Alacati PWA World Cup
The mercury continued to rocket skywards on the second day of the Pegasus Airlines Alacati PWA World Cup with temperatures soaring into the low 40s. In the late afternoon the wind did begin to pick up briefly, which tempted a few sailors out onto the water, but unfortunately the conditions were not quite suitable for competition. With the wind starting to deteriorate further shortly after 6pm both fleets were released for the day.
Earlier in the day we caught up Sarah-Quita Offringa (Starboard / NeilPryde / Mystic / Maui Ultra Fins) - who has plenty of slalom experience and currently leads the world tour - but also with Maxime van Gent (Fanatic / North / Maui Ultra Fins), Arrianne Aukes (RRD / Simmer / Maui Ultra Fins), Oda Johanne (Starboard / Severne / Maui Ultra Fins) and Maaike Huvermann (Starboard / Severne / Maui Ultra Fins) all of whom compete on the freestyle tour and are trying their hand at the slalom.
Sarah-Quita Offringa:
You’ve been extremely successful here over the past few years, how are you feeling about the event this year?
SQ: “Yes, Alaçati has been good to me! I guess the conditions just suit me. This year I’m confident, but I also experienced the girls in Korea and everyone has upped their game. I would love to win the event again, but in slalom you really never know so I’m aiming for a top 3 finish.”
Who is your biggest threat?
SQ: “Here in Turkey I would say the local girls. Lena [Erdil] & Cagla [Kubat] but also very much Fulya Unlu who has shown extreme progress. Besides the Turkish ladies I think Delphine [Cousin] will definitely be a tough one.”
If you could choose one person to have dinner with, dead or alive, who would you choose and why?
SQ: “I would like to have dinner with Jessie J!”
If you could choose one super power what would you choose and why?
SQ: “If there’s a talent I could choose then it would be singing. Besides that I wouldn’t mind having spiderwoman abilities.”
Last photo you took on your phone?
SQ: “Having dinner in Cesme with my Turkish sisters.”
Best looking male slalom sailor?
SQ: “I think Taty takes home this trophy!”
If you won the lottery what would you do?
SQ: “I’d fly my family and friends over on my trips so they can also experience the windsurfing, travelling fun. Or buy a boat so I can sail around in the Caribbean. But sharing is caring… I’d give a part of it to people who would actually need it.”
Maxime van Gent:
What inspired you to come to Alacati?
MvG: “Well because me and Amado are on a road trip together, and he has to go to Alacati for the slalom. I actually just went with him not planning to compete, but just to watch and enjoy.”
Have you trained slalom before?
MvG: “Mmmm… Noo not really I think I tried it once for like 30 min.”
What equipment have you brought with you and what’s your goal?
MvG: “Because I wasn't planning on competing I didn't bring any gear, when I came here I saw so many girls competing and that motivated me to also compete, thx to my travel buddy I can borrow his gear (Sssttt...).”
If you could choose one person to have dinner with, dead or alive, who would you choose and why?
MvG: “Mmmm… that’s a good one, I think I would like to go to dinner with my mom and dad at the moment didn't have a family dinner in a while, or with a really rich guy and hoping he will sponsor me.”
If you could choose one super power what would you choose and why?
MvG: “I would love to FLY!!! Then traveling would be soo easy!”
Last photo you took on your phone?
“A Selfie.”
Best looking male slalom sailor?
MvG: “Mmm… No comment.”
If you won the lottery what would you do?
MvG: “I would give my self a big boob job / a** and then buy a huge house and car and live like a rich b***h… hahahaha.”
Arrianne Aukes:
What inspired you to come to Alacati?
AA: ““We sadly only had one freestyle event this year, so I decided to have a go in the other disciplines. I also went to Tenerife for the waves. I like the competition part of slalom where you are actually racing against each other, but I must say doing freestyle and waves is SO much less hassle. There’s so much equipment needed!”
Have you trained slalom before?
AA: “Haha uhm, maybe I’ve done 10 sessions in the last 3 years all together… and I only tried my slalom equipment once last week, after I came back from Tenerife. But I was here in 2012! Lena Erdil convinced me to race when I was here to watch the slalom. That was my first experience on slalom equipment in my life and I finished 16th out of 26 sailors and it was so much fun.”
What equipment have you brought with you and what’s your goal?
AA: “A 114l and 98l X-Fire RRD and 5.8m, 6.2m, 7.0m and 7.8m SC Slalom Simmer Sails and AL360 booms. My goal is to get some experience in slalom racing; I could train at home but I think you learn 100 times more by competing.”
If you could choose one person to have dinner with, dead or alive, who would you choose and why?
AA: “I would rather not have dinner with a dead person haha. No… joking, I think Nelson Mandela would be an interesting and charming person to have dinner with.”
Last photo you took on your phone?
AA: “A breakfast photo with Oda and Maaike.”
Best looking male slalom sailor?
AA: “Taty!”
If you won the lottery what would you do?
“I would buy a house so I have a place to come home to, a sailing boat big enough for friends and family and windsurf and SUP boards and then sail around the world for a year!”
Oda Johanne (Starboard / Severne / Maui Ultra Fins):
What inspired you to come to Alacati?
OJ: “The excitement of competition. I just love it!”
Have you trained slalom before?
OJ: “12 time :) I just got my gear.”
What equipment have you brought with you?
OJ: “Starboard iSonics - 110l, 97l and 87l. Severne Reflex 6s in 6.2m, 7.0m, 7.8m and 8.6m.”
If you could choose one person to have dinner with, dead or alive, who would you choose and why?
OJ: “Michael Jackson! Because he might show me how to moonwalk and I’ve been trying to learn it for years…”
If you could choose one super power what would you choose and why?
OJ: “To fly because then I wouldn’t need to spend money on a drone to film windsurfing.”
Last photo you took on your phone?
“A photo of the heat order and which heat I’m in.”
Best looking male slalom sailor?
“That’s a secret…”
If you won the lottery what would you do?
“Buy an apartment/house - rent it out and just go windsurfing.”
Maaike Huvermann:
What inspired you to come to Alacati?
“There was just one freestyle event, so there’s not else I can do.”
Have you trained slalom before?
MH: “Not really, I did a local slalom event, but I was not using real slalom equipment.”
What equipment have you brought with you and what’s your goal?
MH: “I only bought a Starboard iSonic 107l here and also my freestyle kit. The rest of the slalom equipment I’ve borrowed. My goal is to sail 1 winners final and to finish in the overall top 16.”
If you could choose one person to have dinner with, dead or alive, who would you choose and why?
MH: “Just with friends from school.”
If you could choose one super power what would you choose and why?
MH: “Flying! Then I can do any move I want without crashing haha.”
Last photo you took on your phone?
MH: “Just a random beach photo.”
Best looking male slalom sailor?
MH: “Secret.”
If you won the lottery what would you do?
MH: “Save a bit of money, finish school and then windsurfing in Bonaire, Brazil, Australia, South Africa…., etc.”
PWA: Thanks girls and good luck to all of you when the racing gets underway.
The forecast for tomorrow is slightly better than it was for today, so with a bit of luck we will see the start of the competition. The sailors will meet again at 10:30am tomorrow morning with the action commencing from 11am onwards. Don’t miss any of the action by tuning into www.pwaworldtour.com - here you’ll be able to stay up to date with the latest news via the PWA live ticker.