In 2012, Rutkowski became the PWA Youth Slalom World Champion before quickly breaking into the overall top 16 in 2014 and seemingly making steady progress, but 2015 and ’16 proved to be steep learning curves with the Pole dropping outside the world’s top 20, which must’ve tested his mental fortitude. Since those couple of slightly disappointing seasons, Rutkowski has again been making solid progress… in 2017 and ‘18 he returned to the overall top 16 (16th and 14th respectively), but it was last season where he really made significant strides towards the top - qualifying for multiple winners’ finals, winning his first races on the world tour and earning his first podium to eventually finish 7th in the overall rankings for 2019. We recently caught up with Maciek for an interview, which is well worth a read with honest and intriguing answers!

Hey Maciek, how’s it going? Congratulations on breaking into the overall top 10 for the first time in your career… how does it feel to have cracked that one?

Honestly, it feels pretty normal. This might sound cocky or whatever but let me explain. Since I decided to try becoming a professional racer I’ve been working my ass off to improve my level every year. Everybody improves, so to improve your ranking you gotta improve more than the others. And my ranking kept improving, slowly, but it did. So in 2018 I reached a level where I saw I’m competitive at the highest level, including almost winning a final in Korea, right after finishing 2nd in another one. I was missing consistency and mental fitness, but my level was there already. I guess what I’m trying to say is I judge my sailing against what I think my current level is and not necessarily against the ranking. So I can’t really be over the moon about finishing 7th, or basically sailing somewhere in the realm of my potential for most of the season. Also, 7th is not exactly what you set out to do when you start your career, so yeah, it feels normal, feels like there’s still a lot of work to do to keep it or to improve…

Your season didn’t actually start off that well with a 21st and a 25th in Marignane and South Korea - was it mentally tough for you to stay focused the rest of the year? And did your goals change for the year after the opening two events?

That was very hard to take. France was only one elimination and no fault of my own, so I didn’t dwell to much over it, but in Korea I made 2 massive mistakes and with my discard used in France it felt horrible. Also we had foiling events in the meantime and I didn’t perform even close to my best and then I went to the IFCA World’s and got sick, so basically it was June and I didn’t have a single decent result. It was time to fully reset. Luckily Fuerte was next, a place where you get multiple opportunities and even if you make some little mistakes here and there you might pay a lesser price for them if you’re performing well overall. So I just went there with an openminded attitude, not thinking about the ranking or anything like that and just trying to start well, gybe well, sail to my potential and came out with a decent, yet pretty unlucky, 6th.  

After that disappointing start you then enjoyed a great season (6th in Fuerte, 3rd in Denmark & 5th in Nouméa) - how did it feel to bounce back like that and also earn your first podium?

Felt good for sure, although after Fuerte it was back to the drawing board. As much as Fuerte can be physically demanding, mentally I’d say for me it’s one of the easier events. You come to the beach, you bust out 2-3 eliminations fully powered up and you go home. If you messed up, you can pick it up the next day. I needed to have a different mindset heading into Denmark, as you never know there. Could be 10 rounds, could be 2 iffy ones, pumping on 9.4 like we had in 2016. In the end we had 9 (eliminations) in a variety of conditions and probably that suits me quite well since all the sizes of my Challengers and FMX’s are equally competitive. I would be stoked with the way I sailed for the most part even if I had’ve finished 4th, but to get that podium in the last race in such dramatic fashion was definitely a cherry on the cake. 

Denmark also saw you win your first Slalom race on the world tour - how did that feel? And do you think that after winning your first race you have more belief that you can win more races in the future?

Felt really really f***** sweet. I came so close 16 months prior and then came pretty close in the windiest one a few eliminations back, but could never quite get it. Funny enough it didn’t really cross my mind to win it, I just wanted to beat Julien [Quentel] who was my only podium threat, that was the only goal. We were battling on the run-up to the start, pushing each other like crazy and finally he slammed the breaks, because he thought we might go over early. I didn’t budge and boy did it pay off! Still had to pump my lungs out and pray Thijs [van der Meer] is not gonna abandon the race, cause it was getting really light. Some extra adrenaline haha! But I tell you, crossing that finish line was one of the purest, best emotions I’ve ever felt. It was not even about winning the final or getting the podium. It was about the fact that I performed my best when it mattered the most. And anyone that knows anything about sports knows how much value that carries. To me it means everything. 

And yes, I hate to admit it, but winning one and getting a podium does change your confidence. I would love to believe the same way I believe now, 2-3 years ago. I would have probably progressed faster for sure. But I guess everyone goes through the same thing. You arrive on tour, you think you’re amazing, but then you get your ass kicked for 2-3 years in a row and you don’t think you’re so amazing anymore. So then you sort of need to prove to yourself that you can actually be great like you thought when you were 18. Now I believe, let’s see what comes next… 

Out of all the events, which one was your favourite and why?

I love Fuerte it’s such a classic, but then Denmark has to be up there because of the the variety of conditions and the result. And then leading the event in New Caledonia was pretty special, even if I blew it afterwards haha!  

Where do you think you raced the best?

Probably not Denmark actually. There everyone was pretty inconsistent due to the ever changing conditions, including Antoine [Albeau], so I was just the most consistent of that bunch fighting for the podium. But if I look at the points it would probably be New Caledonia. I probably only made one massive mistake there, which cost me a chance of being in the podium fight, but I made 7 finals, performed well in majority of them and was way closer on points to the winner and 2nd guy than in Denmark. So yeah, I think sometimes results don’t tell the whole story unless you know exactly what to look for or actually watched the whole event..

You were just one of out of a group of 5 sailors that won an elimination for the first time… what do you think that says about the level on the world tour at the moment? And do you think that this band of sailors is ready to challenge the big top 3?

5 years ago the level seemed high and tight. And it only got higher and tighter from there! Personally I think it’s great, its really up to the execution now, performing here and now, rather then just sheeting in and being 20 meters in front on the first mark. And it creates a great sense of unpredictability which is exactly what we want when we sell our sport as a product. 

You are always quite honest of your own appraisal - breaking into the top 10 (7th) - is a big achievement… but the big top 3 still finished well clear of the rest of the fleet… what do you think separates them from the rest of the pack? And what do you think you need to do to get closer to them?

Again it depends how you look at it. If you watch all the finals from New Caledonia you’re not gonna see a clear domination, not at all. What you gonna see though is those 3 guys being always somewhere there, close to the top. And that’s what separates them, this type of consistency on the highest level. For me personally I’ve written down and discussed every single development that’s happened to me with my coach since the beginning of 2018 and it seems like we know exactly what to do to make that step forward. Whether it will happen in 2020 or not, we will see and learn along the way! 

