Select Year 2009 2008 2007 2006

Sjors' Windsurf Rap on Tour
International Surperstar Sjors Koopmans has been rolling out his Windsurf Rap in Germany at the Kiel Ocean Jump event. Having been blessed by his presence in Tenerife last autumn, we think Sjors has found his niche in life.

To watch him in action once more, click on the images on the right. Pics: Lars Wehrmann.

News Posted - 25/06/09

SALE NOW ON!

We are pleased to announce the sale of our 2008 boards and sails is now on! All boards are now £499.00 and sails for £180.00, the price including delivery to a UK mainland address*. There are some real bargains to be had as there are plenty of Pro / Limited construction boards still available. The list of items still in stock can be seen by clicking here, and images can be emailed on request. We are entirely honest about the quality of each item, and have received a lot of positive feedback from previous buyers of our equipment. If interested in an item, please don't hesitate to get in contact.

*Some of the remotest parts of the UK are exempt; please get in contact to check if your delivery address is covered in the offer.

News Posted - 12/06/09

Isle Of Tenerife Information Website
There is a new website about the island of Tenerife, documenting information about the many points of interest and attractions within its shores. The website is still in its infancy at present but will be updated and added to constantly to provide more information as time progresses. To view the website, click here, or on the image of the site on the right.

News Posted - 11/06/09

Solent Sailboards Trip to The OTC
This news item is particularly late, but nonetheless very worthy of mention. During mid-March The OTC once again played host to a group of sailors from Solent Sailboards. From recollection the wind didn't quite give them the 100% record of last year, but there was still plenty of time spent on the water. The light wind days also provided the opportunity to check out Tenerife's latest attraction in the south - the Siam Water Park, which went down a storm. It was our pleasure having everyone out again and there was talk of a possible autumn visit whispered around at the end of the trip. For more information visit the Solent Sailboards website. Pic: Simon Crabtree.

News Posted - 11/06/09

2010 S1's for Dany
Dany has been out training with his latest engines, and is very happy with the performance of the new 2010 Severne S1 sails. Jochen from windsurfingtenerife.com didn't miss a trick of course and managed to get these shots of him. There are also some impressive shots of local sailor Ivan on Dany's old kit.

News Posted - 28/05/09

Jamie Second and Graham Ninth in UKWA Rhosneigr Event
OTC team riders Jamie Hawkins and Graham Woods were up in Rhosneigr last weekend, competing in the UKWA event held there. The conditions were excellent during the last days of the event and the action was said to be superb. In the waves, Graham faced Timo Mullen in the first round, and was unfortunate that Timo was on top of his game during the heat. Disappointed with the result in Rhossie and Ireland, we're sure it has provided more valuable experience for Grey's future in competition. Jamie however faired a little better in the slalom, only losing out to Mat Pearch to claim second place overall. Well done to both sailors, and roll on the next event. For more information visit the UKWA website.

News Posted - 20/05/09

Thommen Boards in the OTC
The OTC centre in Tenerife now possesses a couple of Thommen boards for our clients to test and compare. Peter Thommen has a wealth of experience and knowledge when it comes to shaping boards, the number of world titles his designs have claimed being testament to their pedigree. The two boards in stock are the Maui Wave X Bamb02 83, and the CrossX Bamb02 97. We are in the midst of testing them ourselves, and are receiving some very positive feedback from our clients as well. Got to say the finish and the fittings of the boards are superb, each board being supplied with its own quality board bag for transit. For more information about Thommen, click here.

News Posted - 14/05/09

Busy Month For The OTC
Many apologises for the lack of news throughout most of April. The truth is that we had a great month for wind, and were busy trying to make up for our down-times earlier in the year. We have also been busy elsewhere and will have some big news to announce later in the month, so stay tuned. For now however, we thought we would share with you some shots that have been supplied to us by windsurfingtenerife.com of Dany training on his Exocet U-Surf 68 and concept 4.3m sail from Severne. After spending some time off the water following an injury sustained in Cabo Verde, he is back on form and as the photos prove, ripping! Just a crying shame that Pozo will only be a freestyle event this year - who came up with that stroke of genius!?

