Posts by Totti-Amun

Und der letzte Tag 6:

The final day of the 2019 Marignane PWA World Cup provided another stern test of the crew and sailors patience, but eventually, their perseverance was rewarded as results were crucially gained in both the men’s and women’s fleets after a long day on the water. In fact with the wind being so inconsistent, it took 6 painstaking hours to complete just 8 heats. The end result will prove hugely popular with the home crowd thought with local heroes Delphine Cousin Questel (Starboard / S2Maui) and Pierre Mortefon (Fanatic / Duotone / Chopper Fins) taking the top spot on the podium in the first event of the year - giving them the early season title race lead heading into Asia.

On the plane on the final day!

Slalom

Women’s

Reigning world champion - Delphine Cousin Questel - led from start to finish in the winners’ final as she made the perfect start to the season. The 3-time world champion didn’t put a foot wrong during the event and deservedly walks away as the champion, which means she extends her winning run to 5 consecutive events and she could prove a hard woman to stop based on that performance.

Delphine Cousin Questel: “It was super difficult conditions with the wind being so gusty. I was either overpowered or underpowered. It was hard to be on the right gear. Just before the final, I switched equipment to 7.7m from 7.0 and I made a good start by the pin. I led into the first mark and then I just aimed to control it from the front. I’m super happy to win the first event of the season, it’s been a long and stressful week. It’s always hard to compete at an event with just one race, but it is what it is, I think we were extremely unlucky as every time I’ve been here it’s been super windy. I’m happy for the organiser that we managed to get results in the end and thanks to Delphine for making the event happen.”

All smiles for Delphine Cousin Questel

Marion Mortefon (Fanatic / Duotone) chased home Cousin Questel, but couldn’t land a telling blow, however, the 27-year-old will still be delighted to have equalled her best result since Turkey 2015 - 2nd - and is prominently placed going forwards.

Marion Mortefon

Oda Johanne Brødholt (Starboard / Severne / Maui Ultra Fins) has been tipped as a slightly dark horse for the last couple of seasons and those fruitions came to life today as the Norwegian, who finished 3rd in the Freestyle in Bonaire, claims her first Slalom podium here in Marignane after producing a fantastic performance to hold off both Maëlle Guilbaud (Patrik / Loftsails) and Lena Erdil (Starboard / Point-7 / AL360 / Chopper Fins), who finish 4th and 5th respectively. We’ll take a look at the full results on Wednesday in the event summary.

Men’s

Stick or Twist

Before the final, the sailors were presented with a gamble to either stick with what they had or gamble on the wind picking up as per the forecast. For those sailors who stuck - Antoine Albeau (JP / NeilPryde), Finian Maynard (FMX Racing) and Julien Quentel (Patrik / Gun Sails) - sticking on their big gear didn’t pay off as they became overpowered during the final with the wind picking up greatly. However, for Pierre Mortefon and Sebastian Kördel (Starboard / GA Sails), their gamble was rewarded with victory and a 3rd place with their greater control proving pivotal in the fight for the finish line.

Mortefon and Albeau (JP / NeilPryde) enjoyed a great fight in the winners’ final, which could finally be completed at the third time of asking. On the first attempt, Malte Reuscher (Tabou / GA Sails) was disqualified for a premature start, while Bruno Martini (I-99 / Challenger Sails) suffered the same fate on the next attempt with the sailors pushing the start knowing that this was the final to decide the overall event rankings.

It was Albeau who led around the first mark - a position from which he is rarely caught. However, with the wind picking up just before the start of the final AA was overpowered on his 8.6m, which presented Mortefon, who changed down just before the start of the final to 7.7m and medium board, with an opportunity to pounce and the two-time vice-world champion did just that as he produced a brilliant second gybe to move into the lead, which is one he wouldn’t relinquish as the 29-year-old powered away over the remainder of the course to make the perfect start to the season.

Pierre Mortefon: "I'm so, so happy. It's been a long week and a long day so it has not been easy to deal with the conditions. The PWA crew have done an amazing job - they made the right decisions at the right times. They pushed and we managed to get the result. It's a perfect start to the season with a victory in France - it can't get much better!”

Fist pump for Pierre Mortefon

Albeau played it relatively safe over the rest of the course to make sure he didn’t jeopardise his second place, which is a solid start to the season, particularly after changing board sponsor late in the close season. However, now he knows he is competitive again he will be once again be pumped up for another title challenge as he bids for World title No.25.

Antoine Albeau

The podium here in Marignane is completed by Sebastian Kördel (Starboard / GA Sails) with the German sailing brilliantly in the tricky conditions to earn his best Slalom result since September 2016. Kördel endured a tough season last year and will be delighted to have made such a positive start to the year.

Sebastian Kördel

Last year’s World No.4 - Jordy Vonk (Fanatic / Duotone) - starts the season with a solid 4th place here in France, while Finian Maynard (FMX Racing) claims 5th ahead of Julien Quentel (Patrik / Gun Sails) - 6th - Bruno Martini - 7th - and Malte Reuscher - 8th. As with the women’s we’ll take a full look at the results in the event summary on Wednesday.

After a long hard day on the water the winners were then presented in front of the crowd at 6pm during the closing ceremony!

To stay up to date with all the latest developments from Marignane — including the live stream, elimination ladders, entry list, images, and live ticker simply click HERE and scroll to the bottom of the page.

