The PWA

2022 Provisional PWA World Tour Calendar

- Cabo Verde (Wave 5*) - February TBC
- Maldives (Slalom 5*) - May/June TBC
- Israel (Slalom 5*) - Late June
- Croatia (Slalom 3*) - 4th-9th July
- Gran Canaria (Wave 5*) - 9th-17th July
- Fuerteventura (Slalom 5*) - 28th July - 6th August 
- Tenerife (Wave 5*) - August TBC
- Klitmøller (Youth World Cup) - 11th-17th September
- Sylt (Grand Slam 7*) - 23rd September - 3rd October
- Lake Garda (Slalom 5*) - October TBC
- Japan (Slalom 5*) - 11th-16th November

With small playful waves on offer the 21-year-old went on an aerial assault. You can see the results of a super fun looking session @ https://youtu.be/eapvfgQFsWc

Arthur Arutkin: “My 2021 best of windsurfing - Wissant Storm, Maui, Ho’okipa, Pozo etc Riding Fanatic Grip and Duotone Superhero, Black Project Fins. Enjoy.”

You can see Arthur Arutkin’s best of windsurfing from 2021 @ youtu.be/9ksMGA8W85A

West Coast Visuals: “In 2020 professional windsurfer Marc Paré escaped the Spanish lockdown by following his heart - which led him to the small fishing village Klitmøller on the west coast of Denmark. 

The plan was to stay for a short while, but weeks turned into months, and now - over a year later - Paré has fallen in love with both the village of Klitmøller, the Nordic conditions and the Danish lifestyle.

In this video we have tried to capture both Paré’s incredible skills on the water, as well as his newfound love for the Danish way of life. 

Produced by: West Coast Visuals
Directed by: Markus Rydberg
Supported by: Fanatic & Duotone Windsurfing
DOP & Edit: Markus Rydberg
Special thanks to: Thilde and her family, Lars Jensen, Morten, Pierre, the staff at café Hawgus, the Danish open crew and Matthäus Merkle.”

You can see Marc Paré - the involuntary Danish @ youtu.be/nOZvNyVME1k

Graham Ezzy: "Lots of tricks and wave riding action from the photoshoot sessions for the Ezzy Wave. Which kinds of videos do you prefer? Action montages? Instruction? Narrative clips like "The Art of Waves"? Let me know in the comments."

You can see Graham Ezzy's Ho'okipa sessions @ https://youtu.be/roHMiv_o9TQ

Dieter van der Eyken: “2021 flew by with another great time here on the Canaries. 

The year started off with a trip to Fuerteventura & Gran Canaria to enjoy some more down-the-line wave sailing. 

After that Cabezo came back to life especially in May & beginning of December with some exceptional good sessions with no summer crowds! 

Most days I was able to sail on 4.0 or 4.4 making it a fairly windy year and now already looking forward towards next year.

Enjoy the little recap of some of the past year sessions & on to a great 2022!

Big thanks to Micheal Maeyer for the cover shots & all people who filmed over the year!”

You can see Dieter van der Eyken’s highlights from 2021 @ https://youtu.be/AbFZ2ksTjGU

To try and help you overcome the fear, and also learn the forward in the safest way possible, Ben Proffitt (Simmer / Simmer Sails) has put together a great new video called ‘The Secret of Forward Loops’, so if you are an aspiring looper in the making or you have already started your forward loop journey - be sure to check it out @ youtu.be/hNQcJe0lB84

Ben Proffitt: “Struggling to get your head around Forward loops? Well, maybe it's time to look at them a different way... “

Board Brands

Starboard take the top honours in the Board Brand category with a total score of 4.7 points across the Slalom, Freestyle & Foil disciplines (lowest score wins). Fanatic finish second for 2021 with 6.4 points, whilst JP claim the final place on the podium ahead of FMX Racing.

Sail Brands

Duotone claimed a hard fought victory in the Sail Brand category as they posted an overall score of just 5.4 points, which was just 0.7 of a point better than Severne Sails and 1.6 points better than NeilPryde in what proved to be a very tight fight. 

The above scores take into account every discipline added up across the board, but there are also individual awards for each discipline meaning:

- Fanatic won the Slalom Board Constructors’ Championship ahead of Starboard and FMX Racing.
- Duotone won the Slalom Sail Constructors’ Championship ahead of NeilPryde & Phantom
- Starboard claim the top spot in the Freestyle Board Constructors’ Championship ahead of JP & Future Fly.
- Severne Sails earned first place in the Freestyle Sail Constructors’ Championship ahead of NeilPryde & RRD.
- In the Foil Board Constructors’ Champion, Fanatic were crowned champions ahead of Starboard & FMX Racing.
- Whilst in the last category, Duotone earned the top honours in the Foil Sail Constructors’ Championship ahead of Severne & NeilPryde. 

You can see a full list of the results here.

Alexia Kiefer-Quintana (Fanatic / Duotone): “I was lucky to catch this rare Canary swell. Down the line port tack madness.”

You can see Alexia Kiefer-Quintana's latest edit @ https://youtu.be/_A63xoHjX2I

Baptiste Cloarec: “Summer trip in Pozo Izquierdo with Julien Flechet and Miguel Chapuis, met there Marino Gil Gherardi and all the local guys! 

Going there without any competition was really fun and we really enjoy it!”

The Nautical Channel: “Athletes are meeting in Tiberias, Israel, for the PWA World Cup. This first leg of this year’s competition will be filled with action after 18 months of inactivity. With winds between 18 and 30 knots, it will be a challenge for the world’s best windsurf sailors and with uncertainty in conditions, anything can happen in Israel.

Fly with us on the PWA WORLD CUP 2021 in Tiberias to welcome back international windsurfing action. The beginning of the season will be available on Nautical Channel on Saturday 11th December at 21:00 (GMT+1).”

You can find more info @ nauticalchannel.com/episode/858/tiberias-israel

Loick Spicher: “5 Minutes of my favourite action from different locations around the world.

Shots were taken in: Cape Town, Fuerteventura, Brazil, Spain, France, Greece

A big thank you to all the filmers involved: Jeremy Plüss, Valentin Böckler, Jan Fischer, Gianluca Sorrentino, Filip Król, Julian Wiemar, Claire Christe, Antonio Costa, Jazzy Zwerus, Julia Pakosz, Riccardo Marca, Francesco Tedeschi, Jamilson de Sousa.

Hope to share another of these sessions with you on the water soon!

Music: Guns'N Roses - Paradise City”

Defi Wind Superstars 

The Defi wind is one of the biggest windsurfing event in the world, usually there's 1300+ people on the starting line battling on a 40km course to finish first. In 2016 I participated one time, but sadly that year there was no wind to actually do any races. So I was stoked to finally compete in this famous race in 2021. 

The format was actually a bit different, due to covid restrictions the event couldn't take place in the normal set-up. So instead of 1300+ competitors, we were with a selected group of 200 people doing a 'superstars' edition. 

