ALACATI PWA WORLD CUP 2014, Slalom Men and Women

ALACATI PWA WORLD CUP

Event Preview: The next instalment of furious slalom is upon us as the elite of the racing world head to Alacati
From the 26th to the 31st August the fastest sailors in the world will be returning to action as they prepare to descend upon the beautiful shores of Alacati, Turkey, for the Pegasus Airlines Alacati PWA World Cup. The exciting week ahead will see the men’s fleet competing for the fourth time this year - meaning a discard will come into play after the event - whilst the women are readying themselves for their second battle of the season.

Alacati is located on the Cesme peninsula, just a thirty minute drive from the bustling city of Izmir. Primarily known for its stunning natural stone villas, chic boutiques, traditional cafes and fantastic restaurants, Alacati has started to experience a change in cliental, in recent years, as thousands of windsurfers, from all around the globe, flock to the stunning shores of Alacati to take advantage of the beautiful turquoise waters and clockwork like Meltemi winds, which blow consistently between the months of May to October. Combine this with the gorgeous local scenery and cosmopolitan vibe and you can quickly understand why Alacati is continuing to enhance its reputation as not only a windsurfing Mecca, but also as the must visit destination in Turkey, so much so that it is now challenging Bodrum for the title of Turkey’s most stylish Aegean resort.

Ones to Watch

Men’s

Although Antoine Albeau (RRD / NeilPryde) currently sits outside of the world’s top ten - 13th - he still enters the event as the favourite. Apart from a blip in Turkmenistan, where Albeau finished last, the reigning PWA Slalom World Champion has looked in imperious form with two emphatic victories in both Costa Brava and Fuerteventura. Add to this the fact that Albeau has won in Alacati for the past two seasons and it’s difficult to see anyone stopping him - especially when he has the added incentive of knowing that another victory here will guarantee him his place back at the top of the overall world rankings.

As the current PWA Slalom World Tour leader - Cyril Moussilmani (Starboard / Severne) - will be a serious threat again in Alacati. The Frenchman has displayed the speed, consistency and tactical know how at each of the opening three events this year and has been rewarded with two second places and a joint first. Expect to see perfectly timed starts and textbook gybes as Moussilmani looks to maintain his charge for a maiden world title.

Just behind him is fellow countryman Pierre Mortefon (Fanatic / North), who is enjoying his best season to date on the PWA World Tour. Mortefon started off the year by earning his first ever finish on the prestigious podium in Costa Brava, followed up by claiming joint first in Turkmenistan and fourth in Fuerteventura. The twenty-five year old loves the mirror flat water of Alacati and already showed last year that he is a danger man in Turkey. Expect to see Mortefon challenging for top honours come the end of the week.

Mortefon’s teammate - Matteo Iachino (Fanatic / North) - is another of the young, up and coming slalom sailors, who is already beginning to make his mark on the world stage. Like Mortefon, Iachino is also enjoying his best season thus far and currently occupies third place overall. The Italian has looked lighting quick all year and he’ll be using his blistering board speed to make a charge for the top over the course of the event.

After claiming his first ever elimination victories in Fuerteventura, confidence will be sky high for Pascal Toselli (Starboard / Point-7). The Frenchman has threatened to win numerous eliminations this year thanks to his lighting quick speed. The week ahead should be no different, making Toselli a sailor who needs to be watched carefully over the next six days.

Behind Toselli in fifth and sixth place respectively are teammates Ross Williams (Tabou / GA Sails / Mystic) and Ben Van Der Steen (Tabou / GA Sails / Mystic). The Brit is one of the best overall windsurfers in the world and is always challenging for the top ten and beyond, whilst the flying Dutchman is one of the quickest men on the tour - both will be in the mix come the end of the week.

The top ten is currently completed by Micah Buzianis (JP / MauiSails), Taty Frans (Starboard / MauiSails / Mystic / Maui Ultra Fins), Steve Allen (Starboard / Severne) and Arnon Dagan (RRD / NeilPryde). However, a number of other sailors will be in the mix, such is the competitiveness in the slalom world right now. So the likes of Gonzalo Costa Hoevel (Starboard / Loft Sails), Julien Quentel (RRD / NeilPryde), Bjorn Dunkerbeck (Starboard / Severne / Chris Benz / Dunkerbeck Eyewear), Finian Maynard (RRD / Avanti) and Josh Angulo (Angulo / Gun Sails) will all be in with a shout too.

