Stuart Holland at Ponta Preta, Cape Verde

Stu Holland has just returned fromt the Island of Sal in Cape Verde where he scored some epic conditions at Ponta Preta.

Check out some of the big chunks he was riding on his RRD Obsession and RRD Quad. The waves there break very close to the rocks. If the rocks don’t get you, check out the photos of the sharks!

Stuart was British Windsurfing wave champion in the 90s and has travelled all over the world windsurfing and surfing. Over the last 5 years, he has spent most of his time kitesurfing and in particular wave kiting. You can see by the pics that he rips into solid Atlantic chunks just as hard as South Coast waves…

Pics by Billy Wheaton / Stu Holland

West Wittering SUP Sessions February 2011

February has delivered some very decent swell so far. On Thursday 17th Feb, Neal Gent, Matt Argyle, Simon Bassett and Emile Kott got to West Wittering Beach just after first light. The long period swell was hitting the outer banks perfectly and there was a left hander peeling all the way from in front of West Wittering Windsurf club to East Head!

It was hard work as the 5m and tides and rip were both trying to send you over to Itchenor! Everyone got their fair share of waves though, with Neal Gent on particularly fine form, working his Nah Skwell 8’8 and getting “some of the best Wittering waves he has ever had!”

Jem “lie-in” Hall turned up at about 8.30am and was in complete disbelief at the wave quality. He was uncharacteristically quiet and didn’t say “bender” once!

Have a look at some of the photos and see below for Sunday!

The swell continued to pump and a second pulse arrived on Sunday morning, just in time for the wind to swing offshore and go light. Jock Patterson headed over from Brighton to join Simon Bassett, Stuart Holland and a selection of others.

It was particularly impressive to see Justin Goodwin and James Arnelle-Smith going for it two-up in a kayak. We’re pretty sure that Justin looks more scared than James!

So, it looks like February is the month for waves in the UK… Long may it continue!

Photos by Simon Bassett, Matt Argyle and Holly Bassett

A Weekend of Wind (finally)

After a long wait and some skunking forecasts, this weekend just gone finally delivered some strong wind. West Wittering saw 40 knots + on Friday and Saturday with some left over to Sunday as well.

It was great to see so many people out in February, it felt like a spring day! We had gusty 40 knots on Saturyday and a gusty 25 knots on sunday. There were some good size chunks on Saturday and it was nice to get back in the water again. Even though the sea temperature is cold at the moment, the new winter wetsuits are very warm and most people had a hood with no gloves.

There were some no-shows – Perry on a stag do and Hatton doing DIY (on a windy day!!!). Great to see James (12) and Emily (13) out ripping in the strong winds. Justin, Andy Richardson and Adrian (now he’s got his kiteboard back…), Stu Holland, Paul Simmons, Adam and the early doors kite crew. Paddy (we’re still waiting for your kite footage!), Captain Crilley, Nev, Ian, Emile, Neal, Tim, Patrick, Westy, Pat, Glynn, Innes, Xav, Dan Smith and plenty of others!

Here are a few pics that Simon snapped in the rain. The first one is of Andy Chater who has about a foot and a half of titanium in his leg as well as a whole pile of bolts! He could hardly walk this time in 2010 after a ski accident! Nice table-top!

Also, have a look at this little video of Paul Simmons and Neal Gent playing with a GoPro HD and mast mount…

Looking forward to the next session! If you have any pics, please send them over and we will get them up on the web. simon@2xs.co.uk

Lots of wind is coming! Get a small sail

Luckily we have some Ezzy Wave Panthers and Panther 2s in stock that we can get out to you in time for the weekend if you order before midday Friday (3rd Feb)

Panther 2 2010 3.7 Ex-Demo £248
Panther 2 2010 3.7 Like New £280
Panther 2 2010 4.2 NEW £348
Panther 2 2010 4.2 VGC £270
Panther 2 2010 4.2 VGC £270
Panther 2 2010 4.2 Ex-Demo £248
Panther 1 2009 4.5 NEW £285
Panther 1 2009 4.5 GOOD £179
Panther 2 2010 4.7 NEW £356
Panther 2 2010 4.7 VGC £274
Panther 2 2010 4.7 VGC £274
Panther 2 2010 4.7 Ex-Demo £254
Panther 2 2010 5.0 NEW £360
Panther 1 2009 5.0 GOOD £185
Panther 2 2010 5.2 NEW £364
Panther 2 2010 5.2 VGC £281
Panther 2 2010 5.5 NEW £364
Panther 2 2010 5.8 NEW £373
Panther 2 2010 5.8 Ex-Demo £269
Panther 2 2010 6.3 Ex-Demo £279

2XS Christmas Brochure Now Online

The 2XS Christmas 2010 brochure is now available to download.

All the products from the 2010 Christmas brochure are available online

If you are looking for a present for someone who is into Windsurfing, Kitesurfing, Stand Up Paddlesurfing, or Surfing, then check out our

As a Christmas promotion, we are offering FREE UK MAINLAND DELIVERY on ALL ONLINE ORDERS from the brochure. Simply enter the promotional code: XMAS 2010

If you need help or advice, please give us a call on 01243 512 552 or email us: sales@2xs.co.uk

2011 Ezzy Wave Panther 3 Now in stock at 2XS

The new Ezzy Wave Panther 3 (2011) windsurfing wave sails are now in stock at 2XS. We have them in all colours and we also have demo sails, so you can try before you buy!

