Want more then head to: www.facebook.com/RAWv01

Find out more about the Tow-In that is to come, here: www.efpt.net

We have also secured Andre for a LiveChat during the event, on Monday 1st May at 17.00 GMT (which is 18.00 BST – current UK time). Check back shortly for the full press on that.

Steven Van Broeckhoven on his way to night tow-in victory

The 2011 VW PWA Reno World Cup Sylt – day eight: Blazing sun, enormous crowds, a ferocious SUP race and an incredible night tow-in freestyle session make the eighth day in Sylt a memorable one.

Despite the light wind, the event site was flooded with weekend spectators sun bathing on the beach, listening to the interviews with the PWA stars, watching the Reno World Cup SUP race and the Panasonic night tow-in freestyle competition.

Having spent the morning chilling in the sunshine, the sailors were eager for some action and ready to give everything they had in the Reno world cup SUP race. Extremely flat water ensured that the combination of power and endurance was essential to gain the extra advantage over the competition.

Six teams made up of four sailors each including one female in each team were organised into two heats and then it was up to them to furiously paddle their way around the three mark race course.

Heat 1

Steve Allen (Starboard / Severne) and Cedric Bordes (Tabou / Gaastra / Mystic) both had a blistering start to the racing with Caesar Finies (Starboard / NeilPryde) going a little slower. Bordes managed to push ahead and hand the baton over to Julien Quentel (RRD / NeilPryde) who looked super-powerful on the SUP, really putting the French team in the lead. The event organiser Matias and Boujmaa Guilloul (Starboard / Severne / Mystic) had a battle for second and third, but Guilloul managed to keep his team in second. It was then up to Antoine Albeau (JP / NeilPryde) to keep his team in the lead, Albeau flew around the course and handed over to Fanny Aubet (JP / NeilPryde) who managed to fend off advances from Sarah-Quita Offringa (Starboard / Gaastra / Mystic) putting her team in the final.

Heat 2

Bjorn Dunkerbeck (Starboard / Severne / Mystic / DunkerbeckEyewear) and Kauli Seadi (JP / NeilPryde) had a fierce fight around the opening lap of the race with Ludovic Jossin (Loft) in third. Keeping the race close Marcilio Browne (Fanatic / North / MFC) and Dario Ojeda (Tabou / Simmer / Dakine / MFC) went side by side around the course. It was then up to Danny Bruch (Starboard / Severne / AL360) to put his team in the lead ahead of Ricardo Campello (JP / NeilPryde / MFC). Finishing the race and putting her team in the final, Iballa Ruano Moreno (Starboard / Severne) paddled hard and squeezed ahead of Nayra Alonso (Fanatic / Severne) to the cheers of the huge crowd.

Final

Having put the fastest time in out of the non-qualifying teams Alonso, Browne, Seadi and Campello also made their way into the epic final race.

It was a particularly close first lap of the course from Quentel, Dunkerbeck and Browne, but obviously fired up and determined to win Dunkerbeck pushed hard on the final straight putting his team in the lead. A swift hand over to Ojeda put the team further in the lead but Seadi’s and Bordes exceptional techniques allowed them to close the gap slightly. Ojeda handed over to Bruch and Bordes handed over to Albeau. Albeau took to the water with all guns blazing and nearly managed to get his SUP planning, his performance provided the team with a whole legs lead. It then came down to Aubet to bring the victory home for the team. Iballa and Alonso tried their best to catch Aubet but she was consistent and was able to bring her team to victory.

The second Reno world cup SUP race winners:

Antoine Albeau (JP / NeilPryde)
Cedric Bordes (Tabou / Gaastra / Mystic)
Julien Quentel (RRD / NeilPryde)
Fanny Aubet (JP / NeilPryde)

The Panasonic night tow-in freestyle competition

The beach was completely full of spectators ready to be wowed by the world’s finest freestylers in the Panasonic night tow-in freestyle competition. Having had plenty of time to practice all week the sailors didn’t hold back with their moves and they put on an insane show.

The opening heats witnessed six amazing sailors earn their places in the final, with the world champion Steven Van Broeckhoven (F2 / Gaastra) pulling an incredible thirty point scoring triple jumping funnel and Browne landing at perfect burner into funnel to put him through. The brothers from Bonaire, Taty Frans (Starboard / MauiSails / Mystic / Maui Ultra Fins) and Tonky Frans (Tabou / Gaastra) blew the judges away with their moves putting them straight into the final. Heat number three saw Bjorn Saragoza (Starboard / Hot Sails) secure his place with a double jumping funnel and Jose Estredo (Fanatic / North) nailing a burner into funnel for maximum points.

The sailors knew they had to up the game for the final, but unfortunately Estredo went down on both his moves. Taty nailed a jumping double funnel but it wasn’t enough as Browne and Saragoza were on fine form landing their own amazing moves. Closing the competition Van Broeckhoven pulled a super-fast triple funnel to earn him his first tow-in competition win in Sylt.

The Panasonic night tow-in freestyle competition results:

1st Steven Van Broeckhoven (F2 / Gaastra)
2nd Bjorn Saragoza (Starboard / Hot Sails)
3rd Marcilio Browne (Fanatic / North / MFC)

The final day of the 2011 VW PWA Reno world cup will kick off tomorrow morning with the skippers’ meeting for all three fleets at 10am, first possible start at 10:30am.

Scope the action

For more information on all the entrants, and to keep up to date with every piece of the action, click on www.pwaworldtour.com

Here you can use our:
- Live ticker service for heat-by-heat bulletins
- Check live elimination ladders
- View results
- Read daily news summaries
- Browse awesome action photo galleries

Make sure you check out the event website for more video clips and pictures at www.windsurfworldcup.de, ‘like’ the Facebook page at www.facebook.com/worldcupsylt and follow everything on Twitter at www.twitter.com/#!/worldcupsylt.

Gollito performs for the crowds at Sylt

The 2011 VW PWA Reno World Cup Sylt – day seven: The freestylers raise the bar and break the judge’s scales in the third Reno World Cup tow-in freestyle competition.

The sun continued to shine down on the Reno world cup preventing the wind from building again, but it had little effect on the action. The light-wind master Caesar Finies (Starboard / NeilPryde), kept the crowds entertained throughout the morning with his spins, boomerangs and his infamous sail throw whilst they chilled out on the beach.

It was then up to the freestylers to step into the limelight for the third Reno world cup tow-in freestyle competition. With a thousand Euros up for grabs, extremely flat water and almost zero wind, the sailors blew both the judges and the spectators away with their new insane scale breaking moves.

Heat 1

The judges knew they were in for an exciting day when Taty Frans (Starboard / MauiSails / Mystic / Maui Ultra Fins) opened the competition up with a super-clean burner into flaka putting him straight in the final. Dieter Van Der Eyken (Starboard / Severne) and Nicolas Akgazciyan (Starboard / Gun) followed with a burner and a culo but both suffered a little spinning out on the landing. It was up to Ricardo Campello (JP / NeilPryde / MFC) to take the next place in the final, and he was obviously enjoying the massive crowds attention as he landed fully planing burner just meters away from the shore.

Heat 2

The world champion Steven Van Broeckhoven (F2 / Gaastra) looked confident as he left the beach, and rightly so as he stuck a perfect triple jumping funnel for a maximum thirty points on his first run. On their first run both Bjorn Saragoza (Starboard / Hot Sails) and Marcilio Browne (Fanatic / North / MFC) went down hard, whilst Yegor Popretinskiy (JP / NeilPryde / MFC) pulled a double funnel. With the pressure lying on their performance in the second run, Browne and Saragoza were focused. Browne pulled a really powerful burner into funnel scoring highly, but Saragoza was ready for the challenge and he landed a super-stylish one hand on hip funnel into funnel putting him through the heat.

