PWA World Windsurfing Tour

Riding Sardinia

Tue, 12 Nov 2019 10:16:36 +0100

Jacopo Testa (RRD / RRD Sails / AL360) has just dropped a new edit, which sees the hugely talented Italian busting out an impressive array of freestyle manoeuvres, whilst also showing off his wave skills in Sardinia.

Jacopo Testa: “We had fun on the freestyle kit in Porto Pollo in the north of Sardinia and in Sa Barra, San Antioco in the southwest. The wave conditions were on at Cala Piscina at Sardinia’s north western corner. We as well got brilliant wave conditions in S’Ena e Sa Chitta. This spot is located around 60 kilometers from Olbia in the east.”

You can see Jacopo Testa’s latest video @ vimeo.com/371110091

Bureau Vallée Dream Cup

Mon, 11 Nov 2019 16:46:34 +0100

Lena Erdil (Starboard / Point-7 / AL360 / Chopper Fins) is already in New Caledonia nice and early to prepare for the final event of the season - the Bureau Vallee Dream Cup - which starts exactly a week today (18th November) and runs until the 23rd November.

Erdil has just released her latest vlog and has this to say about it: “Who’s excited for some more of this very soon?ME ME ME! If you're not yet, here's some sick slalom racing action from the PWA World Cup Race in Denmark, Hvide Sande this year to get you psyched up.

Happy to share my latest Vlog with you with a little update at the end and mainly some absolutely sick drone footage!!! So stoked that I managed to get this off Adam Sims from @aalvaamedia aalvaa.com after our last PWA World Cup Event. With his own share of windsurfing injuries, it has been amazing to witness how while in recovery Adam's video production skills have just progressively kept getting better and better. Make sure you check out some of his most recent stuff on his youtube channel: www.youtube.com/adamsims ;

I especially like the drone videos he’s been shooting at the PWA slalom events this year sometimes while racing I really had the drone in the corner of my eye, he was pushing pretty hard to fly the drone lower and lower each time.

How are you liking this perspective? Leave me some comments below ;)”

You can see Lena Erdil’s latest vlog @ youtu.be/PxUkryE7zpg

Bureau Vallee Dream Cup

Fri, 08 Nov 2019 09:39:39 +0100

With the final event of the 2019 PWA World Tour just over a week away we decided to take a quick look at the world title race to show you who needs what to win the Men’s & Women’s PWA Slalom World titles. The season finale will see the elite of the racing world return to New Caledonia for the first time since 2017? For the 2019 Bureau Vallee Dream Cup - which takes place between the 18th-23rd November.

Women’s

Delphine Cousin Questel (Starboard / S2Maui) is in a dominant position heading into the season finale as a top 3 finish would guarantee her a 4th Slalom World Championship. On paper that would look like somewhat of a formality as the last time Cousin Questel finished outside the top 3 was in 2017.

However, with the revelation that the reigning world champion is currently battling to get back to full fitness after injuring her foot whilst wave sailing means that a top 3 finish in New Caledonia is certainly not a foregone conclusion, so that could still open the door for Marion Mortefon (Fanatic / Duotone), who is Cousin Questel’s only threat. In order for Mortefon to have a chance of winning the title Cousin Questel would have to finish 4th or worse and Mortefon would have to win the event. Finishing second would see the two women tied on 30,500 points, but Cousin Questel would win the world title on countback.

Men’s

In the men’s, it looks like it will be a straight fight for the title between current world tour leader - Matteo Iachino (Starboard / Severne) and Pierre Mortefon (Fanatic / Duotone / Chopper Fins), who is aiming to win his first world title. The two title contenders will enter New Caledonia tied on 30,400 points - with Iachino only ahead of countback, therefore whoever beats who will win the world title if they finish 5th or better.

However, if both Iachino and Mortefon were to finish 6th or worse, then that would open the door for reigning world champion - Antoine Albeau (JP / NeilPryde) - to swoop in and snatch a 26th world title, but only if he were to win the event… all three sailors would then finish tied on 40,300 points, but Albeau would win on countback as he would’ve beaten Iachino/Mortefon in 3 out of the 5 events.

Other scenarios where Albeau could win would be:

- If Iachino/Mortefon were to finish 7th then a second place would be good enough for Albeau to win.
- If Iachino/Mortefon were to finish 8th then a third place would be good enough for Albeau to win etc.

You’ll be able to watch how the world title races unfold by tuning into www.pwaworldtour.com from the 18th-23rd November with Ben Proffitt to guide you through the action.

Mercedes-Benz Aloha Classic

Thu, 07 Nov 2019 15:20:57 +0100

If you haven't had chance to take a look at the 2019 Mercedes-Benz Aloha Classic highlights then you can view them @ https://youtu.be/mzqR2gV8190.

The iconic Ho'okipa Beach Park provided scintilating action with powerful waves and wind from the first day of the waiting period, which reiterated the importance of returning to Hawaii for the first time in 3 years.

With no discard to come for the men there was all to play for in the men's title race with 6 sailors all realistcailly in with a chance of winning the title. As it turned out though, the world tour leader at the time - Philip Köster (Starboard / Severne / Maui Ultra Fins) - would secure his 5th world title as the German finished joint 9th at this year's Aloha Classic. Meanwhile, Sarah-Quita Offringa (Starboard / NeilPryde / Maui Ultra Fins) went on to become the first woman in over two decades to steal the Women's PWA Wave World title away from the Moreno twins...

Schedule

Mercedes-Benz Aloha Classic

Wed, 06 Nov 2019 04:33:25 +0100

With the promise of a macking swell and trade winds on the forecast from the word go for the 2019 Mercedes-Benz Aloha Classic the decision was quickly made to activate the 5 day competition window on the opening day of the event.

The action which followed was gripping with Aloha Classic, World & IWT titles on the line pushing the sailors to take maximum risk. This time around it wasn’t always classic Ho’okipa with big chop on the faces of well over mast high waves making it a tricky competition ground, but the world’s best wave sailors still produced many standout moments along the way, while Ho’okipa’s infamous rocks also claimed their fair share of victims.

Women’s

On the opening day of the 2019 Mercedes-Benz Aloha Classic - Sarah-Quita Offringa (Starboard / NeilPryde / Maui Ultra Fins) - was able to win the Women’s Single Elimination ahead of her main title rival, and at the time reigning world champion - Iballa Moreno (Severne / Severne / Maui Ultra Fins), which put her in a commanding position with only 4 days of the competition window remaining.

Over the next 4 days, Offringa would have to endure a long and nail-biting wait to see whether she would have to try and defend her Single Elimination crown, or simply try and wait it out. As things played out, unfortunately, there wasn’t enough time to run the Women’s Double Elimination, which meant that Offringa would collect her second Aloha Classic title - adding to her previous success from 2016, but far more importantly she would also complete a career grand slam with the 28-year-old getting her hands on the PWA Wave World Championship for the first time in her career.

Offringa’s feat here is quite incredible, as not only does she bring an end to Iballa Moreno’s 5 year reign as the undisputed Wave World Champion, but she also becomes the first woman in over two decades to wrestle the PWA Wave World title away from the hands of the Moreno twins - Daida (Severne / Severne Sails / Maui Ultra Fins) and Iballa - as the Aruban continues to write her name into the windsurfing record books with world title No.17 (12 Freestyle, 4 Slalom & now 1 Wave).

Iballa ends 2019 as the vice-world champion and on a different day, she could’ve easily defended her world title. The 10-time world champion came extremely close to landing an under-the-lip aerial in the final after a stylish first turn and if she had have been able to sail away from that air the title may have swung in her direction. Iballa should still be very proud of her second place at the Aloha and in the overalls - particularly after starting the season with a knee injury.

Justyna Sniady (Simmer / Simmer Sails / AL360) completes the prestigious overall podium, which is the first time the Pole has finished in the overall top 3. Sniady started the season by rattling off 3 consecutive podiums - having never finished on the podium before - and this will go down as a breakthrough season after so many years of trying to crack the top 3 - proving that dedication, time and training do eventually pay off.

Motoko Sato (Starboard / Severne) completes the Aloha Classic podium with a fine display of sailing, while Lina Erpenstein (Severne / Severne Sails), who was competing at her first Aloha Classic, takes home 4th both in Maui and in the overalls.

With the IWT favourites - Mariah Andrés (Fanatic / Duotone), Arrianne Aukes (Fanatic / Duotone / Maui Ultra Fins) and Sarah Hauser (Tabou / S2Maui) - falling much earlier than anticipated that meant that the Women’s IWT ranking would remain as it was before the start of the event. With Andrés and Aukes both discarding their results here that means that Andrés becomes the IWT Champion for the first time, while Aukes and Hauser complete the podium.

Men’s

If Antoine Martin (JP / NeilPryde) was feeling any pressure heading into the final event of the year, then he certainly didn’t show it during the Aloha Classic. The 25-year-old came into Maui while enjoying his best season to date on the world tour, whilst also leading the IWT and he grasped the event with both hands as he stormed to victory in the Single Elimination after continually taking maximum risk and hitting the biggest lips he could find. Victory at this year’s Aloha Classic is the first time that Martin has won an event on the world tour, while it also ensures that he finishes the year as the IWT Champion for the second consecutive year. Martin’s first win also sees him gain 3 places in the overalls - rising to 4th for 2019 which is also a personal best!

Caribbean Power

The Caribbean has long been producing world class windsurfing athletes, but this year’s Aloha Classic truly highlights those credentials once again. Aruba’s Sarah-Quita Offringa took down the Women’s and Guadeloupe’s Martin the Men’s, while Martin’s good friend - Camille Juban (Quatro / S2Maui) - who won the IWT Aloha Classic in 2018 and who is also from Guadeloupe - would go on to secure second place this time around meaning the Caribbean sailors truly dominated the top positions as this year’s contest.

Bernd Roediger (Naish / Naish Sails) was the only other sailor, besides Martin, to earn a 10 point wave score after linking a powerful turn into an aerial and an insane inverted goiter, but the multiple-time Aloha Classic Champion had to settle for third place this time, while Kai Lenny (Quatro / Goya Windsurfing) completes the top 4. The final may not have gone the way Lenny would have envisaged, but the global waterman still caught the eye with his performances earlier in the draw.

Elsewhere, Leon Jamaer (JP / NeilPryde) signs off the season with an excellent joint 5th place, which sees the German ranked 8th for 2019, while Marcilio Browne (Goya Windsurfing) is the other sailor to share joint 5th alongside Jamaer.

Browne, for many people, came into the season finale as one of the favourites for both the Aloha Classic and the world title, but the Brazilian couldn’t quite find a way into the 4-man final with Ho’okipa’s bumpy conditions proving tough to negotiate.

At the time, Browne may not have been aware of the importance of his semifinal heat, but put simply a place in the 4-man final would have propelled the Brazilian into the world title race lead. However, with Browne crucially finishing 3rd that left Philip Köster (Starboard / Severne / Maui Ultra Fins) with a slender 258 point lead at the end of the Single Elimination and with no time to finish the Double, Köster would claim his 5th world title at the age of just 25.

Köster, meanwhile, came into Maui having never won a heat at the Aloha Classic, and many had already written off his world title chances - despite the fact that he came into Hawaii leading the tour. However, those that doubted him were soon made to eat their words as the 25-year-old navigated his way into the quarterfinals, before just missing out on a place in the semis. Crucially though, Köster secured 3rd place in his semifinal final heat - less than a point behind Robby Swift (JP / NeilPryde / SWOX), who finished joint 7th - which was enough to keep him ahead of everyone else with his fellow title contenders faltering.

For those who had prematurely written Köster off, by doubting his starboard tack credentials, it is perhaps a timely reminder of the huge talent that Köster possesses, and that time, as precious as it is, is the only limiting factor, up to now, that has stopped him from being more effective at Ho’okipa.

The event may not have panned out as Ricardo Campello (Brunotti Boards) would’ve liked as the Brazilian/Venezuelan’s wait for a first wave world title continues, but the 33-year-old remains one of the powerhouses of the windsurfing world. Campello ends 2019 ranked 3rd, which is his second consecutive year on the overall podium after finishing second in 2018.

The top 10 is completed by 3-time world champion Victor Fernandez (ESP | Fanatic / Duotone) - 5th - 2014 World Champion - Thomas Traversa (Tabou / GA Sails) - 6th - while Jaeger Stone (Starboard / Severne / SWOX) still finishes 7th despite missing the last event of the season through injury,

As previously mentioned - Leon Jamaer (JP / NeilPryde) - finishes 8th - while the hugely talented - Marc Paré (Simmer / Simmer Sails) cracks the overall top 10 for the first time in his career - 9th - having just missed out last season when finishing 11th. Fellow Spaniard - Alex Mussolini (RRD / RRD Sails) completes the top 10.

Youth’s

The next generation also showed what excellent hands the future of wave sailing is in as they produced a hugely impressive display in intimidating and tricky conditions at Ho’okipa Beach Park when they were given their chance.

Takuma Sugi (Tabou / GA Sails) stole the show to win the Youth Aloha Classic ahead of local boy Jake Schettewi (JP / Hot Sails Maui), fellow Japanese Takara Ishii (RRD / RRD Sails) and Zee Schettewi.

