Serenity on the water!

[nakaniko]

First time on the water! After all these months waiting.
Astonishing, I coudn't believe to run that way with what? 4-5 knots???
Fantastic.
The sensation is so similar to planning that I started pushing with my heels to turn upwind, but I turned on the other side (it's logical anyway).
Immediate great feeling with lower wind, something to learn wen wind sligtly picked up in the evening, as I feel the board ask to be railed up, but I've to understand the way to do it, now board turns upwind trying to do it; but I have to say that here, because of shallow waters, I had and I'll always have to use seaweed fins here, now 40/56.
Sometimes you think you're not travelling faster than your wideboard, then you look around and realize that there is less than half the wind for planing with it!!!!
The technical character of the board is not a limitation, is an even more pleasure riding it, as easy board usually mean boring board, I had this feeling testing some wide freeride in the past. But it doesn't mean absolutely a difficult board, and I'm 90 kg and 43...
First impression: a must-have-board, no matter for the lenght!
More impressions from next sailing days.


P.s. I've taken some few photos with an old cellphone, next time I'll do better with a waterproof camera.

[nakaniko]

Second day, same place, about 2 miles south-east of Venice Airport.
Wind south-southeast, 5-7 knots but with some gusts up to 10 or more.
So I decided to carry on the boat also another "normal" board, a famous wide freeride of about 2003-2004, not a Starboard, wide but still with some lenght, 270, light carbon version.
So when I've started seeing the wind increasing a little I switched from Serenity to the wide board, to have a comparative test. Wind unfortunately was not enough for planing even pumping a lot in the few decent gusts.
Result: difference in speed, handling, enjoying was simply DEVASTATING!!!!!
Under planing threshold being over a classic wide freeride after sailing the Serenity is like stepping out from a sport car and starting driving a Trabant!!! Not to say about the upwind performance, reaching my boat anchored upwind was easy with Serenity, very difficult with the wideboard.
I really have to say that the lenght of the Serenity it's a FALSE problem, on the water it seems a lot more lively than a board being not far from half long.
The result is that for first time in years I've done two windsurf sessions in 4 days, but I could have done REAL and EXCITING sport windsurf almost everyday!
Up to know this is the first board I can strongly suggest to every windsurfer not so lucky to live in a very windy place! For us the Serenity changes the sport from "a talk a lot-do a little" sport to a sport you can make almost when you want!

[davide]

Ciao Nakaniko, what size sail, and sail type, are you using?

[nakaniko]

Hot Sails Maui Stealth 8,5 of 1999, still going strong. For those who don't remember it, it's a 7 batten no cam freerace sail, actually changed in Speed Demon. Mast Tribord (Decathlon) 490/30 100% carbon.

[davide]

Originally Posted by nakaniko

Hot Sails Maui Stealth 8,5 of 1999, still going strong. For those who don't remember it, it's a 7 batten no cam freerace sail, actually changed in Speed Demon. Mast Tribord (Decathlon) 490/30 100% carbon.

Wee! I remember the Stealths! Nice to know that a "soft" 8.5 i all you need to have ton of fun in no wind.

PS I used to have a 5.5. and 6.5 Stealth (I sail in San Francisco) that eventually gave up after a number of years. Great sails, I am using Hot Sails GPS right now ... still great ones.

[Remi]

Hi Nakaniko,

This is video I make with the Prototype of this board some years ago with Oregon camera.

This board for me also it's just amassing and test it in light wind already against many boards under 10 knots and the results was fantastic for the Serenity

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qaZD4ZakFI4

Enjoy light wind windsurfing

All the best

[nakaniko]

Thanks Remi. I must confess you that your video and all the videos of Serenity are in my collection since months... Soon some real photos of Serenity riding in the lagoon, already taken last sunday by my girlfriend

[nakaniko]

Here there are some photos.

Some speed


Turning downwind pushing with the heels, Burano island on the background


Running in front of the ancient island of S. Giacomo


Serenity.. planes! Look behind on the left the.. planes!


Coming back upwind to the boat

[nakaniko]

Something about the fins. Spot is with water from shallow to super shallow, so since the first moment I've used my two tuttle seaweed fins, a progressive raked Tzone 40-56 (40 cm deep) and a special Select Delta Weed XXL, "pan" shaped to get the most surface to low depht ratio, pheraphs more than 50 degrees raked.
Feeling was so good with Serenity board that I could not find something better or worster in one of the two fins about pure performance; only time will tell, with a longer time surfing on my sailing gondola.
The only obvious difference is that the minor rake on the tip area of the Tzone and the 40 cm depht caused sometime obvious scratching on the muddy-sandy seabed. When I switched to the ultraraked funny Select, 27,5 deep (!) even if made for 8,5-10 sqm sails, sailing became so funny because some time seemed to be an hovercraft running on a thin layer of water...
Also in this the Serenity gives some advantages, as reaching the shallowest water areas is very progressive; the day after planing with the widebody freeride was very critical as when I've "braked" touching the seabed and so stopping, then I have had to walk back a long before finding enouugh room for the (seaweed) fin.
Not to say that I've already fitted my board with a homemade hard rubber washer under the front (not original) screw of the fin, to avoid stress to the finbox when sctatching the ground (and so the two tuttle screws are similar in lenght and interchangeable), that both the screws have reduced diameter sections for breackage in case of hard impact, and are silycon coated to reduce wear of board holes and to always stay in place even with the board stored upside down and without the box cap...

[Jean-Marc]

Glad to see you're in love with your Serenity. Now, it's your turn to shoot and post some videos to share your fun...!

Have you tried yet the 2 original fins, i.e., the large upright 70 cm and the shallow 40 cm ? How do they compare with regard to your 2 seeweed fins ?

Cheers & ride on !

JM