PWA World Windsurfing Tour

Desert Duellers

Thu, 12 Dec 2024 04:35:38 +0100

Western Australia is famed for it's world class waves and wind and Philip Kóster (Severne / Severe Sails / Black Project Fins) and Jaeger Stone (Severne / Severne Sails) recently enjoyed an epic session somewhere in the northwest desert...

Severne say: "Philip Köster and Jaeger Stone go head to head in the Australian desert northwest with some insane down the line rail turning and mind bending rotational airs."

Filmed and edited by Scott McKercher.

You can see Kóster and Stone shredding waves @ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3DKcdyM3SA

Campello Sail Test

Wed, 11 Dec 2024 10:26:16 +0100

When it comes to wave sailing talent they don't come much bigger or better than Ricardo Campello, and he's just released a great new video where he tests a selection of sails and gives his valuable and honest feedback... the results of which you can see @ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5dwQ05LkkRg

Ricardo Campello: “As promised, here’s the video review of some wave sails I tested in Gran Canaria [last summer].

I’m not usually that into doing this, but I was waiting for my sails to arrive, so I had the chance to try some other sails while I waited!

This is just my honest opinion as a professional windsurfer. Some of us have different preferences on a sail, but I always say what I feel about everything, so this is a really genuine opinion.

Throughout my career, I’ve never had the opportunity to do something like this, but since I don’t have a sponsor, I thought some of you might enjoy this video!

I really hope you like it! I’ll try to keep making videos like this, so make sure you subscribe to my channel.

Thanks for your time, please leave me your comment below and tell me what you think and what is your favourite windsurfing sail?

Sails I tested were:

All sails were 4.0 metres

Severne S-1
Severne Blade
Duotone SLS Hero
Goya Banzai 11 Pro
Simmer Style Black Tip Ltd Team Edition
Gaastra Manic HD
NeilPryde Combat Fuse”

Storm Force 10

Mon, 09 Dec 2024 03:50:04 +0100

When people talk about storm chasing it's normally spoken in the context of wave sailing, however, Nico Prien (JP / NeilPryde) had different ideas as he decided to chase a storm not only with wave sagiling equipment, but also his slalom gear in Denmark.

You can see how the German fared by visiting @ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2Nvs2wL2uQ

Jawa Barat

Wed, 27 Nov 2024 06:25:12 +0100

Arthur Arutkin (Duotone Windsurfing / Black Project Fins) is an all-round waterman, who excels in proper waves, hence his latest expedition saw him indulge in a voyage to Indonesia, which is blessed with some of the best waves in the world.

Arthur Arutkin: "At the end of the summer, the wind starts blowing all over the Indonesian coastlines. It’s the time I’ve chosen to go on an expedition in search for the untamed waves of Java.

A film by: @arthurarutkin
Directed by: @JulienBRUFilms
Supported by: @duotone.windsurfing"

You can see Arthur Arutkin's Indonesian adventure @ https://youtu.be/HBaLl2NfhbU?si=8bIzXGraBS2T_FJu

End of an Era

Sat, 23 Nov 2024 10:21:18 +0100

Finian Maynard (FMX Racing) is one of the finest racers of his generation with the 50-year-old enjoying a glittering career, which spanned four decades. Having made his debut in 1989, Maynard achieved his first podium in 1993 before going on to win his first of five events in 1999 at the PWA Speed World Cup in Leucate, France. As well as enjoying success on the World Tour, Maynard was a speed specialist, culminating in him becoming the ISA/ISWC Speed World Champion on five occasions (1998, 2000, 2001, 2006 & 2009). Having enjoyed plenty of success on the water himself, Maynard then setup his own brand - FMX Racing - in 2019, which proved to be a hugely successful venture. With a wealth of knowledge, and unrivalled passion, Maynard was able to craft cutting edge boards, which earned multiple world titles - most recently with Justine Lemeteyer (FMX Racing / S2Maui) this season - so after achieving his own dreams he has also helped other to achieve theirs. With FMX Racing at the peak of the racing world, there is a lot to be said for bowing out at the peak of your powers… Maynard is one of the rare few who was able to win world titles, not only as an individual athete, but also with his own brand where he shaped and designed. After enjoying such an illustrious career, we caught up with Finian for an interview, which you can read below:

1. You’ve lived a long and illustrious career - could you tell us some of your highlights?

My career has been an incredible journey. I am extremely grateful and appreciative of being able to follow my dreams as a kid and live from my passion for so long. There are many highlights, many amazing memories and experiences often shared with great people in the sport. To name a few I remember well some races in Aruba leading a grand slam 5* course race for the first time, the first 5* slalom win in Pozo, especially the outright all boats absolute world speed records breaking the 11-year Yellow Pages world record, which was standing for a long time. Other main PWA highlights include Turkey 2006, Fuerte 2012 and my final event win/podium in Costa Brava in 2018.

2. After competing at the highest end of the sport, and being one of the best - can you tell us a little bit about what drove you to originally get into the production side of things…

I moved to Maui in 1991 as a kid. To earn money to get ‘on tour’ I went job hunting at the Pauwela Cannery and started repairing boards to get my start, soon after meeting Jimmy Lewis and began watching him masterfully shape everyday standing in the corner of his iconic shaping room before we went to lunch together. This experience and inspiration changed my life and before long I was fully into board building on every level learning from the best in the world that included respected shapers Phil McGain, Richard Greene and I would like to also mention Dan Bolfing for our time working together. Fast forward to more recent times and it has been an intricate technical involvement with many brands along the way and then my own brand that was a natural progression to get more and more into the production side of things that culminated in being ready to meet the challenge of having my own brand the past 6-years. That journey was 40-years in the making and it’s been a great run.

3. With FMX you have built the pinnacle of board design essentially - how proud are you of that and how difficult is it for you to walkway from it?

I am extremely proud of what has been achieved, technically, visually, in particular because I’ve built it up from ground zero and have worked on and managed the entire operation all sections of the brand since day one until now including designing, shaping and sanding/finishing all the protos personally. All in all it’s a huge amount of work, it must be said. So it is of course difficult to step away, but in saying that I’m also very content and satisfied with the end result of the ‘body of work’.

4. You were competing in the era of Dunkerbeck and Albeau - what do you think of those guys - and how much did they drive you to constantly get better?

When I started Björn was on top, so himself and Anders Bringdal were who I looked up to the most starting out, Antoine’s time came later. Definitely they made me motivated to work hard to get to the top. What do I think of them, both obviously had exceptionally elite abilities on the water, I have massive respect for their careers, and it was both a pleasure and honour to compete for so many years against such great competitors, along with all the other top competitors.

5. As we touched upon earlier, you have managed to be the best in the world sailing individually, but you’ve also managed to create a brand/product that is then the best in the world - how proud are you of that, and how do you rank individual status vs the team (your boards) status?

Good question. To be honest the feelings of the two are a bit different. Achieving success physically hooked into the harness is an absolute adrenaline rush that is hard to describe, especially in a sport like windsurfing where one is often battling harsh natural elements and conditions whilst being so close to the ocean. Watching one’s own designs and shapes achieve success is also a rush in it’s own way, still competing full power, but instead experiencing the success of the team as a whole. To rank them is difficult, both are great, both have provided many superb memories that will always be appreciated and last a life time.

6. If you could use your years of wisdom - what would you say looking back?

Live life to the fullest. Follow your dreams. Appreciate every day we have. Work hard and never give up, even when faced with adversity.

I would like to take the opportunity to thank my family. Without them I couldn’t have followed my dream. I would like to thank the friends with whom I have had many memorable moments, and all the competitors over the years for such great competition. And I would also like to thank all the people I’ve had the pleasure of working with and for in the industry, and of course the PWA World Tour and PWA crew for the many good years. Mahalos.

Thanks Finian, and congrats on a long and illustrious career.

Watch Finian’s career highlights on video here.

Finian Maynard in Numbers

- 6x World Sailing WSSRC Speed World Records - 500M x 5, Nautical Mile x 1

- 5 x ISA/ISWC Speed World Champion - 1998,2000,2001,2006,2009

- PWA Speed World Champion - 1999

- PWA Slalom Vice-World Champion - 2009

- IFCA Slalom World Champion - 2006

- Rolex World Sailor of the Year Nomination - 2005

- PBA/PWA Debut - 1989 - PBA Aruba Hi-Winds (amateur) / 1992 - PWA Brighton (pro)

- First PWA Podium - World Cup - 1993 - Kuantan, Malaysia / Grand Slam - 1999 - Pozo, Gran Canaria

- First Grand Slam Race Win - 1997 - Pozo, Gran Canaria

- First Event Win - 1999 - PWA Speed World Cup - Leucate, France / Grand Slam - 2006 - Alacati, Turkey

- PWA Race Wins - 30

- PWA Event Podiums - 15

- PWA Slalom Finals - 250

- PWA Event Wins - 5

- PWA World Titles - 1

- Best Season - 2009 - PWA Slalom Vice-World Champion / ISWC Speed World Champion

FM Designer/Tester/Head of R&D (for other brands)

* PWA Race Wins - 62

* PWA Event Wins - 15

* PWA Event Podiums - 34

* PWA World Titles - 4

FMX Racing

FM Designer/Shaper/Product Architect/Head of R&D/Team Manager/Brand Manager/Owner

* PWA Race Wins - 77

* PWA Event Wins - 11

* PWA Event Podiums - 22

* PWA World Titles - 3

Utska Autumn

Tue, 19 Nov 2024 09:49:18 +0100

Justyna Sniady (North Windsurfing / Maui Ultra Fins): "Ustka (Lips:) is my favourite windsurfing spot in Poland (and one of my favourites anywhere :). With a 100m pier protecting the spot from the current and chop, side-off winds and fairly shallow waters it makes for an epic down the line spot, where jumping is also possible depending on the angle of the wind on the day. We were very lucky to have over 10*C that day despite it being late autumn. Just pure fun. Thanks Daniel Dmytrow for filming in the cold!"

You can see Justyna Sniady sailing at one of her favourite locations @ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=17BaBJQHuVQ

YLEM is Back

Fri, 15 Nov 2024 11:34:12 +0100

Antoine Martin (North Windsurfing): "YLEM is back!

After many years of thinking to go in La Réunion, I finally made the move last year to discover this heaven for wave riders. I was so mind blowed by the power of the Indian Ocean that I went there two time in a row last year. This year, I decided to come with Matteo (Film maker) to be able to share with you what is was like for me to discover this island and engrave these memories forever.

Now, it's your turn to go in the water and send it!

Native Pictures presents the latest Windsurfing series "YLEM" a series from Antoine Martin with the help of North Sails Windsurfing & Mystic Boarding.

Editing: @matteonativelle8934"

You can see YLEM Episode 4 @ https://youtu.be/YZI_6w83-G8?si=2OfmSGrx3ExJ3iNK

Fly! ANA Yokosuka, Miura Windsurf World Cup

Tue, 12 Nov 2024 06:24:45 +0100

The 2024 Fly! ANA Yokosuka, Miura Windsurf World Cup may not have yielded quite as many races as last year, but on the second and third days, Tsukuihama beach, Yokosuka, still produced some great racing to decide the outcome of the 2024 Foil Slalom PWA World Champions. Overall, four eliminations for the men’s and women’s fleets were completed, which saw Marion Mortefon (PATRIK / PATRIK Sails / PATRIK Foils) and Johan Søe (FMX Racing / Point-7 / PATRIK Foils) claim the final event victories of the season, while Justine Lemeteyer (FMX Racing / S2Maui) and Pierre Mortefon (Phantom / Phantom Sails / Phantom Foils) walk away as the deserved world champions.

Foil Slalom

Women’s  

Justine Lemeteyer survived an anxious two day wait to officially be crowned the 2024 Women’s Foil Slalom PWA World Champion, which is the 22-year-olds maiden world crowned, but quite possibly not her last given how impeccably she has raced for the majority of the year. Lemeteyer understandably had a slight wobble here after finishing twelfth in Elimination 4 - which she discards. Lemeteyer won two out of the three events this year to deservedly become world champion, while she also walks away from Japan with a solid second place.

Marion Mortefon did everything in her power to deny Lemeteyer a maiden world title, but it wasn’t quite to be this time around. The former world champion raced brilliantly this week as she recorded two bullets, a second and a fourth to win the event on a total of 3.4 points, which sees her finish 2024 as the vice-world champion.

Elsewhere, last year’s world champion - Blanca Alabau (Starboard / Severne Sails) - completes the prestigious overall podium, while 14-year-old Bobbi-Lynn De Jong (Starboard / NeilPryde) finishes fourth in the overalls in her first full year on tour and looks a huge talent for the future.

In terms of the event, 2023 event champion, Lina Eržen (Starboard / Severne Sails) completes the event podium, but there was just 3.3 point separating third to sixth, such was the closeness of the racing here. Tamar Steinberg (Future Fly) just misses out on the podium in fourth followed by Sara Wennekes (Future Fly / Severne Sails) and Blanca Alabau respectively.

Men’s

The 2024 season couldn’t have gone any better for Pierre Mortefon, who walks away from Japan with his second world title of the season to be crowned the undisputed racing world champion having claimed the Slalom X world title earlier in the season. Mortefon has raced extremely consistently this year and he repeated that level of consistency over the last five days here with a bullet, a second, a fourth and a fifth to claim second place here.

Johan Søe started the event with a small error after jumping the gun in the semifinals of the opening elimination, but after that he didn’t put a foot wrong as he reeled off a clinical hat-trick to win his second event in a row, while finishing on a perfect score of 2.1 points. Søe looks as though he has the ability to dominate like racing legends Björn Dunkerbeck (Starboard / Severne Sails) and Antoine Albeau (JP / NeilPryde) used to do in previous years and he looks an ominous force moving forwards. After last year’s heartbreak here, this will at least go some way to softening the blow.

Daniele Benedetti (FMX Racing / Challenger Sails) gave Mortefon a valiant fight for the title and must be wishing that there could've been just one more race to give him a shot at snatching the crown. The Italian recorded his best result of the event in Elimination 4 to close within 2.3 points of Mortefon, but didn't get a chance for a final showdown. Like Mortefon, Benedetti didn't finish outside the top five once and can be proud of how he fought over the last five day and he still finishes the season as the vice-world champion.

Matteo Iachino (Starboard / Severne Sails) bounced back brilliantly from a ninth place finish in Sylt to sign off the season with a podium. The Italian finished just 0.3 of a point behind Mortefon after recording two second places and two third places. Iachino just misses out on the overall podium to Enrico Marotti (JP / NeilPryde) with only 100 points separating the two heavyweights. Marotti completes the prestigious overall podium for the second time in his career after also achieving the feat in 2022.

The overall top 10 is completed by Maciek Rutkowski (NeilPryde) - 5th - last year’s vice-world champion Amado Vrieswijk (Future Fly / Severne Sails) - 6th - Jordy Vonk (Duotone Windsurfing) - 7th - Nico Prien (JP / NeilPryde) - 8th - Alexis Mathis (Tabou / GA Sails) - 9th - and Michele Becker (PATRIK / PATRIK Sails / PATRIK Foils) - 10th.

That concludes the 2024 PWA World Tour, so congratulations to all of the respective world champions from this year. We’d like to sign off this season by saying a massive thanks to the organisers and volunteers here in Japan - without whom this event wouldn’t be possible, and we hope to return in 2025.