Instead of doing a downwind slalom with 300 meter reaches, this race was definitely something different. Also the tramontana, the famous strong wind blowing in the south of France, is something you have to get used to. 

All together it was an amazing experience, the wind wasn't as strong as expected, but during the 4 days of the event we managed to do 7 races. 

In those races I've been on the foil 4 times and fin 3 times. It was so tricky picking the right gear for the races as the conditions were changing all the time. During the first race I gambled on the fin, which after the first mark really turned out to be a bad decision dropping all the way till 19th. 

The last two races of the event were definitely the highlights, the wind picked up a lot and we were racing on 6.2 with the fin with plenty of power. The first strong race was also my best result of the week: 3rd. 

On a starting line with 200 people it was really easy to make mistakes and together with the changing wind conditions it was really a matter of being stable throughout the event. It didn't matter how many races we would do, we would discard maximum one race. So making a mistake in the first race made me extra sharp for the other 6 races! 

Luckily I managed to keep steady results on those other 6 races finishing in a 7th place for the event. Looking at my race pace on both fin and foil I think that was a fair ranking! 

A bit shout out to the organisation of defi wind for making this event happen, it was a pleasure competing and made me hungry for more

Do you want to get an idea of how the event looked like? Check out the video @ 

PWA Marignane

For a long time it looked like we ended up 2021 with only one 5star PWA world cup, but in this autumn we received the news that the PWA had the opportunity to organise an event, again in south of France, with all three discipline: Wave, Freestyle & Slalom. Great news as at that time only the PWA in Israel took place. 

We all thought that with the current wind limit of slalom being 5 knots as we can fly really early with our foils, it would not be able to leave a place without a result, but we managed..... 

It was a 10 day event to make sure there's enough time to go through all disciplines, as due to competitors doing more disciplines and crew limitations it's not possible to run them at the same time. 

During the first two days the water was absolutely glassy with not a single sign for any action, on forecast it was pretty clear that there were two days were action could happen. As in the last two years not a single freestyle event took place, they had priority to go on the water. Obviously this makes a lot of sense, although still a shame for the slalom guys of course. 

I'm happy they managed to finish the freestyle single elimination with my buddy Amado Vrieswijk (Future Fly / Severne) taking the title. After the freestyle action the forecast showed no sign for action to come and so we left the event without doing a slalom result. 

What a shame as I was ready to fight back from my 10th place in Israel which is now the final result of 2021. 

After finishing 4th in the PWA world tour in 2018 and 2019, I'm surely not happy with the result. On the other hand considering the discipline changing to fin + foil, I should also be realistic saying that being another year top 10 in the world is no bad result at all. 

I learned a lot of things again this year and I'm motivated to bring myself back on the podium in 2022. 

What's next? 

That's it for the 2021 season! 

It's time to go back home, analyse and prepare for 2022. Beside that of course also time for a little holiday with my family, as even with less world cups due to covid, it was a busy year. 

In two weeks I'll be handing over my monthly magazine for December with a little preview of what's to come for 2022. 

For now a big shout out for all my sponsors/supporters for making this season happen. being DUTCH CHAMPION slalom men, IFCA VICE-WORLD CHAMPION slalom and decent results in the other event it was definitely a successful c year to me. 
 
Best regards, 

Jordy Vonk 

Whils the conditions may have been tricky there are still some epic moments in this 10 minute long video with huge airs being punted off of pitching lips. 

You can see the highlights of a rare kona winds day @ https://youtu.be/eit38LPCu40

Photo Credit: Ilan Artzy

Miguel Chapuis: “This video shows the sessions and the lifestyle we had during our small trip to Pozo in October, through the lens and work of our filmer Leo Hochgrassl. 

This is the 4th video that we share together and it really motivates us and makes us happy to work on this kind of content, so we truly hope you enjoy it as much as we did! 

Thanks to everyone who supports and believes in us and we are looking forward to a good winter of wind & waves.”

You can see Pozo Express @ https://youtu.be/CT0N7-cvYqc

Air Camp: “After what seemed like forever, the opportunity arose to catch up with Dudu Levi on his holiday training camp in Naxos Greece this year. Laguna Beach Park definitely did not disappoint, a spot renowned as a "LAB" for freestyle windsurfing. Take a journey through Dudu Levi’s action packed summer, enjoy a small glimpse of what beauty and conditions the island has to offer, but most importantly, get your Air Camp fix before winter really hits.

We will be back next year with more Air Camp... but where and when, well that is up to Zeus.

Thanks to Dudu for the journey and hospitality, along with Stamatis, Teo, and all the Greek heroes and family legends we met along the way, also Anna Darina for those epic additional shots, when one camera just isn't enough...

Air Camp is a windsurf passion project by freelance cinematographer and editor, Timothy Cowen, from Mothy Media.

All Music use consented from source, a massive thank you to the following for making such epic sounds:

The Deadlights

Of Allies

Power Apes

The Paz Band”

You can see 'Air Camp Goes Naxos' @ https://youtu.be/T7rgW16XWVs

You can see the first episode of Alex Grand-Guillot’s new series @ youtu.be/6BjRgcOKgBA

Takaria Ishii: “Hey guys, thank you for watching. This is a highlight video of Maui trip in this Autumn. This season is one of my favourite moments to sail in Maui. There is always swells and wind!
I hope you like it. Don’t forget to subscribe!

Filmed by 

FishBowlDiaries
Ryosuke Fukui
Yushi Shirakata
Hayata Ishii
Arthur Aruthkin”

You can see Takara Ishii enjoying Maui’s autumn conditions @ https://youtu.be/U1vVkBFgIIY

2021 Women’s Foil PWA World Champion & Slalom Vice-World Champion - Marion Mortefon: “Hi Everyone! 
 
That's it, the 2021 Season is over, with the best place possible with a World Champion Title in Foil and Vic -World Champion in Slalom! 
 
After a zero event year in 2020, I managed to stay fit and improve my level! Training and determination definitely paid off, a big step for the future years.
 
The final took place from 12th to 21st of November, in Marignane. We are used to going there with Team France to train on Etang de Berre with lot of competitions - usually it’s really windy! 
 
Unfortunately, these 10 days have been really poor in terms of conditions. We tried to do some races, but not enough to validate something. 

Our sport is weather-dependent, it's sometimes happening, even if we were not used to it anymore with the foil! 

I was leading in Foil before the event in front of the Norwegian Helle Oppedal and the Spanish Blanca Alabau. In Slalom, i was second behind Sarah-Quita Offringa from Aruba and the French Delphine Cousin [Questel].
 
Without any races in Marignane, I finished World Champion in Foil and Vice-World Champion in Slalom! Much better than in 2019!
 
In 2022, there is some change, Foil and Slalom will be combined. Being in the both podium discipline in 2021 is a super good news and I'm really confident for the future ! 
 