Women’s

As the reigning PWA Slalom World Champion and current world tour leader - Delphine Cousin (Starboard / Loft Sails) - will be determined to build upon her perfect start to the season in Turkmenistan. The twenty-three year old was crowned champion of the world for the first time in her career in Alacati last year and she’ll be hoping that Turkey continues to treat her well.

However, the 2011 PWA Slalom World Champion - Sarah-Quita Offringa (Starboard / Mystic / Chris Benz / Maui Ultra Fins) - will be making her first appearance of the season and is likely to be hard to beat, based on the fact that she has won in Alacati for the past two years. Last year Offringa produced a devastating display of sailing as she claimed four victories out of the five races completed.

Valerie Ghibaudo (Tabou / GA Sails / Mystic) will be right in the thick of the action as well after a solid start in Turkmenistan where she claimed second place. Ghibaudo has all the experience and skills to go with it to challenge for top honours and she won’t be far away come the end of the week.

Turkey’s very own Lena Erdil (Patrik / Loft Sails / Mystic / AL360) currently sits third in the world and she’ll be desperate to maintain her place in the top three. Fellow compatriot Cagla Kubat (Starboard / Loft Sails) will be hoping to make full use of her home advantage as she prepares to make her first appearance since becoming a mother for the first time. Meanwhile, fellow Turk’s Fulya Unlu (Starboard / Severne) and Ceren Yaman (Starboard / NeilPryde) will be hoping to make their mark too.

Marion Mortefon (Starboard / Severne) will be looking to go one better than in the season opener as she goes in search of a place on the podium. The twenty-two year old is consistently one of the best starters on the tour and she’ll be one to watch. As will Maria Andres (Patrik / Gun Sails / Mystic), Marianne Kaplas (Starboard / Loft Sails) and Japan’s Ayako Suzuki (Tabou / GA Sails / Mystic).

Don’t miss any of what is sure to be an exhilarating six days of racing on the beautiful turquoise waters of Alacati by tuning into www.pwaworldtour.com. Here you’ll be able to follow the high octane slalom as it happens via the PWA live stream and live ticker.

Zitat von Matze3010

Ich nehme mal an diese Diskussion gabs schon mal. Mich interessiersts aber jetzt: wenn F-192 und SUI-11 das selbe Material fahren würden, würden die dann beide gleich schnell oder langsam fahren...??? Oder gibts einen anderen Grund für den großen Unterschied...???

Ich glaube nicht, dass das aussagekräftig wäre. Jeder Fahrer hat seine speziellen Vorlieben, was das Material angeht. Boardlängen und Breiten usw.
Das Material wird immerhin auch von den Topfahrern mit entwickelt bzw. bei Ausnahmeathleten meist auch auf deren Bedürfnisse zugeschnitten, sprich die anderen Fahrer müssen darunter leiden.

Zitat von Matze3010

Wenn das Gewicht des Fahrers nicht entscheidend ist, was hat dann die Fitness damit zu tun?? Ich meine die fahren "nur" geradeaus!

Liegts vielleicht an der Materialabstimmung oder an der Körperhaltung etc..

Versteht mich nicht falsch. Ich bin kein Racer, mich interessiersts wirklich ...

SUI-11 ist schließlich de Held meiner Jugend...[emoji6][emoji6][emoji6]

Alles anzeigen

lol, nur geradeaus. Ich glaube niemand von uns könnte auch nur einen Schlag auf dem Niveau fahren und den Speed raushauen.
Selbst sehr gute und gestandene DWC Fahrer sehen bei PWA Events meist sehr sehr alt aus.
Dunki hat körperliche Probleme und wird in Kürze aussteigen, 30 Jahre extremer Profisport haben halt die Spuren hinterlassen, zudem gab es ja auch schon länger keine Events mit ordentlichem Wind. Leichtwindgegurke liegt ihm nicht.
Windsurfen hat er sicher nicht verlernt...

Das war der gestrige Tag, heute mal wieder kein Wind bisher:

Day 1: Ben Van Der Steen and Sarah-Quita Offringa claim the first bullets of the week
The inaugural day of the 2014 Pegasus Airlines Alacati PWA World Cup saw the opening races of the week completed in winds of 11-20 knots. Registration was soon completed between 10am and 11am, allowing the real action to begin. After an exciting afternoon of racing Ben Van Der Steen (Tabou / GA Sails / Mystic) struck first in the men’s division, whilst Sarah-Quita Offringa (Starboard / Mystic / Chris Benz / Maui Ultra Fins) made the perfect start as she claimed her first bullet of the year in her opening slalom appearance of 2014.