Overall Ranking 2024 PWA World Tour - Women’s Foil Slalom  

1st Justine Lemeteyer (FRA | FMX Racing / S2Maui)
2nd Marion Mortefon (FRA | PATRIK / PATRIK Sails / PATRIK Foils)
3rd Blanca Alabau (ESP | Starboard / Severne Sails)
4th Bobbi-Lynn De Jong (NB | Starboard / NeilPryde)
5th Mae Davico (FRA | PATRIK / Loftsails)

Overall Ranking 2024 PWA World Tour - Men’s Foil Slalom

1st Pierre Mortefon (FRA | Phantom / Phantom Sails / Phantom Foils)
2nd Daniele Benedetti (ITA | FMX Racing / Challenger Sails)
3rd Enrico Marotti (CRO | JP / NeilPryde)
4th Matteo Iachino (ITA | Starboard / Severne Sails)
5th Maciek Rutkowski (POL | NeilPryde)
6th Amado Vrieswijk (NB | Future Fly / Severne Sails)
7th Jordy Vonk (NED | Duotone Windsurfing)
8th Nico Prien (GER | JP / NeilPryde)
9th Alexis Mathis (FRA | Tabou / GA Sails)
10th Michele Becker (GER | PATRIK / PATRIK Sails / PATRIK Foils)

Result 2024 Fly! ANA Yokosuka, Miura Windsurf World Cup - Women’s Foil Slalom

Result 2024 Fly! ANA Yokosuka, Miura Windsurf World Cup - Men’s Foil Slalom  

1st Johan Søe (DEN | FMX Racing / Point-7 / PATRIK Foils)
2nd Pierre Mortefon (FRA | Phantom / Phantom Sails / Phantom Foils)
3rd Matteo Iachino (ITA | Starboard / Severne Sails)
4th Daniele Benedetti (ITA | FMX Racing / Challenger Sails)
5th Jordy Vonk (NED | Duotone Windsurfing)
6th Enrico Marotti (CRO | JP / NeilPryde)
7th Maciek Rutkowski (POL | NeilPryde)
8th Nico Prien (GER | JP / NeilPryde)
9th Amado Vrieswijk (NB | Future Fly / Severne Sails)
10th Michele Becker (GER | PATRIK / PATRIK Sails / PATRIK Foils)

Fly! ANA Yokosuka, Miura Windsurf World Cup

Mon, 11 Nov 2024 08:00:19 +0100

On paper the penultimate day of the 2024 Fly! ANA Yokosuka, Miura Windsurf World Cup looked as though it would be one of the windiest days of the week, but unfortunately that’s not how things unfolded with the wind remaining between 0-8 knots for the entirety of the day, which meant the sailors spent the day on hold.

That means that current World Tour leaders Pierre Mortefon (Phantom / Phantom Sails / Phantom Foils) and Justine Lemeteyer (FMX Racing / S2Maui) will face another anxious wait to see whether they will become the 2024 Foil Slalom PWA World Champions.

Unfortunately the forecast for tomorrow is extremely poor, so it looks unlikely that there will be any further racing, but given that today’s windy forecast didn’t materialise, tomorrow’s non-windy forecast could yet provide a surprise. The sailors will meet for the final time tomorrow at 9am (GMT+9) with a first possible start at 10am.

You can stay up to date with all the latest developments from Japan— including live stream, elimination ladders, entry list, images and live ticker simply by clicking HERE and scrolling to the bottom of the page.

Also if you don’t already, be sure to follow us on our Social Media Channels:

- Facebook: @PWAWorldTourWindsurfing
- Instagram: @pwaworldtour
- X: @pwaworldtour
- YouTube: @pwaworldtour

Current Ranking 2024 Fly! ANA Yokosuka, Miura Windsurf World Cup - Women’s Foil Slalom 
*After 4 Eliminations (1 Discard)

Current Ranking 2024 Fly! ANA Yokosuka, Miura Windsurf World Cup - Men’s Foil Slalom 
*After 4 Eliminations (1 Discard)  

1st Johan Søe (DEN | FMX Racing / Point-7 / PATRIK Foils)
2nd Pierre Mortefon (FRA | Phantom / Phantom Sails / Phantom Foils)
3rd Matteo Iachino (ITA | Starboard / Severne Sails)
4th Daniele Benedetti (ITA | FMX Racing / Challenger Sails)
5th Jordy Vonk (NED | Duotone Windsurfing)
6th Enrico Marotti (CRO | JP / NeilPryde)
7th Maciek Rutkowski (POL | NeilPryde)
8th Nico Prien (GER | JP / NeilPryde)
9th Amado Vrieswijk (NB | Future Fly / Severne Sails)
10th Michele Becker (GER | PATRIK / PATRIK Sails / PATRIK Foils)

Fly! ANA Yokosuka, Miura Windsurf World Cup

Sun, 10 Nov 2024 11:00:45 +0100

Day three of the 2024 Fly! ANA Yokosuka, Miura Windsurf World Cup didn’t produce quite as much racing as the forecast would’ve originally suggested, but even so, two more results for the Men’s fleet and one result for the Women’s fleet were gained in the lightest winds of the event thus far. At the end of the third day, Marion Mortefon (PATRIK / PATRIK Sails / PATRIK Foils) and Johan Søe (FMX Racing / Point-7 / PATRIK Foils) head up the event rankings, while the Men’s and Women’s world title races remain balanced on a knife’s edge.

Foil Slalom

Women’s

Justine Lemeteyer (FMX Racing / S2Maui) and Marion Mortefon started the day tied on 6.7 points, but after winning Elimination 4, Mortefon now leads the event by 3.3 points, so she is doing absolutely everything in her power to keep her name in the world title race conversation, which it very much is at the end of the third day…

As a quick reminder, Mortefon must win the event, and Lemeteyer must finish outside the top three to win the world title, which looked unlikely at the start of proceedings given that 6.3 points separated Lemeteyer in first place and Blanca Alabau in fourth. Furthermore, after winning the last elimination yesterday you felt that that would settle any nerves and Lemeteyer would then kick on and keep herself out of trouble, but she has now left herself in a vulnerable situation - although fate still remains in her own hands.

The current World Tour leader was prominently placed in the Elimination 4 Winners’ Final, but made an uncharacteristic error as she dropped off the foil to go from about third, towards the back of the pack. Lemeteyer then started to try and carve her way back through the field, only to then make another untimely error as she crashed her third gybe and chose to not even complete the course, meaning she currently discards a twelfth place. That in itself is not a problem, but it does now mean she cannot afford another mistake as she is now only 2.3 points ahead of Tamar Steinberg (Future Fly) in fourth, so the world title race really does hang in the balance.

Elsewhere, Lina Eržen (Starboard / Severne Sails) gains two places from the overnight rankings, which sees her move from fifth into third after discarding a tenth place finish in Elimination 3 with a solid third today. Steinberg slips one place to fifth, while Sara Wennekes (Starboard / Severne Sails) climbs into the top five at the expense of Blanca Alabau (Starboard / Severne Sails).

Men’s

Johan Søe (FMX Racing / Point-7 / PATRIK Foils) storms to the top of the event rankings after completing a clinical hat-trick after winning both Winners’ Finals today, which sees him now boast a perfect score of 2.1 points after discarding a ninth place finish from Elimination 1. With an aptly named nickname of ‘The Beast’, the 21-year-old looks as though he has the ability to not just qualify for every Winners’ Final, but quite possibly win every single elimination, such is his form at the moment. At the close of play, Søe holds a 4.6 point lead at the top of the event rankings.

World Title Race

Pierre Mortefon (Phantom / Phantom Sails / Phantom Foils) started the day with a 3.3 point advantage over world title rival Daniele Benedetti (FMX Racing / Challenger Sails), but now just 2.3 points separate the two heavyweights after the completion of Eliminations 3 and 4. Both sailors have been phenomenally consistent thus far with neither of them finishing outside the top five, and it looks like the world title race could well go down to the wire.

At one stage in the Winners’ Final of Elimination 4, Mortefon was in about seventh place as he looked severely underpowered, but he managed to recover into fifth, which could yet prove pivotal in deciding the outcome of the title. Meanwhile, Benedetti recorded his best result of the event thus far with an excellent second place, which is not only great for Benedetti fans, but also neutrals who are intrigued to watch how the battle unfolds. It seems whoever blinks first may well end up being the one who misses out, so the pressure truly couldn’t be any higher.

Elsewhere, Matteo Iachino (Starboard / Severne Sails), who led the event at the start of the day, slips to third - just 0.3 of a point behind Mortefon - but continues to sail extremely consistently. So far, the Italian has recorded two second places and two thirds, which keeps him in contention to challenge for the prestigious overall podium - depending how the rest of the event plays out with Enrico Marotti (JP / NeilPryde), who is currently ranked sixth:

- If Iachino were to finish second and Marotti were to finish seventh, the current world champion would pip the Croatian to the final place on the podium.  - If Iachino were to finish third third and Marotti were to finish eighth, the current world champion would pip the Croatian to the final place on the podium.  
Jordy Vonk (Duotone Windsurfing) continues to enjoy his best event since Croatia in 2021. Pre-COVID, Vonk was one of the best fin racers in the world and it now seems he is starting to unlock that same level of performance on the foil. The flying Dutchman has qualified for three out of four Winners’ Finals thus far and recorded a fourth and a fifth today, which sees him currently ranked fifth.

Things didn’t quite go Enrico Marotti’s way today with an eighth and a ninth, but he still has a four point cushion to Maciek Rutkowski (NeilPryde) in seventh.

Meanwhile, Nico Prien (JP / NeilPryde) gains a couple of places from the overnight rankings - tenth to eighth - the German equalled his best result of the event so far in Elimination 4 - sixth. The top ten is completed by Amado Vrieswijk (Future Fly / Severne Sails) - ninth - and Michele Becker (PATRIK / PATRIK Sails / PATRIK Foils), who qualified for his first Winners’ Final of the event in Elimination 4. The German, who enjoyed such a great debut season last year, has found things tougher going this season, but will be happy to have made the top eight today. For a while, it looked as though he was going to finish at least second in Elimination 4, but got backwinded at the second gybe mark.

The forecast for tomorrow looks promising on paper with 14-18 knots currently predicted, which should hopefully provide more racing as the forecast for the final day doesn’t look too promising, so tomorrow could well be the last opportunity. The skippers’ meeting will be held at 08:30am (GMT+9) with the action commencing from 09:30am onwards.

Current Ranking 2024 Fly! ANA Yokosuka, Miura Windsurf World Cup - Women’s Foil Slalom 
*After 4 Eliminations (1 Discard)

Fly! ANA Yokosuka, Miura Windsurf World Cup

Sat, 09 Nov 2024 13:24:18 +0100

After a quiet opening to proceedings yesterday, day two of the 2024 Fly! ANA Yokosuka, Miura Windsurf World Cup was on the total other end of the spectrum as a full day of racing, consisting of virtually no breaks, took place between 9:15am and 4pm. Today provided a real all-round test as this morning’s stronger winds - 15-22 knots - slowly faded to 7-10 knots by the early evening, so the world’s best racers had to be constantly on their toes and adapting to the conditions.

Foil Slalom

Women’s

A Minor Wobble 

Justine Lemeteyer (FMX Racing / S2Maui) started her quest for a maiden world title with a solid second place in the opening elimination, but the current World Tour leader didn’t have things all her own way today after finishing fourth in Elimination 2. At that point, Marion Mortefon (PATRIK / PATRIK Sails / PATRIK Foils) led the event rankings after winning the second elimination, while Lemeteyer was doing just enough in third, but with only one point separating her and Tamar Steinberg (Future Fly) in fourth, the pressure of fighting for the world title possibly started to show…

Steadying The Ship 

Cue a phone call from Lemeteyer to her parents to steady the ship, and whatever was said between them seemed to do the trick, as she came out firing on all cylinders in the light winds to claim a dominant victory in Elimination 3, which crucially sees her jump to the top of the rankings at the close of play, and more importantly, is now completely in control of the title race.

Marion Mortefon couldn’t have done much more in her bid to secure another world title after recording a bullet, a second place and a fourth today, which sees her tied on 6.7 points with Lemeteyer. However, while Mortefon remains firmly in the hunt for the event title, her world title hopes have taken a major hit today given that their next closest challenger is Steinberg on 12 points, and Blanca Alabau (Starboard / Severne Sails), who sits on 13 points. In order for Mortefon to have any chance of winning the event she must win it and then have Lemeteyer finish outside of the top three, which while not impossible, now looks unlikely.

Reigning event champion Lina Eržen (Starboard / Severne Sails) made the perfect start to her defence with a brilliant bullet in the opener, but then couldn’t quite replicate that performance in the next two races as she recorded a fifth and a tenth to finish the opening day of racing in fifth place.

Meanwhile, Sara Wennekes (Future Fly / Severne Sails) bounced back from a tenth in the opening elimination by securing two solid third places, which could see her jump up the rankings after the completion of Elimination 4 when the discard comes into play, while 14-year-old Bobbi-Lynn De Jong (Starboard / NeilPryde) completes the top seven.

Men’s  

Having finished in a disappointing ninth place in Sylt, Matteo Iachino (Starboard / Severne Sails) bounced back brilliantly on the opening day of racing here to head up the end of day rankings after recording two solid second places. Iachino may effectively be out of the title race now, but today’s performance keeps him firmly in the hunt for the overall podium.

Meanwhile, Pierre Mortefon (Phantom / Phantom Sails / Phantom Foils) has put himself firmly in the driving seat to secure his second world title of the season. The Frenchman laid it all on the line in the opening race as he went head-to-head with Daniele Benedetti (FMX Racing / Challenger Sails) in the winners’ final and came out on top to secure the opening bullet of the event. Crucially Mortefon then finished ahead of Benedetti in Elimination 2 - finishing fourth and fifth respectively - to open up a 3.3 point advantage over his Italian rival, who to have any chance of winning a maiden world crown, must finish ahead of Mortefon. There’s still a long way to go, but Benedetti, who sits fourth in the overnight rankings, now has a bit of a mountain to climb, especially given Mortefon’s level of consistency.

Enrico Marotti (JP / NeilPryde) started the event ranked third in the world and the Croatian remains on course to complete the overall podium after the opening day of racing. Marotti is currently tied on eight points with Benedetti and to drop off out of the overall top three he would need to finish sixth or worse and Iachino would still need to win the event.

Johan Søe (FMX Racing / Point-7 / PATRIK Foils) didn’t put a foot wrong in seven eliminations in Sylt, but the young Dane jumped the gun in the opening semifinal of Elimination 1 - resulting in his disqualification from the heat - before winning the b-final. Søe responded in the perfect fashion by earning a clinical bullet in Elimination 2, but may be left ruing pushing the start so hard in the opener, given the apparent extra gear he possesses - although he also produced some incredible gybes, which is often where he also gained a lot of ground. Given his level of performance in Sylt, you still wouldn’t bet against him now reeling off a hat-trick of bullets to head to the top of the event rankings, but he has perhaps, somewhat unnecessarily, reduced his margin of error to claim back-to-back victories on the World Tour. Time will soon tell that though and he possesses an unbelievable level of self-confidence in his racing ability.

