It
may seem odd to many windsurfers to wear boots
when the summer months of sailing are here.
However, many of us sail in places where you can
seriously damage your feet on the bottom of the
lake or on the sea bed as well as wanting to
avoid stubbing our toes getting into the
footstraps or on the mast foot. The water also
takes quite a while to warm up in the north of
the country, so Connor Bainbridge, aged 13, was
very happy to begin his sponsorship with Atan
boots at the event in Ireland!
Atan Boots have a unique latex dipped
construction which gives them a real barefoot
feel whilst protecting feet from cold and injury
and also makes then very easy to get in and out
of the straps.
It is received wisdom in windsurfing
that there is no better way to sail than with bare feet. However
there are many times when the water is so cold that not being
able to feel your feet presents a significant challenge to good
sailing and there are times when you risk damaging your feet if
they touch the sea bed or bottom of the lake. There is also a
large group of people who just prefer to sail with their feet
protected to avoid stubbing toes on footstraps and mast foots.
Connor Bainbridge, age 13, was therefore
delighted to confirm his sponsorship by Atan Boots just ahead of
a weeks wave training with Jem Hall at Jamie Knox’s windsurfing
Mecca in Ireland.
With an average of 5 hours on the water
every day of the course, having warm feet meant he could stay
out in the waves for longer. Whilst most windsurfing boots are a
neoprene and rubber construction his Atan boots are uniquely
latex dipped for a real barefoot feel and getting in the straps
is super easy. The final day of coaching saw mast high waves and
force 6+, cross-off winds which meant that focussing on sailing
was much more important than worrying about keeping warm or
missing the straps.
Connor is sponsored by RRD Boards and
Clothing, Ezzy Sails and Atan boots through
www.seaspritesports.com and
www.Surfstore.co.uk. He is personally mentored by
www.jemhall.com and you can
check out what it’s like to be a young windsurfer in the UK at
www.rednemesisdog.com including
photos from his coaching trip at
www.jamieknox.com
Windsurf Magazine UK
June 2007
Boardseeker Magazine May 2007
Carry on
Connor
What
does
it
actually
mean
to
be
in a
RYA
Zone
Squad?
The
zone
squad
is a
giant
leap
in
ability
and
commitment
from
the
Team
15
level
that
most
children
attend.
I am
in
the
North
&
West
zone
squad
with
our
leading
coach
Ian
Roberts
(the
famous
boxerciser)
and
other
coaches
James
Bulleid,
Alex
Griffiths
and
Ali.
It
is a
great
zone
to
be
in
especially
because
we
(the
North
Zone)
won
the
Eric
Twiname
last
year.
(A
Regatta for
300 RYA Zone
squad
sailors in
dinghies &
windsurfers
usually held
in May at
Rutland
Water).
Last year
was my first
year in the
Zone Squad
and my first
time on the
Tushingham
TK rig which
was hard to
get used to
for a
variety of
reasons: I
love my
short board,
I’d got used
to an old
long board
and the new
One Design
had a few
teething
problems.
Overall it
is a great
experience
and I would
recommend
all the
competent
Team15ers to
try out for
their local
Zone Squad
sooner
rather than
later.
Photo
by
Ian
Roberts,
Connor's
coach
The
First
Meet
The
first
‘meet’
of
the
year
is
where
all
the
zone
squads
come
together
which
can
be
nerve
wracking
but
once
you
know
some
faces
it’s
cool.
This
year
we
met
at
Datchet
near
London
on
27/28
January.
The
main
emphasis
behind
this
first
session
is
making
sure
you
know
how
to
rig
and
tune
your
kit
– no
more
parental
help!
Parents
also
get
the
RYA
treatment
with
explanations
of
what
is
expected
of
them
and
you,
how
many
races
to
attend,
about
the
training
sessions
etc.
You
also
get
to
learn
how
to
keep
an
exercise
diary
which
you
must
up
date
and
send
to
your
coaching
mentor
in
the
Zone
Squad
each
month
so
they
can
see
your
commitment
and
preparation.
The
wonders
of
pasta
and
brown
rice
and
jelly
babies
gets
explained
and
the
terrors
of
cheese
and
fatty
foods,
all
in
moderation
of
course.
A
Day
at
the
Zone
Squad
Life
is
very
structured!
By
10am
you
are
rigged
up,
warmed
up
and
on
the
water.
On
the
water
you
do a
wide
range
of
exercises
for
different
skills
varying
from
downwind
speed
to
upwind
pumping.
Each
coach
has
a
different
way
and
a
different
exercise
to
represent
the
technique
or
skill
so
it
never
gets
boring.