Heat 3

Opening up the third heat Jose Estredo (Fanatic / North) added a bit of diversity by landing a fast burner into funnel boomerang for maximum points. Julien Mas (Patrik / Hot Sails) continued with the theme going for a culo but he dropped the landing, and Anthony Ruenes (Tabou / Simmer) tried his trademark no-handed burner but the sail caught in the water. Luck was on Tonky Frans (Tabou / Gaastra) side and he pulled a perfect air funnel into funnel to earn his place in the final. With his place in the final awarded with his first run, Estredo had nothing to lose and he burst into a mind-blowing funnel into burner earning him thirty four points.

Final

With so many outstanding sailors in the final, the world’s best went all out pulling crazy moves to earn the most points. Campello was first up pulling a really high funnel for 23.5 points, followed by Tonky with a double jumping funnel and Taty with a 29 point scoring burner into flaka. Saragoza lost control going for a huge air funnel over the top of the cameraman and Van Broeckhoven pulled a high burner into funnel. But all eyes were on Estredo and he wowed the spectators with the highest and faster burner into funnel in the competition for 31.5 points. On their second runs Taty was the man to watch landing a burner into flaka cana brava on the beach putting him in second place. The masters Van Broeckhoven and Tonky were joint in third place having had two runs each so a sail off was arranged. Tonky played it safe landing an air funnel, but risking everything Van Broeckhoven closed the competition with an astonishing triple jumping funnel.

The third Reno world cup tow-in freestyle competition results:

1st Jose Estredo (Fanatic / North)
2nd Taty Frans (Starboard / MauiSails / Mystic / Maui Ultra Fins)
3rd Steven Van Broeckhoven (F2 / Gaastra)

Following the amazing competition the sailors were released for the day, the skippers meeting for all three fleets will kick off at 10am tomorrow morning with the first possible start to competition at 10:30am. Make sure you check out the highlights video on the PWA website to see all of today’s moves again.

Scope the action

For more information on all the entrants, and to keep up to date with every piece of the action, click on www.pwaworldtour.com

Here you can use our:
- Live ticker service for heat-by-heat bulletins
- Check live elimination ladders
- View results
- Read daily news summaries
- Browse awesome action photo galleries

Make sure you check out the event website for more video clips and pictures at www.windsurfworldcup.de, ‘like’ the Facebook page at www.facebook.com/worldcupsylt and follow everything on Twitter at www.twitter.com/#!/worldcupsylt.

PWA Sylt night tow-in

The 2011 VW PWA Reno World Cup Sylt – event summary: Sylt is hit by ten day of summer preventing the breeze from building but it didn’t stop it being an incredible event full of amazing action from the stars of the PWA.

The world’s finest windsurfers were treated to ten days of stunning weather on Westerland beach in Sylt as a high pressure lingering over Europe brought with it blazing sun, but it also prevented the flags from flying. Despite the wind and waves not making an appearance it didn’t stop the event from being as amazing as ever. Hundreds of thousands of spectators made their way to the event site throughout the week to meet the stars of the PWA, see the trade stalls, listen to the interviews and to enjoy the warm weather.

The huge crowds were also treated to four astonishing tow-in freestyle competitions, SUP races, wave tow-in action, at spot of slalom racing, surfing and the world champions being crowned at the prize giving. The fleets remained patiently on standby throughout the week but were unable to take part in any official competition, therefore leaving the results and world rankings unchanged.

A round of slalom

When the flags started to flutter on the third day, the race crew wasted no time in sending the slalom fleet out to sea. Winds reading around 8-12 knots made for particularly tactful racing on the sailors largest equipment. Ten races of elimination one were completed, however it wasn’t quite enough to achieve an official result.

But, it was enough to see some exceptional sailing from Ross Williams (Tabou / Gaastra), Alberto Menegatti (Starboard / Gaastra), Arnon Dagan (Tabou / Gaastra), Kurosh Kiani (Simmer / Angulo) and the flying Frenchman Cedric Bordes (Tabou / Gaastra / Mystic). The sailors destroyed their opponents in the light wind and made their way into the next round with ease. The crowds also witnessed some upsets as big players Finian Maynard (RRD), Peter Bijl (JP / NeilPryde) and Peter Volwater (Fanatic / MauiSails) as they all went out the elimination early, fortunately for them the round didn’t count towards their overall ranking.

The slalom fleet remained on standby throughout the remaining days however, the high pressure hanging over Europe refused to move, preventing any wind from building.

Freestyle and wave fleets

Bar the tow-in freestyle and wave action the fleets were unable to hit the water for any official heats, therefore leaving the results and rankings unchanged. Having sailed two insane competitions this season and walked away with first places at both events Daida Ruano Moreno (Starboard / Severne) has managed to retain the world title for another year.

Tow-in freestyle

Throughout the week the world’s elite freestylers battled it out in four insane tow-in freestyle competitions. With 1000 Euros up for grabs each time, the sailors went all out trying to upstage each other with every run, much to the delight of the huge crowds.

Kicking off the week, Jose Estredo (Fanatic / North) was the man on fire behind the jet ski, wowing the judges with his super-fast burners into funnels, the world champion Steven Van Broeckhoven (F2 / Gaastra) proved he was also handy in the light winds launching into tremendous air funnels off the back of the small waves.

As the week progressed the water flattened off and the sailors got more and more used to the tow-in allowing them to break the boundaries of tow-in freestyle and up the game with the moves they were pulling. Estredo remained on amazing form winning the next two competitions, breaking the judges’ scales with mind-blowing funnel in burners. The brothers from Bonaire Taty Frans (Starboard / MauiSails / Mystic / Maui Ultra Fins) and Tonky Frans (Tabou / Gaastra) brought their unique style to the competition going for each move one-handed or as close to the crowds as possible.

Also making a guest appearance in the tow-in, former world freestyle champions Ricardo Campello (JP / NeilPryde / MFC) and the Marcilio Browne (Fanatic / North / MFC) dusted off their freestyle boards and delivered spectacular burners and burners into funnel to make the podiums.

The crescendo for the tow-in came in the form of the Panasonic night tow-in freestyle competition. The beach was jam-packed full of spectators, and the water was lit-up with powerful spot lights, providing an amazing stage for the world best to do their thing. Van Broeckhoven made his way into the final with ease by landing a perfect triple jumping funnel, as did Estredo with one of the fastest burner- funnels of the week. Also excelling was Bjorn Saragoza (Starboard / Hot Sails) who delivered a super-stylish one-handed double funnel.

Having been so amazing all week, Estredo was unlucky in the final and he went down on both of his moves, opening up the top spot for Van Broeckhoven to step-up with a triple funnel. Saragoza made his way onto the podium for the first time this season with a double air funnel and Browne stole third with a perfect burner into funnel.

SUP races

Wanting to keep the action going the PWA arranged two adrenaline fuelled SUP races, the sailors arranged themselves into three and four man teams and fought their way around the three-mark course. Proving they had the most power, the elite team made up of Browne, Kauli Seadi (JP / NeilPryde) and Nayra Alonso (Fanatic / Severne) left the competition in their wake in the first race when the waves were up, but favoring the flat water the French team made up of Antoine Albeau (JP / NeilPryde), Cedric Bordes (Tabou / Gaastra / Mystic), Julien Quentel (RRD / NeilPryde) and Fanny Aubet (JP / NeilPryde) stole the show in the second race.