Victory at the Aloha Classic sees Sugi finish 2019 as the vice-world champion, just behind Marino Gil (Goya Windsurfing), who wins the U20s at the age of just 17. The young Spaniard inflicted most of his damage in the Canary Islands earlier in the year where he won both events in Gran Canaria & Tenerife. Meanwhile, Ishii completes the overall podium.

For a full recap of the developments from Maui — including the live stream, elimination ladders, entry list, images and live ticker simply click HERE and scroll to the bottom of the page.

Where’s Next on the PWA World Tour?

In just under two weeks the final event of the 2019 PWA World Tour will take place in New Caledonia between the 18th-23rd November and the Bureau Vallee Dream Cup will decide this years’ Slalom World title race. As things stand it looks more than likely that it will be a straight fight between - Matteo Iachino (Starboard / Severne) and Pierre Mortefon (Fanatic / Duotone / Chopper Fins) - but you never know reigning world champion - Antoine Albeau (JP / NeilPryde) - could still spoil the fun… who’s your money on?

Result 2019 Mercedes-Benz Aloha Classic - Women's

1st Sarah-Quita Offringa (ARU | Starboard / NeilPryde / Maui Ultra Fins)
2nd Iballa Moreno (ESP | Severne / Severne Sails / Maui Ultra Fins)
3rd Motoko Sato (JPN | Starboard / Severne Sails)
4th Lina Erpenstein (GER | Severne / Severne Sails)
5th Angela Cochran (USA)
5th Tatiana Howard (USA | Quatro / Goya Windsurfing)

Result 2019 Mercedes-Benz Aloha Classic - Men's

Result 2019 Mercedes-Benz Aloha Classic - Youth’s

1st Takuma Sugi (JPN | Tabou / GA Sails)
2nd Jake Schettewi (USA | JP / Hot Sails Maui)
3rd Takara Ishii (JPN | RRD / RRD Sails)
4th Zee Schettewi (USA | JP / Hot Sails Maui)

Overall Ranking 2019 PWA World Tour - Women’s Wave

1st Sarah-Quita Offringa (ARU | Starboard / NeilPryde / Maui Ultra Fins)
2nd Iballa Moreno (ESP | Severne / Severne Sails / Maui Ultra Fins)
3rd Justyna Sniady (POL | Simmer / Simmer Sails / AL360)
4th Lina Erpenstein (GER | Severne / Severne Sails)
5th Maaike Huvermann (NED | Starboard / Severne / Maui Ultra Fins)

Overall Ranking 2019 PWA World Tour - Men’s Wave

Overall Ranking 2019 PWA World Your - U20s Youth

Mercedes-Benz Aloha Classic

Sat, 02 Nov 2019 05:31:36 +0100

With the competition at the 2019 Mercedes-Benz Aloha Classic all concluded that means that Marino Gil (Goya Windsurfing) is officially the 2019 U20s Youth Wave World Champion.

Gil, who is still only 17, won both the events in the Canaries earlier in the season in Gran Canaria and Tenerife to put himself in a strong position heading into the Aloha Classic and his joint 5th place here was enough to seal him the U20 world crown ahead of Takuma Sugi (Tabou / GA Sails) and Takara Ishii (RRD / RRD Sails).

As well as winning the U20 world title, Gil also finishes the season ranked just outside the overall top 16 - 17th - and the future continues to look bright for the highly talented youngster.

The official prize giving will be held tomorrow evening at 6pm (GMT-10). Have a great weekend!

To stay up to date with all the latest developments from Maui — including the live stream, elimination ladders, entry list, images and live ticker simply click HERE and scroll to the bottom of the page.

Result 2019 Mercedes-Benz Aloha Classic - Women's

Result 2019 Mercedes-Benz Aloha Classic - Men's

Result 2019 Mercedes-Benz Aloha Classic - Youth’s

1st Takuma Sugi (JPN | Tabou / GA Sails)
2nd Jake Schettewi (USA | JP / Hot Sails Maui)
3rd Takara Ishii (JPN | RRD / RRD Sails)
4th Zee Schettewi (USA | JP / Hot Sails Maui)

Overall Ranking 2019 PWA World Tour - Women’s Wave

Overall Ranking 2019 PWA World Tour - Men’s Wave

Overall Ranking 2019 PWA World Your - U20s Youth

Mercedes-Benz Aloha Classic

Fri, 01 Nov 2019 06:07:45 +0100

The final competition day at the 2019 Mercedes-Benz Aloha Classic started with a beach clean at 9am with @lovetheseaplasticfree, which is a global non-profit organisation based in Maui aimed a bringing awareness and support about the environment.

After the beach clean, the fifth day was relatively calm with the swell dropping in size - just overhead high in the sets - and light onshore winds meaning that the contest remained on hold for the morning and early afternoon with no real threat of ever becoming competable.

With the sailors officially released at 1pm that meant:

That by winning the 2019 Mercedes-Benz Aloha Classic - Sarah-Quita Offringa (Starboard / NeilPryde / Maui Ultra Fins) - becomes the first woman in over two decades to claim the Women’s PWA World Championship - aside from the legendary Moreno twins who have dominated women’s wave sailing for over 20-years. Offringa started the year with two third places, but then markedly stepped her game in both Sylt and Maui to reel off back-to-back wave event wins for the first time in her career and deservedly claims her first wave world title.

Sarah-Quita Offringa on winning her first PWA Wave World title: “Honestly, this one feels totally different from any other title I’ve previously won. Wave sailing was a challenge, still is a challenge and this year we’ve had so many different conditions with completely different conditions. The race for the title has been really tight, so that makes it so much sweeter to win this title. Actually, I didn’t really expect it to happen this year so I’m super happy!”

That is not only an incredible achievement for Offringa, who completes a career grand slam - having already won 12 Freestyle and 4 Slalom world titles, but it is also testament to the incredible level that both Iballa (Severne / Severne Sails / Maui Ultra Fins) & Daida (Severne / Severne Sails / Maui Ultra Fins) have set over the last two decades and their reign at the top is by no means over.

Daida dominated in Pozo earlier in the year, while Iballa finishes the year as the vice-world champion having won the world title for the last 5 years and was extremely close to winning this year’s title. If Iballa had have been able to hold on to her radical aerial in the final then the rankings may well have been reversed, but those are the fine margins that make the difference at the very top of the sport.

Justyna Sniady (Simmer / Simmer Sails / AL360) discards her result from Maui, but deservedly claims her place on the overall podium for the first time in her career - having finished on the podium in each of the opening three events.

Mariah Andrés (Fanatic / Duotone) and Arrianne Aukes (Fanatic / Duotone / Maui Ultra Fins) both discard their results from the Aloha Classic, which means Andrés wins the 2019 IWT Championship.

Men’s

With no further contest being complete that means that Philip Köster (Starboard / Severne / Maui Ultra Fins) wins his 5th PWA World Championship at just 25-years-old. Incredibly this is just the second year in which Köster did not win an event during the season since winning his first world title in 2011. The only other time that that has happened was in 2016 when he missed the final two events of the year. This time around it was his consistency that proved key with 3 podiums in Europe setting a solid base heading into Maui. Before this year’s Aloha Classic the German had never won a heat in Maui, but he righted that record this year and his 3rd place in quarterfinals here proved decisive as if he had finished 4th - Marcilio Browne (Goya Windsurfing) would’ve collected his second wave world title and third overall.

Philip Köster speaks after officially becoming the 2019 Men’s PWA Wave World Champion: “Honestly this one feels different. This title has been a lot of work honestly. I didn’t win any events this year, which is what makes it different from the other times. Otherwise, I’m super, super happy that I made it. It’s also kind of nice to have done okay at the Aloha Classic. Before now I hadn’t actually won a heat here, so I’m stoked to have passed through a heat at the Aloha Classic. It’s really nice to finish the year here and I’m also pleased to have made it a bit further in the contest this time around. So yeah, just really happy about it!”

Browne eventually ends the 2019 season as the vice-world champion - just 258 points shy of Köster and if he had found a way to advance into the top 4 here he would have been world champion. However, 2019 still represents a fantastic year for the Brazilian, who has now finished in the overall top 10 every year since his title winning year in 2013.

Meanwhile, Ricardo Campello (Brunotti Boards) finishes on the overall podium for the second consecutive year - 3rd.

Coming into the Mercedes-Benz Aloha Classic - Antoine Martin - was enjoying his best competition year to date on both the PWA and IWT, and the 26-year-old signs off 2019 in the best fashion possible by winning the prestigious Aloha Classic, which is also his first victory on the world tour. That victory here means Martin wins the IWT title for the second time in his career, whilst also recording his best result on the world tour to date - 4th overall.

We’ll take a full look at the results in the event summary.

If you are thinking about visiting Maui then make sure you check out North Shore Maui rental cars - windsurf cars, by windsurfers - Robby Swift (JP / NeilPryde / SWOX) & Marcilio Browne.

Result 2019 Mercedes-Benz Aloha Classic - Women's

Result 2019 Mercedes-Benz Aloha Classic - Men's

Result 2019 Mercedes-Benz Aloha Classic - Youth’s

1st Takuma Sugi (JPN | Tabou / GA Sails)
2nd Jake Schettewi (USA | JP / Hot Sails Maui)
3rd Takara Ishii (JPN | RRD / RRD Sails)
4th Zee Schettewi (USA | JP / Hot Sails Maui)

Overall Ranking 2019 PWA World Tour - Women’s Wave

Overall Ranking 2019 PWA World Tour - Men’s Wave

Mercedes-Benz Aloha Classic

Thu, 31 Oct 2019 04:46:38 +0100

On paper, the forecast for the fourth day of the 2019 Mercedes-Benz Aloha Classic was relatively poor with only light onshore winds on offer. As always though you can never truly trust any forecast and upon arriving at the beach there were already signs of the wind trying to kick in and by 11:45am there was enough wind and enough angle on the wind to begin the Youth’s contest.

Youth’s

The next generation of windsurfers were sent out at an over mast high - at times - Ho’okipa and they were given between 18-22 minutes to link together their top 2 wave scores. As in the pro divisions the contest was run as 4-man heats, which saw Jake Schettewi (JP / Hot Sails Maui) and Takara Ishii (RRD / RRD Sails) become the first two-man to seal their place into the winners’ final - followed by Takuma Sugi (Tabou / GA Sails) and Z Schettewi (JP / Hot Sails Maui), who advanced through the second semifinal.

In the final, Sugi produced a brilliant display of sailing as he excelled in the light wind conditions - with the wind dropping in the final - to post a total heat score of 14.17 points - which was the joint highest heat total with Ishii, who also posted 14.17 points during his opening heat. To earn an excellent 8 point score in the final Sugi too a high line before launching into a stylish aerial. The 17-year-old racked up a total of 5 waves in the final and was able to find a 6.17 point backup to deservedly win the Single Elimination.

Jake Schettewi was only able to lock in two waves during the final and while he posted two decent scores with a 5 and a 4.83 - the young local couldn’t find a way to pin back Sugi and takes home second place in the single.

The battle for the final place on the podium was tight between Ishii and Schettewi Z, but eventually, it was Ishii who would complete the top 3 as he managed to lock in two waves, while Schettewi Z was only able to find one wave during the 18 minute final.

Elsewhere, other sailors to catch the eye were Noam Artzy (Quatro / Hot Sails Maui) and Luc Guidroz (Goya Windsurfing). Artzy, who only started windsurfing 6-8 months ago, combined a stylish turn and an aerial during his opening heat to earn 6.77 points for a single ride, while Guidroz also displayed some solid turns. Both made it to the semifinals before being knocked out by Schettewi J and Ishii.

Overall the Youth’s showed off an extremely high level in what proved to be tricky conditions at times and all of them can be proud of their displays today.

The forecast for tomorrow again doesn’t look too great on paper with only light north-northeast winds currently predicted, but as today showed anything can happen despite the forecast. At 8:30am (GMT-10) on Thursday there will be a beach clean up followed by the skippers’ meeting at 10:30am - with a first possible start at 11am.

Result 2019 Mercedes-Benz Aloha Classic - Women's Single Elimination

Result 2019 Mercedes-Benz Aloha Classic - Men's Single Elimination

Result 2019 Mercedes-Benz Aloha Classic - Youth's Single Elimination

1st Takuma Sugi (JPN | Tabou / GA Sails)
2nd Jake Schettewi (USA | JP / Hot Sails Maui)
3rd Takara Ishii (JPN | RRD / RRD Sails)
4th Zee Schettewi (USA | JP / Hot Sails Maui)

Mercedes-Benz Aloha Classic

Wed, 30 Oct 2019 05:34:28 +0100

With the macking swell continuing into day three of the 2019 Mercedes-Benz Aloha Classic, and the trades showing early signs of kicking, the decision was made to begin the Men’s Double Elimination at 11am.

However, with the wind being cross onshore and light that made progress extremely slow going with just two heats being completed in two hours. Numerous heats were started, but with huge west sets closing out the channel, the decision was soon made to put the contest on hold with the conditions being deemed too dangerous to continue.

Unfortunately, Zane Schweitzer (Starboard) sustained a dislocated knee during Heat 27, which was one of the only heats to be completed, but despite that, the 26-year-old still advanced in second place, behind Julian Salmonn (Bruch Boards / GUNSAILS). Everyone from the PWA and ITW wishes Zane a quick recovery.