Training will be hard this winter, to continue to progress in this new foil discipline, with a lot of new things coming with some technical evolutions where you have to find the best combo to go on the water. I will push a lot also on the water to progress again on my technique to be the best in all the conditions ! 
 
It's a unique experience to be a professional in my sport, work on every detail, to finally be the best. Racing with all the best women in the world in each discipline is a real pleasure, adapting yourself everyday in different conditions, finding the best gear, making your own choices… that's why I'm doing it, and I hope it will continue! 
  
I will take some days off before starting my preparation for the 2022 season in the best way possible! It was an emotionally charged year, lot of training on and off the water,  a lot of learning and choices!
 
I also have new projects with the MORTEFON WATERSPORTS with a coaching calendar in the making to share my passion the most!  https://www.mortefonwatersports.com
 
Big Thanks to my partners, my family and all the people i met in 2021! 
 
See you soon! 
 
Marion”

Miguel Chapuis (JP / NeilPryde): "Before the PWA in Carro, there was not so many conditions in Tarifa so I decided to go for some days to Victor Fernandez Center in Almeria for good Poniente. And one week later I decided to go with my dad to Pals, a spot in Catauña which was on my way to France, Carro. 
Thanks a lot to my dad for filming my sessions!"

You can see Miguel Chapuis' highlights from Almeria and Pals @ https://youtu.be/Ok2H-DuQXoQ

Adrien Bosson: “Some great days freestyling at my home spot of Six-Fours les plages using the new 2022 Fanatic Skate 92l and Idolt ltd 4.4/4.8.
Filmed by Blue Koast Record”

You can see Adrien Bosson's impressive new Freestyle clip @ https://youtu.be/uiagKtC2vMw

Women’s

Freestyle

Sarah-Quita Offringa (Starboard / NeilPryde / Maui Ultra Fins) came into France vying for 4 world titles and the Aruban walks away from the event with two more world titles to her name. The 30-year-old was able to extend her unbeaten run in the Freestyle as she held off Maaike Huvermann (Severne / Severne / Maui Ultra Fins) to claim an incredible 13th Freestyle World crown. 

Huvermann once again finishes the season as the vice-world champion, whilst Oda Brødholt (Starboard / Severne) completes the overall top 3. The trio have truly established themselves as the best women Freestyle sailors in the world with no other women able to break into the overall top 3 since 2014. 

Elsewhere, Lina Eržen (Flikka / Duotone) looks like a talent to watch out for in the future with the 16-year-old claiming fourth place here in France, which also means she finishes the season as the Youth Freestyle PWA World Champion.

Slalom 

With sadly no racing being possible here in France - Sarah-Quita Offringa - also finishes 2021 as the Women’s Slalom PWA World Champion having won in Israel earlier in the year. Offringa’s latest success is her 5th Slalom World title, which brings her total haul to 19 and counting. The podium is completed by the French duo of Marion Mortefon (Fanatic / Duotone / LOKEFOIL) and Delphine Cousin Questel (FMX Racing / S2Maui).

Meanwhile, Sarah Jackson (Fanatic / Duotone) and Sara Wennekes walk away from 2021 with their best results to date - finishing 4th and 5th respectively. The next challenge for them will be to see if they can break into the podium places.

Foil

Having won the event in Israel - Marion Mortefon - claims the first world title of her career, becoming the 2021 Women’s Foil PWA World Champion. The 29-year-old has become a really force to be reckoned with over the last few years and it’ll be interesting to see how she fares when fin and foil merge together next season. 

Helle Oppedal (Duotone) just missed out on the victory in Israel and with no chance to improve her position here the 20-year-old finishes the season as the vice-world champion, whilst Blanca Alabau (Starboard / Severne / Starboard Foil) completes the overall podium.

Men’s 

Freestyle

It may have taken longer than most people would’ve expected for - Amado Vrieswijk - (Future Fly / Severne) - to clinch his first world title, but the wait is finally over for the 25-year-old after the Bonairean was able to claim victory in the Single Elimination after defeating - Adrien Bosson (Fanatic / Duotone / Maui Ultra Fins) - in the final after producing an impressive light wind display. 

Bosson, meanwhile, finishes the season as the vice-world champion, whilst 2019 World Champion - Yentel Caers (JP / NeilPryde) - claims the remaining place on the podium after defeating Jose ‘Gollito’ Estredo (RRD / RRD Sails) in the battle for 3rd and 4th. The Venezuelan will have to wait a little longer to try and add to his 9 world titles thus far. 

Slalom

Nicolas Goyard (Phantom Windsurfing) produced an amazing performance in Israel to blow away the rest of the fleet and with no racing here the 25-year-old claims his second world title having won the Foil World Championship in 2019. With Slalom & Foil merging together in the men’s division the racing side of the sport is evolving and at the moment it is Goyard who is clearly leading the way. His victory in Israel was decisive, so it will now be up to the best racers in the world to go away over the winter and try and close the gap.

2019 Slalom World Champion - Pierre Mortefon (Fanatic / Duotone / Chopper Fins / LOKEFOIL) - finishes this year as the vice-world champion, whilst William Huppert (Fanatic / Duotone / LOKEFOIL) is perhaps the shock result of the season. The 26-year-old completes the prestigious overall podium having only achieved one top 10 finish before this year, so his hard work on the foil has clearly paid off.

Maciek Rutkowski (FMX Racing / Challenger Sails) would’ve been hoping for a chance to improve upon his 4th place in Israel, but unfortunately it wasn’t to be. 2021 was still an excellent year for the Pole - finishing 4th in Israel, whilst he won the event in Croatia with an extremely strong field present. 

25-time World Champion - Antoine Albeau (JP / NeilPryde) - completes the top 5, whilst teammate - Enrico Marotti (JP / NeilPryde) - finishes in 6th place, which is the Croatian’s best overall result to date. 

2016 World Champion - Matteo Iachino (Starboard / Severne / Starboard Foil - has to settle for 7th place, which is the first time the Italian has finished outside the overall top 3 since 2015, whilst it is also the firs time since 2015 that the Big Top 3 of - Albeau, Mortefon & Iachino - have not finished on the overall podium. Of course this year is a little bit different with there just being one counting result, but it will still be interesting to see how next season plays out. 

The top 10 is completed by Basile Jacquin (FMX Racing / Point-7 / Phantom Foils), Alexandre Cousin (Patrik / Phantom Sails / Chopper Fins / Phantom Foils) and Jordy Vonk (Fanatic / Duotone).

Youth World Champions

Away from the pro division the U20 Boy’s & Girl’s World Champions were also crowned here in France. In the Girl’s U20 - 15-year-old Maria Morales (Goya Windsurfing) - claims a huge victory despite her young years to claim the top place in the U20’s ahead of Maria Behrens (Fanatic / Duotone / Maui Ultra Fins) and Line Bang (Goya Windsurfing).