Men’s

Elimination One

Winners’ Final

Ben Van Der Steen claimed the first blood of the week as the flying Dutchman raced into the lead by the opening mark ahead of Pascal Toselli (Starboard / Point-7), Antoine Albeau (RRD / NeilPryde) and Tristan Algret (Patrik / Loft Sails / Mystic). From here Van Der Steen took full advantage of the clean wind and flat water ahead of him to extend his lead over the remainder of the course, and it wasn’t long before he was celebrating the opening victory of the week. Meanwhile, the top four remained unchanged leaving Toselli in a solid second place ahead of Albeau and Algret, who finished third and fourth respectively.

Amado Vrieswijk (Starboard / Severne) - who is more known for his freestyle wizardry, showed that he has the potential to be a serious threat on the racing scene too in years to come. Today the eighteen year old qualified for the losers’ final after finishing third in both the opening round and quarterfinal. Vrieswijk eventually finished fifteenth overall in the opening race. Elsewhere, Australian Sean O’Brien (Starboard / Severne) enjoyed a fine start as he too booked his place in the semifinals. However, several big names missed out on the top sixteen. First of all Gonzalo Costa Hoevel (Starboard / Loft Sails) dropped his final gybe in heat nine when he was in the lead to give-up a golden opportunity, whilst Antoine Questel (Starboard / Loft Sails), Ross Williams (Tabou / GA Sails / Mystic), Bjorn Dunkerbeck (Starboard / Severne / Chris Benz / Dunkerbeck Eyewear) and perhaps most surprisingly world tour leader - Cyril Moussilmani (Starboard / Severne) all failed to advance into the semifinals.

Elimination Two

There are now only three heats remaining to be sailed in the second elimination as the early evening wind became too gusty to allow its completion. However, there was drama almost from the word go as Antoine Albeau suffered a scare in heat two. The Big Frenchman was comfortably qualifying for the next round, but made an uncharacteristic mistake as he dropped his gybe at the second mark to drop to sixth place. However, Albeau remained composed to fight his way back into the top four by the final mark to qualify alongside Sean O’Brien, Ross Williams and Malte Reuscher (RRD / Challenger Sails / AL360). Meanwhile, after sailing superbly in the opening race Amado Vrieswijk suffered a first round exit in race two as he finished fifth in heat four, whilst Bjorn Dunkerbeck also missed out on a place in the quarterfinals.

Taty Frans showed that he was totally relaxed and in control on the race course today as he cooly snuck in a duck gybe at the third mark in heat five, as he went onto the win the heat in style, whilst showing off to the crowds.

Elsewhere Antoine Questel produced a brilliant gybe at the penultimate mark to out manoeuvre Jordy Vonk (F2 / Point-7) in heat ten as the Frenchman claimed the final spot in the semifinals, but Ben Van Der Steen suffered a shock early exit, after making a perfect start to the event, as he finished fifth in heat twelve to miss out on a place in the top sixteen.

As well as Alberto Menegatti (Starboard / Point-7) being missing from proceedings, Finian Maynard (RRD / Avanti) is another high profile sailor sadly missing from the event. Maynard isn't in Turkey because he is frustrated from being 75% at all the events in 2014 and is now recovering to 100% before competing again with a clear eye on getting back to his best.

Women’s

Elimination One

Winners’ Final

Japan’s Fujiko Onishi (Starboard / Loft Sails) made the best start to the opening winners’ final of the week, however she was unable to make the most of her start as Sarah-Quita Offringa stormed into first place ahead of Lena Erdil (Patrik / Loft Sails / Mystic / AL360), Fulya Unlu (Starboard / Severne), Valerie Ghibaudo (Tabou / GA Sails / Mystic) and Ayako Suzuki (Tabou / GA Sails / Mystic) as the pack approached the first buoy. Offringa continued to press the pedal to the metal to open up an unassailable lead come the finish line. Behind her Erdil and Unlu secured second and third, whilst reigning world champion - Delphine Cousin (Starboard / Loft Sails) - forced her way into the top four with a good comeback to leave her rival Ghibaudo settling for fifth place.