The
coach
will
video
your
sailing
and
after
lunch
or
at
the
end
of
the
day
you’ll
have
a
video
debrief
to
show
you
where
you
are
going
wrong
and
where
you
are
succeeding.
If
it
is
too
cold
or
not
enough
wind
then
you
will
be
entertained
by
your
coach
in
some
practical
tactical
exercises
or
you
will
go
through
some
rules
or
fitness
exercises.
Either
way
you
are
learning
windsurfing
related
exercises
and
activities
which
should
give
you
some
sort
of
advantage
against
your
opposition
on
the
national
tour.
Aspects
of
being
a
professional
sports
person
are
also
looked
at
from
exercise
to
food
to
sorting
out
your
kit.
This
event
is
one
of
the
biggest
of
the
season
with
hundreds
of
camper
vans
descending
onto
Marazion
beach
car
park
for
4
days
of
dodging
the
shore
break
and
battling
with
the
Cornish
winds.
I
arrived
on
Thursday
5th
April
after
travelling
from
Weymouth
where
I
was
attending
an
RYA
residential
camp.
To
our
disappointment
there
was
no
wind
and
no
sign
of
the
infamous
shorebreak,
so
we
had
a
quick
dinner
then
went
straight
to
bed
in
our
new
caravan
at a
camp
site
two
minutes
away
from
the
beach.
The
next
day
the
event
commenced,
and
with
29
sailors
in
the
Techno
fleet
it
was
going
to
be a
hard
event.
But
there
was
no
wind,
so
after
a
frustrating
morning
of
being
on
standby
we
had
a
quick
lunch
at
the
local
café
which
was
10
metres
away
from
the
beach
–
perfect!
In
the
afternoon
the
race
committee
sent
us
out
in
less
than
6
knots
which
weren’t
my
favoured
conditions
to
race
or
even
just
sail
in.
So
unfortunately
at
the
end
of
the
day
I
went
away
with
a
21st
and
a
22nd.
I
was
not
pleased
and
neither
was
my
Dad.
Then
for
the
rest
of
that
day
the
wind
stayed
away
so I
had
no
chance
to
catch
up
with
the
rest
of
the
fleet.
On
to
the
second
day
of
the
event;
the
wind
was
still
less
than
6
knots
but
the
race
committee
still
decided
to
send
us
out
one
mile
off
shore
only
to
send
us
back,
which
was
a
real
drag.
After
a
quick
lunch
we
were
out
again
to
do
one
45
minute
low
wind
race
which
I
improved
to
17th
which
wasn’t
good
enough
but
going
in
the
right
direction.
Now
I
bet
we’ve
all
seen
them
on
TV
or
in
pictures
but
have
you
ever
had
them
swim
less
than
a
metre
from
your
board?
Of
course
I’m
talking
about
dolphins.
It
was
a
great
feeling
having
creatures
from
the
sea
so
close
to
you
(they
are
massive
by
the
way).
That
was
the
highlight
of
the
entire
event
for
me!
At
the
beginning
of
the
next
day
I
was
hoping
for
four
races.
The
wind
still
wasn’t
great
but
at 8
knots
we
went
out
for
two
back
to
backs
were
I
got
two
17ths
which
still
wasn’t
up
to
standard
and
after
lunch
they
got
us
out
for
the
last
time
for
two
more
races
and
the
dolphins
were
back,
this
time
on
the
start
line.
At
12
knots
of
wind
it
was
perfect
and
with
a
good
start
I
ended
up
with
fourth
which
is
more
like
it.
It
was
a
back
to
back
race
so I
was
worried
I
would
be
terrible
but
it
came
good
with
an
eight.
My
overall
result
from
the
weekend
was
12th
until
they
changed
the
results
to
one
discard
instead
of
two
which
put
me
down
to
14th
but
I
wasn’t
disheartened
because
I
had
windsurfed
with
dolphins
in
Cornwall
over
Easter
weekend!!
RRD Clothing is now available in the UK and
will be sold through all fine windsurfing shops & clothing
retailers. Their board designs have always been original, so it
is no surprise that this ethos carries over into their clothing
range. What we want to know is – who will wear those silver
sequined boardshorts? We can think of only one, bald headed
coaching guru!
Our latest columnist, Connor Bainbridge, has just been
sponsored by RRD Clothing as they begin to raise the profile of
the brand in the UK in particular the Kids Range.
Connor, who is 13, and a regular competitor on the UKWA race
and wave tours is also a member of the RYA North & West Zone
squad has been sponsored for RRD Boards and Ezzy sails for the
past 2 years.
