Haakgat Happenings

Team Fanatic score it big in South Africa.

Whilst the Fanatic Wave Team were on their test mission, developing the next line of boards, they scored some of the biggest waves ever seen breaking over in Cape Town. Haakgat was the spot where Brand Manager Craig Gertenbach and his team riders, Victor Fernandez (Fanatic, North, MFC), Marcilio Browne (Fanatic, North, MFC), and Klaas Voget (Fanatic, Simmer, MFC) took their quad fin prototypes out to sea for the ultimate test.

This is what the guys had to say after the session:

Victor Fernandez:

“Well, I have to say that this day in Haagkat really impressed me. This is my 3rd time in Cape Town and I’ve never seen such a big swell here. It was my first day as well, I’d just got off the plane, we had a little session in Milnerton beach, just in front of our place and after that we went to Haagkat and scored those big waves. It was actually very fun to sail with Craig, Klaas and Marcilio on my first day of the trip. This was one of those very big days that I’ll never forget.”

Marcilio Browne:

“Cape Town always sounded to me like a place with strong winds and small waves, but for the past week we’ve seen a big swell pretty much everyday. The day we went to Haakgat was very special, the waves were pretty big, and increasing as the day went by. Also, the wind was really strong, full power 4.2 weather. I was impressed by how good the quad was working. I had the 81 litre that day, because the current was really strong on the inside, winds were gusty, and the last thing you wanted was to get stuck in between waves. The board felt very nice, it planed really early, and had a lot of drive on those big choppy waves. The board kept a lot of control, and moved around pretty well.”

Klaas Voget:

“This was one of the biggest days I’ve ever seen here in Cape Town. It was quite windy and pretty choppy on the biggest ones, but still a lot of fun. The grip and control our quad prototypes had, made my day. For me this was also the first big day with my new Simmer sails and they rip. The ICON feels neutral and controlled, and it’s very strong - I got a few of these bombs on the head without any problems!

Craig Gertenbach:

“As a local who has sailed Haakgat for over 20 years, I was pretty surprised to see the swell picking up as quickly and as largely as it did on Monday. Last week I had a great session at Haakgat, without any swims or wipeouts, so on Monday I had to catch up... on my 2nd wave I got totally wiped out, held under and had a very long swim and a walk. After a few similar situations I retired to the beach and enjoyed watching Klaas, Marcilio, and Victor totally ripping in the huge sets. We’ve had 2 major swells and another 2 are on the way, so it’s definitely the best January I’ve ever seen in Cape Town!”