Also if you don’t already, follow us on our Social Media Channels:

- Facebook:@PWAWorldTourWindsurfing

- Instagram: @pwaworldtour

- Twitter: @pwaworldtour

Result 2019 Marignane PWA World Cup - Women's Slalom

1st Delphine Cousin Questel (FRA - Starboard / S2Maui)

2nd Marion Mortefon (FRA - Fanatic / Duotone)

3rd Oda Brødholt (NOR - Starboard / Severne / Maui Ultra Fins)

4th Maëlle Guilbaud (FRA - Patrik / Loftsails)

5th Lena Erdil (TUR - Starboard / Point-7 / AL360 / Chopper Fins)

6th Esther de Geus (NED - Fanatic / Duotone)

7th Lilou Granier (FRA - Starboard / Phantom Sails)

8th Nimet Tulumen (TUR - Tabou / GA Sails)

Result 2019 Marignane PWA World Cup - Men's Slalom

1st Pierre Mortefon (FRA - Fanatic / Duotone / Chopper Fins)

2nd Antoine Albeau (FRA - JP / NeilPryde)

3rd Sebastian Koerdel (GER - Tabou / GA Sails)

4th Jordy Vonk (NED - Fanatic / Duotone)

5th Finian Maynard (KV - FMX Racing)

6th Quentel Julien (SXM - Patrik / Gun Sails)

7th Bruno Martini (ITA - I-99 / Challenger Sails)

8th Malte Reuscher (GER - Tabou / GA Sails)

9th Mateus Isaac (BRA - JP / NeilPryde)

10th Marco Lang (AUT - Fanatic / Duotone)

Tag 5:

The waiting game continued on the penultimate day of the 2019 Marignane PWA World Cup as the light winds continued. A squall shortly after 1:45pm caused a flurry of action on the beach with the wind quickly picking up to 30 knots, but unfortunately the wind did not stick around for long.

The sunsets on the penultimate day in marignane

During the afternoon Taty Frans (Future Fly / Point-7), Adam Sims (Patrik / Sailloft Hamburg) and Diony Guadagnino (AHD / Loftsails) put on a tow-in Freestyle show to entertain the crowds.

Taty Frans entertaining the crowds

During the afternoon we caught up with Bruno Martini (I-99 / Challenger Sails), who booked his place in the semi-finals yesterday after winning his quarterfinal ahead of Ethan Westera (Tabou / GA Sails), Antoine Albeau (JP / NeilPryde) and Mateus Isaac (JP / NeilPryde).

Bruno Martini

Hi Bruno, how was your winter training?

“My training was really good. I spent 2 months in Tenerife where the training level was really high. We trained in both flat and choppy water and I feel like I improved a lot. I feel better and confident on my equipment - no matter whether it’s light or really strong wind."

Yesterday you won your quarterfinal - how happy were you with your performance?

"I’m really happy about that actually because it’s the beginning of the season and it’s nice to start in a good way being in the semifinals. The conditions were tricky, so it was not easy to race yesterday and it’s easy to get a bad result in one second, but on the flip side you can gain a really good result also."

There's been a lot of waiting around for wind this week - how do you stay relaxed, but also focused for racing?

“I’ve been thinking about this a lot when I was training and the problem is not gybing, starting or racing, but it’s actually about how I can use less energy at events and be able to stay focused when I need to. Now, I’m just trying to switch off my mind at certain times, relax and joke around a bit with some friends. I try to trust in the hours of training of put in and know that I am prepared to race. I just focus on myself and not what the others are doing. Then when the call is made that we are going to race I just try and switch my mind back on and focus on the job at hand.”

There's only one day left of the contest - you must be praying for wind now with a top 16 spot guaranteed in the first elimination?

“Yeah, this is a good question… personally I really hope that we can finish this elimination. I feel really good and feel like I can make it into the final and record a great result. On the other hand I know that this is only one elimination over one week and some guys will say that this doesn’t really count, but everything counts and we’ll see at the end of the season where I am. This is a marathon, not a sprint!”

Do you have an aim for the season?

“Not really, I just want to sail to the best of my ability and then we’ll see how it works out.”

Thanks, Bruno.

All the eggs are now in one basket with Monday offering the final roll of the dice to gain a result. The latest forecast models offer a chance to race late in the afternoon, but the wind is once again forecast to be offshore, which is the same as we’ve had for the whole week thus far. Hopefully, this time around it fills in. The sailors will meet for the skippers’ meeting at 8:30am tomorrow morning with the action commencing from 9:30am (GMT+2) - onwards.

Easter Sunday

To stay up to date with all the latest developments from Marignane — including the live stream, elimination ladders, entry list, images, and live ticker simply click HERE and scroll to the bottom of the page.

Also if you don’t already, follow us on our Social Media Channels:

- Facebook:@PWAWorldTourWindsurfing

- Instagram: @pwaworldtour

- Twitter: @pwaworldtour

Das war Tag 4:

The wind teased the competitors for much of Day 4, but unfortunately despite several hours of effort only a further two heats were able to be completed in the men’s first elimination. There were short periods of wind, but with the breeze continuing to blow offshore the wind remained very patchy, which made racing tricky to say the least.

The crowds enjoy a bit of tow-in

Slalom

Men’s

During the morning the 3rd men’s quarterfinal - Heat 11 - was completed at the third time of asking, having been cancelled for the first time on Day 2. Cedric Bordes (Tabou / GA Sails) and Valentin Brault (Simmer / Simmer Sails / Chopper Fins) were then disqualified from the rerun after jumping the gun, which left only 6 sailors vying for the top 4 positions. Jordy Vonk (Fanatic / Duotone) looked confident as he led from start to finish to book his place in the semifinal, while he was joined by Julien Quentel (Patrik / Gun Sails), Amado Vrieswijk (JP / Severne), who produced an excellent gybe at the first to leapfrog Antoine Questel (I-99 / S2Maui), while Sebastian Kornum (JP / NeilPryde) grabbed the final qualifying place. The Dane did well to overtake Questel heading to the third buoy and with the Frenchman under pressure he dropped his gybe allowing Kornum plenty of breathing room over the remainder of the course.

Jordy Vonk prepares to gybe

It was also a case of third time lucky for Heat 12. Andrea Rosati (RRD / RRD Sails) and Mateus Isaac (JP / NeilPryde) both had to slam on the breaks before the start to avoid going over early and that left Rosati with no way back.

Andrea Rosati slams on the breaks

However, Isaac produced a brilliant comeback as he secured 4th place after Damian Arnoux (Simmer / Simmer Sails) clipped Arnon Dagan (Future Fly / NeilPryde) at the first gybe, which cost the Israeli a place in the next round. Bruno Martini (I-99 / Challenger Sails) claimed a clear cut victory to book his place in the top 16 as did Ethan Westera (Tabou / GA Sails) and reigning world champion - Antoine Albeau (JP / NeilPryde).

