Dutch NeilPryde rider Dennis Klaaijsen broke the world record for non-stop, 24-hour distance sailing on Sunday 23rd June, sailing over 600 km in one full day. Here is what he had to say about this incredible windsurfing feat:
“June 23rd 2013 presented itself as a possible day for an improvement on the 24h distance windsurfing record. The forecasts were showing south westerly winds in the morning, veering to west south west, 20-25 knots later in the day. Ideal for an attempt at the record location – Grevelingen lake near Zonnemaire, the Netherlands.
I woke up at 01.30 and together with the support crew we drove to the Grevelingen lake. At 03.00 the stand by boat went in the water and I rigged three sets – NeilPryde RS:RACING EVOV 6.4, 7.0 and 7.8
At 04.50 it was light enough to start. Every 75-100km I made a pit stop at the stand by the boat to stock up on energy and water. Around 15.00 I had 350km on the GPS display. The wind picked up to a steady 30 knots and I changed to the 6.4 EVOV. I used this sail for the next 4 hours and during the course of the evening I switched back to 7.0 and later 7.8.
The cruising speed was 30-35 knots with peaks of up to 39 knots. The sails feel so stable that it’s nearly impossible to get an overpowered EVOV. The chop might become a limiting factor, but the sails just keep on going.At 21.15 I passed the 550km mark and the world record was mine. I still had another 7.5 hours in the bag and was determined to keep on sailing the full 24 hours. The support crew, consisting of my good friends and surf buddies, started to rig the lights on the buoys and markers around the water so I would be able to keep my bearings in the night.
At rround 23.00 I had 600km on the clock and switched to my warmer winter gear for the night time session. Winds had dropped after sunset (22.30) so with my 8.6 EVOV and 135 litre board I went on the water again. In gusty, light conditions sailing became increasingly difficult and extremely tiring, within an hour of the difficult conditions both my hands had open blisters. At 02.00, with a total of 630km I called it a day.
My mission was successful, with an improvement on the 24h distance by 80 kilometers. I am left with the question… is 700+ km within reach?
A more detailed report is in the making, as well a short movie of the preparation and day itself.”
Congratulations to Dennis!
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Maarten van Ochten was a victim of some turbulent wind and got his foot stuck in the foot strap. As a result he will miss out on the next few competitions. We wish Maarten a speedy recovery!
Casper Bouman of Holland won the 2013 Formula Worlds which wrapped up in Croatia over the weekend. In second was Gonzalo Costa Hoevel and Steve Allen in third. Two other big names were also pushing the podium Antoine Albeau in fourth and Arnon Dagan in fifth.
“The competition was just amazing!! Being in this beautiful place with this many international top riders it was an intense week! Leading from the qualifications on.. The real battle started in the gold fleet!
Wind wasn’t as strong as it could be at this place but that was probably in my favour.. With shifty winds it was very important to have a good start and race smart! Which suits my kind of sailing.
It was a fight until the last day where we did 4 races.. With Gonzalo in second and other big names close behind I couldn’t afford any mistakes. I am just really happy to pull it off this year!
Sailing with my F2 formula board and NP Evo 5 sails were just the right setup for these conditions!
I just want to thank all my sponsors and everybody who believed in me this week! It’s definitely a big push for me and couldn’t wish for more.. Looking forward to the rest of the season were I will also me focusing more on slalom racing! Next race will be the Europeans in Latvia and after the PWA in Alacati!” – Casper
A super session saves the day and wows crowd
The 25th anniversary of the PWA Pozo World Cup didn’t quite play out as everyone was anticipating after the wind and wave God’s deserted the shores of Pozo for almost the entirety of the week, meaning that – incredibly – no official results were obtained, with neither the men’s or the women’s competitions even beginning. Seventeen year old Moritz Mauch (Starboard / North) deserves a special mention as the youngster claimed the Junior’s title. Despite the lack of wind and waves the PWA Gran Canaria Wind&Waves Festival was still a fantastic event with plenty of action off the water throughout the days and well into the evenings. The final day of the event did see the return of the wind, combined with a selection of sporadic waves, which enabled both a men’s and women’s super session to be held and the action was nothing short of exceptional.