Jordy Vonk (Duotone Windsurfing) made a great start to the day with an excellent fourth place, but then just missed out on the winners’ final to eventually finish eleventh In Elimination 2, which sees him ranked sixth at the close of play - two points ahead of Maciek Rutkowski (NeilPryde) in seventh.

Elia Colombo (PATRIK / PATRIK Sails / PATRIK Foils) enjoyed a great day after qualifying for the first winners final - 7th - before finishing 13th in the next to finish the opening day ranked 8th overall. The top ten is currently completed by Bruno Martini (JP / NeilPryde), Nico Prien (JP / NeilPryde) and Amado Vrieswijk (Future Fly / Severne Sails) - the latter two are tied for tenth on 22 points.

Cedric Bordes (Severne / Severne Sails) deserves a special mention after battling through the pain barrier today. The Frenchman had an individual crash with his foil, which resulted in a nasty gash in his back, but he continued to not only race, but also finish twelfth in both eliminations completed thus far. After racing had concluded, Bordes later required twenty stitches.

The forecast for Sunday looks promising once again with 12-18 knots predicted during the earlier part of the day, which should hopefully provide more racing. As today, sailors will meet at 8am (GMT+9) for the skippers’ meeting, followed by a first possible start at 9am.

Current Ranking 2024 Fly! ANA Yokosuka, Miura Windsurf World Cup - Women’s Foil Slalom 
*After 3 Eliminations  

1st Justine Lemeteyer (FRA | FMX Racing / S2Maui) 2nd Marion Mortefon (FRA | PATRIK / PATRIK Sails / PATRIK Foils) 3rd Tamar Steinberg (ISR | Future Fly) 4th Blanca Alabau (ESP | Starboard / Severne Sails) 5th Lina Eržen (SLO | Starboard / Severne Sails)

Current Ranking 2024 Fly! ANA Yokosuka, Miura Windsurf World Cup - Men’s Foil Slalom 
*After 2 Eliminations

1st Matteo Iachino (ITA | Starboard / Severne Sails)
2nd Pierre Mortefon (FRA | Phantom / Phantom Sails / Phantom Foils)
3rd Enrico Marotti (CRO | JP / NeilPryde) 
4th Daniele Benedetti (ITA | FMX Racing / Challenger Sails)
5th Johan Søe (DEN | FMX Racing / Point-7 / PATRIK Foils)
6th Jordy Vonk (NED | Duotone Windsurfing)
7th Maciek Rutkowski (POL | NeilPryde)
8th Elia Colombo (SUI | PATRIK / PATRIK Sails / PATRIK Foils) 
9th Bruno Martini (ITA | JP / NeilPryde)
10th Nico Prien (GER | JP / NeilPryde)
10th Amado Vrieswijk (NB | Future Fly / Severne Sails)

Fly! ANA Yokosuka, Miura Windsurf World Cup

Fri, 08 Nov 2024 07:56:22 +0100

Day one of the 2024 Fly! ANA Yokosuka, Miura Windsurf World Cup proved to be a relatively quiet affair with the wind dropping throughout the day. Having finished registration at 11:30am a few of the sailors ventured out on to the water, but by 2pm, the wind was only between 3-10 knots and with it showing no signs of improving the sailors were released at 3pm.

With plenty of downtime during the afternoon we managed to catchup with World Tour leaders Justine Lemeteyer (FMX Racing / S2Maui) and Pierre Mortefon (Phantom / Phantom Sails / Phantom Foils) to see how they are feeling ahead of the contest.

Hi Justine, you’re in a pretty good position when it comes to the world title… How are you feeling mentally before the start of the event? 

Justine: “I’m feeling good. I’m excited that we will finally battle it out for the world title because being in a good position, and actually having it, is not the same. I’m excited to race, we’ll battle it out on the water and see how it goes by the end of the week. But I’m feeling good about my racing, so we will see out there.”

When did you come to Japan? 

Justine: “I arrived on 5th November, so I had a few days to recover from the jet lag. I’ve had two great sessions, one in strong wind in the morning and one in light wind in the afternoon and the gear feels good.”

And before the event, how were you preparing?

Justine: “Before the event, it was a lot of resting, eating, drinking water, and sailing of course. Then right before the competition, I do some stuff in the morning to put me in the game and everything. It’s all part of routine."

What does your morning routine consist of?

Justine: “I have a lot of things, just to get my body up and running, connecting the body to the mind, stuff like this. I’m taking cold showers also, so it’s just a few things like this that I work on with my mental and physical coach. It has worked well so far this season, so I keep doing it.”

Thanks, Justine and good luck for the event.

Next up we spoke to Pierre...

Hi Pierre, you’ve already won one world title this year and you’re in a very good position coming into this event. How are you feeling ahead of the start of the racing?

Pierre: “I feel happy already with the season. I want to finish it well of course, but in the end, there’s not too much pressure because the season has been a success already. I just want to continue to sail the way I have sailed all year—let’s say, safely and efficiently. We’ve had good conditions before the event and the forecast looks good. It’s going to be close, but the best will win.”

When did you come to Japan and how has it been so far?

Pierre: “I arrived last Monday and I have sailed every day - one day with south wind and all the other days with north wind. Actually, the forecast has always predicted about 5-8 knots less than what we actually got, so I think the next days, especially tomorrow, will be pretty cool. All day. But stronger in the morning—we had one morning with 5.5m, and then it dropped a bit, but not by much."

Before you came to Japan, how were you preparing for the event? 

Pierre: “First, I took some rest after Sylt because it was a long event, I also had a good camp in France before Sylt, so I was away from home for more than three weeks. Then I sailed at home. We had good conditions, and it was almost like summer. We also had one event on the French Tour, which was good to be part of and to have that similar sort of pressure. And that’s it. I have some experience to rely on."

Thanks Pierre, and good luck.

The forecast for Saturday looks promising with 12-15 north-northeast winds predicted for the entirety of the day, which should hopefully provide plenty of great racing. The sailors will meet again tomorrow morning at 8am (GMT+9) for the skippers’ meeting with the action commencing from 9am onwards.

You can stay up to date with all the latest developments from Japan— including live stream, elimination ladders, entry list, images and live ticker simply by clicking HERE and scrolling to the bottom of the page.

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2024 Miami Slalom Open / PWA Youth

Fri, 08 Nov 2024 01:57:23 +0100

The Miami Slalom Open / PWA Youth World Tour was held from October 23-27, 2024, and surpassed all expectations, establishing itself as one of the premier windsurfing events of the year. With over 50 participants from around the world, more than 22 exciting races, and vibrant community engagement, the event was an overwhelming success, showcasing the best young windsurfing talent and making waves in the sport’s global landscape.

Key Highlights:

Diverse Talent on Display: The Miami Slalom Open attracted top-tier windsurfers from several countries, creating an elite international field of over 50 competitors. Young athletes from across the globe came together to battle it out on the waves, representing the future of windsurfing and the growing global appeal of the sport.

Thrilling Competition: The event saw more than 22 races take place, with participants navigating challenging slalom courses in the windswept waters of Biscayne Bay. Athletes demonstrated extraordinary skill, determination, and sportsmanship in a highly competitive environment.

Spectator Experience: The event provided more than just competition – it was a full-on community celebration. Enthusiastic spectators lined the shores, enjoying live entertainment, fan-friendly activities, and the chance to meet and interact with the athletes. The incredible energy surrounding the event captured the essence of Miami as a world-class destination for watersports.

Community Engagement: The Miami Slalom Open brought together the local community, highlighting Miami’s growing role in the global windsurfing scene. The event inspired local youth, many of whom are part of the Biscayne Bay Yacht Club’s Youth Windsurfing Team, which has been nurturing young talent for nearly a decade. The dedication and passion of the club’s athletes were evident as they showcased their incredible skills on the water, contributing to the success and vibrancy of the event.

Acknowledging Key Partnerships: The event was made possible through the generous support of Jefferies as the primary sponsor, and Tillo International Sports LLC, who organised the event. Their commitment to supporting the next generation of windsurfing talent ensured the success of this unforgettable gathering.

Positive Feedback: Both participants and spectators praised the organisation and execution of the event. Many highlighted the impeccable race conditions, the atmosphere of camaraderie and competition, and the high level of talent on display. The Miami Slalom Open has undoubtedly set a new standard for future windsurfing events.

Looking Ahead:

The Miami Slalom Open / PWA Youth 2024 has solidified its place as a key event in the windsurfing calendar, further cementing Miami’s status as a top destination for watersports. With the incredible participation of youth athletes, including the outstanding young windsurfers from the Biscayne Bay Yacht Club, this year’s event also served as a reminder of the importance of fostering and supporting young talent in the sport.

Thank You!

We extend our heartfelt thanks to all participants, spectators, sponsors, volunteers, and everyone who helped bring this event to life. Your support has made this year’s event an incredible success, and we look forward to welcoming you again for the next Miami Slalom Open.

Event website: MIAMI SLALOM OPEN / PWA YOUTH 2024 | TILLO INTERNATIONAL
For media inquiries, please contact:
Alex Morales
786 488 1961
info@tillo-international.com
www.tillo-international.com

Fly! ANA Yokosuka, Miura Windsurf World Cup

Thu, 07 Nov 2024 08:32:43 +0100

From the 8th-12th November the world’s best racers will be battling it out in Japan as the 2024 Fly! ANA Yokosuka, Miura Windsurf World Cup takes place and the stakes couldn’t be any higher with the Foil Slalom world titles on the line.

Tsukuihama Beach, Yokosuka City, is situated approximately 80km southwest of Japan’s capital Tokyo. Yokosuka blends city life with the sea, while also being a Naval Port. Yokosuka occupies most of the Miura Peninsula and is bordered by the mouth of Tokyo Bay to the east and Sagami Bay on the west, which provides a beautiful backdrop. As Tsukuihama Beach is almost completely protected it can provide great flat water racing conditions. As well as its maritime connections Yokosuka is also famous for it’s locally grown produce and there is even a tourist farm where you can pick your own strawberries, sweet potatoes or tangerines depending on the time of year.

Foil Slalom

Women’s

Having won both of the opening events of the season, Justine Lemeteyer (FMX Racing / S2Maui) enters Japan as the clear favourite to earn a maiden world title. The reigning vice-world champion has been in a league of her own thus far having claimed dominant victories in both Fuerteventura and Sylt, Germany. In Fuerteventura, Lemeteyer won eight out of the twelve eliminations completed (66.66%), while in Sylt she was even more impressive with a win rate of 84.62%, having won eleven out of the thirteen eliminations sailed. Lemeteyer has looked extremely assured all season and now has fate in her own hands - a top three finish would guarantee her the coveted world title.

Lemeteyer’s closest rival is multiple time world champion - Marion Mortefon (PATRIK / PATRIK Sails / PATRIK Foils) - who finished second in both Fuerte and Sylt, so while she has raced consistently, she would need things to fall in her favour to have any chance of adding to her world titles haul:

In the event that Lemeteyer were to finish fourth, then Mortefon would be required to win the event to snatch the world crown.
In the event that Lemeteyer were to finish fifth, second place would then be good enough for Mortefon to win.
If Lemeteyer we to finish sixth, Mortefon would need to finish third or better to secure the world title.

Outside Chance

While it’s a long shot for Blanca Alabau (Starboard / Severne Sails) to be able to defend her world title, it’s not mathematically impossible and with a 27 strong female fleet lining up for Japan, there’s certainly enough scope that a spanner could be thrown in the works of Lemeteyer and Mortefon. In order for Alabau to claim an unlikely victory, the Spaniard would need Lemeteyer to finish sixth or worse, Mortefon to finish fourth or worse, and win the event herself.

Among the lineup is defending event champion Lina Eržen (Starboard / Severne Sails), who claimed a superb victory here last year. The young Slovenian will be making her first appearance of the season on the World Tour after competing at the Paris Olympics earlier this year, while the conclusion of the Olympics is one of the main reasons for an influx of new faces in Japan, which should make for intriguing viewing.

Men’s

Two Horse Race

The Men’s world title race looks as though it’ll be a two horse race between Pierre Mortefon (Phantom / Phantom Sails / Phantoms Foils) and Daniele Benedetti (FMX Racing / Challenger Sails) with just 100 points separating them in Mortefon’s favour. In simple terms whoever beats who here will be the world champion assuming that Mortefon finishes no worse than sixth and Benedetti no worse than fifth.
Mortefon has already enjoyed a stellar year having won the inaugural Slalom X world title earlier this season, so this would really be the icing on the cake. Meanwhile, Benedetti enjoyed a break out performance in Fuerteventura, where he claimed his first event victory, and he’ll know a repeat of that performance here would see him crowned the 2024 Foil Slalom world champion - so there’s all to play for.

Away from the top two, Enrico Marotti (JP / NeilPryde), who Is 500 points behind Mortefon, still has an outside chance of winning the world title. In order to do so, Marotti would be required to win the event with Mortefon finishing outside of the top seven and Benedetti out of the top six.

Behind the top three is reigning world champion Matteo Iachino (Starboard / Severne Sails), who will be hoping to end the season on a high after an uncharacteristic ninth place in Sylt. Followed by Amado Vrieswijk (Future Fly / Severne Sails), who comes into Japan as the current event champion and both men could still play a big role in deciding the world champion.

Johan Søe (FMX Racing / Point-7 / PATRIK Foils) made a winning return to life on tour in Sylt is extremely impressive fashion. The Dane didn’t finish outside the top three in the seven eliminations completed in Germany and he’ll be a major threat here again.

Elsewhere, the usual suspects of Maciek Rutkowski (NeilPryde), Alexis Mathis (Tabou / GA Sails), Jordy Vonk (Duotone Windsurfing), Nico Prien (JP / NeilPryde), Michele Becker (PATRIK / PATRIK Sails / PATRIK Foils), Cedric Bordes (Severne / Severne Sails) and Bruno Martini (JP / NeilPryde), who finished third in Sylt, will all be vying for the top ten and beyond, while a whole host of local Japanese sailors will be hoping to make their mark on home waters.

The forecast looks promising for the opening few days of the event with moderate north-northeast winds currently predicted. Registration will take place between 10am-11:30am (GMT+9) with a first possible start at 14:00.

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Playa Surf CBbC Hotel Aloha Classic Grand Final

Tue, 29 Oct 2024 17:23:07 +0100

Up to four metre wave faces created plenty of drama and action for the 40th anniversary of the Aloha Classic Playa Surf CBbC Grand Final at Hookipa Beach Park in Maui, Hawaii. The variable winds occasionally wreaked havoc for competitors in selecting the right gear as it shifted from very light to very windy at seemingly random moments, but the solid waves held all day, providing the right platform for a mind blowing show.

The 2022 and 2023 World Windsurfing Wave Champions, Sarah-Quita Offringa (Starboard / NeilPryde / Maui Ultra Fins) from Aruba and Marcilio Browne (Goya Windsurfing / MFC) from Brazil both achieved an incredible third consecutive world titles by finishing in second at the final event of the year.

But it was the consistency, experience and perfection of the Maui residents, Bernd Roediger (Flikka / Hot Sails Maui / Black Project Fins) and Sarah Hauser (Quatro / Goya Windsurfing / MFC), that took home the prestigious Aloha Classic wins.