Bruno Martini

The wind then dropped again and despite waiting until 7pm it never returned. Tomorrow morning offers the chance of moderate offshore winds again, so the sailors will meet again at 8:30am for the skippers’ meeting with the racing commencing from 9:30am (GMT+2) onwards - if conditions allow.

To stay up to date with all the latest developments from Marignane — including the live stream, elimination ladders, entry list, images, and live ticker simply click HERE and scroll to the bottom of the page.

Also if you don’t already, follow us on our Social Media Channels:

- Facebook:@PWAWorldTourWindsurfing

- Instagram: @pwaworldtour

- Twitter: @pwaworldtour

Nix an Tag 3:

There were two contrasting forecasts for the third day of the 2019 Marignane PWA World Cup and unfortunately the model predicting less wind was the correct one. On several occasions the wind did appear as though it would kick in, but those periods of wind proved too brief to allow any further racing to be completed.

While the wind remained light several sailors sneaked out on to the water for a bit of testing, while visitors to the event were able to bask in the warm sunshine.

Antoine Albeau

Looking Ahead

Saturday looks as though the wind will remain light, however, the forecasts for the prior days haven’t materialised so anything could still happen. On a more positive note both Sunday and Monday now offer potential for wind.

The sailors remained on hold until 6:30pm, but with the wind showing no signs of improvement they were released for the day. The men’s and women’s fleet will meet again at 10am tomorrow morning for the skippers’ meeting with the racing commencing from 11am (GMT+2) onwards - if conditions allow.

To stay up to date with all the latest developments from Marignane — including the live stream, elimination ladders, entry list, images, and live ticker simply click HERE and scroll to the bottom of the page.

Also if you don’t already, follow us on our Social Media Channels:

- Facebook:@PWAWorldTourWindsurfing

- Instagram: @pwaworldtour

- Twitter: @pwaworldtour

Fivestar wrote:

Aber ich selbst habe mir eine cobra 275 speed besorgt.für Nostalgie surfing.

Ich habe noch eine Cobra Radical 260, geiles Board gewesen...

Das war Tag 2:

Das war Tag 1:

The opening day of the 2019 Marignane PWA World Cup saw the sailors receive a warm welcome upon arrival, but unfortunately the racing remained on hold with the wind teetering on the edge for much of the afternoon. That meant that several sailors ventured out on to the water to tune up a little bit ahead of tomorrow’s expected wind.

Registration

29 girls have signed up for the women’s contest, which is one of the biggest fleets in recent years, while there is a full 64-man fleet in the men’s division. With the wind remaining light the sailors were eventually released shortly after 5pm.

Earlier in the day we caught up with Finian Maynard (FMX Racing), who has started a new venture by creating his own board brand - FMX Racing - to find out more about his new project:

Finian Maynard with his new FMX Racing machines

Hi Finian, firstly can you tell us a little bit more about FMX Racing? The philosophy and idea behind the company? And what FMX stands for…

FM: “FMX is my name - Finian Maynard - and X as in X-Factor. I like the way it rhymes together. The racing part, well I’ve always loved Formula 1 and I’ve always loved the idea of a racing team, so it just felt right and good to create FMX Racing.

The brand itself is based in Tarifa and I’m very happy about all the possibilities that the southern tip of Spain brings in terms of testing and year round development.”

You obviously have a wealth of experience when it comes to both racing at the highest level and heading up the R&D for several other brands - why did you decide now to setup your own brand?

FM: “I’ve worked for a lot of brands over the years and it just felt like now is the right time and the right stage of my career to pursue FMX Racing and gain independence. I wanted the opportunity to take flight with my own wings - that would be the easiest way to describe it.”

What will FMX Racing bring to the market?

FM: “I like to think that I can bring that personal touch to the product and make sure that each and every master is personally checked and tested. I can also bring many years of technical experience to the table, which I have gained from a lot of competitions over 26 PWA seasons and also from working together with great shapers and designers in that same timespan. I feel that I can bring a new dimension to the design, development and construction process to produce a cutting edge and state-of-the-art product.”

Will you just be producing Slalom/Foil boards or will you also be developing a line for Freeride, Wave, Freestyle?

FM: “For now, the brand is producing Slalom and Foil Race boards, but in 2020 we’ll be expanding into Freeride/Freeride Foil, but moving forwards into 2021, and beyond, everything remains open as I’m not going to restrict the brand possibilities, but I think the main focus will remain on the flat water collection.”

You have chosen to pair up with Maciek Rutkowski (FMX Racing / Challenger Sails), who you worked with at I-99, why did you want to bring Maciek on to your team?

FM: “Maciek has proven over the last few years that he has the top level talent in both Slalom and Foil. I find him intelligent to work with and he provides in-depth and useful feedback. I think he has a great work ethic and you can tell that he really wants that break out season, so it felt like a logical step.

Also since yesterday, we have added Thomas Goyard (FMX Racing / Phantom) to the team, so we are basically two guys competing in Foil and two guys competing in Slalom.”

What are the aspirations for FMX Racing over the coming years?

FM: “To build high-quality products, built the right way using only high-quality materials and in a way that the customer will understand that it's an exclusive brand that is going to have an edge to it in terms of performance and durability.”

Where and when will FMX Racing boards be available for the public to buy?

FM: “We have been busy setting up a distribution network already and the boards have been available to buy in Holland and Germany for quite some time already. Other countries have signed on and will be announced in due course once everything is in place.”

Where are you producing your boards?

FM: “The brand is producing the boards at Kinetic, which is in Vietnam. So far I’m very happy with the work that they have done and I’m working with them closely all the time to continually improve and produce the highest quality products possible.”

Personally for you what is your plan in terms of racing this year? And do you have a goal for the coming season?

FM: “The plan is to compete for the whole season up until Sylt and then I still have to decide about New Caledonia. In terms of a goal, well, honestly I just want to enjoy it, maximise and optimise my results in the best way possible.”

Anything else you’d like to add about FMX Racing?

FM: “Just to say thanks to all the people who have believed in me and supported the project so far and that I’m really looking forward to building the brand in the next years - it looks positive.”

