2015 Ulsan PWA World Cup, Slalom

Ulsan PWA World Cup

Event Preview: Slalom set to burst onto the world stage as world fastest sailors head to South Korea
It’s that time again when the fastest sailors in the world prepare for their first high octane meeting of the year for more high speed, close fought racing as the finest men’s and women’s slalom sailors head to South Korea for the Ulsan PWA World Cup, which takes place between the 1st-6th May. The opening slalom event of the year is always an intriguing affair as everyone finds out where they are at after a long winter of training and tuning.

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.

Ones to Watch

Men’s

As the reigning world champion - Antoine Albeau (RRD / NeilPryde) - will be the man that everyone else needs to beat in the opening slalom event of the year. AA was in great form last season as he won two events - Costa Brava and Fuerteventura - whilst carrying two second places and a ninth to win back-to-back world titles. Albeau will now be hungry to complete a famous hat-trick of world titles and you can expect the big Frenchman to come flying out of the starting blocks when the green flag goes up.

Cyril Moussilmani (Starboard / Severne) pushed Albeau all the way in last seasons title race with the champion being decided in the last winners’ final of the year. Unfortunately the duel didn’t go Moussilmani’s way on that occasion, but his superb consistency should mean that he is heavily involved in the battle for the 2015 world championship again.

Pierre Mortefon (Fanatic / North) completed an all French top three last year as the twenty-five year old enjoyed his best season to date. Before last season Mortefon’s previous best had been twelfth place overall in 2013, but last year he showed that he is one of the most promising young talents in the slalom world. Mortefon is lightning quick on the straights and tactically very aware too making him one of the most dangerous sailors out there. Expect to see him pushing for the top again.

Ben Van Der Steen (Tabou / GA Sails / Mystic) finished the season on a high last year as he captured his maiden event title in New Caledonia. The flying Dutchman is one of the quickest sailors on the tour and after finishing fourth overall last season, he will be hoping to regain his place on the prestigious overall podium for the first time since 2011.

Another French sailor who enjoyed a fantastic season in 2014 is Pascal Toselli (99NoveNove / Point-7), who claimed his first podium finishes - third in both Fuerteventura and Turkey - and completed the year in an excellent fifth place overall. Toselli changed board sponsor over the winter to 99NoveNove and it seems he has quickly adapted to his new boards after claiming victory in the first French National Slalom event of 2014. Toselli showed on many occasions last year that he has the pace and the mindset to challenge for the top and he should be there or there abouts come the end of the event.

Julien Quentel (RRD / NeilPryde) recovered from a slow start in 2014 to finish sixth overall. The man from Saint Martin began his comeback in Turkey, where he claimed his first event victory before backing it up with third and fourth place finishes respectively. If Quentel can pick up where he left off then you would expect him to feature in the top five at a minimum.

Arnon Dagan (RRD / NeilPryde) is another man to have tasted victory for the first time in 2014 after coming out on top in Sylt. Dagan will be hoping to carry on his fine form from last year and if he is able to do so he should be challenging for the top.

Matteo Iachino (Fanatic / North) is one of the most exciting talents rising through the PWA Slalom ranks. The Italian is still only twenty-five, but is already a regular in the top ten at events as he continues to sail with experience and guise beyond his years. After finishing eighth overall last year he should be in the thick of the action over the course of the next six days.

Britain’s Ross Williams (Tabou / GA Sails / Mystic) completes the top ten attending the event, with Taty Frans (Starboard / GA Sails / Mystic) absent from proceedings due to competing in Austria. Williams is one of the top all-round sailors in the world and as frequent finisher in the overall top ten he should fare well in Korea.

Of course there are plenty of other sailors who could easily feature in the top ten and beyond, such is the fierceness of the competition on the PWA Slalom World Tour right now. The likes of Josh Angulo (Angulo / Gun Sails), Cedric Bordes (Tabou / GA Sails), Micah Buzianis (JP / NeilPryde), Maciek Rutkowski and the current PWA Youth Slalom World Champion - Tristan Algret (Patrik / Loft Sails / Mystic) will all be in contention, as should Gonzalo Costa Hoevel (Starboard / Point-7) after his winter move to Point-7 and his emphatic success at the formula worlds.

Our thoughts will also be with Alberto Menegatti’s friends and family too as the first event since Alberto’s tragic passing takes place - Alberto will be sorely missed by everyone involved.