EMOTIONAL VICTORIES AT WOMEN’S ALOHA CLASSIC

A nerve wracking first semi-final produced a see-saw battle between the two world title contenders, Offringa and Germany’s Lina Erpenstein (Severne / Severne Sails), with both needing to claim a finals berth to keep their title hopes alive. However, Guadaloupe’s Coco Fouveau was determined to play spoiler, with her aggressive surf style turns in the power zone. Erpenstein carved through clean waves with precision and aggression, whilst Offringa showcased her strength and control in the gusty, high winds. She executed under the lip power turns and finished with a clean end section hit to take the semi-final win over Fouveau.

With Erpenstein relegated to a 5th place finish at the Aloha Classic, the world title became Offringa’s. Overcome with emotion, Offringa tearfully said:

“It means more to me than I thought. I’m glad I could be out there and be in the final.”

Incredibly, Offringa has won the Freestyle, Slalom X and Wave World Titles this year.

“It’s been a goal of mine, I thought it was unattainable to do wave, freestyle and slalom but this is insane.”

In the second semi-final, New Caledonia’s Sarah Hauser, dominated from the start. The long time Maui resident powered through her turns and attacked the lip on multiple waves for a near excellent heat total of 15.30. Switerland’s Pauline Katz (Severne / Severne Sails) secured her first ever Aloha Classic finals berth with sweeping rail turns in the face of set waves.

The final showdown started with Hauser carving consecutive, precise turns in the pocket for a 6.0. But Offringa soon took charge, finding a long wave that offered five tight power turns, including a tail slide. Shortly after, she again found a wave where she connected powerful, tight turns under the lip and in the pocket to take the lead. Hauser waited patiently out the back. Upon finding a good set, she snapped turns tight in the pocket, hitting the lip at the end for a solid 8 and her third ever Aloha Classic win.

“I’ve been dreaming about this moment for a long time. It means everything to me. This was the first competition I ever came to do in 2012. This is a legendary event, it’s a dream come true,” she said.

Coco Fouveau’s (Flikka / GUNSAILS) third-place finish marked a triumphant return after recovering from a concussion 15 months prior. With strong rail work, she has proven herself a rising threat in Hawaii. Meanwhile, Katz may not have found her rhythm in the final, but her aggressive style and impressive turns capped her most successful season yet.

TENSE MOMENTS AS ROEDIGER AND BROWNE SHINE

Tension mounted during the quarter final heats of the Pro Mens, as the variable wind dropped considerably during some of the heats. Fighting for a world title, the crowd watched nervously as Browne sat in 4th position for most of his heat. Holding his nerve well, Browne managed find the right waves and hit sections in the light wind to progress into the semi. In yet another clutch moment of the same heat, Liam Dunkerbeck (Starboard / Severne Sails / MFC) from Spain knocked out Guadaloupe’s Antoine Martin (North Windsurfing) by pulling a perfect wave 360, right after a failed goiter attempt by Martin.

The second quarter final was just as drama filled. Whilst French/US rider Morgan Noireaux (JP / NeilPryde / Black Project Fins) secured a confident victory, the rest of the riders all had identical points, totalling 10.20. Progression was awarded to Japan’s Takuma Sugi (Tabou / GA Sails / Black Project Fins) over Maui’s Levi Siver (Quatro / Goya Windsurfing / MFC) and French rider Julien Flechet (Flikka / Hot Sails Maui / Black Project Fins) as Sugi’s back up waves were higher than the others.

Maui’s Kail Lenny (Quatro / Goya Windsurfing / MFC) and Bernd Roediger then produced one of the best spectacles of the morning. Roediger executed perfect goiters and huge aerials to advance with the morning’s highest heat total of 16.40, whilst Lenny popped an aerial goiter and critical, under the lip hits to advance in second.
The fourth quarter final saw Guadaloupe’s Camille Juban (AV Boards / S2Maui) and world number two, Spain’s Victor Fernandez (Duotone Windsurfing / MFC) advance, which kept the pressure on and the world title race open, given Fernandez was sitting in second and less than 300 points behind Browne.

The first men’s semi was action packed, with only one point ultimately separating first from fourth place.

The usually consistent Noireaux perhaps started to feel some pressure as the competition moved into the semis. Renowned for impeccable wave selection, the majority of his waves offered excellent single moves and big aerials, but didn’t have the connecting sections needed to beat the world’s best.
In the final moments, he pulled an incredibly critical, under the lip wave 360 off a solid wave. But without offering any other moves, the wave was awarded a 7, which wasn’t quite enough to move him into the advancing second place.

After almost being knocked out in the quarters, Browne made no mistakes at the start of this heat. he secured his winning scores right at the start with a mix of aerials, vertical lip hits, tweaked aerials and power turns.

The rapidly improving Dunkerbeck showcased a series of tail slides, aerials, lip hits and yet another perfect wave 360, where he rotates over the section to land on the wave face, ready for another move. Advancing into the final, the rising star said

“It feels amazing I can’t believe I made the final for the Aloha Classic. I’m just super stoked.“

The world title was decided in semi-final two, when Fernandez was knocked out by the aerial wizardry of Juban and Roediger, making Browne the world champion. Juban’s high amplitude aerials and late attacks on critical sections allowed him to progress in what his now his 8th consecutive finals appearance at world wave tour competitions.

Roediger looked to be having fun with a big aerial, but shifted gear to make a huge goiter off the main peak of a mast high set. He landed almost in floater position, flicked his hair out of the way and followed up with an aerial in the bowl and a heat winning eight point wave.

Some big names had to fall in the semis, and, unfortunately, one of those was Kai Lenny. Lenny still made multiple aerials on waves, one handed cut backs, floater re-entries and a tweaked air. His fast, rail work throughout the event showed good innovation, as he managed to squeeze more turns than everyone else. He devastatingly missed out on the final by 0.2 points, but left no doubt that one day he may achieve his lifelong dream of winning the Aloha Classic is near

The Men’s Final started with a bang. Browne started with a vertical, under the lip aerial, followed by a strong hit on an incoming section for 7 points. He then followed with a massive aerial on the next set wave to secure a heat total of 13.90. These remained his best two scores and he finished the event in second place, but as the 2024 World Champion.

“I’m lost for words. It’s an incredible feeling. I never thought I’d be standing here, I’m so happy. It’s my fifth world title and fourth in the waves. I can’t believe it. It’s more than I ever dreamed of. It’s a day I’ll never forget,” an ecstatic Browne said.

Roediger wasn’t daunted by the newly crowned world champion though. Early in the final, he took a solid wave with a set up turn that led into two critical aerials and then a perfect goiter for an 8.5. Gaining momentum, he continued his flow and charged at the next wave, seeming to float across heavy, looming sections as though he were part of the wave. Needless to say, his effortless lip hits and huge aerials impressed for a 7.1 and an Aloha Classic winning heat total of 15.60. A surprised Roediger said,

“I’m totally speechless. I didn’t see this for myself at all. It’s one of those things, you have a certain feeling throughout the contest. You think things will go well, but you know you’re you and you know how fallible you are. You don’t think that about the other people. You just think ‘Those guys don’t make mistakes, those guys don’t fail’ It’s pretty cool.”

Young gun Dunkerbeck made it clear he wasn’t going to rest on the laurels of making his first final. Opting for slightly smaller waves, he attacked each lip with precision, kicking out his tail and landed two flawless wave 360s on consecutive rides to challenge the leaders. With a third place finish, Dunkerbeck solidified his reputation—no longer as an up-and-coming grom, but as a true contender and a real threat in Hawaii.

Despite landing some extraordinarily high aerials and stylish lip drifts, Juban made a few uncharacteristic errors on his early rotation attempts. Just as he looked to be gaining momentum, a wipeout caused him to lose his gear to the infamous Hookipa rocks and finish the event in a respectable fourth place.
The Aloha Classic finished the World Windsurfing Wave tour for 2024. Competitors will take a break and meet again at the first event in Japan in February 2025.

Pro Men's Results

Bernd Roediger
Marcilio Browne
Liam Dunkerbeck
Camille Juban
Kai Lenny / Morgan Noireaux
N/A
Victor Fernandez / Takuma Sugi

Pro Women’s Results

Sarah Hauser
Sarah- Quita Offringa
Coco Fouveau
Pauline Katz
Lina Erpenstein / Lisa Wermeister
N/A
Maria Andres / Shawna Cropas

Playa Surf CBbC Hotel Aloha Classic Grand Final

Tue, 29 Oct 2024 17:17:18 +0100

Grand final day produced some impressive performances from both a legend of the sport and a potential future one. The under 21 Pro Juniors and over 45 Masters divisions were run to completion in logo-high waves and a light cross-offshore wind.
Dunkerbeck Crowned U21 Champion
Spain’s Liam Dunkerbeck claimed a decisive victory today in the Pro Junior Aloha Classic. He set the bar high on his first wave, with top-to-bottom rail surfing, tail blows and aerials to earn a 7.6 – the highest single wave score of the final. While many competitors struggled to find waves with multiple manoeuvre opportunities, Dunkerbeck showed great maturity in his wave selection. He picked off a smaller wave, snapped some turns and finished with a wave 360.
Dunkerbeck’s dominance this year leaves no doubt he is the top U21 rider in the world. He has won every competition he’s entered, including Japan, Chile, Canary Islands and now Hawaii.
“It’s been three years in a row that I’m in the division and I’ve won every heat and every final for three years,” he said. “My focus will now be on the Pro Men’s where I am in the quarter finals. It will be hard heats from now, I will just go out and have fun and learn more.”
Finishing in second place, Japan’s Hayata Ishii cemented his reputation fearless riding at Hookipa. Ishii delivered crisp aerials and a goiter in the final and would have been more dangerous if he could find waves that offered connecting sections.
Germany’s Marlon Maethner rounded out the podium in third, showcasing aggressive riding on a big set wave to score a 6 and the third best wave of the final.
Despite a strong semi-final, Japan’s Ryu Noguchi appeared to feel finals pressure as the others caught bigger waves early on, leading him to chase smaller waves. However, Noguchi should feel encouraged by his impressive progress in the Pro Men’s division, where he advanced all the way to Round 5 with an attacking style.

Teboul Takes Out An All Goya Masters Final

Keith Teboul looked fast and loose as he hit critical sections to take down his all Goya colleagues. The stand-out rider showcased a vertical attack and fin release hits on some of the biggest sets of the day.

Teboul was riding a new board, partially inspired by the surf style direction Kai Lenny is taking.

“This is a new board that I made for this event. Paul and I have a good rivalry and he was making all these boards so I thought I would make myself a floater. It was only my second time sailing it”, he said.

“If I sail it right, it feels incredible. I was using a set of Kai’s fins, a thruster set. It’s a departure from the way I usually sail, but as long as I stayed close to the wave, I was getting good projection and down the line speed. I had to really surf the wave and think about it differently”, revealed the renowned shaper.

Brand owner and former World Champion, Francisco Goya, finished in second place. Goya was still attacking critical sections and pushing hard on the rail, however his waves simply offered fewer opportunities than Teboul’s.
“When you sail with friends, it brings out the best in everyone. My first event was in 1990 in Maui. I’m just forever grateful to be part of it for this long,” said a nostalgic Goya.
Team rider Vincent Beauvarlet has had a cracker of a competition, finishing third in the Master and equal 17th in the Pro Men. Meanwhile, Fish Bowl Diaries water photographer and Goya staff member, Paul Karaolides might face some good natured ribbing from colleague Teboul after finishing 4th. Karaolides started the event well with excellent top to bottom riding, but seemed to tire during the day after two long days of shooting the event.
Tomorrow looks to be a lay day, with Monday looking excellent as we progress towards finals day for Pro Men and Pro Women.
The Aloha Classic Wave Grand Final event is running until 1 November at Hookipa Beach Park in Maui, Hawaii.

Playa Surf CBbC Hotel Aloha Classic Grand Final

Sun, 27 Oct 2024 07:49:09 +0100

The world title race took some thrilling twists today as several contenders faced elimination, whilst the Maui regulars wowed the crowd with an incredible display of aerial antics at the Aloha Classic Playa Surf CBbC Hotel Grand Final in Hawaii today. Competitors were greeted with large, clean waves from a north swell, and a light, cross offshore wind.

HAWAIIAN EXPERIENCE PAVES THE WAY FOR PRO WOMEN

Once again, it was Ho’okipa’s seasoned riders who secured direct spots in the Pro Women’s semi-finals. Germany’s current world number one, Lina Erpenstein, was sent to the elimination round after facing stiff competition from Spain’s Maria Andres (Duotone Windsurfing) and Guadaloupe’s Coco Fouveau (Flikka / GUNSAILS). Erpenstein’s limited practice time—due to her final medical exams—undoubtedly impacted her performance. However, Andres confidently chose solid waves and rode high in the light conditions to maintain her speed, allowing her to execute her trademark power turns.
“I’m super stoked because the conditions are incredibly challenging. Just getting out was crazy. It was hard to choose the right waves too. The bigger ones had a section further down that was closing out, so it was hard to know how to position myself”, she said.

Fouveau looked happy to be back on the water following intermittent breaks due to a concussion. She stayed near the power zone, riding tight in the pocket to secure second place and advance to the semi-finals.

Maui resident, Sarah Hauser (Quatro / Goya Windsurfing), displayed some of the most critical riding of the women’s division. With powerful bottom turns, she set up sharp, surf-style snaps and confidently hit the lip to take the win in heat two.

“I got a tonne of sailing this season and I’m feeling like I’m progressing. It was super fun out here. We got so lucky because the wind kicked in 5 minutes before the start of the heat. I was just trying to hit the lip,” said a fired up Hauser.

Also moving into the semi-final was Maui resident, Shawna Cropas (Duotone Windsurfing). Cropas ended up on the rocks early in the heat and had to ride unfamiliar gear. But she adapted quickly, selecting smooth, peeling set waves and carving confidently through each turn to secure second place.
French rider Lisa Wermeister (Duotone Windsurfing / Maui Ultra Fins) had a memorable day, outshining reigning world champion Sarah-Quita Offringa (Starboard / NeilPryde / Maui Ultra Fins), Riding some of the largest sets, she gained momentum as her turns grew increasingly bold and precise throughout heat three.

Offringa opted for smaller waves, which possibly cost her the win. But she executed powerful turns beneath the lip, stayed tight in the pocket, and threw buckets of spray with her powerful top turns. She advanced to the semi-finals, keeping her pursuit of a third consecutive wave world title alive.

WORLD TITLE CONTENDERS EXIT IN REDEMPTION ROUND

The big news of the Pro Men’s redemption round was the exit of world numbers three and four, Marino Gil (JP / NeilPryde / MFC) from Spain and Germany’s Philip Köster (Severne / Severne Sails / Black Project Fins), marking the end of their title hopes. The Japanese duo of Takuma Sugi (Tabou / GA Sails / Black Project Fins) and rising star Ryu Noguchi (Starboard / Severne Sails) were ecstatic to claim the scalp of Köster, whilst American Russell Faurot (Quatro / S2Maui / Black Project Fins) and French rider Baptiste Cloarec (RRD / RRD Sails) had a hard fought battle to dispose of Gil and Hayata Ishii (RRD / RRD Sails. Returning to competition after his battle with leukemia, Casey Hauser (Quatro / Goya Windsurfing) was a crowd favourite, but fell short against Poland’s Adam Warchol (Quatro / Goya Windsurfing) and the UK’s Robby Swift (JP / NeilPryde). Also advancing from the redemption round were French riders Jules Denel (Tabou / GA Sails) and Julien Flechet (Tabou / Hot Sails Maui).

