Nella speranza di poter finalmente svolgere la gara domani domenica 22 settembre, ultimo giorno di competizione… vi segnaliamo un paio di video del day 5 e 6 del PWA Wave di Klitmoller.
Queste sono le previsioni per domani: “Tomorrow’s forecast is still predicting excellent conditions with winds of up to 35 knots accompanied by waves of up to three meters by 5pm, which should generate brilliant cross-on jumping and riding conditions, giving the most radical sailors in the world the opportunity to truly showcase their skills as they launch into gravity defying stunts.”
KIA COLD HAWAII PWA WORLD CUP
Day 6: Cold Hawaii prepares to explode into action for the final day
The penultimate day of the KIA Cold Hawaii PWA World Cup saw the wind return, which saw the majority of the fleet head out onto the water at some point, but unfortunately the waves didn’t arrive in time for the single elimination to be resumed. However, after several days of rest everyone was delighted to see action on the water again, as backloops and forward loops proved to be the moves of the day. The focus now turns firmly towards tomorrow, which is set to see a full day of amazing action as the wind and waves return at full force, as Cold Hawaii prepares to explode into action to create a grandstand finale.
Earlier in the day we gained the thoughts from one of the next generation of wave sailors Alessio Stillrich (Fanatic / North / AL360), who will face Jules Denel (JP / NeilPryde) for the first time tomorrow in heat five tomorrow:
“If it was a little bit windier today then it might have been all right, but it just wasn’t quite enough and the small waves weren’t consistent enough. I’ve got Jules Denel in the first round and I’ve never sailed against him so it should be an interesting heat. The conditions look like they should be good tomorrow, maybe a bit too onshore, but it’s the final day so we’ve got to go with what we’ve got. Lets see what happens.”
Plan of Action
The current plan of action for tomorrow will be to run the first round of the single elimination as four man heats with a heat duration of fifteen minutes. From then onwards the competition will return to fourteen-minute man-on-man heats, until a winner has been crowned.
Tomorrow’s forecast is still predicting excellent conditions with winds of up to 35 knots accompanied by waves of up to three meters by 5pm, which should generate brilliant cross-on jumping and riding conditions, giving the most radical sailors in the world the opportunity to truly showcase their skills as they launch into gravity defying stunts. Will Thomas Traversa (Tabou / Gaastra) be able to defend his Cold Hawaii crown? Find out by tuning into www.pwaworldtour.com where you’ll be able to see all of the enthralling action as it happens. The skippers’ meeting for tomorrow will be held at 8am with the action commencing from 08:30am.
KIA COLD HAWAII PWA WORLD CUP
Day 5: A glorious, sunny, laid back Friday
The fifth day of the KIA Cold Hawaii PWA World Cup proved to be a very relaxed affair as light winds and glorious sunshine graced Klitmøller for the entire day. In the afternoon Dany Bruch (Starboard / Severne / AL360), Alex Mussolini (Tabou / Gaastra), Flo Jung (RRD / Gun Sails / Maui Ultra Fins) and Adam Lewis (Patrik / Point-7) took the opportunity to take part in the fishing challenge, which Lewis won.
With the sailors on hold for the day we caught up with John Skye (RRD / MFC) and Victor Fernandez (Fanatic / North / MFC):
PWA: What fin setup do you prefer? Tri/Quad? Do you change depending on the conditions and if you do, what changes do you make?
JS: “I mostly use quad set up. I like the control they give in windy conditions and the drive and grip they have in down-the-line conditions. For really light junky conditions I normally set my boards up as twin, which makes them a bit freer and pivot better in small waves. Finally just to completely mix it up, RRD have just released a new board called the Firewave. It sits between a wave board and a freestyle wave and it’s basically a really fast wave board. It is setup with thruster and if we get really onshore conditions I will use that board for sure to use the speed.”
PWA: As the sail designer of RRD which aspects of sail designing do you enjoy and what are the most difficult parts of it?
JS: “It’s all fascinating to be honest. It’s great to be able to change the sail and then get to test it in a World Cup environment. You really learn a lot when you sail in all sorts of conditions. I now have the sails working exactly how I want them and I take everything I learn and put it into the other lines of sails so it’s really interesting. The other side of it all is controlling the actual production. Materials, schedules, graphics, details, there are so many parts to work on. We have a great design team at RRD, and it shows in the final sail.”
PWA: Was sail designing something that you always wanted to do / how did you get into it?
JS: “I never really knew what I would end up doing. I studied boat and sail design at Uni, and I have always loved the design side of things, but honestly I never thought I would end up where I am. Roberto was really behind me since the beginning and has been great at giving me every opportunity. The more I get into it, the more I am enjoying it, so it’s great.”
PWA: Port or starboard tack?
JS: “I would say I am equal on both tacks. I learnt everything on starboard tack in the beginning but then with the tour being so heavy in port tack I tried to sail more in those conditions. Now I live in Gran Canaria so actually sail port tack a lot more. However if we have to compete I would choose starboard tack. I think overall the level is higher on port tack, so for sure I have better chances on starboard. The ideal for me would be a really good mix of everything.”
PWA: Favorite move and what are you working on at the moment?
JS: “Last year it was pretty clear that doubles were vital, so I have been killing myself all year trying them. Also 360s seem to be coming more and more common and consistent so I have been trying them a lot. Favorite move is probably a Goita in down the line conditions.”
PWA: You and Nayra [Alonso] (Fanatic / Severne) had a baby this year. How has that affected your training?
JS: “To be honest between all the testing and design work and trying to balance family time too, it has meant a lot less “training” time. Now when I get to just wave sail it is pretty special and it has really motivated me. I don’t really train moves as much as I probably should. I just go sailing and try to enjoy it and push myself as much as possible.”
PWA: Thanks Skyeboy and good luck for the weekend.
If you haven’t already then be sure to like John Skye’s Facebook page here. You can also find out more about Skye in his video here.
Victor Fernandez
PWA: Which boards do you use?
VF: “It depends on the conditions, but for example here on the first day when it was side / side-off I was using my quad, but yesterday I was using my tri-fin. When it’s cross on they feel faster and they sit a little higher on the water than the quad, which I prefer in those conditions.”
PWA: Do you change your fin positions depending on the conditions?
VF: “Not so much, I find the best positions for every board and I tend to just leave it like that. I change some things, for example here I use different fins in my quad than I would in Maui or Chile where the wave has more power and I need more grip.”
PWA: Where was your part in ‘Below the Surface’ shot?
VF: “I discussed my part with Andre Paskowski at the beginning of the year and we decided to shoot my part in Maui, Peru – which was the first time I had been there and I was really stoked to be able to go there. The main part was filmed at my home spot, Almerimar, which will see more cross-on sailing and also Gran Canaria”
PWA: How do you find the sailing in Cold Hawaii?
VF: “It’s pretty good I always love it here because the conditions are always changing. I think you need to be a really good all round sailor to do well here. There’s a lot of guys that can do well here, but we also always see big surprises in the early rounds over the last few years.”
PWA: Lastly, how are you feeling ahead of the weekend when the wind and waves are forecast to return?
VF: “I’m prepared – I have to be as I’m in the first heat to be sailed. I’m ready and I really want to compete!”
PWA: Thanks Victor and good luck for the rest of the event.
The forecast for tomorrow looks much more promising for the past few days, so hopefully we will see the single elimination resumed. The skippers’ meeting has been called for 10am tomorrow morning with the first possible start at 10:30am. Make sure you don’t miss any of the brilliant action by tuning into the PWA live stream at www.pwaworldtour.com