Women’s

Having won back-to-back world titles Delphine Cousin (Starboard / Gun Sails) will enter the first event of the year as the favourite. The twenty-three year old changed sail sponsors over the winter from Loft Sails to Gun Sails so it will be interesting to see how she fares on her new equipment. In 2014 Cousin won two out of the three events and she will be determined to complete a hat-trick of world crowns.

However, Cousin, will face a stern test with Turkey’s Lena Erdil (Patrik / Point-7 / Mystic / AL360) gunning to go one better than last year and become world champion. Erdil also won the PWA Slalom Indoor World Championship in Poland and she seems more motivated than ever to come out on top.

It’s not only Erdil who will be hoping to put a dent in Cousin’s title hopes as Sarah-Quita Offringa prepares to compete on the entire PWA Slalom World Tour for the first time since becoming world champion in 2011. Offringa claimed a comprehensive victory in Turkey last year - winning seven out of the nine eliminations completed - and the lady from Aruba could prove to be a formidable figure if she can find her best form.

Also in contention will be multiple time world champion - Valerie Ghibaudo (Tabou / GA Sails) - who completed the podium last year, whilst PWA Youth Slalom World Champion - Fulya Ünlü (Severne) - will be hoping to make a strong start to the 2015 campaign.

Meanwhile, the Japanese duo of Mio Anayama (Starboard / NeilPryde) and Ayako Suzuki (Tabou / GA Sails / Mystic) should be a threat too, whilst Turkey’s Cagla Kubat (Starboard / Severne) prepares to return to competing full-time on the PWA Slalom World Tour having only competed in Alacati last year, having become a mother for the first time. Kubat finished fourth overall in 2013 and she will be hoping to feature in the top five in the opening event.

Find out whether the reigning world champions - Antoine Albeau and Delphine Cousin - can make the perfect start to their title defence or if someone else can take an early season lead by tuning into www.pwaworldtour.com between the 1st-6th May - here you’ll be able to follow the amazing action as it happens via the PWA live stream and live ticker.

Wieviele PWA "Windtage" mit ordentlichen Bedingungen kann Ulsan in all den Jahren eigentlich vorweisen? Mehr als eine Hand voll? Macht nichts, die PWA würde auch noch in 100 Jahren ihre Fahrer dahin zwingen...

Tag 1:

Zitat

2015 Ulsan PWA World Cup - Day 1

The fleet is ready for action after a sunny, but calm first day.
The 2015 PWA slalom tour is officially underway as the first event of the season has kicked off. While the wind has failed to materialise on this first day of the 2015 Ulsan PWA World Cup, the amount of slalom talent that has touched down on Jinha Beach promises a spectacular show once conditions improve over the next few days. Today’s calm gave the sailors a laidback chance to register, catch up with the other competitors after the winter break and prepare their gear for what is to come.

The 2015 Ulsan PWA World Cup also marks the first slalom event since Italian slalom star Alberto Menegatti passed away unexpectedly earlier this year. Coming together for the first time since Menegatti’s untimely death, the sailors paid their respects by using their boards to lay out the Italian’s sail number ITA-4 on the beach. Josh Angulo, Jimmy Diaz and Arnon Dagan spoke a few words about their late fellow competitor and friend.

Like previous years, the town of Ulsan has proven incredibly hospitable, giving the sailors and race crew a very warm welcome. Even on a windless day like today, the arrival of the world’s top windsurfers draws a great deal of spectators to the beach in anticipation of the racing up ahead.

The forecast for tomorrow looks promising and the racecourse is set, so tune in again tomorrow for what will hopefully be the first slalom action here at the 2015 Ulsan PWA World Cup. The skippers meeting is scheduled for 10:00, with things kicking off at 10:30 if conditions deliver the goods.

In the meantime, check out the pictures of the first day under the South Korean sun in the image gallery to get a taste of PWA slalom world tour life here on Jinha Beach.

Alles anzeigen

2015 Ulsan PWA World Cup - Day 2

Tantalisingly close, yet so frustratingly far.
The second day of the 2015 Ulsan PWA World Cup started off promising, but failed to deliver in the end. With a good forecast and the thermal winds kicking in already early in the day, the stage seemed set for the first heats of the event. And while the wind was indeed more than strong enough in the gusts, it was the lulls that threw the much unwanted spanners in the works. While the sailors made the conditions seem great at times, the race crew had the tough task of holding off on racing until the wind was strong enough throughout the entire racecourse. Just after lunchtime, the crew gave the green light and decided to try and sail the first men's heat. But just as the contestants arrived at the starting line, the conditions deteriorated, leaving the race committee no choice but to stand down again. The rest of the afternoon the wind played a frustrating waiting game with the fleet, coming close a few times, but never really pushing through.

