2010 COLGATE PWA WORLD CUP SYLT, GERMANY

Ab morgen geht es auf Sylt los...

Zitat von PWA

2010 COLGATE WORLD CUP SYLT, GERMANY – EVENT PREVIEW

As the biggest windsurfing event on the planet draws ever closer, tension rises amongst the competitors whilst they prepare to battle it out for precious points towards their overall world rankings off Sylt’s iconic golden sands!

From the 24th September through to the 3rd October the PWA’s most proficient wave, slalom, and freestyle sailors will hit the brutal North Sea to trick, race, and ride their way to victory in front of the largest crowds known to windsurfing. Not only will world champions be crowned in men’s slalom, men’s freestyle, and women’s waves, but the sailors will also be fighting their way through heats to claim their share of the €105,000 prize purse.

Live Coverage

This September marks the 27th year of world-class windsurfing competition in Westerland, and will for the first time ever be streamed live for everyone at home to see. The action is guaranteed to be absolutely insane, so if you can’t make it out in person, then be sure to tune in to the live footage!

Not only will all of the action on the water be beamed straight to your computer, but there will also be live interviews with the world's best windsurfers when they're not competing. This tried and tested formula proved extremely popular during the recent wave event in Denmark, and is bound to be even more spectacular this coming week in Sylt with so many disciplines competing.

In slalom, the racers will also be tracked live throughout the event via GPS courtesy of My Geo Live. Again, this proved popular during both the Costa Brava World Cup, and the Ladies Slalom Final in Almanarre where those of you at home could track the racers as they screamed their way round the course at breakneck speeds.

All in all, not only is the Colgate World Cup, Sylt an event not to be missed, but it's also near on impossible to actually miss it!

Men’s Slalom

For the fourth consecutive year the modern day racing giant, Antoine Albeau (JP, NeilPryde) has secured the PWA slalom world title with an event to spare. But, will no doubt be in Sylt to stamp his authority on the fleet one last time before the competition season is over.

Albeau’s fifth PWA slalom world title didn’t come without its difficulties though, both the legend Bjorn Dunkerbeck (Starboard, Severne, Mystic), and former world champion Micah Buzianis (JP, NeilPryde) stole the show at events earlier in the year, ensuring an exciting battle for the remaining podium spots available in Sylt. However, it’s not just the event winners that remain in contention. The 2009 runner up, Finian Maynard (RRD, Gaastra), and flying Frenchman, Cyril Moussilmani (Starboard, North) could also close the gap and claim the second spot if the racing goes their way in the North Sea.

Other sailors that have the possibility to perform well in Westerland include the PWA’s president Jimmy Diaz (Starboard, North) who stood tall on the podium at the first event of the year in Korea. The ever-consistent former world champion, Kevin Pritchard (Starboard, Gaastra, Dakine, MFC) who’s undoubtedly still on a high after his excellent performance at the Kia Cold Hawaii in Klitmoller. British racing hero, Ross Williams (Tabou, Gaastra) who was the only sailor to steal an event crown from Albeau in 2009. And, Sylvain Moussilmani (Starboard, Simmer) who’s shown plenty of promise throughout the year.

Men’s Freestyle

Another sailor who’s already sealed the deal due to his amazing performance throughout the year is three times world titleholder, Jose ‘Gollito’ Estredo (Fanatic, North). Despite his fourth world crown already in the bag, we’ve been assured that the Venezuelan wonder kid will be in Sylt to trick it up and fight for some prize money!

The boys battling it out behind the world champ for the final spots on the 2010 podium include the kono king, Kiri Thode (Starboard, Gaastra) who’s currently lying in second overall. The Belgian boy wonder with more ‘pop’ than lady gaga, Steven Van Broeckhoven (F2, Gaastra) who’s just behind in third. Bonairean style master, Tonky Frans (F2, Gaastra) who’s fighting it out in fourth. And, the 2009 Sylt freestyle champion and 2010 Podersdorf champion, Taty Frans (Starboard, MauiSails, Mystic) who despite currently lying in sixth has the potential to climb his way back to second!

With such a strong group of stylers locked in a tussle for the top positions, they’re bound to be raising the bar ever higher, so take a seat on the beach or watch the live streaming at home, as the world’s best perform the most mind boggling tricks in order to gain precious points from the panel of international judges.

