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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
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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
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Photo Friday – Podersdorf

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

Category: Pictures

Antione Questel Ready for 2013 Slalom World Tour

After the winter training slalom sailor Antoine Questel (Loft Sails) is ready to start the PWA World Tour Windsurfing season. Check it out in this short clip, as he hits up St Barth, France, Tarifa, and Maui!

Category: Riders, Slalom, Videos
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Gollito wins the PWA Surfworldcup in Podersdorf!

Now it´s official, Gollito Estredo is the winner of the 2013 PWA Freestyle World Cup in Podersdorf. With no wind today, no contest was run, so the results from the previous days stood. Well done Gollito!

I’m super happy to have won the event again this year! The conditions in Podersdorf are always really tough for me as I´m not used to the cold water. But I have trained a lot during the last months and my efforts paid off one more time. I´m really really happy to start the season with this first victory. Thanx a lot to my sponsors Fanatic, NorthSails and ION! – Gollito Estredo

Steven Van Broeckhoven finished in second and Kiri Thode in third.

Category: Events, News, PWA

European Tow-In Championship 2013 – Qualification round 3

Steven van Broeckhoven wins the third qualification round with an Air Funnell into Burner. Also qualifying were Adrien Bosson and Max Matissek.

Category: Events, Freestyle, Videos
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Surf World Cup Podersdorf Day 4

There was little to no wind on Monday, until the wind picked up around lunch time. Canadian Philip Soltysiak was the first to hit the water. After 2 hours of attempting to start competition the winds did not cooperate, and a postmen was set once again, until the wind dropped off, and there was no opportunity to run the second single elimination, and competitors were dismissed for the evening. In the evening the 3rd and final qualifying round of the European tow-in stared at 8pm. Last years champion Steven Van Broeckhoven (JP / NeilPryde / Different) stole the show again as he landed an incredible air funnel into air burner 540, which earns him the highest score of the qualifying rounds. In second was Max Matissek, followed by Adrien Bosson in third. The final is set to run latter this evening.

For a full recap of yesterdays events and an interview with Davy Scheffers (Fanatic/Gaastra) head over here on the PWA Website.

Category: Events, News, PWA

PWA Surf Worldcup Podersdorf 2013 – Double Elimination Action

The best action from the Double Elimination at the PWA Surf Worldcup Podersdorf 2013. Thanks to Content Seven who has been there capturing all the action. Gollio Estredo won the double elimination, followed by Steven Van Broekhoven in second and Kiri Thode in third.

Category: Events, Videos
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PWA Surf World Cup Update

The fourth day in the PWA Surf World Cup, in Austria has begun. A strong wind kicked in this morning, and the second single elimination began. But let us give you a bit of a run down on what’s happened so far.

Friday featured hot temperatures, and light winds, eventually a light breeze picked up so a few sailors hit the water but it never materialized so no competition was held. The PWA caught up with Max Rowe and Gollito Estredo who had recently been on Maui, check out PWA’s day 1 report here.

Saturday had everyone pumped as the forecast was looking strong, with a plan to run the whole double elimination. The action was intense but the 5x World Champion Gollito Estredo won, followed by Steven Van Broekhoven in second and Kiri Thode in third, no big surprises there! You can check out the PWA’s full press release on Day 2 for more details.

Sunday had light winds, and saw little action, except for the tow-in qualification rounds. Two intense heats were held with the top three from each heat advancing to the Final, which is scheduled for tomorrow. From the first heat, Tonky Frans, Julien Mas, and Bjorn Saragoza advanced respectively. In heat two, Gollito Estredo, Taty Frans, and Dieter van der Eyken will advance. Feel free to check out the PWA report from day 3, with the men behind the Trictionary windsurf bible.

Today has started with finicky winds, and heats being postponed. It’s now close to 4PM in Austria, with no wind. For an up to the minute of action in Podersdorf check out the PWA Live Ticker.

Category: Events, News, PWA

2013 Simmer Brand Movie

Simmer Style and its history date back to the very foundation of hi-performance windsurfing on Maui in the beginning of the 80’s. Today, more than 30 years later, Simmer Style has become a truly complete company, offering everything you need to ride the Simmer Style way anywhere one can find wind. Top performing sail designs for every possible environment, superior masts and booms of the highest quality and performance, a wetsuit line-up that stands toe to toe with anything in the industry, super comfortable harnesses, innovative accessories, and last but not least, our newly launched board brand.

Even thou we have grown from a small sail loft on the North Shore of Maui to a international company the foundation of the brand is still the same, a selfless love of windsurfing. No hype, no big show, just go out there and hit the wind and waves as hard as you can and let the sailing do the talking.

That´s what we are all about.

Aloha!

-Simmer

Category: Videos

2013 BIC TECHNO 293 Season Trailer

The new season for the Bic Techno 293 is about to begin, full of new friends, and new challenges! The Techno 293 is easy to sail, durable, and affordable, bring many new people into the sport of windsurfing. Find out more in this video and then head over to Techno293.org.

Category: Racing, Videos
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2013 Aruba Xtreme Results

Amado Vriedwijk won the Aruba Xtreme Games this year, winning two of the three eliminations. Taty Frans beet him in the third elimination haveing missed the first and second eliminations on Maui for a Photo Shoot.

Result Aruba Xtreme Event (after three eliminations)
1. Amado Vrieswijk
2. Youp Schmidt
3. Rafael de Windt
4. Steven Max
5. Ethan Westera
6. Taty Frans

Category: Events, News

NeilPryde 2013

This amazing clip comes from Christoph Valognes, featuring the NeilPryde team in action at different spots around the World.  This clip is spectacular and a a must watch!

Category: Freestyle, Videos, Wavesailing

St Barth Fun Cup 2013

A really nice video form the St. Barth Fun Cup. To recap the results, local Antoine Questel (FRA-99) won the Slalom competition followed by Taty Frans (NB-9) in 2nd, and Björn Dunkerbeck in 3rd. On the ladies side, Delphine Cousin won ahead of Sarah-Quita Offringa.

Category: Events, Slalom, Videos