The only other heat of the day to be completed was Heat 25, which saw Russ Faurot (S2Maui) use his local knowledge to full effect as he stayed out of trouble, while linking together a 6.38 and a back up of 3.88 points to win the heat ahead of Flo Jung (Starboard / GUNSAILS), who was making his first appearance on the world tour since 2018 after sustaining a serious knee injury. Klaas Voget (Fanatic / Duotone) had his chances but was unable to cleanly complete his best waves, which cost him a place in the next round - however, the two heat results gained thus far will not count unless the whole of the first round is completed.

The difficulty of the conditions today was clearly highlighted by the amount of broken gear and the number of sailors who ended up on the rocks and once the contest was placed on hold at 1pm the conditions never really looked like becoming suitable to resume - with the wind remaining onshore and the swell continuing to pump - so the fleets were released at 4pm.

Realistically with just two days of the contest period remaining, and the forecast not looking particularly promising to complete the Double Eliminations, that means that both Sarah-Quita Offringa (Starboard / NeilPryde / Maui Ultra Fins) and Philip Köster (Starboard / Severne / Maui Ultra Fins) are slowly edging closer to a first and 5th wave world title respectively.

Offringa’s main threat would be Iballa Moreno (Starboard / Severne / Maui Ultra Fins), who finished second in the Single Elimination, but Iballa would be required to defeat Offringa twice to deny the Aruban a maiden world title, while defending her own world crown, but she may not get the opportunity to do that.

For Köster, the German would be required to win two heats in the Double Elimination to defend his 9th place in the Double Elimination as if the 25-year-old was to lose before that stage he would then be demoted to joint 13th or 17th, which would then see Marcilio Browne (Goya Windsurfing) overtake Köster in the race for the world title. However, it now looks extremely unlikely that we will be able to even get to his first heat in the Double - which would be Heat 38.

Looking ahead, Wednesday on paper realistically looks like a lay day with light onshore winds expected, but as always you never know until the day, so the sailors will meet again at 10:30am (GMT-10) tomorrow morning for the skippers’ meeting.

Result 2019 Mercedes-Benz Aloha Classic - Women's Single Elimination

Result 2019 Mercedes-Benz Aloha Classic - Men's Single Elimination

Mercedes-Benz Aloha Classic

Tue, 29 Oct 2019 09:27:28 +0100

Day two of the 2019 Mercedes-Benz Aloha Classic proved to be a classic with 8-12 foot Hawaiian waves (20 foot plus faces) showcasing why Ho’okipa Beach Park holds the iconic status that it does within the wave sailing world. The infamous Ho’okipa rocks claimed more than its fair share of victims - as anticipated - but the world’s best wave sailors produced a truly amazing performance to wow the crowds, while creating an incredible advertisement for the sport. With the Aloha Classic, PWA and World titles at stake no-one left anything on the line in their pursuit for glory…

Wave

There’s a saying in life that says ‘No risk, no reward’ and you have to take your hat off to - Antoine Martin (JP / NeilPryde) - as he risked absolutely everything in the final. The 26-year-old hunted out mast and a half to double mast high waves, and where some would’ve backed down against the waves of consequence, he instead took aim at the lip. That no-fear approach saw Martin deservedly rewarded with the second 10-point wave of the contest, which set him up to win the Single Elimination ahead of Camille Juban (Quatro / S2Maui), Bernd Roediger (Naish / Naish Sails) and Kai Lenny, which is the first time that Martin has won a Single Elimination on the world tour. In the end, Martin finished the final with a destroyed rig after attempting to hit a double mast high bomb and then experiencing arguably the heaviest washing of the event, but the reward of winning the Single Elimination of the Aloha Classic will more than made up for that - especially as he said that it was nothing compared to a beating at Pe’ahi.

In the past, Martin has been a bit hit and miss - equally capable of producing incredible moments or flopping completely. However, over the last year the 26-year-old seems to have come of age and refined his risk taking, and after winning the Single Elimination he is now on the verge of a career defining moment as he is in an incredibly strong position to win the overall IWT title - with his only threat Morgan Noireaux (JP / NeilPryde) currently 9th here - while if things were to remain as they are then Martin would record by far his best result on the world tour - 4th overall - having never finished in the top 10.

Juban finishes second in the Single Elimination after opening the final with an excellent 8.62 point wave, but the 29-year-old then couldn’t find another proper score during the remaining 16 minutes, but as always when the conditions get big, Juban was once again one of the standouts.

Bernd Roediger (Naish / Naish Sails), who has won the Aloha Classic 3 times in the past - produced arguably the best wave of the contest thus far, which earned the first perfect 10 of the competition during the semifinal. The 23-year-old began his 10-point wave with a huge aerial straight into a powerful turn before ending with a super inverted goiter! Roediger completes the podium after the Single Elimination.

Throughout the day - Kai Lenny (Quatro / Goya Windsurfing) - had showed off his trademark combination of speed, power and flow to successfully negotiate his way into the final, but the final didn’t really pan out the way he would’ve wanted as he elected to kick out early on several waves as he took the patient approach. Unfortunately, this time around the waiting game didn’t pay off and the global waterman had to settle for 4th in the single.

The race to become the 2019 PWA Wave World Champion took several twists and turns today. First of all with reigning world champion - Victor Fernandez (Fanatic / Duotone) - and at the time current world tour leader - Philip Köster (Starboard / Severne / Maui Ultra Fins) - being knocked out in the quarterfinals it looked as though the draw was opening up nicely for either Marcilio Browne (Goya Windsurfing) or Ricardo Campello (Brunotti Boards) to seize the initiative - after Campello had been reinstated after an interference issue with Jake Schettewi (JP / Hot Sails Maui) in Heat 17, which upon review showed that it was actually Campello’s wave, which led to Schettewi having his highest wave score removed meaning the local boy was demoted from 2nd to 4th, while Campello advanced in his place, which led to a furious discussion on the beach which threatened to boil over.

The semifinal then didn’t go Campello’s way and he was soon eliminated in joint 7th in the Single Elimination, which left Browne with fate in his own hands… if he progressed into the final 4 then the Brazilian would have moved into pole position in the race to become the 2019 PWA Wave World Champion. However, like Campello, Browne couldn’t force his way into the final - finishing 3rd in Heat 22 - and joint 5th in the Single Elimination, which leaves him shy of Köster by just 258 points at the close of play.

Köster finished 3rd in Heat 19 - which equates to joint 9th in the Single Elimination - but if the German had finished 4th in that heat, then it would now be Browne leading the world ranking - such are the fine margins at the top. The 25-year-old has had his starboard tack sailing questioned in the past, but it’s safe to say that Köster answered more than his fair share of those queries today as he showed off an array of turns and aerials to silence some of his critics. Köster is now on course to earn a 5th world title and with the forecast looking as though it may be tough to complete the Double Elimination - Köster may have done exactly what is required of him here.

Elsewhere, Leon Jamaer (JP / NeilPryde), claimed joint 5th alongside Browne, while Robby Swift (JP / NeilPryde / SWOX) finished joint 7th alongside Campello, while Graham Ezzy (Tabou / Ezzy Sails), Morgan Noireaux (JP / NeilPryde) and Thomas Traversa (Tabou / GA Sails) share joint 9th with Köster.

The swell is expected to remain massive tomorrow, potentially increasing slightly again in size - from 6ft at 15 seconds to 6.5ft at 15 seconds - while different forecast models have different predictions for the wind, so we will have to wait and see if the trade winds kick in again. However, with the easterly airflow expected to continue, we remain hopeful of more epic action on Tuesday. The skippers’ meeting has been called for 10am (GMT-10) tomorrow morning.

Result 2019 Mercedes-Benz Aloha Classic - Women's Single Elimination

Result 2019 Mercedes-Benz Aloha Classic - Men's Single Elimination

Mercedes-Benz Aloha Classic

Mon, 28 Oct 2019 07:25:22 +0100

After a slow start to the day, which saw light winds and a relatively small swell compared to the forecast, the conditions gradually picked up throughout the opening day of the 2019 Mercedes-Benz Aloha Classic, and by the end, the swell was pumping, while the wind funnelled through much stronger than what was expected. However, with the swell coming from the west and the wind being slightly onshore at times the conditions were tricky with choppy faces and double-ups making wave selection crucial in order to succeed.

Wave

Women’s

Two out of the three PWA World title contenders successfully negotiated their way into the final - Sarah-Quita Offringa (Starboard / NeilPryde / Maui Ultra Fins) & Iballa Moreno (Severne / Severne Sails / Maui Ultra Fins), but current World No.2 - Justyna Sniady (Simmer / Simmer Sails / AL360) - was eliminated in the quarterfinals and it now looks a very long road back for the Pole to challenge for the world title.

Joining Offringa and Moreno in the final were Motoko Sato (Starboard / Severne Sails), who looked extremely dangerous in the quarters and semifinals, and current world No.4 - Lina Erpenstein (Severne / Severne Sails) - who is competing in her first Aloha Classic.

In the final, Moreno went for broke and came agonisingly close to scoring two waves in the excellent range. Crucially, however, the reigning world champion couldn’t quite hold on to her radical aerial attempt on her first wave, while she had to eject from the second, which left the door open for Offringa.

The Aruban moved into the lead as she registered two solid mid-range waves, while she enhanced her position with her final wave as she started with a powerful opening turn before delivering a critically late hit to earn 7 points and effectively wrap up the final with the other girls stuck on the inside with the wind dropping.

Victory in the Single Elimination sees Offringa edge closer to a maiden wave world title, but things remain incredibly tight at the top and it now looks as though it will be a straight fight between Offringa and Moreno for this year’s world title. Given how Iballa sailed today you would have to say that the title race remains very open and there should be a fascinating finale to decide this year’s title.

Sato, who set the highest score of the day - 14.12 points - in the quarterfinals eventually claimed the final place on the podium in the Single Elimination with Erpenstein completing the top 4.

Some will be wondering where multiple-time Aloha Classic and IWT Champion - Sarah Hauser (Tabou / S2Maui) finished as she missed out on the top 5 in the single, but she was involved in an incredibly tight opening semifinal with Moreno, Sato, Tatiana Howard (Quatro / Goya Windsurfing), which could have seen any of the 4 women progress. By the end of the heat, just 0.39 of a point separated second to fourth and you wouldn’t bet against the 30-year-old staging a come back through the Double Elimination.

In terms of the IWT title race, Hauser’s semifinal exit means that current tour leader - Mariah Andrés (Fanatic / Duotone) - has not been fully punished for her quarterfinal exit and the Spaniard still remains in with a chance of claiming the overall title. However, she will be aware that she will need to improve her ranking in the double, while Arrianne Aukes (Fanatic / Duotone / Maui Ultra Fins) - who came into the event ranked second - also remains in contention.

Men’s

The first round of the Men’s Single Elimination didn’t really produce any major upsets, but the standout from the first round was former Aloha Classic Champion - Levi Siver (Quatro / Goya Windsurfing) - who set the highest score of the day with 16.37 points after showing off trademark turns, aerials and 360s.

The other standouts from the first round were 2016 Aloha Classic Champion - Kevin Pritchard (Goya Windsurfing / Ezzy) - and Kai Lenny, who looks like he could be a real threat for the Aloha Classic Crown - especially with the swell expected to increase in size throughout the night and into Monday - he will now be up against Alex Mussolini (RRD / RRD Sails), Thomas Traversa (Tabou / GA Sails) and Diony Guadagnino (AHD / Loftsails) in the round of 32. Antony Ruenes (Tabou / GA sails) - who is competing in his first Aloha Classic - also looked to be in decent form.

In the opening heat of the second round - Antoine Martin (JP / NeilPryde) looked very dangerous as he linked fluid rail-to-rail turns with a variety of aerials to win the heat ahead of local boy Jake Schettewi (JP / Hot Sails Maui), who also sailed well. With Martin successfully advancing the 26-year-old remains in control of the IWT title race - although multiple-time Aloha Classic Champion - Morgan Noireaux (JP / NeilPryde) is yet to sail.

During Heat 9 the waves were pumping with several mast high sets rolling through Ho’okipa, which led to the sailors in Heat 10 waiting out the back for a solid set to arrive. However, as the minutes ticked by there was no sign of a set arriving, so Ricardo Campello (Brunotti) showed excellent tactical awareness to quickly notch up two solid wave scores on smaller waves to put himself comfortably in the lead. After waiting it out - Graham Ezzy (Tabou / Ezzy) - finally got himself on the board with a variety of turns and the local eventually stole the heat win with a quick second wave. Klaas Voget (Fanatic / Duotone) had his opportunity in the dying seconds, but crucially just went out the back on his frontside 360, which proved to be the difference between progressing or not. Ezzy and Campello will now face Martin and Schettewi in the next round.

The swell is only expected to increase overnight - from 4-6ft to 6-9ft @ 16 seconds - so Monday has all the hallmarks of being a potential classic with the trade winds expected to continue . The skippers’ meeting has been called for 10:15am (GMT-10) tomorrow morning with the action commencing from 11am onwards.

Result 2019 Mercedes-Benz Aloha Classic - Women's Single Elimination

Mercedes-Benz Aloha Classic

Sat, 26 Oct 2019 23:26:42 +0200

The Aloha Classic has long been considered the most prestigious event in windsurfing and this year’s edition will fittingly see a titanic battle to decide not only the Aloha Classic champion, but it will also determine the overall titles for both the PWA and the IWT at Ho’okipa Beach Park - with the event being joint sanctioned. The 2019 Mercedes-Benz Aloha Classic starts on 27th October and has a two week holding period until the 9th November. However, once the official call has been made to start the contest the event will then run for 5 consecutive days.

