Paul van Bellen: "Jaeger Stone asked me to film for an hour the other day. Wind was 20-25kts. Good times with his dog Mackie keeping me company!

Follow me on Instagram: @paulvanbellen  

Filmed & edited
- DJI Mavic 3 Pro
- Apple MacBook Pro
- Final Cut Pro"

The young Japanese sailor may not have earned the result he wouldn't wanted at early event, but the 21-year-old has still put together a highlights reel from Chile @ https://youtu.be/Wx2WqWTI12k?si=J2WUQqvbCBl0bkaW

Embark on a journey of refinement as we uncover the nuances of rigging, wind dynamics, and optimizing sail performance. 
Prepare to unlock the full potential of your windsurf sail and embark on a voyage of mastery. Hit play now and set course for a different control on the water!"

You can see Flo Jungs top sail rigging tips @https://youtu.be/s7OaRhJks8Y?si=DxWVmuIcZh72Ynfg

Next up is Alexia Kiefer Quintana (Duotone / Duotone Sails), who claimed an excellent second place:

“It felt amazing. I want to sail like Julian Salmonn. He’s on another level but I love his style. I’m always looking for the sets. It’s very difficult to see which wave is good.  

I really loved this competition because I was absolutely not nervous. I had a lot of fun on the water, but in the final, I wasn’t happy at all with how I windsurfed. However, at the end I had a nice result. 

I want to keep improving my wave riding and I want to start competing in more surf competitions.  I really want to go to Fiji. The waves are crazy powerful and I was very scared today, I fell one time in front of the rock and I thought that was it.  I was very scared. 

I was shouting to myself, come on Alexia, you have to do it. I love wave riding. The waves were really big but you just need self confidence. I’m already looking forward to come here next year.  

I have never been out in waves like today.  I was like wow. The wind was pretty good.  The other girls were ripping, that was nice and I had a lot of fun watching them. It’s nice to see how everybody is improving a lot.”  

14-year-old Sol Degrieck (Severne / Severne Sails) sailed with experience beyond her young years to claim the last place on the prestigious podium: 

“I’m happy, there were some big bombs out there. It was nice, I had some decent waves, so I was happy.  It was really nice.  
It was really fun riding the big waves, there were some bigger than mast high – it was a great experience to sail those big waves at such a tough spot.  I was happy there was enough wind to get out.  

In the beginning it was hard, so I was just hard trying to get out. Overall, I’m happy to be in the top three, I like it.”

Morgan Noireaux (JP / NeilPryde / Black Project Fins) continues his fine start to the season to keep his name in the early running for the world title:

“I went surfing on morning of finals day and I got one decent wave and then there was nothing for 45 minutes. I thought it wasn’t going to be a good day at all. Then it just started pumping, and the waves just got bigger and more consistent. We can’t get Matanzas much better than what we got today.  We finished at the best time on the best day too.”

Morgan on that frontside 360:

“On my best wave, I got a wave 360, it felt good, I’ve only ever done one other like that and it was a week ago. With the bowl I felt like I could do it and I went a lot higher and further than I thought. That was one of the best ones I’ve ever done. I was so surprised when I landed it that I sort of claimed it and then thought I could have done another turn.  

There were some over mast high waves. Some were giant, but when you found the right one that connected into the bowl, it was really good, Camille [Juban] is extremely good at picking waves. How many events has he had where he only makes the final?”

Noireaux on reaching his goal:

“I’m feeling really good, I’m super happy. It was good to set a goal and reach that goal. I would love to win, but I set a reasonable goal of making a podium which is hard. It’s port tack so it’s not necessarily the easiest, but I’ve spent a lot of time and I am a goofy footer and that helps a lot. It’s cool to feel like I’m good in a lot of different conditions. 

My main focus is the Fiji and Maui events, but I’m still going to do the competitions at Pozo and Sylt.  Pozo will be difficult for me to get a good result, but it’s nice to try to improve there.  

That was some of the best conditions we’ve had for an event.  We’ve had some incredible events with Fiji and Peru, but this is right up there with some of the best waves I’ve ever had in a competition.”  

“It was insane conditions and action. The energy I felt today was that it was one of the best contests of my life to witness. With the conditions, the action, the vibe and the community, it was amazing.”

Right at the start of the semifinals, the swell kicked in with a bang and over mast high sets started to roll in. The current became treacherous and competitors had to wait for lulls to get out, but when the sets rolled in, they offered incredible down the line riding.

Women’s Finals

The women’s final saw a great battle between a super-charged Alexia Kiefer Quintana (Duotone / Duotone Sails) and Lina Erpenstein. Kiefer Quintana’s power turns in critical sections had impressed the judges the entire competition. After a somewhat shaky start, Kiefer Quintana took a good set and slayed her way through three power turns under the looming lip and in front of the rocks. Erpenstein answered back with some solid turns in the pocket. But in the last minute of the heat, Erpenstein took a good sized, peeling wave, slashed her way through several turns and then pulled off a nice aerial to take the win.

It was Erpenstein’s first ever win on the World Tour:

“I’m over the moon happy. I’ve dreamt about this for so long, but the level was so high and the bombs were rolling in and I was just in survival mode. I’m very happy with the tactics in the heat. I positioned well and read the waves well. It feels unreal to win. Just this whole trip has been a trip of a lifetime”, she said.

It was also Kiefer Quintana’s first 5 star podium. 

“It felt amazing. I really loved this competition because I was not nervous at all. I had a lot of fun on the water. I was shouting to myself, ‘come on Alexia, you have to do it’. I love wave riding. The waves were really big, but you just need self confidence” she said.

