Der Samstag könnte der Schlüsseltag für die Internationalen Deutschen Meisterschaften 2016 sein. Am Vormittag konnte das Ergebnis in der Disziplin Slalom gesichert werden. Am Nachmittag gab es vier weitere Rennen in der Disziplin Racing. Vincent Langer (GER-1), der Deutsche Meister von 2015 konnte sich die Führung erobern und rückt so einer erfolgreichen Titelverteidigung näher. „Heute war ein perfekter Tag für mich. Ich konnte im Slalom siegen und alle vier Racings des heutigen Tages gewinnen. Ich bin überglücklich, denn am Anfang hatte ich im Racing ein paar Probleme. Nun bin ich in der perfekten Ausgangssituation für den Finaltag“, strahlt Vincent Langer. Am Freitag konnte sich zunächst der Schönberger Nico Prien (GER-7) die Führung bei den Internationalen Deutschen Meisterschaften erobern. Doch der Samstag sollte die Karten komplett neu mischen. Die Vorhersagen versprachen nur für ein kurzes Zeitfenster am frühen Morgen ausreichende Bedingungen. Deshalb begannen die Slalomrennen bereits um 08:45. Die „Frühschicht“ zahlte sich für die Windsurfer aber aus. Bei fünf Windstärken herrschten perfekte Slalombedingungen und es konnte die Slalomelimination beendet werden. Im Slalomfinale trafen alle Favoriten aufeinander. Vincent Langer und Gunnar Asmussen (GER-88) hatten beide perfekte Starts und konnten sich so schnell vom Verfolgerfeld absetzen. Über fünf Slalomschenkel lieferten sich die beiden Kontrahenten ein packendes Duell. Am Ende konnte sich Vincent Langer knapp durchsetzen und so die Führung in der Disziplin Slalom sichern. Mit Platz zwei ist der Flensburger Gunnar Asmussen gut auf Kurs für den Vize-Meistertitel im Slalom. Der bis dahin in der Disziplin Racing führende Nico Prien aus Schönberg belegte im Slalom Platz drei und konnte so seinen härtesten Konkurrenten in der Rangliste, Dennis Müller (GER-89) von der Insel Norderney, hinter sich halten. Der Norweger Martin Möller-Hovda (NOR-41) komplettierte die Top-5. Wie erwartet ließ der Wind in der Folge nach, so dass auf die Disziplin Racing gewechselt wurde. Die Wechselphase wurde auch noch unfreiwillig etwas verlängert, weil ein Spülbagger mit seinen Küstenschutzmaßnahmen direkt in das Kursgebiet steuerte und auch in der Folge immer wieder kurze Wettkampfunterbrechungen erforderte. Vincent Langer ließ sich davon nicht irritieren und kehrte auch im Racing wieder zu seiner Topform zurück. Überlegen konnte er alle vier Wettfahrten gewinnen. Damit eroberte er auch in der Disziplin Racing die Führung und baute diese in der Folge weiter aus. Nico Prien zeigte sich im Racing weiterhin stark und ließ sich auch von einem gebrochenen Trapezhaken nicht irritieren. Mit 8,7 Punkten liegt er relativ sicher auf Platz zwei. So hat er vor dem Finaltag die besten Karten, um deutscher Vizemeister im Racing zu werden. Der Schweizer Richard Staufacher (SUI-31) hält Platz drei mit 13,0 Punkten. Gunnar Asmussen macht einen großen Sprung nach vorne und liegt aktuell mit 14,7 Punkten auf Platz vier im Racing. Fabian Mattes (GER-202) komplettiert die Top-5 in dieser Disziplin. In der Gesamtwertung werden beide Disziplinen zusammengezählt und somit auch der Deutsche Meister 2016 ermittelt. Mit ersten Plätzen in den beiden Einzeldisziplinen belegt aktuell Vincent Langer auch in der Gesamtwertung überlegen den ersten Platz. Somit rückt seine Titelverteidigung in greifbare Nähe. Auf Platz zwei liegt aktuell Nico Prien mit einem dritten Platz im Slalom und Platz zwei im Racing. Auf dem dritten Platz folgt Gunnar Asmussen. Der Schweizer Richard Staufacher und der Noderneyer Dennis Müller komplettieren die Top-5 vor dem Finaltag. Für den letzten Regattatag sind erneut sehr gute Bedingungen für die Disziplin Racing angesagt, so dass weitere spannende Wettfahrten zu erwarten sind. Die offizielle Siegerehrung für die Internationalen Deutschen Meisterschaften findet um 17:00 Uhr statt.

Der Wind ließ sich am 8. Tag des Fuerteventura PWA Grand Slam etwas Zeit – aber ab 14:30 blies er wieder in gewohnter Stärke. Gefahren wurde erneut mit den kleinen Slalomboards und Segeln zwischen  5,6 bis 6,3m².  Auch am dritten Tag waren Antoine Albeau (RRD / NeilPryde) und Ross Williams (Tabou / GA Segel / Mystic / Shamal Sunglasses), sehr stark, sie hielten die ersten beiden Plätze in der Gesamtwertung, jeder gewann heute eine Elimination der Rennen Nr. 6 und 7. Elimination Six Winners’ Final Josh Angulo (Angulo) made the best start to the winners’ final, but it was Matteo Iachino (Starboard / Point-7) who led the race into the first mark ahead of Angulo, Antoine Albeau and Ross Williams, who produced an excellent first gybe and turn of acceleration to grab pole position as they rounded the second. However, in a hotly contested final it was soon a 3 or 4 way battle over the remainder of the course between Albeau, who held the advantage into the third, Williams, Iachino and Pierre Mortefon (Fanatic / NorthSails), but ultimately Albeau wouldn’t be denied a 4th bullet of the week as he extended his lead at the top of the event rankings. Meanwhile, Williams, hung onto 2nd place after a photo finish with Mortefon after a thrilling final leg.  18 year old Ethan Westera booked himself a place in his first semifinal of the week to recover from a poor day yesterday. The young Aruban couldn’t navigate his way into the winners’ final, but he secured 13th overall in the sixth race. Ross Williams found himself in a spot of trouble in the semifinal, but escaped brilliantly by executing a superb gybe at the second buoy to jump from 7th to 4th.  Cyril Moussilmani (Starboard / Severne) missed out on a place in the winners’ final, but was able to limit the damage by claiming victory in the losers’ final to maintain his place in the overall top 10 of the event.    Elimination Seven Winners’ Final The 7th elimination brings the second discard into play, but the top 10 doesn’t really change after this. The biggest mover is Matteo Iachino, who rises from 10th to 6th. However, the last winners’ final of the day saw another thrilling finale with Pascal Toselli (99NoveNove / Challenger Sails) leading Heat 16 from the start until half way down the final reach only for Williams to haul himself back into contention to force an absolutely flat out fight for the finish line and as the two sailors past it was too close to call. Soon afterwards it was confirmed that Williams had managed to secure his opening bullet of the week, while denying Toselli a second victory. Julien Quentel (Patrik / Avanti) ended that day with his best result of the event so far — 3rd — while Antoine Albeau will currently discard his 4th place finish.  In the losers’ final Jordy Vonk (Fanatic / NorthSails) saw off the challenge of firstly, Finian Maynard (99NoveNove / Gun Sails), and then Pierre Mortefon (Fanatic / NorthSails) to earn 9th place and the Dutchman was clearly delighted with his efforts as it brought him back into the overall top 16, while Mortefon claimed 2nd ahead of Maynard in 3rd.  Both Mortefon and Maynard were involved in a collision in the opening semifinal, which ultimately cost them a place in the winners’ final when both well placed.  Elsewhere, Matteo Iachino, produced a superb comeback in the quarterfinals after falling at the second when in the lead. The Italian made a quick recovery to somehow still grab the final qualifying place as he denied Ludovic Jossin (Patrik / Sailloft Hamburg). The forecast looks windier again tomorrow, which should see the exhilarating slalom continue. The sailors will meet again at 10:30am — with the racing commencing from 11am (GMT+1) onwards. Make sure you tune into www.pwaworldtour.com to follow the racing live.  To see all the latest from the event — including the live stream, elimination ladders, entry list, images and live ticker simply click HERE and scroll to the bottom of the page. Current Ranking Men’s Slalom — Fuerteventura PWA Grand Slam 1st Antoine Albeau (RRD / NeilPryde) 2nd Ross Williams (Tabou / GA Sails / Mystic / Shamal Sunglasses) 3rd Pierre Mortefon (Fanatic / NorthSails) 4th Cedric Bordes (Tabou / GA Sails) 5th Pascal Toselli (99NoveNove / Challenger Sails) 6th Matteo Iachino (Starboard / Point-7) 7th Julien Quentel (Patrik / Avanti) 8th Cyril Moussilmani (Starboard / Severne) 9th Ben van der Steen (Tabou / GA Sails) 10th Taty Frans (Starboard / GA Sails / Mystic)  