News Posted - 05/05/09

Spanish Championship Results
The Spanish Championships kicked off for 2009 on our Cabezo doorstep last weekend, and once again OTC team members Adam Lewis and Graham Woods took part. Both are fresh from their winter training out in South Africa and impressed the locals and the judges with some new moves and trickery. The conditions proved quite challenging during the event, with the low tide claiming quite a few casulties. Unfortunately the boys met each other in round three, so there was only going to one that could advance further. The heat was a really close run thing, but Graham just scraped ahead with a better wave riding score. Next up was eventual event winner Dario Ojeda and Graham nearly claimed a large scalp, posting a better jumping score ... but this time Dario claimed the dominant wave score. Graham finished the event in sixth - an excellent result considering the level in the comp. Well done to both boys. Thanks to Nikki Attree, Christina Tischler and Michel for the photos.

News Posted - 08/04/09

Here Comes The Wind!
The Spanish Championships are taking place in El Cabezo this weekend, with many local sailors taking part, including our own particular interests in team riders Dany Bruch, Adam Lewis, Graham Woods and Andrea Palazzo. Good luck guys.

To see what the next few days have in store for them, we checked the forecast this morning and were pleasantly surprised, not only for this weekend, but for next week as well. Looks like it could be a windy one ... remember, you can pretty much double what is predicted on a WindGuru forecast. Time to batten down the hatches me thinks...

News Posted - 04/04/09

New Advertisement on Website

We've just updated our advertisement page on this website to include the latest addition. You can see it by clicking here.

News Posted - 04/04/09

OTC in Windsurf Italia
The Official Test Centre has just been featured in the latest issue of Windsurf Italia magazine and in future we'll be providing regular test articles for our latest magazine partner. We're looking forward to a long and enjoyable collaboration.

News Posted - 04/04/09

Windsurfing Journal's Yearbook 2009 ... Plus More Exposure for Dany
Windsurfing Journal's Yearbook for 2009 is now out, and has over 100 items reviewed, many of which were tested by Alexander Lehmann and his team with us here in Tenerife. Click on the image of the front cover on the right to be directed to their website to order your copy now. In addition, the Yearbook has an interview with our local hero Dany Bruch including some pretty spectacular shots of him sailing, so be sure not to miss your copy of the mag.

Actually, Dany has been getting quite a bit of exposure of late. He recently had an interview on Continent 7 as well, which expalins why he is sailing under a German number now and how his new sponsors came about. To read his interview, click here.

News Posted - 03/04/09

North Sails R&D at OTC
Last week we had the pleasure of hosting two key members of North Sails R&D team, who flew out on a forecast to do some product development. Brand Manager Raoul Joa and chief engineer Uli Bitterolf were here for just four days but we think the time proved very useful for them. As a brand, North Sails are at the forefront of rig component innovation (and these two play the starring role), with defining inventions such as the Power.XT Extension and more recently the iFRONT boom series, which allows you to control the flex in the front end. Since opening we have been using the PowerXT and now have some Silver series booms in the centre that you can try for yourself, and feel the difference the FLEX.CONTROLLER makes.

News Posted - 11/03/09

Sjors Windsurf Rap
Late last year El Médano was blessed with the presence of windsurfing's International Man of Mystery Sjors Koopmans, who was in town for a spot of training, bling-recce'ing and general preening. Whilst here, he was doing his usual competition research on the net and came by the videos of Italian freestyle meastro Mattia Pedrani. Filled with fear that his thunder may soon be stolen, Sjors decided to produce his own Windsurf Rap to prove that his crown as Windsurf Supremo and general Ego-Extraordinaire had not fallen! To watch Sjors's video, click on the image on the right, (comes with a parental guidance of extreme tongue-in-cheek!).

News Posted - 09/03/09

More Images on WT.com
Local photographer, web designer and windsurf hotshot Jochen Stolz (that's him sailing...) has put some more recent images onto the windsurfingtenerife.com website. To see them, click on the images on the right.

News Posted - 09/03/09

Andrea Cucchi and Friends in Town
We're a little late in writing this as he has now returned to Italy, but for most of January and February we had the pleasure of sailing with Andrea Cucchi - Italy's race champion for the last 13 years. Basing himself here in El Médano, to test and tune his equipment with friends John Benamati and Alberto Pizzamiglio, Andrea is also the founder and owner of the up-and-coming sail brand Point-7, whose sails can't help but draw attention with their distinctive black monofilm panels.