Maui Riders Seize The Day

Round five kicked off with a rare strategic error by Brazil’s Marcilio Browne (Goya Windsurfing / MFC), who rode his first wave before the heat officially began, with what would have been one of his best waves. But it didn’t really matter. Browne impressed the judges on his next ride, charging vertically into mast-high sections, air-dropping down and executing another aerial for a 7.5. Riding faster and deeper than most, Browne consistently created opportunities, finishing the heat with four waves over the seven-point mark and a heat total of 14.70.

Continuing to impress in Hawaii, Spains Liam Dunkerbeck (Starboard / Severne Sails / MFC), the 2024 Pro Junior World Champion, advanced to the quarterfinals despite a remarkable aerial display from French rider Jules Denel. Dunkerbeck’s aerials looked effortless, his fin release top turns were radical and he even came close to landing a wave 360 attempt.

In heat two, Maui local Graham Ezzy (Tabou / Ezzy Sails) was on a roll, pushing former Aloha Classic winner, Antoine Martin (North Windsurfing) from Guadaloupe into second place. With light conditions, Ezzy opted for larger gear and focused on finding the waves with the best shape. “I’ve been doing a lot of coaching and I think about what I say to my students - stay on the power source of the wave, think of it as a dance. I try to remind myself of those. Just be focused on having fun”, he said.

Martin looked relaxed and playful, easily popping two consecutive one-handed aerials with different hands each time, finishing in second with a heat total of 12.10. If feels like he has more in the tank. promising plenty of excitement as he pushes towards even riskier moves.

A confident and flawless Morgan Noireaux (JP / NeilPryde / Black Project Fins) is looking unstoppable as he heads towards the quarterfinals. Despite the lighter wind, Noireaux seemed to gain speed with every turn, enabling him to blow the lip off the top and attack in a vertical manner. His wave selection was impeccable, and he seamlessly combined precision riding with consistent rotations. Almost presciently, he executed two perfect wave 360s, following up one with a taka, showcasing his ease in the mast high conditions. “My consistency at Ho’okipa is pretty darn good. I have a lot of confidence in everything I do. Our heat also got some of the better conditions of the day. I had a blast”, he said with a smile.

Building on his momentum from the redemption round, Julien Flechet put forth one of his best performances in Hawaii, also advancing to the quarterfinals. He consistently pulled off impressive aerials and tackled late sections, including a one-handed cutback and an arched back aerial.

However, the heat of the day was heat four. In the lead up to the event, many top riders had praised Levi Siver (Quatro / Goya Windsurfing / MFC) and he didn’t disappoint. Laying down his intent, he immediately attacked a large set wave section and followed it up with more critical turns for a 7.80.
But the answer back from Japan’s Takara Ishii was even better. He went up into the lip and followed with an aerial and two more aggressive turns for a 7.90.

Takuma Sugi (Tabou / GA Sails / Black Project Fins) came third in that first exchange, but still had an impressive 7.60 wave score. He was far more patient in the heat that the others and almost looked out of contention for a while. During that time, Siver found a solid set, blasted two vertical lip attacks and followed with a wave 360 to score a 9.10, the best wave of the day.

Just when it all seemed to be a battle for second, Sugi found an excellent set, executed a huge aerial and tight snaps to secure a heat total of 15.60 and seem like he could threaten Siver for the lead.

Although Ishii didn’t progress to the quarters, his heat total of 13.50 would have advanced him in any other heat.

Inspired by the strong performances, wave maestro Kai Lenny (Quatro / Goya Windsurfing / MFC) showed his repertoire of hardcore surf riding with impressive aerial tricks. He continued to improve as the heat progressed, breaking the boundaries between surfing and windsurfing. His surf style boards allowed him to get right under the lip for a vertical attack, recovering quickly for tight snaps in the pocket. He miraculously pulled off a wave 360 where he virtually disappeared behind the whitewater, and then pulled one of the most radical goiters ever seen in competition. Approaching the wave from underneath, he blasted through the lip for his second eight of the heat.

American Russ Faurot made his mark with some solid lip hits, wrapping turns and cutbacks, appearing poised to knock out the comeback King, Marc Paré. However, Paré remained patient, and when he finally found the right wave, hit two perfect aerials followed by a tight snap to earn seven points and solidify his progression into the quarterfinals.

Three more heats remain in Round 5 and competition looks set to continue tomorrow.

The Aloha Classic Wave Grand Final event is running until 1 November at Ho’okipa Beach Park in Maui, Hawaii.

Playa Surf CBbC Hotel Aloha Classic Grand Final

Sat, 26 Oct 2024 05:13:02 +0200

Mast high waves produced a thrilling spectacle for Day 1 of the Aloha Classic Playa Surf CBbC Hotel Grand Final in Hawaii. World title dreams ensured plenty of action, but the light, mildly onshore wind also made conditions a little tricky for those with less experience at Maui’s Ho’okipa Beach Park.
Some dangerous local wildcards entered the bracket at Round 2, including the likes of Kai Lenny (Quatro / Goya Windsurfing / MFC), Levi Siver (Quatro / Goya Windsurfing / MFC), Graham Ezzy (Tabou / GA Sails) and Francisco Goya (Goya Windsurfing / MFC). Competitors nervously awaited to see who would get these in-form riders. Lenny came a close second in his heat to Arthur Arutkin (Duotone Windsurfing / Black Project Fins) and ended up with a Round 3 draw against former Aloha Classic winner, Bernd Roediger (Flikka / Hot Sails Maui / Black Project Fins), another red hot local favourite.
Not expecting such an intense match up so early in the competition, Roediger shifted from a more carefree attitude, saying:

“Seeing Kai in my heats, that changed my energy.”

The crowd favourites didn’t disappoint and used strong local knowledge to pick the best waves. A free flowing Roediger attacked sections and managed to just pull off a 360 manoeuvre. But Lenny answered back with an impossibly tweaked aerial and a wave 360 of his own to take the win. Lenny explained his secrets,

“It’s really wave choice out there. If I get on the best wave, that’s really steep, I can perform my surfing manoeuvres. The board I’m riding is one that I shaped and was built by Quatro. This was a really big inspiration from short board surfing. This board is unique compared to what everyone else is riding and especially suits today when you need to produce a lot of thrust at the bottom.”

Meanwhile, the highest heat totals of the day were shared by two of the world title contenders, Maui residents Morgan Noireaux (JP / NeilPryde / Black Project Fins) and Marcilio Browne (Goya Windsurfing / MFC.

Browne, the 2022 and 2023 World Champion, rode particularly deep, which meant he flowed from critical move to critical move, something that few others could achieve in the tricky conditions. As usual, his timing was impeccable and his moves flawless. He was the only rider to finish the day with every wave score being a 6 or above. His variety of moves and consistency of making them, are proving a third consecutive world title is well within his grasp.
Finishing in second place to Browne was Ezzy, who was excited to land a perfectly executed wave 360.

Throwing down the gauntlet in Heat 3, Noireaux also produced some of the highest scores of the day, with a pair of sevens. In the lighter, more onshore conditions, he too rode a little bit deeper and managed to get more critical hits than anyone else in his heat, as well as a perfectly executed goiter. Noireaux has lifted to another level this season and is a genuine podium contender, for both the Aloha Classic and the world title.

An in-form Siver blazed into second place, securing a direct spot in Round 5 with his sharp under-the-lip hits, tweaked airs, and explosive top turns.
The remainder of the renowned wave riders lived up to their reputations, delivering spectacular performances. Antoine Martin (North Windsurfing) made even the hardest moves look easy. His one-handed aerials were smooth, the goiter was perfect and his critical under the lip moves somehow seemed relaxed.

Likewise, Guadaloupe’s Camille Juban (AV-Boards / S2Maui / MFC) used his trademark precision to effortlessly land multiple aerials and wow the crowd with tweaked airs.

Not surprisingly, French rider Thomas Traversa (Tabou / GA Sails) didn’t hold back in the bigger waves, charging the lip at every opportunity to secure a strong win.

Traversa forced world title contender Marc Paré (Simmer / Simmer Sails) into a second place finish, but an aggressive, fast paced Paré still secured his Round 5 spot.

Takara Ishii (RRD / RRD Sails) had a close heat in the lightest winds of the day and progressed alongside an ecstatic Vincent Beauvarlet. Using moves that included goiters, one handed aerials and well timed lip hits, the boys were thrilled to send former world champion, Germany’s Philip Köster (Severne / Severne Sails / Black Project Fins) and Chilean charger, Alex Vargas to the elimination round.

Current world number two, Spain’s Victor Fernandez (Duotone Windsurfing / MFC) took a comfortable win in the final Round 3 heat of the day, showcasing blow tail top turns, aerials and lip hits.

The Pro Women competed only in the opening challenger round, where local favourite, Shawna Cropas (Duotone Windsurfing), revelled in the large surf. Her strong bottom turn / top turn combinations secured her place in the main event, where she promises to be formidable contender.Also advancing were Toia Sanjurjo and Svenja Chudoba.

The Aloha Classic Wave Grand Final event is running until 1st November at Ho’okipa Beach Park in Maui, Hawaii.

The current forecast predicts promising wind and swell for the next few days, which should provide for some incredible Grand Final performances.

Follow the live competition scores on LiveHeats. The full Live Broadcast will be streamed on the IWT Wave Tour YouTube channel, and the official IWT event page. Follow on social media channels @pwaworldtour and @IWT_Wave_Tour. The event also offers spectacular free viewing at Ho'okipa Beach Park.

Words by Jane Seman.
Photos courtesy of @fishbowldiaries.

Playa Surf CBbC Hotel Aloha Classic Grand Final

Tue, 22 Oct 2024 03:18:09 +0200

As the Playa Surf CBbC Hotel Aloha Classic Grand Final in Hawaii draws near, all eyes are on the 2022 and 2023 World Windsurfing Wave Champions, Sarah-Quita Offringa (Starboard / NeilPryde / Maui Ultra Fins) and Marcilio Browne (Goya Windsurfing). Both are gearing up for an electrifying showdown in their quest for a third consecutive world title.

But the pressure is high for Offringa, who enters the competition sitting in third place in the rankings. Having missed a crucial first event, Offringa hit her trademark form in the Europe leg to achieve two wins for the season. But she will need to finish well ahead of current leader, Lina Erpenstein (Severne / Severne Sails) to claim her third consecutive title. As she gears up for some tough competition, Offringa shares her mindset, saying:

“I’m very motivated to win. Waves is what I feel is my biggest challenge and I’m extremely motivated to just get better in that discipline.”

With a forecast of solid waves, which may favour local riders such as 2023 world wave runner up Sarah Hauser (Quatro / Goya Windsurfing), Offringa seems relaxed:

“Hawaii always pushes me outside of my comfort zone. It looks like it will be big, but that’s what I prepare for.”

Meanwhile, Browne enters Maui with a slim lead over the Pro Men’s fleet. Despite a consistent performance throughout the year, he has yet to secure a first-place finish, putting his pursuit of a third title in jeopardy. Currently, he sits just 295 points ahead of former three-time World Wave Champion, Spain’s Victor Fernandez (Duotone Windsurfing) whose had a stellar year with multiple finals finishes. Adding to the tension, Browne has left the door open to five other competitors who could seize the world title and must fend off a huge fleet of 60 athletes, that include local specialists like Kai Lenny (Quatro / Goya Windsurfing), Bernd Roediger (Flikka / S2Maui / Black Project Fins) and Morgan Noireaux (JP / NeilPryde / Black Project Fins). Commenting on the level, Browne says:

“Here it’s always the local guys who stand out, the local guys are incredible. There’s a lot of people sailing really well right now. I do get excited by that, I like the energy of pushing each other.”

Amidst the intense title race this year, Browne will stay focused on his family to maintain a sense of calm:

“I keep the routine the same. I hang out with the family. I don’t think and focus on the competition. In my head, I try to view it as just another day to go sailing, I try not to think about it too much,” he says.

The Aloha Classic Wave Grand Final event will run from 21 October to 1 November at Ho’okipa Beach Park in Maui, Hawaii. It includes a heavily stacked field of 60 Pro Men and 15 Pro Women, as well as Masters and Pro Junior divisions.

The current forecast predicts promising wind and swell midway through the 12 day window, which should provide for some breathtaking Grand Final performances.

Follow the live competition scores on LiveHeats. The full Live Broadcast will be streamed on the IWT Wave Tour YouTube channel, and the official IWT event page. Follow on social media channels @pwaworldtour and @IWT_Wave_Tour. The event also offers spectacular free viewing at Ho'okipa Beach Park.

Words by Jane Seman.

Photos courtesy of @fishbowldiaries.

Pure Freestyle

Wed, 16 Oct 2024 14:12:08 +0200

Oda Brøholt (Starboard / Severne Sails): "I went to Dakhla after the first Slalom X and Wave World Cup in Pozo to focus 100% on freestyle windsurfing before the PWA World Cup in Fuerteventura. I felt the training paid off and I had my best sessions behind these sandbanks! Thanks to Tom, Julia, Sandra and Thies for a sick time training together every day! This is what freestyle is all about! Pushing limits with good people around you!

Gear set-up:
Severne Freek 4.0 and Starboard iGnite 87 liter with Lagoa Fin 20cm."

You can see the highlights of Oda Brøholt's trip to Dakhla @ https://youtu.be/5_tu7K13kkw?si=OHcaYPmldPj8CxEg

Alaçati Windfest PWA Youth and Junior Slalom World Cup

Tue, 15 Oct 2024 10:32:37 +0200

Between the 9th-13th October the next generation of racers battled it out at the Alacati Windfest PWA Youth and Junior Slalom Cup, which eventually saw plenty of racing after a less than favourable forecast at the start of the week.

Fin

U21 Boy’s
It was a back and forth battle between Thijs Hanemaaijer (FMX Racing / North Sails) and Brendan Lorho (FMX Racing / Point-7) all week with Hanemaaijer taking the first victory on Day 3, but Lorho hit back with two bullets to edge ahead. Going into the final race it was all to play for, with whoever beating who between taking the event victory. With a fantastic start, Hanemaaijer led from the first mark and despite Lorho closing him down the whole race, it was Hanemaaijer who ultimately claimed the victory, and more importantly, the event win. The boys finished tied on points – the battle was that close, but the tiebreak rule (who beat who the most times) came into play and gave the victory to Hanemaaijer. Mert Kacan found consistency on the final day, scoring 4-3-4 to take the final place on the podium.

U21 Girl’s
Racing together with the U17 girls, it was a great battle all week. Vera Pristupin Tzoannopoulou took an early lead in the U21 rankings, showing great consistency in the opening three rounds. However, Ahniia Mikheieva staged a late comeback, favouring the stronger winds of the final day to go as far as winning the final elimination and securing the event win. Dorota Janiszewska completes the podium in third place.