Men’s Waves

Following an epic contest last autumn off Westerland’s iconic beach, the PWA’s most radical wave sailors will be keen to hit more thick North Sea lips in front of the hoards of spectators guaranteed to line the shore. And, having just returned from an excellent event in Klitmoller, they’ll all be accustomed to the European conditions. This season Sylt marks the penultimate stop of the men’s wave tour with the final scheduled to take place in Cabo Verde towards the end of the year.

Four times Pozo champion, Victor Fernandez (Fanatic, North, MFC) currently leads the rankings after a victory in Pozo and a second in Klitmoller. A good result here could see him secure the 2010 title with an event to spare! And, from what we’ve seen so far of the Spaniard he definitely has what it takes, with a flawless display of skill in the single elimination in Gran Canaria, and an outstanding come back in the double in Denmark.

However, with such a talented pool of wave sailors in the PWA, and the conditions not guaranteed, many of Fernandez’s main rivals could easily steal the show. These include the three times former world champion, Kauli Seadi (JP, NeilPryde, MFC) who is fresh from his recent victory further up the North Sea coast in Klitmoller. Triple loop daredevil, Ricardo Campello (JP, NeilPryde, MFC) who’s ranked second in the world right now, and has really impressed the judges this year with both his jumping and riding. 2009 Pozo champion, Philip Koster (Starboard, NeilPryde, Dakine) whose double forwards are without doubt the most impressive on the planet. Canarian ripper Dany Bruch (Patrik, Severne, MFC) who’s yet to win a contest but is world renowned for his stylish riding. And of course the 2009 Sylt wave champion, Alex Mussolini (Tabou, Vandal) to name just a few.

Women’s Waves

The Colgate World Cup Sylt marks the final event of the year for the women’s wave tour, and leading the fleet going into this German wave bonanza is many times world champion, Daida Ruano Moreno (Starboard, Severne) from Gran Canaria. Following an outstanding performance earlier in the summer at her home spot, she now has to prove her worth in the unpredictable North Sea.

Over the past two years Daida has been locked in a battle with former world champion and twin sister, Iballa Ruano Moreno (Starboard, Severne) in Sylt. However, it won’t simply be a family affair on Brandenburger Strand. The 2010 slalom world champion, Karin Jaggi (Patrik, Severne) is fearless when it comes to wavesailing, and is more than capable of hitting North Sea growlers as hard as anyone else. And, the 2007 Sylt wave champion, Nayra Alonso (Fanatic, Severne) also has the ability to rip hard and throw a spanner in the works – she also has the mental advantage of knowing that she can take the crown, having won it before!

Sylt Style

The weather in this part of the North Sea can be anything from absolutely brutal with huge shore break and rough seas to flat calm freestyle heaven, making it an event not to be missed. With so many disciplines competing in the same place, there’s bound to be some sort of action on the water everyday. And remember, no competitors are guaranteed the win – Sylt is a true test of all round abilities.

Expect to see huge crowds arriving at the event site over the next day or so, last year over 200,000 people turned up to watch the action unfold right in front of their very eyes – and they weren’t disappointed! You too could be a part of the action, so if you get the chance, book that flight, ferry, train, or helicopter and feast your eyes on the September spectacular here in Sylt.

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Das war bestimmt während der einen Super-Session, diese wurde vom Surf Magazin spendiert...

Gestern war Einschreibung, heute geht es los

Zitat von PWA

2010 COLGATE WORLD CUP SYLT, GERMANY – REGISTRATION DAY

The PWA’s premium crop of slalom, freestyle, and wave sailors descend on Sylt’s iconic sands for another year of spectacular multi-discipline competition!

Over a three hour period the world’s most talented windsurfers signed up to battle it out off the North Sea in Germany today. And, despite a fairly relaxed vibe currently flowing through the equipment tent, it wont be long before the sailors flip out of
control as they fight it out in their respective disciplines.

With more technology than the Hubble Space Telescope, this year’s competition in Westerland will be more exciting to follow than ever before. Alongside all of our usual event features, the action will be streamed live with a broadcast on our home page, and every single slalom racer will be tracked via GPS as they speed their way round the racecourse.