News Posted - 07/03/09

Tenth Newsletter Out Now!

Our tenth newsletter was sent out today and included plenty of items, from news of our 2008 kit sale, to an image of our new office and a link to a video interview with Dany after the Cabo Verde event. If you didn't receive your copy of the letter via email you can download it by clicking here. If you would like to receive the Newsletter via email in future, you can subscribe by quickly filling in your details on our Subscription page.

News Posted - 23/02/09

OTC in Amsterdam Windsurfing Magazine
Several members of Amsterdam's Windsurfing Club visited us in November as part of the Happy Sport Test week, one of whom was Frederike - an editor of the club's magazine 'De Mast Voet'. In the December issue of the magazine, Rein Hazewinkel recounts the events of the week, whilst Frederike honoured us with the chance to explain a little more about the concept of the centre. To view the magazine online click on either of the images on the right.

News Posted - 19/02/09

Tonix Footage of Cabo Verde
The break in the wind over the weekend enabled the Tonix crew to edit the footage they had gathered and produce a series of videos. The second video from the event has plenty of footage of our man Dany, including a couple of mast mount wave rides, footage of a wave ride from the water, and a clip of him being the proud owner of a new beachcaster fishing rod! To see the video, click on the image on the right.

News Posted - 19/02/09

Dany in PWA Cabo Verde
Dany is currently in Cabo Verde, having competed in both eliminations of the PWA event. His draws were far from easy, meeting Robby Swift and Scotty McKercher in the first, followed by Jason Polakow and Marcilio "Brawzinho" Browne in the second! We know he will be gutted to have not progressed further in the competition, but he should take pride in being at the invitational itself and realise the reason he is upset is that he knows (as well as we do) he has it in himself to beat the World Champions he is competing against. Pic: PWA/Carter.

News Posted - 17/02/09

Sale Announced on 2008 Equipment

We are pleased to announce the sale is now on for our 2008 equipment. All boards are now reduced to £550.00 / €600.00 and sails down to £180.00 / €200.00. There are plenty of bargains to be had, all of which can be viewed on our Sales page. For more information including photos, please don't hesitate to write to us.

News Posted - 16/02/09

New Feedback Page - The OTC Influence

We are receiving more and more feedback recently that a trip to The OTC is helping people decide what their next windsurf equipment purchase will be. This is something that we obviously hoped the concept of The OTC would help to facilitate - inspiring people to buy the right kit for themselves, so that they gain even more enjoyment from the sport. So if you have visited us in the past and bought equipment as a result of your trip, why not write to us and contribute to our OTC Visit Influence page.

News Posted - 15/02/09

OTC Team Videos and Blogs
OTC Team members Adam and Graham have finished the videos of their training adventure to South Africa, and uploaded them for all to see. To compliment their launch, they have also started a blog each. Adam's can be viewed by clicking on the page image on the right, whilst this is Graham's.

To be taken directly to their videos, click here for Adam's and here for Graham's.

News Posted - 15/02/09

UK Retailer Hardcloud Article

Last month we were approached by the UK online retailer Hardcloud who offered to write an article for our website in return for a link to their store. Intrigued to read what they had to say, we replaced their suggested topic ('Windsurfing Gear and Equipment') with a title we thought they could write about with authority, making it interesting to read for both us and our website visitors. The result is the piece below - let us know what you think by writing to us and we will provide the feedback to Hardcloud.

Can Clothing From a Windsurf Background Be As Successful As Those From A Surfing Origin?

The UK might not exactly have the world's best reputation for coming first in a race or lifting that winning trophy, but when it comes to taking part, no one could deny us top marks for effort. As a nation we have always loved our sports and would never let a problem such as a little bit of rain, deter us from having a go; and in many cases, the UK's climate and natural landscapes make it an excellent place for outdoor adventure activities.

Although it doesn't always get the same sort of attention that many other water-sports do, windsurfing is quickly gaining the attention it deserves thanks to the efforts of the many competitions, marathons, galas and festivals that are encouraging more of a national interest. As with many other extreme sports such as skating or skiing, one of the key elements to the success of surfing is that it has a strong 'culture' held together by the many fashion labels, artists and musicians who have been inspired by the surfing ethos – there are several very well known surfing brands such as Roxy, Quiksilver, Billabong and Element that all grew from humble beach-front stores.