Next year will see Foil and Slalom merge together with sailors been given the choice whether to foil or use a normal fin? What do you think about this change?

We’ve discussed this so much during events and on emails for the last 2 years, that I don’t really know what to say anymore. I honestly can’t say whether it’s good or bad, time will tell. But it definitely seems like the natural step for the sport to take. As for the competition side – it’s super exciting, but for sure there’s a dose of uncertainty how it’s gonna look on the performance side – I could arrive 20 meters clear of the pack in the first heat of 2020 or something opposite can happen, which in regular slalom is almost impossible at this stage of gear development. Somebody supposedly smart once said that a goal should scare you a little and excite you a lot. I guess it’s one of those cases! 

Having broken into the top 10 in 2019 - what are your goals for 2020?

Just improve my performance and have even more fun, which will probably be actually harder than the first part! 

And finally… what are you plans for winter?

I’m just been to Sardinia to finish the foil slalom sails with Bruno [Martini] and then I’m gonna head over to Tenerife for the annual racing bootcamp! 

Thanks, Maciek. Enjoy the rest of your winter and see you back on the racing circuit soon!

You can stay up to date with Maciek Rutkowski’s (FMX Racing / Challenger Sails) latest news and adventures via his Social Media Channels: 

Facebook: @maciek.rutkowski
Instagram: @maciekrutko

One of those sailors is 2018 Freestyle vice-world champion - Adrien Bosson (Fanatic / Duotone / Maui Ultra Fins) - and the Frenchman recently ventured away from the coast to head to Brandvlei, which is a notoriously windy lake in the Western Cape.

You can see Adrien Bosson flying over Brandvlei here.

Can you explain in short what your project is about? 

Local Riders Los Roques is about supporting kids of the community with a vision to create a healthy mind linked with water sports. Los Roques suffers badly with drug trafficking, which is obviously is a huge problem. We need to fight back with our project to keep the health of the Archipelago in good hands. Thankfully Sports and Nature combined is the number 1 cure against these negative problems. 

Why did you start this project? 

I started this because when I was a kid, beautiful people gave me the opportunity and helped me to get into the sport. They directed me through what I can say at my own experience into the correct path in life which was windsurfing and beach culture. The healthy lifestyle became our daily life and it has given me everything, thankfully.
 
So I wanted to give the same opportunity to the ‘local riders’. Otherwise I was going to feel selfish. So I want to give the opportunity to the 700 kids of this BLESSED and MAGICAL Archipelago called Los Roques.

How do you fund all the gear and who is helping you with giving windsurf/kitesurf and surf lessons?

I donated everything myself; over $12,000 - gear between kids equipment, wave and some slalom, surf- and paddle boards. 

This all started a few years ago when I began to send all the gear little-by-little to Los Roques on the artisanal fishing boats. Thanks to them they supported us to transport the gear to the Archipelago, which is a difficult thing. 

My good friend Oscar Cisneros is a local surfer and windsurfer, he helped me teaching the kids and trying to educate them when I was not there. 

It was a challenge because in the lagoon of the main Island called Gran Roque suddenly all the kids wanted to windsurf and paddle! There was just not enough gear for them all, we needed to change something and make a plan. So every kid could attend, we had to make sure not one kid was being left out. In the meantime there were 700 kids in the Archipelago! 

After the first Beach Culture World Tour (BCWT) I organised, thanks to Brian Talma who came to show us his vision, the waterman event, which was a complete success! Since the first BCWT in 2017 we had the entire community backing us up, between all the native fishermen, hotels, local businesses and restaurants!   

The second year we had more support from the industry; Adventure Sports, (JP & Neilpryde), Nahskwell Foil & SUP. AHD Boards and pro windsurfers Deivis Paternina & Brian Talma started to also support the kids with gear, I’m very sure more and more will be supporting this project. 

Which goals do you want to achieve? 

We simply want to create a vision and path for all our kids with equal opportunities for them to accomplish there dreams in life. This will make Los Roques a healthier and safer environment. Our main goal is for them to become professional athletes (watermen) Olympic Athletes and also professional instructors as the Archipelago of Los Roques offers world class conditions for all water sports and disciplines!

I’m forever thankful to all the amazing individuals that form part of this amazing project: 
Oscar Cisneros, Jhossua Montilla, Carolina Chopite, Brian Talma, Joseph Topel, Javier Salazar, Vivi Narvaez, Teresa Salazar, Enielito Narvaez.

Are there already local riders that have already potential to be on the PWA World Tour? 

Yes, guaranteed! We already have a couple of kids that absolutely rip in the waves and started to do freestyle. They already do aerials, one handed aerials, backloops, flakas, forward loops and they are trying goiters, 360's and takas.! The kids are also good surfers and fishermen; outstanding kids that learn to do everything themselves.

Why do you like this so much? 

This is what LIFE is about! Giving from your HEART is LIVING, receiving is a BLESSING...but taking breaks the HARMONY and MAGIC!

Tell us some stories about the local kids?

There are a few stories. This one isn’t a funny story, but just things that happen during the week. Sometimes the kids stay out till dark windsurfing between the Islands and we all got very worried. There can be speedboats on the water with no navigation lights on, they sometimes crash into each other. That’s why I always tell the kids to at least sail together, just in case something happens. But they are kids and have no fear at all! Because I started this project, I am the one the parents look for. Thank God they always come back safe! 

Another story about an 8 year old kid. We were surfing with all the kids at the point one day. It’s a point break full of coral and fire coral with loads of sea urchins. There was one very young kid, about 8 years old, surfing. At one moment most of us went out to our surf shack to take a break and eat lunch in the shade. At this surf point there is only one safe exit, as everywhere else it’s like a 'death path’ with razor sharp reef and waves breaking. This 8 year old kid came straight through the ‘death path’ on a foamy wave under his surfboard and laying on it all the way up until he was safe…instead of exiting the safe path, this kid was nuts, when he showed the bottom of his board there were no fins anymore and peaces of coral were stuck under his board. He was so lucky to not to get hurt. It was at that moment I understood how the kids of local riders were destroying all the gear so rapidly that was given to them when they where learning, but now as they have more level they are learning that the more they take care of the gear the longer they can be on the water.

Good luck with the Local Riders at your home spot and we hope to see one of your local kids on tour one day! 

From the entire Local Riders family we thank you for this opportunity and we hope to be on the PWA World Tour one day very soon!