U17 GIRL’S
In a battle we are sure to see for years to come between Bobbi-Lynn De Jong (Starboard / NeilPryde) and Damla Kurtdemir (F4 Foils), it all went down to the final race. With both riders finishing on equal points, but with Kurtdemir edging De Jong with phenomenal speed on the final leg, she took the event victory on the tiebreak! Given the fights these two also had on the foil, it’s sure this isn’t the last time we are going to see these two battling for victory, with Kurtdemir set to make her pro tour debut in Japan in a few weeks time. Selin Aktas held second place for much of the week with her lightning speed in the light winds putting a lot of pressure on the top two!

U17 BOY’S
Another final race nail-biter saw Storm Nicolai (Starboard / Severne Sails) jump from third place to first after taking the race win. With three different race winners and no one showing real dominance, it shows just how deep the talent is in the age group. Doruk Daniel Eder took the first victory of the event and ultimately finished second, while a tiebreak between Sarp Paksoylu and Muzzafer Yagiz Elbir went in the favour of Sarp to take the final spot on the podium.

U15 Boy’s
Sarp Mutluel led from the first elimination, and as the only rider to score only top three results all week, his consistency paid dividends and gave him the win in this division. Both Arxon Gomperts and Ali Demirci took elimination wins, with both boys looking strong in the windy conditions, but mistakes cost them both chances of taking the victory this week. Sabri Ediz Garip put in three consistent performances to bag himself the last spot on the podium, with Demirci in second and Gomperts ending up in a solid fourth place.

U15 Girl's
It was a rollercoaster of lead changes on the final day as Derin Gokmeral started the day on pole, but going over the start line early in Elimination 3, along with Irem Metin, was extremely costly for them both and actually temporarily knocked her off the overall podium. Meanwhile, after a difficult start to the week, Lone De Jong (Starboard / NeilPryde) bounced back in the stronger winds to take victory in Elimination 3, capitalising on the mistakes of her competitors. With uncertainty over whether Elimination 4 would be completed, Nicole Filidis saw herself temporarily led the event, but as the day played on, it was decided there was time for another elimination to be sailed for the girls, meaning the discard came into play and another huge shift in the rankings. Gokmeral took the victory to seal the event win, while Karla Iktin remained consistent, taking second in the race and confirming second overall. Meanwhile, De Jong L took home third place in Elimination 4 and with it edged her way onto the podium with the final race of the entire event!

U13 Boy’s
It was a 3-way battle on the podium for the U13 Boys, with the youngest competitor in the competition, 9-year-old Alp Ege Erden, taking an early lead with wins in eliminations 1 & 2 after good battles with Gaspar Schwarzenlander and Faruk Berk Orge. The stronger winds on the final day didn’t favour the youngster, however, and Schwarzenlander took the victory in Elimination 3, followed closely by Orge. The last race brought the discard into play, and it was all to play for. Unfortunately for Erden, a sixth place finish saw him drop to third overall, but it was still a great effort from the 9-year-old. Orge claimed the victory in the final race, which edged him ahead of into second place overall, while the win in Elimination 3 was enough for Schwarzenlander to take the victory in the U13 Boy’s.

Foil

U21 Girl's
It was a battle that has played out numerous times on the national circuit, but this time a bigger prize was at stake for Elif Ercan (Duotone Windsurfing / F4 Foils) and Zeynep Hacudi – a Youth PWA World Cup victory. The lead ping-ponged back and forth all week between Ercan and Hacudi. It was the latter who took an early lead with back-to-back wins, but four bullets in a row for Ercan in Eliminations 3-6 ultimately gave her the edge and the victory this week. Racing alongside the U17 girl's, first-placed U17, Bobbi-Lynn De Jong, took third place in the U21 girl’s.

U17 Girl’s
The aforementioned Bobbi-Lynn De Jong came straight from the PWA World Cup in Sylt the week before, where she placed fourth in Foil Slalom, proving her skills in the strong, gusty winds of Sylt are up there with the best in the world. However, the 14-year-old showed there is still room for improvement in the lighter winds and had some good battles with the U21 girl’s and Damla Kurtdemir throughout the week. Between equipment troubles and an over-early, Kurtdemir didn’t get off to the start she wanted, but made a strong comeback on the final day to take second place ahead of Ela Ozcan.

U15 Girl’s
Irem Metin and Beren Ulkumen put in performances this week far above their years and were consistently battling with girls far older than them. Metin took a resounding victory in this division, followed by Ulkumen, who is actually only U13, but with no other competitors in this division, she was required to race in the U15 division. Ilya Paksoylu took third place after a tiebreak with Kit De Jong (Starboard / NeilPryde), who made a late comeback after struggling in the lighter winds at the start of the week, but ultimately had to settle for fourth.

U21 Boy’s
It was a final race smash-and-grab victory for Kasper Friis Nielsen (Loftsails / F4 Foils), who stole the event win from Mathieu Assorin (Starboard / Severne Sails), who led from the first race until he wiped out by himself while leading, causing a semifinal exit in the last elimination. Only a first or second in the final elimination would hand Nielsen the event win, but securing it in style, Nielsen took the race win, and with it, the event title. Assorin was outstanding on Day 1, securing 3 bullets in a row, but after an allergic reaction, he struggled in the following days to find his consistency and ultimately finished in second place. Rounding out the podium was Benedikt Emser (PATRIK / PATRIK Sails / PATRIK Foils), who sailed incredibly consistently all week with only one result outside the top four.

U17 Boy’s
Only one word describes the performance of Tycho Smits (Future Fly / NeilPryde / Z Foils) this week: PERFECTION with seven wins from seven, Smits didn’t put a single foot wrong all week, with unbelievable speed allowing him to win races by huge distances time and time again. Best of the rest was Kuzey Ziyal, who despite a challenging first day, went on to put together a great event. Behind him in third was fellow countryman Mert Gunel.

Citroën Windsurf World Cup Sylt

Tue, 08 Oct 2024 19:46:47 +0200

Sylt is know for its variety, and while it may not have been quite as consistently windy as the last couple of editions, this year’s 40th anniversary still produced some extremely challenging conditions to truly test the mettle of the world’s best sailors. The wave fleet had to contend with almost bolt onshore winds and Sylt’s infamous shorebreak, which claimed more than its fair share of victims, while an influx of algae meant the racers had an extra, unexpected, variable to consider.

Wave

Women’s

After winning the 40th anniversary Citroën Windsurf World Cup Sylt, Sarah-Quita Offringa (Starboard / NeilPryde / Maui Ultra Fins) has hauled herself right back into world title contention. The Aruban won the Gran Canaria Gloria PWA World Cup in July, but then only finished her fourth in Tenerife, which was only a 4-star event, so is worth less ranking points. Victory here means that the reigning world champion now has fate in her own hands heading into the title decider in Maui in just under a couple of weeks time.

Meanwhile, young guns Alexia Kiefer Quintana (Duotone Windsurfing) and Sol Degrieck (Severne / Severne Sails) continue to shine with both of them claiming podium finishes again here. In fact, from the four events that Kiefer Quintana has competed at she is yet to finish outside of the podium positions. The 19-year-old claimed second place here, while Degrieck completes the podium, but it’s worth noting she only missed out on a place in the winners’ final by just 0.16 of a point.

Lina Erpenstein (Severne / Severne Sails) came into Sylt with a narrow lead at the top of the rankings and while she may be slightly disappointed with a fourth place finish here, the German will still head into Maui firmly in contention for a maiden world title.

Men’s

Marc Paré’s (Simmer / Simmer Sails) remarkable comeback story continues after the Spaniard produced a superb display in the extremely tough conditions to claim back-to-back victories on the World Tour - having also won in Tenerife in August also. Having suffered a Lisfranc fracture in March, Paré may have thought his season was over, but it turns out it’s far from over now after winning here. It would still be a big ask for him to challenge for the world title given that Tenerife was only a 4-star event, but it’s not out of the question if everything went his way, while he can certainly fight for a place on the prestigious overall podium too.

Marcilio Browne (Goya Windsurfing) ended up sailing about nine heats effectively in the single elimination and began to cramp up during the winners’ final as fatigue started to take its effect, but second place still represents a great result - especially given the unpredictable nature of the conditions in Sylt. The Brazilian, who is the reigning world champion, will head into Maui with the world title race lead as he goes in search of completing a historic hat-trick of world crowns have also won in 2022 and 2023.

Meanwhile, Victor Fernandez’s (Duotone Windsurfing) fine season continues with the former 3-time world champion bagging himself another podium here. The Spaniard excels in making tricky conditions look comparatively easy and used every trick in his arsenal to complete the podium in Sylt, which will see him head into Maui as Browne’s closest rival.

Elsewhere, Antoine Martin (Starboard / North Sails) recorded his best result of the season at a 5-star event so far - 4th - while Miguel Chapuis earned his best result to date in a single elimination after securing joint fifth alongside; Robby Swift (JP / NeilPryde), Philip Köster (Severne / Severne Sails / Black Project Fins) and Marino Gil (JP / NeilPryde).

Foil Slalom

Women’s

Justine Lemeteyer (FMX Racing / S2Maui) finishes the 2024 Citroën Windsurf World Cup Sylt with a perfect record of just 7 points from the 13 eliminations completed. The current World Tour leader was in a league of her own over the last ten days as she won eleven out of the thirteen eliminations completed. After winning both events so far this season, Lemeteyer will head into the world title decider in Japan in November with a two hundred point lead over Marion Mortefon (PATRIK / PATRIK Sails / PATRIK Foils).

Mortefon finishes Sylt in a clear second place and she managed to sign off the event in perfect fashion as she secured a hard fought win in Elimination 13 - doing extremely well to hold off Lemeteyer after making a brilliant start.

Meanwhile, reigning world champion - Blanca Alabau (Starboard / Severne Sails) - follows up her third place in Fuerteventura with another podium here. The Spaniard raced consistently all week, only finishing outside the top three once.

14-year-old Bobbi-Lynn De Jong (Starboard / NeilPryde) also sailed extremely consistently and managed to pip Femke van der Veen (Starboard / Severne Sails) to fourth place with just two points separating them both.

Men’s

With just one more elimination being sailed on the final day, Johan Søe (FMX Racing / Point-7 / PATRIK Foils) didn’t even need to race today to claim his maiden event victory on the World Tour given the margin of his lead and the second discard coming into play after the completion of Elimination 7. However, the young Dane did still compete and he signed off the event with a solid third place, which means the 21-year-old hasn’t finished outside the top three for the entire event. After being stripped of a maiden world title last year, claiming his first event win will feel all the sweeter and no one can argue with the nature of the victory.

Pierre Mortefon (Phantom / Phantom Sails / Phantom Foils) came into the event ranked second in the overall world rankings, but leaves with the World Tour lead heading into the decider in Japan after sailing remarkably consistently here to claim second place. The Frenchman didn’t finish outside of the top five once in seven races and will now look to claim his second world title of the season in Japan - having won the Slalom X earlier in the season.

After finishing sixteenth in Elimination 6 it looked as though Bruno Martini (JP / NeilPryde) might have blown his shot at securing a maiden 5-star podium on the World Tour. However, with the second discard coming into play the Italian was able to do just enough in Elimination 7 - sixth - to claim the last place on the podium as he edged out Daniele Benedetti (FMX Racing / Challenger Sails) by two points.

Benedetti backs up his win in Fuerteventura with a solid fourth place here. The 29-year-old finished tied on 20.7 points with Nicolas Goyard (Phantom / Phantom Sails / Phantom Foils), but crucially Benedetti came out on top on countback, which could yet prove pivotal in the world title race as just 100 points separate him and Mortefon, whereas it could have just as easily been 200 points instead. It’s likely that whoever beats who will win the world title as Enrico Marotti (JP / NeilPryde) is the next closest sailor, but he trails Mortefon by 500 points.

Meanwhile, Marotti did well to recover from a quarterfinal exit in the opening elimination to eventually finish sixth here. After a poor start Marotti bounced back by not finishing outside of the top 9 once, while he signed off the event with an excellent bullet today, which saw him pip Maciek Rutkowski (NeilPryde) to sixth place by just 0.3 of a point.

The top ten is completed by Rutkowski (NeilPryde), Amado Vrieswijk (Future Fly / Severne Sails), Matteo Iachino (Starboard / Severne Sails) and Nico Prien (JP / NeilPryde) - 7th-10th.

Freestyle

With it unfortunately not being possible to complete the Men’s Freestyle single elimination that means the top four finishes as it stood coming into Sylt. That means Lennart Neubauer (Starboard / Severne Sails / Maui Ultra Fins) earns his maiden world title and I don’t think there will be too many arguments about that given the fact that he’s won the last two events on the World Tour. The young Greek was also pushing to compete here in marginal winds, which is quite remarkable when you consider that he had nothing to gain, but everything to lose.

Meanwhile, Adrien Bosson (Duotone Windsurfing / Maui Ultra Fins) finishes the season as the vice-world champion for the third time in his career. Last year’s world champion, Yentel Caers (JP / NeilPryde) completes the prestigious overall podium, while Balz Müller (Severne / Severne Sails) walks away with a career best, fourth.

You can review everything that happened in Sylt — including live stream, elimination ladders, entry list, images and live ticker simply by clicking HERE and scrolling to the bottom of the page.

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 Result 2024 Citroën Windsurf World Cup Sylt - Women’s Foil Slalom
*After 13 Eliminations (3 Discards)

1st Justine Lemeteyer (FRA | FMX Racing / S2Maui)
2nd Marion Mortefon (FRA | PATRIK / PATRIK Sails / PATRIK Foils)
3rd Blanca Alabau (ESP | Starboard / Severne Sails)
4th Bobbi-Lynn De Jong (NB | Starboard / NeilPryde)
5th Femke van der Veen (NED | Starboard / Severne Sails)

Result 2024 Citroën Windsurf World Cup Sylt - Men’s Foil Slalom
*After 7 Eliminations (2 Discards)

1st Johan Søe (DEN | FMX Racing / Point-7 / PATRIK Foils)
2nd Pierre Mortefon (FRA | Phantom / Phantom Sails / Phantom Foils)
3rd Bruno Martini (ITA | JP / NeilPryde)
4th Daniele Benedetti (ITA | FMX Racing / Challenger Sails)
5th Nicolas Goyard (FRA | Phantom / Phantom Sails / Phantom Foils)
6th Enrico Marotti (CRO | JP / NeilPryde)
7th Maciek Rutkowski (POL | NeilPryde)
8th Amado Vrieswijk (NB | Future Fly / Severne Sails)
9th Matteo Iachino (ITA | Starboard / Severne Sails)
10th Nico Prien (GER | JP / NeilPryde)

Result 2024 Citroën Windsurf World Cup Sylt - Women’s Wave

1st Sarah-Quita Offringa (ARU | Starboard / NeilPryde / Maui Ultra Fins)
2nd Alexia Kiefer Quintana (ESP | Duotone Windsurfing)
3rd Sol Degrieck (BEL | Severne / Severne Sails)
4th Lina Erpenstein (GER | Severne / Severne Sails)
5th Maria Behrens (GER | Duotone Windsurfing / Maui Ultra Fins)
5th Justyna Sniady (POL | North Windsurfing / Maui Ultra Fins)
5th Maria Morales (ESP | Goya Windsurfing)
5th Coraline Foveau (FRA | Flikka / GUNSAILS)

Result 2024 Citroën Windsurf World Cup Sylt - Men’s Wave

1st Marc Paré (ESP | Simmer / Simmer Sails)
2nd Marcilio Browne (BRA | Goya Windsurfing)
3rd Victor Fernandez (ESP | Duotone Windsurfing)
4th Antoine Martin (FRA | Starboard / North Windsurfing)
5th Robby Swift (UK | JP / NeilPryde)
5th Philip Köster (GER | Severne / Severne Sails / Black Project Fins)
5th Marino Gil {ESP (JP / NeilPryde)
5th Miguel Chapuis (ESP | Flikka / North Windsurfing)
9th Thomas Traversa (FRA | Tabou / GA Sails)
9th Dieter Van der Eyken (BEL | Severne Windsurfing / Black Project Fins)
9th Henri Kolberg (GER | Naish / Naish Sails / Maui Ultra Fins)
9th Liam Dunkerbeck (ESP | Starboard / Severne Sails / Black Project Fins)
9th Titouan Flechet (FRA | Tabou / Hot Sails Maui)
9th Jules Denel (FRA | Tabou / GA Sails)
9th Takuma Sugi (JPN | Tabou / GA Sails / Black Project Fins)
9th Morgan Noireaux (HI | JP / NeilPryde / Black Project Fins)

Overall Ranking 2024 PWA World Tour - Men’s Freestyle

1st Lennart Neubauer (GRE | Starboard / Severne Sails / Maui Ultra Fins)
2nd Adrien Bosson (FRA | Duotone Windsurfing / Maui Ultra Fins)
3rd Yentel Caers (BEL | JP / NeilPryde)
4th Balz Müller (SUI | Severne / Severne Sails)

Citroën Windsurf World Cup Sylt

Sun, 06 Oct 2024 15:09:42 +0200

The forecast for the last day of the 2024 Citroën Windsurf World Cup Sylt always held the promise of providing some light wind racing and the wind slowly picked up during the morning to allow another elimination for the men and two eliminations for the women to be completed in 7-12 knots of breeze, but there was nothing anyone could do to stop Justine Lemeteyer (FMX Racing / S2Maui) and Johan Søe (FMX Racing / Point-7 / PATRIK Foils) from marching to the respective Foil Slalom event titles.