Meanwhile, Takuma Sugi (Tabou / GA Sails / Black Project Fins) claims the top honours in the Boy’s U20 division after holding off a tough fight from Liam Dunkerbeck (Starboard / Severne) and Marino Gil (Goya Windsurfing).

We’ll be back early in 2022 with a provisional calendar for next year’s World Tour. Until then have a great Christmas & New Year and congratulations to all the newly crowned world champions. 

Overall Ranking 2021 PWA World Tour - Women’s Slalom

1st Sarah-Quita Offringa (ARU | Starboard / NeilPryde / Maui Ultra Fins)
2nd Marion Mortefon (FRA | Fanatic / Duotone / LOKEFOIL)
3rd Delphine Cousin Questel (FRA | FMX Racing / S2Maui)

Overall Ranking 2021 PWA World Tour - Women’s Freestyle

1st Sarah-Quita Offringa (ARU | Starboard / NeilPryde / Maui Ultra Fins)
2nd Maaike Huvermann (NED | Severne / Severne Sails / Maui Ultra Fins)
3rd Oda Brødholt (NOR | Starboard / Severne)

Overall Ranking 2021 PWA World Tour - Women’s Foil

1st Marion Mortefon (FRA | Fanatic / Duotone / LOKEFOIL)
2nd Helle Oppedal (NOR | Duotone)
3rd Blanca Alabau (ESP | Starboard / Severne / Starboard Foil)

Overall Ranking 2021 Youth PWA World Tour - Girl’s U20 Wave

1st Maria Morales Navarro (ESP | Goya Windsurfing)
2nd Maria Behrens (GER | Fanatic / Duotone / Maui Ultra Fins)
3rd Line Bang (DEN | Goya Windsurfing)

Overall Ranking 2021 PWA World Tour - Men’s Slalom

1st Nicolas Goyard (FRA | Phantom Windsurfing)
2nd Pierre Mortefon (FRA | Fanatic / Duotone / Chopper Fins / LOKEFOIL)
3rd William Huppert (FRA | Fanatic / Duotone / LOKEFOIL)

Overall Ranking 2021 PWA World Tour - Men’s Freestyle 

1st Amado Vrieswijk (BON | Future Fly / Severne)
2nd Adrien Bosson (FRA | Fanatic / Duotone / Maui Ultra Fins)
3rd Yentel Caers (BEL | JP / NeilPryde)

Overall Ranking 2021 Youth PWA World Tour - Boy’s U20 Wave

1st Takuma Sugi (JPN | Tabou / GA Sails / Black Project Fins)
2nd Liam Dunkerbeck (ESP | Starboard / Severne)
3rd Marino Gil (ESP | Goya Windsurfing)

After the completion of the tow-in contest, the 2021 PWA World Champions were presented in Marignane with 7 new World Champions being crowned by the end of the day.

Tow-in Freestyle 

14 sailors signed up for the tow-in Freestyle contest in the afternoon - with 12 men and 2 women registering. The sailors were given two attempts each to land their best move - with the highest scoring move to count. 

In the end, Youp Schmit (Tabou / GA Sails), took home the victory after landing a double culo, which earned him 8.33 points. Newly crowned Freestyle World Champion - Amado Vrieswijk (Future Fly / Severne) - came close to reeling in his countryman, but his air funnel burner fell slightly short at 7.83 points. Steven Van Broeckhoven (Starboard / GUNSAILS) completes the podium after receiving 7.66 points for a triple funnel attempt. 

2021 World Champions

Sarah-Quita Offringa (Starboard / NeilPryde / Maui Ultra Fins) came into 2021 SOMWR Movement 10 x Marignane PWA Grand Slam with 17-world-titles to her name, but just 9 days later the Aruban can now call herself a 19-time World Champion after adding the 2021 Freestyle & Slalom world titles to her current haul. Maaike Huvermann (Severne / Severne Sails / Maui Ultra Fins) finishes the season as the Freestyle vice-world champion again, whilst Oda Brødholt (Starboard / Severne) completes the prestigious podium. Marion Mortefon once again finishes as the vice-world champion in Slalom, whilst Delphine Cousin Questel (FMX Racing / S2Maui) completes the overall top 3. 

Marion Mortefon (Fanatic / Duotone / LOKEFOIL) won the Foil event in Israel earlier this year and with no races being completed here the 29-year-old walks away from 2021 with a maiden world title. Meanwhile, Helle Oppedal (Duotone) and Blanca Alabau (Starboard / Severne / Starboard Foil) both earn their first overall podium finishes on the world tour. 

Nicolas Goyard (Phantom Windsurfing) produced an amazing performance in Israel to blow away the rest of the fleet and with no racing here the 25-year-old claims his second world title having won the Foil World Championship in 2019. With Slalom & Foil merging together in the men’s division the racing side of the sport is evolving and at the moment it is Goyard who is leading the way. 2019 Slalom World Champion - Pierre Mortefon (Fanatic / Duotone / Chopper Fins / LOKEFOIL) - finishes this year as the vice-world champion, whilst William Huppert (Fanatic / Duotone / LOKEFOIL) is perhaps the shock result of the season. The 26-year-old completes the prestigious overall podium having only achieved one top 10 finish before this year, so his hard work on the foil has clearly paid off.

For many years people have been expecting - Amado Vrieswijk (Future Fly / Severne) - to win a Freestyle World title. The 25-year-old first look set to win the top honour in the sport in 2016, but as the years rolled on you had to wonder if it would happen for the Bonairean, who has come so close on so many occasions before. The good news for Vrieswijk is that that chapter is finally closed with the 2021 European Freestyle Champion finally getting his hands on the world title. Adrien Bosson (Fanatic / Duotone / Maui Ultra Fins) finishes as the vice-world champion - as he did in 2018, whilst 2019 World Champion - Yentel Caers (JP / NeilPryde) - completes the podium.

Youth World Champions

Away from the pro division the U20 Boy’s & Girl’s World Champions were also crowned here in France. In the Girl’s U20 - 15-year-old Maria Morales (Goya Windsurfing) - claims a huge victory despite her young years to claim the top place in the U20’s ahead of Maria Behrens (Fanatic / Duotone / Maui Ultra Fins) and Line Bang (Goya Windsurfing).

Meanwhile, Takuma Sugi (Tabou / GA Sails) claims the top honours in the Boy’s U20 division after holding off a tough fight from Liam Dunkerbeck (Starboard / Severne / Black Project Fins) and Marino Gil (Goya Windsurfing).

That concludes the event here in Marseille, France, we’ll be back in 2022 when hopefully the world has returned to some sort of normality. Until then, take care have a great Christmas and New Year and see you in 2022. 