Thanks, Finian. Good luck for the rest of this week and for the future with your new venture.

You can find out more about FMX Racing - including where to buy via their website @ https://www.fmxracing.com/

You can also follow FMX Racing via Instagram: @fmxracing

The forecast for tomorrow brings plenty of promise with 18-25 knot southeasterly winds currently predicted for the second day of the Marignane PWA World Cup. The sailors will meet again tomorrow morning at 10am for the skippers’ meeting with racing commencing from 11am (GMT+2) onwards.

To stay up to date with all the latest developments from France — including the live stream, elimination ladders, entry list, images, and live ticker simply click HERE and scroll to the bottom of the page.

Also if you don’t already, follow us on our Social Media Channels:

- Facebook:@PWAWorldTourWindsurfing

- Instagram: @pwaworldtour

- Twitter: @pwaworldtour

Recap Overall Rankings 2018 PWA World Tour - Women’s Slalom

1st Delphine Cousin Questel (FRA - Starboard / S2Maui)

2nd Lena Erdil (TUR - Starboard / Point-7 / AL360 / Chopper Fins)

3rd Marion Mortefon (FRA - Fanatic / Duotone)

4th Maëlle Guilbaud (FRA - Patrik / Loftsails)

5th Esther de Geus (NED - Fanatic / Duotone)

Recap Overall Rankings 2018 PWA World Tour - Men’s Slalom

1st Antoine Albeau (FRA - JP / NeilPryde)

2nd Matteo Iachino (ITA - Starboard / Severne / Shamal Sunglasses)

3rd Pierre Mortefon (FRA - Fanatic / Duotone / Chopper Fins)

4th Jordy Vonk (NED - Fanatic / Duotone)

5th Julien Quentel (SXM - Patrik / Gun Sails)

6th Ross Williams (ENG - Tabou / GA Sails / Shamal Sunglasses)

7th Pascal Toselli (FRA - JP / Loftsails / Chopper Fins)

8th Cyril Moussilmani (FRA - RRD / RRD Sails)

9th Mateus Isaac (BRA - JP / NeilPryde)

10th Tristan Algret (GPE - Starboard / Severne / Chopper Fins)

Ich habe das nicht immer selbst in der Hand. Die PWA z.B. sendet mir täglich am Abend des Events diese Berichte und die sind so vorbereitet.

Andere machen das nicht so (oder schicken mir meist gleich gar nichts).

Das Problem ist folgendes:

Teilweise sind die Bilder verlinkt (wie hier bei der PWA) und damit letztlich auch nicht dauerhaft erhalten, oder es muss die jemand manuell hochladen.

Und da kommen wir zum zweiten Problem: Diese Kack-Software vom Forum verkleinert die Bilder nicht beim Upload auf ein eingestelltes Maß. Das kann jede kostenlose Software, auch jeder Shop, aber der Anbieter unserer Software (welche noch zudem sauteuer ist), bekommt das seit Jahren nicht hin und obschon die wahrscheinlich inzwischen der größte Anbieter sind, gibt es offenbar nicht genügend Druck und Bedarf der ganzen Forenbetreiber. Unfassbar...

Ich hatte aber aus Sicherheitsgründen wegen der zunehmenden Größe des Forums keine Alternative.

starsurfer wrote:

und Totti, wie leicht ist es denn nun ??welche Finne ist dabei ?

Exakt 7.64kg. Also auch genau das, was aktuelle Waveboards in dieser Größenordnung wiegen.

Wir können über diese 27cm Finne reden, wenn es sein muss:

Rüdi wrote:

ob die auch so über das gejammert haben wie wir🤔

Die Boards waren warscheinlich 50% schwerer und bei den Segeln sah es nicht anders aus.

Und trotzdem würden die jungs uns um die Ohren fahren !

Wie jetzt?

Ihr behauptet doch immer, wie geil und leicht und stabil das Material früher war und dass es auch gar keinen Fortschritt gibt...

Die Zusammenfassung:

Bonaire is dubbed as the spiritual home of Freestyle and over the last 5 days, you can understand why with the world’s best Freestylers channeling its relaxed Caribbean atmosphere and taking full advantage of Bonaire’s world class conditions to provide a scintillating, and sometimes unpredictable, start to the season…

All the winners

Women’s

Sarah-Quita Offringa (Starboard / NeilPryde / Maui Ultra Fins) was pushed all the way by vice-world champion - Maaike Huvermann (Starboard / Severne / Maui Ultra Fins), who became the first woman in 11 years to win a heat against Offringa on the PWA Freestyle World Tour, but eventually it was still the 11-time Freestyle World Champion who would walk away from Bonaire as the event champion. Having not faced in defeat in so long, many people wondered how Offringa would cope in the Super Final, but she barely put a foot wrong as she posted the second highest scoring heat of the contest with 140.7 points.

Sarah-Quita Offringa: “Cheers first of all to everyone, and thanks to everyone on the beach, we can hear you cheering on the water and that really motivates us! This was the first time in 11 years that I’ve lost a heat, and I’ve been thinking about that this week - about how I would react… I didn’t want to be a sore loser and actually, I felt a sense of excitement after the heat with Maaike! Congrats to Maaike - she sailed an amazing heat! Thanks to everyone from the PWA for an amazing week!”

Sarah-Quita Offringa celebrates

When Huvermann faced Offringa for the first time in the single elimination the 21-year-old said that she would use a different approach against the reigning world champion and that’s exactly what she did with Huvermann throwing everything she had at Offringa on each of the 3 occasions she faced her in Bonaire. Huvermann’s aggressive approach eventually paid off in the double elimination Final as she landed a regular chachoo on the buzzer to force a Super Final. In hearing the result Huvermann fell to the ground in celebration, but couldn’t quite find a way to defeat Offringa two-times in a row. However, the 21-year-old must be delighted with taking a heat off Offringa and things now become very interesting heading into Fuerteventura in July.

Oda Johanne (Starboard / Severne / Maui Ultra Fins) sailed consistently and stylishly throughout to claim the final place on the podium. Last year’s world No.3 couldn’t find a way to threaten the top 2 this time out, but will no doubt be training hard between now and the next world cup in Fuerteventura.