Boards News - SAILS BY EZZY, BOARD - AND
CLOTHES - BY RRD
Date: 16:16 2nd May 2007
RRD extend Connor’s Sponsorship to their
Clothing range
The RRD Fashion Clothing range has just arrived in the UK and
they not only make great adults attire but also have a fabulous
Kids range of clothes comprising everything from shorts, rash
vests and T-shirts to great hats and shirts, in sizes to fit the
younger sailor.
Connor Bainbridge, who is aged 13 and has sail number GBR
678, is in his second year of being sponsored by RRD Boards and
Ezzy Sails through Seasprite Sports and is a member of the RYA
North & West Zone Squad competing at all UKWA race events and as
many UKWA Wave events as the calendar allows.
Connor had a sneak preview of the RRD Clothing range when he
met Graham Ezzy at 2XS at West Wittering last year and has been
desperately waiting for the 2007 range to arrive and has
certainly not been disappointed by the new designs, which can
all be seen at
www.robertoriccidesigns.com.
Connor is sponsored by RRD Boards and Clothing, Ezzy Sails,
Seasprite Sports and Surfstore and is personally mentored by Jem
Hall. Connor’s website at
www.rednemesisdog.com has loads of pictures and commentary
on junior windsurfing in the UK from racing to freestyle and
waves.
Boardseeker Online
Windsurfing Magazine March 2007
Carry on
Connor
We
have
a
new
columnist!
Connor
Bainbridge
is
13yrs
old
and
is a
rising
star
on
the
UK
racing
and
freewave
circuits.
He
started
aged
8 on
a
reservoir
above
Halifax
in
West
Yorkshire.
Last
summer
he
won
the
Bic
Techno
One
Design
Class
(6.8m)
at
the
RYA
Youth
Championships
at
Weymouth
in
very
windy
conditions.
He
is
also
a
handy
little
wave
sailor
and
is
getting
to
grips
with
the
world
of
freestyle.
So
in
his
first
column
we
asked
Connor
to
fill
in
his
windsurfing
‘timeline’
and
tell
us
his
goals
for
2007.
Timeline
Born:
7th
October
1993
2001:
Tried
windsurfing
for
the
very
first
time
on
an
old
Bic
Veloce
–
not
that
keen.
2002:
Tried
windsurfing
again
on
my
Dad’s
F2
Xantos
& 3m
starter
sails
–
that’s
better!
2003:
Dad
bought
me a
Starboard
Start
–
even
better.
By
end
of
this
year
I
had
progressed
onto
my
Dad’s
105
litre
JP
Freestyle
board.
2003/04
winter:
Sailed
through
the
winter,
improved
loads
but
105
board
too
big.
April
2004:
Saved
up
enough
money
to
buy
a
second
hand
JP
Freestyle
Wave
84
litre
board
and
sailed
on
the
sea
for
the
first
time
on a
week’s
holiday
in
Ireland
.
Summer
2004:
Joined
Team15
and
started
going
to
race
events.
August
2004:
First
Freewave
Youth
Camp
where
met
my
idols
Robby
Swift
&
Andy
King
and
ace
coach
Jem
Hall.
Oct
2004:
First
trip
to
Rhosneigr
wave
beach
aged
11 –
pretty
hairy
but
survived!
2005:
I
got
sponsored
by
RRD/Ezzy
&
attended
all
the
NEWS
(North
East
Windsurfers)
racing
events
winning
the
NEWS
Youth
&
Junior
Trophy
for
2005.
Summer
2005:
Attended
my
first
RYA
Residential
Camp
at
Rutland
& my
first
UKWA
racing
event
at
Bridlington
coming
3rd
in
the
Free
Formula
fleet.
2006:
Got
onto
the
RYA
North
Zone
squad
and
continued
with
UKWA
Racing
events
+
one
Freewave
event
at
Rhosneigr.
August
2006:
Won
my
first
Junior
Freewave
event
at
Christchurch
with
a
clean
gecko
&
Vulcan
attempts.
Then
went
to
Weymouth
and
won
the
Bic
Techno
6.8m
Class
in
howling
winds.
2006/07
winter:
Trained
hard
with
Liam
Round
(Youth
World
Champion)
and
Mark
Kay
as
well
as
Zone
Squad
training
and
Skype
coaching
from
Jem
Hall.
Goals
for
2007
In
Freewave
my
goals
are
to
crack
the
Vulcan
and
the
forward
loop
but
I
also
want
to
come
in
the
top
three
in
the
National
Techno
ranking
and
hopefully
get
into
the
National
Squad
in
2008.
But
for
the
2006
season
I am
moving
from
the
6.8
m
fleet
to
the
7.8
m
fleet
so
this
will
be a
tough
goal.
