NoveNove Maui Aloha Classic 2015

Wenn Victor das noch zu gewinnen schafft, fress ich 15 Besen...

Geil, Robby auf 5. Hammerhart!!

Day 2: Morgan Noireaux on the verge of back-to-back Aloha Classics after shining in single elimination
Ho’okipa delivered again on Day 2 of the NoveNove Maui Aloha Classic allowing the single elimination to be completed. The swell may have dropped significantly in comparison to yesterday, but to put Wednesday’s swell into context there were still over mast high sets peeling along Ho’okipa and with a cleaner wave face there was more emphasis on performance wave riding today, rather than the survival tactics often required on the opening day. After another epic day of sailing last year’s Aloha Classic winner — Morgan Noireaux (JP / Hot Sails / Maui) — fended off the rest of the competition to put himself on the verge of back-to-back Aloha Classics after being crowned the deserved champion of the single elimination.

Single Elimination

Men’s

Winners’ Final

With the early evening wind starting to fade the men’s winners’ final — featuring Morgan Noireaux, Kauli Seadi (99NoveNove / Hot Sails Maui / MFC), Thomas Traversa (Tabou / GA Sails) and Camille Juban (Quatro / Avanti / MFC) — was extended to 35 minutes to give each sailor a fair chance to show exactly what they can do. The level of sailing leading into the final was superb and the final continued in the same vein. With the light winds the sailing was also an extremely tactical affair, which gave the final another dynamic in what was classic float and ride conditions.

Noireaux was the first sailor to catch a wave and the twenty-one year drew first blood as he landed a huge aerial out into the flats off of a pitching lip before backing it up with a vert snap in the pocket and another floaty aerial off the end section. Noireaux was awarded 8.52 points for his opening effort, which turned out to be the highest scoring wave of the final and put him in a commanding position. The Hawaiian looked every bit the champion yesterday and he quickly followed up his opening wave with another score in the excellent range to really apply the pressure to the remaining three sailors.

Thomas Traversa responded first as he landed two critically late aerials on the wave same wave to earn 8 points, whilst Kauli Seadi also racked up an 8 point wave to add to his earlier score of 7.65 after linking a few of his trademark fluid turns and a radical aerial. This left less than half a point between the top three sailors such was the closeness of the battle, however, with the clock quickly running down and the wind continuing to fade there was no chance of grabbing a final wave and Noireaux was left to celebrate clinching the single elimination.

Unfortunately things didn’t quite click for Camille Juban in the final and after looking like the winner for much of the day the twenty-five year old had to settle for fourth place and he will now look to fight his way into the top three when the double elimination begins.

Morgan Noireaux had this to say after winning the single elimination: “The final was really hard. I wasn’t sure how I was going to do at the beginning since I’m a lot heavier than the other riders, but thankfully everyone was just as slow as me — even Thomas [Traversa] was having a hard time moving around the break. In the end it was awesome. I managed to get my two best waves right at the beginning and then I spent the rest of the heat just looking for another good scoring opportunity. Now I’m just hoping I can hang on in the double, but I’m really stoked.”

Noireaux also added which kit he was on and why he opted to choose a 4,9m still in the light winds: “I was on my 85l board and my 4.9m. I do have a 5.2m in my quiver, but I don’t really like going bigger than 4.9m and it was still perfect on the wave.”

Heat of the Day

While the final may have not quite gone to plan for Juban, he was absolutely on fire during the second semifinal against Seadi, Levi Siver (Quatro / Goya Windsurfing / MFC) and Robby Naish (Naish), so much so that the man from Guadeloupe racked up the highest scoring heat of the day within the first five minutes of Heat 22. Juban combined huge, head throw aerials off of meaty sections with vert gouging rail-to-rail turns right in the pocket in what was easily the performance of the day.

New Move?

Accidental or not is the question many people were asking about Morgan Noireaux’s move in the opening semifinal. Noireaux lined up for another aerial but was inadvertently thrown into a grubby off the lip, which he somehow managed to sail away from. Some are coining it a new move under the name of ‘oiseaux’ but whether it was deliberate or not remains to be seen — either way it was a hugely impressive feat to sail away from it and it was more than worthy of the 9.25 points it received after a couple of trademark gouging turns beforehand. In the same heat Thomas Traversa advanced over Marcilio Browne (Goya Windsurfing / MFC) by way of a tie break with the Frenchman’s progressing due to acquiring the higher single wave score.

Game, Set and Match?

Philip Köster (Starboard / Severne / Maui Ultra Fins) is another step closer to securing his third world title today despite a second round exit from the single elimination after his only rival left standing — Victor Fernandez (Fanatic / North / MFC) — suffered the same fate after being eliminated from Heat 16 by Antoine Martin (JP / NeilPryde / MFC) and Diony Guadagnino (Hot Sails Maui / MFC). The Spaniard now faces the almost impossible task of fighting his way all the way back through the double elimination — as Fernandez needs to claim victory here to overhaul Köster from the top of the rankings.

