Musso keeps scoring covers! This time it’s German magazine Windsurfing Journal and international online mag Windsurfer International that feature our Spanish hero on their cover. A total of 4 mags so far, anyone else?

Windsurfer International not only used Musso on the cover, but also on the content page. Please stop doing this, the guy is getting way too arrogant THANKS!

With the new 2010 gear everywhere on the water we couldn’t stay behind any longer. Behold the new action shots of the umi team riders. The action pic banner rotates at random so every time you visit the site you will get to see another great shot of Alex, Thomas, Kauli, Graham and Jonas.

Thanks to photographers John Carter, Jérôme Houyvet and Quincy Dein for these great shots.

Don’t forget you can still vote for umi on Riders-Match.com.  Give Josh Angulo the goodbye he deserves by making him number on in this comp. Voting runs until 16th November, 5 votes per login per day. Simple. Thanks.

To get a decent clip from England requires time and a lot of effort as it’s hard to get the right conditions for all the different spots. Andy King was without a doubt the man for the job: 100% hardcore and willing to drive hundreds of miles in his relentless search for wind and waves, or at least until he got a real job and became a weekend warrior! Andy’s a prolific jumper, the first on the water and the last off powered only Mr Kipling cakes and Iron Bru (this red head’s soft drink of choice). Besides this Andy has got something not many windsurfers have: he can write – so over to the man himself:

Windsurfing in the UK offers so much variety and so many challenges. We spend weeks waiting for storm fronts to arrive so that we can battle the cold and rain, whilst all other sane folk are tucked away in the warm of their houses. We drive miles chasing waves and sideshore conditions and have to make plans around tides that can vary up to 6 metres. In winter after sailing the cold create hot aches in your hands that make even the hardest sailors scream. Yet the windsurfing scene in the UK is still alive all be it slightly underground. Unlike surfing there is still a respect between sailors and an understanding of the passion and addiction that we share. Across the UK, as the TV weather man disappoints a nation with warnings of bad weather as another Atlantic low is about to sweep the country, there is a community of “sleepers” called to arms, who grin with anticipation as they except the challenge to meet this stormy opponent head on at the beaches. That’s what we live for…

Some years ago you pretty much lived on spaghetti and ketchup, saving all money for windsurf equipment and petrol. How’s life now?
‘Life has improved somewhat. I now have a wife, a house, a job, two dogs and still get to windsurf most windy days here in beautiful Cornwall. I still enjoy a little spaghetti but have switched to homemade pasta sauces instead of Tesco budget ketchup these days.’

Out of the spots surfed on this clip, what’s your favourite?
‘It’s hard to say, in reality the variety of spots we get here in the UK means that they are all my favourites when they are working. I like to sail spots like K-Bay as the scenery is stunning, like wise Cornwall is warm and uncrowded with some amazing waves on its day.’

What’s the gear you mostly use in England?
‘Again it kind of depends on the conditions on a given day, however I generally ride slightly bigger boards than most. I love jumping and to me a bigger board helps me to plane earlier and so allows me to hit more ramps with more speed. I signed with Goya around five years ago and haven’t looked back. The gear is spot on and Francisco is a legend. I now have a quiver of 2010 Goya Eclipse sails, developed by Levi, and three Goya twin fin wave boards and this combination is superb. You can do insane turns and recover from some ridiculous situations that just wouldn’t be possible on a single fin. I have switched to Mormaii wetsuits and can begin to understand how Kauli rips even when sailing the North sea. The suits are so flexible yet they are the warmest suits I have ever had, I thoroughly recommend them especially with winter rapidly approaching!’

What’s the craziest trip you ever did in the UK?
‘From Southampton to Thurso in Scotland for a three day trip with umi’s Brendan Pyatt and the Horrocks brothers. A very long drive to a very cold and bleak place, however we scored some cool conditions and I got my one and only cover shot so it was worth it.’ Click here to see the pics of that session.

What moves are you working on at the moment?
‘I am currently trying to work on getting my doubles consistent again after seeing the apparent ease with which Philip Koster was pulling them off in Pozo. I had kind of stopped doing them; not consciously, it’s just the UK conditions that are so on and off, it can be weeks between sessions. This kind of dictates what’s possible on a given day and Cornwall tends to offer better riding conditions than jumping. I fancy trying push forwards but again you need pretty special conditions for this to be a reality and I guess you need to be in the mood on that given day. I am always trying to improve wave riding, getting more speed and a more vertical approach to the lip, twin fins certainly help with this.’

What’s the number one advice you’d give to windsurfers around the world?
‘Enjoy whatever conditions you get on the day, it may be onshore and only two foot but you can still have fun and stamp your own style on it if you are open minded enough to just go out and have fun. Get a 85 – 95L free wave board so you can always get out on the water, you only need one gust to get just one jump or one wave to make a session worthwhile. Also be prepared to venture out and try new spots. I know so many sailors who stick to what they know and who miss out because the aren’t willing to travel and to challenge themselves at a new location. Some sailing spots restrict your level of sailing especially if you are trying to improve so you have to venture further afield.’

Last words
‘Well done to Alex Mussolini, winning Sylt with style in some pretty challenging conditions, pressure’s off now so you can win ‘em all next year!’

OH YEAH! We made it to the final of Riders Match, the online world contest for action videos with two clips: Ricardo Campello in Pozo and Josh Angulo in Cabo Verde. We now have until the 16th of November to make it to the top of the ranking and win. For this we need your votes, so please go to the website and give us some shakas. It really is a win-win situation: #1 for us means even more clips of umi for you. For free. For your viewing pleasure. You know you want it. VOTE!