Choosing a Fin

Black Project fins asked me what goes into choosing a fin?


The smallest fin you get away with will be the fastest.

Some sailors swap and change all the time, I know within the first broad reach if a fin is going to work or not.

To get the fastest fin you have to consider, sail size, water state, board size, angle to wind your runs will be.

Asymmetric fins are the fastest but only one way.

The broader the course the more rake you want on the fins leading edge, the tighter the course you want a more upright fin.

In luderitz we are sailing on a man made canal 4m wide and about as flat as you can get, I’ll be using my Patrik Diethelm 41cm board with a 16 – 18 cm asymmetric fin. Type X or XLS. Sail size 5.4 to 6.4

In somewhere like Port St Louis the course is very tight, I would use a more upright slalom fin on a larger board Patrik Diethelm 49cm or 53cm with Type R 26-28cm. Sail size 5.4 to 7m

In Fuerteventura I would use a more swept fin like the Type S 26.5 on Patrik Diethelm 43cm or 49 board. Sail size 5.4 to 7m

In Karpathos I would use either Type R or RS 26-30 cm on a Patrik Diethelm 53cm board

The bigger the board the more fin choice there is, on a 110 ltr slalom board I could use 32 – 78 cm fins Type R, RS or S.

The smaller the board the more perfect the conditions have to be.

Horses for courses.

2013 CV / LUDERITZ IS COMING

Countdown has really started for Luderitz 2013, a lot of new and old speedsters will be there. Luderitz is now the meca for speed, with no more world cup events everybody is tuning up specifically for the outright windsurfing speed record. Hopefully we will get a world championships again to run along side record attempts. Looking back over my windsurfing career I sure have entered enough of them.
Curriculum Vitae

Name Martyn Ogier

Address Coin du Pecheur
Rue de la Maladerie
St Saviours
Guernsey
GY7 9RA
Great Britain

Email martynogier@cwgsy.net
Blog http://martynogier68.blogspot.com
Nationality British
Height 6’7”
Weight 240 Ibs / 110 kg

Sponsors
Billabong Wetsuits
Neil Pryde Sails
Patrik Diethelm Boards
Black Project Fins
Flying Objects
Chinnook

Results

2012
British GPS Speed Record
Max speed 50.20 knots
2nd British Speed Championships Weymouth
Top 10 GPS Speedsailing all time average speed

2011
49.5 knots max speed recorded Oct 7th 2011
2nd British Speed Sailing Championships
2nd UK leg of the European Speed Windsurfing Tour
5th Swedish leg of the European Speed Windsurfing Tour

2010 ISWA World Rankings
1st Anders Bringdal
2nd Martyn Ogier
3rd Bjorn Dunkerbeck

2010
2nd ISWA World Rankings
1st International Sailor German speed championships
3rd Weymouth International Speed Week Professional windsurfer

2009
After 12 years out of competitive sailing, I decided to I missed it too much and decided to return to international competition.
World ranking is now based on a roll over system from month to month leading to a final placing for the year.
20th World ranking after Weymouth (Highest ranked British sailor)
22nd Port St. Louis Speed Week (Highest ranked British sailor)
44th World ranking after 1 event (Highest ranked British sailor)
26th World ranking after Karpathos World Championships
4th Weymouth International Speed Week (Highest ranked British sailor)

1999
Retired

1998
Retired from speed sailing and concentrated on the exposure side of professional windsurfing

1997
8th Overall PBA Speed Tour (Highest ranked British sailor)
9th St Marie de la Mer Speed Week (Highest ranked British sailor)
11th Port Leucate speed week
13th Fuerteventura Speed Week (2nd Highest ranked British sailor)
Top 500m course speed 42.09 Knots 1997 Fuerteventura

1996
13th Overall PBA Speed Tour (2nd Highest ranked British sailor)
13th St Marie de la Mer Speed Week (2nd Highest ranked British sailor)

1995
10th Overall PBA Speed Tour (Highest ranked British sailor)
13th Tarifa O’Neil Speed World Cup
1994
2nd O’Neil Sail Sprint West Kirby
Back injury (2 slipped discs & spent 3 months lying flat - I thought I would never sail again)
1993
14th Fuerteventura Speed Week (2nd Highest ranked British sailor)
15th Overall PBA Speed Tour (2nd Highest ranked British sailor)
1992
4th Equal Overall PBA Speed Tour (Highest ranked British sailor)
3rd Brest Speed Week (Highest ranked British sailor)
9th Fuerteventura Speed Week (Highest ranked British sailor)

1991
7th Overall IWSA Speed Tour (Highest ranked British sailor)
5th Brest Speed Week (Highest ranked British sailor)

1990
10th Overall IWSA Speed Tour
2nd Tiree Wave Classic Expression Session

LUDERITZ FINS

The final piece of the jigsaw ready for Luderitz

http://www.blackprojectfins.com/products/windsurf-fins/type-xls-luderitz-special-asymmetric-speed-fin/

NEW PATRIK DIETHELM WEB SITE

http://www.patrikdiethelm.com/index.php/crew/team

Above is the link to the new Patrik Diethelm website featuring this happy chappy.

SPEED 2013

It has seemed like forever but we're finally getting there. Some of the new sails have arrived and it coincided with a nice North Easterly force 5. Under powered on the Neil Pryde Evo 7m2 but great fun. 1st time on the Patrick Diethelm 110 as well. I used my Black Project R37.5 which felt a little big, I'll swap it for my R35 next time. The board feels great, plenty of volume for me in light winds and definitely no need to go any bigger unless the Speed World Cup starts up again and I have to race on 9.5m2 sails.

My sail quiver is now 5.4, 5.8, 6.4, 7.0, 7.8. Any bigger and it would only be for world cup racing. Board wise - PD custom 41, PD Speed 43, PD Speed 53 and PD Slalom 110. Fins - Black Project X35 to X55 and Type R, Type RS.

Looking forward to posting some top speeds soon and Luderitz is creaping up fast.

Thanks to all my partners, Patrik Diethelm Boards, Neil Pryde Sails, Black Project Fins, Billabong Wetsuits, Chinook booms, Aurigny Airlines, GsyPhoto.com

NEW KIT

Almost there, the boards have arrived, wave sails have arrived, most of the race sails are on their way ( 5.4m - 7.0m ) It means that I'll be able to get some speed tuning in soon . The picture above is my first with a gro pro harness mount. More to come.

PATRIK DIETHELM BOARDS

New boards just in.

I have the PD speed 53 and 43 with a custom 41 on the way for my 2013 Luderitz speed challenge.

Beautiful boards, the finish is the best I have seen. Can't wait to get out on them. More pics to follow when my new sails turn up.