While the conditions may not have been suitable for professional racing today, Jinha Beach demonstrated once again its potential as a first class slalom location with its clear water, sandy beaches and sideshore winds.

Tomorrow it looks like the weather will turn, bringing some rain, but hopefully wind as well. Conditions appear to be most promising in the morning, so we're reconvening at the beach at 08:30 for the skippers meeting. If the wind is up, it's the men who get to kick off the event at 09:00 sharp.

Pictures of the second day of the 2015 Ulsan PWA World Cup are up in the image gallery. Hopefully tomorrow we can add some racing shots as well.

Tag 3:

2015 Ulsan PWA World Cup - Day 3

After rain comes sunshine, but wind would be even better.
As forecast yesterday, it was a grey and wet affair today at Jinha Beach. But the wind that was promised to blow in the morning never showed up. Though there was a slight increase of wind in the course of the morning that was enough to lure the race committee out to check the conditions, the average wind speed never came close to levels suitable for competition. And so the third day of the 2015 Ulsan PWA World Cup was spent in a holding pattern.

With one eye on the conditions, most sailors used the lack of wind to their advantage and tuned into that other major sports event taking place on the far end of the world. During a big communal lunch in a Jinha Beach hotel, the PWA's boxing enthusiasts watched Mayweather beat Pacquiao in what was hyped to be the fight of the century.

Straight after the closing bell, the entire fleet made their way to the main stage on the south end of the beach for the official opening ceremony of the 2015 Ulsan PWA World Cup. Undeterred by the rain, hundreds of spectators and numerous officials had made their way to Jinha Beach to greet the world's slalom elite and wish them luck in the competition. The show delivered fireworks in both the literal and figurative sense of the word, with encouraging speeches from many officials and great performances by local acts.

Flick through the image gallery for today's pictures of the opening ceremony and life at Jinha Beach as the event is set to move into its final three days. Also be sure to check the equipment the sailors chose to register for the event here. Tomorrow marks the return of sunny weather and with it an offshore wind that looks sailable on paper. Another day means another chance to get a result in, so join us again tomorrow as we'll kick off the day with the skipper's meeting at 09:00.

Weiter ohne Wertung:

2015 Ulsan PWA World Cup - Day 4

Different conditions, same outcome at Jinha Beach.
Day 4 of the Ulsan PWA World Cup saw the return of the sun, accompanied by an offshore breeze. The forecast looked promising and could very well have materialised into sailable conditions, but unfortunately the wind speed never reached the minimum required for competition.

After mostly variable winds in the morning, the wind direction stabilised in the early afternoon. With an offshore wind gusting up to 15 knots, the race committee took to the water to set out the course far out to sea. But their efforts soon turned out to be in vain, as the wind not only dropped as quickly as it picked up, but also started shifting again, making it very difficult for the race crew to plot out a course. Therefore, they were left with no choice but to come back in and wait for improvement.

Then around 1600, the wind suddenly picked up again and the fleet was put on standby. But as soon as the sailors went on high alert, the wind disappeared, taking with it all hope for a result today.

With two more days to go, the wind is expected to swing back to the south tomorrow, which is the right direction for the local funnel effect to work. With high hopes for suitable racing conditions, tomorrow's skipper's meeting is scheduled for 10:00 with a first possible start at 10:30. Fingers crossed for two days of competition at the 2015 Ulsan PWA World Cup.

2015 Ulsan PWA World Cup - Day 5

Good things come to those who wait.
Antoine Albeau (RRD/NeilPryde) and Sarah Quita Offringa (Starboard/NeilPryde) reign supreme as Jinha Beach delivers the goods and then some. After four days of waiting, the thermal winds finally came through, allowing for not just one, but two completed eliminations for both the men and the women. When the smoke cleared, it was the Frenchman and the Aruban who came out ahead, but closely followed by the rest of the pack.

At the strike of noon, the race crew's wind meters hit sufficient values to call the first sailors to the starting line. Dead set on getting a result after the first four windless days, no time was wasted to get the competition underway. For a moment, it looked like it was going to be a long day as the first two heats were both cancelled twice due to insufficient wind. But not much later, the wind evened out and it would turn out to become a completely different kind of long day.