Nachdem die Teilnehmer gestern einen entspannten Tag am Brandenburger Strand erleben durften, ging es heute auf Sylt wieder ab auf die Bretter. Der Wind wehte mit 8-10 Knoten (3 Windstärken) aus Süden. Er wehte damit am unteren Limit der Disziplin Racing. Es reichte um zwei weitere Racings einzufahren. Die Deutsche Meisterschaft 2016 ist damit gesichert. Nach insgesamt drei Wettfahrt erobert Nicolas Prien die Führung bei der wichtigsten nationalen Windsurfregatta. Prien: “Ich weiß gar nicht mehr genau, was im Rennen passiert ist, weil ich mich so super freue, dass ich jetzt auf 1 bin. Am Anfang war es super eng mit Vincent. Aber bei dem schwachen Wind hat bei mir alles perfekt gepasst. Unglaublich, dass sich der ganze Aufwand jetzt endlich mal auszahlen konnte.“ Gleich am ersten Regattatag konnte bereits ein Racing absolviert werden. Hier konnte sich der Flensburger Gunnar Asmussen (GER-88) den ersten Laufsieg sichern. Dicht auf den Versen waren ihm Nicolas Prien (GER-7) und Vincent Langer (GER-1) auf Platz zwei und drei. Auch am dritten Regattatag standen diese drei Favoriten im Mittelpunkt des Geschehens. Im ersten Rennen des Tages fand Vincent Langer zu seiner gewohnten Form zurück und ließ alle Verfolger hinter sich. Gunnar Asmussen war in diesem Rennen vom Pech verfolgt und beging einen Frühstart. Für dieses Rennen wurde er somit disqualifiziert. Nicolas Prien freute sich erneut über einen zweiten Platz, gefolgt von dem Kieler Leon Delle (GER-6). Um die Windverhältnisse bestmöglich auszunutzen, wurde direkt das dritte Racing angeschossen. Hier wendete sich erneut das Blatt und neue Protagonisten kamen ins Spiel. Nicolas Prien konnte den ersten Sieg für sich entscheiden. Der Schweizer Richard Stauffacher (SUI-31) kam als Zweiter ins Ziel, gefolgt von dem Ravensburger Fabian Mattes (GER-202). Vincent Langer erlangt lediglich Rang acht. Mit zwei zweiten Plätzen und einem Laufsieg übernimmt Nicolas Prien die Führung beim Surf Cup Sylt presented by Flens. Mit deutlichem Abstand folgt der amtierende Deutsche Meister Vincent Langer auf Platz zwei. Nach einer längeren Verletzungspause feiert der Ravensburger Fabian Mattes ein erfolgreiches Comeback. Leon Delle und der Norweger Martin Möller-Hovda liefern sich ein packendes Duell um Platz vier. Beide sind punktgleich. Im Tie-Break kann sich der Kieler Delle aber durchsetzen. Hier die direkten Links zu den Ergebnislisten Ergebnisliste Racing

Weitere 3 Eliminations wurden am zweiten Tag des Slaloms abgeschlossen. Der Wind war erneut sehr stark, die meisten Starter gingen mit 5.6-6.2er Segeln und den kleinsten Boards aufs Wasser. Heute war ein echter Test für die taktischen Fähigkeiten der Fahrer, in jeder der drei Eliminations wurde der Kurs etwas verändert. Am Ende des Tages ist es Antoine Albeau (RRD / NeilPryde), der seine Führung in der Spitze des Event-Rankings verteidigt. Der amtierende Weltmeister gewann zwei Eliminations,  ein neunter Platz von ihm ist bereits ein Streichergebnis. Elimination Three Winners’ Final Taty Frans (Starboard / GA Sails / Mystic) made the best start of the fleet in the opening winners’ final of the day, but it was Cyril Moussilmani (Starboard / Severne) who assumed the lead as they rounded the opening buoy. However, with the ferocious winds and extremely choppy water, Moussilmani, took a tumble at the second mark allowing Pascal Toselli (99NoveNove / Challenger Sails) to pick up the lead. Over the remainder of the course there was a fantastic battle between Toselli, Frans and Pierre Mortefon (Fanatic / NorthSails), but it was Toselli who eventually came out on top with Mortefon taking 2nd ahead of Frans and Ben Van der Steen (Tabou / GA Sails), who recorded his best result of the event so far — 4th.  Elimination Four The fourth elimination saw a completely different course, which saw some sailors up in arms about the course they had been set, but it produced the most exciting race of the day with positions constantly changing with sailors falling left, right and centre with the short and broad legs catching many out. This meant that sailors going in the drink at the opening couple of buoys were still frequently qualifying with the opportunity to come back a real possibility and from a spectators perspective it was fantastic. Winners’ Final Having missed out on the winners’ final in the third elimination, Antoine Albeau (RRD / NeilPryde), immediately struck back as he made a flying start by the pin to take a narrow lead into the first over Pascal Toselli, who was looking to win back-to-back eliminations, and Ross Williams (Tabou / GA Sails / Mystic / Shamal Sunglasses). With the bit firmly between his teeth Albeau was soon securing bullet number two of the week and he celebrated by launching into a massive jump as he crossed the finish line. Meanwhile, with Williams applying the pressure the Brit secured himself an excellent 2nd place as Toselli went down when under pressure, while Ben Van der Steen went one place better than the previous race to finish 3rd ahead of Cedric Bordes (Tabou / GA Sails) and Pierre Mortefon (Fanatic / NorthSails). Elsewhere, Diony Guadagnino (AHD / Loft Sails), qualified for his first winners’ final since returning to the PWA Slalom World Tour this year and the Venezuelan showed excellent pace and secure gybes to earn a 6th place finish. Elimination Five After a short and dynamic course in the third race, the final elimination of the day was a battle consisting of out and out speed with just two successful gybes being needed to round the course. However, the speed runs saw many sailors tail walking as they fought to survive the extreme conditions snd some suffered some brutal wipeouts — including Marco Lang (Fanatic / North Sails) who broke his boom such was the ferocity of one of his catapults. Winners’ Final The fifth elimination saw another scintillating finish involving Antoine Albeau, Pierre Mortefon and Matteo Iachino (Starboard / Point-7). Jordy Vonk (Fanatic / NorthSails) made an excellent start, but by the first it was Albeau and Iachino going all out and it looked as though it would be AA who would hold the lead as they entered the opening gybe, however, Iachino dived down the inside to snatch pole position only for Albeau to find another gear to blitz past Iachino on the second reach to take first place. Mortefon then came flying down the home reach to make it a three way battle for the finish line, but Albeau would not be denied as he opens up an extensive lead at the top. Mortefon, meanwhile, rises to 3rd overall after beating Iachino to 2nd place, while Ross Williams continues to enjoy a fine start to the event and he occupies 4th place in the currently event rankings after another top 4 finish.  Jordy Vonk qualified for his opening winners’ final of the week after a disappointing performance yesterday and the young Dutchman was clearly delighted as he fist pumped across the finish line, only to be brought firmly back to earth with a catapult. However, Vonk, didn’t let the crash affect his mindset as he continued to celebrate once being back on the beach. Cedric Bordes (Tabou / GA Sails) missed out on a place in the winners’ final for the first time this week, but he limited the damage by claiming victory in the losers’ final to finish 9th overall and holds 4th place in the event rankings.  Antoine Albeau now holds a commanding lead at the top of the rankings and he’ll be looking to continue his domination of the event tomorrow with the forecast predicting another windy day tomorrow. The sailors will meet again at 10:30am — with the racing commencing from 11am (GMT+1) onwards. Make sure you tune into www.pwaworldtour.com to follow the racing live.  To see all the latest from the event — including the live stream, elimination ladders, entry list, images and live ticker simply click HERE and scroll to the bottom of the page. Current Ranking Men’s Slalom — Fuerteventura PWA Grand Slam 1st Antoine Albeau (RRD / NeilPryde) 2nd Ross Williams (Tabou / GA Sails / Mystic / Shamal Sunglasses) 3rd Pierre Mortefon (Fanatic / NorthSails) 4th Cedric Bordes (Tabou / GA Sails) 5th Pascal Toselli (99NoveNove / Challenger Sails) 6th Cyril Moussilmani (Starboard / Severne) 7th Julien Quentel (Patrik / Avanti) 8th Taty Frans (Starboard / GA Sails / Mystic) 9th Finian Maynard (99NoveNove / Gun Sails) 10th Matteo Iachino (Starboard / Point-7)