I am
going
to
try
really
hard
to
achieve
this
and
work
a
lot
more
on
my
Techno
as
well
as
get
as
much
wave
sailing
practice
as I
can.
Boardseeker
readers
will
be
finding
exactly
how
Connor
achieves
his
goals
in
2007.
Boardseeker
Online Windsurfing Magazine March 2007
The surname Bainbridge may not ring many
bells at the moment (unless you know
a bell ringer called Bainbridge, in fact
if you know any bell ringers you could
be on the wrong website) but it
will do in the future. John Bainbridge
is the father of young talents Connor
and Kai, both super keen and pretty damn
good for their age. The team they have
formed has got the interesting name of
Red Nemisis Dog. But back to John, who
was himself behind the European
operations of the massively successful
Monster.com, but is now happily
retired....sort of!
What is work and what does it
involve?
I worked as European Head of
Operations for Monster.com until
December last year and I am starting a
degree course in Marine Science in
September. Currently, however, I am
catching up on the last 10 years of
lost domestic time, working on the house
mainly. Yeah!
How
did you get into that?
I lived in France for 6 years after
University and when I came back to the
UK I fell into recruitment consultancy.
I was headhunted into TMP Worldwide
(who owned Monster) in their Search
& Selection division 10 years ago and as
Monster grew in Europe I transferred to
my COO role with that division.
Did
windsurfing lifestyle influence your
employment and where you live?
Definitely no to both, but it would
do if we move house again.
How did you
get into windsurfing?
A long time ago in France I spent a
couple of years windsurfing on an old
Dufour (it was a new Dufour back
then!) Then I came back to the UK
and got on with my career and growing
the family (4 kids) and about
6/7 years ago decided I needed an
interest outside of work so took an RYA
course at Galloway Sailing Centre and
then the kids got into it and so it
became a big part of our lives.
Son Connor with
coach guru Jem Hall
Where do you
live and where is your local windsurfing
spot?
Halifax. Local spot is 400 metres
above sea level and 15 minutes from home
(but we didn't windsurf when we moved
here so that was super lucky). Great
wind and you feel like you're sailing on
top of the world, which of course it is,
especially as it's in Yorkshire!
How
much time can you get on the water?
Not very much recently as most
weekends involve taking Connor and/or
Kai to windsurf training or events all
over the country. Once the evenings are
longer I will be out most days when the
kids get back from school. It's all part
of the plan...
What
sort of kit do you sail?
Big kit. I am a lazy sailor and I am
at my most comfortable in winds that are
best for big boards and sails, either
Formula or my RRD z-ride. As long as I
am planing I am happy. This has led to
being rather overpowered on quite a few
occasions which has then given me a bit
of a reputation as a kit killer, from
board noses and booms to the spreader
bar on my harness snapping.
Do
you get a chance to travel much – abroad
and in the UK ?
Last year Connor and myself went to
Tobago for two weeks with the Boards
test team and we did one week in
Prasonisi with Jem Hall in September. We
are off to Ireland with Jem in May. In
the UK we travel every weekend, all year
round to windsurf with very few
exceptions. In the last 18 months we
have sailed in places from Argyll to
Devon and many venues in between.
Connor's favourite spot is Rhosneigr so
we spend most spare weekends over
there. For work I was averaging 2/3
countries a week, but thank goodness
that is behind me now.
What
advice do you have to get on the water
as much as possible and get kids into
windsurfing?
As far as the kids go it's really
easy - get them into the local Team15
club and they will have a fantastic time
and constantly learn new skills. Then
there are the regional UKWA events and
then the national UKWA events to go to
as they progress. Windsurfing is
fantastic for families, not only because
it's very healthy, but because
windsurfers leave their worries at home
when they go sailing so everyone is
really helpful and easy to get along
with. There is also some great kit
around that will work in most conditions
you're likely to go out in, so make the
investment in a board and some decent
sails that make it easy for you on the
water. In the early days of deciding
what works for you beware the latest fad
or fashion and get a proven board that
is well suited for the spot you're going
to sail the most. That way 100% of your
time on the water will be pure joy. Try
before you buy!
As John is the main
photographer, most pictures are of
Connor!
It
may seem odd to many windsurfers to wear boots
when the summer months of sailing are here.
However, many of us sail in places where you can
seriously damage your feet on the bottom of the
lake or on the sea bed as well as wanting to
avoid stubbing our toes getting into the
footstraps or on the mast foot. The water also
takes quite a while to warm up in the north of
the country, so Connor Bainbridge, aged 13, was
very happy to begin his sponsorship with Atan
boots at the event in Ireland!