You can see a video featuring the Diony and the kids of Los Roques @ https://youtu.be/JNFgcUIog6o to learn more about this fantastic initiative. 

Quite a few PWA sailors are currently in WA training, including local boy Jaeger Stone (Starboard / Severne / SWOX), who is back on the water after missing the end of the season through a knee injury, Dieter van der Eyken (Severne / Severne Sails) and Juliann Salmonn (Bruch Boards / GUNSAILS).

You can see a quick-fire, but action packed 53 second clip of the three amigos sailing at Geraldton here.

Video courtesy of TwoGoatMedia and Images courtesy of Nicolas Hess

Lena Erdil: “I’m extremely excited to announce the launch of a new project I’ve been working on with my good friend and now business partner Katharina Seelack. Over the passed year we have created a new brand called MyWindstories. On our new Webpage www.mywindstories.com we offer windsurf camps for girls, as well as a Platform with a Blog and Forum with the aim of connecting and growing the windsurf girls community. 

For me, Lena Erdil, MyWindstories is a way to give back to the community and sport that I love. At the same time I really just want to see more girls on the water! I really enjoy sailing with other girls and personally believe, that there is nothing more motivating than seeing another girl do the move you've been practising and I would like to share this feeling with as many girls as possible.”

Kathi Seelack : “For me, as a physiotherapist and passionate windsurfer, My Windstories is a chance to connect both my passions while hopefully helping to strengthen the feeling of community and inspire more girls to be a part of it."   

More about My Windstories:

The project is about Windsurfcamps specifically for girls and it’s called MyWindstories. 
We named it My Windstories because we believe in the concept and importance of storytelling and learning from each others stories. This is what we experienced at the first Camp in 2019. Besides the windsurf coaching we found that connecting by sharing our stories was a great source of motivation for all the girls and that it strengthens the sense of community and belonging. It left us wanting to create something wholesome, so that the girls who meet at the Camps could also have a platform and community to stay connected once the Camps are over.  Or even just simply use the MyWindstories to share and be inspired by other girls who like the same things. 

We have launched the webpage today and for 2020 we have 3 Camps available for booking. The locations are Lake Garda, Leipzig and Fuerteventura. We have chosen these locations based on their geographical position and wind stability. Easily accessible by car for people in Central Europe and Fuerteventura, easy to reach from almost every airport in Europe. We have partnered up with Windsurf Centres who offer our Girls special rental deals and a great variety of equipment. The Camps are open for most levels of windsurfing and we offer foiling lessons as a light wind alternative in both Leipzig and Lake Garda. 

We believe that what sets our Camps apart is our all inclusive coaching approach. We combine coaching techniques such as video analysis and equipment knowledge/tuning with a fun and safe learning environment that makes it easy to progress. Usually one of us is demoing the moves and the other one is coaching from the boat or our coaching base. On top of all the windsurfing together we also want to give our girls the tools they need for successful recovery. Kathi is a professional physiotherapist, athletic and Blackroll trainer and has prepared a special mix of training and recovery sessions for our Camps. She is also available for individual training and physiotherapy sessions. 

You can find out all the information regarding our camps and coaching techniques  as well as a little more information about who we are on our Webpage : www.mywindstories.com
Lena Erdil
Professional Windsurfer

The race for the Slalom world title couldn’t have been any closer between Iachino and eventual champion - Pierre Mortefon (Fanatic / Duotone / Chopper Fins) - with the title being decided in the very last race of the season. We recently caught up with Matteo to talk about just missing out on the title and that infamous moment of hitting a sea snake in the semifinals on the last day, which cost him a place in the winners’ final and potentially changed the course of the title race, plus a few other things. You can read our interview with Matteo below:

Hey Matteo, congrats on another great year on tour - finishing as the Slalom vice-world Champion and third in Foil - how was 2019 as a whole for you?

It has been a great racing season.  Starting so bad in France and getting two amazing results in two disciplines.

You obviously came so close to a second world title with the title race coming down to the very last race of the year in New Caledonia - how tough was it to just miss out?

It has been pretty bad. As I said in 2017 and 2018 I was close but not so close as this year. I felt ready for it and there was something that was missing as I raced as good as I could with just a few mistakes and some really bad luck in some moments. And that’s why I felt it worse than the previous two years, but this is racing and we gotta love it for what it is because it’s great.

In the first race, on the final day in NC, you hit a sea snake in the semifinal, which effectively cost you a spot in the Winners’ Final - could you believe what happened? And how mentally tough was it to then continue fighting for the title as that then put you on the backfoot?

I couldn’t believe what was happening. I’m a guy who kind of never hits anything in the water and I’ve been sailing in New Cal for so many times doing long distances, cruising for hundreds of kms etc… and it felt so weird hitting it during such an important moment…. But I got over it quite easily with my mind somehow.

On day 4 you completed a hat-trick of race wins, which was the first time you had done that since 2016… how special is it when you manage to achieve that feat?

It’s an unreal feeling. You know… in any sport you have days when you are 100% and days when you simply are not. This day everything was working great, you feel incredibly well and it’s such a high for a sportsman that if conditions don’t change all goes smoothly in your direction and everything gets easier.

Having been so dominant on day 4, you then didn’t manage to win another race for the rest of the event - did you change your approach at all or do you think that’s some times just the way it goes?

I was performing better on my medium gear while Pierre has been really good the whole season on the big gear. On day 4 we were powered on medium gear. The wind got lighter on the last two days and I broke the base of my best fin for light wind. Then I hit the snake and the last race I was underpowered all the way…

Out of all events, which one was your favourite this season and where do you think you sailed best?

Denmark by far. We got to sail every conditions and it felt great winning there after such a great event. I always love Fuerte too.

Next year will see Foil and Slalom merge together with sailors been given the choice whether to foil or use a normal fin? What do you think about this change? And do you think it could cause a mix up to the results with different faces potentially at the top?

I guess it’s really good. I think for light wind it’s the future of our sport and foil slalom in light wind is just pure fun. New faces coming up? Might be… It would be cool. Our sport is evolving and we need lo let it evolve in the best way possible, but continuing to race in the most entertaining way possible, which is slalom in my point of view. It’s going to be interesting.

After a long season of racing - what have you been up to since the end of the season and what are your plans for the rest of winter?

I’ve been one week on vacation in New Cal with all my friends from there wave sailing and surf foiling and then I’ve been in Bali chilling and surfing until now.

But in the meanwhile I’m organising everything for my other big step. I’ve opened a windsurfing centre in Tenerife. It will be the first Severne Experience Centre in the world and it’s located in Cabezo Bay, right upwind of the wave spot on a nice beach perfect for launching with any kind of gear. I’ve been working on it in the second half of the year and we should be ready to launch at the beginning of January. 