Overall Ranking 2021 PWA World Tour - Women’s Slalom

1st Sarah-Quita Offringa (ARU | Starboard / NeilPryde / Maui Ultra Fins)
2nd Marion Mortefon (FRA | Fanatic / Duotone / LOKEFOIL)
3rd Delphine Cousin Questel (FRA | FMX Racing / S2Maui)

Overall Ranking 2021 PWA World Tour - Women’s Freestyle

1st Sarah-Quita Offringa (ARU | Starboard / NeilPryde / Maui Ultra Fins)
2nd Maaike Huvermann (NED | Severne / Severne Sails / Maui Ultra Fins)
3rd Oda Brødholt (NOR | Starboard / Severne)

Overall Ranking 2021 PWA World Tour - Women’s Foil

1st Marion Mortefon (FRA | Fanatic / Duotone / LOKEFOIL)
2nd Helle Oppedal (NOR | Duotone)
3rd Blanca Alabau (ESP | Starboard / Severne / Starboard Foil)

Overall Ranking 2021 Youth PWA World Tour - Girl’s U20 Wave

1st Maria Morales Navarro (ESP | Goya Windsurfing)
2nd Maria Behrens (GER | Fanatic / Duotone / Maui Ultra Fins)
3rd Line Bang (DEN | Goya Windsurfing)

Overall Ranking 2021 PWA World Tour - Men’s Slalom

1st Nicolas Goyard (FRA | Phantom Windsurfing)
2nd Pierre Mortefon (FRA | Fanatic / Duotone / Chopper Fins / LOKEFOIL)
3rd William Huppert (FRA | Fanatic / Duotone / LOKEFOIL)

Overall Ranking 2021 PWA World Tour - Men’s Freestyle 

1st Amado Vrieswijk (BON | Future Fly / Severne)
2nd Adrien Bosson (FRA | Fanatic / Duotone / Maui Ultra Fins)
3rd Yentel Caers (BEL | JP / NeilPryde)

Overall Ranking 2021 Youth PWA World Tour - Boy’s U20 Wave

1st Takuma Sugi (JPN | Tabou / GA Sails)
2nd Liam Dunkerbeck (ESP | Starboard / Severne / Black Project Fins)
3rd Marino Gil (ESP | Goya Windsurfing)

With almost no wind on the horizon before the end of the event what does that mean in terms of world titles?

As it stands Sarah-Quita Offringa (Starboard / NeilPryde / Maui Ultra Fins) would be set to add a further two world titles to her haul. The Aruban won the Slalom event earlier this year in Israel, whilst yesterday’s success in the Women’s Freestyle looks unlikely to be challenged.

Elsewhere, the French hopes of Marion Mortefon (Fanatic / Duotone / LOKEFOIL) and Nicolas Goyard (Phantom Windsurfing) also have a very high chance of becoming World Champions for Women’s Foil and Men’s Slalom, respectively. In the event of no wind, Mortefon M. would collect her first world title, whilst Goyard N. would a second world crown to his name having already won the Foil PWA World Championship in 2019. 

As discussed yesterday, Amado Vrieswijk (Future Fly / Severne) would also end the drought for a maiden world title having come so close before, but despite a poor forecast for the last two days, they will all face an anxious wait as you never know what can happen!

With everyone being aware of the unfavourable forecast for the weekend, the current plan is to run a tow-in Freestyle contest on both Saturday and Sunday - times for which are yet to be confirmed. 

The Slalom & Freestyle fleets will meet again tomorrow morning at 10am (GMT+1) for the skippers’ with a first possible start at 10:30am.

Result 2021 SOMWR Movement 10 x Marignane PWA Grand Slam - Women’s Freestyle
*Single Elimination

1st Sarah-Quita Offringa (ARU | Starboard / NeilPryde / Maui Ultra Fins)
2nd Maaike Huvermann (NED | Severne / Severne Sails / Maui Ultra Fins)
3rd Oda Brødholt (NOR | Starboard / Severne)
4th Lina Eržen (SLO | Flikka / Duotone)

Result 2021 SOMWR Movement 10 x Marignane PWA Grand Slam - Men’s Freestyle
*Single Elimination

1st Amado Vrieswijk (BON | Future Fly / Severne)
2nd Adrien Bosson (FRA | Fanatic / Duotone / Maui Ultra Fins)
3rd Yentel Caers (BEL | JP / NeilPryde)
4th Jose ‘Gollito’ Estredo (VEN | RRD / RRD Sails)
5th Steven Van Broeckhoven (BEL | Starboard / GUNSAILS)
5th Jacopo Testa (ITA | AV Boards / Point-7 / AL360)
5th Youp Schmit (BON | Tabou / GA Sails)
5th Sam Esteve (FRA | JP / NeilPryde)

Freestyle

Women’s

Sarah-Quita Offringa faced another battle against her long time rival - Maaike Huvermann (Severne / Severne Sails / Maui Ultra Fins) - in the Winners’ Final and it turned out to be another exciting affair. Huvermann is the only woman to have won a heat against Offringa in 13-years - having won the Double Elimination Final against the Aruban in Bonaire in 2019 - and she put up a solid challenge again. At the halfway stage things were evenly poised, but then, as she so often does, Offringa raised the bar by landing two power moves - a culo and burner on starboard tack - despite the light winds. This ultimately proved to be the difference.

Sarah-Quita Offringa: “Honestly I didn’t even think that we were going to compete today. Then I got to the beach and it seemed windy, but the other days it hasn’t really been coming to the shore. Then at the skippers’ meeting, we were told that it would be on and the women would be up first. I was like ‘oh man, now we’ve gotta go first’, but I think that kind of switched my mindset and got me up for it. I went out on my 5.2 - to be honest, I think my better heat was the semifinal, but then the heat after I saw the guys looked really powered up, so I dropped a sail size for the final. I’d also just like to quickly say congrats to Lina Eržen - I’m happy I got to sail against you. In the final I took 4.8, but the wind dropped a bit, so my tactic was just to get in the moves. I didn’t go for my highest scoring moves, but I just concentrated on filling my scoresheet In the end though I managed to land a burner and I think that is the move that made the difference as I got a lot of points for that one. By the end of the heat I still wasn’t sure that I’d won, but I was satisfied as I’ve made a lot of progress this year and I did what I could in the Final. Whoever won, I think I would’ve been equally as happy for Maaike. I was pleased and relieved to hear some cheers when I got back to the beach to confirm that I’d won.”

Huvermann will still be happy with her performance, sailing with style and consistency throughout, but for now, Offringa still proves to be elusive target. 

Oda Brødholt (Starboard / Severne) currently completes the top 3 after producing a fine display to defeat Lina Eržen (Flikka / Duotone) in the battle for third and fourth. 16-year-old - Eržen - though should be delighted with her efforts over the last couple of days and the young Slovenian looks set to earn her best result - 4th - whilst also being a name to watch in the future. 

Men’s

Amado Vrieswijk is one of the heaviest freestylers on the tour, so with today’s marginal and dying winds, it looked as though things weren’t really going to be stacked in his favour. However, the Bonairean made a fine start against - Adrien Bosson - in the Winners’ Final by landing a spock-culo and from there 25-year-old never really looked back as he claimed a clear-cut victory against Bosson, who just couldn’t find the gusts he needed to really ever try and mount a comeback. 

