Day 1: The opening round of race one completed before the wind halts play
The inaugural day of the 2014 PWA Catalunya World Cup saw a hazy and chilly start, however it wasn’t long before bursts of sunshine started to burn through the cloud and 6 heats were completed.
Dunkerbeck reflects on day one:
“The wind started off pretty good 10-12 knots and sunny, up until my heat no. 6 it was on the limit but ok, then a cloud came, the wind dropped and changed angle, so even on my 10m2 Severne reflex 5 and 130 Litre Starboard I was underpowered. I’m really happy with the sail but in no wind there is a limit…! A few heats later the day was called off for not good enough wind for slalom! Looks like there will be Tramontana in a few days… I really hope to get some better wind for windsurfing soon (;-))) AND SOME FUN SLALOM!”
Event Summary: A familiar face surrounded by two, new, potential stars of the slalom world
The final day of the PWA Catalunya World Cup witnessed a mammoth final elimination, which took four hours to complete due to the gusty and shifty winds. After a long and largely frustrating afternoon, Antoine Albeau (RRD / NeilPryde), eventually powered to victory in race four and more importantly this clinched the overall event victory for him. The reigning world champion’s first event victory of the year sees him return to the top of the overall rankings too. A grueling day was eventually completed shortly after 7pm to conclude another fantastic event on the beautiful shores of Costa Brava.
Antoine Albeau was able to claim two bullets, as well as a third and a fourth to cement his place as the King of Costa Brava. The reigning world champion became the first man to stop his arch nemesis – Bjorn Dunkerbeck (Starboard / Severne / Dunkerbeck Eyewear / Chris Benz) – from claiming the title for the first time in three years. Albeau demonstrated his perfectly timed starts time and time again, along with a phenomenal top speed to blow the competition out of the water.
Words from the winner:
“I’d like to thank all the organizers – thanks Panxo – because you did a great job again to organize this wonderful event. Thanks also to the owner’s of the campsite as we stay here, and this really is a beautiful, beautiful place to windsurf, and it is perfect for holidays too. I’m also really happy to see new blood on the podium [Julien Quentel and Matteo Iachino], it’s really nice and I think I’m going to have a big battle with Julien this year. And thanks to everyone because today was really hard. Thanks to Juan Aragon and his team, I think they did a really good job re-adjusting the course so quickly and see you next year!”
Bjorn Dunkerbeck managed to recover from a disastrous first round exit in the opening elimination to fight back to fourth place. The most successful windsurfer of all time started his recovery with a seventh and a tenth place, before showing what he is truly made of to take home second place in the final elimination, which allowed him to discard a 44.5 point score, which then saw him fly up through the rankings.
Micah Buzianis (JP / MauiSails) was able to put the disappointment of Korea behind him and firmly get his season back on track with a fifth place finish. The American showed his perfectly timed starts and super consistent gybes to claw his way back towards the top of the pack. He will now be hoping to continue the form he showed here, at the next event in Turkey.
Flying Dutchman – Ben Van Der Steen (Starboard / Gaastra / Mystic / Different) – was able to back up his third place finish in Korea with a solid sixth this week with a gritty display of sailing. Van Der Steen now sits in fourth place overall in the rankings, perfectly poised to make an attack for the top in Turkey. Cyril Moussilmani (Starboard / Severne) is similarly positioned and showing the kind of consistency that is required to finish in the top five and above overall.
Arnon Dagan (RRD / NeilPryde) continues to prove that his change of equipment in the winter is working wonders for him as he now sits inside the top then. The Israeli was able to finish seventh this week, and his result may have been even better – with a bit more luck – if the first attempt to complete the winners’ final hadn’t been cancelled due to a drop in the wind.
Alberto Menegatti (Starboard / Point-7) came into the event as the leader of the tour, but a combination of bad luck and a major error – sailing to the wrong mark in the opening elimination – cost him dearly. The Italian finished eighth overall and still finds himself in third place overall. Menegatti reaffirmed his title winning credentials with another bullet in the third elimination, so it remains to be seen whether his mistake in the first race comes back to haunt him, come the end of the season.
Andrea Cucchi (Starboard / Point-7) achieved his first top ten finish on the PWA in almost a decade with a fantastic display of sailing. The man behind Point-7 made one appearance in a winners’ final along with two losers’ finals to claim his best finish in a very long time.