Super Session
Men’s Final
After the top two sailors from the four qualifying heats had been decided the final boiled down to fifteen minutes of jumping madness, in which the top two jumps would count for each sailor. Qualifying for the final from heat one were Ricardo Campello (JP / NeilPryde / MFC) and Eleazar Alonso (Tabou / Gaastra), whilst heat two and three saw Philip Koester (Starboard / NeilPryde / Maui Ultra Fins), Jose ‘Gollito’ Estredo (Fanatic / North), Marcilio ‘Brawzinho’ Browne (Goya Windsurfing / MFC) and Jules Denel (JP / NeilPryde) all successfully advance into the final. The remaining qualifying heat saw Victor Fernandez (Fanatic / North) and his fellow teammate Alessio Stillrich (Fanatic / North) secure the top two places.
In the end the reigning PWA Wave World Champion – Philip Koester – proved exactly why he is number one in the world. The nineteen year old started off the final in emphatic fashion as he exploded into one of his trademark, bolt upright double forwards, before later adding a quite exquisite – yet ridiculous – no-handed backloop to seal his place at the top of the fleet. Meanwhile, it was almost impossible to separate Fernandez, Campello and Browne such was the closeness of their performances. Eventually Fernandez and Campello completed the podium positions in second and third place respectively, with Browne being forced to settle for fourth place. The only real separating point between them was the cleanness of their landings on their double forwards. The reigning PWA Freestyle World Champion – Jose ‘Gollito’ Estredo – also showed his jumping prowess with monumental shakas and a perfectly executed air chachoo, whilst the youthful talent of Stillrich showed his potential again with fully planing tweaked pushloops.
Women’s Final
Daida Ruano Moreno (Starboard / Severne) proved why she has so often dominated Pozo through the years with an accomplished display in the super session final. The multiple times world champion showed off her repertoire of moves, which ranged from brilliant tabletop forwards to one-handed backloops. Iballa Ruano Moreno (Starboard / Severne) didn’t finished far behind but this time around the reigning PWA Wave World Champion had to settle for second place. Iballa opened the heat with a clew-first backloop before going on to land a clean forward, but it wasn’t enough to see of her sister. The remaining spot for the podium saw a hard fought battle between Karin Jaggi (Patrik / Severne) and Steffi Wahl (Patrik / Sailloft Hamburg), but eventually the Swiss gem managed to claim third with a clean backloop being the decisive factor.
The second to last day of the Gran Canaria Wind & Waves festival saw the most promising conditions, but still failed to meet the requirements for official PWA Competition. The decision was made to try to start the men’s trials late in the afternoon, but conditions failed to materialize. On the other hand today did see the conclusion of the Junior’s competition and eventually Moritz Mauch (Starboard / North) claimed the under 18s title ahead of Benjamin (Goya Windsurfing) and Marc Pare (RRD / Simmer).
If you have missed the live stream, conditions failed to materialize again for the final day, and only a super session was ran, we will have those results for you shortly.
We will have all your news and results from the 2013 PWA Pozo World Cup, and the live stream above!
(Competition runs July 9th – 14th.)
Day 6 Video – Super Session Action
Day 6 – Koster wins the Super Session
Day 5 Video – Check out the pros, freesailing, the conditions look pretty good to us, but the waves were to flat!
Day 5 – The juniors finish there event, and the pros go freesailing, as conditions never materialized.
Day 4 Video – Finally some action!
Best of Action from Day 4 – Photo Gallery
Day 4 – The Juniors hit the water
Day 3 Video – How about some Sushi?
Day 3 – All remais quiet.
Day 2 Video – Tow-in, sexy massages, and quick questions
Day 2 – The waiting game continues…
Day 1 Video – Behind the scenes
Day 1 – A slow day with little wind.
More to Come!
The next generation of windsurfers take centre stage at the PWA Pozo World Cup
Day 4 of the PWA Gran Canaria Wind & Waves Festival finally saw some action, as Juniors took centre stage. Howeve, promising winds at the start of the day soon deteriorated which resulted in the Juniors final being canceled, while the men’s and women’s heats have yet to begin.