Vrieswijk was understandably emotional upon returning to the beach and had this to say: “My first heat against Jacopo [Testa] was the windiest I think, so I was very lucky with this because Jaco is a machine in light winds. I was very happy to be able to win against him and then I had Gollito, who is very quick onto the plane and also incredible in competitions, so I feel like I sailed three finals today. In the final against Bosson, who is also amazing in light winds, the wind got even more patchy and lighter, so even in the gusts you didn’t have much power. I just tried to land the best moves, or hardest moves I could, with the power I had. I think I maximised what I could do with the wind we had today. 

When prompted on the fact that if there is no more wind, which looks like the most likely scenario, that he will finally get his hands on a first world title: “In the last 5 years I’ve been in this position many times. I lost two titles in Sylt to Gollito, whilst I was standing still for 5 minutes in the heats. Last year I lost against Yentel due to the scoring system. If you look at the points I actually won the title, so now to hopefully get my hands on the title after one event feels good.”

The Frenchman sailed brilliantly in the semi-finals to defeat - Yentel Caers (JP / NeilPryde) - but couldn’t replicate that same standard in the final with Bosson failing to complete his scoresheet, which is very unusual, but it also gives an indication of just how light the conditions were. 

Adrien Bosson discusses today’s conditions: “It was very light out there, but I think with the forecast we had we were very lucky to be able to run the contest. We were all on our big equipment - 5.2s and big board. It’s great that we managed to get the result and complete the Single Elimination. I think this was just the second time I was using the 5.2 so it felt a bit weird - it’s definitely not my normal sail. Usually, it’s so windy here, so we’ve just been very unlucky with the forecast. My first two heats were okay today, you really needed to wait for the right gusts to do your moves. In the final it was really on the edge. I’m not even sure I completed my scoresheet. I’m still happy, it’s good to be back competing again! Hopefully there’s more to come next year.”

Yentel Caers faced 9-time Freestyle World Champion - Jose ‘Gollito’ Estredo (RRD / RRD Sails) - in the fight for third and fourth and the 2019 world champion was able to overcome the King of Freestyle to claim the remaining place on the podium - for now at least. The Belgian just lost out to Bosson in the semifinals with just 3.6 points separating the two sailors, and the 26-year-old produced another typically powerful display to hold off Gollito. 

As it stands Steven Van Broeckhoven (Starboard / GUNSAILS), shares equal 5th place with Jacopo Testa (AV Boards / Point-7 / AL360), Youp Schmit (Tabou / GA Sails) & Sam Esteve (JP / NeilPryde).

Unfortunately, the outlook for the remainder of the event looks quite bleak with 4 days of extremely light winds predicted. However, with the Mediterranean being such a small weather system, there is still an outside chance of that changing. The Slalom & Freestyle sailors will meet again at 10am tomorrow morning - with a first possible start at 10:30am. 

Result 2021 SOMWR Movement 10 x Marignane PWA Grand Slam - Women’s Freestyle
Single Elimination

1st Sarah-Quita Offringa (ARU | Starboard / NeilPryde / Maui Ultra Fins)
2nd Maaike Huvermann (NED | Severne / Severne Sails / Maui Ultra Fins)
3rd Oda Brødholt (NOR | Starboard / Severne)
4th Lina Eržen (SLO | Flikka / Duotone)

Result 2021 SOMWR Movement 10 x Marignane PWA Grand Slam - Men’s Freestyle
*Single Elimination

1st Amado Vrieswijk (BON | Future Fly / Severne)
2nd Adrien Bosson (FRA | Fanatic / Duotone / Maui Ultra Fins)
3rd Yentel Caers (BEL | JP / NeilPryde)
4th Jose ‘Gollito’ Estredo (VEN | RRD / RRD Sails)
5th Steven Van Broeckhoven (BEL | Starboard / GUNSAILS)
5th Jacopo Testa (ITA | AV Boards / Point-7 / AL360)
5th Youp Schmit (BON | Tabou / GA Sails)
5th Sam Esteve (FRA | JP / NeilPryde)

Conditions weren’t easy with the bitterly cold wind adding an extra dimension of difficulty, whilst choppy water and winds varying between 12-25 knots ensured the best freestylers in the world endured a tough test. However, after over two years of no freestyle contests, most competitors were just happy to be back in their competition jerseys battling it out against the best in the world. 

With the crème-de-la-crème of the freestyling world back on centre stage there was an array of world class manoeuvres as you would expect, whilst there were several close calls on an eagerly contested day.

Freestyle

Single Elimination

Women’s

World No.3 - Oda Brødholt (Starboard / Severne) - produced a polished display in the quarterfinals against - Lina Erpenstein (Severne / Severne Sails) - who was making her debut on the Freestyle scene. The Norwegian had too much firepower for Erpenstein to safely progress into the top 4. In the semifinals, Brødholt, will face vice-world champion - Maaike Huvermann (Severne / Severne Sails / Maui Ultra Fins)) - after the 23-year-old eased her way past 17-year-old Salome Fournier (MB-Boards / Sailloft Hamburg) - who was also making her debut on the World Tour. Brødholt and Huvermann have plenty of history against each other, so it will be intriguing to see who comes out on top this time around if there is enough wind.

Maaike Huvermann is stoked to be back competing after over two years of no Freestyle contests: “I had a lot of fun. It was just nice to be back out on the water. It was actually very windy during my heat - I was on 4.4m and it was pretty choppy. I could’ve sailed a better heat but it was a bit weird after two years, so it took a bit of getting used to, but yeah, it was a lot of fun to be back.”

Heat 14 saw 12-time Freestyle World Champion - Sarah-Quita Offringa (Starboard / NeilPryde / Maui Ultra Fins) - in action for the first time and the Aruban delivered her usual high standard of performance - showing off power moves on both tacks. Waiting in the semifinal for Offringa will be Youth World Champion - Lina Eržen (Flikka / Duotone) - after the 16-year-old produced an excellent display to see off the challenge of Olya Raskina (JP / NeilPryde).

Men’s

The main talking point in the first round surrounded - Balz Müller (MB-Boards / Severne) - as the Swissman became the first sailor to compete on a foil during a freestyle heat. The 27-year-old is well known for pushing the level of Foil Freestyle through the roof. Müller would advance through the first round by boosting moves with far greater height than anyone else and many of the field would have feared facing him. Unfortunately, the wheels came off slightly in the last 16 with too many crashes, which is something you cannot afford against the highly talented - Adrien Bosson (Fanatic / Duotone / Maui Ultra Fins).