Am ersten Augustwochenende werden in Sankt Peter-Ording die deutsche Kite-Elite, Hunderte von Testern und Tausende von Kitefans zu Gast sein. Das Nordseebad lädt vom 05. bis zum 07. August zum dritten Tourstopp der offiziellen deutschen Meisterschaftsserie „Kitesurf Masters“ ein. Neben den Wettkämpfen der Spitzenreiter wird auch für die Hobbysportler und die Besucher eine Menge geboten. So werden die führenden Marken der Kiteindustrie ihre Kiter, Boards, Bars und Zubehör bei der Kite-Expo im Event-Village direkt am Strand präsentieren und bem Kitelife Testival sogar kostenlos zum Testen zur Verfügung stellen. Die Kitesurf Masters sind die höchste Kite-Regattaserie in Deutschland. Die Tour besteht in diesem Jahr aus vier Tourstopps. Die Ergebnisse gehen in die offizielle Rangliste ein. Dabei kämpft die Kite-Elite um den offiziellen deutschen Meistertitel. In St. Peter-Ording werden die Disziplinen Freestyle, Racing und Slalom (für Junioren und Youth) ausgetragen. Dass St. Peter-Ording als Top-Spot unter den Kitesurfern gilt, zeigt auch die Anzahl der Anmeldungen. Schon jetzt zeichnet sich ein starkes Teilnehmerfeld ab: Knapp drei Wochen vor der Veranstaltung haben sich bereits über 50 Kiter angemeldet. Neben den sportlichen Wettkämpfen ist das Kitelife Testival ein weiteres Highlight der Veranstaltung. Hier stellen renommierte Kitemarken ihr Material Hobby-Kitern zur Verfügung. Neben der aktuellen Produktpalette werden teilweise auch schon die neuen Produkte für 2017 vorgestellt. Neben der Action auf dem Wasser sorgt ein buntes Rahmenprogramm mit Pump Track und Slacklines im Eventvillage für Unterhaltung. Eine abwechslungsreiche Catering- und Shoppingmeile lädt am Strand zum Verweilen ein und für musikalische Abwechslung sorgen die beiden Bands, die am Freitag (05.08.) und Samstag (06.08.) Abend im Eventvillage auftreten werden. Parken kann man tagsüber auf dem Strand direkt neben dem Eventvillage. Allein das ist schon einmalig in Deutschland und macht den Trip zu den Kitesurf Masters und Sankt Peter-Ording zu einem Erlebnis.

Der Surf Cup Sylt presented by Flens ist in vollem Gange. Mit dabei ist in diesem Jahr auch ein Schweizer Profi Surfer. Richard Staubfacher bringt viel Erfahrung mit, denn er durfte schon drei Mal bei Olympia mitfahren und konnte sich 2012 dort sogar unter den Top-10 etablieren. Wir haben ihn dazu interviewt: Was ist das Besondere an Olympia? "Die Olympischen Spiele sind für jeden Sportler ein Lebenstraum und ich habe viel dafür trainiert und gekämpft um teilnehmen zu können. Mit dem Start habe ich dann ein riesen Ziel für mich erreicht und mir einen Traum erfüllt. Das Außergewöhnliche sind die Dimensionen, die die Veranstaltung hat. Meist werden ja ganze Städte dafür umgebaut. Schön ist auf jeden Fall die Tatsache, dass man mit Sportlern aus dem ganzen Land unterwegs ist. " Gibt es Ähnlichkeiten zum Surf Cup Sylt? "Bei den Olympischen Spielen liegt der Fokus eindeutig auf dem Event selbst, da es nur alle 4 Jahre stattfindet. Es stellt den Höhepunkt in der Karriere aller Sportler dar. Eine gewonnene Medaille hat einen unglaublichen Stellenwert. Man hat es geschafft! Genauso ist aber auch die Teilnahme an der Deutschen Meisterschaft hier im Rahmen des Surf Cup Sylt für viele Surfer der Höhepunkt in der Karriere." Gibt es ähnliche Events auch in der Schweiz? "Die Veranstaltung rund um die Deutsche Meisterschaft ist größer als die meisten Wettkämpfe in der Schweiz. Die Schweizer Serie beginnt in Südfrankreich und wird dann auf verschiedenen Seen in der Schweiz ausgetragen. Am Silvaplaner See findet dann der Saison Höhepunkt statt: die Schweizer Meisterschaft. Diese wird in einem 5 tägigen Event ausgetragen, bei dem auch viele Surfer aus Deutschland teilnehmen. Vincent Langer hat zum Beispiel auch schon teilgenommen." Bist du Vollprofi oder wie verdienst du deine Brötchen? "Ich arbeite mittlerweile seit 4 Jahren im Controlling und bin für das Asset Management zuständig. Durch meinen 100% Job bin ich nicht mehr so regelmäßig auf dem Wasser. Daher komme ich hauptsächlich in meinem Urlaub zum Surfen. Dann nehme ich an Regatten teil und trainiere viel. Wie im Winter, als ich mit meiner Familie zum Trainieren in Südafrika war oder jetzt zu den Deutschen Meisterschaften auf Sylt." Was ist deine Lieblingsdisziplin? "Die Disziplin Formula liegt mir am meisten. Das taktische Fahren bringt mir super viel Spaß. Der Vorteil ist, dass man bei einer Rücklage durch gute taktische Manöver immer wieder nach vorne kommt. Allerdings bieten die Slalom Rennen mehr Action und sind dynamischer. Es ist also kaum zu vergleichen." Was sind deiner Lieblingsreviere? "Kapstadt ist eines meiner Lieblingsreviere, wobei es sich vor allem für das Waveriding eignet. Aber auch der Silvaplanersee ist ein tolles Revier. Man befindet sich 1800 m über dem Meeresspiegel inmitten der Berge.  Das ist ein herrliches Panorama. Jedoch kann man es aber nur wenige Tage im Jahr auf Grund der Höhe befahren, denn sonst liegt dort immer Schnee." Was sind deine Ziele? "Jetzt möchte ich bei den deutschen Meisterschaften aufs Treppchen kommen. Und dann stehen in zwei Wochen die Schweizer Meisterschaften am Silvaplanersee an. Auch hier hoffe ich auf eine gute Platzierung. "