14-year-old Sol Degrieck (Severne / Severne Sails) proved she’s a growing force to be reckoned with, especially in waves of consequence. The young Belgian picked some great bombs and rode across critical sections with no fear to claim third place. Pauline Katz (Severne / Severne Sails) had ridden well the whole competition, choosing good waves and attacking sections to make her way into fourth. 

Men’s Finals

Some of the biggest sets of the day came through in the men’s final. Despite a relaxed demeanour, an intensely focused Camille Juban picked the biggest and best sets, tearing apart the biggest wave of the day with a 15 foot face.  Where many waves looked like they would break too fast for real top to bottom riding, Juban managed to do more turns, in more critical places on the bombs than anyone else, and then finish by nailing huge aerials. The waves seemed to slow down when he was riding, but that was just an indication of how good his read on the waves was. On another bomb set, that many would have deemed to have a close-out section, Juban managed to pull off multiple smacks and an almost impossibly late aerial to score a 9.13. Juban finished the day with an excellent heat score of 18.16 and was the deserved winner.

“We just couldn’t ask for more on a finals day and we got the best in the world. I’m just super stoked.  It was a long week and it was hard to stay focused, but I’m super happy to finish with a such a good day with great waves.” said a stoked Juban.

Not far behind Juban was a fired up Morgan Noireaux (JP / NeilPryde / Black Project Fins), Noireaux pulled the move of the contest with a radically high 360 on a monster wave, that was landed with incredible perfection to score an 8.23. Noireaux acknowledged,

“That was one of the best ones I’ve ever done.” 

He continued his charge by picking off a bomb, riding with his powerful top to bottom surf style and then making a mast high aerial at the end for his best score of 8.57. 

Noireaux looks fired up for a genuine world title run, after following up his 4th place in Japan, with a solid 2nd in Chile. Prior to the event, he said he felt he could make a podium and he achieved that.

“That was some of the best conditions we’ve had for an event. I’m feeling really good, having set a goal of reaching the podium and reaching that goal. It’s cool to feel like I’m good in a lot of different conditions” said Noireaux.

Victor Fernandez (Duotone / Duotone Sails) tended to pick the medium set waves, which may have cost him a higher place, but it seemed a deliberate strategy where he could guarantee pulling off a goiter, aerials and some beautifully critical turns to take third place.

Philip Köster (Severne / Severne Sails / Black Project Fins) had some solid waves, and one very radical rail turn. Despite several very close attempts on large sets, he just wasn’t able to complete one of his extreme aerial manoeuvres.

With the main competition finished after five intense days, Masters and Pro Juniors will likely compete tomorrow. But the Chile World Cup has cemented itself as a premier 5-star event on the World Windsurfing Tour.

Head high swells and mostly light wind characterised the day, where the remaining three heats of Men’s round 3 and the first three heats of the Women’s quarterfinals were held. 

Women’s Quarterfinals – Heats 1 to 3

After a false start, Heat 1 saw a confident Justyna Sniady (North Sails / Maui Ultra Fins) showcase her lefthand riding expertise with some strong turns and lip hits to take the win. Coco Fouveau (Flikka / GUNSAILS) found her rhythm with good speed and an attacking style to secure second place, eliminating the gutsy junior champion from Spain, Maria Morales Novarro (Goya Windsurfing). 

In Heat 2, German star, Lina Erpenstein (Severne / Severne Sails), leant on her extensive competition experience to ride the right gear, read the conditions and delivered some power moves on the better waves of the heat. Fourteen year-old Sol Degrieck (Severne / Severne Sails) had some strong top to bottom rides with aggressive turns to claim the scalp of world number two, Sarah Hauser, in what was a huge upset. 

The wind picked up and turned perfectly cross offshore for a cracking Heat 3. Alexia Kiefer Quintana (Duotone / Duotone Sails) powered her way through some of the most aggressive snaps and lip smacks to again earn the highest heat total of the women’s round - amassing a grand total of 14.17 points.  Pauline Katz (Severne / Severne Sails) was also impressive with tight snaps and decent aerials to claim the second best heat score of the day - 13 points - as the Swiss eliminated powerful tour veteran and 2023 world number four, Maria Andrés (Duotone / Duotone Sails).  

Men’s Round 3 – Heats 6 to 8

The young Spaniards took charge of Heat 6. Scores mainly sat in the mid-range level for most of the heat. But Marino Gil (JP / NeilPryde) found a fast running set, which allowed multiple aerials, in the last few minutes to take the win over good friend, Liam Dunkerbeck (Starboard / Severne Sails / Black Project Fins). With the young Spaniards thriving this leg to local hero Vincent Gonzales being eliminated, after he had battled hard to win the Challenger series. Gonzales had injured his shoulder in a wipeout yesterday, but rode bravely with huge cheers from the local crowd on the packed beach.

Heat 7 was a tight battle of the big wave shredders and current world number 2, Bernd Roediger was the unlucky casualty. Roediger had solid, critical hits on waves, but wasn’t able to connect enough hits before the waves shut down. Former world champion and big wave guru, Thomas Traversa (Tabou / GA Sails), took an early lead with aggressive snaps and critical aerials and was able to demonstrate a wide variety across multiple sections to take the win. Local charger, Diego Fabres, read the fast waves well to complete multiple aerials and slashing cutbacks to secure second place. 

Plenty of tricks were pulled out of the bag for Heat 8 to gain that critical point of difference and it was Victor Fernandez (Duotone / Duotone Sails), who nailed a perfect goiter to take the lead. Julian Salmonn (Bruch Boards / GUNSAILS) and Benjamin Fabres encountered a nail-biting exchange, but Salmonn just held off Fabres with better wave selection combined with aerials and powerful, tweaked cutbacks. Fabres remained a huge crowd favourite and was still welcomed back to the beach like a champion regardless. 