Women’s

The women took to the water for the first time this event as the opening couple of heats were completed. Nayra Alonso (Fanatic / Severne) made a winning return to the competition scene as she defeated Tatiana Howard (JP / NeilPryde) in Heat 4a, whilst Vicky Abbot advanced over Ulrike Hölzl (Goya Windsurfing).

Shawna Cropas (JP / NeilPryde) successfully negotiated her way past Robynne Riley with an efficient display, before Anne-Marie Reichman (Naish) defeated Anna Rohden.

When the action resumes for the women we will pick up with round two which will see the big hitting top seeds come into play.

The swell is expected to increase in size again tomorrow with the current forecast models predicting a 2,4 metre swell at 16-17 seconds. The wind strength looks as though it will be roughly the same as today, so a decision with the plan of action will be made in the morning. The skippers’ meeting has been called for 10:30am with the action commencing from 11am onwards. Don’t miss any of the action by tuning into www.pwaworldtour.com.

Current Standings NoveNove Maui Aloha Classic — After Men’s Single Elimination

1st Morgan Noireaux (JP / Hot Sails Maui)

2nd Kauli Seadi (99NoveNove / Hot Sails Maui / MFC)

3rd Thomas Traversa (Tabou / GA Sails)

4th Camille Juban (Quatro / Avanti / MFC)

5th Kevin Pritchard (Starboard / Ezzy / MFC)

5th Marcilio Browne (Goya Windsurfing / MFC)

5th Levi Siver (Quatro / Goya Windsurfing / MFC)

5th Robby Naish (Naish)

9th Keith Teboul (Quatro / Goya Windsurfing / MFC)

9th Kai Katchadourian (Simmer)

9th Klaas Voget (Fanatic / Simmer / MFC)

9th Josh Stone (Goya Windsurfing)

9th Robby Swift (JP / NeilPryde / Mystic / Maui Ultra Fins / SWOX)

9th Graham Ezzy (Tabou / Ezzy)

9th Diony Guadagnino (Hot Sails Maui / MFC)

9th Antoine Martin (JP / NeilPryde / MFC)

Nanu, Titel vertagt: Victor noch im Rennen, Philip raus.

Day 3: Ho’okipa claims the lives of plenty of equipment after another drama filled day
The last few weeks of the European leg of the PWA World Tour may have been largely windless and waveless, but the wind and wave Gods are more than making up for it during the NoveNove Maui Aloha Classic.

For the third day in a row over mast high bombs rolled into Ho’okipa Beach Park to create more epic action. Carnage ensued again today with light winds and a strong rip current on the inside making it difficult to get out, which resulted in several sailors sacrificing their kit to the hungry Ho’okipa rocks. However, the sacrifices made were often rewarded with moments of pure brilliance as the world’s best tore apart the mast and a half high sets — laying it all on the line in order to progress. Inevitably some crashed and burned, but others thrived in the tricky conditions, coming to life in the big pounding surf. By the end of Day 3 we are just over a third of the way through the men’s double elimination, while one more heat of the women’s single elimination was also completed.

With a lot more west in the swell the wave face turned from glassy perfection into a terrorising choppy face at times, which led to inadvertent air drops and plenty of boom eating potential as the elite of the wave sailing world tried desperately to stay in control.

Double Elimination

Men’s

Bernd Roediger (Naish / MFC) and Ferdinando Loffreda (Quatro) essentially received byes through the first round of the double elimination — Heat 24 — with Nicola Terenzi missing his heat and Moritz Mauch (Starboard / Severne / MFC) absent from proceedings due to a family emergency, which meant the young German only arrived in Maui after the completion of his heat. Roediger looked in excellent form nether-the-less — combining a variety of turns and aerials as a warmup to round two.

In the next heat Dany Bruch (Starboard / Challenger Sails / AL360) and Jake Miller (Quatro / Goya Windsurfing / MFC) safely dispatched of Freestyle world champion Dieter Van der Eyken (Starboard / Severne) and local boy Harley Stone (Naish).

Alex Mussolini (RRD / RRD) wasn’t quite in tune with the conditions in the single elimination but he made no mistakes as he started his comeback through the double to advance from Heat 26 — with the highlight seeing the Spaniard boost a monster aerial out into the flats. Boujmaa Guilloul (Starboard / Severne / Mystic / MFC) — who won the AWT pro bracket last year — also looked in good form as he delivered a few critically late hits to also progress.

Heat 27 saw Philip Köster (Starboard / Severne / Maui Ultra Fins) in action and the two-time world champion, who is on the verge of world title number three, was a little unlucky. Köster attempted the most radical move of the day with a sick frontside 360 attempt into a gnarly mast high bomb, but just over rotated which had severe consequences for his gear and ultimately ended his chances of progressing. The twenty-one year old took a no fear approach to the conditions and was rewarded for his efforts on his final wave as he somehow held onto a massive hit into a huge piece of whitewater, before delivering a gouging turn, which we have become accustomed to seeing, on a monster wave, but there was no time for him to add a second wave to his scorecard and he took an early exit. Kai Lenny (Naish / MFC), who arrived just in time for his heat after surfing Jaws in the morning, stole the show as the waterman picked up the biggest wave of the day, which was easily mast and a half high, and he used all of his extensive experience in large waves to tear the wave apart with several fluid, vertical top to bottom turns to earn 8.88 points and advance into Heat 33. Bryan Metcalfe-Perez (JP / NeilPryde) earned himself second place to book his place in round two.