Balz Müller talks about competing on a foil during a Freestyle contest for the first time: “It was a great experience. The conditions weren’t that great for foiling, and I know it wasn’t perfect for fin either. It was very challenging for everyone, but I landed some big moves. Unfortunately, I had too many crashes though and you can’t afford to do that. It’s always the same in competition you want to go big, but know you should play it a bit safer to get some points on the board, but I can’t make myself do that. I always overcook it because I want to show what is possible on the foil. It’s a shame we didn’t get the single finished, but hopefully, there’s enough wind to get it finished tomorrow. The beauty of the foil is that we could’ve run the whole day, so that’s a bit of a bummer. Hopefully, in the future, we will see more people competing on the foil as that will allow us to gain a result when it’s not windy enough for fin freestyle. It’s an exciting time for the sport as there are new tricks being landed every day - particularly on the foil. It’s a great time to be alive.”

After winning a close first heat against Antoine Albert (Goya Windsurfing), Jose ‘Gollito’ Estredo (RRD / RRD Sails), produced a dominant display versus - Steven Van Broeckhoven (Starboard / GUNSAILS) - to book his place in the top 8. The Venezuelan is chasing a 10th world title and if the wind plays balls you certainly wouldn’t bet against it off of the back of his performance today. 

Gollito is currently the only sailor to have booked his place in the semifinals as unfortunately after the completion of Heat 13a the wind started to become marginal. Several heats were attempted but had to be cancelled due to the lack of wind. 

In Heat 10 - Jacopo Testa (AV Boards / Point-7 / AL360) - came out on top against - Antony Ruenes (Tabou / GA Sails) - to set up a tie with Amado Vrieswijk (Future Fly / Severne) after the Bonairean defeated Dudu Levi (GUNSAILS). Their quarterfinal was sailed once, but it was eventually cancelled much to the annoyance of Testa, who had this to say: “I sailed some good heats, but then in the end they started to cancel and resail heats, which is something I would have something to complain about, but let's see tomorrow, hopefully, we get some wind.”

Antony Ruenes: “I think we were pretty lucky with the conditions that we got today as the forecast wasn’t the best. In the end, we were able to finish some heats, so fingers crossed maybe tomorrow there’s enough to get it finished.”

As previously mentioned - Adrien Bosson - negotiated his way past - Balz Müller - in Heat 11a with the Frenchman looking very fluent on both tacks. The 2018 vice-world champion will now face - Youp Schmit (Tabou / GA Sails) - in the quarterfinals after the Bonairean ended the hopes of - Nicolas Akgazciyan (JP / NeilPryde). Their last 8 battle also began, but it soon fell to the same fate as Testa versus Vrieswijk. 

Youp Schmit: “Today we had a great day of windsurfing. At the start of the day the wind was strong with some guys on 4.4s and flying. Sadly though the wind dropped on us and we couldn’t finish the top 8." 

Sam Esteve (JP / NeilPryde) took on - Dieter van der Eyken (Severne / Severne Sails) in Heat 12a in what proved to be one of the tightest battles of the day with the lead continually changing hands with both sailors trading blow-for-blow. In the end, though it was the Frenchman who would advance after landing a massive air skopu. Esteve will now face - Yentel Caers (JP / NeilPryde) - in the fight for the top 4, but the reigning world champion didn’t have it all his own way today.

Caers faced Youth World Champion - Lennart Neubauer (Starboard / Severne / Maui Ultra Fins) - in Heat 12b and it was anything but plain sailing. The highly rated Greek is already on everyone’s radars and rightly so after today’s performance. In the end, Caers needed a resail to defeat Neubauer as in their opening battle the 17-year-old landed a new move called the Mitato, which made It looks as though Neubauer had caused a major upset. However, after some disputes about the scores, it turned out that Caers had actually won the heat, but in the honour of sportsmanship both sailors agreed to a resail. The next time around Caers left nothing to chance as he posted the highest scoring heat of the competition thus far - 115.4 points - (whilst it was still the best 3 moves from 6 counting on each tack) and the reigning world champion marches on after a slight scare. 

Lennart Neubauer reacts after landing a new move, but just missing out on a place in the top 8: “Conditions were better than it looked from the beach for me. I enjoyed my heats. It was also fun to sail twice against Yentel. Next time I hope I can get him. I landed a new move called the mitato. It didn’t score quite as well as I would’ve expected, but it’s just cool to land a new move in competition. I think it’s also the first new move to be named via a Greek name, so I’m also happy about that.” 

The forecast for Thursday looks as though there may be a chance of completing the Freestyle if we are lucky as WindGuru currently predicts 12-18 knots for Carro. With this in mind, the Freestyle fleet will meet again tomorrow morning at 8am with the action commencing from 8:30am (GMT+1) onwards - if conditions are suitable. The Slalom fleet will have their skippers’ meeting at 10am in Le Jaï - with a first possible start at 10:30am.
 

Men’s 

Slalom

After very light winds for much of the day, around 4pm, the wind shifted slightly to the right and opened up the possibility of some  late racing. The wind was only ever around 4-9 knots, but that’s where the beauty of foiling comes in as that is the threshold required to allow the best sailors in the world to race. 

At 4:30pm the red flag was raised, meaning racing would be underway for the first time in Marignane in 2021. Unfortunately, the opening heat had to be cancelled, but Heat 2 was completed successfully, which saw Rytis Jasiunas (Future Fly / Point-7) win the heat ahead of - 19-year-old - Michal Polak (RRD / RRD Sails) - Scotty Scolmann (Starboard / Severne) - both of whom are making their debuts on the world tour, and Sebastian Kornum (JP / NeilPryde), who claimed the final qualifying spot ahead of Benjamin Augé (Starboard / Severne).

Heat 3 also began, but the wind proved unsuitable, so with the fading light, the decision was made to bring the day to a close. The good news is that the forecast for Wednesday is much better than today. 

Head Judge, Duncan Coombs, gives his outlook for Wednesday: “The forecast for tomorrow gives 15-22 knots in the gusts from the NNW. Going off of what we’ve had so far I think there will be way more wind at Carro than Le Jaï. We stand more chance of getting more wind in Carro I think, but the wind will be offshore, so the action will be far out. We still have a better chance of competing there than here (Le Jaï), so that’s why we’ve called the Freestyle skippers’ meeting at Carro tomorrow morning at 8am (GMT+1). Hopefully, we’ll be able to get the single elimination for the Men and Women done.”

Earlier in the day a meeting was held to discuss the climate and the impact that we are having as humans on the planet. As you are hopefully aware by now, the SOMWR Movement 10 x Marignane PWA Grand Slam, is the first event to not just be Carbon neutral, but to be Carbon positive by 10 times. To hear more about this we caught up with Tasmin Chilcott, who is the Environmental Project Manager for Starboard & SOMWR, who had this to say: “Today we held our panel discussion to talk about how we can use sporting events for a better future. As a quick round up we are hoping to use 4 main windsurfing events to create environmental action over the next year together and show how it can be economical, and how it can benefit the whole event and the community,”

We also caught up with Matthias Neumann, who is the longterm organiser of the PWA Sylt Windsurf World Cup: “To try and make an easy summary, this is all of us who feel, not only the responsibility, but also the great chance we have to use an international event as a platform to raise awareness for climate action. This is what we need. As windsurfers we are so close to nature, so we more than anyone can understand the importance of promoting positive work towards battling climate action.”