This year’s Mercedes-Benz Aloha Classic promises to be one of the most spectacular yet with a star-studded international lineup almost guaranteeing an incredible show. To win this event it’s going to take a supreme level of skill, a small slice of luck and likely a combination of a strong rail and air game.

Ho’okipa (meaning ‘hospitality’) Beach Park, Maui, Hawaii is quintessentially the home of windsurfing. A place any windsurfer has hopes, dreams and aspirations of visiting at some point during their lifetime. What makes Maui so special is its clockwork like trade winds, which combine with some of the best, and biggest, waves on the planet to create the most spectacular windsurfing conditions — and all of this is then set against a stunning, luscious, tropical backdrop. It truly is a destination that every windsurfer must experience at some point in their lifetime.

Women’s

World Title Race Connotations

With the late confirmation that reigning world champion - Iballa Moreno (Severne / Severne Sails / Maui Ultra Fins) - will be competing at the Mercedes-Benz Aloha Classic that means that the race to be crowned the 2019 Women’s PWA Wave World Champion will consist of 3 women - Iballa, current world tour leader - Sarah-Quita Offringa (Starboard / NeilPryde / Maui Ultra Fins) and Justyna Sniady (Simmer / Simmer Sails / AL360).

Although Iballa may have suffered a disappointing 5th place finish in Sylt, fate still remains in the 10-time world champions own hands and having won the Aloha Classic 3 times already during her career (2006, 2014 & 2015) she may prove difficult to stop once again, however, she will be up against other former Aloha Classic Champions in the shape of the IWT’s Sarah Hauser (Tabou / S2Maui) and Sarah-Quita Offringa, who won here in 2016.

Iballa’s Route to the World Title

- A win would guarantee Iballa a 6th consecutive world title.
- If Offringa or Sniady were to finish second - Iballa would have to win the event to retain her world title.
- If Offringa or Sniady were to finish third or worse - a second place finish or better would guarantee Iballa the title.

Offringa’s Route to the World Title

- A win would guarantee Offringa a maiden wave world title.
- If either Sniady or Iballa were to finish second - then Offringa would have to win the event in order to claim her first world title.
- If Sniady and Iballa were to finish 3rd or worse - Offringa would be guaranteed her first world title no matter her result in Maui.

Sniady’s Route to the World Title

- A win would guarantee Sniady a maiden wave world title
- If Sniady was to finish second she would then need Offringa to finish 3rd or worse, and Iballa to finish second or worse in order to claim the world title.
- If Sniady finishes outside the top 2 she will be ruled out of the title race due to discards.

While the race for the Women’s world title race may be a three-girl race - the race to be crowned the Aloha Classic Champion is still wide open and the best PWA women will be pitted against the finest sailors that the IWT has to offer, which should make for fascinating viewing.

That means that the world title contenders will have to face the likes of multiple-time IWT & Aloha Classic Champion - Sarah Hauser (Tabou / S2Maui), local rippers - Tatiana Howard (Starboard / NeilPryde) & Shawna Cropas (JP / NeilPryde), plus the current IWT leader - Maríah Andrés (Fanatic / Duotone) - and second placed Arrianne Aukes (Fanatic / Duotone / Maui Ultra Fins), while Japan’s Motoko Sato (Starboard / Severne Sails) is also likely to be a major threat.

Men’s

With just 3,606 points separating the top 6 sailors heading into the final event of the year, 5 of those men will enter the Aloha Classic with a great chance of winning the world title - namely current world tour leader Philip Köster (Starboard / Severne / Maui Ultra Fins), reigning world champion Victor Fernandez (Fanatic / Duotone), Marcilio Browne (Goya Windsurfing), Ricardo Campello (Brunotti Boards) and Thomas Traversa (Tabou / GA Sails), who won the last event in Sylt and also secured his sole world title to date here in Maui in 2014, but unfortunately current World No.4 - Jaeger Stone (Starboard / Severne / SWOX) has been ruled out of the Aloha Classic through injury.

With 5 men still in the mix to win the 2019 world title, we will keep you updated on how the title race progresses as the competition advances as there as so many different outcomes, but as a quick outline:

- A second place or better would guarantee Köster a 5th world crown.
- A win for either Browne or Fernandez would guarantee them the world title - if Köster finishes outside the top 2.
- Ricardo Campello can still win the PWA world title if he beats Browne and Fernandez to the event title and Köster finishes 4th or worse.
- Thomas Traversa can still win the title if he wins the event and Koster finishes 5th or worse and Browne & Fernandez finish 3rd or worse.

The strength-in-depth of this Aloha Classic field is quite incredible and it includes previous Aloha Classic Champions such as multiple-time winner - Morgan Noireaux (JP / NeilPryde), Levi Siver (Quatro / Goya Windsurfing), Kevin Pritchard (Goya Windsurfing / Ezzy) and Bernd Roediger (Naish Sails), all of whom could easily win again, while upstaging the PWA world title & IWT title hopefuls.

And that list doesn’t even include local ripper - Graham Ezzy (Tabou / Ezzy), who is capable of beating almost anyone at Ho’okipa on his day, while Camille Juban (Quatro / S2Maui) and global waterman - Kai Lenny - must also be considered major threats - as could Robby Swift (JP / NeilPryde / SWOX) - who lives in Maui - especially given the fact that the first big swell of the season is set to hit Maui just in time for the start of the Aloha Classic.

Antoine Martin (JP / NeilPryde) is currently enjoying his best season to date on the world tour - ranked 7th coming into Maui - and the 26-year-old will also be hoping to secure the Overall IWT Championship, which he currently leads and it looks like the IWT title race will be a straight fight between himself and multiple Aloha Classic winner - Morgan Noireaux.

A quick glance of the entry list quickly highlights why the Aloha Classic is one of the hardest events to win, but from a spectators' point of view, it quickly becomes apparent why it is also one of the most spectacular events to watch with so much world class talent on offer.

As well as the Pro contests some of the finest youth’s will also be battling it out at Ho’okipa Beach Park - where local boy Jake Schettewi (JP / Hot Sails Maui) is likely to start as the favourite, but will face stern competition from the likes of Takara Ishii (RRD / RRD Sails) & Takuma Sugi (Tabou / GA Sails).

How’s It Looking?

As briefly mentioned earlier, the first big swell of the season is expected to hit Maui’s north shore during the opening days of the 2019 Mercedes-Benz Aloha Classic and the decision has already been made that the contest will start tomorrow (27th October) with a skippers' meeting at 10:15am (GMT-10).

The traditional beach blessing will be held at 9am tomorrow - Sunday 27th October - at Ho’okipa Beach Park. It will be a beautiful event with children from Paia Elementary School taking part.

Timing

Naish will be the official timing sponsor of the 2019 Mercedes-Benz Aloha Classic.

Training Days

Fri, 25 Oct 2019 12:46:00 +0200

Marcilio Browne (Goya Windsurfing) is one of six sailors, who will head into the 2019 Mercedes-Benz Aloha Classic with a shot at being crowned the 2019 PWA Wave World Champion.

The Brazilian fought through a bout of flu in Sylt to claim second place and now has a great chance of adding to his sole wave title from 2013 in Maui - where he will enter as one of the favourites.

Browne is already back in Maui preparing for the season finale and you can see him warming up for the Aloha Classic here.

Consistency Is Key

Thu, 24 Oct 2019 13:49:34 +0200

Over the last couple of years - Nicolas Goyard (Tabou / GA Sails / Phantom Foils) - has shown the undoubted potential to challenge at the very top of the sport - winning multiple Foil Eliminations a long the way. However, whilst being capable of winning races he was also conscious about his lack of consistency, which was badly harming his chances of winning events, rather than just races. The 23-year-old was very much aware of this and before the final Foil event of the season in Sylt this is something that Goyard, to great credit, knew he needed to address. That attention to detail, to analyse, and to take the time to review his past performances paid off handsomely in Germany with the Frenchman not finishing outside the top 4 in the 8 opening races, which saw him not only deservedly win his first event on the world tour, but also earn his first world title! After cracking the code for consistency we recently caught up with Nico for an interview, which you can read below:

Hey Nico, congratulations on becoming the 2019 Foil World Champion - how does it feel?

Hi Chris, actually I really don't feel any different from before my world title! I just trained hard enough to make it happen and it felt natural in a way to come to that point. What I'm proud of is what I've done to make it to this point and how it made me grow in my mind and technically. But I consider to be exactly the same guy as before!

Before Sylt your best result was a second place - how does it also feel to win an event on the world tour, which made you world champion?

What I’m happy about is to have been able to work on my weak point which was clearly my consistency in Japan and Costa Brava. I knew for a long time that I had the ability to win an event and I just needed to fit all my positive points and forget about the negative ones!

So I’m super happy to have won this event… The first win of my career. It means much more than the first win of a race as it is a matter of mental ability to win an event! I really went a step further!

You were incredibly consistent in Sylt - only finishing outside the top 4 once - and that was when you were already guaranteed the event and world title… did you know that you had already won before the final race?

We already knew for a while that the prize giving was scheduled at 3pm and it was already too late when we began the first slalom of the day to start a second one thereafter. I had a short discussion with the committee before the race that confirmed it was the last race of the event… Then, I knew that I was already enough points ahead to win… I was clearly sick since the beginning of this last day and when I realised that I was a bit early on the line, in my mind I just thought “**** it, I’m cold, I’m sick, let’s get back to the beach” and that’s exactly what I’ve done. Luckily, because when I came back to the beach, I was 38-39 degrees of fever and just shivering of cold…

To not finish outside the top 4 in 9 eliminations is pretty incredible - do you think you were just in the zone in Sylt or what would you put that level of consistency down to? Furthermore, you’ve won plenty of races on the world tour before and had plenty of solid results, but do you think the win came down to just being able to cut out mistakes? And what do you think helped you to do that?

Actually, I think there are different factors. First factor, compared to previous events is my improvement on the mental side. Before Sylt, I was used to sailing a few horrible races, while also sailing some really good ones. After a good race analysis, I’ve determined that my risk factor was sett waaaay too high. I was able to perform well in some races, but I was also able to lose many places in a race just because I was taking too much risk… In Sylt, my goal was mainly to perform well in each race without necessarily trying to win each race… And that makes a huge difference to the stress induced and so on…

You are one of the few sailors who seems to be able to easily switch between upwind/downwind racing and Slalom Foil… why do you think that is and do you prefer one or the other?

I’ve clearly been training a lot on my settings in Slalom Foil and it helped me to be quick in that format. Then… I don’t prefer one or the other: I am an upwind-downwind racer by heart, but I love slalom as well for the adrenaline it gives… So, to this point, each has a reason to be.

How different are the setups for upwind/downwind and Foil Slalom and is it tough switching between the two disciplines on the same day?

The main difference is in the stabiliser angle setup. Basically, we reduce the power of the foil (and so the angle of the drag) to compete in slalom racing. And we reduce as well the sail area (1-2m²). What might come next year are shorter fuselages as no one registered some this year - regarding the fact we all thought at the beginning of the year that we were going to mainly be competing in upwind-downwind.

How did you celebrate becoming world champion?

I was super sick and didn’t really celebrate it yet!

The final Slalom event of the season will be in your home in New Caledonia - are you happy to have the world tour back at your home?

Of course I am! Really looking forward to be there again :). Especially because this is a new spot, which is truly my home spot!

Thanks, Nico. Congrats again, not only on winning your first event, but also earning your first world title!

Injury Update

Wed, 23 Oct 2019 04:36:27 +0200

It seems there are a few injuries going around at the moment and the latest name to be hit by injury is 3-time Slalom World Champion - Delphine Cousin Questel (Starboard / S2Maui) - who has hurt her foot whilst free sailing. The current world tour leader remains in a very strong position before the season finale in New Caledonia, which starts on the 18th November, as a top 3 finish would guarantee her the 2019 world title. After suffering the first real injury of her career Marije Elgersma recently caught up with Delphine to find out more…

Hi Delphine, sorry to hear that you are injured, can you tell us what the injury is and how it happened?

"It was approximatively a month ago just after Denmark. We had really nice wave sailing conditions and I decided to go for a free sail and just enjoy it. But at the end of the session I fell on a wave and my foot got stuck in the strap and got twisted… It’s not broken so that was the good news!"

I read on your Instagram post, you never had an injury before, how do you deal with this for the first time?

"Yes, it’s the first time and I have not been sailing for over a month now, I don’t think that it had happened to me before… It’s actually more difficult than I would think. I am so impatient to be back in the water as soon as possible. I have to be patient and it’s not something I am good at!"

What are you doing at the moment to recover as quick as possible?

"The most important thing is to rest. I see a physiotherapist to help with the rehabilitation and to recover as quickly as possible. I am rather lucky because I can still do some sport and continue to prepare myself physically (biking, gym…) without impacting my foot."

For you, and for us, the most important question… will you be fit for the last event of the season in New Caledonia? So you can defend your Slalom World Title, as you are currently leading the ranking?

"The physio is pretty confident about my participation in New Caledonia. Probably I will not be 100%, but it should be ok and I am doing my best to do just that! I want to be ready to fight with all other women for the World Title ! Now patience…"

Thanks, Delphine. We wish you all the best with your recovery and hope to see you in New Caledonia

Galicia

Mon, 21 Oct 2019 07:36:05 +0200

Ricardo Campello (Brunotti Boards) travelled to Galicia in September on a forecast that materialised into the equivalent of windsurfing gold with pumping waves, wind and sunshine.