John Skye (RRD / RRD / MFC) and Aleix Sanllehy (Tabou / GA Sails) negotiated their way through Heat 28 as they ended the hopes of Sean Aiken (Quatro / Naish Sails) and Filipe Wedeles (Goya Windsurfing) respectively.

Marc Paré (99NoveNove / Simmer / Maui Ultra Fins) deserves a huge amount of credit for the way he approached today. This was only the seventeen year olds second-time ever sailing Ho’okipa and the conditions were not for the faint hearted, but Paré did not let the conditions phase him as he made a strong start to the heat by combining a couple of carving turns on a big face. His confidence grew with every minute and by the end of the heat he was even attempting aerials off of seriously meaty sections. Unfortunately his final aerial attempt resulted in a trip to the rocks and the Ho’okipa rocks showed no mercy as another set of gear was sacrificed. However, Paré, probably won’t be to disappointed as he won the heat ahead of twenty year old Italian Federico Morisio (Quatro / Goya Windsurfing / MFC) as the two young guns caused an upset with Florian Jung (RRD / Gun Sails / Maui Ultra Fins) crashing out in the first round.

Things didn’t go to plan for either Ricardo Campello (Patrik / Point-7 / MFC) or Jules Denel (JP / NeilPryde) in the single elimination, but both made successful starts to their comebacks through the double. Campello looked fired up and he proved that he meant serious business on his first wave as he unleashed a hell turn and a late aerial to earn 8.5 points. The Venezuelan/Brazilian then became the latest sailor to take a trip across the rocks, but he was one of the few lucky ones as his equipment survived. Campello added another fine wave with his final attempt to win the heat. Meanwhile, Denel, consistently delivered powerful turns with an aerial to also progress from Heat 30.

The final heat of the first round saw Victor Fernandez (Fanatic / North / MFC) in action for the first time and the pressure was on. The Spaniard knew that failure to advance would hand the title to Köster, but Fernandez more than rose to the occasion to keep his title hopes alive — for now at least. Jaeger Stone (Starboard / Severne) described Heat 31 as the hardest heat of his life, which is testament to just how punishing the conditions were today, but unfortunately for the Australian he was on the wrong end of a tiebreak decision as Russ Faurot (Ezzy) claimed second qualifying place. The two sailors were tied on points come the end of the heat, but Faurot was given the verdict with the American’s highest single wave score proving to be the difference. Sweden’s Markus Rydberg (Simmer) was a little unlucky after making a solid start to the heat with an excellent wave, however he then found himself caught on the inside and was unable to find the second wave he needed before the clock ran out, after spending much of the heat working his way back upwind.

In the first heat of the second round Bernd Roediger and Dany Bruch both continued their comeback through the double.

Heat 33 was extended to 25 minutes with the wind beginning to rapidly fade and this turned out to be the final heat of the day. Two of the standout sailors in the opening round — Alex Mussolini and Kai Lenny — were involved and they produced a fitting end to another epic day with a masterclass in wave riding. Mussolini won the heat and was able to come in early after ending up on the rocks having combo’d Jake Miller and Ferdinando Loffreda with a fantastic display, whilst Lenny was clearly loving the conditions and excelled again. Both men will be a major threat moving forward into tomorrow.

Women’s

Single Elimination

The women kicked off Day 3’s action, but only the opening heat was completed. Current world tour leader — Daida Moreno (Starboard / Severne / Maui Ultra Fins) — was involved in Heat 9 and she made the perfect start as she looks to regain the world title by winning the heat ahead of Vickey Abbot. Daida made a slightly nervous start to the heat, but any nerves were forgotten by the end as she picked up a bomb out the back before unleashing three slashy turns.

Heat 10 featuring — Sarah-Quita Offringa (Starboard / NeilPryde / Mystic / Maui Ultra Fins), who currently occupies third place in the overall rankings, Tiffany Ward (Starboard / Ezzy), Nayra Alonso (Fanatic / Severne) and Sarah Hauser (Tabou / Simmer) — was started, but had to be cancelled with the girls being pinned on the inside by a rapidly increasing swell and it being judged that they did not receive a fair chance to show what they are truly capable of. Heat 10 will now be the first women’s heat on the agenda when the action resumes.

The wind and waves look set to continue into Day 4 of the NoveNove Maui Aloha Classic with the only change being with a slight reduction in the swell size from 2.4 metres to 1.9 metres at 14 seconds, which for many will be a welcome relief. The skippers’ meeting has been called for 10:30am with the action commencing from 11am. Make sure you tune into the PWA live stream @ www.pwaworldtour.com to see yet more radical action from the home of windsurfing. It promises to be another spectacular day.