The forecast looks promising for the week ahead with perfect conditions for the slalom and freestyle fleets, but the wave sailors may only have a very small window of opportunity unless a new front rolls in from the Atlantic, which is more than possible over the next nine days.

Throughout the course of the afternoon we took the opportunity to talk to some of the competitors towards the top of the rankings, along with the head judge, and the race director about the week ahead…

Current Tour Leader Women’s Waves – Daida Ruano Moreno (Starboard, Severne)
“Everyone’s been checking the weather forecasts and saying that it’s going to be onshore tomorrow morning and offshore all week, but with such a long holding period anything can happen – we’ve seen it change rapidly here before. So, I’m preparing all of my gear with sails from 5.0 right down to 3.3. Sylt’s always a great event for everyone so hopefully we’ll get some wind and waves at some point.”

Current No.2 Men’s Waves – Ricardo Campello (JP, NeilPryde, MFC)
“I’m glad to be back in Sylt for another year, and I hope that we have some good wind for slalom and freestyle, but personally I hope we don’t get any conditions for waves! It’s not that I don’t want to compete, but it would be much better for me in the race for the title because it would mean that no one would get a discard! But, whatever happens, happens… If we do get the conditions then I’ll try my best to stay in the top 3 overall. I’m going to compete in freestyle this week as well, and I’ll no doubt enjoy some Nutella crepes too!”

Current Tour Leader Men’s Slalom – Antoine Albeau (JP, NeilPryde)
“My expectations here are for sure the same as all of the events I enter - I’ll try to win, and do my best. I hope we get some wind so that we can get plenty of races in, and I’ll try to get a good result in waves too if I can.”

Current Tour Leader Men’s Freestyle – Jose ‘Gollito’ Estredo (Fanatic, North)
“I’m pleased to back here in Sylt for 2010. I really like the place, especially the crowds. I’ve already secured the title this year, but I’m looking forward to giving it my best shot at winning this contest too.”

PWA Race Director – Juan Antonio Aragon
“The forecast for this week’s racing is really promising. It’s not the best for the spectators on the beach due to the offshore direction which will mean the finish will be out to sea, but the live streaming should help with that! From my experience I think the conditions will be excellent for racing, which will be great for this event. Normally, due to the fact that we have 3 disciplines here, the racing isn’t the highest priority, but this week it looks like it could be the most spectacular show.

PWA Head Judge – Duncan Coombs
Talking about the wave competition:
“There’s a glimmer of hope for tomorrow morning with an early start and onshore winds with a 2.5m swell. The wind is forecast to swing side-shore and drop, so hopefully we’ll get a couple of rounds in before that happens. Then we’ll just have to wait and see what happens.”

Talking about freestyle competition:
“For the first part of the rest of the week it looks like we’ll get some cross-offshore winds from the right, which will bring cold weather with it, but it should be strong enough for freestyle.”

The spectacular opening ceremony went without a glitch, and the elimination ladders have been announced, so prepare yourself for an action packed week of windsurfing!

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Kein Wind an Tag 1:

Zitat von PWA

2010 COLGATE WORLD CUP SYLT, GERMANY – DAY 1

Huge crowds gather for what turns out to be a frustrating start to the world famous Colgate World Cup, Sylt as windsurfing’s worst enemy - the wind - teases the competitors all day long.

A dawn raid for the wave sailors proved fruitless as the breeze refused to build, and the swell that had been forecast failed to materialise, leaving them to head home before breakfast had even been served.

With few waves, the next group of fired up competitors to have their window of opportunity were the freestylers. Unfortunately for them, by the time they’d finished their skipper’s briefing at nine o’clock the wind had dropped below the sufficient level for them to compete too.

And, by the time the final fleet of world-class windsurfers - the slalom racers - were briefed the wind was already showing signs of dying completely. Race director, Juan Antonio Aragon and his team made every effort to get the first heat underway by setting a course and sitting it out on the water all day, but the wind simply refused to blow.

Live Entertainment
Despite the lack of action on the water, live video streaming of the event continued on www.pwaworldtour.com with interviews throughout the day, including a master class in wave board fin configuration from Kai Lenny (Naish, Naish), Robby Swift (JP, NeilPryde), and Klaas Voget (Fanatic, Simmer, MFC).