Men's 1st elimination

Up until heat no. 4 of the men's 1st elimination, it was pretty much business as usual without any major upsets or surprises. But then 2014 Vice World Champion Cyril Moussilmani (Starboard/Severne) collided with Andrea Cucchi (Point-7) at the very last mark of his heat and went down, preventing him from advancing into the next round. It then wasn't until the quarterfinals when another big contender saw his chances of first elimination gold shatter, as Ben Van Der Steen (Tabou/GA Sails) had to settle for 7th place in his quarterfinal.

The semifinals got underway in properly windy conditions and saw the usual suspects do their jobs, with Arnon Dagan (RRD/NeilPryde), Pierre Mortefon (Fanatic/North Sails), Julien Quentel (RRD/NeilPryde), Steve Allen (Starboard/Severne), Antoine Albeau (RRD/Neil Pryde), Ross Williams (Tabou/GA Sails/Mystic), Pascal Toselli (99 NoveNove/Point-7), Alexandre Cousin (Patrik/Loft Sails/Mystic) and Antoine Questel (Starboard/GA Sails) securing their spots in the first final of the day.

But just as the crowds had gathered on the beach to witness the clash of the slalom titans, disaster seemed to strike. Twice in a row, the men's winners final got cancelled due to lack of wind at the first mark. But it's third time lucky as they say, and the third time around the wind did indeed hold and it was game on. Right from the start it was all or nothing for the riders as first Dagan and Quentel and then Williams nearly lost control in a gust right at the starting line. All three managed to recover and screamed down to the first mark together with the rest of the pack. Toselli reached it first, followed closely by Mortefon, Albeau and Cousin. As the first four riders blasted off from the mark, the remaining four got caught in a wind hole for a brief moment. The world held its breath in fear for a third cancellation, but this time the flag stayed down. On the way to the second buoy, Mortefon overtook Toselli, putting himself firmly in the lead. Toselli then had to watch Albeau slip past him into second place. But the worst for Toselli had yet to come as he went down at the last mark, taking Cousin down with him. Steve Allen took advantage and moved into third, followed by Toselli who had to settle for fourth. But the well-deserved victory went to Pierre Mortefon, taking his first elimination with Albeau coming in second.

The losers final went to Josh Angulo (Angulo/Gun Sails) thanks to a strong performance. Second place was for Antoine Questel (Starboard/GA Sails) and Gonzalo Costa Hoevel (Starboard/Point-7) claimed third.

Women's 1st elimination

In the women's fleet, two big names unexpectedly crashed out in the first round as both 2014 world champ Delphine Cousin (Starboard/Gun Sails) and 2014 third place Valérie Ghibaudo (Tabou/GA Sails) failed to proceed into the final. Those who did make it were Sarah-Quita Offringa (Starboard/NeilPryde/Maui Ultra Fins/Mystic), Lena Erdil (Patrik/Point-7/Mystic/AL360), Esther de Geus (99 NoveNove/Point-7), Ayako Suzuki (Tabou/GA Sails/Mystic), Sayaka Iwai (RRD/MauiSails), Fulya Ünlü (Starboard/Severne), María Andrés (Fanatic/Gun Sails/Mystic/AL360), Annika Valkna (Loft Sails), Haruna Furusawa (Starboard/Point-7/Mystic) and Océane Lescadieu (Starboard/Loft Sails).

It was Unlu who took the lead right from the start and held on to it all the way to the finish line. Her compatriot Erdil chased her in second with Offringa not far behind. But the PWA Youth World Champion wouldn't have any of it and consolidated her lead with every mark she rounded to impressively win her first elimination, ahead of Erdil and Offringa.

Cousin redeemed herself by winning the loser's final, ahead of Marion Mortefon (Patrik/Gun Sails) and Cagla Kubat (Starboard/Severne).

Men's 2nd elimination

When two days ago we would have been happy to just complete a single elimination, the conditions today were simply too good to call it a day after just one. And so without delay the second elimination got underway. First big name to drop of the list was Van der Steen. The winner of last year's closing event hit the proverbial wall in the quarterfinals, followed by Dagan in the semis together with first elimination winner Mortefon and Toselli.