With the starboard tack sailing on offer it provided the perfect warmup in preparation for the Aloha Classic, which starts on the 27th October.

Ricardo Campello: “I had an amazing time windsurfing in Galicia, one of my favourite places. There are amazing beaches, great landscape and really nice locals! It was a great starboard tack training for the Aloha Classic!”

You can see Ricardo Campello in Galicia @ https://youtu.be/B8iiZ2gPZZw

Transition

Fri, 18 Oct 2019 13:51:48 +0200

Finian Maynard (FMX Racing) has enjoyed a long and illustrious career at the top of the racing world, while also being a dominant force in speed sailing. The 44-year-old remains a world class sailor - as highlighted by two top 10 results this season - 5th in France & 8th in Fuerte. After starting a new exciting venture with his own brand - FMX Racing - Maynard now looks to set to hang up the harness, while still at the top of the game as he looks to further nourish his brand that has also enjoyed plenty of success on the world stage this year with event victories and podiums through team riders Thomas Goyard (FMX Racing / Phantom Sails / Phantom Foils) & Maciek Rutkowski (FMX Racing / Challenger sails). We recently caught up with Finian to find out more about his transition to slowly moving behind the scenes and you can read our interview with him now:

Hi Finian, this year you launched FMX Racing - how has the first year gone for you heading up your own brand? And what do you think you’ve learned along the way?

FM: “Firstly thanks for the interview. Well, 2019 has been an amazing year, through and through. The launch of the brand was in late January, and it literally seems like years have passed in the last 9-months, so much has happened already!

In truth, it’s been loads of work getting things off the ground, and yes definitely some lessons have been learned. One important lesson that comes to mind is to understand the balance required to locate and evaluate the priorities in running a company/brand, do the required job, and then implement everything in an orderly fashion to provide a professional platform to market and ultimately showcase the products."

Across both racing disciplines - Slalom and Foil - you’ve had some great race with event wins, race wins and podiums - how satisfying is it for you to see your boards performing well at the very top of the game?

FM: "Exhilarating. What a season the team has had, just amazing. A PWA event win in the very first year by Thomas Goyard in Costa Brava really helped elevate the brand awareness in the worldwide windsurfing market. Maciek Rutkowski followed that up with excellent slalom results in Fuerte (6th) and recently his first ever PWA podium in Denmark finishing 3rd (and winning the last race of the event was superb).

The results have been very satisfying, and I’m very happy to see the boards being so competitive across different disciplines and wind strengths, a real testament to the strong product lineup."

You postponed your retirement this year and gained two top 10 results out of the 3 events you competed at… are we likely to see you competing next year?

FM: "Great question! Well, I appreciate it that my results are being mentioned. I’m very proud of these two top 10’s (France 5th, Fuerte 8th) considering that I honestly had very little true training time to prepare. I had a ton of board speed especially in Fuerte, and that was a lot of fun, reminded me of the good ol’ days.

About retirement, I’m pretty sure this time around that I won’t be doing any more events, but I don't want to completely close the door…that is simply too sad to contemplate right now, since I’ve been doing this full-time pretty much since I was 17! So who knows perhaps a cameo appearance somewhere might be on the cards, or then again maybe it won’t. I suppose time will tell…"

Your team rider - Thomas Goyard (FMX Racing / Phantom Sails / Phantom Foils) - dominated the upwind/down Foil racing - what do you think about Foil now likely being incorporated into Slalom? And do you think a Foil board needs major changes from upwind/downwind to Slalom for optimal performance?

FM: "Well said. Thomas had an amazing season in the foil course racing. 9 wins from 16 starts! Truly world class. Concerning the integration of foil slalom and slalom, ultimately I think it is the right move for the long-term because it is clear that in the light winds the foil never stops for slalom, meaning we can get more results and also race in lower winds. This is good for the sport. I’d like to mention that I am very interested to see the foils vs. fins in say 10-15 knots of wind, as I have the feeling fins will be faster on the straights and slower out of the marks. That could make for some great racing!

About the designing of foil slalom boards, yes there needs to be some changes to optimise going cross wind at much higher speeds vs. uw/dw, so less lift and power is required. However, the changes are not major (at the moment) as the fundamentals of a working foil race board need to be respected."

You’ve obviously had years of shaping experience heading up several brands R&D departments before your new venture - how have you found the transition to heading up your own brand?

FM: "The transition on the technical/designing and r&d side has been seamless as the basics of going from a concept in the mind to a finished production board in a box hasn't changed. It has been the transition to now take care of all the other major points that has been the real work. The website/marketing, administration, team and all the business aspects of running the brand, this is the new challenge. A very motivating challenge I can say!"

You’ve got a brand new website - can you tell us a bit more about it and where to find it?

FM: "The new website just launched two weeks ago. I’m pretty happy with how it all came together. Thanks to everybody who was involved, in the end, it was a team effort. One can find it at (www.fmxracing.com).

The 2020 collection has expanded to include three more ‘in-between’ Invictus slalom sizes plus the all-new Veloce ‘fast freeride’ series. This consists of two planing hull pure performance freeride models in two constructions that also ride great with a foil. There is now also a dedicated Veloce freeride foil board. All the new boards were given a big thumbs up by the team, great feedback and a lot of smiles coming off the water!

Check out all the details plus the product videos that give a nice overview of the different boards."

What lies in store for 2020 for yourself and FMX Racing?

FM: "2020 is shaping up to be an interesting season with the combined slalom discipline coming into focus. Nobody really knows yet who will be fast so it’s time to get to work and make it happen!

In terms of the brand, the next season is all about consolidating the network and growing the distribution and awareness in the market, step by step, whilst staying on the leading edge of the development and continuing to strive for wins and results.

Follow us on Insta @fmxracing."

Perfect, thanks, Finian! Good luck for the future!

New Territory

Wed, 16 Oct 2019 05:58:07 +0200

Sarah-Quita Offringa (Starboard / NeilPryde / Maui Ultra Fins) is well accustomed with the feeling of winning having already claimed 16 world titles (12 Freestyle & 4 Slalom), however, the 28-year-old is in a slightly unfamiliar position on the Wave World Tour - where she now holds the No.1 spot for the first time in her career after winning the latest event in Sylt, Germany.

The Wave world title is the only trophy missing from her cabinet, but she will head to Maui with every chance of completing a career grand slam later this month when the Mercedes-Benz Aloha Classic begins on the 27th October. We recently caught up with Sarah-Quita to find out more about that win in Sylt and how she is feeling heading into Maui with the world tour lead:

Hey SQ, congrats on your recent win in Sylt - how does it feel to not only defend your event title, but also to take the wave world tour lead for the first time in your career?

“Heey Chris! Winning in Sylt this year felt amazing!

In Sylt the conditions are so unpredictable. It’s a total curveball of an event where sometimes it feels like you don’t have it all in your own hands because of the changing conditions. So all you can do is your best.

Having said that, in the Canaries I felt like I missed it a bit, so after finishing 3rd In Gran Canaria and Tenerife I was quite fired up to step up my game. I was quite happy with my sailing in the single elimination and then to win it was the cherry on top that day. And then of course winning the double elimination was really cool. I wasn’t thinking so much about what that would mean for the title race, but slowly it sank in that I was leading the wave world tour. I’ve lead the freestyle and slalom rankings before, but leading the Wave ranking feels totally different and unreal. I am so thrilled. No matter what happens in Maui, being where I am right now feels like a big achievement for me.”

How hard were the conditions in the double compared to the single?

“We had awesome conditions in the single elimination. A bit tricky with squalls and major gusts, or the wind completely dropping all in a 14 minute heat. But it was side shore and that made it great. I sailed 4,5 and 4,7 on my 86L board. That day was definitely a highlight on the water for me.

The conditions for the double elimination looked so tough, and I have to say that I probably sailed in the less gnarly conditions. If you lose out early in the single elimination, Sylt can be a bit of a marathon as it’s a true battle against the elements and really tiring trying to come back in the double. In a day the conditions change a lot. So I ‘d say that the ladies in the earlier rounds had to deal with tougher conditions than I did. When I sailed the final against Maaike, she had already sailed about 3 heats. So I think I had the advantage of being fresh on the water.”

The final event of the year is in just under two weeks, in Maui, where you are also the defending event champion… how are you feeling about returning to Maui? When did you last sail there? And when will you be arriving in Hawaii?

"Maaan! Finally! How awesome is it to finish the year off in Maui?!?!

So this year we’ll have: 2 port tack events, 1 gamble tack event, and one starboard tack event.
Travelling has been hectic the past years so somehow I haven’t been there for 2 years now!
I love the whole atmosphere and lifestyle there though and can’t wait to get out at Ho’okipa and Kanaha.

Haaa.... I seem to forget that I actually won that event in 2016 hahaha… Good to keep that in mind, because all I’m thinking about is the most massive swell always arriving just in time for the Aloha. Those big waves are still a mental challenge for me, but I’m excited to get out there and push my limits. Really, I think it’s going to be an amazing showdown. I’ll be there 10 days ahead of the contest to settle in.”

Do you think going into the final event of the year as the world tour leader puts more pressure on you? Or do you prefer being in that situation?

"Noooo pressure! This is the best scenario I could be in at this point of the year.
The only pressure I feel is whether or not I can hold it down in bigger conditions.
I think the event in itself is a big challenge, because of the starboard tack conditions, big waves and many of the local girls that rule the spot. So whatever happens, happens, BUT, I will be out there giving it my all. See you on the livestream!!"

What equipment will you be taking with you?

"I’ll be taking my bigger sails up to 5,0 and I have 2 custom boards that should work juuuust fine for
Ho’okipa.

I. CAN’T. WAIT."

Thanks, Lady Offringa, see you in Maui soon!

Injury Update

Tue, 15 Oct 2019 10:20:25 +0200

Current World No.4 - Jaeger Stone (Starboard / Severne / SWOX) - has unfortunately been ruled out of the season finale in Maui after suffering a major knee injury whilst back home in Australia.

Jaeger Stone: “Had a bad crash windsurfing out at Hell’s Gates the day I got home. Unfortunately I’ve injured my PCL, MCL and meniscus but fortunately my ACL is OK. I was really looking forward to competing in Maui but it is what it is. Life is interesting at the moment, I’m excited to keep learning and am thankful for everything I have.”

Everyone from the PWA would like to wish Jaeger all the best with his recovery!

Autumn Winds

Mon, 14 Oct 2019 03:40:31 +0200

Before the 2019 Mercedes-Benz Windsurf World Cup Sylt - Leon Jamaer (JP / NeilPryde) - spent some time in Northern Europe… Denmark to be more specific and the German was in luck with the first proper storms of autumn hitting Europe to provide plenty of wind and wavs

Jamaer eventually finished 13th in Sylt, which sees the 29-year-old ranked 11th overall with one event to go - the Mercedes-Benz Aloha Classic - which runs between 27th October until 9th November.

You can see Jamaer trying to tame the storm in Hanstholm @ https://youtu.be/zzF1K1ftEbs

Freestyle World Champion

Fri, 11 Oct 2019 11:24:53 +0200

Yentel Caers (I-99 / Point-7) headed into the final Freestyle event of the year at the 2019 Mercedes-Benz Windsurf World Cup Sylt as the co-world tour leader - together with Youp Schmit (I-99 / Avanti). However, with both men falling early in the single elimination that opened the door for Amado Vrieswijk (JP / Severne) and Steven Van Broeckhoven (Starboard / GUNSAILS) to potentially snatch the title away from their hands. In the double elimination though, Caers brilliantly held his nerve to win 4 consecutive heats to earn his first world title meaning he finishes the 2019 season as the European & World Champion. After sealing his first world crown we caught up with the 24-year-old for an interview:

Congratulations on becoming the 2019 Men’s Freestyle PWA World Champion. How does it feel to become European and World Champion in the same year?

I mean I cannot really believe it you know. It's been a long and hard competition here, I had a lot of fun on the water competing against everyone and everyone is so good. Coming into the last event leading together with Youp [Schmit] and with Steven {Van Broeckhoven] and Amado [Vrieswijk] really close meant the pressure was on. Then when I lost early in the single the hope was gone a bit, but I still knew there was a possibility that I could come back through the double. When I was able to make that work it was just amazing. I cannot describe how happy I am about it! It's a dream come true. It is something that we all dream about since we were little kids.

I can remember when I was a kid, I was already saying to my friends that one day I want to compete against the best in the world and of course you think about becoming World Champion, but that felt a million miles away at that stage, so to make it happen is amazing.

How much do you think competing on the European Freestyle Tour (EFPT) helped you with competing on the World Tour?

I think it definitely helps because when you compete a lot it takes away the nerves because you are so used to sailing heats. It also gave me confidence because I won all the EFPT events and that really motivated to do the PWA as well. On the EFPT the level is also incredibly high, so it’s a good foundation to competing on the world tour.

Did you feel under pressure coming into an event co-leading the world tour?

I felt really motivated, not too much pressure, but then the single still didn't really go my way. I also thought the conditions were really, really tricky and I got knocked out by Balz in the single, who for me could potentially win In those kind of conditions as I think he's one of the best guys when it’s extreme. I know that Balz is a really good friend of me and you know that's how it is - competition doesn’t always go your way.