Es bleibt spannend:

Day 4: Ho’okipa continues to fire on all cylinders
For the fourth consecutive day Ho’okipa delivered with great conditions which saw the women’s single elimination whittled down to the remaining top four sailors, whilst a further seven heats in the men’s double were completed before the wind became too light to continue. With the lighter winds and slightly smaller swell the wave face returned to glassy perfection, which resulted in more world class wave riding.

Women’s

Single Elimination

The women kicked the day off at 11am with the resail of Heat 10 and Sarah Hauser (Tabou / Simmer) was the standout sailor as she won the heat ahead of Sarah-Quita Offringa (Starboard / NeilPryde / Mystic / Maui Ultra Fins). Hauser showed excellent speed on the wave and she combined superb wave selection with fluid carving turns to progress, whilst Offringa was able to connect with a few powerful, vert snaps to end the hopes of Nayra Alonso (Fanatic / Severne) and Tiffany Ward (Starboard / Ezzy).

Heat 11 featured Ingrid Larouche (Fanatic / North), Shawna Cropas (JP / NeilPryde), Jessica Crisp (Patrik / Hot Sails Maui) and Amanda Beenen (99NoveNove / Point-7). Larouche has made the podium at four consecutive Aloha Classics and she showed why with a combination of excellent wave selection and execution to win the heat ahead of Cropas.

Reigning world and Aloha Classic Champion — Iballa Moreno (Starboard / Severne / Maui Ultra Fins) — took to the water for the first time in Heat 12 and she made no mistakes in what could’ve proved to be an extremely tricky heat with Fiona Wylde (Starboard / Goya Windsurfing), who finished second in last year’s Aloha Classic, and Alice Arutkin (Fanatic / North), who completed the overall podium in 2014, also involved. Iballa produced the performance of the day so far with the highlight seeing her earn a 9 point wave for a snappy turn off the top together with an aerial. However, it wasn’t either Wylde or Arutkin joining her in the next round as Anne-Marie Reichman (Starboard / Hot Sails Maui) proved to be the dark horse of the heat. The Dutch girl landed two powerful, late hits off the lip to earn 8.38 points and despite Wylde’s best efforts to overhaul her the 18 year old couldn’t quite find enough. Reichman and Wylde finished the heat tied on points, but Reichman won the tiebreak with the highest single wave score carrying her through.

Sarah Hauser shone again in the first semifinal as she booked her place in her first PWA Winners’ Final to cap a fantastic day. Meanwhile, the fight for the remaining place in the final saw a close tussle between Vickey Abbot, Sarah-Quita Offringa and at the time current world tour leader Daida Moreno (Starboard / Severne / Maui Ultra Fins). Britain’s Abbot clinched second place in the end as she consistently picked out the best waves before combining perfectly timed turns in the pocket to fend off Offringa by just quarter of a point. Offringa produced her best wave at the death, but unfortunately for her there was no time remaining to reverse the result. With Daida eliminated from the single elimination this opened the door for Iballa to assume control of the title race, but could she take advantage of the opportunity presented before her’?

For Iballa to take control of the title race she would need to book her place in the final as a top four finish or better would be enough to see her overtake Daida, for the time being at least, and that’s exactly what she managed to do by winning Heat 14 ahead of Ingrid Larouche.

The final was started but had to be cancelled with the conditions deemed not suitable with three out of the four girls getting pinned on the inside. Before the cancellation flag was raised Iballa suffered a horrific wipeout which saw her air drop upside down into the pit of a pitching wave, but thankfully she survived unscathed.

At the end of Day 4 Iballa sits at the top of the world rankings and the better she can do in the final the more pressure it will apply to Daida. A fourth place finish for Iballa would mean Daida would only need to improve one position in the double to move back to the top of the overall rankings, so the title race is still poised on a knife edge.

Men’s

Double Elimination

Ricardo Campello (Patrik / Point-7 / MFC) was the standout sailor in the double elimination today as he combined devastating full roundhouse cutbacks with late aerials and air taka attempts to consistently earn waves in the excellent range. Campello won both of his heats in emphatic fashion and looks to be one of the most dangerous sailors coming back through the double.

Heat 36 was probably the heat of the day as Keith Teboul (Quatro / Goya Windsurfing / MFC) went head-to-head with Kai Lenny (Naish / MFC), Bernd Roediger (Naish / MFC) and Antoine Martin (JP / NeilPryde / MFC). Teboul was in terrific form, but unfortunately ran into Lenny and Roediger, who were simply unstoppable. Teboul was qualifying until his two fellow countryman both destroyed their final waves with both landing massive aerials and vert snaps to secure the top two places.

Roediger and Lenny then both progressed again from Heat 40 ending the hopes of Josh Stone (Goya Windsurfing) and Robby Swift (JP / NeilPryde / Mystic / Maui Ultra Fins / SWOX) with more brilliant riding -- with Roediger also landing a perfect goiter off a smaller inside section, which is the first goiter landed in the entire contest.