The remaining winner of a race this week was Finian Maynard (RRD / Avanti) – who stole the show in the second elimination. Maynard lit a trail a blaze as he hunted down Patrick Diethelm (Patrik / Loft Sails) to move into the lead, and once in the lead he was in complete control of the race.
The 2013 PWA Catalunya World Cup Standings:
1st Antoine Albeau (RRD / NeilPryde)
2nd Julien Quentel (RRD / NeilPryde)
3rd Matteo Iachino (F2 / Challenger Sails / AL360)
4th Bjorn Dunkerbeck (Starboard / Severne / Dunkerbeck Eyewear / Chris Benz)
5th Micah Buzianis (JP / MauiSails)
6th Ben Van Der Steen (Starboard / Gaastra / Mystic / Different)
7th Arnon Dagan (RRD / NeilPryde)
8th Alberto Menegatti (Starboard / Point-7)
9th Andrea Cucchi (Starboard / Point-7)
10th Cyril Moussilmani (Starboard / Severne)
Action of the third elimination of the winners finals at the 2013 PWa Catalunya World Cup in Costa Brava. Alberto Menegatti won the third elimination in front of Micah Buzianis and Julien Quentel.
Maynard and Menegatti steal the show with one elimination victory apiece
Day four of the PWA Catalunya World Cup saw the wind arrive much earlier than the opening three days of the competition, which enabled the conclusion of two more eliminations. The competitors endured a grueling day – spanning seven hours – after they began competing shortly after eleven o’clock. Finian Maynard (RRD / Avanti) claimed the first bullet of the day – his first of the season – before Alberto Menegatti reaffirmed his title winning credentials with his second victory of the season in elimination three after a thrilling finish with Micah Buzianis (JP / MauiSails).
Head over to the PWA website for there full report on Day 4 of the PWA Catalunya World Cup.
The Top 5 After Elimination Three
1st Antoine Albeau (RRD / NeilPryde)
2nd Julien Quentel (RRD / NeilPryde)
3rd Micah Buzianis (JP / MauiSails)
4th Matteo Iachino (F2 / Challenger Sails / AL360)
5th Cyril Moussilmani (Starboard / Severne)
The third day of the PWA Catalunya World Cup saw winds ranging from 7-20 knots as two wind directions hit the Golf-de-Roses over the course of a few hours. Costa Brava was transformed from a starboard tack slalom paradise into a port tack slalom heaven in the same afternoon. The sea breeze, which is synonymous with Costa Brava enabled a further six heats to be completed. Shortly after three o’clock it looked as though the racing was over for the day, before the local ‘Garbi’ wind kicked in from the Northeast. Unfortunately it only made a brief appearance, meaning that only a further three heats were completed before the end of the day.
Read the full report on Day 3 over at the PWA website. If you’re like us and missed day 2 here it is!
Antoine Albeau won the first elimination of the winners final in Costa Brava. Content Seven was unhand to capture the action.
First blood to Albeau as the reigning world champion claims the first victory of the week
The local thermal effect kicked in once again on day two of the PWA Catalunya World Cup as the remainder of the opening elimination was completed, under glorious sunny skies and winds ranging from 7-14 knots. Reigning world champion – Antoine Albeau (RRD / NeilPryde) – sailed a flawless elimination and was duly rewarded with the first bullet of the week, firmly stamping his name at the top of the event rankings, but it was truly a day to forget for Alberto Menegatti.
Get indepth coverage of day 2 at the PWA Catalunya World Cup at PWAWorldTour.com
Results After Elimination One
1st Antoine Albeau (RRD / NeilPryde)
2nd Matteo Iachino (F2 / Challenger Sails / AL360)
3rd Cyril Moussilmani (Starboard / Severne)
4th Pieter Bijl (Angulo / NeilPryde)
5th Micah Buzianis (JP / MauiSails)
From the 12th to the 17th June, Costa Brava shall once again play host to the stars of the windsurfing world, as the third event of the men’s PWA Slalom World Tour takes place. The rankings remain unbelievably tight at the top after the close fought encounter of Korea, ensuring that the PWA Catalunya World Cup will be another mesmerizing event, packed with highs, lows and non-stop drama.