Finals day for Pro Men and Pro Women will be on tomorrow with a larger forecast swell and good wind forecast. Large crowds are again expected into this local fishing village to watch the action from the beach and the luxury of Hotel Surazo overlooking it all. The Chile Magic continues.

Follow the live competition scores on LiveHeats. The full Live Broadcast will be streamed on the IWT Wave Tour YouTube channel, and the official IWT event page.  Follow on social media channels @IWT_Wave_Tour and @PWAworldtour.
 

Women’s Redemption

Heat 1 saw young ripper, Sol Degrieck (Severne / Severne Sails) dominate, with a strong top to bottom surf style on well selected peeling waves, finishing her best with a decent aerial. Maria Behrens (Duotone / Duotone Sails / Maui Ultra Fins) also selected the better waves, where she threw spray with aggressive turns on the face and a lip hit. 

Maria Andres (Duotone / Duotone Sails) used her knowledge from previous Chile trips to patiently select the best waves of the heat and ride them with solid rail work. Coco Foveau (Flikka / GUNSAILS) survived elimination after making her way into second place.

Men’s Redemption Round

Heat 1 of the Redemption Round featured several big names, but it was local Andres Tobar who stole the show. Tobar was patient and only rode two waves in the 27 minute heat, but selected his sets well and impressed with local knowledge. His final wave would have been a close out for many, but he raced across sections, hitting the lip mid-way through and finished with a good aerial. Robby Swift (JP / NeilPryde) focused on riding the bigger waves with good turns in the pocket and a nice finishing aerial to knockout Poland’s Adam Warchol by just 0.16 of a point.

The swell backed off for Heat 2 as competitors adjusted to fight for mainly mid-range scores. Takuma Sugi (Tabou / GA Sails / Black Project Fins) managed to connect some under the lip turns and a small aerial to take the lead. Arnaud Frennet continued the local onslaught to secure second place. 

Alessio Stillrich (Simmer / Simmer Sails) found rhythm during Heat 3 and connected some smaller waves well, showcasing a good variety of tail slides, snaps and aerials. Meanwhile, Hayata Ishii (RRD / RRD Sails) made his way into second place based mainly off a single excellent peeling set wave, which allowed rapid fire aggressive turns in the pocket and a high-speed aerial.

The Chilean riders dominated Heat 4 with their local knowledge shining. Benjamin Fabres had sat in third place for much of the tight battle, but in the last four minutes, he found a great set wave where he showcased aggressive snaps and two, fast paced, critical aerials to take the lead. Vicente Gonzalez continued his great form from the Challenger Round, with beautiful wave selection that allowed for multiple snaps and aerials to just sneak ahead of aerial master, Felipe Wedeles. 
.
Pro Men’s Round 3

The waves seemed to drop for much of Heat 1, but Camille Juban (AV-Boards / S2Maui) still slashed and aired his way to a dominant victory. Andres Tobar continued his aerial streak from the redemption round to knock out Takara Ishii (RRD / RRD Sails) in the first major upset of the competition. 

Marcilio Browne (Goya Windsurfing) didn’t leave anything to chance in Heat 2, securing his first keeper score early on with perfect aerials and snaps. After a few experimental goiters, he found one of the best waves of the day, which he rode as perfectly as a video game to score an excellent 8.40. Alex Vargas started the heat with nerves, but used takas, aerials and 240 degree snaps to take out second place and keep the Chilean roll going.

Heat 3 was stacked with talent, due to an ill Robby Swift having to come through the redemption round. Federico Morisio (Starboard / Severne Sails) immediately scored the wave of the heat with consecutive, high aerial moves. However, Morgan Noireaux (JP / NeilPryde / Black Project Fins) took the lead shortly after, with his exceptional surf style and aerial prowess (not to mention a goiter that he didn’t even need to count). Swift and Morisio traded places multiple times throughout the heat, with Swift persevering despite a slight tear above the clew of his sail. However, it was the superior aerial attack of Morisio that gave him the coveted second place by just 0.3 of a point.

Heat 4 was another nail biter. Jules Denel (Tabou / GA Sails) connected multiple snaps and aerials on good sets to take the win. Miguel Chapuis (Flikka / North Sails) pulled off a goiter on his first wave and then managed to score some rapid fire critical moves on another wave to take second place over Takuma Sugi, who was just 0.67 points away from first place.

Heat 5 saw Philip Köster (Severne / Severne Sails / Black Project Fins) showcase his winning form from last year with the highest heat total of the competition so far - 16.37 points. He started with some of the biggest aerials of the day to score a 7.67 on his first wave. The 5-time world champion then upped his game with an 8.60 pointer, which included more aerials and a beautifully executed goiter. Despite a taped ankle, Antoine Martin (Starboard / North Sails) nailed some solid aerials and lip hits early on to cement second place.

The competition will continue tomorrow with Pro Men’s and Pro Women’s running across the weekend where big crowds are expected on the beach here in Matanzas. We will almost certainly complete Pro Men's and Women’s finals on Sunday in GREAT forecast conditions.

Follow the live competition scores on LiveHeats. The full Live Broadcast will be streamed on the IWT Wave Tour YouTube channel, and the official IWT event page.  Follow on social media channels @IWT_Wave_Tour and @PWAworldtour.

Challenger Finals

The Women’s Challenger round was won by Dominica Osman (Argentina), with Camila Curinao making her way into second, only just ahead of 12 year-old local, Noni Stuven. Dominca dominated the heat, with a good top to bottom surf style of riding on well selected waves to qualify for the Pro Women’s competition.  

