Fly! ANA Yokosuka PWA World Cup
The forecast for the inaugural day of the Fly! ANA Yokosuka PWA World Cup looked extremely positive with winds of up to almost 30 knots being predicted by the evening. Unfortunately, though the forecast never materialised meaning the men’s and women’s slalom fleets remained on hold.
However, while the wind may not have played ball, the opening day was still well attended with plenty of interest in the first PWA World Cup in Japan for over 24 years - showing that windsurfing is still alive and well here.
As the afternoon progressed the wind remained very light, so Bonaire’s Taty Frans (Starboard / GA Sails / Mystic) and Amado Vrieswijk (JP / Severne), who is the freestyle vice-world champion — hit the water to provide the entertainment for the crowds with an explosive tow-in show.
At 5pm the wind did eventually swing to the south-south-west, which prompted a few sailors to sneak out on the water, but it remained far too light to ever realistically threaten the racing starting.
Chopper Fins recently joined the PWA, so we caught up with head honcho Ludovic Jossin (Patrik / Sailloft Hamburg / Chopper Fins) to find out more about the brand - their team already consists of a star-studded line up comprising of vice-world champion Pierre Mortefon (Fanatic / NorthSails / Chopper Fins), Gonzalo Costa Hoevel (Starboard / Severne / Chopper Fins), Pascal Toselli (99NoveNove / LoftSails / Chopper Fins), Tristan Algret (Starboard / Severne / Mystic / Chopper Fins), Alex Cousin (Patrik / GA Sails / Chopper Fins) and Valentin Brault (JP / Simmer / Chopper Fins).
Hi Ludo, firstly can you tell us a little bit more about Chopper Fins? The philosophy and idea behind the company?
Chopper Fins is located in Tarifa where I have lived now for the last 15 years, it is a fantastic place to produce quality R&D as the weather here delivers great windsurfing conditions almost every day. Testing on the water is a huge part of the work as the results are instantly apparent with new prototypes and so on. Our philosophy is to supply the best performing windsurfing fins on the market, that suit any kind of rider, racer or board.
You started the company in 2016 - what made you decide that now was the right time to join the PWA?
I started to make the first carbon fins back in 2012 and really decided to launch the company after ending my PWA career at the end of 2015. Chopper Fins provides high-performance quality fins and joining the PWA is the next logical step as it is the world’s best windsurfing organisation - offering huge promotional cover. Being a PWA industry partner is a fantastic opportunity to target the market that I want to appeal to.
You have a wealth of experience when it comes to competing at the highest level in the world - do you think that offers Chopper Fins an advantage when it comes to trying to produce the fastest fins on the market? And who else is on your research and development team?
Our team is constituted by some of the best slalom sailors on earth, which means the feedback we receive when developing new fins is second to none. Experience on the water is important and listening to feedback from others is even more important in my opinion, so I think it is a touch of all these things combined that makes it possible today.
Our team is strong and is constituted by good friends, easy communication and good vibes, which I think is essential to be able to get the best from everyone. Thanks to Pierre Mortefon, Gonzalo Costa Hoevel, Pascal Toselli, Tristan Algret, Alex Cousin and Valentin Brault, Chopper Fins are represented worldwide with a strong and professional image, it is an honour to be part of their personal results too!
Can you tell us a little bit more about the composition of the fins? How they are made? Where they are produced?
All fins are made by myself in Tarifa with carbon and glass high-quality, using innovative moulding constructions together with high quality components.
Chopper Fins currently focuses on slalom/racing fins - do you ever see yourselves branching out into other disciplines?
Slalom fins need a lot of attention and as a result, time becomes very precious, so for the moment we will continue to concentrate purely on slalom products.
What are the aspirations for Chopper Fins over the coming years?
Wait and see!
Where can people get their hands on Chopper Fins?
www.chopperfins.com
Thanks, Ludo.
The forecast for tomorrow looks very light on paper, but as today has shown the forecast can be completely wrong, so you never know what’s going to happen. The best hope on the current forecast looks as though it will be Saturday - although it looks like there is quite a volatile weather system so it will depend on how that low pressure tracks through. The sailors will meet again at 9am tomorrow morning for the skippers’ meeting with the first possible start at 9:30am (GMT+9).
To stay up to date with all the latest developments from Japan — including the live stream, elimination ladders, entry list, images and live ticker simply click HERE and scroll to the bottom of the page.