The official 2011 men’s slalom rankings
Bjorn Dunkerbeck (Starboard / Severne / Mystic / DunkerbeckEyewear) has returned to glory in the 2011 season, having played second fiddle to Antoine Albeau (JP / NeilPryde) for the last five year. Dunkerbeck has delivered a fantastic season of races and has been seen to recover from even the trickiest of situations. Antoine Albeau (JP / NeilPryde) has secured his podium finish with two event wins, and in third place sits Ben Van Der Steen (Starboard / Loft / Mystic) having had an exceptional season on tour.

1^st Bjorn Dunkerbeck (Starboard / Severne / Mystic / DunkerbeckEyewear)
2^nd Antoine Albeau (JP / NeilPryde)
3^rd Ben Van Der Steen (Starboard / Loft / Mystic)
4^th Cyril Moussilmani (Starboard / North)
5^th Finian Maynard (RRD)
6^th Micah Buzianis (JP / NeilPryde)
7^th Peter Volwater (Fanatic / MauiSails)
8^th Julien Quentel (RRD / NeilPryde)
9^th Josh Angulo (Angulo / Gun / Dakine)
10^th Jimmy Diaz (Starboard / North)

The official 2011 men’s youth (U.22) slalom rankings.
With so many experienced sailors the slalom fleet is a particularly tough fleet to crack, where experience often overrules natural talent.  However the tour always needs new blood and there is no better way than to improve than take on your elders.

There were many talented youths fighting their way around the race course this year, but it is Jules Denel (Exocet) that walks away with the youth slalom champion trophy. Denel been charging this season and has been up there with the best of them. We expect big things from Denel next season.

1^st Jules Denel (Exocet)
2^nd Matteo Iachino (JP / Gaastra / Mystic / AL360)
3^rd Oliver-Tom Schliemann (Starboard / North)

The official 2011 men’s freestyle ranking
It has been a rough ride for the freestylers this season but Steven Van Broeckhoven (F2 / Gaastra) has emerged victorious. Van Broeckhoven has blown the judges away at all seven of the stops this year with his huge moves and has rightfully been awarded the world title. Kiri Thode (Starboard / Gaastra) has had his most successful year on tour winning two events to put him in second, and Jose Estredo (Fanatic / North) wowed the crowds in the Canaries to finish in third.

1^st Steven Van Broeckhoven (F2 / Gaastra)
2^nd Kiri Thode (Starboard / Gaastra)
3^rd Jose Estredo (Fanatic / North)
4^th Taty Frans (Starboard / MauiSails / Mystic / Maui Ultra Fins)
5^th Davy Scheffers (Tabou / Gaastra)
6^th Tonky Frans (Tabou / Gaastra)
7^th Anthony Ruenes (Tabou / Simmer)
8^th Dieter Van der Eyken (Starboard / Severne)
9^th Philip Soltysiak (Starboard / Dakine)
10^th Bjorn Saragoza (Starboard / Hot Sails)

The official 2011 men’s wave rankings
All eyes have been on the youth star Philip Koster (Starboard / NeilPryde / Dakine / Maui Ultra Fins) this season and with three event wins under his belt it is no surprise. Koster has slayed his opponents with his incredible planing double forward all season. The man with some of the highest jumps on tour Ricardo Campello (JP / NeilPryde / MFC) sits in second place, and Brazilian Kauli Seadi (JP / NeilPryde) has earned third for his stunning wave riding. 

1^st Philip Koster (Starboard / NeilPryde / Dakine / Maui Ultra Fins)
2^nd Ricardo Campello (JP / NeilPryde / MFC)
3^rd Kauli Seadi (JP / NeilPryde)
4^th Victor Fernandez Lopez (Fanatic / North)
5^th Daniel Bruch (Starboard / Severne / AL 360)
6^th Dario Ojeda (Tabou / Simmer / Dakine)
7^th Thomas Traversa (Tabou / Gaastra)
8^th Alex Mussolini (Tabou / Gaastra)
9^th Marcilio Browne (Fanatic / North / MFC)
10^th Ross Williams (Tabou / Gaastra)

The official 2011 women’s wave rankings
Daida Ruano Moreno (Starboard / Severne) has defended her title for another year, she has made sure she is a step ahead of her opponents all season by throwing the highest stalled forward and even a few doubles. In second place her sister Iballa Ruano Moreno (Starboard / Severne) has been flying higher than ever to make sure she made every final, and in third place Nayra Alonso (Fanatic / Severne) has had an extremely successful year on tour, slaying her opponents with her super-stylish waveriding.

1^st Daida Ruano Moreno (Starboard / Severne)
2^nd Iballa Ruano Moreno (Starboard / Severne)
3^rd Nayra Alonso (Fanatic / Severne)
4^th Karin Jaggi (Patrik / Severne)
5^th Evi Tsape (F2 / North)
6^th Laure Treboux (Fanatic / North)
7^th Alice Arutkin (Starboard / North)
7^th Fanny Aubet (JP / NeilPryde)
7^th Heike Reimann (Hot Sails)

The official 2011 constructor’s rankings

All season the brands have been battling it out for the constructor crown, over in the board front Starboard have snatched the crown with four world champions to their name. JP has taken second with just one point separating them from Fanatic.

NeilPryde walk away as the 2011 sail constructor champions, but it was a close fight as Severne and North sails sit just one and two points behind.
Boards
1^st Starboard
2^nd JP
3^rd Fanatic
4^th Tabou
5^th F2

Sails
1^st NeilPryde
2^nd Severne
3^rd North Sails
4^th Gaastra
5^th Simmer Sails

Thanks for watching

That concludes the action from the PWA world tour for 2011, we hope you enjoyed all the amazing action this year. 2011 has been a spectacular year for the PWA with three new stops on the tour, live streaming at a record number of events and wind at almost every competition. Make sure you keep your eyes on www.pwaworldtour.com and the PWA Facebook page for daily news updates from the world’s best windsurfers and any further announcements regarding the 2012 tour.

Bjorn Dunkerbeck at PWA Sylt 2010

Reno PWA Sylt 2011 – event preview: The tension is rising on the island of Sylt as the greatest windsurfing event on the planet and the dramatic conclusion to the 2011 slalom, wave and freestyle competition season draws ever closer.

For 28 years running, the Sylt world cup has been the largest and most spectacular windsurfing event on the planet. Featuring all three of the main disciplines, competition is spread over ten days. The event attracts well over 200,000 spectators to witness the world’s best slalom sailors hurl themselves around the race course, see the freestylers spin their way through each heat and watch the wave fleet launching into the most death-defying jumps.

Due to the exposed location of the island, the weather conditions on Westerland beach can range from ferocious wind and waves to flat calm freestyle and slalom heaven. Sylt is the final challenge for many of the worlds best and it takes a true all-rounder to secure a victory on its testing waters.

Off the water there will be plenty to keep the crowds entertained including clinics from the pro’s, a multitude of surf shops, autograph signings, the Panasonic surf simulator, plenty of parties and much much more.

What’s the deal?

The ten day super grand slam will take place between 23^rd September to the 2^nd October, marking the seventh and final event on the men’s slalom and freestyle tour, the fourth event on the men’s wave tour and the third stop on the women’s wave tour. The sailors will be spinning, flying and going full throttle for a taste of the €105,000 prize money and those super important end of season world ranking points, that will determine once and for all where the sailors finish.