The Men’s Challenger final had whittled down 24 contenders into a four-man final. Vicente Gonzalez started strongly, with some good turns and an aerial on his first wave. He then backed that up with plenty of time to spare, to assert a dominant lead that he maintained for the entire final.  

The battle for second position was more intense between Lucas Meldrum (Duotone / Duotone Sails), Finn Mellon (Quatro / Goya Windsurfing) and Tomer Shamgar (Future Fly / RRD Sails). Shamgar was sitting in fourth place for most of the heat, but rode a peeling wave from very deep and finished with a perfect aerial to jump into second place in the last minute of the heat. 

Pro Women’s Round 1

Heat 1 of the Pro Women’s saw dominant performances from Justyna Sniady (North Sails / Maui Ultra Fins) and Sarah Hauser (Quatro / Goya Windsurfing). Both showcased strong snaps in the pocket and attacked the end section. 

Lina Erpenstein (Severne / Severne Sails) linked together her best wave in the final minute of heat 2 - performing multiple lip smacks to take the win ahead of Maria Morales Navarro (Goya Windsurfing).
 
Young gun Alexia Quintana (Duotone / Duotone Sails) produced a standout performance with fast snaps under the lip of some good-sized sets. Quintana was well rewarded and finished with the highest heat total in the women’s. Meanwhile, Lisa Wermeister (Duotone / Duotone Sails / Maui Ultra Fins) just snuck into second after showing great wave selection and strong turns. 

The dropping evening wind in Heat 4 didn’t stop Jane Seman (Severne / Severne Sails), who found multiple good waves in her heat and proceeded to attack sections with speed. Pauline Katz (Severne / Severne Sails) let her Canary Islands experience shine to cement her position through to Round 3.

Pro Men’s Round 1

The Pro Men’s started with a cracking heat that included 2023 World Champion Marcilio Browne (Goya Windsurfing, former Chile finalist Camille Juban (AV-Boards / S2Maui), Adam Warchol (Quatro / Goya Windsurfing) and Shamgar. By the end, less than two points would separate first from fourth. Browne’s perfection was unmatched in the first exchange, with a 7.23 that included multiple top to bottom turns in the pocket and a solid aerial to finish. The 3-time wave world champion found reasonable back up waves, but nothing that matched his first. After a shaky start, Juban showcased his aerial excellence with two airs on one wave. In the last two minutes and still needing a decent back up, he pulled off a radical tweaked air off the main peak to take the lead. 

Alex Vargas (Naish) nailed his start to Heat 2 with a 6.50 on his first wave, schooling the spectators in how to ride Matanzas. The Chilean easily found several back-up scores to maintain the lead, whilst Takara Ishii (RRD / RRD Sails) just knocked out Dieter Van der Eyken (Severne / Severne Sails) and Takuma Sugi (Tabou / GA Sails / Black Project Fins) in an incredibly tight aerial battle for second place - just 0.44 of a point separated second to fourth.

Federico Morisio (Starboard / Severne Sails) exhibited the results of his lengthy stays in Chile, sailing fast and timing aerials perfectly. On a smaller set, he pulled off multiple aerials and a goiter to lock in his progression to the next round. Local Arnaud Frennet scored a good set from deep and performed several critical aerials to get the best wave of the heat, but couldn’t find a back up. Miguel Chapuis (Flikka / North Sails) was sitting in third for most of the heat, but pulled a goiter right in the last minute to sneak into second place.  

Morgan Noireaux (JP / NeilPryde / Black Project Fins) and Jules Denel (Tabou / GA Sails) crafted a complete French domination of Heat 4. Noireaux’s superior wave knowledge, aggressive turns and aerial prowess had him pegged as a safe round 1 bet for progression, while Jules Denel hammered home a 7.77, with multiple, beautifully timed aerials to take the win.


Antoine Martin (Starboard / North Sails) continued the French attack in Heat 5 with a solid mix of fin slides in the pocket, aerials and a one-handed lip hit for his best wave score of 7.77. Liam Dunkerbeck (Starboard / Severne Sails / Black Project Fins) just snuck into second place with a decent aerial performance.  

Last year’s winner, Philip Köster (Severne / Severne Sails / Black Project Fins) tested his bag of tricks with big tweaked aerials, power turns and some goiter and wave 360 attempts. However, it was Marino Gil Gheradi (JP / NeilPryde) who threw solid spray, landed good aerials and even pulled a taka to progress in first place. 

Thomas Traversa (Tabou / GA Sails) and Victor Fernandez (Duotone / Duotone Sails) pulled multiple aerials and hard hitting turns in the pocket to fight off local ripper Benjamin Fabres to successfully progress from Heat 7. 

But the show stopper was Julian Salmonn (Bruch Boards / GUNSAILS) who came out with all guns blazing in the final heat of the Pro Men’s. The German connected four strong aerials to earn an excellent 8.63  points, which would be the highest single wave score of the day. Current tour leader, Bernd Roediger (Flikka / Hot Sails Maui / Black Project Fins) had to settle for second, but still accumulated the third highest heat total of the day.

The Pro Men’s and Women’s are likely to continue tomorrow, with finals possibly running over the weekend. 

Follow the competition at LiveHeats (Surazo Infernal World Cup), on our IWT YouTube Livestream or on our social media channels (@IWTwavetour / @pwaworldtour).
Follow the live competition scores on LiveHeats. The full Live Broadcast will be streamed on the IWT Wave Tour YouTube channel, and the official IWT event page.  Follow on social media channels @IWT_Wave_Tour and @PWAworldtour.