Foil Slalom

Women’s

Men’s

The top ten is completed by Rutkowski (NeilPryde), Amado Vrieswijk (Future Fly / Severne Sails), Matteo Iachino (Starboard / Severne Sails) and Nico Prien (JP / NeilPryde) - 7th-10th.

Freestyle

Unfortunately with the wind being too light to complete the Men’s single elimination, that means that Lennart Neubauer (Starboard / Severne Sails / Maui Ultra Fins) becomes the Freestyle PWA World Champion for the first time in his career. Meanwhile, Adrien Bosson (Duotone Windsurfing / Maui Ultra Fins) and Yentel Caers (JP / NeilPryde) complete the overall podium.

The official prize giving was then held at 3pm (GMT+2) during the afternoon in glorious sunshine and packed out crowds. We’ll take a look at the wave rankings in the Event Summary.

You can stay up to date with all the latest developments from Sylt — including live stream, elimination ladders, entry list, images and live ticker simply by clicking HERE and scrolling to the bottom of the page.

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 Result 2024 Citroën Windsurf World Cup Sylt - Women’s Foil Slalom
*After 13 Eliminations (3 Discards)

Result 2024 Citroën Windsurf World Cup Sylt - Men’s Foil Slalom
*After 7 Eliminations (2 Discards)

Result 2024 Citroën Windsurf World Cup Sylt - Men’s Wave

Citroën Windsurf World Cup Sylt

Sat, 05 Oct 2024 20:52:21 +0200

With the light winds continuing on day nine of the 2024 Citroën Windsurf World Cup Sylt the crowds continued to enjoy the wall-to-wall sunshine and much milder temperatures than earlier in the week.

With the wind remaining below competable levels for any official competition, a tow-in exhibition was held during the afternoon, which featured; Foivos Tsoupras (Duotone Windsurfing), Takuma Sugi (Tabou / GA Sails / Black Project Fins), Takumi Moriya (Severne / Severne Sails), Bodhi Kempen (Severne / Severne Sails), Balz Müller (Severne / Severne Sails), Yentel Caers (JP / NeilPryde) and Lennart Neubauer (Starboard / Severne Sails / Maui Ultra Fins).

In the end, Neubauer pipped Caers to the top spot after stomping an exquisite double culo to earn 9.3 points, while Caers had to settle for second after landing a powerful double burner.

The forecast for the final day looks as though it could provide some racing with winds of 10-16 knots currently predicted for the morning. The Foil Slalom fleets will meet again at 9am (GMT+2) tomorrow morning with a first possible start at 10am. Meanwhile, the Freestyle fleet will meet at 09:30am with a first possible start at 10am, but realistically based on the forecast it looks as though it will be too light.

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Current Ranking 2024 Citroën Windsurf World Cup Sylt - Women’s Foil Slalom
*After 11 Eliminations (2 Discards)

Current Ranking 2024 Citroën Windsurf World Cup Sylt - Men’s Foil Slalom
*After 6 Eliminations (1 Discard)

1st Johan Søe (DEN | FMX Racing / Point-7 / PATRIK Foils)
2nd Pierre Mortefon (FRA | Phantom / Phantom Sails / Phantom Foils)
3rd Nicolas Goyard (FRA | Phantom / Phantom Sails / Phantom Foils)
4th Daniele Benedetti (ITA | FMX Racing / Challenger Sails)
5th Bruno Martini (ITA | JP / NeilPryde)
6th Amado Vrieswijk (NB | Future Fly / Severne Sails)
7th Maciek Rutkowski (POL | JP / NeilPryde)
8th Enrico Marotti (CRO | JP / NeilPryde)
9th Nico Prien (GER | JP / NeilPryde)
10th Matteo Iachino (ITA | Starboard / Severne Sails)

Current Ranking 2024 Citroën Windsurf World Cup Sylt - Women’s Wave

Current Ranking 2024 Citroën Windsurf World Cup Sylt - Men’s Wave

Citroën Windsurf World Cup Sylt

Sat, 05 Oct 2024 10:28:49 +0200

As forecast day eight of the 2024 Citroën Windsurf World Cup Sylt proved to be a day with incredibly light winds and wall-to-wall sunshine, so while there was no official competition today, there were still thousands of people basking in the sun and enjoying the event site

The forecast for Saturday looks marginally better than today with the wind expected to switch to the south-southeast and potentially pick up to 7-11 knots during the afternoon, which could provide some light wind racing.

The Foil Slalom fleet will meet again at 10am (GMT+2) for their skippers’ meeting with a first possible start at 11am. Meanwhile, the Freestyle fleet will be given an announcement at 12pm. The Wave fleets have been given another lay day as Sarah-Quita Offringa (Starboard / NeilPryde / Maui Ultra Fins) and Marc Paré edge closer to the event titles.

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Current Ranking 2024 Citroën Windsurf World Cup Sylt - Women’s Foil Slalom
*After 11 Eliminations (2 Discards)

Current Ranking 2024 Citroën Windsurf World Cup Sylt - Men’s Foil Slalom
*After 6 Eliminations (1 Discard)

Current Ranking 2024 Citroën Windsurf World Cup Sylt - Women’s Wave

Current Ranking 2024 Citroën Windsurf World Cup Sylt - Men’s Wave

Citroën Windsurf World Cup Sylt

Thu, 03 Oct 2024 18:49:31 +0200

Day seven of the 2024 Citroën Windsurf World Cup Sylt proved to be a largely frustrating affair with just two heats of Freestyle and three heats of Foil Slalom being completed in marginal winds for both disciplines over the course of the day.

Freestyle

The early morning call didn’t work out for the Freestyle, so the original skippers’ meeting was pushed back from 8am until 9am and over the proceeding hour the wind started to improve slightly. Current World Tour leader Lennart Neubauer (Starboard / Severne Sails / Maui Ultra Fins) was the first man to hit the water, which is quite impressive in its own right as you could easily forgive the young Greek sailor not wanting to push to compete given his situation.

After managing to pull off a few moves the decision was made to give the Freestyle a try as based on the forecast this may have been the last possibility to gain a result, but unfortunately the unreliable nature of the wind meant it was only possible to complete two heats, which saw Antony Ruenes (Tabou / GA Sails) and Takumi Moriya (Severne / Severne Sails) progress from the opening heat followed by Manolis Chrysopoulos (JP / NeilPryde) and Eugenio Marconi (Duotone Windsurfing), both of whom caused upsets in the light and patchy winds against former world champion, Amado Vrieswijk (Future Fly / Severne Sails) and Sam Esteve (JP / NeilPryde).

Heat 9 did begin, but then had to be cancelled due to the wind dropping and despite waiting on hold it wasn’t possible to progress any further through the single elimination.

Foil Slalom

The light winds also saw some upsets in the early heats of the Men’s seventh elimination with Michele Becker (PATRIK / PATRIK Sails / PATRIK Foils) and Alexis Mathis (Tabou / GA Sails) failing to progress from the opening heat. Meanwhile, Amado Vrieswijk would’ve been hoping to use the seventh elimination to discard a tenth place from Elimination 3, but instead faced a quarterfinal exit after jumping the gun together with Wataru Tajima in Heat 3.

Unfortunately, the forecast for Friday currently looks pretty dire with WindGuru currently predicting winds between just 3-6 knots, so on paper it looks as though it will be a lay day, but as ever you just never know with the weather, so the Foil Slalom and Freestyle fleets will be given an announcement at 11am (GMT+2).

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Current Ranking 2024 Citroën Windsurf World Cup Sylt - Women’s Foil Slalom
*After 11 Eliminations (2 Discards)

Current Ranking 2024 Citroën Windsurf World Cup Sylt - Men’s Foil Slalom
*After 6 Eliminations (1 Discard)

Current Ranking 2024 Citroën Windsurf World Cup Sylt - Women’s Wave

Current Ranking 2024 Citroën Windsurf World Cup Sylt - Men’s Wave

Citroën Windsurf World Cup Sylt

Wed, 02 Oct 2024 20:11:12 +0200

After an early start to day six of the Citroën Windsurf World Cup Sylt, only the first three Freestyle heats could be completed in marginal winds before it became too light and patchy close to the shore to continue. After being kept on hold for a while, the freestylers were then released and the decision was made to switch to Foil Slalom during the afternoon. Racing took place in the lightest winds of the week, but it was two familiar names who continued to dominate proceedings - Justine Lemeteyer (FMX Racing / S2Maui) and Johan Søe (FMX Racing / Point-7 / PATRIK Foils), after they claimed today’s bullets to edge a step closer to the coveted event titles.

Foil Slalom

Women’s

After securing back-to-back bullets during this afternoon, Justine Lemeteyer now firmly has one hand on the event title. The reigning vice-world champion has been in a league of her own so far with ten bullets from the eleven eliminations completed and is almost home and dry. In Elimination 11 Lemeteyer produced a superb first gybe to move from third to first and didn’t look back from there. After eleven eliminations Lemeteyer boasts a perfect score of 6.3 points and now holds a comfortable 11.4 point advantage at the top of the event rankings, which is made all the more secure given that a third discard comes into play after the completion of the next race.

Behind her the top the top five is unchanged with Marion Mortefon (PATRIK / PATRIK Sails / PATRIK Foils) in a clear second place after securing a couple of second places today, followed by Blanca Alabau (Starboard / Severne Sails), Bobbi-Lynn De Jong (Starboard / NeilPryde) and Femke van der Veen (Starboard / Severne Sails). However, just one point now separates De Jong and van der Veen after the Dutch girl managed to secure her best result of the event thus far in Elimination 11 - with an excellent third place.

Men’s

Johan Søe (FMX Racing / Point-7 / PATRIK Foils) is yet to finish outside the top three in the opening six eliminations, while he has only finished outside the top two once, such has been his level of consistency. In today’s sole race, Søe powered to a comprehensive victory as he led from start to finish to claim his third bullet of the event to take a huge step towards the event title. The young Dane holds a commanding 13.9 point advantage the top for the event rankings and will potentially be able to discard a second place depending what his result is in Elimination 7, so he really has a stranglehold over the event.

With Søe competing at the Olympics earlier this summer, that means he won’t be in world title contention this year, so things behind him are really hotting up - especially after the completion of the last elimination. Daniele Benedetti (FMX Racing / Challenger Sails), who came into Sylt as the world title leader, started the day in fourth place, while his closest rival in the battle for the world title race was Pierre Mortefon (Phantom / Phantom Sails / Phantom Foils), who started the day in fifth. However, after the completion of Elimination 6, Mortefon jumps from fifth into second place, so if things were to finish as they were, Mortefon would head into the title decider in Japan with a 100 point lead over Benedetti.

However, just 0.7 of a point separates Mortefon, Benedetti and Nicolas Goyard (Phantom / Phantom Sails / Phantom Foils) from second to fourth place, so the next races should be fascinating. Mortefon has an extremely consistent set of results having not finished outside the top five once, while Benedetti and Goyard have less room for error after finishing eighth and ninth respectively in Elimination 6. Goyard produced a great gybe at the last buoy during the opening semifinal to move into the top four, but eventually lost out to Maciek Rutkowski (NeilPryde) down the final straight.

Bruno Martini (JP / NeilPryde) started the day in second place, but slips to a painful fifth after crashing when leading the b-final, which would’ve seen him finish with nine points for the round. Instead the Italian slipped to the back of the pack and has to pick up 16 points, which means he is now eight points outside of the podium positions.

Elsewhere, Amado Vrieswijk (Future Fly / Severne Sails) remains in sixth place after finishing fourth in today’s only race, while Maciek Rutkowski (NeilPryde) continues to climb the rankings - 9th to 7th - Enrico Marotti (JP / NeilPryde) slips one place to eighth after eventually finishing seventh in Elimination 6. The Croatian was in contention for the bullet, but fell while pursuing Søe on the second reach. Meanwhile, the top ten is completed by Nico Prien (JP / NeilPryde) and Matteo Iachino (Starboard / Severne Sails). Thomas Goyard (PATRIK / PATRIK Sails / PATRIK Foils) rises to eleventh after his best result of the event so far - second.

Freestyle

Earlier in the day the Freestyle single elimination began in marginal conditions, but unfortunately only three heats could be completed before the wind became too light to continue. Thus far, the top seeds in the opening round have all progressed; Takuma Sugi (Tabou / GA Sails / Black Project Fins), Balz Müller (Severne / Severne Sails), who competed using a foil, Nicolas Akgazciyan (JP / NeilPryde), Youp Schmit (Tabou / GA Sails), Antoine Albert (Goya Windsurfing), and Dieter Van der Eyken (Severne / Severne Sails).

The latest forecast model unfortunately looks as though it has been downgraded slightly for Thursday with the latest update now suggesting winds of just 11-18 knots throughout the day, but with the wind being a touch more northerly it should funnel through more cleanly than today. The Freestyle fleet will have their skippers’ meeting at 8am (GMT+2) with the action commencing from 8:30am onwards, while the Foil Slalom fleets will meet again at 10am with a first possible start at 11am.