Elimination Two

The majority of the top seeds successfully navigated their way into the winners’ final of the women’s second elimination, but there was a major upset in the second semifinal as Valerie Ghibaudo, who was second in the world rankings coming into the event, jumped the gun to be disqualified, leaving the door open for her rivals to pounce - particularly Delphine Cousin who currently leads the title race.

With the wind becoming too gusty at 5:50pm the sailors were released for the day. The forecast for tomorrow is marginally lighter than today, so we should hopefully see the completion of both the men’s and women’s second races at a minimum. Skippers’ meeting tomorrow has been called for 10am with the action commencing from 10:30am. Don’t miss any of the exhilarating racing by tuning into www.pwaworldtour.com where you’ll be able to follow the amazing action as it happens via the PWA live stream and live ticker.

Results After Elimination One Pegasus Airlines Alicati PWA World Cup - Men’s Slalom

1st Ben Van Der Steen (Tabou / GA Sails / Mystic)

2nd Pascal Toselli (Starboard / Point-7)

3rd Antoine Albeau (RRD / NeilPryde)

4th Tristan Algret (Patrik / Loft Sails / Mystic)

5th Pierre Mortefon (Fanatic / North)

6th Matteo Iachino (Fanatic / North)

7th Julien Quentel (RRD / NeilPryde)

8th Josh Angulo (Angulo / Gun Sails)

9th Micah Buzianis (JP / MauiSails)

10th Alexandre Cousin (Patrik / Loft Sails / Mystic)

Results After Elimination One Pegasus Airlines Alicati PWA World Cup - Women’s Slalom

1st Sarah-Quita Offringa (Starboard / Mystic / Chris Benz / Maui Ultra Fins)

2nd Lena Erdil (Patrik / Loft Sails / Mystic / AL360)

3rd Fulya Unlu (Starboard / Severne)

4th Delphine Cousin (Starboard / Loft Sails)

5th Valerie Ghibaudo (Tabou / GA Sails / Mystic)

6th Ayako Suzuki (Tabou / GA Sails / Mystic)

7th Cagla Kubat (Starboard / Severne)

8th Fujiko Onishi (Starboard / Loft Sails)

Das war Tag 2:

Day 2: The wind fills in late to produce an exciting finish as Julien Quentel and Sarah-Quita Offringa claim victories
After teasing the competitors for the majority of the afternoon the wind finally filled in just after 4pm on day two of the Pegasus Airlines Alacati PWA World Cup. The second elimination of both the men’s and women’s fleets were completed - in 7-18 knots - as Julien Quentel (RRD / NeilPryde) secured his first bullet of, not only the week, but also the season, whilst Sarah-Quita Offringa (Starboard / Mystic) made it two wins out of two with another fine display of sailing.

Men’s

Elimination Two

Winners’ Final

Josh Angulo (Angulo / Gun Sails) led the race as the fleet approached the first mark, but his lead didn’t last long as Julien Quentel executed a magnificent gybe to storm into the lead. The Frenchman continued to look blisteringly quick on the straights and had opened up a comfortable advantage over Angulo, Matteo Iachino (Fanatic / North) and Cyril Moussilmani (Starboard / Severne) - a lead the Frenchman wouldn’t relinquish and he was soon celebrating his first bullet of the season, which sees him rise to second in the overall event rankings. Fellow Frenchman - Pascal Toselli (Starboard / Point-7) - claimed fifth place, which proved good enough to take him to the top of the rankings, overnight at least, with Ben Van Der Steen (Tabou / GA Sails / Mystic) missing from the final and Antoine Albeau (RRD / NeilPryde) only being able to muster seventh place after a poor start cost him his chance at moving to the top.

Elimination Three

The third race has been whittled down to the top sixteen and there has already been plenty of action witnessed in the opening twelve heats. Ethan Westera (Starboard / GA Sails) and Jordy Vonk (F2 / Point-7) both did brilliantly to qualify from the opening heat as they overtook Cedric Bordes (Tabou / GA Sails) and Marco Lang (Fanatic / North) to qualify alongside Taty Frans (Starboard / MauiSails / Mystic / Maui Ultra Fins) and Tristan Algret (Patrik / Loft Sails / Mystic). In heat four Kurosh Kiani (Angulo / Point-7 / Maui Ultra Fins) did well to fight back to qualify. The Dane, who suffered a injured knee after breaking his board and mast extension in a savage wipeout yesterday, dropped his opening gybe when in the lead, but fought back into the top four after Giorgos Sakantaris cracked under the pressure at mark three. Also qualifying was Josh Angulo, Maciek Rutkowski (Patrik / Point-7) and Casper Bouman (Angulo / NeilPryde).

