From the very beginning
The Severne brand has been a part of Maaike Huvermann’s windsurfing career from the very early days. This year marks the eleventh year of Maaike riding Severne. Nowadays Maaike rides on both Severne sails and boards, is vice freestyle world champion, and has already racked up countless national and international podium finishes during her short career.
Here is Maaike’s story in her own words.
This year marks the eleventh year of windsurfing on Severne gear for me. It’s been an adventure and I would never have guessed what windsurfing was going to bring me when I first started out. Severne has played a key role in my development as a windsurfer and is deeply rooted in my identity as a windsurfer. So, I thought it would be a good moment to look back and reflect on the past years.
When I first started windsurfing and had all the basics down, it was time to find an upgrade from my triangle sail. My parents found me a complete 3.8 kids rig that looked like a regular wave sail. I was excited at first, cause most of the other kids that were planning had similar sails. But when I first tried it, I could barely get it out of the water, so it created a love-hate relationship with the sport. I would see the guys in the pool rip it up and it motivated me so much, yet I could barely lift the sail up.
On a windy day, I rented an XS-1 (which now is the XS-3) and it changed the whole experience of windsurfing for me because I could handle the sail. I didn’t have to worry about weight, I could pull it out of the water with ease and could do light wind tricks in no time. Ultimately, I am 100% confident, I would not have continued to keep windsurfing if it wasn’t for the lightweight Severne Sails.
Being on similar gear as the pros and progressing quickly, it suddenly made the moves they were doing reachable. It fuelled a passion in me that, since that moment, I have never lost. I like looking back at photos because it makes me realise how much I’ve developed, but I still go out with the same mindset as I did back then.
What’s even crazier is the development of the gear over the years and the possibilities that it has created. The S-1 was great for learning the basics of freestyle, but the introduction of the FREEK freestyle sail really changed the freestyle game. The FREEK made ducking and preparing for moves so much easier, because of its flat and neutral nature. With the switch to 5-battens, the wind range of the sail was also increased significantly. This way you can carry much more power into the moves and create lots of lift and explosivity.
For me, it made learning the first power moves much easier and I progressed much quicker than before. Getting the extra bit of control on the duck gives you that extra bit of balance and time that you need when learning new moves. And of course, it created the opportunity for the pros to go for big airs and double power moves. I remember coming home from school and checking Continentseven to see if anyone had landed a new move. So cool to see how much people have pushed the sport and how far we’ve come.
THe new generation
Currently, there is a new generation of 10–12-year-olds going coming up. The Rookie Class at Brouwersdam is really encouraging the kids to go out on the water, have fun, improve their skills and learn together. Many of them are learning airjibes at the moment and it’s only a matter of time before they will be flying around power moves.
I’m really excited to see what the future has in store. Hopefully, events will go ahead again this year and we’ll get to see everyone shine in competition. Fingers crossed that is going to happen. I’m also really looking forward to seeing the Severne shine in the Olympics and see how that discipline is going to grow in the future. Can’t wait!
More Severne news
The South West Australia mission
As the 2024 Western Australian windsurfing season comes close to its twilight, Federico Infantino and fellow windsurfers chased up an epic adventure.
With the chances of scoring one final offshore day in WA, and the WSL event being held at the Margaret River main break, little doubts were left in this local crew’s minds. They had to score elsewhere.
Lina Erpenstein wins her first-ever World Cup in Chile
Severne rider rose to the top of the podium in her first-ever World Cup Victory in Chile. The women’s final consisted of no less than three Severne riders; Sol Degrieck who finished second and Pauline Katz who finished fourth.
THE ACTION IS HEATING UP IN CHILE
One of the biggest windsurf wave events in South American history kicked off on April 1st, and will run through to April 12th. The time has come for the PWA-IWT Chile World Cup, and based on the action we saw last year, we can expect to see high-quality windsurfing.
DON’T MISS THIS MASTERCLASS BY DIETER VAN DER EYKEN
After a successful first edition, Dieter van der Eyken, Rene Egli Fuerteventura, and INNSiDE by Melia, are announcing the second edition of the “Windsurfing Masterclass Fuerteventura”.
GIRLS ON TOUR
On Monday, July 10th, 2023, the second edition of ¨Girls on Tour¨ took place in Pozo Izquierdo, Gran Canaria. This esteemed event was a coaching program exclusively organized by the PWA for women, aimed at fostering their skill development.
SPECIAL WINDSURFING DAYS – EL NINO TURNS ON
Tenerife offered several closely spaced wave sailing sessions around the Christmas period in the winter months with some exceptional conditions with the arrival of the first winter swells.
A particular spot, that did not deliver a single day the previous winter, now had Severne rider Dieter Van Der Eyken as excited as a kid on Christmas day.
TOMMY FRIEDL PROCENTER
Experience laid back windsurfing in the red sea Welcome to the Tommy Friedl ProCenter, your destination for windsurfing adventures nestled in Marsa Alam, El Naaba Bay, along the stunning Red Sea in Egypt. At the heart of the action, the centre operates from the...
2024 Margaret River Wave Classic
The 2024 Margaret River Wave Classic was yet another epic event filled with non stop action from the very beginning until the end. Jaeger Stone took the mens open title and Jane Seman won the womens division.
MARGARET RIVER WAVE CLASSIC 2024
The 2024 Margaret River Wave Classic in Western Australia will happen this year from February 1st – 4th
Severne is proud to support this year’s event, and to see World class wave competition return to “margs” yet again.