Thanks, Matteo. Congrats once again on a great year and good luck with your new centre!

After the success of the previous events in 2018 and 2019, the municipality of El Ejido is consolidated as one of the most important destinations in the South of Europe for windsurfing and other water sports.
The event has hosted 35 international windsurfers from countries such as Germany, Belgium, Denmark, France, Italy and Spain.
 
Victor Fernández (Fanatic / Duotone / SWOX): “It has been a great success in participation and organisation. For our municipality, it is very important to have such an important event of the PWA and start with the first stop of the PWA Youth tour and to have some of the best young windsurfers in the world [competing]. Finally, I would like to thank the sponsors, competitors, volunteers and the team behind the event because without them it would not be possible to organise a magnificent competition again. We are looking forward to seeing you all again in 2021."

Lay days

The no wind days had fun activities for the young riders. Starting on the first day with a Team Sup race where they had to put in showcase their best skills, while also working as a team whilst paddling. Another activity was skateboarding thanks to CS Custom by Sandro, who shaped a new custom ramp this year for our event.
 
Keeping our oceans and beaches clean

We do care about our planet and our oceans are not clean at all. We did a morning SUP ocean and beach clean up where we collected lots of plastic. Thanks to everyone for joining us.

Four Eliminations of Slalom

The east wind conditions of the Levante have allowed the Slalom discipline to gain a great result. Four elimination rounds per category were completed on day 3 in light winds - with the riders on sails ranging from 9.0m to 6.6m sizes. From start to finish we had very exciting battles in all categories. 

Boy’s U20

Cyril Evrard (Starboard / Severne) started by winning the first race of the day before adding a second and another bullet to deservedly secure the win. 

Girl’s U20

Julia Pasquale (Fanatic / Duotone), who is well known for her wave skills, signed up for her very first Slalom event and she was able to come out on top after producing a very consistent set of results.

Boy’s U17

Nicolo Spanu (Tabou / GA Sails / AL360) was very dominant in the Boy’s U17s with the young Italian winning every elimination.

Girl’s U17

Meanwhile, Nicolo’s sister - Maddalena Spanu - was just as dominant in the girls fleet as she too won every race completed.
 
As for the local talent they have managed to reach the podium in most of the categories:

- Cosme Martín finished 2nd in the Boy’s U20 
- Noelia Fuentes finished 2nd in the Girl’s U17 
- While Miguel Mirón claimed third place in the Boy’s U15.

You can see the highlights of the event @ vimeo.com/382903801

Beatrice & Magdalena: “After a hectic year of travelling and windsurfing, Beatrice and Magdalena find themselves back where their windsurfing career started.

Brasil! Hold on as they go for off roading Brazilian style before busting out their latest freestyle moves in Jericoacoara and lagoa Grande.

And also it seems they’re getting more and more synchronised!

Obrigada Brazil for another lovely holiday yet again <3

Like and share the lovelyholiday goodness!”

You can see Lovely Holiday Episode 4 @ youtu.be/3xy-6WXJ1bE

Antoine Albert: “First of all, I d’like to wish you a Happy New Year with a lot of wind and waves all along 2020!! 

I just released a new video about how December 2019 went at home, here in New Caledonia, with wave and freestyle action. It has been one of the best December so far with a lot of wind and some big swells (which is quite unusual at the period). Hope you’ll like it !! 

I’ll post another edit in a week so stay tuned for more action in paradise !!

Here is the link: vimeo.com/382725387&nbsp;

For more photos, videos, infos and news you’re welcome to follow me on:

-Facebook: Antoine Albert NC21 

-Instagram: antoine_albert_nc21  

You can see Antoine Albert living the dream @ https://vimeo.com/382725387

1. Why are you so passionate about windsurfing?

I love the wind, the speed you can take and all the whole lifestyle. 

2. What quality do you like most in other people?

Goodness

3. What annoys or frustrates you the most?

The disparity between men and women today in our sport. 

4. What do you most like in yourself?

My perseverance

5. What do you dislike in yourself?

Sometimes I would like to be a bit taller for some slalom conditions ;-)

6. What has been your best moment on tour?

My victory in Noumea without any doubt.

7. What has been your worst moment on tour?

Some years ago in Korea, I did not manage to find the good flow during the week. No pleasure, a disaster. 

8. Knowing what you know now, what advice would you have given yourself when your career started?

Keep it cool, think why you are here in the competition, and always think that you have to find some pleasure! 

9. What is the best advice you have ever been given?

The advice I would have given now just above :)

10. What would be your perfect day?

Summer time, waves, side wind, friends, sunset and beers. 

11. Do you have any superstitions?

No…

12. Which living person do you most admire?

So many people, I can’t choose…

13. What is your greatest fear? 

Losing someone close.

14. What is your most treasured possession?

Some jewels I have, without any values :) but some stories. 

15. If you weren’t a professional windsurfer, what would you like to be?

Maybe an engineer, using the diploma I passed 3 years ago. 

16. Where is the best place you’ve been?

Tahiti, amazing atmosphere, beauty, and perfect conditions for windsurfing.

17. Where would you most like to go to that you haven’t been to yet?

Maui for sure!

18. Who would you most like to have as a dinner guest, dead or alive?

My Grandmother who died when I was 6.

19. First App you open in the morning?

WindGuru

20. A phrase you live by?

Never give up!

Thanks, Marion.

You can stay up to date with all of Marion Mortefon's latest news and adventures via her Social Media Channels:

- Facebook: @marionmortefon
- Instagram: @marion_mortefon  

Ricardo Campello: “After a year without a Sail Sponsor, I was finally able to get a deal with one of the most recognisable brands in windsurfing, Naish Windsurfing Sails and Boards is the equipment I will be riding for the 2020 season and I have been testing their sails and giving feedback to make the best sail to suit my needs. 

For 2020 I will still be representing Brunotti with their accessories and waterwear but I want to say a big thanks to them for also supporting me on making my boards together with Peter Thommen! 

Big thanks to GOLD DATA and TESI SQUARE for supporting me throughout the year and helping me achieve 3rd in the world!”

2019 still represents an exceptional year for Browne on tour with the 30-year-old finishing as the vice-world champion behind eventual champion - Philip Köster (Starboard / Severne / Maui Ultra Fins) - while he was the only sailor to boast a top 5 finish or better at every event. We recently caught up with Braw for an interview, which you can read below:

Hi Marcilio, congrats on a great season - finishing in the overall top 3 for the second time in three years - how does it feel to be the vice-world champion for 2019?