Men’s Slalom

Having sailed an exceptional year Bjorn Dunkerbeck (Starboard / Severne / Mystic / DunkerbeckEyewear) has already been announced the 2011 world slalom champion, with four event wins out of six. But, he will no doubt be in Sylt to stamp down his authority on the fleet one last time before the competition season is over.

Having been knocked off the top spot for the first time in five years, Antoine Albeau (JP / NeilPryde) is likely to be more fired up than ever to secure his second place finish. However with the likes of Ben Van Der Steen (Starboard / Loft / Mystic) hot on his heels, he will have to make sure he sails an incredible week to keep his position.

Battling it out for fourth and fifth place Cyril Moussilmani (Starboard / North) and Finian Maynard (RRD) will be charging around the course and hitting the start-lines at full speed to outdo each other.

Also in the mix and fighting to keep their top ten positions, Micah Buzianis (JP / NeilPryde), Peter Volwater (Fanatic / MauiSails), Julien Quentel (RRD / NeilPryde), Josh Angulo (Angulo / Gun / Dakine) and Jimmy Diaz (Starboard / North) will be launching themselves down the straights, and flying around the corners.

As the slalom season comes to a close, expect the sailors to be pushing the starts harder than ever, pile-ups at the marks and a spectacular show of speed and agility.

Men’s Waves

With three wins in the bag, the wonder kid Philip Koster (Starboard / NeilPryde / Dakine / Maui Ultra Fins) has earned himself the 2011 men’s world wave title with one event spare. Koster has been pulling perfect double forwards and mind-blowing maneuvers on the waves all season, prepare to be amazed when he hits the water in Sylt.

The man with some of the highest jumps on tour Ricardo Campello (JP / NeilPryde / MFC), wowed the crowds in Klitmoller with his super-high pushloop forwards. Campello will be looking to retain his second place, but with the likes of Kauli Seadi (JP / NeilPryde) and Victor Fernandez Lopez (Fanatic / North / MFC) close behind, he will have to fly higher than ever to retain his position.

Danny Bruch (Starboard / Severne / AL360), Dario Ojeda (Tabou / Simmer / Dakine / MFC) and Thomas Traversa (Tabou / Gaastra) are all in hot competition for a fifth place finish; the sailors will need to be on top form to work their way into the top five.

Also in the mix and hoping for a top ten finish, Alex Mussolini (Tabou / Gaastra), Marcilio Browne (Fanatic / North / MFC) and Ross Williams (Tabou / Gaastra) will be throwing their highest jumps to win the judges affections.

Women’s Waves

Over in the women’s fleet, the current tour leader Daida Ruano Moreno (Starboard / Severne) unfortunately has not registered for the event, therefore opening the door up to her sister, Iballa Ruano Moreno (Starboard / Severne). However Iballa will has to pull her cleanest stalled forward loops and her slickest wave rides to earn the title and fend of the advances from super stylish Nayra Alonso (Fanatic / Severne), wave ripper Karin Jaggi (Patrik / Severne) and super-powerful Evi Tsape (F2 / North).

Also fighting for a place in the top five will be Laure Treboux (Fanatic / North), Alice Arutkin (Starboard / North), Fanny Aubet (JP / NeilPryde) and Heike Reimann (Hot Sails).

Men’s Freestyle

The men’s freestyle fleet has also witnessed a new world champion rise through the ranks with one event spare. Belgian freestyle maestro Steven Van Broeckhoven (F2 / Gaastra) has blown the judges away with his bone dry culos to win three out of six events this year.

In second place sits the super technical Kiri Thode (Starboard / Gaastra), Thode has earned himself podium positions at every event this year, and he has had one of his finest seasons on tour with two event wins.

Four times world champion Jose Estredo (Fanatic / North) started the year slightly further down the ranks than he had hoped, however after two amazing competitions in the Canaries he is back on the podium. Estredo will be pulling is fastest burners to secure his place at the top.

Further down the ranks, Taty Frans (Starboard / MauiSails / Mystic / Maui Ultra Fins), Davy Scheffers (Tabou / Gaastra), Tonky Frans (Tabou / Gaastra) and Anthony Ruenes (Tabou / Simmer) will be fighting it out for places in the top five, and pulling their most daring maneuvers to impress the crowds.

Constructors’ Championships

The brands have also been in fierce competition throughout the year, and as the competition season draws to a close the top dogs at the board and sail companies will be keeping an eye on their riders and how they perform on their equipment. Currently leading the board brands is Starboard, with three world title to their name in Slalom, Wave and Freestyle. JP is sat in second place with Fanatic, Tabou, and RRD close behind. Over on the sail brands, NeilPryde currently leads the pack with Severne, North and Gaastra in hot pursuit. Everything will come down to the final event in Sylt so keep your eyes peeled for who is performing well and on what.

What’s the plan?

With so many competitors the 2011 PWA Reno world cup promises to be a spectacular show, registration day will kick off at 11:30am-2pm on Friday 23^rd September and the skippers meeting will kick off at 9:00am on Saturday 24^th September with the first possible start to competition at 9:30am.

We are proud to announce the 2011 PWA Reno World Cup will be streamed live, weather depending broadcasting should commence at 9:00am on Saturday 24^th September. There will be loads to keep you entertained throughout the week, including interviews with the professionals and of course all the insane action in the competitions.

Scope the action

For more information on all the entrants, and to keep up to date with every piece of the action, click on www.pwaworldtour.com

Here you can use our:

- Live ticker service for heat-by-heat bulletins

- Check live elimination ladders

- View results

- Read daily news summaries

- Browse awesome action photo galleries

Make sure you check out the event website for more video clips and pictures at www.windsurfworldcup.de, ‘like’ the Facebook page at www.facebook.com/worldcupsylt and follow everything on Twitter at www.twitter.com/#!/worldcupsylt.

Beach at Sylt

From the 24th September through to the 3rd October Sylt’s Brandenburger Strand played host to four full fleets of the PWA’s most impressive windsurfers in a spectacular end of season finale for the disciplines of freestyle, slalom, and women’s waves.

Following the epic surf and gales of last year, it was unlikely that the PWA would be quite so lucky with the conditions again. However, a gusty cross-offshore breeze was enough for the racers and freestylers to turn plenty of heads and draw attention to the water, but wasn’t quite sufficient for any world-class wave competition.

At the end of an excellent week of racing and freestyle, the world champions were crowned in front of the thousands of spectators that had been lining the shores for the entire week, as well as the tens of thousands of online viewers who’d watched the windsurfing live via the world wide web.

Freestyle

The huge crowds witnessed the world’s most tricked up board riders flipping and styling their way to victory on the North Sea over two consecutive days allowing a full single elimination to be completed.

Due to the extremely gusty nature of the wind head judge, Duncan Coombs decided to try out a new format in which heat durations were almost doubled, and tricks counted minimized. This gave the sailors plenty of time to catch a gust and bust out their best move without having to worry about time spent bobbing around when the wind was down.

Four times PWA freestyle world champion, Jose ‘Gollito’ Estredo (Fanatic, North) rose to the top of the crop in the new pump and play heat format by fighting with a tactical formula out at the back of the contest area. And, despite this not being the best for the spectators gathered on the shore, it was without a doubt the way in which to win the competition!