One Man Brand
With plenty of time spent on standby, we took the opportunity to talk to top Italian slalom racer, Patrik Diethelm (Patrik, North) about being a world cup competitor, shaper, and all-round brand man!

PWA: First and foremost, why did you decide to go it alone, and start your own brand?
PD: “Well, when I separated from F2 I had two choices; I either had to return to being an electrical engineer, or carry on shaping by heading off in a new direction. Shaping windsurf boards was definitely the more enjoyable of the two, so that’s what I did. I actually often thought about doing it throughout my seven years with F2, but I just couldn’t understand how I’d fund it. I knew all of the numbers from F2, and they were far larger than anything I could comprehend. But, before I made the final decision I realised that myself, and with a little bit of help from Karin (Jaggi – Patrik, Severne), we could do everything on our own. Together we could cover all of the bases from brand manager to team rider, shaper, secretary, marketing manager, you name it, and all without those costs!”

PWA: In what ways do you think being a world cup racer helps you to design, develop, and shape boards?
PD: “Firstly, I don’t have to waste my time talking to a team rider and having endless conversations about how the board feels, and what we need to do to improve the performance. There are a lot of good racers out there, but many of them can’t explain exactly what the board needs to make it better. Okay, they can say it doesn’t gybe that well, but they can’t pinpoint the reasons behind it. Does it have too much vee, not enough vee, too wide in the back, too flat, there could be many things, but the rider just doesn’t know. Whereas, if you’re a shaper that rides boards, you know immediately what’s wrong with them. I could jump on almost any board and would know immediately what I’d want to change without having to measure anything.”

PWA: We often see you battling it out on the slalom course, do you prefer shaping those boards because you’re into that more, or would you rather design wave boards?
PD: “This is one thing that nobody really realises, I actually enjoy wave sailing much more than slalom or speed. But, I’m not a professional wave sailor so that’s why you only see me competing in the other disciplines. At home, if I had the choice between waves or slalom, I’d take waves every time! So, in answer to your question I guess I’d have to say wave boards. Although having said that, it’s always rewarding winning a race on a board that you’ve put your heart and soul into shaping!”

PWA: One of your top wave riders, Dany Bruch (Patrik, Severne) has been using trailer fin boards on the tour this year. Where did that concept come from?
PD: “It basically came from surfing, just like the twin, and the quad did. The single fin has always been one of the most versatile wave boards because they generally plane earlier, jump well, and get upwind easily. But, they weren’t loose enough to get vertical in small waves, whereas the modern twin fins were. So I wanted something that could make the best of both situations. And then it came to me, suddenly I saw this trailer fin surfboard that I had in my garage and thought whoah that could be the answer. To begin with I just wanted to have a board that I could swap between a twin fin and a single because I knew that those would work. So, I put the three US boxes in the bottom, and if I could incorporate the trailer option then it would be a bonus. I lengthened the twinser boxes, and tried the board with the fins as far forward as they could go and it was amazing - in the tiniest of waves you could go completely vertical. But, then we tried the same boards in some bigger waves and it just didn’t work that well as a twinser because it was turning too far too quickly, so we needed to control it. That’s when I thought back to the surfboard and put the mini trailer fin in the middle box. It worked so well, and suddenly all we had to do to was adjust the trailer fin according to the size of the waves we were riding.”

PWA: How do you feel having won a world title (Women’s Slalom - Karin) in your first year with the brand?
PD: “I’m absolutely stoked. And, we did it all with just two people. Like I said earlier, we are the marketing, the shapes, the sales team, the team riders – it’s amazing! I’m also really pleased that Dany is doing so well, he seems much more motivated, and much happier this year which is great. Perhaps he too could claim a spot on the podium by the end of the wave tour…”

Eye On The Horizon
The forecast for the following few days is looking really good for the racing, with the possibility of some freestyle too. And, all is not lost for the wave fleet, with eight days still to go, anything can happen.

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Tag 2 ist um, der Wind sollte ab heute etwas besser sein:

Zitat von PWA

2010 COLGATE WORLD CUP SYLT, GERMANY – DAY 2

A last minute freestyle frenzy sees Seadi’s hopes of a comeback disappear as quickly as the wind, but his team mate and former rival, Campello cruises through!

During a lengthy period on standby windsurfing legend, Robby Naish and waterman prodigy, Kai Lenny kept the crowds entertained with their SUP antics, whilst the rest of the PWA’s top performers waited patiently for the wind to fill in.