Heute war der erste Tag für die Slalom-Racer beim diesjähringen Fuerteventura PWA Grand Slam. Nach 5 Tagen Freestyle gab es heute einen spektakulären Beginn der Slalomrennen. Bei Wind von über 40 Knoten wurde das Können der Racer heftig auf die Probe gestellt. Zeitweise war der Wind so stark, dass das Überleben primäres Ziel wurde und es gab einige massive Wipeouts auch mit einigen prominenten Opfern. Am Ende des ersten Tages führt Antoine Albeau (RRD / NeilPryde) nach einem ersten und zweiten Platz in den beiden heutigen Eliminations. Extrem spannend gestern der Finallauf der ersten Elimination – Matteo Iachino und Antoine Albeau Kopf an Kopf auf dem letzten Schlag – Matteo gewann das Rennen. Wer Zeit und Gelegenheit hat, sollte sich unbedingt die Rennen im Live Stream der PWA anschauen. Men’s Slalom Elimination One Winners’ Final The opening winners’ final saw one of the closest finishes in PWA history as Matteo Iachino (Starboard / Point-7) pipped Antoine Albeau (RRD / NeilPryde) to the first bullet of the week in an exhilarating finish, which saw the two heavy weights flying down the final reach at mac ten. Albeau looked to be in control, but Iachino turned on the afterburners to steal the victory from the claws of the reigning world champion. Meanwhile, Cedric Bordes (Tabou / GA Sails), made a fine start to the event as he secured third place ahead of teammate Ross Williams (Tabou / GA Sails / Mystic / Shamal Sunglasses). Enes Yilmazer (Starboard / Severne), Ingmar Daldorf (Patrik / Loft Sails), James Dinsmore (Starboard / Severne) and Massimo Colombi (Starboard / Maui Sails) all received byes into the second round after Bruno Martini (Starboard / Severne / AL360), Nik van den Eerenbeemt (JP / NeilPryde) and Diony Guadagnino (AHD / Loft Sails) all jumped the gun resulting in disqualification. Elimination Two Winners’ Final Cyril Moussilmani (Starboard / Severne) led for the majority of the second winners’ final, but was denied victory by Antoine Albeau, who struck late to overtake at the final mark ensuring that he leads the event at the end of the first day of racing. Moussilmani finished in second place ahead of Ross Williams and Cedric Bordes and he holds second place in the current event rankings, while Bordes and Williams are currently tied for third.  After making a flying start to the event Matteo Iachino suffered an early exit in the second elimination as he was knocked out in Heat 12, which saw the Italian go from leading the event to dropping to 12th but he will be hoping to discard that result after the fourth race.  Elsewhere, Andrea Ferin (RRD / Challenger Sails / AL360), enjoyed a fine second elimination as he qualified for the semifinals. Unfortunately the Italian then jumped the gun in Heat 13, but secured 13th place to bounce back from a second round exit in the opening race. Current world tour leader — Pierre Mortefon (Fanatic / NorthSails) — currently sits in 6th place after 9th and 5th place finishes today and you would expect to see him charging for the top tomorrow as he looks to continue to set the pace in this year’s title race. The forecast for tomorrow looks even windier, which should guarantee plenty of adrenaline fuelled slalom and whether anyone can tame Fuerteventura’s fierce winds will remain to be seen. Make sure you tune into www.pwaworldtour.com to follow the racing live. To see all the latest from the event — including the live stream, elimination ladders, entry list, images and live ticker simply click HERE and scroll to the bottom of the page. Here’s a recap from the preview of some of the top contenders to look out for over the next five days. Current Ranking Men’s Slalom — Fuerteventura PWA Grand Slam 1st Antoine Albeau (RRD / NeilPryde) 2nd Cyril Moussilmani (Starboard / Severne 3rd Ross Williams (Tabou / GA Sails / Mystic / Shamal Sunglasses) 3rd Cedric Bordes (Tabou / GA Sails) 5th Julien Quentel (Patrik / Avanti) 6th Pierre Mortefon (Fanatic / NorthSails) 7th Arnon Dagan (RRD / NeilPryde) 8th Tristan Algret (Starboard / Severne) 9th Finian Maynard (99NoveNove / Gun Sails) 10th Nicolas Warembourg (JP / NeilPryde / Mystic)

Der diesjährige Surf Cup Sylt presented by Flens kann einen neuen Teilnehmerrekord vermelden. Insgesamt 73 Teilnehmer aus fünf verschiedenen Nationen haben sich auf den Weg zu den Internationalen Deutschen Meisterschaften nach Westerland gemacht. Pünktlich zum Skippersmeeting wehte der Wind mit unteren fünf Windstärken, so dass zunächst die Disziplin Slalom gestartet wurde. Bis zu den Viertelfinals hielt sich der Wind und bescherte den Windsurfern spannende Positionskämpfe. Leider ließ der Wind dann nach, so dass die Slalomelimination beendet werden musste.

Beim Surf Cup Sylt ist auch die Disziplin Formula Windsurfing (Racing) angesetzt. Die Teilnehmer fahren mit bis zu 12qm großen Segeln und können somit bereits ab sieben Knoten (untere 3 Windstärken) aufs Wasser gehen.

Hier konnte sich der Schönberger Nicolas Prien (GER-7) zunächst erfolgreich in Szene setzen. Bis kurz vor dem Ziel behauptete er seine Führung. Doch wenige Meter davor musste er doch noch den Flensburger Gunnar Asmussen (GER-88) passieren lassen. Asmussen sicherte sich somit den Sieg im Auftaktrennen. Der Deutsche Meister Vincent Langer (GER-1) fuhr auf Platz 3. Der Schweizer Richard Stauffacher (SUI-31) platzierte sich auf dem vierten Rang, vor Fabian Mattes (GER-202).

Neben der sportlichen Action auf dem Wasser sorgten das LVM Kids Camp mit dem lustigen Maskottchen „Pferdinant“ bei den kleinen Gästen für Begeisterung. Für das ältere Publikum hatten die Moderatoren auf dem Surf Cup ebenfalls noch ein Ass im Ärmel. Beim Bingo auf der Promenade gab es nicht nur sensationelle Preise sondern auch eine Menge Spaß und Aktionen. Die täglichen Öffnungszeiten sind von 10:00 bis 22:00 Uhr auf der Promenade von Westerland.