The quarterfinals saw yet more upsets and exciting racing as Matteo Iachino and Bjorn Dunkerbeck (Starboard / Severne / Chris Benz / Dunkerbeck Eyewear) both missed out on a place in the semifinals, after finishing fifth and sixth respectively in heat nine. Advancing was Ben Van Der Steen, Taty Frans, Tristan Algret and Steve Allen (Starboard /Severne). In the very next heat - 10 - there were further upsets as Micah Buzianis (JP / MauiSails) and the reining world champion Antoine Albeau failed to advance into the semifinals - with Albeau being overtaken at the final mark by Jimmy Diaz (Starboard / North Sails), who staged a brilliant comeback. The upsets didn’t stop there either as Cyril Moussilmani finished fifth in heat eleven behind Antoine Questel (Starboard / Loft Sails), Pascal Toselli, Sylvain Moussilmani (Simmer) and Gonzalo Costa Hoevel (Starboard / Loft Sails).

Women’s

Elimination Two

Winners’ Final

Turkey’s very own Fulya Ünlü (Starboard / Severne) made the best start in the winners’ final, but Sarah-Quita Offringa burst into the lead again by the opening buoy as she continued to blitz away the rest of the competition with her rapid straight line speed. Unlu entered the first gybe in second place with Ayako Suzuki (Tabou / GA Sails / Mystic) and Lena Erdil (Patrik / Loft Sails / Mystic / AL360) completing the top four at that point. Offringa maintained her lead into the third and it wasn’t long before the lady from Aruba was crossing the finish line to sustain her perfect record thus far, which cements her place at the top of the rankings. However, behind her it was a different story - Delphine Cousin (Starboard / Loft Sails) staged a brilliant comeback to claim second place, whilst Erdil and Suzuki completed the top four in third and fourth respectively.

Meanwhile the 2012 PWA Slalom World Champion - Valerie Ghibaudo (Tabou / GA Sails / Mystic) - suffered a day she’d rather forget as she mistimed her start for the second heat in a row to finish last in the losers’ final, which was eventually won by Mio Anayama (Starboard / NeilPryde) followed by Estelle Barré (Fanatic / North), Ceren Yaman (Starboard / NeilPryde) and Deniz Demirasal.

The forecast for tomorrow looks as though we should see a late show again with a similar forecast as this afternoon. With this in mind the skippers’ meeting has been called for 10:30am with the action commencing from 11am. Don’t miss any of the exhilarating racing by tuning into www.pwaworldtour.com where you’ll be able to follow the amazing action as it happens via the PWA live stream and live ticker.

Results After Elimination Two Pegasus Airlines Alicati PWA World Cup - Men’s Slalom

1st Pascal Toselli (Starboard / Point-7)

2nd Julien Quentel (RRD / NeilPryde)

3rd Matteo Iachino (Fanatic / North)

4th Josh Angulo (Angulo / Gun Sails)

5th Antoine Albeau (RRD / NeilPryde)

6th Pierre Mortefon (Fanatic / North)

7th Ben Van Der Steen (Tabou / GA Sails / Mystic)

8th Arnon Dagan (RRD / NeilPryde)

9th Cyril Moussilmani (Starboard / Severne)

10th Taty Frans (Starboard / MauiSails / Mystic / Maui Ultra Fins)

Results After Elimination Two Pegasus Airlines Alicati PWA World Cup - Women’s Slalom

1st Sarah-Quita Offringa (Starboard / Mystic / Chris Benz / Maui Ultra Fins)

2nd Lena Erdil (Patrik / Loft Sails / Mystic / AL360)

3rd Delphine Cousin (Starboard / Loft Sails)

4th Fulya Ünlü (Starboard / Severne)

Es gibt ein festes Kontingent an Wildcards.

Wenn es ohnehin nicht genug Anmelder gibt (schliesse ich mal für Sylt aus ;)), wird das Feld halt aufgefüllt. Ist halt naheliegend wenn es dann nationale Windsurfer sind.
Wie viele Deutsche sind da jetzt am Start? Es hätten sicher mehr starten dürfen. Die gehen aber lieber nach Sylt...