Women's podium - Maaike Huvermann, Sarah-Quita Offringa & Oda Johanne (left to right)

Arrianne Aukes (Fanatic / Duotone / Maui Ultra Fins) successfully defended her 4th place from the Single Elimination, but will probably be a little bit disappointed to have not beaten Oda Johanne (Starboard / Severne / Maui Ultra Fins) as she certainly had the opportunity with the Norwegian not enjoying her best heat. However, Aukes couldn’t quite find the higher scoring manoeuvre she needed on starboard tack and may feel that this was an opportunity missed to earn her first podium finish since 2014.

Arrianne Aukes

Jazzy Zwerus (JP / NeilPryde) won 3 consecutive heats in the double elimination to fight back into 5th place in her first competition since 2016. On her way to fifth, the 23-year-old defeated last year’s world No.5 - Johanne Rümenapp (I-99 / Gun Sails) - Julia Pakosz and Francesca Floris (RRD / RRD Sails).

Jazzy Zwerus

Men’s

Amado Vrieswijk (JP / Severne) may have had to do things the hard way, but eventually, the 23-year-old deservedly claimed the top spot on the podium to make the perfect start in the bid for his first world title. A second round exit in the single elimination meant that Vrieswijk then faced a gruelling fight back through the double elimination, but it was evidently a fight that he relished as he won 10 consecutive heats to deservedly be crowned the King of Bonaire. Vrieswijk consistently posted heats scores over 180 points - and was the only sailor to achieve this feat - so there can be no complaints that the best man won. Having defeated his major rival, 9-time Freestyle World Champion - Gollito Estredo (Fanatic / Duotone) - in just the second round of the double elimination it now seems the path by finally be opening up for Vrieswijk to get his hands on the biggest trophy of them all.

Amado Vrieswijk: “It’s been a long, long, long week, a long week, but an amazing though. The wind was light the final, but the level has been so high throughout and Youp pushed me all the way! I’m just really, really happy!”

Amado Vrieswijk celebrates

Youp Schmit (I-99 / Avanti) couldn’t quite defend his single elimination crown, but put up a brave fight against Vrieswijk in the Super Final. The 24-year-old had to sail through the pain barrier and then needed to be rallied by the home crowd after breaking his fin in the first few minutes of the Super Final and almost found a way to defeat Vrieswijk, but not quite. Schmit clearly revelled sailing at his home event and walks away from the opening event of the season with his first ever podium, while also emerging as a potential world title challenger for the remainder of the year!

There were quite a few upsets along the way in the men’s division with the form book seemingly being thrown out of the window, but the biggest upset of them all was delivered by Julian Mas (JP / Gun Sails), who defeated Gollito Estredo in the first round of the single elimination. The Frenchman landed a new combination in a contest with a flaka-bob and was consistently able to land this manoeuvre along with many others to advance all the way into the final of the single elimination, which would also guarantee Mas a first ever podium! Eventually, the 29-year-old would finish 3rd and can be delighted with recording his best ever result on the PWA World Tour.

Men's podium - Youp Schmit, Amado Vrieswijk & Julian Mas (left to right)

Last year’s world No.4 - Yentel Caers (I-99 / Point-7) - starts the year with a solid 4th place and with he and Vrieswijk the only members of last years overall top 5to make it into the top 4 here in Bonaire - Caers could prove to be Vrieswijk’s main challenger for the world title going forwards.

Yentel Caers

Giovanni Passani (Tabou / GA Sails / AL360) will walk away from the opening event of the year a very happy man with the Italian deservedly claiming his first top 10 result on the world tour - 5th. The 23-year-old sailed brilliantly throughout executing his moves clinically and with plenty of style!

Giovanni Passani

Antony Ruenes (Tabou / GA Sails) fought his way back from the first round in the double elimination to 6th place after gaining momentum and winning 5 heats in a row. Firstly the Frenchman defeated former world champion - Kiri Thode (Severne / Severne Sails) - followed by Francesco Cappuzzo (RRD / RRD Sails / AL360), Nicolas Akgazciyan (JP / NeilPryde), Taty Frans (Point-7) and finally a hard fought win over teammate Scheffers (Tabou / GA Sails). However, Ruenes’ comeback was then brought to an end by eventual champion - Amado Vrieswijk.

Antony Ruenes

Like Ruenes, Scheffers also staged a brilliant comeback through the double elimination which saw the Dutchman win 4 hits on the bounce to earn joint 7th place alongside last year’s vice-world champion - Adrien Bosson (Fanatic / Duotone / Maui Ultra Fins), who was a little unfortunate to meet Amado Vrieswijk in Heat 30a as aside from the Bonairean, Bosson was the next highest scoring heat with - 176.9 points.

Adrien Bosson

The top 10 was completed by Taty Frans (Point-7), Steven Van Broeckhoven (Starboard / Gun Sails / Shamal Sunglasses), Sam Esteve (JP / NeilPryde) & Julian Wiemar (Starboard / Severne).

The PWA would like to extend their thanks to the organisers, sponsors and everyone that helped out at the 2019 FORSA Bonaire PWA World Cup for making it such a great start to the year - we hope to be back in 2020.

Where’s Next on the PWA World Tour?

Having started the season with an explosive installment of Freestyle it is now time for the Men’s and Women’s Slalom fleet to take centre stage for the first time this season. Where? The South of France for a new addition to the calendar with the Marignane PWA World Cup running between 17th-22nd April.

To stay up to date with all the latest developments from Bonaire — including the live stream, elimination ladders, entry list, images, and live ticker simply click HERE and scroll to the bottom of the page.