Emotions ran high in Heat 41 when the heat was cancelled with Diony Guadagnino (Hot Sails Maui / MFC) leading and the Venezuelan was visibly upset and angry when he returned to the beach. At the time he and Ricardo Campello were qualifying with Victor Fernandez (Fanatic / North / MFC) less than a point behind, but the wind was deemed to have become too light to give the sailors a fair chance of being able to show what they can do.

The title race is still alive with Victor Fernandez fighting his way back through the double. The Spaniard produced his best waves of the contest so far and whilst he still has a long way to go to deny Philip Köster (Starboard / Severne / Maui Ultra Fins) a third world title, he still has a chance of completing what would be a heroic comeback, whilst he remains in the draw.

The wind forecast for tomorrow looks excellent, but the swell is forecast to drop so a decision will be made at the 10:30am skippers’ meeting for the days plan of action. The first possible start will again be 11am. Make sure you tune into www.pwaworldtour.com to stay up to date with all the latest news from the NoveNove Maui Aloha Classic via the PWA live steam and live ticker

Es bleibt weiter spannend:

Day 5: Iballa Moreno on course to claim a famous hat-trick of prestigious Aloha Classics
Day 5 of the NoveNove Maui Aloha Classic saw Ho’okipa deliver the goods again, although the women’s fleet were made to wait a little while today as the trade winds took a little longer to build. Over the course of the late morning and early afternoon the wind fluctuated with the overhead cloud, which led to the women’s final being completed in tricky conditions.

Due to the difficult nature of the conditions head judge Duncan Coombs opted to extend the women’s final to 30 minutes in order to give each of the four girls involved — Iballa Moreno (Starboard / Severne / Maui Ultra Fins), Sarah Hauser (Tabou / Simmer), Ingrid Larouche (Fanatic / North) and Vickey Abbot — a fair chance of showing exactly what they are capable of.

Women’s

Single Elimination

Winners’ Final

The Women’s Winners’ Final was completed at the third time of asking — after one cancellation yesterday and today — and there was no denying the reigning champion Iballa Moreno (Starboard / Severne / Maui Ultra Fins), who made the most of the tricky conditions, by showing patience to wait for the best waves before combining several well timed turns with an aerial to be crowned the winner of the single elimination. Victory in the single means Iballa is now on the verge of claiming a famous hat-trick of prestigious Aloha Classics -- having won here in 2006 and in 2014. Meanwhile, Ingrid Larouche (Fanatic / North) sailed through the pain barrier having injured her foot the day before to secure an excellent second place. ahead of Sarah Hauser (Tabou / Simmer) — who completes the podium after achieving her best result ever — and VIckey Abbot in fourth place.

Iballa Moreno reacts to winning the single elimination: “I’m honestly not looking into the world title points at all. I’m more focused on winning the event here, which I think this is one of my favourite events — This is my favourite tack particularly for wave riding and I really enjoy sailing here. I’m only focusing on doing well here and whatever with the title race happens. Of course if it goes in my favour I would be happy, but Daida still has a very good chance and I’d also be really happy for her if she gets it [the world title]. Last year was my year, maybe this year is her year, who knows? It’s all in her hands and I hope she can comeback through the double.”

As things currently stand Iballa leads the title race, but things are still in Daida’s hands. If Daida is able to fight her way back from 7th into 3rd place then Iballa will be powerless to stop her sister from regaining her world title. Make sure you stay tuned to www.pwaworldtour.com to see which one of the legendary twins come out on top in this year’s battle for the title.

The forecast for tomorrow sees the swell drop further, so a lay day has been called for all fleets. The forecast predicts a new long period, together with wind, for the end of the week, so an announcement will be made at 7pm each evening with the latest call as we monitor the forecast.

Result NoveNove Maui Aloha Classic — Women’s Single Elimination

1st Iballa Moreno (Starboard / Severne / Maui Ultra Fins)
2nd Ingrid Larouche (Fanatic / North)
3rd Sarah Hauser (Tabou / Simmer)
4th Vickey Abbot
5th Anne-Marie Reichman (Starboard / Hot Sails Maui)
5th Sarah-Quita Offringa (Starboard / NeilPryde / Mystic / Maui Ultra Fins)
7th Daida Moreno (Starboard / Severne / Mystic / Maui Ultra Fins)
7th Shawna Cropas (JP / NeilPryde)

Weiter in der Warteschleife:

Day 6: Trophies with a special meaning for the winners’ of the NoveNove Maui Aloha Classic
A lay day was called on Day 6 of the NoveNove Maui Aloha Classic as the wind and waves finally took a break after a relentless, but amazing run of world class conditions. With the fleets released for the day we caught up with Cesare Cantagalli — 99NoveNove Brand Manager — to find out about this year’s trophies which have a personal touch. You can find out more about the trophies below:

Italy’s Art Ceramics will provide this year’s NoveNove Maui Aloha Classic Trophies.