Das war der 3. Tag:

Day 3: Julien Quentel assumes control at the top, as Sarah-Quita Offringa continues to look seemingly unbeatable
The wind kicked in earlier than anticipated on the third day of the Pegasus Airlines Alacati PWA World Cup allowing just over five hours of racing to be completed. By the end of an intense day of competition a further two races were completed as Ben Van Der Steen (Tabou / GA Sails / Mystic) and Pascal Toselli (Starboard / Point-7) claimed the bullets in the men’s, whilst Sarah-Quita Offringa (Starboard / Mystic) maintained her perfect record - consisting of four victories out of four.*

Men’s

Elimination Three

Winners’ Final

Julien Quentel (RRD / NeilPryde) made the best start in the opening winners’ final of the day, but it was Ben Van Der Steen who broke into the lead by the opening gybe ahead of Josh Angulo (Angulo / Gun Sails), Quentel and Tristan Algret (Patrik / Loft Sails / Mystic). The flying Dutchman remain composed and continued his blistering speed to open up a significant advantage over his closest challengers, Angulo and Quentel, as he went onto his secure his second victory out of the three races completed so far. However, after Algret dropped his second gybe, Britain’s Ross Williams (Tabou / GA Sails / Mystic) moved into the top four, but the drama didn’t stop there as Angulo also catapulted on the exit of his final gybe, resulting in him finishing last having held second place. As a result Williams climbed into second place followed by Quentel in third and Antoine Questel (Starboard / Loft Sails) fourth.

Elimination Four

Winners’ Final

Into the second winners’ final of the day and Pascal Toselli (Starboard / Point-7) timed his start to perfection to break into the lead from the word go. As in prior events this season Toselli’s board speed was second to none and he rounded the opening buoy in the first place ahead of Antoine Albeau (RRD / NeilPryde), Julien Quentel - who executed a great gybe to overtake Cedric Bordes (Tabou / GA Sails) for third and fourth. The top three remained unchanged after the penultimate gybe, but Gonzalo Costa Hoevel (Starboard / Loft Sails) seized the opportunity to dive down the inside of Bordes to take fourth place. After safely navigating the final turn Toselli stormed down the final straight to claim his first bullet of the week in front of Albeau, Quentel and Costa Hoevel.*

After the completion of race four Julien Quentel assumed the position of event leader after overtaking Pascal Toselli in the rankings. The man from Saint Maarten produced fantastic performances in each of his last three eliminations to record one bullet and two, third places to lead at the midway point of the event.

Elsewhere Jordy Vonk (F2 / Point-7) was unlucky not to qualify for the quarterfinals. The young Dutchman held fourth place as he approached the final mark only to have Fred Morin (JP / NeilPryde) lose his footing on his gybe and inadvertently take out Vonk in the process, which allowed Giorgos Sakantaris to sneak into the top four alongside Ludovic Jossin (Patrik / Loft Sails), Sylvain Moussilmani (Simmer) and Gonzalo Costa Hoevel (Starboard / Loft Sails).

Elimination Five

All but the final two heats of race five have been completed as the evening wind became too fickle to allow its completion. First of all Ben Van Der Steen’s topsy turvy week continued as he failed to qualify for the semifinals in each of his last two races after his victory in race three - undoing the majority of his hard work. However, race five did give Bjorn Dunkerbeck (Starboard / Severne / Chris Benz / Dunkerbeck Eyewear) something to smile about as he won every heat so far to qualify for his first winners’ final of the week. With stronger wind being predicted for tomorrow the terminator could prove to be the danger man.

Women’s

Elimination Three

Winners’ Final

Sarah-Quita Offringa led into the opening mark - as she has done in each of the other two races - and from here the Aruban gem didn’t look back as she extended her lead over the remainder of the course to cruise to her third victory in a row. Behind her, Delphine Cousin (Starboard / Loft Sails) claimed another second place finish as the reigning world champion held off competition from local girl Cagla Kubat (Starboard / Loft Sails), who took home third. Japan’s, Fujiko Onishi (Starboard / Loft Sails) overtook Valerie Ghibaudo (Tabou / GA Sails / Mystic) as they finished in fourth and fifth respectively.