The day started with strong Round 1 performances by Diego Ducci and Vicente Gonzalez, who both picked some of the biggest waves of the day and showcased some excellent rail to rail surfing to progress straight through to Round 3. Gonzalez made it through his Round 3 quarterfinal, but Ducci wasn’t able to repeat his performance in the dying wind of the evening and was knocked out of the competition. 

Round 1, Heat 3, was an entertaining heat for the crowd, with Cristobel Zegers choosing some excellent waves and Matias Vargas doing some of the most radical turns in the pocket. Both improved their form in Round 3 and had convincing wins to progress through into the semifinals.

Finn Mellon (Quatro / Goya Windsurfing) and Inaki Maturana pulled off some good aerials to get through their first round heats and make their way into the quarterfinals.

Meanwhile, Tomer Shamgar (Future Fly / RRD Sails) quietly went about his business with just enough effort to get through both his Round 1 and Round 3 heats. 

Jose Priewer won a close heat to progress along with Tato Molina. But finishing the Round 1 heats with a convincing win was Kymani Laurent (Guadalope), who read waves well and showcased a powerful surf style that turned heads on the beach.

Kymani afterwards said: “It was quite fun with pretty good conditions today. I’m really excited to have the opportunity to sail in the Challengers and hopefully also the Pro Men. It’s a really good experience for me to be a part of that.”

Crowd favourite and wave legend, Francisco Goya (Goya Windsurfing) missed his Round 1 heat, but joined the repechage round to get a beautiful, multi-turn first wave. He then followed it up with some mesmerising riding deep in the pocket to get the highest wave score of the day - 7-points. Goya continued his good form in the Round 3 quarterfinals with a rhythmic display of aerials and quality wave riding, but his heat was cancelled after he was well on his way to one of the highest heat totals of the day. The rerun was held in lighter winds towards the end of the day and Goya was unable to get a wave in that heat. 

Other winners of the repechage round who still remain in the competition are Lucas Meldrum (Duotone  / Duotone Sails) and Nelson Perez.

The Challenger rounds for men and women are expected to finish on Thursday, with Pro Men’s and Pro Women’s competition following. 

Sol Degrieck (Severne / Severne Sails) set a new bar for Junior Girls, revelling in the uncrowded conditions as she showcased powerful bottom turns, critical lip hits and an aerial, proving she’s not only a top junior contender, but also a growing threat in the Pro Women. Degrieck was a standout of the entire day’s competition and was rewarded with the highest heat total of the day (12.90 points) and the top individual wave score - which almost went into the excellent range at 7.07 points.

Degrieck said: “It was good to sail without a lot of people. I got one really nice wave and I was happy to pull off an aerial and quite a lot of turns on it. I loved sailing with the other young girls. I was having fun on the water and that’s the most important thing.”

Noni Stuven, a young Chilean girl who is new to wave sailing, handled the conditions well to make her way into second place in the Junior Girls.

Ryu Noguchi (Starboard / Severne Sails) won the first round of Junior Boys with some rapid flow and aggressive turns. Noguchi had a solid start, scoring his best wave in the first few minutes as the young Japanese rider smacked lips, rode with rapid speed and connected multiple sections with an attacking style.

Noguchi added: “It’s difficult for me, because where I am from is starboard tack, but my first wave was good, I got a set and had good flow on it.” 

Noguchi is still on a high after recently making the semifinals at the Japan World Cup in his hometown of Omaezaki, earlier this year in February.

“I was so excited after Japan. I still don’t believe the place I got, but I’m aiming to be the world champion in the Under 18s and I want to be in top 16 Pro Men.”

Second and third place was an ever changing battle between the two local Chilean grommets. Loïc Antoine Harfagar showed good wave selection and a surf style of sailing and looked like he was going to take out second place. However, towards the end of the heat, Francisco Markiewicz pulled off a critical move in the lip and to clinch second place.

The juniors will have another two leaderboard rounds to reach their final result.

Leaderboard 1 Results Junior Girls - Chile World Cup

1st Sol Degrieck (BEL | Severne / Severne Sails)
2nd Noni Stuven (CL)

Leaderboard 1 Results Junior Boys - Chile World Cup

1st Ryu Noguchi (JPN | Starboard / Severne Sails)
2nd Francisco Markiewicz (CL)
3rd Loïc Antoine Harfager Vita (CL)
4th Joaquin Prat 
5th Ismael Labbé
 

Ahead of the event Lucas documented his travel to Chile as well as filming several warmup sessions, which features several sailors and can be seen @ https://youtu.be/2eNgdwfdpdY?si=958soKrkY9R6Si61.

Photos: @rafasoulart 

Alessio Stillrich (Simmer / Simmer Sails): "Moments of my life #15 is now live! Join me on my adventures though the globe and at home.

In this episode I arrived back home from Cape Town to Gran Canaria and could squeeze out some windy days in Pozo! "Down the line riding" and onshore jumping was on the menu.

Follow Alessio Stillrich on Instagram: @alessiostillrich

Location: Gran Canaria, Spain

Well, luckily Nico Prien (JP / NeilPryde) is on hand to give you a comprehensive breakdown of exactly what is what @ https://youtu.be/URS0XOZ_10E?si=SpLfSwbVJ_-zMxCg

Combining industry and media experience that belies his youth, with exceptional talent on the water, Nico will provide the steady hand on the tiller, to replace Jimmy’s reliable grip. With years of pro level competition experience under his belt already, as well as significant industry experience and owning one of the most successful windsurfing athlete channels in the sport, Nico has all the tools to lead the important work that the PWA does within the sport.

Jimmy will continue to work in the sport, running the exceptional Cagla Kubat Windsurf Academy with his wife, as well as continuing the development of the PWA Youth Slalom World Cup Tour that he helped to establish with the Alacati Windfest Youth World Cup event, now in its third year. 