Whilst many of these surfing retailers can rightfully claim to have started with a unique or original style, such as the durable and well-crafted Billabong board shorts, brands like this have become synonymous with the lifestyle that many people aspire to: the fun, creative, healthy, well groomed and casual surfer. The Billabong shorts are as popular as ever, but the brand has expanded into a multi-million pound empire that also lends its name to T-shirts, hoodies, footwear and eye-wear to name just a few.

Without having the iconic and 'fashionable' image to begin with, it at first seems unlikely that any windsurfing clothing brand could become as successful as its surfing contemporaries; in part this may be a general feeling that the two sports are very similar to begin with. However, as any windsurfer will tell you, there are some vast differences which may be crucial in any potential marketing campaign.

With the added wind power, windsurfing is undoubtedly a faster sport; participants must be more agile and able to understand and control wind speeds and how best to optimize them. Where surfers may find themselves waiting on their boards for the next big wave, windsurfers can perform on calm waters and are therefore more active for longer periods of time and of course make more use of upper body strength to control their sails. With a great big sail to help them along the way, windsurfers also offer any potential sponsor or brand, a perfect and highly visible platform for advertisement.

Animal Clothing, Reef, Rip Curl and Rusty are all popular water-sport brands, though few specialise specifically in windsurfing; and Maui Sail and Fat Face are quickly becoming the brands most highly associated with the sport at sponsorship level. To find out more about one of the most popular water-sport clothing brands, visit Hardcloud's Retail Website.

News Posted - 15/02/09

Boys Back From South Africa
OTC team members Adam and Graham took a couple of months away from the Canaries during December and January to take their training to a different arena. They ended up in South Africa and scored some pretty fruity conditions as you can see in the photo of Ads on the right (thanks to Greg Martin for the shot). Since returning last week, they have both been putting the finishing touches to their videos, showcasing their exploits, which will be available on Vimeo very soon. Watch this space...

News Posted - 09/02/09

OTC on Italian Website Windcam
An article about The OTC and our reopening has recently been posted up on the Italian Windsurf Magazine Windcam. The website is packed full of information to keep every Italian up to speed with what is going on in the world of windsurfing.

We'd like to thank Ezio and his team for the fantastic support they gave us over the last few months. By helping us expose the problems encountered in El Médano to the windsurfing community, we were able to display the international interest in the area to the local council and secure our reopening.

News Posted - 22/01/09

OTC Reopening 21st January

Well, the date has been set! The OTC will open its doors once again on the 21st of this month, and business will resume as usual. Thanks again to everyone for being so vocal and active in your support. For anyone who is based locally or is likely to be in town this coming weekend, we will be having a get-together in Flashpoint this Saturday the 17th, at 6.00pm onwards for some drinks to celebrate. Hope to see you there...

News Posted - 15/01/09

Motion / Happy Sport Test Trip Movie
At the start of November we played host to a great bunch of windsurfers from Holland on trip organised by Happy Sport and promoted through Motion magazine. Despite an unfavourable forecast at the start of the week, the wind played ball and everyone enjoyed plenty of time on the water. One of the group's members, Jan Boudestein, is the proud owner of a mini headcam and spent much of the week gathering footage on the water. The result is a movie of the action, which can be viewed by clicking on the YouTube image on the right.

News Posted - 15/01/09

OTC to Open Again!
We have been keen to keep you all up to date with progress via this news page, but the truth is that there has been little of substance to report other than more speculation and rumour. That is until this week!

Last Saturday the Canarian newspaper Diario de Avisos printed an article about the plight of the various locals in South Bay, which prompted one of the Ayuntamiento's (local council's) top representatives Estaban González to visit the area and understand the situation for himself. This was followed by a meeting on Wednesday with the head of the General Council for Transports, Works and Services, who informed us that all The OTC's papers are in order and that we could reopen.

The three other storage locals affected are still closed at present, but we are very optimistic that they will be open again as well soon. We would just like to take this opportunity to thank everyone, both locally and further afield, for their amazing support. We had over 2,000 signatures on our petition in the end - testament to just how popular El Médano is as a holiday / windsurfing destination. The centre itself is still not fully open yet - we are just using the next few days to carry out some necessary maintenance, but as soon as the wind returns it will be business as usual. Watch this space...

News Posted - 09/01/09

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