The winners will receive a trophy made out of fine ceramic from Faenza.

We are combining the art of riding South Pacific waves together with precious objects from Italy's historical tradition to create these wonderful, unique and coveted trophies.

NoveNove commissioned an artist from Faenza to award the winners of this historical Hawaiian competition - The 2015 Maui Aloha Classic.

The art workshop of Silvana Geminiani (mother of Cesare Cantagalli) aims to create an authentic piece of art by combining modern materials and primary colours, which interpret the expression of the sea in all its majesty. Sculptures are refractory plasticate forms of waves and glazed majolica of Faenza.

The Master of Art Silvana Geminiani, began his artistic career at the age of 11; It owes its first training to the studio master Carlo Zauli. Since 1969, the shop has a very personal style related to the study of form and looking for colours and glazes in a trend for renewal ceramics out of the traditional schemes.

Cesare Cantagalli explains the personal touch to this year’s NoveNove Maui Aloha Classic trophies:

“From my past experience when competing in the early day’s, I have experienced that some trophies are the ones that become part of your furniture, the rest will go into a box for you to show your kids one day eventually.”

“For this reason it was important for me to reward the winner's with something special coming from personal creation and making. The meaning of the trophy is to provide a message and a memory that will stay for the rest of their lives. Something you look at sometimes and it gives you a flash-back.”

“Thanks to my mother, considered one of the most popular and respected ceramic artists in Italy, and the help of my brother Sergio we had this unique opportunity.

The clay allows you to create and shape with your own hands what you want to express. The idea behind the trophy was to produce a plate/tale that would become a breaking wave. There are several phases to the technique that are unique and step-by-step you can see it coming to life just like a board.”

“As a matter of fact, you do not really know and see what comes out until after being cooked at 900° in a special oven. The opening of the oven door is a very special moment for the artist!”

“I really hope the winner’s like it and feel the same connection to the trophies as the amount of heart and soul that went into making them. We also hope it will become part of your furniture and not end up on a box — A trophy that you are truly proud to display.”

“This is the philosophy of NoveNove!. Love the sport and life!”

“Thank you mom! Thank you Aloha Classic and everyone following us!”

“Ciao CESARE”

Another lay day has been called for the PWA fleets tomorrow with the forecast continuing to look better towards the end of the week. There will be another announcement tomorrow evening at 7pm to decide the plan of action for Wednesday.

Weiter Warten:

Day 7: Marc Paré on facing double mast high Ho’okipa on his maiden voyage in Hawaii
With another lay day called on Day 7 of the NoveNove Maui Aloha Classic we decided to have a quick catch up with Marc Paré (99NoveNove / Simmer / Maui Ultra Fins), who sailed Ho’okipa for the first time in his life at the start of the contest in extremely challenging conditions — when even some of the locals were having a tough time. Read the interview with Marc below:

PWA: You sailed Ho'okipa for the first time in your life when there were double mast high sets... How were you feeling before you heat and what was it like when you were on the water?

MP: “The truth is that I was really scared, I didn’t know the place at all: the power of the waves, the current, the rocks and there was no channel, Ho’okipa was closing out... So, everything was new for me and going out in those conditions was really not a joke! I was happy that Klaas and Kai Katchadourian helped me out with some tips that allowed me to go over the massive sets. Once I passed the brake I calmed down a little bit and waited on the outside for the start of my heat (had to go out 1 heat early). When my heat started, I had one of the most magic moments I’ve ever had on a windsurfer: going down on a double mast high bomb. I really have this first wave stuck in my mind: feeling the power of it and going for a full speed drop in. Was completely a big adrenaline rush!!!”

PWA: You managed to win 2 heats at your first ever Aloha Classic - how do you feel after your first Aloha Classic?

MP: “I can’t really describe how happy I am… Advancing two heats in those conditions without having sailed Ho’okipa before, for me it’s one of my biggest achievements. Now I’m feeling really motivated to improve on this tack!”

PWA: Loads of people ended up on the rocks and suffered some broken gear... What gear did you break?

MP: “Guess this was the toughest part… It’s really not a great experience ending up on the rocks when it’s big like that. When your gear goes to the rocks, the probability that it survives is REALLY low! I broke two masts, one sail, one boom and one board, so yes, full rig!”

PWA: It looks like you are improving really quick here… Landing aerials and some nice turns – have you sailed starboard tack much?

MP: “Before Maui, the last time I sailed starboard tack in windy and wavy conditions, was a year ago in La Torche for the PWA event. So, really I haven’t trained starboard tack at all, but I’m feeling really excited to learn and sail more on this tack!”

PWA: Apart from windsurfing what do you think of Maui and have you been anywhere else on the island yet?

MP: “I love Maui, it’s such a magic island! At the moment I haven’t visited much of it, apart from windsurf spots and Ho’okipa surroundings. But I really look forward to doing a tour around the island and discover those mythical places!”

PWA: Thanks, Marc, enjoy the rest of your trip on Maui.