Der letzte Tag des Freestyle-Worldcups auf Fuerteventura lieferte keine Wettkampfbedingungen mehr. Sehr böiger Wind verhinderte leider faire Wettkämpfe. Die Sieger des 2016er Freestyle Worldcups sind somit Sarah-Quita Offringa (Starboard / NeilPryde / Maui Ultra Fins) und Amado Vrieswijk. Für die Damen ist der Event in Fuerteventura in diesem Jahr der einzige Tourstopp, dadurch ist Sarah-Quita zum neunten Mal Freestyle Weltmeisterin. Die erst 18 jährige und sehr stark gefahrene Maaike Huvermann (Starboard / Severne) wurde Vizeweltmeisterin. Wir sind gespannt was von Maaike in den nächsten Jahren noch kommt. Ebenfalls einen sehr starken Auftritt hatten die beiden Nachwuchsfahrer Yentel Caers (JP / NeilPryde) aus Belgien und Amado Vrieswijk (JP / Severne) aus Bonaire. Sie fuhren sowohl in der Single Elimination als auch in der Double auf die ersten beiden Plätze. Amado gewinnt den Fuerteventura Event – sein erster Eventsieg überhaupt – und wird dadurch auch Erster der diesjährigen Rangliste. Enttäuschend hingegen verlief der Fuerteventura Worldcup für Gollito Estredo (Fanatic / NorthSails / MFC), er war durch seinen Eventsieg am Neusiedler See / Österreich auf einem guten Weg zu seinem siebten Freestyle-WM-Titel. Es bleibt trotzdem spannend, der letzte Freestyle-Event dieses Jahres findet beim Worldcup auf Sylt statt. The fifth day of the Fuerteventura PWA Grand Slam — orangeades and sponsored by René Egli — saw light winds to conclude the final day of the freestyle. During the afternoon the breeze did increase and the women’s second double elimination was started, but unfortunately conditions deteriorated again soon afterwards meaning that there was no change to the results, which means Amado Vrieswijk (JP / Severne) claims a deserved maiden win on the world tour, while Sarah-Quita Offringa (Starboard / NeilPryde / Maui Ultra Fins) maintains her incredible unbeaten run to collect freestyle world title No.9. Women’s  Sarah-Quita Offringa proved again over the last 5 days why she is the undisputed Queen of Freestyle as she produced another imperious display to extend her unbeaten run to 9 years. The 25 year old won every heat she sailed this week with a combination of the latest power moves and also sliding combos. Offringa had this to day after capturing a 9th freestyle world crown — 11 overall: “I feel like I had a good event and it was fun to sail in a different range of conditions — varying in wind strength and waves or waves, which gave everyone a chance to show their level. The thing that I personally enjoyed the most is that everyone was trying to push the level with Maaike and Oda going for the power moves, while Arrianne and Maxime are also pushing. Overall its nice to see the level go up.” Maaike Huvermann (Starboard / Severne / Maui Ultra Fins) grew in confidence throughout the event and she ends 2016 as the vice-world champion, which is her best result so far. Huvermann was able to show her true talent after a disappointing single elimination and by the end of the week she was even beginning to give Offringa a run for her money.  Oda Johanne (Starboard / Severne / Maui Ultra Fins) sailed well once again and the Norwegian secured her place on the podium for the 3rd consecutive year. Johanne earned 2nd place in the opening single elimination, but slips back one place to 3rd with Huvermann gaining the upper-hand in their next two battles.  Meanwhile, Arrianne Aukes (Fanatic / NorthSails / Maui Ultra Fins) rises to 4th in the overall rankings this year, while Maxime van Gent (JP / NeilPryde / Maui Ultra Fins) and Olya Raskina (JP / NeilPryde) complete the top 6. Alexa Escherich (JP / NeilPryde) made her debut this week and she walks away as the 2016 PWA Youth World Champion.  Men’s Freestyle Amado Vrieswijk clinches a maiden event victory after fighting back through the double elimination and defeating Yentel Caers (JP / NeilPryde) twice to overturn the result. Vrieswijk now assumes control of the title race as he leap frogs Jose ‘Gollito’ Estredo (Fanatic / NorthSails / MFC) into 1st place in the current overall world rankings. Vrieswijk added: “I’m super stoked to win my first world cup event. We had some amazing conditions. Thanks to everyone for being here and congratulations to Yentel and Gollito as well. I look forward to coming back next year.”  Yentel Caers has been threatening to produce a big performance recently and this week everything clicked into place as the Belgian stomped his mark on the world tour by winning the single elimination — guaranteeing himself his best ever result — 2nd here. Caers has now broken through and established himself as a world title contender for 2016 and years to come.  6-time freestyle world champion — Jose ‘Gollito’ Estredo (Fanatic / NorthSails / MFC) — sits in 2nd place overall after the event. Gollito sailed well throughout the event, but uncharacteristically made a few errors in his heat against Vrieswijk in the double elimination. Gollito is usually clinical in the competition arena but crashed a couple of times, before running out of moves on port tack, which proved critical with his shifty in Heat 50 not counting. However, Gollito, still occupies 2nd place in the overall rankings and will enter the final event of the year in Sylt with an excellent shot at a 7th world title.  After an epic freestyle battle attention now turns towards the slalom, which starts tomorrow and runs for the next five days. From the looks of the forecast the fastest sailors in the world will be trying to hold onto their smallest equipment, while attempting to safely navigate themselves to the end of the course. The skippers’ meeting for tomorrow will be held at 12:30pm with a first possible start of 1pm (GMT+1). Make sure you tune into www.pwaworldtour.com to follow the racing live. To see all the latest from the event — including the live stream, elimination ladders, entry list, images and live ticker simply click HERE and scroll to the bottom of the page. Here’s a recap from the preview of some of the top contenders to look out for over the next five days. Men’s Slalom Pierre Mortefon (Fanatic / NorthSails) came agonisingly close to a maiden world title last year, finishing level on points with Antoine Albeau (RRD / NeilPryde), and the Frenchman has picked up exactly where he left off and currently leads the race for this year’s title after following up a 4th place finish in Korea with his first victory of the year in Costa Brava. The 26 year old seems equally adept in light or strong winds and he looks sure to be challenging for the top again as he looks to maintain his lead at the top of the rankings. However, Mortefon, will face stern competition, first and foremost from Matteo Iachino (Starboard / Point-7), who led the title race for much of last year and made a flying start to the year in Korea where he came out on top. A small blip in Costa Brava saw the Italian have to settle for 7th, but he looks to have made a seamless transition onto his new equipment and should be challenging for the top again. Iachino is still breathing down the neck of Mortefon, but will be doing everything in his power to overhaul the current world tour leader. Ross Williams (Tabou / GA Sails / Mystic / Shamal Sunglasses) has continued his fine form from 2015 and currently sits in 3rd place overall and will be looking to replicate his podium finish here last year as the Brit looks to keep himself in contention. Pascal Toselli (99NoveNove / Challenger Sails) has bounced back from a slightly disappointing end to last season with to two top 10 finishes — including 5th in Costa Brava. Toselli looks to have the bit between his teeth and looks lighting quick and should be involved again. Arnon Dagan (RRD / NeilPryde) entered the second event of the year in 15th place, but has risen to 5th in the current standings after an excellent 2nd place in Costa Brava and the Israeli will be looking to build upon that performance, while Steven Allen (Patrik / Severne) continues to perform unbelievably consistently. The Australian currently holds 6th overall after two top 10 results — 10th in Korea and 9th in Costa Brava, respectively.  Andrea Cucchi (Starboard / Point-7) has been racing on the PWA World Tour for the last 20 years, but the Italian experienced his best performance to date in Costa Brava as he won the final elimination of the week to deservedly earn a maiden podium. Cucchi is extremely quick and if he can avoid making any errors then he’ll be a real threat again — as will Julien Quentel (Patrik / Avanti Sails) who currently holds 8th place.  The season hasn’t gone to plan so far for reigning world champion — Antoine Albeau (RRD / NeilPryde) — and he currently finds himself in 9th place. However, the proud new father, holds an incredible 23 world titles to his name and you would expect him to bounce back with a vengeance. AA generally performs excellently under pressure and there’s now no room for error for the remainder of the season. Elsewhere you can expect to see the likes of Cyril Moussilmani (Starboard / Severne), Antoine Questel (Starboard / GA Sails), Malte Reuscher (JP / NeilPryde), Taty Frans (Starboard / GA Sails / Mystic), Gonzalo Costa Hoevel (Starboard / Point-7), Tristan Algret (Starboard / Severne / Mystic) and Jordy Vonk (Fanatic / NorthSails) all challenging for the top 10 again — with the latter coming into the event off the back of his best ever result — 4th in Costa Brava.  You would also expect to see big performances from teammates Cedric Bordes (Tabou / GA Sails) and Ben van der Steen (Tabou / GA Sails / Mystic), who finished in 5th and 6th place last year, but currently find themselves outside of the top 16. Overall Ranking 2016 PWA Women’s Freestyle World Tour: 1st Sarah-Quita Offringa (Starboard / NeilPryde / Maui Ultra Fins) 2nd Maaike Huvermann (Starboard / Severne / Maui Ultra Fins) 3rd Oda Johanne (Starboard / Severne / Maui Ultra Fins) 4th Arrianne Aukes (Fanatic / NorthSails / Maui Ultra Fins) 5th Maxime van Gent (JP / NeilPryde / Maui Ultra Fins) Overall Ranking 2016 Fuerteventura PWA Grand Slam: Men’s Freestyle 1st Amado Vrieswijk (JP / Severne) 2nd Yentel Caers (JP / NeilPryde) 3rd Gollito Estredo (Fanatic / NorthSails / MFC) 4th Dieter Van der Eyken (Starboard / Severne) 5th Phil Soltysiak (Starboard / Sailworks) 6th Nico Akgazciyan (99NoveNove / Challenger Sails / Maui Ultra Fins) 7th Taty Frans (Starboard / GA Sails / Mystic) 7th Kiri Thode (Starboard / GA Sails) 9th Jacopo Testa (RRD / RRD / AL360) 9th Tonky Frans (Patrik / Sailloft Hamburg / AL360) 9th Steven Van Broeckhoven (JP / NeilPryde / Shamal Sunglasses) 9th Balz Müller (Patrik / Severne) Current Ranking 2016 PWA Freestyle World Tour - Men’s 1st Amado Vrieswijk (JP / Severne) 2nd Gollito Estredo (Fanatic / NorthSails / MFC) 3rd Yentel Caers (JP / NeilPryde) 4th Taty Frans (Starboard / GA Sails / Mystic) 5th Dieter Van der Eyken (Starboard / Severne) 6th Kiri Thode (Starboard / GA Sails) 7th Phil Soltysiak (Starboard / Sailworks) 8th Balz Müller (Patrik / Severne) 9th Steven Van Broeckhoven (JP / NeilPryde / Shamal Sunglasses) 10th Adrien Bosson (Fanatic / NorthSails / Maui Ultra Fins)  

