The Black Team – Winter Training in El Medano

Point-7 are taking a revolutionary step in terms of the International Team concept. From Jan 15 to mid-April 2013 the entire Black Team came to the island of Tenerife to train together as a whole team. The team was training together off the water, racing together on the water, tuning their equipment together, working with the designers on new developments, motivating and helping each other, having fun and most importantly, taking real advantage of being a Team working towards a common goal…better results, better equipment and creating a true team spirit!
In this short video you can see how the Team enjoyed this time in El Medano, the place good for slalom, wave and freestyle! You can see Andrea Cucchi, Adam Lewis, Nicolas Akagazciyan, Martin Ten Hoeve, Maciek Rutkowski, Alberto Menegatti, Pascal Toselli, Greta Benvenuti and others!

Camera & edit: Bartek Jankowski – BJ Productions (bj-productions.com)
Music: Sigur Ros – Hoppipolla, Cash Cash – Overtime.
Category: Videos

Big Dream

Young Italian freestyler Riccardo Marca brings us his latest video ‘Big Dream’, from training in Sa Barra, Sardinia.

Category: Freestyle, Videos
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Day 3 of the Ulsan PWA World Cup

The third day of the Ulsan PWA World Cup started with extremely light winds in the morning, however, over the course of the morning the wind swung cross-shore and the conditions started to look much more promising. The wind continued to tease the competitors over the duration of the day, but extremely gusty winds put a spanner in the works and no heats could be completed today. After a long day on hold the sailors were eventually released at 5pm.

With the sailors playing the waiting game we caught up with Josh Angulo (Angulo / Gun Sails) – who was involved in one of the most talked about incidents of day two.

PWA: What are your thoughts on the whole incident with Cedric Bordes (Tabou / Gaastra) yesterday?

JA: “From yesterday to today things are pretty different. It often happens in racing that in the heat of the moment you get pretty upset with whatever has been going on, but it’s no big deal. He (Bordes) Bordes hit me, it wasn’t malicious and he didn’t try to do it. It definitely cost me some places and at an event like this where we aren’t guaranteed lots of races every place matters. I let him know what I thought, so he knows and I know he didn’t mean to, so it’s all good.

PWA: In the close season you moved back to Gun Sails, are you feeling happy with your setup?

JA: “For sure I am, I’ve got really good gear as everybody obviously does. Every year it’s getting more and more competitive, but I feel that over the course of the year with the different conditions that I’ll be able to do well, as my gear works so well over a wide range of conditions, which I think is really important. I’m fired up and just having fun and definitely once again very blessed to be hanging here on the beach windsurfing.”

PWA: Which equipment were you on yesterday?

JA: “I rode my 9.5m and 8.7m with both my large and medium board combined with a few different fins. I was switching around quite a bit as the conditions were quite variable.”

PWA: Aims for the season?

JA: “My aims are always to win. I always believe that I can beat pretty much anyone in the world on a windsurf board because that’s what I’ve been doing all my life. I also understand that it takes a lot of dedication, so I try to allot more and more time for windsurfing, since I do have the support from my sponsors to do it and I still believe that I can win. I definitely wouldn’t be here if I thought I’m only gonna get tenth or twelfth or something you know. I aiming for the top.”

PWA: Are you still located in Boston? And do you get to windsurf much in Boston?

JA: “Yep I just flew here from there! I do, and right now it’s the time of year when it’s just starting to warm up. I also did a couple of training trips to Maui before this event, as I can do so much more specific testing, easily in Maui and crucially with the right people. So now I’ll be able to do maintenance windsurfing in Boston.”

PWA: Thanks Josh and good luck for the remainder of the event.

The forecast for tomorrow is predicting wind from the opposite direction in the morning, so with this in mind the skippers’ meeting has been called for 08:30am with the action commencing from 9am. Once again, you’ll be able to watch all the action unfold as it happens by tuning into the PWA TV, which can be found @ https://www.pwaworldtour.com/index.php?id=1622

Scope The Action


For information on all the entrants, and to keep up to date with every piece of the action, navigate to www.pwaworldtour.com

Category: Events, News, PWA

Jordy Vonk Training

Jordy Vonnk, Casper Bouman, Nikaj Droop and Coen Swijnenburg training on Brouwersdam.