A lay day has been called again for tomorrow and like the past couple of days an announcement will be made at 7pm tomorrow evening, but at the moment it looks as though the competition will resume on Friday with the grandstand finale taking place over the weekend for Super Saturday and Sunday. As always stay tuned to www.pwaworldtour.com to stay up to date with all of the latest developments from the NoveNove Maui Aloha Classic.

Tag 8:

Day 8: Victor Fernandez and Klaas Voget look ahead to resuming the double
The PWA fleet remained on hold on Day 8 of the NoveNove Maui Aloha Classic with another lay day officially being called. Earlier in the day we caught up with Victor Fernandez (Fanatic / North / MFC) and Klaas Voget (Fanatic / Simmer / MFC), both of whom are involved in the next heat of the double elimination when the action resumes, which will most likely be on Friday, to see what they’ve been up to over the lay days and how they are feeling ahead of the resumption of the double.

Victor Fernandez, who is still in the hunt for the title: “All good, it´s been fun days even with no competition in the last few days. I was sailing a bit at Ho’okipa and today I was at Kanaha with my wife as she is learning how to windsurf.”

“Ho’okipa is always very challenging as everyday is totally different, that´s why I like this place so much. I don´t know if we will have jumping or not but I´m ready to go, if it´s windy and big waves the jumps can be high. I’m looking forward to the double elimination.”

Klaas Voget: “I’m feeling good, Maui is not the worst place in the world to hang out for a couple of lay days I’ve been testing some boards and fins in Kanaha the last couple of days, but will come to Ho’okipa tomorrow to sail Lanes a bit to get in tune with the wind swell. It’s for sure a bit different sailing to what we’ve had, I was on a 4.2 today in quite small waves. Looking ahead, it’s going to be windy for the rest of the comp with normal trade winds direction and there is quite a solid swell predicted for Saturday. With a possible jump counting, my guess would be that Brawzinho, Ricardo, Victor or Levi would go through to face Camille. All of them have all the moves, plus the first three guys have good doubles on this tack, so one of them could potentially make it all the way through. But there is just too many good sailors in there to pick one, someone like Kevin Pritchard can also make a great return. I’m hoping that we’ll get some waves right from the start, I always prefer it, when it’s a bit bigger.”

Tomorrow will see another lay day for the PWA fleets with the AWT contest continuing, until the swell picks up again. We’ll be back at 7pm (GMT-10) tomorrow evening with the next call for the PWA men and women. Stay tuned @ www.pwawordltour.com to stay up to date with all the latest news and developments from the NoveNove Maui Aloha Classic.

Dann würde es zumindest deutlich enger werden...

Der gestrige Tag mit No-Show:

Day 9: The forecast is shaping up to provide a grandstand finale over Super Saturday and Sunday
The PWA fleets enjoyed another relaxing day with the contest officially remaining on hold for the fourth consecutive — with another lay day officially being called. Several sailors took the opportunity to score a quick session down at Lanes just to keep their eye in competition groove after several days of no contest -- including Kauli Seadi (99NoveNove / Hot Sails Maui / MFC), who currently sits in second place here.

Tomorrow will see another lay day for the PWA fleets with the new long period swell expected to hit over the weekend, which should lead to a grandstand finale over Super Saturday and Sunday to what has so far been an absolutely epic Aloha Classic sponsored by NoveNove.

Earlier on we quickly caught up with Marcilio Browne (Goya Windsurfing / MFC) and Ricardo Campello (Patrik / Point-7 / MFC), both of whom will be involved in the opening couple of heats when the double elimination resumes and both are names that will need to be watched carefully as they are potentially two of the biggest threats to the sailors, who currently lie ahead of them.

Marcilio Browne: “The couple days off have been fun, I have used them to get some sailing in as we didn't get much in Europe, feels good to be constantly back in the water . Forecast looks good, and we have a chance to compete with bigger waves and stronger winds, would be fun to mix it up and have a jump in there if conditions allow . To be honest, everyone at this point is sailing amazing and could win, I am just focusing on myself and what I can do , hopefully the conditions will come together and we will have a great end to the double elimination.”

Ricardo Campello: “On my lay days I have been cleaning and organising a little shed I have at a friends house here on Maui. I have so much equipment haha also doing some computer work for my eyewear brand and chilling a bit hiding from the sun as much as I can. Yesterday we sailed some jumping at lanes and got some cool drone shots for my new project coming up, and today I sailed again and tested some boards that are going to come out on production soon!”

Campello added the following when asked about how he is feeling ahead of the double elimination resuming: “There are no easy heats now, I'm happy with my performance in the double elimination and hope to select good waves and keep on sailing like my previous heats! Conditions should be fun, so stay tuned.”

The Deep Relief Maui Team will be back at Ho'okipa over the weekend keeping all of the sailors in tip top shape. If you have any aches, pains or niggles… or simply want to relax you can visit the Deep Relief Maui Team either at the beach or in their Haiku office to feel better and be ready to perform at your best! Appointments are also available during the week and can be booked online @ https://clients.mindbodyonline…assic/home?studioid=29768. You can find out more about Deep Relief Maui via their website @ http://www.deepreliefmaui.com or via their Facebook page, which can be found here.