I thought Balz might do you a favour because you're both good friends but he went full power against you… no favours there…?

Yeah, no, I mean yeah Balz is a bit crazy in these situations, but I also want him to do well because he’s an amazing sailor.

After finishing 9th in the single that then put you under a bit of pressure to perform in the double, but it didn't look like you were nervous at any stage. You looked pretty calm and calculated on the outside, but were you nervous inside?

Hmmm I think I was more nervous for the single than in the double. In the double I was more like come on you can do it, you sailed so much competition and I know which moves I can do in these situations. I was definitely stressed, but more a good kind of stress, you know like more concentrated and motivated and also a bit of anger to come back and I was really focused.

How do you compare the conditions from the single elimination to the double?

Actually they were slightly similar. The single was just more windy, but I like the wind really strong, it’s just aI was a bit unlucky in the single against Balz because the wind picked up right before the start of the heat and I had no chance to change the sail anymore, so I was way too overpowered.

The double was 4.8 weather, but also moments for 4.4 and 5.2. nts was five two. The amazing Sylt shorebreak was actually the hardest part because it made timing to get out for your heats really difficult. I struggled some times… some times I would get washed and it would take several minutes to get out - other times you could get lucky, step on your board and plane straight out.

So, how old were you when you actually started freestyle?

When I started freestyle, I started young, but I wasn't so good. I was like 12.

Do you think you're naturally good at freestyle?

No… because when I started freestyle, I have a brother and sister who freestyle, and they all could do spocks already. And I was sailing a lot with Rick [Jendrusch] and Nick [van Ingen], who are my good friends and we are about the same age and we’ve always been sailing together in Holland, but they improved so much faster than me. And I just got stuck on the spock here. This move didn't work out for me.

So despite getting stuck on the spock that didn't put you off from getting into freestyle?

I don't know, I was young. You know, I didn't mind to crash thousands of times in the water and just have fun.

I was talking to JC a bit after he interviewed you and he said that after you landed the spock that seemed to just unlock your freestyle there onwards?

Yeah, it's true because I started freestyle at about 12? I don't remember exactly. Maybe even younger. Anyway from a really young age I could do already land forward loops, but at that stage the freestyle moves just didn't work.

And then In the summer when I was probably about 14, I learned to spock at the beginning of the summer and by the end of the summer - like one or two months later - I could do suddenly all the sliding moves - everything just unlocked after that. I had the feeling of how to do the rotations and that's the really important basics.

You're now the third Belgium Freestyle World Champion after Steven and Dieter… Why do you think you guys have had so much success because Belgium It's not the first place you'd necessarily think of for freestyle or windsurfing in general…?

No, definitely, definitely not. You know, we have a coastline of 60 kilometres so there's not that many lakes. But I think motivation has to do a lot with it as we always we all live far from the sea. Steven and me live really close to each other and we drive like one and a half to two hours to the sea. So every time we went, we went out on the water even if it's actually like five two pumping weather because we’d driven all the way there. We still went out and we had fun on the water even if it was rubbish. Whereas I think if you live near the sea its a lot easier to be fussy. So, I think that helped us a bit and then in Brouwersdam we had a really good group of pro windsurfers we were all constantly pushing each other to improve and when it’s like that the level goes up quickly!

For people that are just starting out freestyle. What would you recommend they learn first, because I think a lot of people are starting to just go with rig ducks and trying to go straight for the power moves…

I actually say no ducking. Like learn the basics to start with. They maybe don't look so cool, but the feeling of them is amazing. Like, when I'm just free sailing, I sometimes if the wind is bit light I’ll just go through all the sliding moves because they're so technical. They're really hard to do actually. But you need them to get further in the power moves. So train the basics first and then build from there.

How will you be celebrating? And then what are you going to be doing for winter?

We celebrated already a bit in Sylt - I had my girlfriend here, my parents and my brother were also here so just celebrating with the family. It has been a lot of fun with all the guys around here and then afterwards I go straight to Brouwersdam for the last EFPT event, which is my home spot, so that's gonna be fun as well to meet all my friends and celebrate a bit more with them.

Afterwards, I will try to go to Brazil with Balz to Gostoso as Balz has a clinic there, so I will try and join him.

Is there anything else you'd like to talk about?

Just that I'm really happy and let's have fun on the water.

Thanks, Yentel. Congratulations again.

Young Guns

Thu, 10 Oct 2019 18:50:34 +0200

Marïa Morales Navarro (Goya Windsurfing) is one of the many thriving youngsters coming through the Youth PWA ranks. Earlier this year the 13-year-old won the 2019 Gran Canaria Wind & Waves Festival U15s division, while also finishing 3rd in Tenerife, which see her ranked second overall.

After the Canaries the young Spaniard headed for Moulay, Morocco, to improve her starboard tack skills as Tenerife is predominantly port tack and you can see how she got on in her new video @ https://vimeo.com/362723847

LIFE WIND

Wed, 09 Oct 2019 17:20:58 +0200

9-time PWA Freestyle World Champion - Gollito Estredo (Fanatic / Duotone) has just released a new movie ‘LIFE WIND’ which documents the Venezuelan’s trip through Colombia.

Along the way Gollito fits in plenty of windsurfing, as well as just travelling, and the action which follows is incredible with the King continuing to progress his sailing year-on-year with crazy combos such as triple culos, kabikuchi into culos and spock into double culos all being landed.

Gollito Estredo: “The experience of traveling to the Colombian Guajira and Lake Calima was impressive. I will never lose the passion of finding so many incredible places to sail. All this experiences have shown me a way of seeing life differently!”

You can see Gollito Estredo’s explosive new move @ https://youtu.be/jZzCGqV-Eeo

Mercedes-Benz Windsurf World Cup Sylt

Tue, 08 Oct 2019 18:28:43 +0200

For the 4th consecutive year Sylt gained results in all disciplines (Wave, Freestyle & Foil) as the 2019 Mercedes-Benz Windsurf World Cup Sylt produced a diverse range of conditions - from howling windy, driving rain and relatively mild temperatures to bitterly cold sunshine and offshore winds to provide a complete test for the elite of the windsurfing world. Overall Sylt provided 8 out of 10 windy days, which kept the crowds, who arrived in their thousands, thoroughly entertained.

Wave

Women’s

Sarah-Quita Offringa (Starboard / NeilPryde / Maui Ultra Fins) claimed her first victory on the 2019 PWA Wave World Tour as the Aruban successfully defended her event title from 2018 - which is the first time she has won back-to-back events on the Wave World Tour. With how results went elsewhere that victory also sees Offringa move into lead on the Wave World Tour for the first time in her career and she now holds a 650 point advantage over Justyna Sniady (Simmer / Simmer Sails / AL360) and a 2,045 point advantage over reigning world champion - Iballa Moreno (Severne / Severne Sails / Maui Ultra Fins) heading into the final event of the year in Maui at the end of the month.

In the double elimination, conditions were extremely tricky with bolt onshore winds, a strong current and Sylt’s infamous shorebreak making even getting off the beach an art form, while equipment choice was key for battling the elements. Maaike Huvermann (Starboard / Severne / Maui Ultra Fins) was one of the women to deal best with the tough conditions and that saw the 21-year-old complete an unlikely double over Iballa Moreno before going on to also negotiate her way past Lina Erpenstein (Severne / Severne Sails) and Justyna Sniady to claim her first podium on the world tour - 2nd - which sees her ranked 4th in the overalls.

Having never finished on the podium before 2019 - Sniady - has now secured 3 consecutive podiums after finishing 3rd here, which sees her ranked second in the overall rankings, whilst guaranteeing her a place on the overall podium.

Iballa Moreno remains third in the overall rankings after a shock 5th place in Sylt, but fate remains in the 10-time world champions own hands with a victory at the Aloha Classic guaranteeing retention of her world title.

Men’s

There seems to be something about Sylt that brings the best out of - Thomas Traversa (Tabou / GA Sails) - after the Frenchman defended his event title - just like Offringa. TT made the tough conditions look comparatively easy and claimed a famous victory after winning both the Single Elimination and the Double Elimination on the same day. After winning the event Traversa then had to be flown by helicopter to hospital after suffering excruciating pain from a kidney stone - everyone from the PWA would like to wish Thomas well and hope he is 100% fit in time for Maui - where he will go into the event with faint title hopes. TT is currently ranked 6th after the opening 3 events.

After storming back through the double with a series of eye-catching displays it looked as though Marcilio Browne (Goya Windsurfing) may go all the way and win his first event on the world tour since his world title winning year in 2013. However, he fell just one place short after winning six consecutive heats with Traversa coming out on top. The Brazilian will head to Maui with a great chance of earning a second world title with second place in Sylt seeing him climb into third place in the overall rankings. And given his Ho’okipa expertise, he may well head into the final event of the year as the narrow favorite.

Philip Köster (Starboard / Severne / Maui Ultra Fins) completed the podium in Sylt, which is enough to see the 4-time world champion take the world tour lead for the first time this season. Köster is now the only sailor in the fleet with a 100% podium record, but will need to produce his best performance yet at an Aloha Classic to claim a 5th world title.

Victor Fernandez (Fanatic / Duotone) sailed as brilliantly and consistently as ever and only Marcilio Browne’s fantastic come back denied Fernandez his second podium of the season. 4th place in Sylt keeps Fernandez firmly in the title race heading into Maui with the Spaniard ranking 3rd after the opening 3 events.

Ricardo Campello (Brunotti Boards) and Jaeger Stone (Starboard / Severne / SWOX) have both lost ground in the title race, but are certainly no means out of the equation. The Venezuelan/Brazilian and Australian came into Sylt ranked No.1 and No.2 in the world but have clipped to 5th and 4th respectively after finishing 9th and 7th here. However, things remain tight at the top just 2,439 points separating the top 5 sailors, while Traversa is then only a further 1,117 points off the lead, so there is all still to play for at the prestigious Aloha Classic.

Elsewhere, Antoine Martin (JP / NeilPryde) continues to enjoy his best season to date on the world tour. The 25-year-old qualified for the semifinals of a Single Elimination for the first time in Sylt before eventually finishing 5th, which sees him ranked 7th in the overall rankings ahead of Alex Mussolini (RRD / RRD Sails), Marc Paré (Simmer / Simmer Sails) and Adam Lewis (Fanatic / Duotone / SWOX), who moves into the overall top 10 for the first time this season after his best result of 2019 - 6th.

Jules Denel (JP / NeilPryde) earned his second top 10 finish of the season after fighting back from the first round of the double elimination, while German veteran - Klaas Voget (Fanatic / Duotone) - also managed the same feat to share 9th place with Campello and Mussolini.

Freestyle

Yentel Caers (I-99 / Point-7) had to do things the hard way after both he and fellow world title hopeful - Youp Schmit (I-99 / Avanti) - were eliminated in the second round of the single elimination. However, the Belgian regained his composure in the double and completed a famous come back to claim his first world title to cap a fantastic year for the 24-year-old, who earlier this year was also crowned the European Freestyle Champion.

Amado Vrieswijk (JP / Severne) bounced back from a disappointing 9th place in Fuerteventura to win the 2019 Mercedes Benz Windsurf World Cup undefeated as he rediscovered his competition form. Vrieswijk won two out of the three Freestyle events and missed out on a maiden world title by just 50 points. The 23-year-old finishes as the vice-world champion for the third time in the last four seasons.

Steven Van Broeckhoven (Starboard / GUNSAILS) completes the overall podium after securing his second top 3 finish of the year in Sylt - after winning in Fuerteventura. An injury free Van Broeckhoven looked back to his best this year and deservedly claims a place in the overall top 3 for the first time since 2014.

Things weren’t quite meant to be for Youp Schmit this time around with the Bonairean finishing 13th in Sylt, but he deserves great credit for even making it on to the water in Germany having only undergone knee surgery roughly just over a month ago. The 24-year-old still ends the year with his best overall result to date of the world tour - 4th - and everyone from the PWA wishes Youp all the best with the rest of his recovery and hope to see him back fit and strong in 2020.

Adrien Bosson (Fanatic / Duotone / Maui Ultra Fins) was unlucky not to go deeper in the opening couple of events of 2019, but the 2018 vice-world champion has looked extremely dangerous throughout and in the final event of the season the Frenchman gained the result he deserved - finishing 3rd in the single and 4th in the double, which sees him ranked 5th overall for the season!

Gollito Estredo (Fanatic / Duotone) was the sailor to knock Bosson out of the event top 3 as the Venezuelan produced a superb come back to earn just his first podium of the year, which is almost unheard of for the 9-time world champion. Gollito sailed with his inimitable style throughout and eventually finishes the season in 6th place.

The overall top 10 is completed by Antony Ruenes (Tabou / GA Sails), Dieter van der Eyken (Severne / Severne Sails), Sam Esteve (JP / NeilPryde) and Giovanni Passani (Tabou / GA Sails / AL360).

Men’s Foil

The battle to become the 2019 Men’s Foil PWA World Champion was incredibly tight coming into Sylt with just 300 points separating the top 9 sailors. In the end, Nicolas Goyard (Tabou / GA Sails / Phantom Foils) produced an inspired performance, which saw the Frenchman finish outside the top 4 just once in the 10 eliminations completed to deservedly earn his first world title.

