Tanya Saleh's bikini tabletop

Tanya Saleh reports from day three of the American Windsurfing Tour’s Cactus Cup, Punta San Carlos, Baja…

Glassy conditions led to extended surf sessions this morning both down at the point and at the main beach break. Unfortunately the high spring tides meant that by the time the wind kicked in, the swell wasn’t playing ball. Although some waist to head high sets rolled in they were very few and far between.

After lunch it was full on 4.5 weather and the judges called a pro – am event. What is this I hear you say? (Since I wondered exactly the same thing). It’s a team event in pairs where each Amateaur picks out the name of a Pro man to team up with. There are 10 minute heats and you are ONLY scored on overall impression.

This obviously ended up rather similar to an SWA event, except for imagine Kevin Pritchard killing a head high wave with a blonde wig, starboard cape on and beer in hand. It was hilarious. There were wrestlers, there was sabotage, there were tears and much more.

The whole event took all afternoon and was certainly a fine display of skill combined with creativity. The moral of the story was … that to win, you couldn’t just bust some amazing moves; you had to do so with a special twist.

The winners were Russ Faurot and Yossy who heat after heat landed synchronised jumps and wave rides. 2nd place went to Morgan and Robert who put up an incredibly good fight with their own synchronised moves. 3rd place went to Nathan Mershon and Josh Sampeiro; whose wardrobes earnt them many points for request. Not only were wrestling masks involved, but also women’s swimwear … AND world class waveriding.

Tomorrow afternoon the ‘real’ swell will be back and competition will (unfortunately) be restored to normal

More at www.americanwindsurfingtour.com

Nathan Mershon

British competitor Tanya Saleh reports from day two of the American Windsurfing Tour’s Cactus Cup, Punta San Carlos, Baja…

Another successful day and another round complete. The swell ranged from knee high to logo high depending on whether you were lucky enough to score a set wave in your heat. The family style competition vibe continued with competitors and spectators cheering each other on from the point when not in the water.

The men’s final featured Keith Teboul, Russ Faurot, Nathan Mershon, and Matt Pritchard. When you watch Keith Teboul killing it down the line landing 3 aerials one after the other ontop of 4 turns on the same wave – you know it’s going to be a good heat. All 4 of them were killing it and it pretty much came down to who got the biggest, longest waves.

Both Nathan and Keith progressed to the super final where we got to witness the battle of the aerials. Nathan managed to pip Keith on the wave selection to take the win. In the women’s I managed to take the win with Miho in 2nd, Sam in 3rd, and Catherine in 4th.

I have to say that this is the most fun contest I have ever been a part of. The conditions are so enjoyable that sailing in your heat is awesome since you get to sail the point with just 4 of you there for 15 minutes. It’s just like cruising around with your friends having a good time.

For a full break down of results please go to www.americanwindsurfingtour.com

Photos courtesy of Kevin Pritchard who miraculously manages to coordinate filming, shooting stills, and competing all at the same time.