The forecast for the weekend is currently predicting a 2.4 metre swell at 14-15 seconds together strong trade winds, so the world’s best sailors will be preparing to battle it out in more huge waves, which should provide a fitting finale to the 2015 NoveNove Maui Aloha Classic. An official announcement will be made again at 7pm (GMT-10) tomorrow evening to confirm the plan for the following day. Stay tuned to www.pwaworldtour.com to stay up to date with all the latest news and developments from the event.

Soooo, heute Abend unserer Zeit wird es spannend:

Day 10: After a 5 day break it’s crunch time for the elite of the wave sailing world tomorrow
After patiently waiting for 5 days the world’s best wave sailors are ready to return to action tomorrow as the competition heads towards its climax and it promises to be a thrilling finale to the NoveNove Maui Aloha Classic with a new long period swell — 2.4 metres at 16 seconds — forecast to hit Ho’okipa tomorrow together with strong trade winds.

A recap of how things currently stand

Women’s

Iballa Moreno (Starboard / Severne / Maui Ultra Fins) has done all she can by winning the single elimination and her fate now falls into the hands of her sister Daida Moreno (Starboard / Severne / Maui Ultra Fins). As things stand Iballa is on course to collect back-to-back world titles, as well as completing a famous hat-trick of Aloha Classic titles, but Daida can recapture her world crown by winning five consecutive heats, which would move her up into third and guarantee her the title. However, fourth place could also prove good enough if someones is able to defeat Iballa twice, which would relegate the reigning world champion to second place.

In terms of the fight for the final place on the women’s podium Sarah-Quita Offringa (Starboard / NeilPryde / Mystic / Maui Ultra Fins) currently holds the upper hand over Amanda Beenen (99NoveNove / Point-7) and whoever finishes ahead of each other in the double elimination will complete the top three.

Ingrid Larouche (Fanatic / North) will be continuing to sail through the pain barrier as she look to secure her second place overall here, currently ahead of Sarah Hauser (Tabou / Simmer) and Vickey Abbot, however the stage is set for someone to make a great comeback and Fiona Wylde (Starboard / Goya Windsurfing) has the potential to be extremely dangerous if she can gather some momentum — having finished second here in 2014.

Men’s

Morgan Noireaux (JP / Hot Sails Maui) sits proudly at the top of the rankings after winning the single elimination final ahead of Kauli Seadi (99NoveNove / Hot Sails Maui / MFC), Thomas Traversa (Tabou / GA Sails) and Camille Juban (Quatro / Avanti / MFC). However, all eyes will be on Victor Fernandez (Fanatic / North / MFC) from the word go tomorrow with the Spaniard being the only man who can deny Philip Köster a third world title. Fernandez faces a daunting task though as he would need to win eight heats on the bounce — including defeating Noireaux twice — in order to steal the title from Köster’s claws.

Battle for the Podium

Just like the title race the battle for the remaining place on the prestigious podium sees a two horse race with Alex Mussolini (RRD / RRD) now out of the running. This leaves Jaeger Stone (Starboard / Severne) in command of third place, but with the Australian out of the competition, everything now lies in the hands of Marcilio Browne (Goya Windsurfing / MFC), who finished third here last year. In order for Browne to secure the final place on the podium he too faces a tall task as he would need to win the NoveNove Maui Aloha Classic.

Day 10 saw the AWT fleets in action once more after the conclusion of the Youth’s yesterday — which was won by Jake Schettewi ahead of Tom Juban and Ishi — with the Amateur division taking centre stage alongside the double elimination of the Master’s.

Amateur’s

Pascal Hardy, who now lives on Maui used his extra local knowledge to see off the challenges of Jake Schettewi — who looks a real talent for the future — and Escario to claim victory in the Amateur NoveNove Maui Aloha Classic.

Master’s Double Elimination:

Sean Aiken (Quatro / Naish) — who competed in the AWT Master’s — was able to win the AWT Master’s and it was perhaps no surprise to see the American come out on top as he defeated Pascal Hardy in the final with Patrick Bergeron completing the podium.

Richard Foster was the man on the charge through the double elimination as the Brit won three heats in a row before Ferdinando Loffreda (Quatro / Goya Windsurfing) ended his comeback in the battle for fourth and fifth. However, it was perhaps no surprise to see Loffreda advance again as he too competed in the main event.

Grand Master’s

Yesterday saw the conclusion of the Grand Master’s, which saw Colin Baker win the event ahead of Tom Garcia, Rob Funk and Shoemaker.

With the forecast looking great for tomorrow the skippers’ meeting has been called for 10:30am with the action commencing from 11am onwards. The current plan is to begin with the women’s double elimination, unless double mast high waves are on hand to greet the competitors. Make sure you tune into www.pwaworldtour.com to follow all of the amazing action live via PWA live stream and live ticker.