Late in the afternoon a moderate cross-offshore breeze had built allowing sixteen of the most tricked up windsurfers in the world to kick-start the competition. The gusty direction made it tough for them to fill their score sheets, but air flakas, chachoos, and shakas were still amongst the many moves laid down to impress the judges.

Former freestyle world champion, Ricardo Campello (JP, NeilPryde, MFC) was amongst the first tricksters to hit the water, and despite looking a little rusty walked through his heat against Eric Sanllehy - partly because he failed to show up! Advancing from the other side of the draw, and on the water at the same time was Dutch student, Paul Zeper (Patrik, Hot Sails) who pulled off far more moves than his rival, Thomas Wessel Svensson (Gaastra).

The second heat of the day saw Italian, Mattia Fabrizi (Fanatic, North) fighting hard with the only Israeli freestyler on tour, Yarden Meir (Fanatic, Simmer), whilst Max Droege (JP, NeilPryde, MFC) dished out his moves on Bonairean, Endro Finies (RRD). The Israeli had his day and saw off Fabrizi to advance, as did Droege who out flared Finies.

The final heat for the un-seeded sailors saw the infamous three times wave world champion and former freestyle world champion, Kauli Seadi (JP, NeilPryde, MFC) return to the fleet. Unfortunately for him, an on form Nicola Spadea (Starboard, Gun) stopped him right where he started! Perhaps we’ll see the old champ fight back through the double… On the other side of the draw, German rider Dominik Schonthal (Fanatic, North) made sure that the Frenchman, Maxime Gaubert (Tabou, Gaastra) met the same fate as Seadi with a faultless display in the dying winds.

With what breeze was left, Nicholas Akgazciyan (Starboard, Gun) dominated the first heat of the second round, exploding into action in the gusty conditions to not only take the scalp off Zeper, but also raise the bar far higher. A closely contested heat on the other side saw featherweight wave head, Thomas Traversa (Tabou, Gaastra) out style Canarian, Antxon Otaegui (JP, NeilPryde) by the narrowest of margins, which caused a voicing of opinions outside the judge’s box!

The next heat began in far lighter winds, but after the current world number two, Kiri Thode (Starboard, Gaastra) failed to get planing after three minutes it was called off. With seven days still to go though, we’re bound to see much more action before the week is over!

Eye On The Horizon
The forecast for the following few days is looking promising for both the racing, and the freestyle fleets.

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Besser ist gut, der Wind bleibt tendenziell östlich. Das kann man ja vergessen am Brandenburger Strand...

Tag 3 ist um und die Freestyle Single Elimination. Ich denke, heute werden die Slalom-Piloten aufs Wasser kommen...

Zitat von PWA

Three times world champion, Jose ‘Gollito’ Estredo shows Sylt’s spectators why he’s already the world’s number one freestyler this year as the PWA’s finest continue to ‘get tricky’ off Brandenburger Strand!

When the sailors and the judges arrived at the beach this morning, neither expected to get a full single elimination finished in freestyle. The wind was cross-offshore and very gusty which would have suited the discipline of racing. However, moving in a brave new direction head judge, Duncan Coombs decided to run the heats with an otherwise unheard of twelve-minute duration.

With such a long time to perform six moves on each tack, of which only three would count, the world’s best had plenty of time to wobble around between the gusts, and then explode into action when the wind increased. A few sailors opposed this new format, but it’s actually very similar to how we run riding only wave contests where the sailors can be off the plane for very long periods of time between catching waves.

Results
1st Jose ‘Gollito’ Estredo (Fanatic, North)
2nd Taty Frans (Starboard, MauiSails, Mystic)
3rd Steven Van Broeckhoven (F2, Gaastra)
4th Kiri Thode (Starboard, Gaastra)

Gollito’s Game
The three times world champion (four if you include this year’s which he’s already secured), Jose ‘Gollito’ Estredo (Fanatic, North) out-tricked all of his opponents with a faultless display of dynamic moves today to win the single elimination with emphatic style. From the very first second he hit the water, it was obvious that he’d make it all the way to the final, and when he exploded into action he left many of his rivals absolutely helpless. Anthony Ruenes (Tabou, Vandal) was the first to put up a fight, but his efforts of going big all too often ended with a splash. Next up, Canadian, Philip Soltysiak (Starboard, Dakine) tried to take down the champ, but the Venezuelan played a tactical game, tricking it up in the gusts out the back, leaving his opponent wallowing around in the lulls. The following heat was undoubtedly one of the hottest of the day, but Estredo stuck to his guns and used his experience to win once again. And, a final showdown with Taty Frans (Starboard, MauiSails) saw Estredo claim it on a 4-1 decision, pulling off cleaner and higher moves in the toughest of conditions.