Alexandre Cousin (Patrik / Phantom Sails / Phantom Foils) pushed Goyard N. all the way as he won his first elimination of the week in Elimination 10, but unfortunately, it wasn’t quite enough with Cousin finishing just 0.7 of a point behind Goyard. That left the two sailors tied on 29,700 points at the end of the season, but Cousin misses out on countback. Being crowned the vice-world champion is still the Frenchman’s best result and the foiling future looks bright for him.

Matteo Iachino (Starboard / Severne / Starboard Foil) completes the overall podium after finishing 4th in Germany, after Luuc Vanopzeeland (JP / NeilPryde) won the battle for the final place on the event podium - which is the Dutchman’s best result to date on the world tour.

Thomas Goyard’s (FMX Racing / Phantom Sails / Phantom Foils) event and world title dreams slipped through his fingers on the final day as a costly wipeout on the final reach saw him drop from 4th to 29th in Elimination 9, which ultimately brought his hopes to an end. The 27-year-old has been truly dominant in the upwind/downwind racing, but eventually finished 4th overall with the Foil Slalom discipline letting him down.

Completing the overall top 10 are Sebastian Kördel (Starboard / GA Sails / Starboard Foil) - 5th - Pierre Mortefon (Fanatic / Duotone / LOKEFOIL) -6th - Julien Bontemps (JP / NeilPryde) - 7th - Sebastian Kornum (JP / NeilPryde) - 8th - Amado Vrieswijk (JP / Severne / Starboard Foil) - 9th - and Mateus Isaac (JP / NeilPryde).

Where’s Next on the PWA World Tour?

In just a few weeks' time, the Men’s and Women’s Wave world titles will be decided at Maui’s Iconic Ho’okipa Beach Park with the 2019 Mercedes-Benz Aloha Classic taking place between 27th October until 9th November.

To stay up to date with all the latest developments from Germany — including the live stream, elimination ladders, entry list, images and live ticker simply click HERE and scroll to the bottom of the page.

Result 2019 Mercedes-Benz Windsurf World Cup Sylt - Women's Wave

1st Sarah-Quita Offringa (ARU | Starboard / NeilPryde / Maui Ultra Fins)
2nd Maaike Huvermann (NED | Starboard / Severne / Maui Ultra Fins)
3rd Justyna Sniady (POL | Simmer / Simmer Sails / AL360)
4th Lina Erpenstein (GER | Severne / Severne Sails)
5th Iballa Moreno (ESP | Severne / Severne Sails / Maui Ultra Fins)

Result 2019 Mercedes-Benz Windsurf World Cup Sylt - Men's Wave

Result 2019 Mercedes-Benz Windsurf World Cup Sylt - Men's Freestyle

1st Amado Vrieswijk (NB | JP / Severne)
2nd Gollito Estredo (VEN | Fanatic / Duotone)
3rd Steven Van Broeckhoven (BEL | Starboard / GUNSAILS / Shamal)
4th Adrien Bosson (FRA | Fanatic / Duotone / Maui Ultra Fins)
5th Dieter van der Eyken (BEL | Severne / Severne Sails)
6th Yentel Caers (BEL | I-99 / Point-7)
7th Antoine Albert (NC | Goya Windsurfing)
7th Francesco Cappuzzo (ITA | RRD / RRD Sails / AL360)
9th Sam Esteve (FRA | JP / NeilPryde)
9th Balz Müller (SUI | MB-Boards / Severne)
9th Jacopo Testa (ITA | RRD / RRD Sails / AL360)
9th Antony Ruenes (FRA | Tabou / GA Sails)

Overall Ranking 2019 PWA World Tour - Men's Freestyle

1st Yentel Caers (BEL | I-99 / Point-7)
2nd Amado Vrieswijk (NB | JP / Severne)
3rd Steven Van Broeckhoven (BEL | Starboard / GUNSAILS / Shamal)
4th Youp Schmit (NB | I-99 / Avanti)
5th Adrien Bosson (FRA | Fanatic / Duotone / Maui Ultra Fins)
6th Jose ‘Gollito’ Estredo (VEN | Fanatic / Duotone)
7th Antony Ruenes (FRA | Tabou / GA Sails)
8th Dieter van der Eyken (BEL | Severne / Severne Sails)
9th Sam Esteve (FRA | JP / NeilPryde)
10th Giovanni Passani (ITA | Tabou / GA Sails / AL360)

Result 2019 Mercedes-Benz Windsurf World Cup Sylt - Men’s Foil

1st Nicolas Goyard (FRA | Tabou / GA Sails / Phantom Foils)
2nd Alexandre Cousin (FRA | Patrik / Phantom Sails / Phantom Foils)
3rd Luuc Vanopzeeland (NED | JP / NeilPryde)
4th Matteo Iachino (ITA | Starboard / Severne / Starboard Foil)
5th Thomas Goyard (FRA | FMX Racing / Phantom Sails / Phantom Foils)
6th Sebastian Kördel (GER | Starboard / GA Sails / Starboard Foil)
7th Julien Bontemps (FRA | JP / NeilPryde)
8th Sebastian Kornum (DEN | JP / NeilPryde)
9th Pierre Mortefon (FRA | Fanatic / Duotone / LOFEFOIL)
10th William Huppert (FRA | Fanatic / Duotone / LOFEFOIL)

Overall Ranking 2019 PWA World Tour - Men's Foil

1st Nicolas Goyard (FRA | Tabou / GA Sails / Phantom Foils)
2nd Alexandre Cousin (FRA | Patrik / Phantom Sails / Phantom Foils)
3rd Matteo Iachino (ITA | Starboard / Severne / Starboard Foil)
4th Thomas Goyard (FRA | FMX Racing / Phantom Sails / Phantom Foils)
5th Sebastian Kördel (GER | Starboard / GA Sails / Starboard Foil)
6th Pierre Mortefon (FRA | Fanatic / Duotone / LOKEFOIL)
7th Julien Bontemps (FRA | JP / NeilPryde)
8th Sebastian Kornum (DEN | JP / NeilPryde)
9th Amado Vrieswijk (NB | JP / Severne / Starboard Foil)
10th Mateus Isaac (BRA | JP / NeilPryde)

Mercedes-Benz Windsurf World Cup Sylt

Sun, 06 Oct 2019 15:33:07 +0200

First thing this morning, the wind was much lighter than forecast which caused a few concerns about whether conditions would be suitable, but by 11:30am the wind had filled in sufficiently to allow the last two Foil eliminations of the week to be completed in 7-15 knots of wind and the racing which followed was arguably some of the most exciting of the week.

Foil

With Nicolas Goyard (Tabou / GA Sails / Phantom Foils) finishing 3rd in the opening race of the day, and his main rival Alexandre Cousin (Patrik / Phantom Sails / Phantom Foils) finishing 4th, that meant the 23-year-old had built an unassailable lead with a race to spare to be crowned both the event and world champion. From the opening 9 eliminations, Goyard N. did not finish outside of the top 4 and with the world title already wrapped up he was disqualified from the final race of the week! The 23-year-old has performed superbly over the last 3 days of racing and deservedly walks away from 2019 with his first world title.

Alexandre Cousin (Patrik / Phantom Sails / Phantom Foils) won his first race of the week in Elimination 10, but that wasn’t quite enough to deny Nicolas Goyard the event and world title. Cousin ended up falling just 0.71 of a point short of Goyard for the event title. After finishing second here Cousin finishes level on 29,700 points, but misses out on the world title on countback. Finishing the year as vice-world champion still represents a solid improvement for Cousin, who finished 4th overall last year.

With the event and world title already decided before the final race - attention turned towards the battle for the last place on the event podium with less than a point separating Matteo Iachino (Starboard / Severne / Starboard Foil) and Luuc van Opzeeland (JP / NeilPryde). In the end, van Opzeeland came out on top with the Dutchman battling back brilliantly when under pressure in the semifinal to book his place in the final - where he would eventually finish 3rd - two places ahead of Iachino.

Iachino may have just missed out on the event podium, but the Italian won’t mind too much as on the final day he was crucially able to pass Thomas Goyard (FMX Racing / Phantom Sails / Phantom Foils) in the event rankings to pip the Frenchman to the final place on the overall podium.

For Goyard it will be a bitter pill to swallow having led the event after the opening day of racing, but disaster struck for him today in Elimination 9 when the 27-year-old attempted to challenge his brother - Nico - on the final reach for third place, but then wiped out and after struggling to recover his rig he was left to count a very costly 29th. Goyard T. eventually finishes 5th for the event and 4th in the overall rankings.

Elsewhere, Sebastian Kördel (Starboard / GA Sails / Starboard Foil) enjoyed a superb final to climb two places into 6th. The German won Elimination 9 before just missing out on back-to-back bullets in a photo-finish with Alexandre Cousin. 6th place here sees Kördel ranked 5th overall for 2019.

Julien Bontemps (JP / NeilPryde) recorded two seven place finishes to end the event in 7th place, while also finishing 2019 ranked 7th. The top 10 here is completed here by Sebastian Kornum (JP / NeilPryde) - 8th - Pierre Mortefon (Fanatic / Duotone / LOKEFOIL) - 9th - and William Huppert (Fanatic / Duotone / LOKEFOIL), who regains his place in the event top 10 on the final day.

After two brilliant races to conclude the event the official prize giving ceremony was held at 3pm with the event and Men’s Freestyle and Foil World Champions being crowned in front of a packed out crowd. Congratulations to all the winners over the last 10 days.

Result 2019 Mercedes-Benz Windsurf World Cup Sylt - Men’s Foil

Overall Ranking 2019 PWA World Tour - Men's Foil

Result 2019 Mercedes-Benz Windsurf World Cup Sylt - Women's Wave

1st Sarah-Quita Offringa (ARU | Starboard / NeilPryde / Maui Ultra Fins)
2nd Maaike Huvermann (NED | Starboard / Severne / Maui Ultra Fins)
3rd Justyna Sniady (POL | Simmer / Simmer Sails / AL360)
4th Lina Erpenstein (GER | Severne / Severne Sails)
5th Iballa Moreno (ESP | Severne / Severne Sails / Maui Ultra Fins)

Result 2019 Mercedes-Benz Windsurf World Cup Sylt - Men's Wave

Result 2019 Mercedes-Benz Windsurf World Cup Sylt - Men's Freestyle

Overall Ranking 2019 PWA World Tour - Men's Freestyle

Mercedes-Benz Windsurf World Cup Sylt

Sat, 05 Oct 2019 17:46:40 +0200

The penultimate day of the 2019 Mercedes-Benz Windsurf World Cup Sylt produced another full day of racing with the light offshore winds (5-13 knots) continuing, which allowed a further four eliminations - 2 Foil Slalom & 2 upwind/downwind - to be completed, which has seen the title race lead change hands heading into the final day of the event.  
Foil

Thomas Goyard (FMX Racing / Phantom Sails / Phantom Foils) started the day as the event leader, but at the end of Saturday it is his brother - Nicolas Goyard (Tabou / GA Sails / Phantom Foils) - who now leads, not only the event, but also the race to become the 2019 Men’s Foil PWA World Champion. Goyard N. built upon yesterday’s solid set of results by recording one bullet and three 3rd places today as the 23-year-old continues to race with unbelievable consistency - his worse result from the 8 eliminations completed thus far is a 4th place.

After another fine day, Goyard N. will head into the final day with a 3.6 point advantage over Alexandre Cousin (Patrik / Phantom Sails / Phantom Boards), who has climbed one place from the overnight rankings into second after two second places in the upwind/downwind racing.  

If Goyard N. can defend his lead then he will be guaranteed the title no matter what, but with Cousin also firmly in the hunt for the world title, tomorrow is set to see a thrilling finale to the racing.  

Thomas Goyard is now 6.4 points off the lead with his results in the Foil Slalom costing him valuable ground in the title race. The 27-year-old was totally dominant again in the upwind/downwind racing - claiming clear cut victories in both of the eliminations completed, but the world title may not well be out of his reach now. 

As things stand, Thomas Goyard would complete the event and overall podium, but he will still have to fend off competition from Matteo Iachino (Starboard / Severne / Starboard Foil) on the final day with the Italian just 6.6 points behind. After winning the first Foil Slalom race of the day it looked as though Iachino was well poised to attack the top, but a poor start in Elimination 6 cost him a place in the winners’ final and two further 9th places in the upwind/downwind racing has also left him off the title race pace. 

Luuc Vanopzeeland (JP / NeilPryde) bounced back from a first round exit in Elimination 5 with a 3rd, 4th and a 6th, which sees the Dutchman climb one place to 5th at the expense of Julien Bontemps (JP / NeilPryde), who slips to 6th.  

Elsewhere, Sebastian Kornum (JP / NeilPryde) and Sebastian Kördel (Starboard / GA Sails / Starboard Foils) remain in 7th and 8th place, while Pierre Mortefon (Fanatic / Duotone / LOKEFOIL) gains one place from the overnight rankings - 9th. The top 10 at this stage is completed by Amado Vrieswijk (JP / Severne / Starboard Foil), who recovered well today after a slightly disappointing showing yesterday. The Bonairean recorded a second place in the opening race of the day, while also recording two other top 10 finishes to fight back.

With another promising forecast for the final day of the event - 16-21 knot east-south-east winds - tomorrow should provide an exciting finale to the event with the Men’s Foil World title on the line. The Foil fleet will meet at 9:30am (GMT+2) with the racing commencing from 10:30am onwards. Make sure you stay tuned to www.pwaworldtour.com to see who comes out on top in the title race battle!
 
