While the 2012 Fuerteventura Wave Classic wasn’t blessed with perfect conditions, the crew from KSB films still managed to put together this fantastic clip of all the action in the Canaries. A great summary video featuring the UK’s very own Andrew Fawcett and Will Ward.

As the 2012 Fuerteventura Wave Classic enters it’s final days, the crew at KSB have uploaded their latest video from the event site.

Martin Keruzoré, Pierre Bouras and Greg Scherpe have captured some great action from El Cotillo on Fuerteventura. Check out the competitors getting some sick rides in on the beach break, as well as some nice aerials and great crashes. The UK’s very own Will Ward and Andrew Fawcett are taking part in the event – a special mention for Will’s savage aerial crash at 2:54!

Today, the riders and event crew took part in a beach clean at Majanicho beach. Find out more about the beach clean project and follow the final day of the event on the official Facebook page HERE.

The 2012 FWC got off to an injury-filled start. Shannon Bohny broke his leg during a warm-up session and so will miss the next few months on the water. Dutch sailor, and the final entry to the Fuerte Wave Classic, Amanda Beenen had to sit out the first day on the water due to problems with a recurring ankle injury.

On Day One of competition the wind didn’t deliver enough power to allow any official results. The crew took to the water at Majanicho but no heats were run. Day Two saw the competitors return to Majanicho to be greeted with winds of up to 30 knots and small waves. Four heats were run in the strong offshore conditions.

Will Ward in action

The British representatives, Will Ward and Andrew Fawcett, certainly put their stamp on the opening round. Both competing in heat number 3, Ward posted the highest score of the day with an incredible 37.5 points – apt reward for his fast turns and numerous waves. Fawcett came in second place after selecting the better waves out of the less-than-perfect conditions.

Andrew Fawcett, part of the leading team

Andrew is now part of leading Team 2 with Nicole Boronat, Yannick Anton and Federico Infantino.

The Day 3 skippers meeting was scheduled for 9am this morning (Monday) and with some stronger winds forecast on WindGuru, let’s hope the competition continues in great conditions.

You can follow the event on their official Facebook page and also check out a full album of action.

A promising forecast for the final days of competition

The Conditions

Now in it’s fourth year, the Fuerteventura Wave Classic is renowned for delivering a huge range of conditions that can often err on the side of ‘extreme’. Last year, unfortunately, saw no final result or winning team. Pumping swell and howling winds are what everyone is hoping for and the WindGuru predicitions are for just that! WindGuru are supporting the FWC as an official partner and have set up a special forecast for the event which you can see HERE. The swell forecast isn’t huge, but the wind looks set to show up and deliver – so fingers crossed we will see some competition.

The special event forecast on WindGuru

The Riders

16 riders, 4 teams of 4 – simple! Representing the UK are Andrew Fawcett and expat Will Ward. Flying the flag for Fuerte-based board company Witchcraft, both sailors are very familiar with the breaks on Fuerte and will be a great addition to whatever team they end up in. The big names to keep an eye out for are recent Gaastra/Tabou signing Dario Ojeda, multiple ladies world champion Iballa Moreno as well as the Denel brothers and big wave charger Tom Hartmann.

The 16th place was empty until last week when Dutch sailor Amanda Beenen was selected to fill the final spot on the ladies team. Fresh from a winter of training in South Africa, Amanda is ready to charge.

Here is a round up of all the action at the 2011 event to get you ready for this year’s edition…

Best of luck to all of the riders and be sure to follow the event at their official website (fuertewaveclassic.com) and on Facebook.

Will Ward on Fuerte's North Shore

Thomas Traversa has chosen to use MaverX masts. Having tested a number of masts from different manufacturers Thomas has decided to use the Stilo 300 for this years PWA and “Classic” wave events.

British sailor Will Ward who is probably best known for featuring in many of the extreme wave riding videos filmed on Fuerteventura’s North Shore has also been signed onto the international team. Up to double mast high waves breaking onto sharp volcanic rock are the ultimate test for any mast, this is Will’s adopted home and the MaverX testing ground

Being independent of any sail brand MaverX have constantly developed their masts to be compatible with as wide a range of sails from differing manufacturers as possible. Not only are the masts combatable with most sails but due to their high response rates they will often improve the sails. The development is continuous with the latest masts tweaked and tuned to match the very latest trends in sail design.

Go to www.maverx.co.uk for further details.