Der vorletzte Wettkampftag für die Freestyler verlief etwas ruhiger als die Tage zuvor. Leider war der Wind zu böig um einen fairen Wettkampf durchführen zu können. Lediglich für eine kurze Zeit während des Nachmittags stabilisierte sich der Wind, so dass eine zweite Single Elimination bei den Damen abgeschlossen werden konnte. Keine große Überraschung - Sarah-Quita Offringa (Starboard / NeilPryde / Maui Ultra Fins) machte einen weiteren Schritt in Richtung WM-Titel. The penultimate day of the freestyle in Fuerteventura saw a much quieter day of action with the wind proving to be too gusty to make for a fair competition. However, for a brief period during the afternoon the wind stabilised allowing the second women’s single elimination to be completed as Sarah-Quita Offringa (Starboard / NeilPryde / Maui Ultra Fins) took another step towards the world title.  Women’s Single Elimination II Winners’ Final Maaike Huvermann (Starboard / Severne) lined up against Sarah-Quita Offringa in a repeat of yesterday’s final and the two women, who occupy the top two places in the current event rankings, produced another entertaining battle. Huvermann has grown in confidence throughout the event and she led the opening half of the final with a combination of flakas on both tacks, a big forward and an excellent regular kono to put Offringa under some pressure. With 8 freestyle world titles to her name, Offringa, responded like the champion she is landing a powerful ponch and stylish shaka before clinching her third victory of the week with a perfectly executed culo, which puts her on the verge of a 9th world title. Losers’ Final The battle for third and fourth saw Oda Johanne (Starboard / Severne / Maui Ultra Fins) take on Arrianne Aukes (Fanatic / NorthSails / Maui Ultra Fins) and it was the Norwegian who came out on top to reaffirm her  3rd place in the event rankings. The heat proved to be quite an even affair with both of them matching each other move for move, until Johanne found a moment of inspiration as she landed a superb shaka to secure the victory. During the afternoon many of the sailors decided to go for a freesail, but with the conditions failing to improve to a suitable level they were released shortly before 6pm. The forecast for tomorrow looks similar to today and the Calima is expected to worsen overnight, which could make completing any further freestyle tricky. The sailors will meet again tomorrow morning at 10am skippers’ meeting — with the action commencing from 10:30am (GMT+1) if conditions allow. Make sure you tune into www.pwaworldtour.com to follow the amazing action as it happens via the PWA live stream. To see all the latest from the event — including the live stream, elimination ladders, entry list, images and live ticker simply click HERE and scroll to the bottom of the page. Women’s Freestyle Current Ranking - Fuerteventura PWA Grand Slam: 1st Sarah-Quita Offringa (Starboard / NeilPryde / Maui Ultra Fins) 2nd Maaike Huvermann (Starboard / Severne / Maui Ultra Fins) 3rd Oda Johanne (Starboard / Severne / Maui Ultra Fins) 4th Arrianne Aukes (Fanatic / NorthSails / Maui Ultra Fins) 5th Maxime van Gent (JP / NeilPryde / Maui Ultra Fins) Men’s Freestyle Current Ranking - Fuerteventura PWA Grand Slam: 1st Amado Vrieswijk (JP / Severne) 2nd Yentel Caers (JP / NeilPryde) 3rd Gollito Estredo (Fanatic / NorthSails / MFC) 4th Dieter Van der Eyken (Starboard / Severne) 5th Phil Soltysiak (Starboard / Sailworks) 6th Nico Akgazciyan (99NoveNove / Challenger Sails / Maui Ultra Fins) 7th Taty Frans (Starboard / GA Sails / Mystic / Maui Ultra Fins) 7th Kiri Thode (Starboard / GA Sails) 9th Jacopo Testa (RRD / RRD / AL360) 9th Tonky Frans (Patrik / Sailloft Hamburg / AL360) 9th Steven Van Broeckhoven (JP / NeilPryde / Shamal Sunglasses) 9th Balz Müller (Patrik / Severne)