Category: Slalom, Videos
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Day 2 of the Ulsan PWA World Cup

Menegatti and Jaggi shine in the glistening South Korean sun

Jinha beach truly delivered the goods on day two of the Ulsan PWA World Cup as winds of between 14-25 knots created a slalom sailors paradise for the entire afternoon. After several hours of adrenaline fueled slalom Alberto Menegatti (Starboard / Point-7 / Mystic) and Karin Jaggi (Patrik / Severne) were the sailors wearing the biggest smiles, as they claimed the opening bullets of the campaign. Meanwhile, there were a whole host of highs and lows as tempers flared during an action packed day.

Men

Elimination One

Winners’ Final

Alberto Menegatti stole the show today as he led the first winners’ final of the year from start to finish with a truly accomplished display. Over the course of the day the Italian looked a cut above the rest and he continued his form into the final as he demonstrated his phenomenal straight line speed and perfect gybes. His fellow countryman, Matteo Iachino (F2 / Challenger Sails / AL360) also made a great start and he pursued Menegatti into the first gybe ahead of Pierre Mortefon (Fanatic / North) and Antoine Questel (Starboard / Loft Sails). Meanwhile, Steve Allen (Starboard / Severne) and Sylvain Moussilmani (Tabou / Simmer) collided at the first mark, somehow Ben Van Der Steen (Starboard / Gaastra / Mystic / Different) brilliantly avoided the chaos. With Menegatti cruising to victory the real battle was between Iachino and Questel and it was the Frenchman who put the pedal to the metal to maneuver himself into second place. Despite Iachino battling all the way to the finish line, Questel managed to hold off the twenty-three year olds challenge to claim second place, with Iachino having to settle for third. The top four was eventually completed by another Frenchman in the shape of Pierre Mortefon, leaving the flying Dutchman, Van Der Steen in fifth.

The opening elimination was packed with action as several big names failed to qualify for the winners’ final, namely the reigning world champion Antoine Albeau (RRD / NeilPryde) and his arch nemesis Bjorn Dunkerbeck (Starboard / Severne / Dunkerbeck Eyewear / Chris Benz). The big Frenchman had been looking in terrific form prior to heat fourteen and he even made the best start of the pack in the semifinal, but disaster soon struck as Albeau suffered a broken fin moments after crossing the start line, rendering his chances over, for the time being at least. Similarly Dunkerbeck suffered an equipment malfunction in the shape of a torn sail. Uncharacteristically the terminator dropped his opening gybe in the heat ten and with no room to maneuver Peter Volwater (Fanatic / Avanti) had no choice but to sail straight over the top of Dunkerbeck’s equipment, which ended both of their races. The upsets weren’t over there either as the ever consistent Jimmy Diaz (Starboard / North), who usually revels in the tough conditions of South Korea also failed to make the semifinal, as did Finian Maynard (RRD / Avanti) and perhaps most surprisingly last years champion Micah Buzianis (JP / MauiSails), who was beaten to the final qualifying spot by Alexandre Cousin (Patrik / Loft Sails / Mystic) after an epic battle.

The losers’ final saw tempers flare as Cedric Bordes collided with Josh Angulo (Angulo / Gun Sails) at the penultimate mark to send Angulo into the drink. At the time Angulo was sat in second place, but he soon found himself at the back of the fleet, after Bordes had taken full advantage of the racing rules – rightly or wrongly – to finish in third place behind Albeau and Cyril Moussilmani (Starboard / Severne).

Elimination Two

With the wind continuing to blow the opening eleven heats of race two were completed, but the second elimination wasn’t without it’s drama either. In the opening round Ludovic Jossin (Patrik / Loft Sails) looked to be cruising into the quarterfinals, but a glaring error saw the thirty-six year old throw it all away as he crossed the finish line on the wrong side. Waiting in the wings was a very grateful Daisuke Ikoma (RRD / MauiSails) who unexpectedly found himself qualifying for heat twelve. Heat nine was glittered with stars and Kurosh Kiani (Fanatic / Simmer) and Matteo Iachino clearly felt the pressure to make a good start in order to escape an incredibly tough heat, sadly for them they pushed a little too hard as they were both disqualified for false starts. Eventually Dunkerbeck, Bordes, Patrick Diethelm (Patrik / Loft Sails) and Josh Angulo all booked their places in the semifinal, but there was no place for Pieter Bijl (Angulo / NeilPryde) – who made the opening winners’ final – which proves just how competitive the slalom fleet currently is. As the evening drew in the wind became increasingly fickle, which resulted in three unsuccessful attempts to complete heat twelve.