From the very first second Estredo hit the water, it was obvious that he’d make it all the way to the final, and when he exploded into action in the gusts, he left many of his rivals absolutely helpless. Anthony Ruenes (Tabou, Vandal) was the first to put up a fight, but his efforts of going big all too often ended with a splash. Next up, Canadian, Philip Soltysiak (Starboard, Dakine) tried to take down the champ, but the Venezuelan continued with his tactical game, tricking it up in the gusts out the back, to leave his opponents wallowing around in the lulls.

The following heat against the king of ‘pop’, Steven Van Broeckhoven (F2, Gaastra) was undoubtedly one of the hottest of the week. Tricks were off the scale, and it resembled more of a final than simply a semi. Nerves had the better of the both of them at the beginning, but eventually Broeckhoven was seen busting out huge konos, culos, and burners, and the world champ was replying with much of the same. It was all too late for Broeckhoven though who had unfortunately already used up some of his six attempts with failed shakas earlier on, handing the heat to Estredo.

The final was another showdown of epic proportions with 2009 Sylt freestyle champion, Taty Frans (Starboard, MauiSails, Mystic) fighting hard with Estredo. Frans was one of the only sailors to put on a display of slick double moves in the difficult conditions, but the world champion was on a roll after his previous victory. In the end, the international judging panel gave it to Estredo with a 4-1 decision for pulling off cleaner and higher moves in the toughest of conditions.

Jose 'Gollito' Estredo

Event Results

1st Jose ‘Gollito’ Estredo (Fanatic, North)

2nd Taty Frans (Starboard, MauiSails, Mystic)

3rd Steven Van Broeckhoven (F2, Gaastra)

4th Kiri Thode (Starboard, Gaastra)

2010 Men’s Freestyle Rankings

Venezuelan trickster, Jose ‘Gollito’ Estredo claimed his fourth consecutive freestyle world title after securing it in Fuerteventura earlier in the year. Three event wins this season prove he’s the number one PWA freestyler to beat, but with such domination this year, it’s going to be a hard task for any other wannabe world champions out there to knock him from his perch. The three sailors claiming second, third, and fourth in the rankings had been locked in an intense battle throughout 2010, which sees them finish the year on equal points. However, it’s Taty Frans who steals second due to his event win in Podersdorf at the beginning of the year, and Kiri Thode (Starboard, Gaastra) who claims third with his string of seconds from the Canaries.

1st Jose ‘Gollito’ Estredo (Fanatic, North)

2nd Taty Frans (Starboard, MauiSails, Mystic)

3rd Kiri Thode (Starboard, Gaastra)

4th Steven Van Broeckhoven (F2, Gaastra)

Slalom

With no swell on the horizon, the slalom sailors got their chance to impress Sylt’s spectators as soon as the freestylers had finished their single elimination.

Four days of racing took place in the gusty offshore winds which proved tough for the world’s top ranked racers to tame, but with the help of a few caddies, and some patience from the race crew, everyone had a fair chance of choosing the right gear to match the conditions they were dealt during their heats.

Heavy rain and temperatures of around 10 degrees also created some extremely harsh conditions for the racers to endure on occasions, but those with thick skin (and a hooded wetsuit) played a professional game to conquer the brutal North Sea.

The first day of racing saw thirty-five times world champion, Bjorn Dunkerbeck (Starboard, Severne) take line honours in the only winner’s final of the day ahead of the current world champion, Antoine Albeau (JP, NeilPryde), and the PWA’s president, Jimmy Diaz (Starboard, North). At the end of day one Albeau commented: “I’m really pleased to be in second, it’s a solid start to the event, but I’m not very happy that it’s Bjorn who’s in front of me!”

To add to Albeau’s frustration, his archrival Dunkerbeck finished the second day of slalom with an impeccable scorecard whilst a premature start in heat 13, forced him to sail in the loser’s final. Albeau redeemed himself in the second heat of the day finishing just behind the legend, Dunkerbeck, but with two further first place finishes, almost every PWA tour pundit was hedging their bets with a return of the Terminator.

On the third day, Albeau’s prayers were finally answered when Dunkerbeck snapped his harness line in an early round heat which saw him failing to qualify for the winner’s final, and allow a new race winner to come forward. This time it was 2009 overall runner up, Finian Maynard (RRD, Gaastra), who’d quietly been racking up some very consistent results to go from 30th to 3rd in the space of two days! The current world champion finally had his moment of glory in the second race of the day, but with Dunkerbeck hot on his heels, it wouldn’t be enough to overtake him in the event standings.

The final day of racing was one of two separate battles, with Dunkerbeck and Albeau both capable of claiming first, and another for Cyril Moussilmani (Starboard, North) and Maynard who were fighting for third. Dunkerbeck ended his duel by claiming a third place in the first race of the day to secure the Sylt crown with a race to spare. However, Moussilmani and Maynard’s tussle went right to the wire. And, not only was it a battle for their event standings, but the outcome of that one race would determine their overall rankings too. Maynard burst into the front of the pack, and held his ground. But, just as it looked like he’d done his job, disaster struck. Moussilmani rounded the mark and couldn’t pump onto the plane, leaving the race director with no choice but to cancel the heat. In the re-run, Maynard and Moussilmani were neck-a-neck (but not in the lead) in an all-time showdown for that final podium spot. However, a small collision between the two sailors saw them swimming at one of the marks. And unfortunately for Maynard, Moussilmani leapt back on his board first and raced off into the distance to claim his place in the history books.

Bjorn Dunkerbeck

Event Results

1st Bjorn Dunkerbeck (Starboard, Severne, Mystic)

2nd Antoine Albeau (JP, NeilPryde)

3rd Cyril Moussilmani (Starboard, North)

4th Finian Maynard (RRD, Gaastra)

5th Kevin Pritchard (Starboard, Gaastra, Dakine, MFC)

2010 Men’s Slalom Rankings

French racing legend, Antoine Albeau was crowned the king of slalom for the fifth consecutive year following an extremely consistent year on tour in which he never failed to finish out of the top two! His nearest rival, thirty-five times world champion, Bjorn Dunkerbeck came an extremely close second, missing out on the title by just one point. And, another Frenchman, Cyril Moussilmani claimed the final spot on the podium after an extremely close battle with both Finian Maynard, and Micah Buzianis.

1st Antoine Albeau (JP, NeilPryde)

2nd Bjorn Dunkerbeck (Starboard, Severne, Mystic)

3rd Cyril Moussilmani (Starboard, North)

4th Micah Buzianis (JP, NeilPryde)

5th Finian Maynard (RRD, Gaastra)

2010 Men’s Youth (U.22) Slalom Rankings

It’s a tough fleet to crack for the youths, with many of them competing against guys that have been racing at some of the same destinations around the globe for over a decade. The new talent on the tour has to start somewhere though, and despite them being given barely enough room to breathe amongst the giants, it can only be good for their game to race round the course with the legends that have molded the sport.

There were many younger racers that battled it out around the buoys this year, but there can only be one winner. This season sees Frenchman, Pierre Mortefon (Fanatic, North) taking home the youth slalom trophy after an excellent year in which he finished in the top twenty overall. Mortefon qualified for the finals on many occasions, but his best individual race result was in Fuerteventura where he claimed a third place to finish in front of former world champions Bjorn Dunkerbeck, and Kevin Pritchard.

1st Pierre Mortefon (Fanatic, North)

2nd Enes Yilmazer (JP, NeilPryde)

3rd Antoine Questel (Fanatic, Loft)

Pierre Mortefon

Wave

Due to the lack of sufficient wind and waves, neither the men’s or women’s fleets hit the water this week leaving the overall rankings unaffected by Sylt.