Feels great! The level these days is pretty scary and every heat is a really big challenge. So yeah, 2nd place is a huge achievement for me and its nice when all the work translates into results. 

Ultimately, you were one heat away from being wave world champion for the second time in your career, how did it feel to be so close, but just miss out?

For the first week, it was quite hard. Being that close and not getting it for sure hurts a lot, so yes, the first couple of days didn’t feel great. After a few weeks went by I started thinking of 2019 more as all the events and not just that last result and slowly I felt happier and happier about how it all went and all the amazing memories from the season. 

You didn’t finish outside of the top 5 in any of the 4 events - the only sailor in the overall top 10 to boast that record - how pleased are you with the level of consistency you showed?

I didn’t know I was the only one who achieved that, but yes that’s awesome, especially considering the mix of conditions we had to deal with this year. 

What would you class as your highlights for the 2019 season? And which moments stand out for you?

I became a much better swimmer after the Maui event haha! 
Just kidding, for me, the highlight was my heat against Philip [Köster] in Pozo, I think that was the best heat I ever put together, and it was against the guy I needed it the most, so I was really stoked. 
Also, the double elimination in Germany was special for me. I was feeling very sick and to finish 2nd after a lot of heats in the double elimination felt almost like a win. Thanks to Francisco Goya and Mateus Isaac for caddying that day, they made all the difference. 

On the flip side…. Is there anything you wish you could do differently if you were given another chance?

I mean there are always things we could have made different but at the time those decisions are very hard to make, wave selections, jump choices… If I could think of something that stands out the most it was my wave selection in Tenerife during the heat that I lost, I wish I had picked better/bigger ones. 

Overall I am happy with how I trained and prepared, sometimes it's just not your day. 

What do you think about the level on the world tour at the moment?

It’s amazing, everyone took their preparation to a new level. There have always been certain guys that were really good at specific spots, but now more and more the sailors see the value in being more all round and it really shows in the majority of the fleet.

After a busy summer of competing - what have you been doing since the end of the season? And what are your plans for the rest of the winter?

I have been working on my boards a lot, with Goya we have been making lots of prototypes and figuring out my quiver for next year. Some really exciting things in the making! Apart from that, I have been sailing Ho’okipa, training with Sarah Hauser and spending some quality time with my wife and baby. 

Thanks, Braw. Have a great new year and enjoy the rest of the winter!

The Italian finished 12th overall on the Freestyle World Tour in 2019 - including a 7th place finish in Sylt - while he also competed in the Canaries legs of the Wave World Tour.

You can see the 22-year-old flying into huge aerial power freestyle moves @ youtu.be/xBcb8iPuGAk and it looks as though he is the latest sailor to add the double air culo to his repertoire!

You used to be on Tabou and Gaastra when you were growing up... how long were you with them and how does it feel to return them?

Indeed! I have been stoked on Gaastra/Tabou since a little kid, the other day I posted a little video on my social media! And I have been in touch with team manager Matt Prichard since a little kid but we never got a deal going. As my pro career took off in 2010 I signed with JP/NeilPryde. I was using the gear as I started off with freestyle and was in love with the gear, so I am stoked to be back! 

After your best season on tour - 4th overall - what are your goals for 2020?

The world championship title. 

Obviously in Sylt - you had to compete badly hampered by your knee after having recent knee surgery... are you back to full fitness now? 

Indeed, right before the finals of the world tour season I had a knee injury and surgery just 4 weeks before the world championship finals, I was stoked to have made it with the help of my physio and all the people supporting me to be able to make it happen, and to be a part of it, competing, and even advancing through some heats.

I had my knee taped up and in a knee brace, it was a big struggle but I was more than stoked to be there doing my thing! Right now I am almost 3 month further and got to recover perfect, and got to put a lot of work in getting my knee back in shape to take on anything! 

Will you be spending the winter on Bonaire? Or do you have some trips planned?

For now I will still be spending my time at home and training myself to be 100% top fit condition! To be ready to take on a training trip to Cape Town - looking for strong winds and radical conditions to get ready for the 2020 world tour! 

What are your first impressions of your new gear?

I am stoked to be on Gaastra/Tabou, the gear is looking very good! I like the sails - they are feeling great in my hands and the boards are feeling perfect under my feet! 

Thank you PWA World Tour for the interview, I was stoked answering every question!

All the best regards,
Youp Schmit

Thanks, Youp. Good luck with the rest of your recovery and see you in 2020.

Graham Ezzy: “Over the summer, I traveled to Portugal for a holiday between world cups. The epic forecast arrived as mediocre conditions. But luckily, I love mediocre Atlantic windsurfing. No massive waves, no long walls, no steady winds. But plenty of fun taking on the challenge of windsurfing in difficult seas in one of my favourite places in the world.”

You can see Graham Ezzy's latest video @ https://vimeo.com/377564257

Paré has just dropped an edit of his summer highlights and it’s quite a showreel with outstanding action from Pozo, Tenerife & Galicia. 

You can see Marc Paré’s latest action packed video @ https://vimeo.com/380262635

Climate

Almerimar enjoys a perfect all-year-round Mediterranean climate, as does the whole of the Costa Almeria. In the sub-tropical environment temperatures rarely fall below 18ºC. During the summer months the temperature rises above 30ºC and July and August can get much hotter, dropping again around mid-September to a milder, but still warm and enjoyable 23ºC-27ºC degrees. The winters are mild and mostly dry, although the winter evenings can get chilly. 

The west wind is Poniente, creating the best conditions for the wave discipline. The east wind is Levante making the spot flatter for good slalom conditions but sometimes when the east wind blows over 35 knots it can create fun wind swell for waves too.
 
Facilities

The purpose-built coastal town is a fabulous family holiday resort; boasting 13km of wide, sandy beaches with excellent clean blue waters for swimming and a host of aquatic sports facilities for enthusiasts: windsurfing, surf, sup, kitesurf, swimming, fishing, diving, boating and yachting are all available. There is a 1,000-berth marina and yacht club in the town and tuition is available for beginners.
 
Almerimar also has its 18-hole golf course with first-class facilities, hire of clubs, buggies and a golf shop. There is also a lovely fishing harbour – the local catch is tuna, hotels, restaurants, bars and shopping centres within the town. Indeed, everything you could wish from a holiday resort.
 
Location

Almerimar is well situated - only an hour and a half drive from the Sierra Nevada Ski Resort, where aside from skiing and snowboarding, you can also enjoy a range of activities such as hiking, rock climbing, canoeing and cycling. The climate is typically Mediterranean, warm and dry for most of the year. Almerimar boasts the most hours of sun in Andalucia, on average 3000 hours per year and very little rain.
 
