Fuerteventura Grand Slam

July 20, 2009 Created by David Swift

Event Preview: After an epic week in Pozo, the world’s best windsurfers will arrive on the white sands of Sotavento Beach from Wednesday 22nd July. This is the final stop on the grueling Canary Islands tour, where both Slalom and Freestyle fleets will be competing fiercely.

Once again, the event is hosted at the world famous Rene Egli Windsurf Centre on the south eastern shores of the island. This amazing location is moments away from the waterfront, where cross-offshore winds blast across the beautiful blue ocean. The Fuerteventura event has played a great part in the history of the PWA, and it was the birthplace of the modern freestyle discipline.

Competition this year will start with the men’s slalom, and go into men’s and women’s freestyle. Running between the 22^nd July and the 1^st August, this event promises to be a great eleven-day spectacle.

Slalom

As the race for the overall title heats up, the top sailors will be giving everything they can to get their hands on crucial tour points.

After a classic performance from Antoine Albeau (JP/NeilPryde) in Pozo, the defending champion, and current Tour leader, will be headlining the event. He will be joined by the biggest names in the sport: Kevin Pritchard (Starboard/Gaastra/Dakine), Bjorn Dunkerbeck (Starboard/Severne) and Finian Maynard (RRD/NeilPryde).

Also pushing the challenge for the title will be the excellent Cyril Moussilmani (Starboard/North Sails), Ross Williams (Tabou/Gaastra) and Peter Volwater (F2/MauiSails).

Freestyle

After the slalom is complete, the freestyle pack will roll in to town. All eyes will be on Jose ‘Gollito’ Estredo (Fanatic/North Sails/MFC) who took a solid victory in Lanzarote. His main challengers will no doubt come from the firing Kiri Thode (Starboard/Gaastra), Marcillo Browne (Fanatic/North Sails/MFC) and Antxon Otaegui (JP/NeilPryde/MFC). Steven Van Broeckhoven (F2/MauiSails) has grabbed Europe’s attention with his amazing talent, and he will have his hopes set on securing a top position in the World rankings.

In the women’s fleet, we can expect to see the great Sarah-Quita Offringa (Starboard/NeilPryde) defending her lead against challenges from the experienced Daida Ruano Moreno (North Sails), the on form Junko Nagoshi (Tabou/Simmer Style/Dakine), Nayra Alonso (Fanatic/Severne) and Laure Treboux (Fanatic/North Sails).

One thing is for sure; it is going to be a close and action-packed event, with the level of competition reaching new heights.

Don’t forget that you can follow all of the amazing action the moment it happens thanks to live reports, amazing videos and incredible pictures - exclusively from www.PWAworldtour.com.

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