Jimmy Diaz on the changes:
“The main reason is that I have become too busy and diversified to be able to dedicate the necessary time for this role. That being said, however, I also felt that it was time for a generational change and that new blood would hopefully inject renewed energy and dedication to the PWA as a whole.  It is a difficult balancing act to run the PWA trying to seamlessly address the sometimes conflicting interests of the sailors, industry, and event organisers especially in the current global economic climate and ever growing competitors in the watersports markets. I am confident Nico will be up for the challenge.

Being the president at the same time you are competing is quite challenging. Being a professional windsurfer by itself is very time consuming. It is not just about your on the water training or land training.  It comes with many other responsibilities especially if you are also doing development and promotional work. Having this alone is a full-time job. Being the president of the PWA at the same time and bearing the responsibility of the needs of sailors, industry, and development of the professional side of windsurfing was quite overwhelming at times. One of my proudest personal moments in this context was being able to stand on the podium, dressed in my presidential attire, next to the two guys that I consider the best racers of all time, Björn [Dunkerbeck] and Antoine [Albeau].”

Nico Prien said the following about his goals and ambitions for the PWA:

"I am honoured to take on this role within the PWA, an organisation I've admired since my youth while following the athletes. Having trained to one day compete among the very best, I am excited for the chance to give back to my favourite sport, whilst continuing to compete at the highest level. I'm looking forward the journey ahead, eager to contribute to and lead positive changes, together with the PWA Board. An exciting new chapter, fuelled by passion."

Rich Page, PWA Tour Manager had the following to say about the changes:
“We are very sad to see Jimmy go and his wisdom, diplomacy and enormous experience within windsurfing will be hard to match. Jimmy took on the role during some complex situations back in 2004, and since then, very few days have gone by when we have not communicated regarding PWA matters, working to the combined goal of the best tour possible for riders, brands and the audience as a whole.

Jimmy’s drive on all things windsurfing and, in particular, the need for more high standard youth events, has been a powerful force in the sport.

I am very happy to have Nico pick up that baton and he has hit the ground running on this new leg of the journey. Having worked with Nico as a rider, and especially on media aspects over the last few years, I have every confidence that he can help us continue to drive the sport forwards and build on the foundations put in place by Jimmy. I am looking forward to a bright future for the tour under his leadership.

We know that the entire windsurfing world will share the excitement and anticipation that we feel as we begin this new dynamic chapter in the history of the PWA.”

Antoine Albert:  "On the 6th of March 2024, one of the biggest swell hits New Caledonia. This is how the day went.
Filmed by RECMIFILM (@recmifilm) 
Music: Unhelped performed by Sounds Of The Dirty Streets"

Pierre said: “I am happy to set this collaboration with Finian and FMX for the PWA Slalom X Tour. It’s exciting the separation of the 2 disciplines as I am still a Fin Lover! This is why I decided to search for the best boards as I also want to go for the title in Fin. I know Finian since the beginning of my career, he was always a big name, a super fast guy and has true passion for the sport. After some boards testing and exchanges, we decided to go for it together! I think I will have good tools under the feet with FMX RACING and on my hands with PHANTOM - Just can’t wait to be on the line!”

Finian said: “FMX Racing is excited to announce the arrival of Pierre Mortefon to the international team! Pierre is definitively one of the very best slalom sailors of the past 10 years, his pedigree speaks for itself. He is passionate about Fin Racing and has big goals for the upcoming season. FMX shares this drive and is stoked to welcome Pierre onboard and give him the elevated performance he needs to launch his attack on the inaugural Slalom X World Title. It’s going to be an exciting year!”
 

Directed by Ludovic Marquier."

You can see Jules Denel's (Tabou / GA Sails) last video, while sailing on JP / NeilPryde @ https://youtu.be/3Ktzk8GgXA0?si=JNm8BJ8Pk3U9H4Ho

You can see Justyna Sniady's latest edit @ https://youtu.be/Ykx6XLndcIg?si=pmw5uDW2oalPSWnN

On this occasion, with a great forecast I decided to take Rafa Soulart with me to capture the action for those days from the land & have him put this great edit together. Additional footage from the water came from my Surf-Survival instructor Mehdi Allam (Oceanic.motion) on the 3rd day, who faced the waves in the impact zone behind the camera to provide some unique angles to make this clip even more complete. 

My aim for this clip is to give you a look on what it feels like to be sailing out there, what the dangers are & how I challenged myself to aim to keep pushing on that wave knowing the danger it has in case things do go wrong.

It’s a wave that breaks extremely close to the rocks and where a mistake usually gets paid in cash (broken gear), yet allows some of the best wave riding on the island. It’s an exercise of letting go of the fear to go to the rocks, trusting in your abilities, yet keeping that common sense to not push too much past your limit to avoid an early exit in the session.

In the clip I also have included guest riders like Julian Salmonn, Matteo Iachino, Danny Bruch & some of the local sailing crew from Tenerife with who I share these unique sessions.

Big thanks to Severne for supporting this clip and my journey. 

Does this clip want to make you start wave sailing, improve your wave sailing or improve your windsurfing in general to one day be able to ride conditions like these? 