Also if you don’t already, follow us on our Social Media Channels:

- Facebook:@PWAWorldTourWindsurfing

- Instagram: @pwaworldtour

- Twitter: @pwaworldtour

Result FORSA Bonaire PWA World Cup - Women’s Freestyle

1st Sarah-Quita Offringa (ARU - Starboard / NeilPryde / Maui Ultra Fins)

2nd Maaike Huvermann (NED - Starboard / Severne / Maui Ultra Fins)

3rd Oda Johanne (NOR - Starboard / Severne / Maui Ultra Fins)

4th Arrianne Aukes (NED - Fanatic / Duotone / Maui Ultra Fins)

5th Jazzy Zwerus (NED - JP / NeilPryde)

Result FORSA Bonaire PWA World Cup - Men’s Freestyle

1st Amado Vrieswijk (NB - JP / Severne)

2nd Youp Schmit (NB - I-99 / Avanti)

3rd Julian Mas (FRA - JP / Gun Sails)

4th Yentel Caers (BEL I-99 / Point-7)

5th Giovanni Passani (ITA - Tabou / GA Sails / AL360)

6th Antony Ruenes (FRA - Tabou / GA Sails)

7th Adrien Bosson (FRA - Fanatic / Duotone / Maui Ultra Fins)

7th Davy Scheffers (NED - Tabou / GA Sails)

9th Sam Esteve (FRA - JP / NeilPryde)

9th Steven Van Broeckhoven (BEL - Starboard / Gun Sails)

9th Taty Frans (NB - Point-7)

9th Julian Wiemar (GER - Starboard / Severne)

Moin Thorsten,

die Bilder sind hier: https://www.ebay-kleinanzeigen…-115l/1090733590-230-1399

Die Macken haben kein Wasser gezogen, das war vom Transport nach Sylt und wir sind dann von da nach England und hatten zuviel Zeug.

Ich wiege es nachher. Sehr leicht ist es nicht, es muss halt was aushalten bei der Größe.

Ich meine, ich habe auch noch die passende Finne dazu mitbekommen. Schaue ich nach.

Gruß

Totti

Kommt man in Saintes Maries de la Mer überhaupt noch über den Parkplatz hinten raus an den Strand, wo der ehemalige Kanal ist?

Irgendwann hatten die Wächter dort mal zickig reagiert.

rollerhotte wrote:

… kann man den F-Ride 135 vorne oder hinten 2 cm kürzen? der wäre zu lang für meinen Anhänger...

Ich habe das Problem schon früher erkannt und habe es Patrik nochmal dringend nahegelegt, dass die Boards unter 245-247cm bleiben müssen wegen der Hänger, WoMo's, WoWa's.

Ich gehe davon aus, dass er nun mittelfristig (für 2020) darauf reagieren wird. Er sieht meist wenig Bedarf für Änderungen, zumal das Board wohl gerade in F Testsieger wurde.

Aber was schert es uns hier...

URi wrote:

Auch, wenn es hier nicht ganz hin passt - ich finde die dünnen Holme fürchterlich. Habe gerade eine neue -eigentlich seht gute- Gabel, die im Griffbereich ziemlich dünne Holme mit einem leichten V-Grip hat. Ich mag das nicht. Wenn ich die Gabel mal etwas länger festhalten muss (Windloch z.B.), schlafen mir die Finger ein, bzw. kribbeln. Zum Glück hat die neue Gabel einen Einsatzbereich, in dem man meistens schön eingehängt durch die Gegend cruised, sodass ich sie auf jeden Fall behalten werde. Für künftige Neuanschaffungen im Freemove-/Wavebereich, wird auf jeden Fall der Holmdurchmesser ein Hauptkriterium sein - unter 29mm kaufe ich nichts mehr!

Dann möchte ich dich (und jeden anderen hier!) bitten, dass im entsprechenden Bereich kundzutun. Hier in diesem Bereich geht es um die relevante Gabel einer Marke, welche hier präsentiert wird und nur Fragen zum Artikel an sich zur Diskussion stehen.

Ich denke, die Beschreibung des Bereichs ist völlig klar.

Danke für den Respekt!

Das war der letzte Tag:

The final day of the 2019 FORSA Bonaire PWA World Cup was billed as Super Saturday and in the end it didn’t disappoint with a mix of emotion and drama making for a fitting finale in front of a packed out crowd, who created a football match-esque atmosphere which spurred the world’s best freestylers to push even harder in the pursuit of victory.

Beautiful Bonaire

Women’s

Double Elimination

Finals day was split into two halves and in the morning the women’s fleet was whittled down to just the top 3 ladies standing, which saw Arrianne Aukes (Fanatic / Duotone / Maui Ultra Fins) successfully defend her 4th place, but she may feel there was a missed opportunity as she pushed Oda Johanne (Starboard / Severne / Maui Ultra Fins) all the way in the battle for 3rd and 4th, but couldn’t quite land the higher scoring move she needed on starboard tack to earn her first podium since 2014.

Arrianne Aukes & Oda Johanne

Upon the restart Johanne faced a rematch with Maaike Huvermann (Starboard / Severne / Maui Ultra Fins) and for a long time the heat was evenly balanced, however, Huvermann then upped her game by landing a double spock on both tacks and a culo to setup a rematch with Sarah-Quita Offringa (Starboard / NeilPryde / Maui Ultra Fins) - leaving the Norwegian to complete the podium in 3rd place.

Into the final and Huvermann, just as she did in the single elimination, threw everything she had at Offringa, but for a long time, it was the Aruban leading the fight and looking like she would claim the victory there and then. However, Huvermann managed to stay in contention throughout and in the dying seconds the 21-year-old performed a buzzer beater as she landed a superb regular chachoo to take the event into a Super Final.

Maaike Huvermann celebrates

Offringa was as gracious in defeat, her first time that she had lost a heat in 11 years on the world tour, as she is in victory, but unsurprisingly she was emotional upon hearing the result. Meanwhile, with a rapturous crowd and becoming the first person to take a heat off Offringa, Huvermann dropped to the ground almost in disbelief as emotions rose to the boil.

Sarah-Quita Offringa congratulates Maaike Huvermann

After a short break , Offringa and Huvermann would once again go head-to-head in a winner takes it all finale, which turned into another enthralling battle. However, it was Offringa who was able to raise her game to another level as she dug deep to win the opening event of the year. Huvermann, after reaching the dizzy heights of the final couldn’t quite replicate the same performance again and after a couple of failed double spock attempts it took some words of wisdom from the beach by Dieter van der Eyken (Severne / Severne Sails) to lift Huvermann to fight further. And that’s exactly what she did - landing double spocks on both tacks again almost immediately afterwards. Offringa though wasn’t to beat as she set the second highest scoring heat of the contest to rightfully be crowned the Queen of Bonaire. Both girls deservedly received a warm reception upon returning to the beach after putting on a wonderful display.