Hottest Heat
When you whittle the world’s best down to the final four, you expect extreme action. And, that’s exactly what the hoards of spectators lining the shore got. With a star-studded semi final on both sides it was absolutely spectacular. One half of the draw to receive somewhat more attention than the other though was between the current world champion, Estredo and the light wind legend, Steven Van Broeckhoven (F2, Gaastra). The moves were off the scale, and it resembled more of a final than simply a semi. Nerves had the better of the both of them at the beginning, but eventually Broeckhoven was seen busting out huge konos, culos, and burners, whilst the world champ was replying with much of the same. However, it was all too late for Broeckhoven who had unfortunately already used up some of his six attempts with failed shakas earlier on.

Moves Of The Day
The new king of ‘pop’, Steven Van Broeckhoven played up to his name today with some of the biggest konos of the contest so far. Perhaps he’s made of rubber, or maybe his board is packed full of springs. Whatever it is, it works. The Belgian boy wonder has the ability to launch himself high into the air in the lightest of zephyrs, and off chop that wouldn’t even register on the mastfoot high scale! If Broeckhoven continues to impress the judges in the same way he has this year, it won’t be too long before he’s carrying a crown.

The 2010 Podersdorf champion and 2009 Sylt freestyle champion, Taty Frans brought it home for the boys from Bonaire today. Not only did he finish the single elimination in second (which will see him in second overall for the year if the results remain as they are), but he was also one of the only sailors to land fully planing double moves. Plenty of people throw in an extra 360, but Taty nailed a fully planing double spock to really impress the judges in the extremely light winds.

Campello Caught Out
Former freestyle world champion, Ricardo Campello (JP, NeilPryde, MFC) burst into action on his new freestyle board this morning, but it would seem that he’s a year too early. After causing a huge upset to the tour by taking the scalp off the current world number two, Kiri Thode with an excellent display which included a regular chachoo (arguably the most difficult move to perform), it became apparent that his board was a 2011 prototype. In Campello’s days of tricking it up, this wouldn’t have posed a problem, however today the rules clearly state that riders must be on production gear. Perhaps the 2011 JP freestyle is so good that everyone will be trying to sneak it into competitions from now on!

Eye On The Horizon
With more moderate cross-offshore winds forecast over the following few days, it looks like the racers will get their turn to impress the crowds on Sylt’s iconic golden sands.

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Slalom läuft...

Ein kompletter Slalom-Durchgang wurde gefahren bis ins Finale, seit dem ist der Wind weg.

Sieger ist Bjørn Dunkerbeck vor Antoine Albeau und Jimmy Diaz.

Das war Tag 4:

Zitat von PWA

2010 COLGATE WORLD CUP SYLT, GERMANY – DAY 4

Windsurfing’s longstanding legend, Bjorn Dunkerbeck dominated the racecourse in the light winds off Westerland today to start the week ahead of his archrival, Antoine Albeau!

The crowds gathered on Sylt’s golden sands were greeted by a completely different breed of windsurfer this morning as tricks were swapped for tactics, and culos changed for cams. Instead of the double-jointed youngsters that dominated the freestyle, the water was awash with wise men that were more interested in speed than spocks!

The slalom sailors were blessed with a light 8-14 knot breeze and wall-to-wall sunshine in which to race down wind around a four-gybe course. A few lulls caused havoc with a couple of heats, but by one o’clock a full elimination had been completed. The buoys remained set, and the sailors on standby for the rest of the afternoon, but what little wind there was had shut down completely forcing the competition on hold for the rest of the day.

Terminator Salvation Part II
Many times world champion, Bjorn Dunkerbeck (Starboard, Severne, Mystic) dominated the winner’s final today to lead from start to finish and cross the line ahead of the current tour leader, Antoine Albeau (JP, NeilPryde), and the PWA’s president, Jimmy Diaz (Starboard, North).