Then check out my windsurfing coaching camps all over Europe on my website : https://www.dieter-b35.com/windsurfcoaching/"

View the full video now @ https://youtu.be/XaIsKS30kcY?si=SN-2qrFeHGxeXnfq

Pro Women
1st Motoko Sato (JPN | Starboard / Severne Sails)
2nd Sarah Hauser (NC | Quatro / Goya Windsurfing)
3rd Maria Andres (ESP | Duotone / Duotone Sails)
4th Maria Morales Navarro (ESP | Goya Windsurfing)
5th Natsuki Wakasa / Shoko Yoshioka (JPN)
6th Nozomi Sakai / Minako Mori (JPN)

Pro Men
1st Bernd Roediger (HI | Flikka / Hot Sails Maui / Black Project Fins)
2nd Marcilio Browne (BRA | Goya Windsurfing)
3rd Victor Fernandez (ESP | Duotone / Duotone Sails)
4th Morgan Noireaux (HI | JP / NeilPryde / Black Project Fins)
5th Takara Ishii (JPN | RRD / RRD Sails) / Marc Pare Rico (ESP | Simmer / Simmer Sails)
 
7th Ryu Noguchi (JPN | Starboard / Severne Sails) / Robby Swift (UK | JP / NeilPryde)

Masters
1st Yoshitaka Ikeda (JPN)
2nd Takashi Endo (JPN)
3rd Masaru Nimi / Dai Akimot (JPN)

Competitors were met with solid, mast high swells, combined with moderate, cross-onshore, starboard tack wind. It would be a battle of the Hawaiian based, starboard tack specialists, versus the European onshore specialists, versus top Japanese shredders.

Eventual champion, Roediger was the only person to win every single heat he was in. He impressed all day with natural flow and a considered technique to stay especially high on the wave face to maintain speed and find rapid fire sections. But he had to pull multiple hail Mary’s to win both the semi-final and final in a dramatic finish to the end of both heats. His first gripping save was in the final minutes of the semi-final, where he lifted from third to first, with a series of fast lip smacks and progressive style on only his third wave of the heat. Progressing to the final, he started in a relaxed and playful mood, seemingly enjoying whatever the wave offered and keeping busy, rather than just waiting for only the major sections to appear. As the heat progressed, he then focused more on finding the really critical sections and was well rewarded with a 5.67 when he pulled off one of the biggest hits of the day on a near mast-high section. With reigning World Champion, Marcilio Browne (Goya Windsurfing), in the lead when the final buzzer sounded to end the heat, Bernd pulled off his second hail Mary move of the day. Finding rare side-shore style speed, he pulled fast paced lip hits with a dramatic, low-wind goiter on the inside reform that kept the audience on the edge of their seats, as he used whatever remaining strength he had to pull it out of the whitewater for a completion. Earning a near excellent 7.5 for such a difficult move in the conditions, Roediger moved ahead of Browne for the first time in the final to win the event. “I’m notorious for giving people scares like that. It definitely has to do with a feeling you get. You feel the wave is out there, you just have to wait for it to come. And I felt like something good was going to happen to me today,” Bernd said smiling. “When I caught that wave, I knew it was a good one. Everything changed. Suddenly the wind had clicked a couple of degrees more side-shore, the wave was clean and it just made it easy.“

Browne had been another stand out of the day, starting round one with a near excellent heat total of 15.67 and looking like he was the one to beat. Throughout the day, he continually found multiple opportunities to mix up backside cut-backs with fast, powerful frontside hits and even the occasional aerial. In a stirring loss, Browne led the entire way through until the buzzer sounded and looked unbeatable for the majority of it. He consistently used fast paced, multi-directional, critical moves to make the most of what the wave offered, and did so with superior speed, power and flow. But, unable to bring in his usual aerial rotation moves, he finished with a heat total of 12.10, just one point below eventual champion, Roediger. A remarkably cheery Browne said, “Bernd rips and he always has something in the bag, so I knew it wasn’t going to be over until it was over, and he did it. But second place is a great start to the year. I’m really happy and I’m looking forward to Chile and will hopefully get a good result there too.”

Third place finisher, Victor Fernandez (Duotone / Duotone Sails), was another head turner of the competition, making the conditions look a lot less onshore than they were. The Spaniard rode waves with speed, aggression and a snappy, off the lip style, despite acknowledging the day was “really hard, with big and challenging waves”. With declining wind, he possibly struggled a little to maintain his momentum in the final, but still found a few good down-the-line waves with multiple sections.

Morgan Noireaux (JP / NeilPryde / Black Project Fins) had solid momentum in the lead up to the final, with the highest score of the semi-finals. With his usual impeccable timing, he excelled at finding larger, solid sections to hit with power and was one of the few successful riders to consistently pull off a more committed down-the-line approach. However, whether luck, tiredness or the dropping wind factored in, Noireaux just wasn’t able to find the same quality waves that he had earlier in the day and finished in fourth place.

The women’s final was a tight battle between the top three, with all finalists impressing throughout the entire event. But local favourite and last year’s winner, Motoko Sato (Severne / Severne Sails), proved too strong and again, took out the win.

Sato was a little more selective than most, but managed to find the wave that made the difference after the halfway mark in the final. Reading the conditions well, she used a good mix of frontside lip hits and backside snaps to win. “I’m so glad to win, I’m thrilled to have all the riders from all over the world,” an ever polite Motoko said.

Runner up, Sarah Hauser (Quatro / Goya Windsurfing) used her wave prowess to stay high on the wave face and hit critical sections with power. However, the Hawaiian based rider couldn’t quite link enough multiple turns together in the beach break setting.

World number four, María Andrés (Duotone / Duotone Sails), consistently looked to be a major threat, powering her way through heat wins all day until the final. On her best waves, Andrés maintained good speed throughout her turns and impressed with excellent wave selection and some strong frontside turns.

Upcoming junior star, Maria Morales Navarro (Goya Windsurfing) picked some bigger waves throughout the day and rode well, despite her limited starboard tack experience.