Women’s

Winners’ Final

Japan’s Ayako Suzuki (Starboard / Gaastra / Mystic) made a flying start in heat sixteen, but she soon felt the force of a rampaging Karin Jaggi, who led into the first mark. Lena Erdil (Patrik / Loft Sails / AL360) didn’t make the best of starts, but a fantastic opening gybe saw the Turkish lady burst into second place. Valerie Arrighetti (Tabou / Gaastra / Mystic) was still in contention at this stage, but her challenge for victory was all over by the second mark as the reigning world champion flamed her gybe and ultimately finished in eighth place. Jaggi in the meantime continued to extend her lead as the Swiss gem combined her superior top speed with silky smooth gybes and it wasn’t long before the Swiss gem was taking the chequered flag to claim the first bullet of the season. Delphine Cousin (JP / NeilPryde), meanwhile, had slowly been creeping through the fleet and the twenty-one year old made no mistakes around the final gybe to claim a brilliant second place ahead of Erdil and Mio Anayama (Starboard / NeilPryde).

The main surprise in the semifinal involved Marion Mortefon (Starboard / Severne), after the young French woman narrowly failed to qualify for the winners’ final after a tussle with Anayama.

An eventful second day concluded just before six O’clock after four hours of furious slalom. Tomorrow’s forecast promise the opportunity of further racing, so be sure to tune in from 10am when the skippers’ shall be held – if the conditions are suitable then the racing shall resume with the men’s heat twelve at 10:30am. You’ll be able to watch all the action unfold as it happens by tuning into the PWA TV @ https://www.pwaworldtour.com/index.php?id=1622.

Results after Elimination One – Men

1st Alberto Menegatti (Starboard / Point-7)

2nd Antoine Questel (Starboard / Loft Sails)

3rd Matteo Iachino (F2 / Challenger Sails / AL360)

4th Pierre Mortefon (Fanatic / North)

5th Ben Van Der Steen (Starboard / Gaastra / Mystic / Different)

Results after Elimination One – Women

1st Karin Jaggi (Patrik / Severne)

2nd Delphine Cousin (JP / NeilPryde)

3rd Lena Erdil (Patrik / Loft Sails / AL360 / Mystic)

4th Mio Anayama (Starboard / NeilPryde)

5th Cagla Kubat (Starboard / Loft Sails)

Category: Events, News, PWA
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Day 1 of ULSAN PWA WORLD CUP

The inaugural day of the Ulsan PWA World Cup saw both the men’s and women’s heats registering for the upcoming week of competition between 10am and 11am. With light onshore winds combined with beautiful sunshine in the morning, the sailors took the opportunity to finish preparing themselves and their equipment for the start of the competition.

The skippers’ meeting took place at half past one, but with light winds still dominating the proceedings, it was not possible to start of the competition. However at around quarter to three the wind swung cross-shore and started to show promise of picking up, which tempted several sailors out onto the water the test the conditions. Over the next hour the majority of the fleet took the water, but in the end this turned out to be in vain as the wind never fully materialized on day one of the Ulsan PWA World Cup.

After a flurry of action on both the beach and the water we quickly caught up with Karin Jaggi (Patrik / Severne):

PWA: Last year you got about as close as you can to winning the world title, are you feeling confident ahead of this years campaign?

KJ: “Fairly confident, I didn’t train slalom so much this winter, but I’ve been sailing in the waves quite a bit. With just the three events there’s no room for error such as over earlies. I’ll try my best and if everything comes together then I’m definitely trying to win again.”

PWA: Which equipment have you registered for the season?

KJ: “I have the Patrik 115l, 100l and 92l, so basically the same as last year and the same for the sails. So I have 8.6m all the way down to 5.1m, which means I’m ready for any conditions.”