Sarah-Quita Offringa

Sarah-Quita Offringa makes a winning start to the year: “Cheers first of all to everyone, and thanks to everyone on the beach, we can hear you cheering on the water and that really motivates us! This was the first time in 11 years that I’ve lost a heat, and I’ve been thinking about that this week - about how I would react… I didn’t want to be a sore loser and actually, I felt a sense of excitement after the heat with Maaike! Congrats to Maaike - she sailed an amazing heat! Thanks to everyone from the PWA for an amazing week!”

Sarah-Quita Offringa celebrates victory

Men’s

Amado Vrieswijk (JP / Severne) was the star of the double elimination and the local boy continued his comeback in the morning by defeating Antony Ruenes (Tabou / GA Sails), Giovanni Passani (Tabou / GA Sails / AL360) and Yentel Caers (I-99 / Point-7) to move into the top 3. By this point, Vrieswijk had already won 7 heats in a row.

Yentel Caers & Amado Vrieswijk

After a middle of the day interlude, Vrieswijk would then resume against Julian Mas (JP / Gun Sails), who was already guaranteed his first ever podium. The atmosphere during this heat was exceptional with the local crowd cheering for their local boy, while the French possie responded for their man. Unfortunately for Mas, he never quite scaled the heights that he had shown in the single elimination leaving Vrieswijk to march on and set up a final against fellow Bonairean - Youp Schmit (I-99 / Avanti).

Amado Vrieswijk

In the final Vrieswijk would prove too strong for Schmit with the 23-year-old once again posting a monstrous score over 180 points and it was soon clear that a Super Final for the Men’s fleet was also on the cards.

The Super Final began in dramatic fashion… prior to the heat starting, Schmit needed medical attention for a swollen foot and just a few minutes later the 24-year-old appeared to be sailing back to the beach. At this point, the crowd and the judges weren’t sure if Schmit would be forced to retire through injury. It then became apparent that Schmit had lost his fin after attempting a flaka-shaka in the shallows. Once Schmit neared the beach he threw his board away in disbelief at the timing and understandably looked dejected. However the local crowd were quick to rally behind another of their local men, almost like the 12th man, and Schmit reacted immediately by landing a double culo. The two Bonairean’s then traded world class manoeuvres, which saw the lead swing back and forth with the duel poised on a knife-edge. Ultimately though it was Vrieswijk, who would manage to complete a mammoth comeback with Vrieswijk winning 10 consecutive heats to be crowned the King of Bonaire, but even more importantly taking a massive step towards a maiden world title having earlier defeated 9-time world champion - Gollito Estredo (Fanatic / Duotone) - in the 3rd round of the double elimination.

Amado Vrieswijk does it the hard way: “It’s been a long, long, long week, a long week, but an amazing though. The wind was light the final, but the level has been so high throughout and Youp pushed me all the way! I’m just really, really happy!”

Youp Schmit & Amado Vrieswijk after their epic showdown

Schmit also deserves great credit for the way in which he dug deep when it really counted and should be hugely proud on his first podium finish on the world tour, which also sees him end the event as one of the title contenders for 2019.

Youp Schmit

Shortly after the conclusion of the finals, a prize giving was held in front of packed out beach and this event will go down as one of the best ever Freestyle events. We’ll be back on Monday with a full summary of a spectacular event to see how the season weighs up from here.

To stay up to date with all the latest developments from Bonaire — including the live stream, elimination ladders, entry list, images, and live ticker simply click HERE and scroll to the bottom of the page.

Also if you don’t already, follow us on our Social Media Channels:

- Facebook:@PWAWorldTourWindsurfing

- Instagram: @pwaworldtour

- Twitter: @pwaworldtour

Result FORSA Bonaire PWA World Cup - Women’s Freestyle

1st Sarah-Quita Offringa (ARU - Starboard / NeilPryde / Maui Ultra Fins)

2nd Maaike Huvermann (NED - Starboard / Severne / Maui Ultra Fins)

3rd Oda Johanne (NOR - Starboard / Severne / Maui Ultra Fins)

4th Arrianne Aukes (NED - Fanatic / Duotone / Maui Ultra Fins)

5th Jazzy Zwerus (NED - JP / NeilPryde)

Result FORSA Bonaire PWA World Cup - Men’s Freestyle

1st Amado Vrieswijk (NB - JP / Severne)

2nd Youp Schmit (NB - I-99 / Avanti)

3rd Julian Mas (FRA - JP / Gun Sails)

4th Yentel Caers (BEL I-99 / Point-7

5th Giovanni Passani (ITA - Tabou / GA Sails)

6th Antony Ruenes (TFRA - abou / GA Sails)

7th Adrien Bosson (FRA - Fanatic / Duotone / Maui Ultra Fins)

7th Davy Scheffers (NED - Tabou / GA Sails)

9th Sam Esteve (FRA - JP / NeilPryde)

9th Steven Van Broeckhoven (BEL - Starboard / Gun Sails)

9th Taty Frans (NB - Point-7)

9th Julian Wiemar (GER - Starboard / Severne)

mafa wrote:

Wer ist den Kutte, von den beiden?

Herrje...

Kutte ist Legende!

Tag 4:

Upon arriving to Sorobon Beach on the morning of Day 4 of the FORSA Bonaire PWA World Cup it looked as though there may be a quick start to the action with conditions already looking promising. However, after patiently waiting the wind never really kicked in, which led to a two-hour break between 12-2pm. The wait was more than worth it though with Bonaire delivering exactly the kind of conditions the world’s best freestylers had been craving - 20-30 knots of wind and flat water - which allowed the men’s fleet to wow both the crowd and the judges with just over 3 hours of world class explosive freestyle.

