugney's Pirates. Great fun and great friends.	Kai ready for the start of the racing at Covenham	Off to the first mark
Scrub	Winter and light windsurfing is great, but there is an alternative...Dirt windsurfing...and we are working with Scrub on a prototype for all seasons which particularly rewards the windsurfer	Rhosneigr beach, march 06	Halifax, December 05
UKWA	There are UKWA racing and UKWA Freewave throughout the year. We tried to attend them all, however with a place on the Zone Squad the racing events had to take precedent.	Freewave event at Rhosneigr	who says there's no money in windsurfing...the UKWA circus with wall-to-wall vans and motor-homes as far as the eye can see
UKWA	A big Thank You to the organisers and Safety Crews at the UKWA events - they are ever present and always appreciated (particularly by the parents!)	Hove: calm before the storm...on the last day of the event the sea was so rough a safety boat got turned over	...they can even provide tow-windsurfing horsepower on windless days

2005, more racing, more freestyle, more windsurfing
The big news for 2005, is a partnership with Seasprite Sports, Surfstore and Red Nemesis Dog to provide me with sponsorship, advice and support, which means that I am now sailing with Ezzy Sails and RRD board. First real outing for my Freestyle Wave 85 was at Tralee beach in Scotland powered along by my Ezzy 6.5 meter Infinity. The second time out, this time for the 4.5 meter Ezzy Wave SE and the 5.5 meter Ezzy Infinity was at the Youth and Junior Freewave Clinic at Christchurch. This is an annual event, where the industries best come to coach and judge us in a Freewave/Freestyle competition.

Over Easter I attended the RYA residential course in Calshot to improve my racing skills. With my brother we continued to race in the T15 events and with my dad I started to race in the NEWS events

In 2004, lot's of things happened...
	I was really lucky and got a JP Freestyle wave 84 in April, however this was soon replaced by a JP Freestyle Wave 78 in July which I then customised, having been inspired by some of the designs on the Proof Boards website.

My dad knocked the nose off the JP freestyle 105 and so with my sister we customised our second board (we accept commissions...)

In April we went to Jamie Knox's in Brandon Bay for one weeks course, where I re-learned all the basics and the breakfasts were always fantastic: see the rest of the story in ''places I have sailed''

Easter 2004 and my little brother started windsurfing.

Here he is winning one of the races at the T15 event at Rother Valley.

With my brother we formed the Halifax Hurricanes T15 sailing team, as part of Halifax Sailing Club and started to compete in the North Zone/ North events, which is great fun.

In August I attended the UKWA Youths and Juniors Freestyle Training camp in Christchurch. We had 3 days of tuition from Jem Hall, Jim Collis and Iain Hunter as well as top UK sailors who were there for the Freewave Series 4 event. This was the first training camp of it's kind and supported by the Andy Funnell Foundation amongst others.

2003
	In April of 2003 I used a Starboard Start for 2 months which was educational and allowed me to learn the basics.
	Then, for a short time, I sailed on my sisters Starboard Carve 131 and within 4 weeks I had learned to use the harness and foot-straps, which meant I could get planing properly for the first time.
	For the rest of 2003 I borrowed my dads JP Freestyle 105 (which to be honest he couldn't sail anyway) and with 3 sails of 3.5, 4.5 and 5.5 square meters was able to plane in most conditions.