PWA: Is there much difference between your kit this year and last year?

KJ: “I don’t think there’s a massive difference. The boards are pretty much the same and the sails are very similar, which I think is a huge advantage because it means I already have experience with the gear in Korea with almost the exact same setup. Hopefully I can use that to my advantage.”

PWA: Lastly, what are your aims for both slalom and waves?

KJ: “With the slalom it’s going to be interesting to see how everyone does at the first event. I think there’s a few sailors that improved quite a lot. It looks like Lena Erdil (Patrik / Loft / AL360 / Mystic) is going to be quite quick, but for sure I’m going for the win. With the waves taking place in the Canaries, Sylt and Chile I’m aiming for the top three.”

PWA: Thanks Karin and good luck for when the racing begins.

To close the day the sailors and the crew were treated to an opening meal at five O’clock, before the stunning opening ceremony was held on Jinha beach in front of a packed out crowd. The forecast for tomorrow looks promising with more wind being predicted than for today, so hopefully we will see the first races of the 2013 season completed. The skippers’ meeting has been called for 10am tomorrow morning with the action commencing from 10:30am if conditions allow. Remember that you’ll be able to watch all the action unfold as it happens by tuning into the live stream which can be found via the PWA TV.

Category: Events, News, PWA

Gastra 2014 – Around the Table

Jamie Hancock, Ross Williams, Phil Horrocks, and Alex Mussolini using some of the 2014 Gaastra sails during a winter trip to Cape Town, as part of the Gaastra 2014 photoshoot.

Category: Equipment, Wavesailing

Leo Ray Enjoying Maui 2013

Leo Ray is a former PWA competitor in the freestyle discipline, now he is more into wavesailing, spending most of the year living on Maui.  Check out this very nicely done clip, with lots of wave action from Ho’okipa.

Category: Videos, Wavesailing
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Event Preview: Ulsan PWA World Cup

Between the 4th to the 10th May the opening slalom event of the year will see the fastest sailors in the world heading to South Korea’s famed Jinha beach, which is situated just half an hours drive from the bustling metropolitan city of Ulsan.

Jinha beach has quickly earned itself the reputation of being the top windsurfing destination in the country, due to it’s beautiful white sand beaches and reliable trade winds, which blow consistently between May and June. South Korea often proves to be one of the most challenging stops on the tour, which guarantees an enthralling week of warp speed slalom. Expect tempers to flare as the sailors try to take the highs with the lows.
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Category: Events, News, PWA

PWA Podersdorf 2013 – Slowed Down

A nicely done, and slowed down clip from the the recent PWA Podersdorf Freestyle World Cup. Shot and edited by Jakub Kasmowski.

Category: Events, Freestyle, Videos
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Photo Friday – Podersdorf

A small selection of pics from the recent PWA Podersdorf Freestyle Worldcup.

Category: Pictures
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Photo Friday – Around The World

The first part of our Photo Friday series today, there are a bunch of shots coming from the recent PWA Worldcup in Podersdorf shortly. This weeks cover shot is this awesom pick of the World Champion Philip Koster by Global Shots. Also don’t miss Robby Naish’s perfect table top! An epic shot of Grham Ezzy who keeps producing awesome shots, plus much more!

Category: Awesome, Pictures

Meet the HOT riders – Katie McAnena interviews Francesco Orsi

A new series from Hot Sails Maui, where Katie McAnena will interview and introduce a number of the Hopt Sails Maui International and Pro riders. In this episode on her latest training trip to Maui Katie catches up with Portuguese Slalom Champion 2012 Franz Orsi who was in Maui testing the GPS sails and working with Tom on the 2014 designs while also featuring in the Starbaord photoshoot..

Category: Riders, Videos

A Tribute to Mikey Clancy

A tribute by Peter Hart to Mikey Clancy, the amazing young Irish windsurfer who died in January. Peter remembers the week in Donegal back in 2005 when he coached him as 15 year old.

Category: Freestyle, Videos

Bonaire Edit

There is no doubt the Bonaire crew are some of the best freestylers, just look at the results from the recent PWA stop in Austria. Just check out the mad style of them in this sick clip. Featuring Taty Frans, Kiri Thode and more.

Category: Freestyle, Videos