PWA World Cup Podersdorf
Day 1: The storm passes overnight to leave only a brief period of wind
The evening before the start of the 2015 Podersdorf PWA Surf World Cup saw winds gusting in excess of 50 knots and as day light broke it was cold and sunny, but more importantly still windy. However, the opening day always looked as though it would be a race against time with the front forecast to pass through by the early hours of the afternoon. Unfortunately this is how the day played out and only one heat could be completed before the wind dropped completely. With registration running between 9am-11am quite a few of the sailors were eager to register as soon as possible to make the most of the wind on offer. Davy Scheffers (Tabou / GA Sails) was the first man out on the water before being joined by Dieter Van der Eyken (Starboard / Severne), Hugo Sousa (RRD / RRD / Maui Ultra Fins), Nick Van Ingen (Fanatic / North / MFC), Rick Jendrusch (F2 / Severne) and Sam Esteve (JP / NeilPryde). Single Elimination The single elimination began at 1pm with the usual seven minute heats, extended to nine minutes to allow for the gusty nature of the wind. Nick Van Ingen successfully booked his place in the next round after defeating Italian Marco Vinante (JP / Hot Sails Maui / AL360). The Dutchman sailed a tactically astute heat as he managed to land some of the latest power moves such a regular kono and culo despite the tricky and gusty conditions on offer. On the B-side of the panel Giovanni Passani (Tabou / GA Sails) fared better than his fellow countryman - Vinante - as he continued his fine start to life on the PWA World Tour by defeating Marco Lufen (JP / NeilPryde) - after making his debut appearance in Leucate, France, last week where he finished joint seventeenth. A few more heats were started, but the wind became too inconsistent for the sailors to be given a fair chance to show what they are capable of and as a result were cancelled. With the conditions failing to improve the fleet were released at 3:45pm. The forecast is currently predicting light winds from the South for tomorrow, so the skippers’ meeting will be held at 10am with the action commencing from 10:30am. Don’t miss any of the action by tuning into www.pwaworldtour.com - here you’ll be able to follow everything that happens via the PWA live ticker.