Junior’s Heat 1
Moritz Mauch dominated Heat one with with out standing wave riding ability. The 17 year old Moritz made the most of the conditions as he demonstrated both front and backside riding, before sliding his way through a smooth taka. Mauch also landed two clean forwards. Competitors Noah Roche-Vocker and Loick Lesauvage both demonstrated nice forwards, but it wasn’t enough to stop Moritz Mauch from winning the heat.
Junior’s Heat 2
Seventeen year old Benjamin advanced into the final after beating Marc Pare and Nicklas Herrera Mathisen. Benjamin edged out the tow competitors with superior wave riding, confidentiality linking together several waves, with both front and backside hits. Pare came a close second but may have been able to edge out pare if he was able to hang onto a very close back loop attempt. 12 year old Herrara Mathisen can be proud of his heat landing several forward loops, and is definitely one to watch in the coming years.
The final of the Juniors heat was started, but deteriorating wind conditions forced it to be cancelled. The junior Heat will be concluded tomorrow.
The forecast for tomorrow is similar to today. Hopefully the local effect will hold as the winds are a bit more easterly, allowing for the competition to begin. The skippers meeting has been called for 10AM with action beginning at 10:30 if conditions allow.
The waiting game continues at Pozo
The second day of the PWA Gran Canaria Wind & Waves Festival was very relaxed as wind and waves didn’t cooperate for the second day in a row. Temperatures sored into the 30’s as competitors took to seeking shade and cover out of the sunshine, as they continued to wait.
The day was quieter then usual for the first day in Pozo.
No official competition was completed on the first day of the 35th PWA Pozo World Cup, but crowds and other competitiors were treated to some sick freestyle from five time PWA Freestyle World Champion Sarah-Quita Offringa. By the afternoon the PWA crew released the three trials heats.
Check back for more updates as the 2013 PWA Pozo World Cup progresses.
Beginning tomorrow, July 9th the 25th edition of the PWA Pozo World Cup begins, and runs until July 14th. pozo Izquiredo is recognized as one of the best windsurfing spots on the planet due to its super strong winds which can exceed 50 knots and it’s steep waves. This combinations turns Pozo into a waveailing and jumping paradise, allowing radical windsurfers to boost huge and spectacular moves!
As the top wavesailors in the world come to the shores of Pozo, Gran Canria, who will be the ones to watch and what action will unfold? Six days of unbelievable wave sailing, as the top wavesailors battle for another World Title, and work to gain points for the World Tour season.
Top 32
There has been a change in format this season, only the top 32 men in the World will be allowed to compete, down from 48 in previous years. This will mean a result in an increased level of competition, but heats will now only feature two sailors instead of four, meaning the action will be easier to view on the PWA live stream.
Who to Watch
There is no doubt a lot of eyes will be on the reigning PWA World Champion, Philip Koester as he try’s to complete a hat-trick of event victories. Judging from his latest videos it will be hard to beat him.
Vice Wave World Champion Victor Fernandez will be hoping to one better last years finish. The Spainard is one of the most stylish riders on the tour, and has doubles that are almost as effortless as Koesters.
Ricardo Campello is not one to hold back, he is considered by many to be on of the best jumpers on the tour. With little to no fear Campello pushes the boundaries and we may see him attempt or even land a triple forward in the contest as he grabs for Glorey as he tries to better his performance from the past three seasons.
There are five other sailors to also keep an eye on. Alex Mussolini, from Spain is one of the best wave riders in the World and scored him well in Pozo last year. Brazilian Macilio Browne will no doubt be a serious competitor having been training on Maui all off season. Dario Ojeda escels in harsh conditions found at Pozo, and is a local favorite. German Dany Bruch has a fluid style and finished fifth at last years event. Thomas Traversa clamed his first event victory at Klitmoeller last season beating Koester will he be able to ride that high into this years Pozo contest?