The second elimination finalists were Cyril Moussilmani (Starboard/Severne), Ross Williams (Tabou/GA Sails/Mystic), Marco Lang (Fanatic/North Sails), Josh Angulo (Angulo/Gun Sails), Antoine Albeau (RRD/Neil Pryde), Gonzalo Costa Hoevel (Starboard/Point-7), Matteo Iachino (Fanatic/North Sails) and Jordy Vonk (Starboard/Point-7). Right from the horn, Iachino took the lead, followed by Lang and Vonk. Albeau and Williams were quite far down in the field after the first mark. At the second mark, the pressure got the best of Lang who crashed and saw Angulo slip into second place. Iachino kept his cool and with it the lead rounding the third mark and on his way to the final mark. Angulo still in second and Vonk in third. But at the last mark, the young Dutchman slipped up and fell and had to watch the entire fleet fly by. Nothing Iachino was too worried about as he clinched the second elimination ahead of Angulo and Costa Hoevel.

In the loser's final it was Mortefon who won his second final of the day, albeit the loser's one. Second and third were for Toselli and Dagan respectively.

Women's 2nd elimination

In the women's fleet, the marquee players did what they had to do to claim their ticket to the winners final. Making it through were Lena Erdil (Patrik/Point-7/Mystic/AL360), Sarah-Quita Offringa (Starboard/NeilPryde/Maui Ultra Fins/Mystic), Delphine Cousin (Starboard/Gun Sails), Esther de Geus (99 NoveNove/Point-7), Mio Anayama (Starboard/NeilPryde), Fulya Ünlü (Starboard/Severne), María Andrés (Fanatic/Gun Sails/Mystic/AL360), Cagla Kubat (Starboard/Severne), Marion Mortefon (Patrik/Gun Sails) and Ayako Suzuki (Tabou/GA Sails/Mystic). It was Offringa who had the best start, arriving at the first mark in the lead. Erdil and Unlu were chasing her down, completing the same top three that won the 1st elimination final. The three top women never gave up their podium places, meaning the top slot for the women is tied as both Offringa and Unlu have got a first and a third and Erdil two second spots. The rule to break such a tie is to award victory to the sailor who won the last elimination, which in this case was Sarah Quita Offringa.

In the loser's final, it was Marion Dusart (Patrik/Gun Sails/Flymount) who took first place, followed by Océane Lescadieu (Starboard/Loft Sails) in second and Nimet Tulumen (KA Sails) in third.

With two eliminations for both the men and the women in the bag, the top 10 rankings at the moment are as follows:

Men

1. Antoine Albeau (RRD/Neil Pryde)

2. Pierre Mortefon (Fanatic/North Sails)

3. Josh Angulo (Angulo/Gun Sails)

4. Ross Williams (Tabou/GA Sails/Mystic)

5. Pascal Toselli (99 NoveNove/Point-7)

6. Gonzalo Costa Hoevel (Starboard/Point-7)

7. Matteo Iachino (Fanatic/North Sails)

8. Arnon Dagan (RRD/NeilPryde)

9. Marco Lang (Fanatic/North Sails)

10. Steve Allen (Starboard/Severne)

Women

1. Sarah-Quita Offringa (Starboard/NeilPryde/Maui Ultra Fins/Mystic)

2. Fulya Ünlü (Starboard/Severne)

3. Lena Erdil (Patrik/Point-7/Mystic/AL360)

4. María Andrés (Fanatic/Gun Sails/Mystic/AL360)

5. Ayako Suzuki (Tabou/GA Sails/Mystic)

6. Esther de Geus (99 NoveNove/Point-7)

7. Cagla Kubat (Starboard/Severne)

8. Marion Mortefon (Patrik/Gun Sails)

9. Delphine Cousin (Starboard/Gun Sails)

10. Océane Lescadieu (Starboard/Loft Sails)

There's a good chance we'll get another day of wind tomorrow, so it's still all up for grabs here at the 2015 Ulsan PWA World Cup. Check the action in the image gallery and the highlight video later today and join us again tomorrow morning for the final day of the first slalom stop on the 2015 PWA world tour.

Wer sagt das?

Ach ja?
Das Segel auf der boot sah unumstritten megascheisse aus, nicht nur meine Meinung wie man dem Thread entnehmen kann! Wie die Segel aussehen, die das Worldcupteam nutzt, entzieht sich meiner Kenntnis.
Davon ab wissen wir alle nicht wie der Kurs lag und welche Begebenheiten in Korea noch rein spielen.
Oder seit wann sagt ein PWA Ergebnis was über die Leistungsfähigkeit eines Segels aus?

Kann es auch in ganzen Sätzen schreiben?

Ihr müsst mal lernen, nicht überall was rein zu interpretieren.

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