Elimination Four

Winners’ Final

The fourth women’s winners’ final saw another dominating display from the seemingly unbeatable Sarah-Quita Offringa as she led from start to finish once more. The lady from Aruba’s latest victory means that up until this point she had won every heat she had competed in so far this week - keeping her 100% record intact. After an excellent third race, Fujiko Onishi, produced an even better performance as she clinched second place. Meanwhile, Delphine Cousin moved into third place after Lena Erdil (Patrik / Loft Sails / Mystic / AL360) and Valerie Ghibaudo collided at mark three, which ultimately allowed Marianne Kaplas (Starboard / Loft Sails), Ceren Yaman (Starboard / NeilPryde) and Ayako Suzuki (Tabou / GA Sails / Mystic) to leapfrog up the ladder.

Elimination Five

The women have also been whittled down the just the winners’ and losers’ finals in race five, but up until this point there has been no major upsets.

The forecast for tomorrow promises to provide another action packed day of racing with the strongest winds of the week being predicted right throughout the day. Skippers’ meeting has been called for 10:30am again tomorrow morning with the action commencing from 11am. Don’t miss any of the exhilarating racing by tuning into www.pwaworldtour.com where you’ll be able to follow the amazing action as it happens via the PWA live stream and live ticker.*

Results After Elimination Four Pegasus Airlines Alicati PWA World Cup - Men’s Slalom

1st Julien Quentel (RRD / NeilPryde)

2nd Pascal Toselli (Starboard / Point-7)

3rd Antoine Albeau (RRD / NeilPryde)

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

5th Tristan Algret (Patrik / Loft Sails / Mystic)

6th Josh Angulo (Angulo / Gun Sails)

7th Pierre Mortefon (Fanatic / North)

8th Ben Van Der Steen (Tabou / GA Sails / Mystic)

9th Matteo Iachino (Fanatic / North)

10th Antoine Questel (Starboard / Loft Sails)

Results After Elimination Four Pegasus Airlines Alicati PWA World Cup - Women’s Slalom

1st Sarah-Quita Offringa (Starboard / Mystic)

2nd Delphine Cousin (Starboard / Loft Sails)

3rd Lena Erdil (Patrik / Loft Sails / Mystic / AL360)

4th Fujiko Onishi (Starboard / Loft Sails)

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

6th Cagla Kubat (Starboard / Loft Sails)

Glaube nicht dass es so viele sind...

Das war der gestrige Tag 4, morgen letzter Tag:

Day 4: Alacati produces the goods to provide the most closely fought racing of the week
The early part of day four turned out to be a hugely frustrating affair as variable winds, in terms of both strength and direction, wreaked havoc with the start of the racing at the Pegasus Airlines PWA World Cup. However, over the duration of the afternoon the wind slowly stabilised to provide the most exciting racing of the week in winds of 15-28 knots. In the end there were two separate winners’ in each the men’s and women’s divisions as Antoine Albeau (RRD / NeilPryde) struck back with his first bullet of the week, before Julien Quentel (RRD / NeilPryde) claimed victory number two. Meanwhile, Delphine Cousin (Starboard / Loft Sails) became the first woman this week to defeat Sarah-Quita Offringa (Starboard / Mystic), before Offringa quickly returned to winning ways in elimination six.

Men’s

Elimination Five

Winners’ Final

The opening winners’ final of the day saw a terrific battle for the top with several sailors holding the lead at anyone time. Antoine Albeau made the best start of the bunch, but as the fleet rounded mark one it was Cedric Bordes (Tabou / GA Sails), who managed to edge into the lead by the narrowest of margins ahead of Arnon Dagan (RRD / NeilPryde), Albeau and Gonzalo Costa Hoevel (Starboard / Loft Sails). However, as by the second buoy it was Dagan who grabbed top spot, a lead he was able to hold until the penultimate straight. Albeau turned on the afterburners between mark three and four to move into lead. After safely navigating the final turn he stormed down the home straight to claim victory number one of the week ahead of Dagan and Bordes. Meanwhile, Bjorn Dunkerbeck (Starboard / Severne / Chris Benz / Dunkerbeck Eyewear) earned his best finish so far as he claimed fourth place.