Women

The absence of a result this week means that the 2010 women’s wave rankings were decided on just one event in Gran Canaria where Daida Ruano Moreno (Starboard, Severne) once again proved she’s the woman to beat with an outstanding aerial display, and some great wave rides. Her twin sister, Iballa Ruano Moreno (Starboard, Severne) finished a close second, with the fearless Karin Jaggi (Patrik, Severne) claiming the final podium spot.

2010 Women’s Wave Rankings

1st Daida Ruano Moreno (Starboard, Severne)

2nd Iballa Ruano Moreno (Starboard, Severne)

3rd Karin Jaggi (Patrik, Severne)

4th Nayra Alonso (Fanatic, Severne)

5th Steffi Wahl (Patrik, Gaastra)

Men

The men’s wave fleet have one final opportunity to prove their worth in 2010 at the hardcore destination of Cabo Verde in November. But, leaving Sylt without a result does mean that there will now be no discard for the year.

Current Men’s Wave Rankings

1st Victor Fernandez (Fanatic, North, MFC)

2nd Ricardo Campello (JP, NeilPryde, MFC)

3rd Philip Koster (Starboard, NeilPryde, Dakine)

4th Kauli Seadi (JP, NeilPryde, MFC)

5th Dany Bruch (Patrik, Severne, MFC)

Constructors Championship

Following a year of tough competition for the PWA’s finest, JP are just 0.3 points ahead of their nearest rival, Starboard in the board brands championship. However, with one final wave event left this year Starboard could still snatch the title back. Similarly, in the sail brands championship NeilPryde are just 0.3 points ahead of North. But, with riders from both North and NeilPryde in the top 2 overall in the wave rankings, we could see this situation flip in a few weeks time too.

Board Brands

1st JP

2nd Starboard

3rd Fanatic

4th Tabou

5th Patrik

Sail Brands

1st NeilPryde

2nd North

3rd Gaastra

4th Severne

5th Simmer

Where next?

After a short break, the PWA World Tour will move to Cabo Verde for the ultimate wave sailing finale at the infamous breaks of Ponta Preta, and little Hookipa! Be sure to log on to www.pwaworldtour.com to watch all of the action unfold via PWA Live TV from the 14-23 of November.

Sean: “All the action that I shot from the biggest and final PWA World Cup event on the tour for 2010. Plenty of cold windsurfing, wild parties, good friends and big jackets. Extra racing footage was shot by the PWA.”

www.aus120.com

Bjorn Dunkerbeck

With the possibility that the wind would be more suitable for the discipline of freestyle today, the world’s most tricked up windsurfers arrived at the beach at dawn, only to be greeted by almost exactly the same conditions that had prevented them from taking to the water the past few days.

After a couple of hours of trying to make the most of what the weather had brought, the organisers decided to switch over to slalom. Many of the more experienced sailors in the fleet opposed the decision having been tested to their limits over the past few days in the brutal conditions dealt out by the North Sea. However, once the heats were in full swing, and the sun came out, they were happier than ever battling in the gusty 12-24 knots for the final time in 2010.

Jimmy Diaz and Cyril Moussilmani

An Exciting Finale

The first winner’s final of the day was arguably one of the most exciting seen this season. All too often, we witness the newly crowned world champion, Antoine Albeau (JP, NeilPryde) or the legend Bjorn Dunkerbeck (Starboard, Severne, Mystic) leading from the start, controlling the pack as they hammer their way round the course at full throttle, and then crossing the line with a fist in the air. Race six however was completely different!

Both Albeau and Dunkerbeck were buried at the beginning allowing the PWA’s president, Jimmy Diaz (Starboard, North) to have his moment of glory. Diaz lead the pack around the first mark, but unfortunately for him, his team mate, Cyril Moussilmani (Starboard, North) was hot on his heels, and halfway round the race managed to sneak his way past to take line honours.

Meanwhile, Albeau and Dunkerbeck were having their own battle out the back. And, despite those battles not being with each other, their final finishing positions would none the less determine their overall event standings. Dunkerbeck fought his way through the fleet, using his outstanding speed to eventually be within touching distance of Diaz, and finished a split second afterwards to take third. Albeau battled hard throughout the heat, but was fighting a lost cause with Dunkerbeck out in front. A fifth for the current world champion saw him comfortably in a top two position, but the thirty-five times world champ had already secured the Sylt crown.

The Race For Third Place

With the event results, and the overall rankings already decided for Dunkerbeck and Albeau, the real battle in race seven was for the final spot on the podium. Two sailors had the possibility of claiming third place in Sylt, and the same two third overall. And to top it all off, they both happened to be lined up next to each other in the final race of the season!

The two in question were 2009 runner up, Finian Maynard (RRD, Gaastra), and flying Frenchman, Cyril Moussilmani. Moussilmani happened to be on a roll having claimed victory in the previous elimination, whereas Maynard was recovering from a complete shocker after a broken fin saw him exit the last race in the quarterfinals. When the gun went, you could feel the tension that had been building on the water all the way back at the beach. Maynard burst into the front of the pack, and held his ground. But, just as it looked like he’d done his job, disaster struck. Moussilmani rounded the mark and couldn’t pump onto the plane, leaving the race director with no choice but to cancel the heat.

In the re-run, Maynard and Moussilmani were neck-a-neck (but not in the lead) in an all-time showdown for that final podium spot. However, once again lady luck wasn’t on Maynard’s side, as a small collision between the two sailors saw them swimming at one of the buoys. Moussilmani leapt back on his board and raced off into the distance to claim his place next to Albeau and Dunkerbeck, whilst Maynard was left to regain his composure.

Men's 2010 Slalom podium

Event Results

1st Bjorn Dunkerbeck (Starboard, Severne, Mystic)

2nd Antoine Albeau (JP, NeilPryde)

3rd Cyril Moussilmani (Starboard, North)

4th Finian Maynard (RRD, Gaastra)

5th Kevin Pritchard (Starboard, Gaastra)

2010 Men’s Slalom Rankings

1st Antoine Albeau (JP, NeilPryde)

2nd Bjorn Dunkerbeck (Starboard, Severne, Mystic)

3rd Cyril Moussilmani (Starboard, North)

4th Micah Buzianis (JP, NeilPryde)

5th Finian Maynard (RRD, Gaastra)

Freestyle

Head judge, Duncan Coombs made every effort to get the double elimination going in the gusty winds by doing everything within his power to please the competitors, but it just wasn’t meant to be. This left the results unchanged from day three when the single elimination came to its conclusion.

Men's 2010 Freestyle podium

Event Results

1st Jose ‘Gollito’ Estredo (Fanatic, North)

2nd Taty Frans (Starboard, MauiSails, Mystic)

3rd Steven Van Broeckhoven (F2, Gaastra)

4th Kiri Thode (Starboard, Gaastra)

2010 Men’s Freestyle Rankings

1st Jose ‘Gollito’ Estredo (Fanatic, North)

2nd Taty Frans (Starboard, MauiSails, Mystic)

3rd Kiri Thode (Starboard, Gaastra)

4th Steven Van Broeckhoven (F2, Gaastra)

Wave

Due to the lack of sufficient wind and waves, neither the men’s or women’s fleets hit the water this week leaving the overall rankings unaffected by Sylt.

Women

The absence of a result this week means that the 2010 women’s wave rankings were decided on just one event in Gran Canaria where Daida Ruano Moreno (Starboard, Severne) once again proved she’s the woman to beat with an outstanding aerial display, and some great wave rides. Her twin sister, Iballa Ruano Moreno (Starboard, Severne) finished a close second, with the fearless Karin Jaggi (Patrik, Severne) claiming the final podium spot.