Bjorn Dunkerbeck:
“Before the final I was really excited, I’d been doing well all day, and knew that I had decent board speed. I was also enjoying the longer run ups that we had to the start line – it’s not like Turkey where we only had about ten seconds to prepare. Here we could get lined up for at least thirty seconds enabling us to reach full speed as we hit the line.

The final was absolutely ideal for me. I tried to get a solid start in the middle of the line, trying to avoid the guys fighting it out at the pin, and also keeping away from the bunch at the boat, but still hitting it at full speed, and it worked out pretty well. Plus, I had great speed along the first reach to arrive at the first gybe ahead of Antoine, and from there on all I had to do was control him, and not make any mistakes. It felt like I had more board speed than anyone else on the water which really helped to give me confidence, and although the wind wasn’t that strong, it was really consistent. My gybing was good, and I just took it home from there!

It doesn’t look like we’re going to be doing too much racing tomorrow, but the rest of the week looks pretty windy, so I reckon there’s plenty of action still to come. And, it’s great to start the event with a first place!”

Antoine Albeau:
“To be honest with you, I was really happy just to make the final because the conditions early on in the elimination were not the best for me. Pre-start, there was a huge battle for the pin between Alberto Menegatti (Starboard, Simmer) and Kevin Pritchard (Starboard, Gaastra, Dakine), so I decided not to get caught up in that. I lined up just above them with Micah Buzianis (JP, NeilPryde), and then Cyril Moussilmani (Starboard, North) came speeding up from the back and squeezed between us. I didn’t see where Bjorn was, he must have been above all of us. We were all a little bit early to the start so sheeted out, which meant I had a good position, but didn’t hit it at full speed. Bjorn literally came like a bullet past me - he must have had an amazing start upwind. He also had a better angle to the mark than me, was covering my wind, and was pushing hard to get to the mark first. I tried my hardest to stop him, but he gybed round the buoy first, and I had to fight with Kevin and Cyril too in order to hold my own position. At every gybe I felt like I was catching him up, but it was really difficult to get going again after each mark because I was in his wake. The course was actually fairly long at around four minutes, but it’s hard to come back! I’m really pleased to be in second, it’s a solid start to the event, but I’m not very happy that it’s Bjorn who’s in front of me!”

Jimmy Diaz:
“In the semi-final heat I realised that the boat end of the start was actually a great place to be because there was a little bit more pressure up there. The pin end was more favoured, but only if you absolutely nailed it, which was too risky a tactic, so I decided to go for the boat end in the final. I began my run into the line well upwind of everybody else, and in the final few seconds Bjorn also came up towards me and started just to leeward. I think I was a little bit ahead of him to begin with, but he pulled out along the first reach, and Antoine just snuck in front of me too around the gybe. After the buoy I began to gain ground on him, and it looked like I was going to keep gaining on him, but a sudden gust came and Antoine accelerated off. I’m extremely happy with my result, and I think I had very good board speed on the course. The funny thing was, right before the start Bjorn said to me ‘hey Jimmy, shall we repeat what we did in the first race of the season in Korea?’ (he won the final and I came second) I looked at him and said, that sounds like a great idea! It didn’t quite work out, but I’m really pleased with my result.”

Standout Sailor
Tipped for the top, the tall Italian racer that continues to turn heads is the former youth world champion, Alberto Menegatti (Starboard, Simmer). Following a couple of third place finishes in the early rounds, he stepped up his game to qualify for the winner’s final, and then continued to perform to an unbelievably high standard claiming an impressive fourth in the final. Competing against those with at least ten years more experience, it won’t be long before he’s standing on the podium.

Maynard’s Misfortune
The start is an absolutely crucial part of the race to nail in order to get a good result, but in light winds it’s even more so because the speed difference between the sailors is much less, which means every single racer needs to have their watch completely in sync with the start sequence. Obviously this is nothing new to the top racers on the world tour, but when you break some gear moments before the heat sequence begins, thoughts tend to turn to those of getting some more equipment before the race starts rather than hitting the big red button on your watch! This is exactly what happened to 2009 world rankings runner up, Finian Maynard (RRD, Gaastra) before his second round heat today. Luckily, he had time to head back to the shore and grab some more gear. But, without a countdown to the gun he had to rely on the others to lead him in. Unfortunately, he chose Pawel Hlavaty (Starboard) who was hell bent on getting the best start of the fleet, and actually arrived far too early, dragging Maynard across with him!