Juniors and Masters are now the only divisions to be completed and may run tomorrow, or later this week depending on the rapidly changing conditions. Traveling competitors are now focusing on the second 5-star event of the 2024 World Tour calendar in Chile, which runs from March 30 to April 12.

Result SPICARE Omaezaki Japan World Cup - Women’s Wave

1st Motoko Sato (JPN / Severne / Severne Sails)
2nd Sarah Hauser (NC | Quatro / Goya Windsurfing)
3rd María Andrés (ESP | Duotone / Duotone Sails)
4th Maria Morales Navarro (ESP | Goya Windsurfing)
5th Natsuki Wakasa (JPN)
5th Shoko Yoshioka (JPN)

Result SPICARE Omaezaki Japan World Cup - Men’s Wave

1st Bernd Roediger (HI | Flikka / Hot Sails Maui / Black Project Fins)
2nd Marcilio Browne (BRA | Goya Windsurfing)
3rd Victor Fernandez (ESP | Duotone / Duotone Sails)
4th Morgan Noireaux (HI | JP / NeilPryde / Black Project Fins)
5th Takara Ishii (JPN | RRD / RRD Sails) 
5th Marc Pare Rico (ESP | Simmer / Simmer Sails)
7th Ryu Noguchi (JPN | Severne / Severne Sails)
7th Robby Swift (UK | JP / NeilPryde)

PWA: We’re heading to Japan for the opening event of the season - how did you spend your offseason? 

SH: Well, I'm glad you ask, because next month I will be releasing the 3rd episode of Life of Adventure, my new vlog on YouTube, and I will share about my offseason/winter period for January and February. But bascailly what I can tell you is that I was very busy! There was some personal stuff keeping me busy, but there were also some events, some sponsors events with GoPro and with Medallia. So I was busy traveling for that and that's super cool because I'm grateful to have those those relationships and those sponsors backing me for 2024.

I haven't been on the water as much as I would have wanted to because of all these things keeping me busy. But I have spent a fair amount of time in the gym just trying to get strong again, because last year was a bit of a complicated year with Casey's leukaemia and the back and forth between Maui and L.A. So just trying to lay some strong physical base was kind of my goal, at least.

PWA: Have you been to Japan before and what are you most excited about for this trip? 

SH: I have been in Japan for layovers, but never for an actual trip, so it will be more like a first time. And what I'm most excited about is, is so many things. Actually, just to discover what I don't know. And it seems like there is a very tight community of windsurfers there so I'm really excited to meet them and sail with them and see how they windsurf, how they live there with their lifestyle around the ocean. I'm also very excited about the food, obviously! Always when traveling for competition, there is a part of me that wishes that we can complete the event and have some time to experience the culture and it's not in just a few days that we can grasp an entire culture, but it's still great to get glimpses of that. So I would hope that there is going to be some time to do that! 

PWA: What are your expectations for the week?

SH: As for the expectations, for me, this really is out of my comfort zone! I’m not able to go to Europe this year, but I still wanted to challenge myself and compete in conditions that I know are not my cup of tea. Omaezaki is normally a jump-orientated spot and I know that's going to be tough for me. This is really not the type of waves in which I excel. I’m more into the the surfing kind of waves, and the big waves as well, but I think there can be big conditions. It can definitely be more like a storm chase type of forecast if we have big days out there. So, yeah, I'm not having huge expectations for the result - I really am trying to challenge myself, get out of my comfort zone and compete again. I believe that as riders on the tour, we should get challenged in both surfing and jumping, so I'm trying to do my part and go, and at the same time discover a really cool place and a nice culture.

PWA: Thanks, Sarah, good luck for the event.
 

PWA: It’s the first event of the season and it’s on home soil for you - how does it make you feel competing in front of a home crowd?

Takuma: I’m sooo excited for the event and meeting my friends in Japan. I’m so happy to show my sailing at a World Cup for Japanese supporters. Those may be very big pressures, but even that is something to look forward to. 

PWA: How have you prepared for this event during the off season? 

Takuma: We had 3 national event (JWA) in Omaezaki this winter so actually not really an off season! But I had good starboard tack training and really practiced concentrating on freestyle move in the waves. It went pretty well and I was also able to test a lot of boards in the same conditions.

PWA: You were 8th on the tour last year, what are your goals for this season? 

Takuma: My goal is TOP3 in the world this year. And anyway, enjoy windsurfing.

Good luck for the upcoming event and season Takuma! 

Special thanks to Aerial Video Maui and Fish Bowl Diaries for the breathtaking action footage.
Created by Levi Siver."

You can watch Marcilio Browne enjoying this ultra-rare run of Kona winds @ https://youtu.be/YKuLf-2ntjI?si=QV2faYIO-9rnD1OC

Paul van Bellen: "Spent the afternoon filming Jaeger Stone in Geraldton. Super cool to watch him sail his local spot. I've slowed the action down so you can learn some technique. Hope you enjoy!

Follow me on Instagram:  

 @paulvanbellen  

Thomas Traversa:

"1 trip
1 week
1 spot
1 board   -------------- Tabou Da Curve 68
2 sails     --------------  Gaastra Manic 4.0 (white) & 4.2 (red)

1 very slow video
2 mesmerizing songs from Hermanos Gutierrez:
 "El Malo y el bueno" ------- "Tres hermanos"

Video clips by Pierre Bouras"

You can see Thomas Traversa's slow-motion wave riding @ https://youtu.be/3-f15wIjxAQ?si=4G89mu5WtQe7nUlP

The 2024 PWA x IWT Unified Wave World Tour kicks off in just under two weeks time in Japan with the SPICARE Omazaeki Japan World Cup - which is also the first 5-star event of the year.