Women's 2010 Wave podium

2010 Women’s Wave Rankings

1st Daida Ruano Moreno (Starboard, Severne)

2nd Iballa Ruano Moreno (Starboard, Severne)

3rd Karin Jaggi (Patrik, Severne)

4th Nayra Alonso (Fanatic, Severne)

5th Steffi Wahl (Patrik, Severne)

Men

The men’s wave fleet have one final opportunity to prove their worth in 2010 at the hardcore destination of Cabo Verde in November. But, leaving Sylt without a result does mean that there will now be no discard for the year.

Current Men’s Wave Rankings

1st Victor Fernandez (Fanatic, North, MFC)

2nd Ricardo Campello (JP, NeilPryde, MFC)

3rd Philip Koster (Starboard, NeilPryde, Dakine)

4th Kauli Seadi (JP, NeilPryde, MFC)

5th Dany Bruch (Patrik, Severne, MFC)

Keep in the groove

For more information on all the entrants, and to keep up to date with every piece of the action, click on www.pwaworldtour.com

There’s also a dedicated event website which can be found at www.windsurfworldcup.de

Or for more information, please contact the PWA office via info@pwaworldtour.com

PWA Slalom

Finian Maynard and Antoine Albeau stole a bullet a piece on the racecourse today, whilst freestyle world champion, Jose ‘Gollito’ Estredo popped and styled his way to victory in an evening tow-in extravaganza!

On the penultimate day of competition, the crowds gathered on Sylt’s iconic golden sands witnessed two full rounds of spectacular racing throughout the afternoon, and saw two new race winners emerge from the mist.

The gusty offshore breeze once again proved tough for the world’s top ranked racers to tame, but with the help of a few caddies, and some patience from the race crew, everyone had a fair chance of choosing the right gear to match the conditions they were dealt during their heat. With gusts of twenty-five knots and lulls of fourteen, the wind tested the sailors skills to their maximum, and with a nastier chop than yesterday mistakes were easily made at the marks.

To add to the chaos, during the second race heavy rain moved in, and this coupled with board speeds of over 30 knots and temperatures of around 10 degrees created extremely harsh conditions for the racers to endure, many of whom are used to champagne sailing throughout the rest of the year!

Albeau’s Afternoon

After a disappointing previous day – for him – the current world tour leader, Antoine Albeau (JP, NeilPryde) fought back with a vengeance this afternoon to claim a second in the fourth race of the series, and more importantly, a bullet in the fifth to end the afternoon on a high, hoping for much of the same tomorrow.

Albeau’s second race final was by far the most impressive, not least because he won, but because he hit the pin end at full speed, and although not the first to cross the line, stamped his authority on the star-studded fleet with tremendous speed that saw him to the first gybe in pole position. From there on it was back to business for the modern day slalom champ, who led the fleet around the course in his usual dominant fashion.

His results from today have helped him to close the gap on event leader, Bjorn Dunkerbeck (Starboard, Severne, Mystic), and two more bullets for the five times world champion could see him steal the show on the final day!

Finian’s Final

In the first race of the day Sylt’s many spectators saw a new character claiming line honours in the form of 2009 overall rankings runner up, Finian Maynard (RRD, Gaastra). Following a successful second day of racing yesterday, having enlisted the help of British Wave Champion and RRD team manger, John Skye (RRD, MFC) for a small fee, the Irish blooded British Virgin Island resident shot right up the rankings. Maynard’s caddy commented, “My boss has done an amazing job on the water today, but I’d have to say some of that success is clearly down to the team behind him (me). Just look at the results, I’ve helped him go from 30th to 3rd in the space of two days!” Maynard replied, “John’s help has been invaluable over these past two days, but he really needs to work on his slalom technique!”

Snapped

Following a smoking hot start to Sylt, cracks began to appear in the thirty-five times world champion, Bjorn Dunkerbeck’s armour today. It all started to go wrong with a failure to qualify for the first winner’s final, which unfortunately for him wasn’t down to sailor error. The mighty terminator was powering towards the final gybe in a qualifying position when his harness line snapped, causing an almighty explosion as the sail hit the deck at full speed, and Dunkerbeck fell in backwards!

With a discard in Bjorn’s bag, the top ranked sailors in the fleet are once again on a more level playing field, but windsurfing’s legend remains on top after a successful comeback in the second race of the day saw him hot on Albeau’s heels. However, the roles reverse if you look at the event results with Albeau chasing Dunkerbeck for the final event crown. If there’s more racing tomorrow, which is more than likely, it’ll be an exciting finale for the last race of the season.

Stand Out Sailors

Elsewhere in the fleet, Patrik Diethelm (Patrik, North) and Cyril Moussilmani (Starboard, North) exchanged winner’s final results with a 5th and a 3rd each to claim equal third in the race for sailor of the day behind Albeau and Maynard. Although not Moussilmani’s best event of the year, Diethelm is having an absolute corker, proving his own shapes to be a worthy investment for any wannabe racers.

Results After Five Races

1st Bjorn Dunkerbeck (Starboard, Severne, Mystic)

2nd Antoine Albeau (JP, NeilPryde)

3rd Finian Maynard (RRD, Gaastra)

4th Kevin Pritchard (Starboard, Gaastra, Dakine, MFC)

5th Micah Buzianis (JP, NeilPryde)

Gollito – night tow-in

Panasonic Night Tow-In Freestyle

With the weekend parties in full force, freestyle’s elite threw two fingers up to the wind, and wowed the crowds with a floodlit display of tow-in trickery. Current freestyle world champion, Jose ‘Gollito’ Estredo (Fanatic, North) leapt out of the darkness to claim the top cash prize, followed by current wave tour runner up, Ricardo Campello (JP, NeilPryde, MFC), and 2010 Podersdorf freestyle champion, Taty Frans (Starboard, MauiSails, Mystic).

Keep In The Groove

For more information on all the entrants, and to keep up to date with every piece of the action, click on www.pwaworldtour.com

Here you can:

• View the live streaming broadcast

• View the live ticker service for heat-by-heat bulletins

• Check live elimination ladders

• Check results

• Read daily news summaries

• Browse awesome action photo galleries

There’s also a dedicated event website which can be found at www.windsurfworldcup.de

Bjorn Dunkerbeck

Following two tedious days on standby, Sylt delivered some seriously challenging conditions for the slalom sailors gathered in Germany on the seventh day of competition. A gusty 4-10 knots quickly increased to 12-20 knots and then backed off to 6-14 knots, but not before two full rounds of fast and furious racing had taken place.

The offshore direction meant that the course was set far out to sea, and the sailors had to be prepared for anything from full-on 8.0m and 110L white-knuckle ride racing to a 10.0m pumpathon. To add to the already testing conditions, the water was far from flat despite the wind direction, with an opposing swell meeting the short chop to create a confused surface for the racers to ride.

III Is The Magic Number

The legend, Bjorn Dunkerbeck (Starboard, Severne, Mystic) stamped his authority on the PWA’s fastest fleet today to win every single race by a convincing margin (apart from one minor semi-final where he allowed Antoine Albeau (JP, NeilPryde) to sneak his way through). To say Dunkerbeck was out there settling a score would be an understatement, today we saw the sort of dominance that saw him claim his Terminator title leaving the rest of the fleet to smoulder in his wake! With three straight bullets, he’s definitely on route to claiming the final crown of the year, which is bound to leave a sour taste in the mouths of his opponents until 2011.