Results After One Race
1st Bjorn Dunkerbeck (Starboard, Severne, Mystic)
2nd Antoine Albeau (JP, NeilPryde)
3rd Jimmy Diaz (Starboard, North)
4th Alberto Menegatti (Starboard, Simmer)
5th Kevin Pritchard (Starboard, Gaastra, Dakine)

Top Speeds Today Courtesy Of My Geo Live
Antoine Albeau – 31.07 kts
Cyril Moussilmani – 30.57 kts
Bjorn Dunkerbeck – 30.37 kts
Jimmy Diaz – 29.87 kts

Eye On The Horizon
The wind forecast for tomorrow looks lighter than today, but from Thursday morning onwards another low pressure system is rolling in, which is bound to keep the weekend crowds entertained!

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Tag 5 war leider ohne Rennen, es hatte keinen Wind...

Zitat von PWA

2010 COLGATE WORLD CUP SYLT, GERMANY – DAY 5

The world’s craziest freestylers flipped the vibe on day five with a spectacular display of tow-in trickery, which saw the king of pop, Steven Van Broeckhoven play true to his name on the becalmed North Sea!

Despite very light winds forcing the official competition on to hold, the PWA’s freshest were desperate to jump back in the water and return to the limelight. So late in the afternoon head judge, Duncan Coombs organised a light wind freestyle exhibition allowing the sailors to wow the crowds with a technical display of tow-in-styling.

Having had more than twenty-four hours to recover from the single elimination, the four o’clock freestyle frenzy was oversubscribed with riders. Six were lucky enough to be automatically seeded through to the final, and the remainder had to fight it out in the qualifiers for their chance to challenge the best!

The final eight consisted of the crazy French men, Anthony Ruenes (Tabou, Gaastra) and Nicolas Akgazciyan (Starboard, Gun). The boys from Bonaire, Kiri Thode (Starboard, Gaastra), and Tonky (F2, Gaastra) and Taty Frans (Starboard, MauiSails, Mystic). Belgian boy wonder, Steven Van Broeckhoven (F2, Gaastra). And, the Venezuelan whiz kids, former world champion Ricardo Campello (JP, NeilPryde, MFC), and current world champion Jose ‘Gollito’ Estredo (Fanatic, North).

After being towed along the shore at full speed behind a jet ski, the man with more pop than a tube of Pringles, Steven Van Broeckhoven managed to impress both the judges and the spectators with an awesome culo on the glassy North Sea to win himself the top prize of a Panasonic camcorder. Second went to the current world champion, Jose ‘Gollito’ Estredo who was actually the first to gain respect from the crowd with a clean air flaka. And, the final prize went to Taty Frans for his slick double trick – a burner into a flaka!

The remaining fleets had to watch on in awe after a full day on standby had tested the nerves of even the most experienced of competitors. However, with four days still to go, there’s everything left to play for. And, with a new low pressure rolling in, the North Sea will soon turn into a windsurfer’s paradise!

Eye On The Horizon
The forecast for tomorrow looks much more promising than today, and the wind ordered for the weekend will ensure a spectacular finale for the last racing, freestyle, and women’s wave events of the year.

Official Competition Results
Freestyle After The Single Elimination
1st Jose ‘Gollito’ Estredo (Fanatic, North)
2nd Taty Frans (Starboard, MauiSails, Mystic)
3rd Steven Van Broeckhoven (F2, Gaastra)
4th Kiri Thode (Starboard, Gaastra)

Slalom After One Race
1st Bjorn Dunkerbeck (Starboard, Severne, Mystic)
2nd Antoine Albeau (JP, NeilPryde)
3rd Jimmy Diaz (Starboard, North)
4th Alberto Menegatti (Starboard, Simmer)
5th Kevin Pritchard (Starboard, Gaastra, Dakine)

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Hallo Rolf,

dein Segel liegt übrigens schon seit Dienstag bei Dunki zur Abholung bereit.

Grüße

Totti