Amado Vrieswijk

Men’s

Double Elimination

Once the second round of the Men’s Double Elimination had been completed all eyes were drawn to a mouthwatering 3rd round battle featuring 9-time PWA Freestyle World Champion - Gollito Estredo (Fanatic / Duotone) - and world title hopeful Amado Vrieswijk (JP / Severne). In recent years we have become accustomed to seeing arguably the two best freestylers in the world battle it out in the finals. However, after a surprising single elimination the two heavy-hitters would have to meet far earlier than they are used to - and perhaps with more pressure on the line - with no discard for the Freestyle fleet this year - defeat for either sailor would more than likely spell the end of their title hopes for 2019.

Mutual respect between Amado Vrieswijk (left) & Gollito Estredo (right)

The action which followed was more than worthy of being a final with both men landing several outstanding moves and combinations. However, in front of a home crowd, who were fully behind their local man, and wanting to keep his title aspirations alive there was no stopping Vrieswijk, who went on to set the second highest scoring heat of the contest so far - 180.7 points - after Vrieswijk himself set the highest scoring heat of the contest thus far in the round prior against Mattia Fabrizi (Patrik / Sailloft Hamburg) - 181.9 points. During the heat, Vrieswijk landed a huge kabikuchi to kick things off and then went from strength-to-strength landing anything from a flaka-shaka-720, flaka-into-bob and almost perfect flaka-into-ponch, which not only drew massive cheers from the beach, but also drew celebrations from Vrieswijk, who upon hearing the cheers responded with a dab and pumping his sail!

Amado Vrieswijk mid ponch

Vrieswijk then dispatched of Sam Esteve (JP / NeilPryde), who tried to go big in order to match the Bonairean, but couldn’t on this occasion, to set-up another huge heat against vice-world champion - Adrien Bosson (Fanatic / Duotone / Maui Ultra Fins) - who had earlier defeated Jamie Howard (F2 / F2), Dieter van der Eyken (Severne / Severne Sails) and Steven Van Broeckhoven (Starboard / Gun Sails / Shamal Sunglasses) with a series of hugely impressive performances.

Adrien Bosson shuvit spock

In Heat 30a both men once again went all out, while treating the crowd to another freestyle feast, but even with Bosson posting the 4th highest heat score of the competition - 176.9 points - there was still no stopping Vrieswijk from driving into the top 6 - leaving Bosson to settle for joint 7th in the opening event. Vrieswijk now holds the 1st, 2nd and 3rd highest scoring heat of the contest after setting a monstrous 188 points tally against Bosson, which is also the highest points haul ever since the new live scoring system was introduced. If the 23-year-old is even anywhere near the sort of level he showed today, it is difficult to imagine anyone stopping him from fighting all the way back to claim the event title. However, there is still plenty of work to do before reaching that point…

Amado Vrieswijk (left) & Adrien Bosson (right) embrace after an epic duel

In the bottom half of the draw, both Antony Ruenes (Tabou / GA Sails) and Davy Scheffers (Tabou / GA Sails) mounted brilliant comebacks of their own, which would eventually see the two teammates meet in Heat 30b.

Antony Ruenes

Enroute to that point Ruenes dispatched of Francesco Cappuzzo (RRD / RRD Sails / AL360), Nicolas Akgazciyan (JP / NeilPryde) and Taty Frans (Point-7), while Scheffers, who can blow hot and cold started to gather momentum and hit a hot streak which saw him style his way past Loick Spicher (RRD / RRD Sails), Nic Hibdige (Tabou / GA Sails) and Julian Wiemar (Starboard / Severne) - after combining the latest power moves with innovative combinations.

Davy Scheffers mid air bob

The heat between Ruenes and Scheffers turned into another fascinating battle with Scheffers once again making a flying start with a huge air bob culo, skopu 360, air funnel 720 and an amazing switch chachoo burner. However, after a flying start the 27-year-old, who was suffering slightly from a toe injury began to slow down. Meanwhile, Ruenes, who was a little slow to start began to come right back into it with a perfect spock-culo, flaka into ponch, air funnel-burner and a trademark no-handed burner taking the Frenchman into a narrow lead. Scheffers had the beating of Ruenes on starboard tack but crucially had to count a wet kabikuchi on starboard - only 11.6 points - which proved to be the difference between the two. Scheffers obviously knew that he was missing a move on starboard tack, but unfortunately just ran out of steam at the crucial moment as he crashed his final 3 attempts.

Sarah-Quita Offringa consoles Davy Scheffers

Take nothing away from Ruenes though, who gathered momentum throughout the afternoon and sailed to the level everyone knows he is capable of. The Frenchman will now face Vrieswijk in the battle for 5th/6th place and beyond.

A pumped up Antony Ruenes

The forecast looks set for a Super Saturday Grand Finale with the strong Tradewinds predicted to continue. The sailors will meet again at 8am tomorrow morning with the action commencing from 8:30am (GMT-4) onwards. Make sure you don’t miss any of the pulsating action by tuning into www.pwaworldtour.com.

To stay up to date with all the latest developments from Bonaire — including the live stream, elimination ladders, entry list, images, and live ticker simply click HERE and scroll to the bottom of the page.

Also if you don’t already, follow us on our Social Media Channels:

- Facebook:@PWAWorldTourWindsurfing

- Instagram: @pwaworldtour

- Twitter: @pwaworldtour

Result FORSA Bonaire PWA World Cup - Women’s Freestyle
*Result May Still Change

1st Sarah-Quita Offringa (ARU - Starboard / NeilPryde / Maui Ultra Fins)

2nd Maaike Huvermann (NED - Starboard / Severne / Maui Ultra Fins)

3rd Oda Johanne (NOR - Starboard / Severne / Maui Ultra Fins)

4th Arrianne Aukes (NED - Fanatic / Duotone / Maui Ultra Fins)

Result FORSA Bonaire PWA World Cup - Men’s Freestyle

*Results May Still Change

1st Youp Schmit (NB - I-99 / Avanti)

2nd Julian Mas (FRA - I-99 / Gun Sails)

3rd Yentel Caers (BEL I-99 / Point-7

4th Giovanni Passani (ITA - Tabou / GA Sails)

5th/6th Amado Vrieswijk (JP / Severne)

5th/6th Antony Ruenes (Tabou / GA Sails)