On the womens side the Moreno twins will continue to dominate. Iballa Moreno and Daida Moreno have dominated the top two places in Pozo for the last 13 years. Gran Canaria local Nayra Alonso makes her return after becoming a mother last year, in 2011 she finished third overall. Swiss wider Karin Jaggi will also be looking to make a strong start to her season as well as PWA world champion Sarah-Quita Offringa, Pollands Justyna Sniady and Germany’s Steffi Wahl.
This year is the 25th anaversary of the PWA Pozo World Cup events, which makes this years titles that much more special. Stay tuned for more action.
There’s also dedicated websites at all of the following:
Event Website http://grancanariawindandwavesfestival.com/
Event Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/GranCanariaWindWavesFestival?fref=ts
Event Twitter https://twitter.com/#!/GCWindWavesFest
Event YouTube http://www.youtube.com/GCWindWavesFestival
Event Flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/gcwindwavesfestival/
And for the live feed of the event head over to PWAWorldTour.com
A few days ago top British wavesailor Robby Swift suffered a serious injury, while training for the upcoming PWA Pozo World Cup. The Professional windsurfers association recently caught up with Robby to find out more, here’s the interview from the PWA:
PWA: What’s the full diagnosis?
RS: “I flew back to England today and have an appointment with the specialist tomorrow morning. Broken ankle and tibia. I need an MRI to check the joint situation. Couldn’t see from the x-ray as I can’t weight bear due to pain and swelling.”
“I’m really gutted as I was more prepared this year than ever for Pozo. I really felt that I could be on the podium at the end of the event and was having so much fun sailing there last night.”
PWA: What happened exactly?
RS: “I did a 1 foot backloop and saw that I was going to crash so I tried to throw the gear away but my back foot got stuck in the strap and I fell down onto the sail with my other foot over the mast and all my body weight squashed my leg into the mast.”
“Anyway, hopefully tomorrow they will give me my prognosis and I will let you know what they say.”
Here’s to hoping Swifty recovers quickly and we see him back on the PWA World Tour soon.
Top rider Robby Swift has suffered a leg injury while training in Pozo for the upcoming PWA event. Yesterday afternoon Robby Swift broke his leg and ankle on a one footed back loop gone wrong, he is currently on his way back to the UK for surgery. With such a short circuit is will put the entire season in doubt. We wish him a speedy recovery and hope to see him back on the water soon.
Things are looking good for the PWA Tour after a few events were cancelled in previous years. Chili is confirmed and the AWT has extended an invitation to the PWA to join them for The Aloha Classic.
The Aloha Classic was the final and premier event of the PWA World Tour until 2006 when it was cancelled. In 2011 the AWT brought an event back to Ho’okipa with the Maui Makani Classic, which was just announced will be renamed to The Aloha Classic.
Announcing a name change for the AWT final 2013 event from Maui Makani Classic to Aloha Classic. AWT brackets will run as usual with Amateur, Masters, Youth, Women and Pro divisions. The PWA has been invited to join in on the 2-week contest window. If the PWA joins in on the event, top Pros ranking from the AWT brackets will advance as wildcards to the PWA brackets. We are happy to also welcome Duncan Coombs as confirmed Head Judge for the 2013 Aloha Classic.
Contest window for the Aloha Classic is October 24th-November 6th. Permits allow us to run 11 of the 14 days. We will hold our awards party on Saturday, November 2nd. All completed divisions up to that point will be awarded at that time and any final awards will be presented at the beach Sunday the 3rd through Wednesday the 6th of November condition dependent.
All are welcome to participate in this event. Register today at AmericanWindsurfingTour.co
m as spots are limited to the first 100 competitors registered.
This is great news, and it is sure to be an exciting event. I would say we could see many names return to Competition, such as Jason Polakow who competed in last years AWT event, and Kauli Seadi who has recently joined with Hot Sails Maui.
The forecast delivered for day four at the 2013 AWT Pistol River Wave Bash presented by Starboard with 20-25 knot wind. The waves were small but there was enough to get through a full single elimination bracket for all the divisions. It was a long day at the beach but it was exciting to see what the riders could deliver in such challenging conditions.
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