Elimination Six

Winners’ Final

The winners’ final of elimination five proved to be an exciting race, but elimination six didn’t disappoint either with yet more exhilarating racing. Ben Van Der Steen (Tabou / GA Sails / Mystic) timed his start best to cross the line in first place, but at the first mark the flying Dutchman proved almost inseparable from Micah Buzianis (JP / MauiSails) and Bjorn Dunkerbeck with the trio almost touching. With the front three distracted by each other Antoine Albeau raced into the lead, but his lead didn’t last long as Dunkerbeck ran wide at the second mark, whilst battling with Albeau. Waiting in the wings was Julien Quentel, who swooped to move into the lead and then cruised to his second victory of the week to move back to the top of the event rankings, just ahead of Albeau, who claimed second. However, the action wasn’t finished there as Dunkerbeck dropped his third gybe allowing Buzianis, Pierre Mortefon (Fanatic / North) and Van Der Steen back into the frame. On the final straight Van Der Steen made full use of his blistering speed to claim third ahead of Buzianis, fourth and Mortefon, fifth.

Julien Quentel said: “I’m really happy I was on my 7.0m and small board. At the second gybe I managed to go inside Bjorn and then hold onto the lead. The wind was really strong and I’m really happy to win for the second time this week and its even better that it keeps me at the top of the rankings.”

Elsewhere in the sixth elimination Sinan Gerzile wasted a golden opportunity to qualify for the quarterfinals. The Turk held fourth place as he entered the final gybe, which he ultimately crashed, presenting Amado Vrieswijk (Starboard / Severne) with the perfect present as the Bonairean snuck into the final qualifying position behind Steve Allen (Starboard / Severne), Bjorn Dunkerbeck and Alexandre Cousin (Patrik / Loft Sails / Mystic).

Women’s

Elimination Five

Winners’ Final

Delphine Cousin timed her start to perfection to break into the lead from the outset and for the first time this week Sarah-Quita Offringa didn’t hold the lead at the first mark. The reigning PWA Slalom World Champion was able to hold off the 2011 PWA Slalom World Champion as well as Lena Erdil (Patrik / Loft Sails / Mystic / AL360) and Valerie Ghibaudo (Tabou / GA Sails / Mystic). From here Cousin remained focused and composed and it wasn’t long before she was celebrating her first bullet of the week. Behind her Erdil out manoeuvred SQO to claim second place, whilst Offringa finished third - a result she can discard - and Ghibaudo fourth.

Elimination Six

Winners’ Final

Valerie Ghibaudo entered the opening buoy of the second winners’ final of the day in first place ahead of Sarah-Quita Offringa, Delphine Cousin and Fulya Ünlü. Ghibaudo was able to hold onto her until the third mark, but unfortunately flamed her gybe, which allowed Offringa to burst into first place followed by Erdil Unlu and Cousin. The usually flawless Offringa, made her way through an extremely shaky final gybe, which gave Erdil a chance at victory, but unfortunately for the Turk she wasn’t able to take full advantage of the opportunity presented before her as Offringa claimed victory number five. Erdil secured second ahead of Cousin in third, whilst Estelle Barré (Fanatic / North) finished fourth - her best so far.

The forecast for tomorrow predicts further wind, although not as strong as today. As in the previous days the skippers’ meeting has been called for 10:30am with the action commencing from 11am. Don’t miss any of the exhilarating racing by tuning into www.pwaworldtour.com where you’ll be able to follow the amazing action as it happens via the PWA live stream and live ticker.

Results After Elimination Six Pegasus Airlines Alicati PWA World Cup - Men’s Slalom

1st Julien Quentel (RRD / NeilPryde)

2nd Antoine Albeau (RRD / NeilPryde)

3rd Pascal Toselli (Starboard / Point-7)

4th Pierre Mortefon (Fanatic / North)

5th Arnon Dagan (RRD / NeilPryde)

6th Tristan Algret (Patrik / Loft Sails / Mystic)

7th Ben Van Der Steen (Tabou / GA Sails / Mystic)

8th Josh Angulo (Angulo / Gun Sails)

9th Ross Williams (Tabou / GA Sails / Mystic)

10th Matteo Iachino (Fanatic / North)

Results After Elimination Six Pegasus Airlines Alicati PWA World Cup - Women’s Slalom

1st Sarah-Quita Offringa (Starboard / Mystic)

2nd Delphine Cousin (Starboard / Loft Sails)

3rd Lena Erdil (Patrik / Loft Sails / Mystic / AL360)

4th Fujiko Onishi (Starboard / Loft Sails)

5th Fulya Ünlü (Starboard / Severne)

5th Cagla Kubat (Starboard / Loft Sails)