Sarah-Quita Offringa (Starboard / NeilPryde / Maui Ultra Fins) enjoyed another great summer in the Canaries, which saw the Lady of Aruba earn a 17th Freestyle world title, defend her Tenerife event title, while she finished in second place in Gran Canaria to leave her prominently placed to mount another challenge for a Wave world title as the tour heads into the second half. We recently caught up with SQ for an interview, which you can read below:
Hey SQ - how’s it going after another busy summer in the Canaries for you?
“Everything is good! Recovering from the Canarian Marathon”
Overall you must be super proud of your results - winning a 17th Freestyle world title, defending your event title in Tenerife and finishing second in Gran Canaria - what were the highs and lows of the summer for you?
“Hey Chris! Yes, it’s been a great summer and I’m definitely proud and happy about my results! If I would have to come up with a low, I would just say that unfortunately for the first time - in probably 20 years - Pozo didn’t really deliver. I love to sail and train there but I feel like this year we just didn’t have the best conditions and I kinda live for those challenging days there. However, after freestyle in Fuerte I decided not to do slalom and went back to Pozo and then I actually got 10 days of great sailing, so that made up for it!
My Tenerife win and the conditions we got to sail in was probably the biggest highlight for me. I’m not exactly sure why, but I think I felt like I made the right decision to not do slalom, and feeling more prepared for the contest and performing well and it felt like everybody was pushing and the level was high, which made the win all the more sweeter.”
If we go back to Fuerte what was it like for your after losing the Single Elimination Final against Maaike? A position which must have felt a little bit strange…
“Well Maaike [Huvermann] forced a super final last year so it didn’t feel too weird when she won the single this year because I have also been mentally preparing for that. I had a great day on the water that day landing pretty much all my dream moves in my heats including Paskos! I would have loved to have won the single but it didn’t sting too much and at the same time it was a bit of a relief and I felt like the target was off my back. However, when I had some more time to think and sit with it I did feel this excitement and was curious to see if I could stage a comeback.”
You then had to wait a couple of days before the Double - how were you feeling whilst waiting? Were you nervous? Or perhaps you felt a sense of less pressure with almost everything to gain in the Double and not too much to lose?
“At first I felt like the pressure was off, but as soon as the double started it came back but in a sort of positive way, just wanting to show or maybe find out for myself that I am able to make the comeback.”
Did you have a specific game plan heading into the Double?
“This year I didn’t want to hold back on my moves and sail the best I could, which worked well in the first heats both in the single and double. But by the final heat where I was very close to winning the title, I started out really good and because of that actually got very nervous, also because the conditions were so wild, so it was hard to stick anything! I started to play it more safe and couldn’t quite stick my moves towards the end, but I had started out my heat strong and that was enough to take the win!”
You chose not to compete in Slalom X this year in Fuerte - in the end do you think that helped you defend your event title in Tenerife?
“I think it helped me to go into the event much more rested and with much more confidence since I got about 10 days on my wave gear rather than coming straight in from freestyle and slalom and then having to adjust to the wave gear again. So mostly for my mental game I think it was the right choice!”
Your victory in Tenerife puts you in a strong position heading into the second half of the Wave Tour - how are you feeling about the second half of the year?
“Yes! Pretty happy about that! Well in Sylt anything can happen so that’s really hard to predict, but that’s what I also like about sailing there. I’m really looking forward to riding Maui as that is my preferred tack and then to finish off in Chile will be a total highlight. So, all I can say is that I’m really looking forward to the last three events of the year.”
How did you celebrate after your Canaries stint?
“Oh! I’m not sure I really celebrated haha! After Fuerte I spent some hours in bed recovering from the conditions and after Tenerife the same haha. Will definitely do a little celebration when I get together with my friends.”
A little birdie tells me you are in the Gorge - have you been there before and what’s your impression so far?
"Yes! We’re in the Gorge now, it’s incredible here. For some reason I never really looked into coming here and I just have this image of these really huge jumps. I thought there was just one spot, turns out it’s the most amazing town, area, environment for being active outdoors and there are ENDLESS spots along the river depending on the wind direction.
It’s really a special place to be on the water, and you really feel that windsurfing and watersports is so alive here. The community has been incredibly welcoming and even though I’ve only been here for a week, I can definitely see myself spending much more time here.”
Thanks, SQ. Congrats again on a great summer, enjoy the rest of your time in the Gorge and see you in Sylt.