Almerimar is a self-sufficient resort, but close to several towns and villages should you wish to visit the local area, including the holiday destination Roquetas de Mar, which is a short drive away from the town.

You can see a teaser for the 2020 Victor Fernandez PWA Youth World Cup Almerimar @ https://vimeo.com/367928905

Beatrice and Magdalena: “This time they’ve escaped the scorching summer in Europe and travelled down to Gran Canaria for another lovely holiday.

After their first trips to Brazil and Bonaire it looks like they’ve stepped up their game and are giving the waves a try.

Here comes terrible acting backed up by great action!

3, 2, 1... aaaand: GO !

This clip sums up all the fun and the amazing sessions we’ve had in the Canary Island’s this past summer. It's been a blast!!

Like it ? Then SHARE the lovely holiday stoke! <3

#lovelyholiday”

You can see the latest episode of lovely holiday here

Balz Müller: “a gentle south wind breeze blowing tru the warm swissalps. hmmmm! filmed by nic hibdige riders: Müller Bros, Jack Red Helmet, Clem Black Space Helmet, Balz Balz Helmet”

You can see Balz Müller’s ‘windy as hell’ @ vimeo.com/379849381

With the winter swells continuing to pump you can see signature turns and aerials from one of Ho’okipa’s best here.

Hey Pierre, a huge congratulations again on winning your first world title after an epic battle with Matteo - how does it feel to finally become world champion and has it settled in yet?

After 2 weeks I am slowly realising it… It was just a crazy moment after all those years and all those different fights to finally get it. I am happy and it shows that work can pay off. I am also deeply moved by the reaction of a lot of people who are really happy for me, from my family to some other riders. Returning to France was crazy and the season is still not over for me ;) but it’s great.  

You had a disastrous start to the event - being disqualified for dangerous sailing - do you think that was a fair decision and what was going through your head once you were disqualified?

I don’t want to speak too much about this. I am not a crazy sailor and when I go for it, it’s because I can pass. From many years, the tour is working with the no rules system and this action was normal for me. I fully agree that it was a strong attack, but it was not dangerous. Why? We were rail to rail, both boards were flat on the water and I even kept going after the gybe. The decision was the decision and I respected it completely. Maybe it made me stronger and helped me to be strong… 

After that start you then bounced back brilliantly - qualifying for 8 winners’ finals in a row - which sent you into the world title race lead for the first time in the event… you then missed out on the top 8 in Elimination 10 - what happened to you in the semifinals?

Nothing really special, I had a ok start in the middle of the line. The chop was pretty hard in Nouméa especially on the first leg. We were powered on 8.4m & big board and I hit 2 pieces of chop in a row which made me lose speed on the first reach. Then I tried to come back but this time it was not enough… This is showing the incredible level on the World Tour… 

That result combined with Matteo finishing second meant that there was just 2.7 points between you two… how were you feeling before the start of the last elimination?

I will not say that I was not nervous, but I tried to stay focused and to take this race as a normal race. Advancing through the heat, the last day was not an easy one as I was always on the lower part of the seeding while Matteo was on top which means he was passing into the winner final before me… 

Both of you then qualified for the winners’ final… were you aware then you ‘just’ needed to be within two places of Matteo or finish ahead of him to win the world title? And what, if any, were you tactics in the final?

I didn’t count the points until the final where I had a small discussion on the beach with a friend where we count those points. This scenario was not the easiest but it was better than a full man to man, I had some room but not so much when you speak about a guys like Matteo. I just try to have a ok start, not too risky and then I was trying to look at him. 

When you were rounding the final gybe ahead of Matteo - what were you thinking as you headed down the final reach?

After gybing the first one with him then the second one in front, I change a bit my sailing. It was not about him it was just about me. Going straight, no catapult and gybing smooth, maybe the last gybe was one of the longest of my life… After hooking in and putting both feet in the straps, I checked one time at the finish line, one time behind me then I started realising that I was going to be World Champion! My eyes were already a bit wet crossing the line… 

For the last 6 seasons you have constantly been battling it out at the very top of the rankings - finishing as vice-world champion twice during that time… how does it feel to finally get your hands on the biggest prize?

It’s like a consecration! I finally show that I can be the best one… I was so close a few times, I am just so happy. The level is just crazy, we still have a part of the old generation and the upcoming one is fully motivated. I think it was one of the craziest seasons on the world tour with so much fight, ups and downs and the event victory decided on the last race… I am really happy and proud to win it! 

How have you been celebrating your first world title?


AAAAh, it’s still not over! Don’t tell that to my neighbour, but this Saturday, it’s the big one! No seriously I came back home on the night of the closing ceremony because I wanted to be with my family to celebrate, especially my wife and son who are my biggest support! Then I had already few beers and champagne with some great friends… 

And finally what are your plans for the winter?

Back on track, I will take December as a break. It’s fully needed! Then Tenerife in January for some testing and training with the boyz , I will fly to Japan in February and then come back to Europe. If it’s not too cold I will try to stay home and start also training in Marignane for the 1st stop. Lots of foiling is the plan but I will keep sailing my slalom board as I love it.

One (world title) is nice, but now I need to keep it!!! 

Thanks Pierre. A huge congratulations once again! Enjoy the celebrations tomorrow!
 

Last year we took a look at how the big top 3 performed in numbers and now that the 2019 PWA World Tour has concluded we thought we would see how Albeau, Iachino & Mortefon stacked up compared to 2018.

The Big Top 3 in Numbers 2018

                     Albeau        Iachino        Mortefon
Japan              1/1              1/1               1/1
South Korea    4/4              4/4               4/4
Costa Brava    0/1              0/1               0/1
Portugal           5/7             7/7               5/7
Fuerteventura  4/4             4/4               4/4
Sylt                   2/2              1/2              2/2
QR WF          84.21%        89.47%       84.21%

The Big Top 3 in Numbers 2019

                     Albeau        Iachino        Mortefon    
France              1/1             0/1              1/1        
South Korea     2/3             3/3              1/3        
Fuerteventura   9/9             8/9              9/9        
Denmark           4/9             8/9              6/9    
New Caledonia 9/11          7/11            9/11    
QR WF             75.75%      78.78%     78.78%        

*Qualifying Rate For Winners’ Finals (QR WF)

So as you can see none of the big top 3 were able to match the extraordinary figures they produced last year:

- Albeau qualified for 8.46% less winners’ finals compared to 2018
- Iachino qualified for 10.69% less winners’ finals compared to 2018
- And eventual world champion - Pierre Mortefon - qualified for 5.43% less winners’ finals compared to 2018.