To stay up to date with all the latest developments from Germany — including the live stream, elimination ladders, entry list, images and live ticker simply click HERE and scroll to the bottom of the page.

Current Ranking 2019 Result 2019 Mercedes-Benz Windsurf World Cup Sylt -Men’s Foil
*After 8 Eliminations

1st Nicolas Goyard (FRA | Tabou / GA Sails / Phantom Foils)
2nd Alexandre Cousin (FRA | Patrik / Phantom Sails / Phantom Foils)
3rd Thomas Goyard (FRA | FMX Racing / Phantom Sails / Phantom Foils)
4th Matteo Iachino (ITA | Starboard / Severne / Starboard Foil)
5th Luuc Vanopzeeland (NED | JP / NeilPryde)
6th Julien Bontemps (FRA | JP / NeilPryde)
7th Sebastian Kornum (DEN | JP / NeilPryde)
8th Sebastian Kördel (GER | Starboard / GA Sails / Starboard Foil)
9th Pierre Mortefon (FRA | Fanatic / Duotone / LOFEFOIL)
10th Amado Vrieswijk (NB | JP / Severne / Starboard Foil)

Mercedes-Benz Windsurf World Cup Sylt

Fri, 04 Oct 2019 17:41:38 +0200

After a lay day yesterday, the wind returned on Day 8 of the 2019 Mercedes-Benz Windsurf World Cup Sylt, which allowed a full day of Foil racing to be completed in 5-13 knots of wind. With the light offshore winds, the sailors were on their biggest setups, while they were tested in both up/downwind racing and Foil Slalom which leaves the title race wide open after the first day of racing.

Foil

After the opening four Foil eliminations - Thomas Goyard (FMX Racing / Phantom Sails / Phantom Foils) - takes the early event lead after enjoying an excellent day. During the morning, the Frenchman convincingly won two out of the three upwind/down races, while finishing 3rd in the other. In the sole Foil Slalom race, the 27-year-old had to settle for 14th, which he currently discards. With how results have gone elsewhere that also means that Goyard is also leading the world title race, but with two more days to go that could all still change and he only has a 100 point advantage over Nicolas Goyard (Tabou / GA Sails / Phantom Foils) and Alexandre Cousin (Patrik / Phantom Sails / Phantom Foils), who are in second and third.

Thomas Goyard’s brother - Nicolas Goyard (Tabou / GA Sails / Phantom Foils) - is currently Thomas’ closest rival on 6.7 points - a deficit of just 2.3 points - after performing extremely well in all 4 races and has results of 1st, 4th, 2nd and 4th.

Alexandre Cousin is then just 0.3 of a point further back after also performing very consistently - recording two second places, a third and a 5th - which he discards and he remains firmly in contention for both the event and world title.

Matteo Iachino (Starboard / Severne / Starboard Foil) is 5.3 points off the lead after the opening 4 eliminations. In Costa Brava earlier this year the Italian looked extremely effective on the Foil Slalom course and he showed that again today as he claimed a runaway victory in Elimination 4, which allows him to discard a 6th place, while also keeping himself within striking distance of the lead. As things stand Iachino would sit 4th in the overall rankings.

Julien Bontemps (JP / NeilPryde) comes next - both 5th in the event and the overalls - after the opening day of Foiling, but he is now 600 points off the world title pace having come into the event 300 points off the lead, so the current top 4 sailors are pulling slightly clear in the race for the 2019 Foil PWA World Championship.

The top 10 at the event is currently completed by Luuc Vanopzeeland (JP / NeilPryde) - 6th, who is enjoying his best event to date on the world tour which included a second place in the Foil Slalom, Sebastian Kornum (JP / NeilPryde) - 7th - Sebastian Kördel (Starboard / GA Sails / Starboard Foil) - 8th - William Huppert (Fanatic / Duotone / LOKEFOIL) - 9th - and Pierre Mortefon (Fanatic / Duotone / LOKEFOIL) - 10th.

So the last couple of days of the 2019 Mercedes-Benz Windsurf World Cup Sylt should see an exciting conclusion to the Men’s Foil World title race with all still to play for - particularly between the top 4 sailors - the Goyard brother’s, Alexandre Cousin & Matteo Iachino - with just 200 points separating them.

The forecast for Saturday looks quite similar today in terms of strength with moderate winds on offer, but it is expected to swing around to the east-north-east. The Foil fleet will meet again at 10:30am (GMT+2) tomorrow morning with the racing commencing from 11:30am onwards.

Current Ranking 2019 Result 2019 Mercedes-Benz Windsurf World Cup Sylt -Men’s Foil
*After 4 Eliminations

1st Thomas Goyard (FRA | FMX Racing / Phantom Sails / Phantom Foils)
2nd Nicolas Goyard (FRA | Tabou / GA Sails / Phantom Foils)
3rd Alexandre Cousin (FRA | Patrik / Phantom Sails / Phantom Foils)
4th Matteo Iachino (ITA | Starboard / Severne / Starboard Foil)
5th Julien Bontemps (FRA | JP / NeilPryde)
6th Luuc Vanopzeeland (NED | JP / NeilPryde)
7th Sebastian Kornum (DEN | JP / NeilPryde)
8th Sebastian Kördel (GER | Starboard / GA Sails / Starboard Foil)
9th William Huppert (FRA | Fanatic / Duotone / LOKEFOIL)
10th Pierre Mortefon (FRA | Fanatic / Duotone / LOFEFOIL)

Result 2019 Mercedes-Benz Windsurf World Cup Sylt - Women's Wave

Result 2019 Mercedes-Benz Windsurf World Cup Sylt - Men's Wave

Result 2019 Mercedes-Benz Windsurf World Cup Sylt - Men's Freestyle

Overall Ranking 2019 PWA World Tour - Men's Freestyle

Mercedes-Benz Windsurf World Cup Sylt

Thu, 03 Oct 2019 18:05:02 +0200

As predicted day seven of the 2019 Mercedes-Benz Windsurf World Cup Sylt proved to be a lay day with light winds and sunny skies throughout, but with a small swell running a few sailors hit the water to snake a few waves.

The forecast for Friday-Sunday still predicts moderate east-south-east winds, which should provide plenty of opportunity for Foiling over the next few days, which will see the 2019 Men's PWA Foil World Championship decided. As things stand Matteo Iachino (Starboard / Severne / Starboard Foil) leads the title race, but only on countback with Pierre Mortefon (Fanatic / Duotone / LOKEFOIL), Amado Vrieswijk (JP / Severne / Starboard Foil) and Alexandre Cousin (Patrik / Phantom Sails / Phantom Foils) all tied on 19,500 points, while any of the top 9 or 10 sailors all have a realistic shot at the title with just 300 points separating 1st-9th. The Foil fleet will meet again at 8:30am (GMT+2) for the skippers’ meeting with the racing commencing from 9:30am onwards.

Result 2019 Mercedes-Benz Sylt PWA World Cup - Women's Wave

Result 2019 Mercedes-Benz Windsurf World Cup Sylt - Men's Wave

Result 2019 Mercedes-Benz Windsurf World Cup Sylt - Men's Freestyle

Overall Ranking 2019 PWA World Tour - Men's Freestyle

Mercedes-Benz Windsurf World Cup Sylt

Wed, 02 Oct 2019 19:38:27 +0200

After a tricky start to the day, the wind eventually came good on the sixth day of the 2019 Mercedes-Benz Windsurf World Cup Sylt to allow the Men’s Freestyle Double Elimination to be completed in bitingly cold and choppy conditions, while the 2019 Men’s PWA Freestyle World title was also decided.

Freestyle

At the beginning of the day - Amado Vrieswijk (JP / Severne) - led the race to become the 2019 PWA Freestyle World Champion after winning the Single Elimination on Tuesday. However, with fate out of his own hands the Bonairean would face a tense wait to see whether either - Youp Schmit (I-99 / Avanti) or Yentel Caers (I-99 / Point-7) - could mount a comeback through the Double Elimination into at least 6th place - at which point either Schmit or Caers would be world champion.

Both men safely made it through their second round heats, but Schmit - who only had knee surgery a month ago - fell in the third round to Antoine Albert (Goya Windsurfing) to leave just three men standing in the race of the 2019 Freestyle World title - Caers, Vrieswijk and Steven Van Broeckhoven (Starboard / GUNSAILS / Shamal Sunglasses).

Caers could’ve been forgiven for showing some sign of nerves as he bid to win his first world title, but he showed absolutely no signs that he may falter. The Belgian confidently overcame - Giovanni Passani (Tabou / GA Sails / AL360) - next before winning a tight heat against - Sam Esteve (JP / NeilPryde) - to leave him just one heat win away from becoming the world champion.

The all important heat - Heat 30b - would be against Antoine Albert (Goya Windsurfing) - after the New Caledonian defeated Jacopo Testa (RRD / RRD Sails / AL360). Heat 30b proved to be another tight heat and for a little while Albert was leading as the lead swung back and forth, however, a late well executed pasko allowed Caers to replace a forward loop on port tack to claim the all important victory and complete a superb come back through the double elimination to claim his first PWA Freestyle World Championship.

Amado Vrieswijk did everything in his power to win his first world title, but this time around it wasn’t meant to be with Caers denying him. The Bonairean defeated - Gollito Estredo (Fanatic / Duotone) - in the double elimination to win the 2019 Mercedes-Benz Windsurf World Cup Sylt, but despite winning two out of the three events this season he misses out by just 50 points - with the disappointing 9th place in Fuerteventura costing him dearly, so the wait for a maiden world title goes on for the 23-year-old. Vrieswijk eventually finishes the season as the vice-world champion.

9-time world champion - Gollito Estredo - produced a superb come back in the double elimination to earn his first podium of the season after winning 6 heats on the bounce against; Antony Ruenes (Tabou / GA Sails), Francesco Cappuzzo (RRD / RRD Sails / AL360), newly crowned Freestyle world champion - Yentel Caers - Dieter van der Eyken (Severne / Severne Sails), Adrien Bosson (Fanatic / Duotone / Maui Ultra Fins) and finally Steven van Broeckhoven (Starboard / GUNSAILS).

Steven van Broeckhoven slipped one place to third for the event, but the Belgian completes the overall podium, which is the first time the 2011 world champion has finished in the overall top 3 since 2014.

Elsewhere, Lennart Neubauer (Starboard / Severne / Maui Ultra Fins), will remember this day for a long time to come after the 15-year-old recorded his first heat wins on the world tour after claiming the scalp of 2013 world champion Kiri Thode (Severne / Severne Sails) in Heat 18b, before also beating Riccardo Marca (Fanatic / Duotone / Maui Ultra Fins).

Thursday looks like a lay day judging by the forecast, which currently predicts virtually no wind before turning to an easterly air flow for the Friday and into the weekend. With the Wave and Freestyle contests already completed, the focus is now solely on the Foil and they will meet again at 10am (GMT+2) tomorrow morning for their skippers’ meeting with the action commencing from 11am onwards - conditions depending.

Result 2019 Mercedes-Benz Windsurf World Cup Sylt - Women's Wave

Result 2019 Mercedes-Benz Windsurf World Cup Sylt - Men's Wave

Result 2019 Mercedes-Benz Windsurf World Cup Sylt - Men's Freestyle

Overall Ranking 2019 PWA World Tour - Men's Freestyle

Mercedes-Benz Windsurf World Cup Sylt

Tue, 01 Oct 2019 17:43:09 +0200

After yesterday’s manic day of competition, the fifth day of the 2019 Mercedes-Benz Windsurf World Cup Sylt proved to be the polar opposite with only light winds throughout meaning that no contest was possible.

For a short time a few of the Foil fleet were tempted out on to the water, but it never really looked like it was going to happen and shortly after 5pm the sailors were released for the day.

With a decent looking forecast for Wednesday with 21-27 knot northwesterly currently being predicted the focus for tomorrow will be to complete the Men’s Freestyle Double Elimination and with it decide the 2019 Freestyle World Championship. After yesterday, Amado Vrieswijk (JP / Severne) currently leads the race, but fate is out of his own hands as if either Youp Schmit (I-99 / Avanti) or Yentel Caers (I-99 / Point-7) fight back into 6th place one of them will be the world champion.

However, one of them will be able to advance into the top 6 as they are both on the same side of the draw and they could potentially meet in Heat 30b to decide the title as a victory in that heat would guarantee a place in the top 6. So, tomorrow is going to be a big day on the water! The Freestyle fleet will meet at 9am (GMT+2) with a first possible start at 9:30am, while the Foil fleet will meet again at 9:30am with a first possible start at 10:30am, but with the wind expected to be onshore it is unlikely that they will compete.

Result 2019 Mercedes-Benz Sylt PWA World Cup - Women's Wave

1st Sarah-Quita Offringa (Starboard / NeilPryde / Maui Ultra Fins)
2nd Maaike Huvermann (Starboard / Severne / Maui Ultra Fins)
3rd Justyna Sniady (Simmer / Simmer Sails / AL360)
4th Lina Erpenstein (Severne / Severne Sails)
5th Iballa Moreno (Severne / Severne Sails / Maui Ultra Fins)

Result 2019 Mercedes-Benz Windsurf World Cup Sylt - Men's Wave

Result Single Elimination 2019 Mercedes-Benz Windsurf World Cup Sylt - Men's Freestyle