Sunday 5 August 2012

5th place @ PWA Fuerteventura 2012


Hello everybody

pic: JC/PWA

The PWA finished a couple of days ago and it was a great event with a 5th place overall! Not the most wind but again good enough to finish at least one double! Below a report about my heats.


 My start wasn’t the best at all as I just managed to pass against Maarten Van Ochten in my worst heat of the event, luckily for me he didn’t have his best one either. The wind just picked up in front of the heat and I couldn’t unlock my Freek 4.8 to take my Freek 4.4 as the extension was full of sand so started the heat nicely overpowered which is always great! But still could do some nice moves to score just enough to overpass Maarten.

pic: JC/PWA

 The next day was a much better day, I got more in my rhythm and could sail better heats. Against Anthony Ruenes I sailed a proper heat with moves like a super fast double spock, sick culo and big shakas to pass against him to go into the quarter finals where I would meet the World champion Steven Van Broeckhoven. In this heat the wind just dropped in front of our heat which made us both sail back to the beach quickly to take our bigger gear. That done I really stepped up my level in this heat, in the beginning not too much yet but after 2 min of the heat I really got into it. I did my first spock culo ever in the competition, and a really sick shovit spock as my best moves on the way in. On the way out I did a big Airfunnel, airflaka into flaka and  went for my new move the Freek but didn’t quite land it. But in the end it turned out that staying upwind in the area and performing the moves I did was enough to win against a weaker sailing Steven making me get into the Finals for the very first time in a single!!  You can only imagine how happy I was when they said I advanced into the Semi finals.

pic: JC/PWA

 In the Semi final I was against Tonky who was having a great day landing smooth Bonkas, no-handed burners and of course his tweaked shovit spocks. Against him I took a bit of a too small sail.  It felt like the wind was picking up again and I went for the freek 4.4 but in the end only the last 4 min I got really powered up and couldn’t sail my best heat, still sailed good but just not good enough to win against Tonky who did his sickest Bonka of the day.

pic: JC/PWA

 In the Losers Final I was against Kiri who just lost against Golitto in a really close heat and was going full on in the heat. I did a super sick heat but got my shovit spock on the way in only as my 8th move which made it not count and Kiri was just ripping. I still did my first airflaka into flaka 720 in the heat and spock culo and so on but against Kiri there was nothing to do. So 4th in the Single SUPER HAPPY!!!

 In the double I only came in action again on the last day as it wasn’t windy enough anymore and I all had to be done then.  It was quite nice to be already in a comfortable 4th place with only the possibility to drop to 5th if I would lose so was pretty relaxed, maybe a bit too relaxed. The wind got really strong by the time my heat was and I was against Steven again who wasn’t planning to lose again against me and you could definitely tell that. I think he sailed his best heat of the whole double with moves like perfect airfunnel into burner, sick spock culos and so on, there was not much to do for me. Besides that I didn’t really have my best heat, I still did spock culo and so on but on the way out I was simply crashing too much to put on a fight. So 5th in the end which is still a result I am very happy with.

pic: JC/PWA

Next up now is home for a couple of weeks to do my exams and then I might do another trip to Egypt before Sylt, or stay home to train on the North Sea - will see!

pic: JC/PWA

Cheers Dieter