Meanwhile, in 2018 the big top 3 won 89.47% of all the eliminations completed (17 out of 19), while in 2019 that figure dropped almost 20% to 69.69%.

One of the main reasons for that can be the fact that there were an extra 14 races in 2019 - 33 compared to 19 - and it is obviously harder to be quite so dominant the more races there are. However, the other main reason is that there is a crop of sailors trying to bridge the gap between themselves and the big top 3 and they too are raising their level.

For example in 2018 only two other sailors won eliminations - namely Finian Maynard (FMX Racing) and Cedric Bordes (Tabou / GA Sails) - while this season that number jumped to a total of 7 sailors (Julien Quentel (Patrik / GUNSAILS), Jordy Vonk (Fanatic / Duotone), Martini (I-99 / Challenger Sails), Maciek Rutkowski (FMX Racing / Challenger Sails), Enrico Marotti (JP / NeilPryde), Ethan Westera (Tabou / GA Sails) and Ross Williams (Tabou / GA Sails) - and from that group only Quentel and Williams had previously won eliminations on the world tour - showing that there is a new group of sailors trying to breakthrough into the upper ranks of the racing world. 

Will they be able to get there next season and dislodge one of the big top 3? Perhaps, but it’s still going to be a tall order, as Mortefon, Iachino & Albeau were still head and shoulders above the rest of the fleet. Jordy Vonk, who finished 4th overall finished 900 points behind Albeau in 3rd place, while he was then a staggering 1600 points behind eventual champion - Mortefon.

Traversa sails the notorious Nazaré, which as he says, has become the epicentre of big wave surfing in recent years, while the 2014 World and Red Bull Storm Chase Champion discovers some truly amazing beach breaks, river breaks and outer point breaks in a must watch new project. 

The Windsurf Project: “The new project is now live! Portugal is filled with everything from some of the biggest waves on the planet, world class beach breaks, Pastéis and even some remote magical outer point breaks.

Sometimes all you have to do is jump in the camper and go in search of them!”

You can see The Windsurf Project | Project 2 | Portugal @ https://youtu.be/dGn03t1uliE

Hey Delphine, congrats on winning your 4th slalom world title - how does it feel to win your 4th world title and how does it compare your previous titles?

Thanks! Winning a new title is always a new victory for me and each one is different because the circumstances are different! This year I had to fight until the last day of competition to win this 4th title and when the last race was over it was a huge relief! 

After a great start to the event, winning the first race, you then had a mixed bag of results for the next 3 or 4 races… was that due to your injury or what do you think happened?

Mentally I was not at my best because I was thinking about my foot and I was scared to get more injured and I was not 100% focused on the race. After the 2nd day I just forgot everything I did and began a new competition in my head! I concentrated on my starts and jibes and I finally managed to sail at my best! 

Heading into the final day you were only 1.9 points ahead of Maëlle Guilbaud in 4th place - how much pressure did you feel heading into the final day? And do you think that knowing you couldn’t afford any more mistakes in some way helped you to sail so well on the last day?

I didn’t sail with this type of pressure for a long time and I just try to do my best race after race. I tried to not think too much about the title and I never checked the points during competition. My goal was to win each race until the end! When you know you can’t make any mistakes you have no choice. You have to hold this pressure otherwise it’s over…

What do you think about the level on the tour at the moment?

The level on the tour is really good. Everybody is fighting at the start, jibes… until the end of each race! In France we are lucky to have a great level with Marion and Maëlle, so we are always pushing our limits and training to be at the top at the French competitions! I was little be sad that some girls like Jenna [Gibson], Fulya [Ünlü[, Sarah [Quita Offringa], Oda [Brødholt]…etc couldn’t come for the final in New Caledonia as we had a great battle in Denmark together, but more and more girls are joining the tour and pushing the level up!

As well as winning the 2019 PWA Slalom World Championship - you also won the first event Women’s Foil PWA World Championship - how does it feel to have won that title and to have won two titles in one year?

To be the 1st Women Foil World Champion is unbelievable! It was a new discipline and it was hard to know the level of all others girls so after the 1st day of racing in Japan I thought I had skills to do something good and after a lot of exciting battles with Alabau sisters and Marion, I finally won the 2 events on the tour! Winning 2 titles is just more than I expected and now the hardest thing will be to do the same in 2020! 

How did you celebrate your latest world titles?

I celebrated with my family around a nice dinner and of course some champagne! I would like to share this moment with people who are the most important to me! 

How will you be spending your winter?

I actually just arrived in St Barth and I will be there for 1month and half! With Antoine [Questel] we planned a boat trip for one week in the British Virgin Islands in January and we should continue our training in Tarifa from mid February until mid March before the 1st event of the year, which should be in France at the beginning of April. 

Thanks, Delphine. Congrats again on your latest world titles. Have a great winter and see you in 2020.

Julien Bru recently released an excellent short documentary, which guides you through Offringa’s title run in and includes exclusive interview footage with the now 17-time world champion. You can see this documentary @ https://youtu.be/q3fdHz2Da_U

Julien Bru: "This video traces the amazing year of Sarah-Quita Offringa from Pozo, Gran Canaria until the ultimate 2019 Mercedes-Benz Aloha Classic on Maui where she was crowned 2019 Wave World Champion.”

If you missed our recent interview with Sarah--Quita then you can find it here.

Maaike! How are you? 

I’m really good, I’ve been spending a lot of time in uni lately. I’m currently studying two degrees at VU Amsterdam, so its a bit hectic. But it’s fun as well, I like to challenge myself and keep on developing. 

We saw you had your thumb operated on last week? Why and what happened? 

Yeah, so this is actually from back in the Canaries, in Fuerteventura. I went for a session down in Risco in the lead up to the freestyle event and had a bit of an unfortunate landing doing an air flaka. I did the full rotation, landed, and then my hand just slipped off the boom. Probably wasn’t holding on to it properly, still not really sure what actually happened. Anyway, it slipped off and banged it into the mast. Hospital said it was nothing, but it never really faded and  the position of my thumb was not right either. So when I went to get it checked out at home, it turned out that a ligament was torn. Did the remaining comps and got it fixed last Monday. That session in Risco is still my favourite session of the year though, it was so much fun with SQ [Offringa\ and Oda [Brødholt]!

How long is the recovering going to take? 