Auch am drittenTag des Fuerteventura PWA Grand Slam gab es spannende Wettkämpfe bei den Freestylern. Der Wind spielt nach wie vor hervorragend mit, so dass heute die Double Elimination, sowohl bei den Damen als auch bei den Herren, abgeschlossen werden konnte. Sarah-Quita Offringa (Starboard / NeilPryde / Maui Ultra Fins) konnte erfolgreich ihre Single Elimination Krone verteidigen und ist jetzt einen wichtigen Schritt näher an ihrem beinahe unglaublichen 9. Freestyle-WM-Titel – es wäre der 11. Weltmeistertitel insgesamt. Amado Vrieswijk (JP / Severne) kämpfte sich zurück in der Double Elimination und liegt nun vor Yentel Caers (JP / NeilPryde), der die Single Elimination gewann. Amado führt nunmehr das Ranking bei den Herren an.   Day 3 of the Fuerteventura PWA Grand Slam — sponsored and organised by René Egli — saw the wind continue to produce the third consecutive day of explosive freestyle, which saw the men’s and women’s double eliminations completed. Sarah-Quita Offringa (Starboard / NeilPryde / Maui Ultra Fins) was able to successfully defend her single elimination crown and she is now a major step closer to an incredible 9th freestyle world title — 11th overall — while Amado Vrieswijk (JP / Severne) fought back in the double to overhaul Yentel Caers (JP / NeilPryde) and take control of the current men’s ranking. Women’s Double Elimination Maaike Huvermann (Starboard / Severne / Maui Ultra Fins) may have been disappointed with her result and performance yesterday, but today she can be extremely proud of the day she sailed. The 18 year old came out with all guns blazing as she won five heats on the bounce today, and six overall in the double elimination. Huvermann, who finished 3rd overall last year, landed anything from flakas and shakas to spocks and grubbys, and as her confidence grew she even busted out regular konos to firstly defeat Lene Kyte (Fanatic / NorthSails) before also clinically dispatching of Birgit Rieger, Olya Raskina (JP / NeilPryde), Maxime van Gent (JP / NeilPryde / Maui Ultra Fins), and Arrianne Aukes (Fanatic / NorthSails) before clinching victory against Oda Johanne (Starboard / Severne / Maui Ultra Fins) in a fiercely fought battle. Winners’ Final After storming back through the double Huvermann had earned the opportunity to take on Sarah-Quita Offringa in the winners’ final and she put on a bold show. Huvermann made a flying start to the heat as she landed a fully planing regular kono and she soon backed it up with a big forward — having only learnt to forward yesterday — while also attempting a culo. For a while Huvermann led the heat, but SQ soon reassumed the lead with a combination of a stylish shaka, perfect culo and a powerful ponch, before also landing a burner, shaka360 and a double puneta to extend her unbeaten run — which currently stretches to 8 years. Single Elimination II In the afternoon the second single elimination began, but couldn't quite be completed as conditions deteriorated during the evening. However, Huvermann and Offringa will line up once more after successfully navigating their way into the winners’ final after defeating Johanne and Aukes in the semifinals. Men’s Amado Vrieswijk faced Jose ‘Gollito‘Estredo (Fanatic / NorthSails / MFC) in the battle for 2nd and 3rd place, while fighting for the opportunity to take on Yentel Caers (JP / NeilPryde) to steal his single elimination crown. The heat between Vrieswijk and Gollito proved to be one of the heats of the day with sailors both going massive. However, it was Vrieswijk, who managed to gain the upper hand with a combination of shiftys, paskos, spock culos and a brilliant backloop. Gollito nailed a pushloop off flat water and an air kabikuchi, but crucially he used his final move on port tack to try and follow suit after Vrieswijk’s backloop, but couldn’t emulate his effort. Having reached 7 moves on port, the 6-time world champion then went onto land a radical shifty, but unfortunately it didn’t count due to his scoresheet being complete already. Winners’ Final / Super Final Having defeated Gollito, Vrieswijk, came out even more pumped it against Caers knowing that he had a shot at his first double elimination victory. The Bonairean came mighty close in Austria  — forcing a super final, but eventually lost out. However, he wasn’t going to let the opportunity slip through his fingers again and the 20 year old continued his blistering form to force a super final after a close heat against Caers. With adrenaline levels still running high Vrieswijk once again produced a masterclass of freestyle as he quickly racked up an amazing shifty, pasko, clean kabikuchi and a superb planing double culo to really put the pressure on Caers. The Belgian produced a few stunning moves, but he couldn’t quite replicate the form he showed in the prior heat or day. Dieter Van der Eyken (Starboard / Severne) was visually disappointed with his display yesterday, but he’ll feel much better after today’s performance, which saw the reigning event and world champion rise to 4th in Fuerteventura after winning seven heats on the bounce. The Belgian rediscovered the form which saw him earn top honours last year with a combination of spock culos, kabikuchis and massive skopus on the outside as he took down Francesco Cappuzzo (RRD / RRD / Flymount / AL360), Balz Müller (Patrik / Severne), Kiri Thode (Starboard / GA Sails), Nico Akgazciyan (99NoveNove / Challenger Sails / Maui Ultra Fins) and Phil Soltysiak (Starboard / Sailworks) before he pushed Gollito all the way, but he eventually just missed out. Single Elimination II The first round of the men’s second round was also completed and so far all the names you would expect to progress have escaped unscathed. The forecast predicts lighter winds for tomorrow, but there is still the possibility of more action with the gradient wind in the correct direction for the local thermal to kick in. The sailors will meet again tomorrow morning at 10am skippers’ meeting — with the action commencing from 10:30am (GMT+1) if conditions allow. Make sure you tune into www.pwaworldtour.com to follow the amazing action as it happens via the PWA live stream. To see all the latest from the event — including the live stream, elimination ladders, entry list, images and live ticker simply click HERE and scroll to the bottom of the page. Result Women's Double Elimination - Fuerteventura PWA Grand Slam: 1st Sarah-Quita Offringa (Starboard / NeilPryde / Maui Ultra Fins) 2nd Maaike Huvermann (Starboard / Severne / Maui Ultra Fins) 3rd Oda Johanne (Starboard / Severne / Maui Ultra Fins) 4th Arrianne Aukes (Fanatic / NorthSails / Maui Ultra Fins) 5th Maxime van Gent (JP / NeilPryde / Maui Ultra Fins) Result Men's Double Elimination - Fuerteventura PWA Grand Slam: 1st Amado Vrieswijk (JP / Severne) 2nd Yentel Caers (JP / NeilPryde) 3rd Gollito Estredo (Fanatic / NorthSails / MFC) 4th Dieter Van der Eyken (Starboard / Severne) 5th Phil Soltysiak (Starboard / Sailworks) 6th Nico Akgazciyan (99NoveNove / Challenger Sails / Maui Ultra Fins) 7th Taty Frans (Starboard / GA Sails / Mystic / Maui Ultra Fins) 7th Kiri Thode (Starboard / GA Sails) 9th Jacopo Testa (RRD / RRD / AL360) 9th Tonky Frans (Patrik / Sailloft Hamburg / AL360) 9th Steven Van Broeckhoven (JP / NeilPryde / Shamal Sunglasses) 9th Balz Müller (Patrik / Severne)

Zweiter Tag des Fuerteventura PWA Grand Slam - gesponsert von René Egli – mit viel Wind gab es  wieder spannende Action im Freestyle. Sarah-Quita Offringa aus Bonaire ist erneut auf dem besten Weg zu einen weiteren Weltmeistertitel. Sie gewann das Finale gegen Oda Johanne aus Norwegen, Dritte wurde die Niederländerin Arrianne Aukes. Bei den Herren tauchte ein völlig neuer Name auf dem Podium auf. Yentel Caers gewann am Samstag die Single Elimination vor Amado Vrieswijk und Gollito Estredo.