13. Unlucky For Some…

After a whole season without any mistakes, it was only a matter of time before the five times world champion, Albeau slipped up. Perhaps it was because he was in the dreaded heat 13, or maybe he was just pushing it far too much. With Dunkerbeck out in front, Albeau needed to pull out all the stops, but he knows all too well that a premature start isn’t the way to go about it!

Following in his footsteps in the very same heat was the previous event champion and Albeau’s team-mate, Micah Buzianis (JP, NeilPryde). However, these two tremendous competitors need not worry too much because every single sailor inside the top ten, bar of course Bjorn Dunkerbeck, has already claimed what could potentially be their discard having all failed to qualify for every winner’s final!

A Top Heavy Equation

Sometimes the seeding seems to work out perfectly, but on occasions it can throw up some nasty surprises. Today the heat 14 semi-final of race three the numbers simply didn’t add up as it was stacked with a star-studded crew including Dunkerbeck, Albeau, Buzianis, Kevin Pritchard (Starboard, Gaastra, Dakine, MFC), Jimmy Diaz (Starboard, North), Ross Williams (Tabou, Gaastra), Alberto Menegatti (Starboard, Simmer), and Antoine Questel (Fanatic, Loft). Unfortunately for a few, four of these world-class athletes wouldn’t be advancing, and as a result it was one of the most hotly contested heats witnessed all day. It also happened to be the only heat that Dunkerbeck lost to Albeau, as well as being one where whoever was in fifth around the course was right on the heels of fourth. Going into the last leg Pritchard was happily qualifying, but appeared to pull up off the pedal seconds before the finish. What he hadn’t realised was that a speedy Diaz in fifth was still at full throttle, and managed to nip in front of him about a metre before the line!

Caddy Please!

With the wind in a constant state of change due to the gusty direction, it wasn’t easy for the competitors to decide on which gear to take out. Factor in how far the racecourse actually was from the beach, and equipment changes were made almost impossible between heats. However, the most experienced sailors on the water appeared to have stunt doubles, who for a mere fifty Euros would follow their every move throughout the day. Needless to say, the small investment paid dividends in results, but in one isolated case resulted in a fairly hefty bill due to the lightweight caddy being unable to sail gear back that someone 30kgs heavier couldn’t quite handle on the course!

Six Points

Following three action packed rounds the competition is extremely tight at the top with just six points splitting third to eighth, and the 2009 overall runner up, Finian Maynard (RRD, Gaastra) waiting in the wings for the discard to kick in! The outlook for tomorrow looks better than today, so we’ll almost certainly see some more exciting racing on the challenging North Sea.

Results After Three Races

1st Bjorn Dunkerbeck (Starboard, Severne, Mystic)

2nd Antoine Albeau (JP, NeilPryde)

3rd Kevin Pritchard (Starboard, Gaastra, Dakine, MFC)

4th Peter Volwater (Fanatic, MauiSails)

5th Alberto Menegatti (Starboard, Simmer)

Keep In The Groove

For more information on all the entrants, and to keep up to date with every piece of the action, click on www.pwaworldtour.com

Here you can:

• View the live streaming broadcast

• View the live ticker service for heat-by-heat bulletins

• Check live elimination ladders

• Check results

• Read daily news summaries

• Browse awesome action photo galleries

There’s also a dedicated event website which can be found at www.windsurfworldcup.de

Or for more information, please contact the PWA office via info@pwaworldtour.com

View over the event

With a promising outlook, the world-class racers arrived at the beach full of enthusiasm and ready to hit the slalom course hard today. And, after a short spell on standby the south-easterly breeze began to build, and the sailors were put on frequent announcements in an effort to get the competition moving.

However, despite race director, Juan Antonio Aragon and his team making every effort to get the racing underway, after three further hours sitting on the edge of their seats, the wind had merely teased the competitors leaving them to battle it out another day.

Whilst the sailors were on standby, we took the opportunity to talk to one of the most experienced and consistent sailors in the fleet, former overall world champion, Kevin Pritchard (Starboard, Gaastra, Dakine) about how he copes with days like today.

PWA: What do usually get up to on days when the competition’s on hold?

KP: “I try to stay calm and relaxed, and keep my mind active by working on other little projects like my videos. It’s during days like today that I often find inspiration for little features. Yesterday when we were on standby I began to film Ricardo Campello (JP, NeilPryde, MFC) for an upcoming release. Other than that, I generally just try to keep busy.”

PWA: What does it feel like being on fifteen minute announcements for an entire afternoon?

KP: “When the conditions are so close to being sufficient for racing it’s actually really annoying because you’re tensed up all day, or at least I am anyway, and you’re always on edge because you want to perform at your best. Obviously you can’t leave the event site when the announcements are so close together, and you have to be ready at all times. I prefer it if it’s either all on, or called off completely!”

PWA: Does all this waiting around have a big impact on your mental state?

KP: “I think it does a little bit, and I tend to stress out somewhat, but I’m sort of getting used to it after fifteen years of following the tour!”

PWA: Do you find it more difficult to sleep the night before if you know you’ll be playing the waiting game the next day?

KP: “I only ever find it easy to sleep if there’s no competition at all! Even though I’ve been on the tour for so long you know what, I still get butterflies in my stomach, and I still get really nervous before every start! No matter how much competition you do, I don’t think that you can ever shake that feeling off.”

PWA: Is there anyone in particular who breaks down on days like today?

KP: “It’s hard to tell. If there is, they hide it really well.”

PWA: Do you ever find yourself fiddling with your gear? Tweaking your sails or sanding your fins?

KP: “That’s one thing you won’t see many people doing on days like today, mainly because all of the preparation is done pre-season so there’s no need to do it now. We spend about four months before the tour starts, endlessly tweaking, and if you didn’t do it then you shouldn’t really be here.”

PWA: What advice would you give to the younger and less experienced sailors in the fleet for days like today?

KP: “The main thing I would say is, if the boats are heading out to set a course, you should at least have your gear at the water’s edge and be ready to pull your wetsuit on as soon as the call is made. If the race director had signalled that the racing was about to begin today, a lot of guys would have been caught out.”

Kevin Pritchard

Eye On The Horizon

The wind forecast for the following few days looks much stronger than today, so hopefully the world’s best windsurfers will return to the water for some more action packed competition soon!

Official Competition Results

Freestyle After The Single Elimination

1st Jose ‘Gollito’ Estredo (Fanatic, North)

2nd Taty Frans (Starboard, MauiSails, Mystic)

3rd Steven Van Broeckhoven (F2, Gaastra)

4th Kiri Thode (Starboard, Gaastra)

Slalom After One Race

1st Bjorn Dunkerbeck (Starboard, Severne, Mystic)

2nd Antoine Albeau (JP, NeilPryde)

3rd Jimmy Diaz (Starboard, North)

4th Alberto Menegatti (Starboard, Simmer)

5th Kevin Pritchard (Starboard, Gaastra, Dakine)

Keep in the groove

For more information on all the entrants, and to keep up to date with every piece of the action, click on www.pwaworldtour.com

Here you can:

• View the live streaming broadcast

• View the live ticker service for heat-by-heat bulletins

• Check live elimination ladders

• Check results

• Read daily news summaries

• Browse awesome action photo galleries

There’s also a dedicated event website which can be found at www.windsurfworldcup.de

Or for more information, please contact the PWA office via info@pwaworldtour.com