With the more positive forecast to come for tomorrow - with 14-26 knots NNW winds - currently predicted the skippers’ meeting for the Freestyle fleet will be held in Carro at 8am (GMT+1) tomorrow morning - with the action commencing from 8:30am onwards. Meanwhile, the Slalom fleet will meet again at 10am, in Le Jaï, with a first possible start at 10:30am, whilst the Wave fleet will also meet at Carro at 9am for their skippers’ meeting.

2021 EFPT Tow-in Champion - Lennart Neubauer (Starboard / Severne / Maui Ultra Fins): “It was really fun to be able to get in the water for a bit today, although we didn’t have as much speed that I would like for tow-in. But just good to be in the wetsuit and I’m ready for whatever is thrown at us here. I still managed to land a few moves and just keep a bit of the stoke flowing with some water time. It was fun with Youp, Antony and Takuma.”

Youp Schmit (Tabou / GA Sails), who finished 4th overall on the Freestyle PWA World Tour in 2019: “The tow-in was a bit different as we had almost no wind when we were doing it. But overall it was a lot of fun with the boat as you can a little wake to pop off.”

Antony Ruenes (Tabou / GA Sails) - 7th overall in 2019: “The tow-in today was fun - we were a really small fleet with just me, Lennart, Youp & Takuma, we just wanted to try and give a show for the TV. We made the best of what we had. For me it was just fun because I haven’t done tow-in for about 3 years.”

Takuma Sugi (Tabou / GA Sails) - who finished as the U20 Youth Vice-World Champion in both Wave & Freestyle: “It was so much fun to do some tow-in and I’m stoked from today. I did have a big crash though which was super scary. It was super shallow where I crashed, so it hurt, but I’m okay. I think in the end we all landed some good moves.”

The forecast looks light once again for Tuesday, so the Wave fleet have been given a lay day, whilst the Slalom & Freestyle fleets will both have their skippers’ meetings at 10am tomorrow morning with the action commencing from 10:30am onwards - if conditions are suitable. Whilst Tuesday may not look too bright on paper the good news is that Wednesday now offers a bit more promise than before. 
 

Upon arriving back in Le Jai conditions looked as though there could be some potential, but unfortunately by the time the sailors had rigged the wind had already dropped, so much so that by the time it was time for the Slalom skippers’ meeting the wind was also too light for foiling with the wind often dropping to 3 knots. 

Around midday there was a flurry of action on the beach with the wind picking up slightly, which prompted several sailors to hit the water. Racing was proposed to start at 12:30pm, but unfortunately the wind quickly dropped back again for the remainder of the day.

With the main focus so far being on playing the waiting game we caught up with a few sailors throughout the day to gain their thoughts thus far:

Marion Mortefon (Fanatic / Duotone / LOKEFOIL): "It's been another long day of waiting. I don't think anyone was thinking that with the forecast that we had for today that we would end the day with no races. Let's see how the rest of the week plays out. Normally the forecast would suggest some foiling days, but as today shows you just never know. Lets hope we get to go on the water tomorrow."

Jordy Vonk (Fanatic / Duotone): “It’s unlucky as today it looked like we had a good forecast. We were actually more thinking about whether it would be Slalom and then Freestyle or vice-versa because the forecast looked solid on paper, so of course it’s very disappointing in the end. Fingers crossed. I’ll try and stay positive - it would be unbelievable if we are here for 10 days and we don’t even get lucky enough for conditions with big sails and big foils.”

Maciek Rutkowski (FMX Racing / Challenger Sails): “It looks like there’s going to be a lot of waiting from the forecast and obviously we’ll be the ones mainly on standby (Slalom) as we really don’t need much wind to compete. Today is teased us two or three times with little 10 minute patches where it was maybe borderline race-able. It looks like it’ll be a long week, but we really don’t need much, so fingers crossed that we’ll get something.”

Basile Jacquin (FMX Racing / Point-7): “It was windy this morning until around maybe 11am, but then it turned completely offshore with zero wind for an hour. There were a few little gusts but sadly not enough. I’m from New Caledonia, but I live in Almanarre, which is about 1 and half hours from here. Sometimes we come here with the Federation if it’s not windy in Almanarre. Usually here is a pretty good  place for windsurfing, but so far in both PWA events here we’ve been unlucky. Normally it’s a wind machine here.”

The outlook for tomorrow looks slightly lighter than today, but with some rain expected there may also be a few squalls around. The Slalom and Freestyle fleets will meet on Monday morning at 9am - with action a first possible start of 9:30am for the Freestyle and 10am for the racers. The wave fleet will also receive a call at 9am tomorrow morning, but this will be given out online. 

After two quiet days, Sunday has some potential with moderate to fresh winds predicted, which could see all fleets involved depending how the day plays out!

Reigning Slalom World Champion - Pierre Mortefon (Fanatic / Duotone / Chopper Fins / LOKEFOIL) comes into the event in second place in the world rankings: “I can’t wait to be on the water. It’s going to be a tricky week as there are 3 disciplines at this event. Us racers already had an event this year, so we probably don’t have the priority this week. A few of the French team has been training here last week and I know it can be a special spot. It’s very different from the spot in Israel as Le Jäi becomes very choppy, very quickly. It makes gybing tricky, even on the foil, so I’m sure we could see some surprises. 

For sure the world title is on the line, but it’s also a bit different with just having one event prior to this - and the discipline has changed a bit with foil and fin combining. Let’s see how it works, but I’m ready!”

Multiple-time World Champion - Delphine Cousin Questel (FMX Racing / S2Maui): “The forecast might not be the best at the moment, but I’m happy to have the final in France. I think even with the light forecast we should see some Slalom/Foil action in the week. I’m currently third in the slalom, so obviously I’ll try to do my best - either by moving into second or even better the top spot. In Israel the foiling didn’t go as well as what I would’ve liked, but I’ll try and improve there too.”

Matteo Iachino (Starboard / Severne Sails), who comes into France 7th place: “Sunday looks promising on the forecast, but I guess the priority will go to the Freestyle as they didn’t have an event for two years. Monday looks cloudy and raining, but you can never rule out the Mistral. I know this place a little bit from one or two trips when I came on a trip to visit Pascal, but from memory it gets very choppy, very quickly. I think for the racing it’ll be predominately forcing, but it’s a long event and with autumn in Europe anything can happen.”

With Sunday potentially offering moderate to fresh winds the Freestyle & Wave fleets will meet at 8am (GMT+1) tomorrow morning - with the action commencing from 8:30am. Meanwhile, the racing fleet will meet at 10am with a first possible start at 11am.