Day two of the Fuerteventura PWA Grand Slam — sponsored by René Egli — saw the howling winds continue to produce another frantic day of freestyle. Sarah-Quita Offringa (Starboard / NeilPryde / Maui Ultra Fins) stomped her authority in the women’s fleet to claim an emphatic victory, while a new name emerged at the top of the men’s freestyle with Yentel Caers (JP / NeilPryde) claiming victory in the single elimination in his maiden winners’ final.  Women’s Single Elimination Winners’ Final  Oda Johanne (Starboard / Severne / Maui Ultra Fins) booked her place in the final as she defeated Maxime van gent (JP / NeilPryde / Maui Ultra Fins) in the semifinals with a proficient display of sailing. However, the Norwegian beauty then faced the ominous task of trying to overhaul Sarah-Quita Offringa in the winners’ final. Offringa, who hasn’t been beaten in 8 years, looked in imperious form in her earlier heats and the Aruban gem continued her magnificent display in the final to once again stomp her authority as the undisputed Queen of Freestyle. On her way to victory Offringa landed anything from shakas and bobs to radical skopus and burners and it’s almost impossible to see anyone knocking her off her pedestal at the top of the current event rankings — quite simply Offringa was in a league of her own. In the battle for 3rd and 4th Maxime van Gent, who earlier defeated Maaike Huvermann (Starboard / Severne / Maui Ultra Fins) much to her delight, took on Arrianne Aukes (Fanatic / NorthSails / Maui Ultra Fins), who was looking to return to the podium and that’s exactly what the 29 year old managed to do with a combination of flakas, punetas and funnels and she will now look to, at least defend her position in the double elimination, while setting Johanne in her sights.  Double Elimination The opening 3 heats of the women’s double elimination were also completed and so far the sailors you would expect to advance have with Olya Raskina (JP / NeilPryde), Yoli Freites de Brendt (Fanatic / NorthSails), Birgit Rieger and Maaike Huvermann (Starboard / Severne / Maui Ultra Fins) all progressed.  Men’s Single Elimination Yentel Caers (JP / NeilPryde) and Amado Vrieswijk (JP / Severne) have frequently been drawn on the same side of the draw — usually resulting in one of them knocking each other out. However, the single elimination here saw them on different sides of the draw and both sailors took full advantage  as they progressed into the winners’ final. On Caers’ route to the final the Belgian firstly defeated Antony Ruenes (Tabou / GA Sails) today, followed by, Nicolas Akgazciyan (99NoveNove / Challenger Sails / Maui Ultra Fins) and Philip Soltysiak (Starboard / Sailworks). Meanwhile, Vrieswijk took down Balz Müller (Patrik / Severne) before defeating Jose ‘Gollito’ Estredo (Fanatic / North Sails / MFC) in one of the heats of the day. Winner’ Final Caers may have never qualified for a final in his life, but he thrived under the opportunity who had deservedly earned and continued to impress with his powerful style in the final. The 21 year old made the slower start to the showdown, with Vrieswijk landing an absolutely amazing shifty bolt upright but he gathered momentum as the final progressed as he landed a radical pasko, double burner, kabikuchi and even a brilliant air chachoo. Vrieswijk also racked up the moves with a kabikuchi of his own, a spock culo, double culo and also a perfectly executed backloop, but crucially the Bonairean was missing a counting move on port tack with the best 4 moves from 7 to count on each tack. However, it would still have been an extremely tall order to overhaul Caers, who eventually won the final by 19.4 points as the new generation start to rise to the top of the rankings. Jose ‘Gollito’ Estredo, narrowly missed out on a place in the winners’ final, but he put any disappointment behind him to ensure he claimed 3rd place by winning the losers’ final. The 6-time world champion faced Philip Soltysiak (Starboard / Sailworks), who will be delighted with his performance today after clinching 4th place in the single elimination and was leading much of the heat until Gollito landed a couple of big moves in the latter stages of the heat.  Double Elimination Steven Van Broeckhoven (JP / NeilPryde / Shamal Sunglasses) was the name everyone was watching in the double elimination as the 2011 PWA Freestyle World Champion began to attempt his comeback through the double after being knocked out by Kiri Thode (Starboard / GA Sails) in the second round of the single. The Belgian has now won four consecutive heats after ending the hopes of Cheppi Gustowski (Fanatic / NorthSails), Antoine Albert (Goya Windsurfing), Antony Ruenes and Mattia Fabrizi (Fanatic / NorthSails) and he will now have the chance to exact revenge against Thode in Heat 45a.  The biggest shock of the day was perhaps Davy Scheffers (Tabou / GA Sails) being defeated by Max Matissek (Fanatic / NorthSails) meaning the very talented Dutchman finishes last in the opening double elimination. Matissek was then defeated by Max Rowe (Simmer / Simmer / Mystic) in the next round. Mattia Fabrizi enjoyed a fine day with the Italian knocking out fellow teammate Adrien Bosson (Fanatic / NorthSails / Maui Ultra Fins) — who finished 3rd in Austria — in Heat 40b with a sick burner and spock culo inflicting the damage.  Sam Esteve (JP / NeilPryde / Maui Ultra Fins) pushed Dieter Van der Eyken (Starboard / Severne) all the way in the final heat of round 3, with the young Frenchman producing a fantastic array of moves on starboard tack — including a sick air skopu — but he couldn't quite match his performance on port, after Van der Eyken sailed a solid heat.  The final heat of the day saw the legendary brothers — Tonky (Patrik / Sailloft Hamburg) and Taty Frans (Starboard / GA Sails / Mystic / Maui Ultra Fins) — progress into round 5 of the double elimination after defeating Youp Schmit (99NoveNove / Avanti) and Jeremy Pluss (Tabou / GA Sails), respectively.  The forecast for tomorrow looks lighter than today, but there should still be more than enough wind to continue the freestyle. The sailors will meet again tomorrow morning at 10am skippers’ meeting — with the action commencing from 10:30am (GMT+1). Make sure you tune into www.pwaworldtour.com to follow the amazing action as it happens via the PWA live stream. To see all the latest from the event — including the live stream, elimination ladders, entry list, images and live ticker simply click HERE and scroll to the bottom of the page. Result Women's Single Elimination - Fuerteventura PWA Grand Slam: 1st Sarah-Quita Offringa (Starboard / NeilPryde / Maui Ultra Fins) 2nd Oda Johanne (Starboard / Severne / Maui Ultra Fins) 3rd Arrianne Aukes (Fanatic / NorthSails / Maui Ultra Fins) 4th Maxime van Gent (JP / NeilPryde / Maui Ultra Fins) 5th Jazzy Zwerus (JP / NeilPryde / Maui Ultra Fins) 5th Birgit Rieger  5th Yoli de Brendt (Fanatic / NorthSails) 5th Maaike Huvermann (Starboard / Severne / Maui Ultra Fins) Result Men's Single Elimination - Fuerteventura PWA Grand Slam: 1st Yentel Caers (JP / NeilPryde) 2nd Amado Vrieswijk (JP / Severne) 3rd Gollito Estredo (Fanatic / NorthSails / MFC) 4th Phil Soltysiak (Starboard / Sailworks) 5th Balz Müller (Patrik / Severne) 5th Kiri Thode (Starboard / GA Sails) 5th Nico Akgazciyan (99NoveNove / Challenger Sails / Maui Ultra Fins) 5th Jacopo Testa (RRD / RRD / AL360)