We also have some amazing deals on both new 2010 Ezzy Wave Panther 2s and 2009 Ezzy Wave Panther 1s that we have in stock and ready to ship to you.

To add to that, we have a selection of used Ezzy Wave Panther 2 Sails that you may be interested in.

The New Ezzy Wave Panther 3

The new Ezzy Wave Panther 3 is the 2011 replacement of 2010’s very successful Ezzy Wave Panther 2.

Dave Ezzy has worked to produce a sail that is even lighter in your hands than last year’s model.

The large changes to the Ezzy Wave Panther 3 are:

  • An enlarged centre scrim leech panel
  • A reduced technora leech panel
  • A modified (higher) foot profile
  • Mini leech battens

As always with Ezzy Wave Sails, the Ezzy Wave Panther 3 is an evolution of the previous year’s deisgns. This means that the sails will feel instantly familiar if you have an older Ezzy Wave SE, Ezzy Wave Panther or Ezzy Wave Panther 2.

If you haven’t used an Ezzy Sail for a while, you will notice the reduced weight of the sails – much lighter than previous models (Ezzy Wave SE and Ezzy Wave Panther 1).

The wind range of the Ezzy Wave Panther 3 is absolutely superb – each wave sail size has a great bottom and top end, getting you going early and being solid and dependible when maxed.

The tuning range has been increased on this new Ezzy Wave Panther 3. Both the outhaul and downhaul allow a large range of adjustment on the sails, stopping you having to walk up the beach to change!

Demo a New Ezzy Wave Panther 3 2011

If you are not 100% sure about buying an Ezzy Wave Panther 3 2011, then why not try before you buy?

We have 2011 Ezzy Wave Panther 3 sails at our West Wittering RRD and Ezzy test centre.

To arrange a demo during the winter months, call Simon on 0774 775 8883 or email him – simon@2xs.co.uk. The charge for testing is £25 per hour which we will refund against the cost of new sails.

Trade in?

We will trade in old Ezzy sails against an Ezzy Wave Panther 3. If you are interested in a trade in, give us a call on 01243 512 552 or email.

Masts

The Ezzy Wave Panther 3 works best on Ezzy Skinny Masts. These are the masts that are used during the testing of the sails so they ensure the best results.

The masts can be purchased complete or in sections.

The reason Ezzy is the only sail brand to offer this is that it gives you the best mast match for each size of sail, meaning you get 100% performance. It also means that generally you need less masts in your quiver!

To work out the best mast solution for your quver of sails, take a look at the Ezzy Skinny Mast Chart.

Check the Ezzy Wave Panther 3 (III) sail specs.

Ezzy and 2XS

2XS has been heavily involved with Ezzy from the beginning.

Simon Bassett was in Maui in March this year, testing the Ezzy Wave Panther 3 with Dave Ezzy. If you want more information, give Simon a call on 01243 512 552 or email him

Video of the Ezzy Wave Panther 3 in action

Escaping the cold: Emile, Neal, Jess and Jen’s Barbados trip 2010

Neal Gent, Jess, Jen and I (Emile Kott) are just nearing the end of a magic stay in Barbados.

We have had a real mixed bag of conditions and have been all over the island! We have surfed the East Coast (Parlors and The Soup Bowl), the South Coast (South Point and Freights) and the West Coast (Sandy Lane and Maycocks). To add to all of that, the trade winds decided to kick in a bit early this season, so we have had some great sailing and kiting at Silver Sands on the South Coast.

The truly special part of this trip for me was a really fun left-hand reef break in front of the expensive Sandy Lane Hotel. This was just a short walk from where we were staying. Being a west-facing Caribean side break, it is more fickle than the east (Atlantic side) so we have been really lucky to have this wave breaking for a lot of the time we have been here.

All of these photos were kindly taken by Graham Gent. The break is ideal for photographs as the waves break very close to a nice shady tree!

The following shots are from a Spot on the East Coast called “The Soup Bowl”. It’s a favourite of Kelly Slater and is quite a heavy, scary wave as you can see! (pics by Jess Napper)

The final shots are from a spot called Maycocks in the North West. Weirdly. We surfed it on quite a small day – weirdly, the photos make it look bigger than it felt! (pics by Graham Gent)

We will definitely be back to Barbados. Surfing, windsurfing and kiting in board shorts, friendly locals, great food, beautiful scenery and easy living make this the ideal place to escape the cold, European winter.

During our trip, we stayed in a great villa on the South Coast, very near Oistins and Silver Sands (so ideal for windsurfers). The self catered villa is beautiful with everything that you need (including ac in every room and even a washing maching and tumble dryer!)

The villa is owned by Paolo, an Italian pro surfer, so not only can he provide perfect accomodation, he can also give you ideas of where to go each day! For details, have a look at this Cotton Bay Villa