Sarah-Quita Offringa (Starboard / NeilPryde / Maui Ultra Fins) kick started her 2026 campaign last week at the Gran Canaria Gloria Windsurf World Cup where she claimed a solid second place behind Daida Moreno (Goya Windsurfing), which should give her an excellent platform on which to build upon for the rest of the Wave calendar.
However, the Aruban’s attention will now immediately shift from Waves to Freestyle as the 35-year-old prepares to attempt to win an incredible 17th Freestyle world title between 17th-21st July in Fuerteventura. Before the start of the Fuerteventura PWA Grand Slam we caught up with SQ for a quick interview:
Hey SQ, you just got your season underway in Gran Canaria - how did the event go for you?
“Hi, Pozo went better than expected! In the run up to the event we didn’t get the usual Pozo conditions and I didn’t feel like I really got dialled in. In Pozo it’s all about getting comfortable with you gear in those radical conditions and that takes time. Since I didn’t get that time I also feel like I kind of let go of this pressure to perform that I tend to have in Pozo. I was more in the mode of “let’s see what we get, and when it comes to it I can only do my best”. Eventually the event came around with just as marginal conditions as before, which made it challenging for everybody on the water. But we also could’ve easily not had a result this year with that forecast, so I was much more relaxed than usual and was happy we were competing. I think I was able to rely on my past experience training and competing in Pozo and sailed on auto pilot when the right ramp came. It seemed that I was able to get the scores I needed just in time, luckily!”
You are now going into the thick of the summer with Fuerte and Tenerife coming up - in Fuerte you have two event titles and two world titles on the line - how are you feeling ahead of your defence and do you prefer having the Freestyle up first? [Editor note - always remember to double check the registration)
“Yes, I’m very happy to get the freestyle underway. It’s still my favourite discipline and feels good to go into that event feeling fresh. I won’t compete in the slalom this year. Competing in back-to-back events and switching disciplines has been a fun challenge, but also totally exhausting physically and mentally. This year I want to give myself a bit more breathing room and time to recover before heading to Tenerife.”
Have you been able to get much freestyle training in while trying to juggle also competing in the waves?
“I sailed quite a bit of freestyle at home in Aruba, and enjoyed some good sessions in Pozo too! At home I feel like I finally unlocked and understand some moves I’ve been trying for years, which I’m quite excited about. Let’s see how I feel during the contest and if I’m able to perform those under pressure as well”.
What is it that makes Fuerteventura special?
“The beach and blue water in Fuerteventura is mesmerising, but out there [on the water] it’s wild! I like those conditions though, with such strong wind and those ramps you can really boost on the power moves which gives a big rush!”
Have you already started to check the forecast for Fuerte? How’s it looking?
“I usually don’t check the forecast so much. Back home it blows from one direction and I basically just need my 4.8m, so I never really got good at interpreting any forecast. It’s usually the main topic on the beach, so I make sure to eavesdrop on several conversations where the forecast is being discussed and I draw my conclusion from that! All I’ve heard for now is that it’ll be windy for the contest, which is all I need to know!”
Thanks, SQ. Let’s hope the rumours are true that it’s going to be a windy one. Good luck for the event.