Primo giorno per il Freestyle mondiale a Fuerteventura. Ancora una volta il vento si è fatto attendere e ha permesso lo svolgersi solamente di due heat. Nella prima c’era Mattia Fabrizi che passa il turno contro Wegerer e si aggiudica il “titolo” di sailor of the day. Alla prossima heat dovrà vedersela con il francese Antony Ruenes. Gli altri italiani devono ancora scendere in acqua. Per i prossimi giorni le previsioni sembrano migliori. Staremo a vedere!
The spot! La foto è di John Carter ma il drone è di Ricardo Campello
FUERTEVENTURA PWA GRAND SLAM
Day 6: A slow start to the freestyle as the sailors prepare for battle.
The first day of the freestyle in Fuerteventura made a relatively slow start to proceedings as just two heats were able to be completed due to the gusty and light nature of the wind. In the early evening the wind threatened to properly kick in, but after a brief period of teasing it once again backed off and the sailors were released for the day at 5pm.
Men’s – Single Elimination
The first men’s heat of the contest featured Italian Mattia Fabrizi (Fanatic / North / MFC) and Bonaire’s Florian Wegerer and in the end Fabrizi’s extra competition experience proved decisive as he successfully advanced into the second round. On his way to victory the twenty-two year old much better diversity and technical skill, landing shakas, ponches, regular konos and a superb skopu considering the lighter winds. Meanwhile the B-side of heat one will see a re-sail between Quincy Offringa (Starboard) and Nic Hibdige (Starboard / Simmer / Mystic).
Andy ‘Bubble’ Chambers efficiently dispatched of Eliran Levi, who was making his debut on the PWA World Tour at the age of seventeen. The Brit used all of his experience to setup a meeting against fellow countryman Max Rowe (Fanatic / North) in the next round. On the other side of the draw Antoine Albert (Tabou / GA Sails) advanced past Adam Sims (Patrik / Sailloft Hamburg). The man from New Caledonia landed the move of the day as he somehow rotated through a brilliant air chachoo.
Eva Chiocchetti
Tonky Frans (Tabou / GA Sails) staying positive:
“Today we didn’t see classic Fuerteventura conditions, but the forecast looks good for the rest of the event, particularly Friday and Saturday. I’m sure we’ll see some great conditions. We’ll just have to wait and see what happens.”
Danny Kater (Tabou / Avanti / Mystic / Maui Ultra Fins) ready for the competition:
“I spent the winter in Austria, but I’ve been out here for five weeks already. It’s so good here that you can sail almost everyday and learn new things very quickly. I was ready for my heat today – I’m a bit lighter than some others and I felt good on my 4.8m.”
Nicolas Akgazciyan (99 International / Point-7 / Maui Ultra Fins) on the conditions today:
“I was out on my 4.8m and it was good in the gusts, but there were so many holes in the wind making things difficult.”
The forecast looks better for tomorrow with slightly more wind being predicted, but more importantly the forecast shows more east in the winds, which would translate in more cross shore conditions, so hopefully there will be more wind on the inside of the course. The Skippers’ meeting for tomorrow has been called for 10am with the action commencing from 10:30am. Don’t miss any of the incredible action over the next nine days by tuning into www.pwaworldtour.com where you’ll be able to follow the event as it happens via the PWA live stream and live ticker.
If you’d like to know more about Fuerteventura or are interested in a windsurfing holiday then be sure to visit www.rene-egli.com. René Egli is a world class windsurfing centre, which opened an amazing new station in April, stocked with all the latest toys you could possibly desire.