To be honest, I’m not completely sure yet. I’ll be in a cast for 6 weeks and depending on the situation then, I’ll either be ready to go or something else has to happen. The doctor hasn’t been very clear about that. I think mainly because it just really depends on how well and quick it heals. They took something from another part of my wrist to fix the thumb, so just hoping for my body reacts well to rearrangement of Maaike cells. 

Any plans for the winter? 

Mainly studying, but hopefully I squeeze a little training week in just before the season starts.

Looking forward to the 2020 season? 

Yeah!! Really excited, always! Ready for more adventures, challenges and fun times!

New freestyle moves you have planned to learn? 

I haven’t really thought about it that much. So if anyone knows what could be my winning move for next year let me know.

You did well in Sylt in the waves, will you compete at all the wave events next season? 

Yes! It’s been really nice to switch things up a little bit. New challenge, definitely keeping me motivated. Unfortunately I don’t find much time to really train for the waves as much yet. I only really wave sail during the week leading up to the event and the event itself, but I’m definitely improving and having a lot of fun doing it, so I’ll be back for that!

Thanks, Maaike. Good luck with the recovery and hope to see you back on the water soon! Good luck with your studies too!

Campello, who is a former 3-time Freestyle World Champion, is still aiming to win his first wave world title and has been in title race contention for the last two years. Could this additional support from Naish be the final piece of the puzzle to enable Campello to finally get his hands on the wave world title? That remains to be seen, but you’ll be able to follow his quest right here on the PWA website in the new year.

Ricardo Campello joins Naish: "This is not just a picture with Robby Naish, it's a special moment where he is giving me his welcome to the Naish Team! I'm super excited and motivated to announce that I will be riding Naish Windsurfing sails and boards for the upcoming season. I've been already riding and testing some equipment so stay tuned for the video!"

Jules Denel: “It was really technical because the wind blew really off shore and was very light, but when I was on the wave it felt completely insane. I broke a mast and a sail, like always there, haha. We had one really big day. Join me for few waves in this amazing place. Vision and sensation there are incomparable! Thanks for share it, if you like it!”

You can watch Jules Denel’s latest video here.

After starting the season with two 3rd places in the Canaries it looked as though Offringa may have to place her wave world title aspirations on hold for another year, but with sport being so beautifully unpredictable that’s not how the season unfolded. A victory at the Mercedes-Benz Sylt Windsurf World Cup put the 28-year-old in contention for the title with Iballa Moreno (Severne / Severne Sails / Maui Ultra Fins) only finishing 5th in Germany. 

Offringa had won the Aloha Classic the last time the PWA was in town in 2016 and the Aruban struck again - producing a brilliant display to win the single elimination ahead of her main rival Iballa. With only a 5 day holding period there wasn’t enough time for Iballa to try and stage a come back in the double and after several days of anxious waiting it was official that Offringa had become the first woman in over 2 decades, besides the legendary Moreno twins, to win the PWA Wave World title. After reaching another career milestone we recently caught up with the now 17-time world champion (12 Freestyle, 4 Slalom & 1 Wave) for an interview:

Hi SQ, you’ve had a little bit of time, but has it already settled in that you are the 2019 Women’s PWA Wave World Champion and how does it feel?

Hello!! It feels aaaweeesomee!

It’s the one discipline that I was very consciously working towards the past couple of years. 
Waves are so challenging because of the many different conditions you need to be able to perform in. Big waves and light wind, smaller waves and strong wind. Pure riding or going for big jumps. It’s so much fun. So it’s very, very satisfying to have achieved this goal! Also because it was a tight race until the end which made it really exciting!

How was the contest as a whole for you? 

I blinked and it was over!

I’m so excited and grateful that they were able to make the contest happen. I was already happy to finish the year off in Maui as a starboard tack event. Pozo is exciting with the mega wind, but the thought of sailing massive waves at Ho’okipa also gives me goose bumps, but it’s exactly the challenge I’m looking for! 

Thankfully on the day of the single though, apart from a couple of massive sets, we didn’t get the peak of the swell. It was a really FUN day out there and I had a couple of sweet heats. I feel like I was pretty in the zone for all of them and it was just pure pleasure being out there with just the four of us out. I made a pretty late decision 4 minutes before the final to go back in and grab my 5,0 so I got in the line up really late, but I think that decision payed off as I could definitely use the extra power with the dying wind.

Obviously after winning the single elimination on the opening day you then had quite a long wait to officially become the wave world champion. Were you nervous while having to wait?

I would like to say I wasn’t too nervous, but there were definitely one or two days that I felt quite exhausted and just passed out at night even though I hadn’t sailed. So I guess I was definitely tense for most of the week. But more because I need to stay calm and not get too excited hahaha. After winning the single, the title was so close! But I definitely waited till the last seconds until Duncan announced it before I let the excitement boil over!!

In Maui you mentioned that you didn’t expect it to happen this year (winning)… why was that?

I think I put most of my time and energy into training in Gran Canaria. I wasn’t particularly focused on the title, but rather on just improving my sailing and translating that to competition there. I felt really good on the water in the Canaries but finished 3rd at both events, so I was a bit bummed I didn’t make it happen during those events. And somehow the Canaries was my focus and I was actually already resetting for 2020. I think after that the title wasn’t even on my mind. I just wanted to make sure to perform well during my heats which I think I did both in Sylt and Maui.

Winning the wave world title this year completes a grand slam of world titles. How does it feel to have won world titles in Freestyle, Slalom and now Wave? And how does this one rank compared to your other titles?

I think I’m still digesting the idea of having won that wave title. It really feels like a big achievement to me. Because I feel like freestyle and slalom came a bit more naturally to me as that is what I practiced at home anyway. For waves I’ve had to focus specifically to travel and train in wavy places.
It’s a first so it’s special.

Winning the wave world title means that you have won almost everything possible in windsurfing… what else do you want to achieve?

Good question! Still trying to figure that one out. 
At least windsurfing is never ending and I’ll definitely be striving for progress in all disciplines.

After another long year of competing how will you be spending your winter?

What an epic year I can look back on! All the events on tour this year have been a lot of fun and besides the freestyle and waves I think racing in Denmark was particularly exhilarating.
I’m taking a mini vacation in Brazil at the moment and will spend the whole of December at home.
After that I think I will be on the hunt for some bigger waves in OZ.

Congratulations once again, SQ. Have a great winter and see you next year!

Lenny recently injured his hand at Pe’ahi, but has just dropped a sick new edit of him slicing up Ho’okipa during the fall. Everyone from the PWA wishes Kai a quick recovery.

You can see Kai Lenny at Ho’okipa @ https://youtu.be/u3jGnInykQ4