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Current Ranking 2024 Citroën Windsurf World Cup Sylt - Women’s Foil Slalom
*After 11 Eliminations (2 Discards)

Current Ranking 2024 Citroën Windsurf World Cup Sylt - Men’s Foil Slalom
*After 6 Eliminations (1 Discard)

Current Ranking 2024 Citroën Windsurf World Cup Sylt - Women’s Wave

Current Ranking 2024 Citroën Windsurf World Cup Sylt - Men’s Wave

Citroën Windsurf World Cup Sylt

Tue, 01 Oct 2024 18:22:24 +0200

Day five of the 2024 Citroën Windsurf World Cup Sylt saw the racing continue with winds anywhere from 15-25 knots, which allowed a further four eliminations for the women and two eliminations for the men to be completed. Justine Lemeteyer (FMX Racing / S2Maui) continues to dominate the women’s racing, while Johan Søe (FMX Racing / Point-7 / PATRIK Foils) has opened up a commanding lead at the top of the men’s ranking.

Foil Slalom

Women’s

Justine Lemeteyer was simply in a league of her own today as she rattled off another four bullets from the four eliminations completed to extend her lead at the top of the event rankings to 8.8 points. The vice-world champion didn’t put a foot wrong and has now surely built an unassailable lead having won eight of the nine eliminations completed.

Marion Mortefon (PATRIK / PATRIK Sails / PATRIK Foils) remains in second place after recording a second and three third places.

Blanca Alabau (Starboard / Severne Sails) enjoyed a better day on the water after making some changes to her setup and you could visibly see how much quicker she was, which resulted in her claiming three second places and a third to cap a solid day. The reigning world champion also reduces the gap to Mortefon from 4.3 points at the start of the day to just 3.3 points at the close of play.

14-year-old Bobbi-Lynn De Jong (Starboard / NeilPryde) continues to hold fourth place ahead of Femke van der Veen (Starboard / Severne Sails), who completes the top five.

Men’s

Johan Søe started the day with just a 0.3 of a point advantage over Bruno Martini (JP / NeilPryde), however, after producing another superb display. the Dane now holds a 7.3 point advantage at the top of the rankings. Søe has raced brilliantly so far and if yet to finish outside the top three, such has been his level of consistency. Given that many sailors are expressing how difficult it is to race in these conditions, makes his performance all the more impressive.

After enjoying a great start to the event yesterday, Bruno Martini (JP / NeilPryde) lost ground in the battle for the event title. The Italian missed out in the opening winners’ final of the day and was involved in a crash with Matteo Iachino (Starboard / Severne Sails) in the run up to the start line of the b-final, which resulted in a 16th place finish, which he currently discards. Martini then made the top eight and was prominently placed before wiping out on the third reach.

Nico Goyard (Phantom / Phantom Sails / Phantom Foils) is now level on 12.7 points with Martini after earning his first bullet of the event in Elimination 4, but both sailors will be ruing wiping out in the final of Elimination 5 as they both picked up a 7th and 8th respectively. If either of them could’ve recorded another solid result then they would be right on the tail of Søe, but now they will both need a second discard.

Just 2.3 points separate second to fifth after the opening five eliminations with Daniele Benedetti (FMX Racing / Challenger Sails) gaining one place from the overnight rankings to move into fourth after signing off today with his first bullet of the event. The current World Tour leader trails Martini and Goyard by just a single point, while Pierre Mortefon (Phantom / Phantom Sails / Phantom Foils) is just 1.3 points further back in fifth after another consistent day - one third and a fourth.

After some issues yesterday, Amado Vrieswijk (Future Fly / Severne Sails) enjoyed a better today today as he qualified for both winners’ finals where he finished sixth and third, which sees him climb two places to sixth.

Mover of the Day

After suffering a quarterfinal exit in the opening elimination yesterday, Enrico Marotti (JP / NeilPryde) has been on the come back trail. The Croat started the day in 15th place, but after two fifth places today he gains eight places and climbs into seventh.

The top ten is currently completed by Nico Prien (JP / NeilPryde) - 8th - who won the b-final of Elimination 4 after a photo finish with Jordy Vonk (Duotone Windsurfing), Maciek Rutkowski (NeilPryde) - 9th - who climbs into the top ten after a sixth and a seventh today, and Matteo Iachino (Starboard / Severne Sails), who remains in tenth.

With the wind expected to turn to the northeast tomorrow the hope is that we will be able to begin the Freestyle with 17-26 knot winds predicted for the morning before dropping slightly to 15-23 knots during the afternoon. The Freestyle fleet will meet at 7:30am (GMT+2) tomorrow morning with the action commencing from 8am onwards. Meanwhile, the Foil Slalom fleets will meet again at 9am with a first possible start at 10am.

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Current Ranking 2024 Citroën Windsurf World Cup Sylt - Women’s Foil Slalom
*After 9 Eliminations (2 Discards)

Current Ranking 2024 Citroën Windsurf World Cup Sylt - Men’s Foil Slalom
*After 5 Eliminations (1 Discard)

1st Johan Søe (DEN | FMX Racing / Point-7 / PATRIK Foils)
2nd Bruno Martini (ITA | JP / NeilPryde)
3rd Nicolas Goyard (FRA | Phantom / Phantom Sails / Phantom Foils)
4th Daniele Benedetti (ITA | FMX Racing / Challenger Sails)
5th Pierre Mortefon (FRA | Phantom / Phantom Sails / Phantom Foils)
6th Amado Vrieswijk (NB | Future Fly / Severne Sails)
7th Enrico Marotti (CRO | JP / NeilPryde)
8th Nico Prien (GER | JP / NeilPryde)
9th Maciek Rutkowski (POL | JP / NeilPryde)
10th Matteo Iachino (ITA | Starboard / Severne Sails)

Current Ranking 2024 Citroën Windsurf World Cup Sylt - Women’s Wave

Current Ranking 2024 Citroën Windsurf World Cup Sylt - Men’s Wave

Citroën Windsurf World Cup Sylt

Mon, 30 Sep 2024 17:54:25 +0200

Yesterday’s light winds were replaced by 18-30 knot winds from the east-southeast on day four of the 2024 Citroën Windsurf World Cup Sylt, which saw the temperature plummet, despite the wall-to-wall sunshine, with there being a real bite to the wind. After five hours of racing three eliminations for the men and five eliminations for the women have been completed, though it wasn’t all plain sailing with the gusty nature of the wind, choppy water, current and seaweed all causing havoc. At the close of play it is Johan Søe (FMX Racing / Point-7) and Justine Lemeteyer (FMX Racing / S2Maui), who head up the current Foil Slalom rankings.

Foil Slalom

Women’s

Justine Lemeteyer (FMX Racing / S2Maui) dominated the racing in Fuerteventura earlier this summer and the current World Tour leader made a similarly dominant start here in Sylt as she quickly reeled off a hat-trick. Lemeteyer was then leading Elimination 4, but while sailing overpowered she fell while approaching the second buoy. However, that is the only blemish on an otherwise perfect scorecard as she quickly rattled off another clinical bullet in Elimination 5. It looks like Lemeteyer has an extra gear available to her when needed and she used that to almost perfect effect. The vice-world champion holds a 3.9 point advantage at the top of the event rankings after the opening five eliminations and it looks as though she will be incredibly difficult to stop here.

Marion Mortefon (PATRIK / PATRIK Sails / PATRIK Foils) is Lemeteyer’s closest challenger at the close of play after recording a bullet and four second places, while reigning world champion, Blanca Alabau (Starboard / Severne Sails) completes the top three after a second place and four thirds.

Meanwhile, 14-year-old Bobbi-Lynn De Jong (Starboard / NeilPryde) is currently ranked fourth overall after earning her best result to date in Elimination 4 - third - while she is yet to finish outside the top five.

Men’s

Johan Søe (FMX Racing / Point-7 / PATRIK Foils) is making his first appearance of the season, after concentrating on his Olympic campaign, and the opening day of racing couldn’t have gone much better for the Dane, who recorded two bullets from the three eliminations completed, while he finished third in Elimination 2. Søe looked quick in a straight line and controlled through the gybes and it seemed as though he could step on the gas when he needed it to power to the front of the pack.

However, despite a brilliant start, Søe has almost zero breathing room with Bruno Martini (JP / NeilPryde) enjoying a similarly excellent start to proceedings with a bullet and two second places. At the end of the first day of racing just 0.3 of a point separate the two heavyweights. Martini’s second place in the opening race is made all the more remarkable due to the fact he managed to stay on his feet despite having Pierre Mortefon’s (Phantom / Phantom Sails / Phantom Foils) harness line wrapped around his neck as they crossed the line, which thankfully only resulted in Martini losing his helmet, as things could’ve obviously worked out a heck of a lot worse. Martini produced a superb gybe at the last buoy in Elimination 3 to overtake Goyard N. which could yet prove pivotal in deciding the outcome of the event.

Like Søe, Nicolas Goyard (Phantom / Phantom Sails / Phantom Foils) is also making his first appearance of the season and the Frenchman completes the current event top three, although he is currently tied on 13 points with teammate, Pierre Mortefon. After finishing eighth in the opening elimination, Goyard then improved with a second and a third, so the discard, which comes into play after the completion of the next elimination, could see him considerably reduce the deficit to Søe and Martini. Meanwhile, Mortefon sailed very consistently with two fourth places and a fifth.

All of the top six sailors boast a 100% qualifying record for the winners’ finals, but Daniele Benedetti (FMX Racing / Challenger Sails) rode his luck in the opening elimination to be part of that group as the Italian was out of the qualifying places in the second semifinal. However, both Michele Becker (PATRIK / PATRIK Sails / PATRIK Foils) and Fabian Wolf (Starboard / Severne Sails) got lifted in the tricky conditions, which allowed the current World Tour leader to secure the last qualifying position - eventually going on to finish third - his best result of the day - followed by a sixth and a seventh to be ranked fifth in the current event rankings.

Nico Prien (JP / NeilPryde) is the the last sailor to still hold the 100% qualifying record. The German kind of glided under the radar, but enjoyed a solid start to the event with a fifth and two sevenths.

Jordy Vonk (Duotone Windsurfing) completes the opening day of racing ranked in seventh place, while Amado Vrieswijk (Future Fly / Severne Sails), who was competing with a broken foil box still manages to be ranked eight despite some seriously heavy crashes and living life on the edge.

The top ten is currently completed by Thomas Goyard (PATRIK / PATRIK Sails / PATRIK Foils) - ninth - and Matteo Iachino (Starboard / Severne Sails), who endured a disastrous start to the event after dropping his opening gybe in the first elimination, before finishing 11th in the next. The reigning world champion bounced back with a fourth in the last elimination of the day to keep his hopes of a revival alive, but will be aware that he can’t afford any other hiccups.

The saving grace for Iachino in terms of the world title race is that his current main rivals, Benedetti, Mortefon and Enrico Marotti (JP / NeilPryde) also currently aren’t in the very top positions with Benedetti fifth, Mortefon fourth and Marotti down in 15th, so the damage is not as bad as it potentially could be.

Elsewhere - John Soukos (RRD / RRD Sails) - recorded his best result to date in the Foil Slalom division as he did superbly to hold off a late charge by Amado Vrieswijk to win the b-final of Elimination 3 to end the day on a high.

The forecast for Tuesday currently predicts 20-33 knot winds again, which is expected to slowly turn more east throughout the day, so there’s a chance tomorrow may start with more racing, before potentially switching to Freestyle. However, that decision will be made tomorrow based on the conditions. The Foil Slalom fleets will meet again at 9am (GMT+2) with a first possible start at 10am, while the Freestyle fleet will have their skippers’ meeting at 10am with a first possible start at 10:30am.

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Current Ranking 2024 Citroën Windsurf World Cup Sylt - Women’s Foil Slalom
*After 5 Eliminations (1 Discard)

1st Justine Lemeteyer (FRA | FMX Racing / S2Maui)
2nd Marion Mortefon (FRA | PATRIK / PATRIK Sails / PATRIK Foils)
3rd Blanca Alabau (ESP | Starboard / Severne Sails)
4th Bobbi-Lynn De Jong (NB | Starboard / NeilPryde)
5th Femke van der Veen (NED | Starboard / Severne Sails)

Current Ranking 2024 Citroën Windsurf World Cup Sylt - Men’s Foil Slalom  
*After 3 Eliminations

1st Johan Søe (DEN | FMX Racing / Point-7 / PATRIK Foils)
2nd Bruno Martini (ITA | JP / NeilPryde)
3rd Nicolas Goyard (FRA | Phantom / Phantom Sails / Phantom Foils)
4th Pierre Mortefon (FRA | Phantom / Phantom Sails / Phantom Foils)
5th Daniele Benedetti (ITA | FMX Racing / Challenger Sails)
6th Nico Prien (GER | JP / NeilPryde)
7th Jordy Vonk (NED | Duotone Windsurfing
8th Amado Vrieswijk (NB | Future Fly / Severne Sails)
9th Thomas Goyard (FRA | PATRIK / PATRIK Sails / PATRIK Foils)
10th Matteo Iachino (ITA | Starboard / Severne Sails)

Result 2024 Citroën Windsurf World Cup Sylt - Women’s Wave

Result 2024 Citroën Windsurf World Cup Sylt - Men’s Wave

Citroën Windsurf World Cup Sylt

Sun, 29 Sep 2024 19:57:50 +0200

Day three of the 2024 Citroën Windsurf World Cup Sylt proved to be a lay day with the wind remaining too light for the Foil Slalom fleets to be able to race. During the late afternoon there was a bit of promise, but once the race crew were on the water the wind was only between 4-7 knots, so after an hour on standby they were released for the day.

After today’s lighter winds, Monday should see the return of stronger east-southeast winds with the forecast currently calling for anywhere between 17 to 33 knots come the afternoon, so either the Slalom Foil or Freestyle fleets should be in action. The sailors will meet again at 9am (GMT+2) tomorrow morning with the action commencing from 9:30am onwards for the Freestyle and 10am onwards for the Foil Slalom. Meanwhile the Wave fleets have been given a lay day.

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Current Ranking 2024 Citroën Windsurf World Cup Sylt - Women’s Wave

Current Ranking 2024 Citroën Windsurf World Cup Sylt - Men’s Wave

1st Marc Paré (ESP | Simmer / Simmer Sails)
2nd Marcilio Browne (BRA | Goya Windsurfing)
3rd Victor Fernandez (ESP | Duotone Windsurfing)
4th Antoine Martin (FRA | Starboard / North Windsurfing)
5th Robby Swift (UK | JP / NeilPryde)
5th Philip Köster (GER | Severne / Severne Sails / Black Project Fins)
5th Marino Gil {ESP (JP / NeilPryde)
5th Miguel Chapuis (ESP | Flikka / North Windsurfing)
9th Thomas Traversa (FRA | Tabou / GA Sails)
9th Dieter Van der Eyken (BEL | Severne Windsurfing / Black Project Fins)
9th Henri Kolberg (GER | Naish / Naish Sails)
9th Liam Dunkerbeck (ESP | Starboard / Severne Sails / Black Project Fins)
9th Titouan Flechet (FRA | Tabou / Hot Sails Maui)
9th Jules Denel (FRA | Tabou / GA Sails)
9th Takuma Sugi (JPN | Tabou / GA Sails / Black Project Fins)
9th Morgan Noireaux (HI | JP / NeilPryde / Black Project Fins)