Its all on quite soon.....Slalom racing in the southern hemisphere....( we race around a slalom course in the opposite direction in the southern hemisphere so expect some confusion )
Looked like a great eindy event last year , any links to live stream?
I saw a pic on FB of Julien from Qld over there? Any other Aussies ?
Yeo, Paul and Julien are representing Oz
A2 is all fired up, very fit.
Pierre Mortefon was very fast but didn't do the last day of the Pro Am Grand prix (like a lot of pros that prefered to preserve their gear)
Long distance on sunday was insane in 25/30 knots and 40 knots gusts in shocking swell.
Opening ceremony was last night and we should be up and running with skipper's meeeting at 10 local time. qld time +1
Great to watch the live stream Julien V sailing well till he dropped that gybe in the 3rd elimination .
And yes Sean he is an Aussie through and through
epic day !
A2 missing his heat, Matteo missing the finish lign and then PMS !!
Mortefon currently world champ!!
Delphine also showing she means business !!!
Col :
depending on the guys, but mostly 7.8 for the boys except A2
girls on 6.4
Rowan Law, Julien Ventalon and Paul Yeomans are flying the Aussie flag.
This events like no other windsurfing comp I've ever been to. They block the roads off and everything! It's like a formula 1 race. The atmosphere is pumping!
We had 15-25 knots today so it was a tossup between small or big gear. I mostly raced on a 8.7 and 110 which was good but a bit of a handful at times. Most the blokes were on 7.8 - 8.7,s and 100 - 115 litre boards.
Tomorrow racing starts at 9:30 am local time so check it out www.pwaworldtour.com/index.php?id=920
Edit. They drive on the opposite side of the road here so you have to be careful while crossing!
have getting the daily highlights via FB & Windsurf Mag site with Ben P, (never give that guy a coffee!) just wind, windier, and windier it looks great, the island an the vibe looks amazing, the racing is fast and furious and tomorrow for the final day (day 6? of wind) they are calling 30+ knts! will be a great end to the season, well done New Cal for putting on a windy show again! certainly a good add for the sport!
Can't believe how wide some of the boards are, bouncing around all over the place in the chop, hard work that's for sure, PWA slalom kit is certainly specialized gear designed for short and fast races, ...cant imagine doing an hour on that gear in that chop, bone shattering!
Look forward to seeing tomorrows action, haven't seen how the Aussie Guys are going?
Well most the Aussies are back to the real world after the PWA Noumea.... Except Juliens still liven the dream over there with his missus for another week!
We didn't do as well results wise on paper as hoped but the experience we gained (me especially as It was my first PWA event) is worth more than any result.
We all came in around the 40's out of about 60 competitors with Julien having a rippa start to the event but bad luck with a few heats made him join Roasta and I in the 40`s.
The big gear we use actually makes sailing in the chop easier as the big grunty sails holds the board down. I had a 8.7 and a 75 wide board and was more comfortable in 20 knots than I was on a 7.1 and 68 wide board, but yes sailing with that size gear at that intensity for more than 10 mins would root anyone.
The last day we were met with a 7 leg (6 gybe) course and 25 knots of wind, that was a good test! Especially when you draw the likes of Antoine Albeau, Mika Buzzianis, Cyril Moussilmani ect. in your heat!!
The event was unreal and the local crew are mega friendly and always keen to lend a hand, and the PWA dudes always look after you from the minute you get of the plane right up until you leave. Noumea is a great place to windsurf and a great holiday destination, and only a few hours from brizzy. The talent there is world class also.
All in all great and I`d do it again in a heartbeat!
Team Australia
sounds awesome well done team Aus!
3hrs from Brisbane airport, it's a crime I haven't been, 3hrs is the same time it can take to get back to the Sunshine Coast from Brisbane on a Friday afternoon!
I watched about half an hour from the PWA link at the top of the page.
In one heat AA and Pierre Mortefon were drawn together.
Awesome race with Pierre getting to the first mark about 10-20 metres ahead of the others and then holding off AA by a small margin for the next legs.
His gybes are really smooth with great acceleration out of them.
the guy in the middle is a a legend !! awesome meeting you guys !!
see you soon in New Cal
www.dailytelegraph.com.au/nocookies?a=A.flavipes