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Re:2008 Gran Canaria PWA Grand Slam - 2008/07/05 18:08
Victor Fernandez - Tweaked
Pic - PWA/John Carter
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Re:2008 Gran Canaria PWA Grand Slam - 2008/07/06 20:22
The 2008 Gran Canaria PWA Grand Slam – Day Two
06.07.08 -
Antoine Albeau shows he’s still the man to beat, winning both of day two’s slalom eliminations with a perfect run of first place finishes.
Blue sky and solid wind welcomed the start of day two’s slalom spectacular. Swinging into action shortly after midday, the heats delivered mind-boggling racing from the outset.
Race one
The dominant forces at work in the first round of race one were Micah Buzianis (JP, NeilPryde, MFC), Bjorn Dunkerbeck (North Sails, T1), Arnon Dagan (Fanatic, Gaastra) and Antoine Albeau (Starboard, NeilPryde), who all motored to the lead in their respective heats.
Entering the second round of heats, the wind dropped down and became very gusty, making the racing far more testing for the sailors. Shock came at the start of heat five, when Ben Van Der Steen (Exocet, Simmer Sails), Dunkerbeck, and Jesper Orth (Starboard, Severne) all crossed the start line early and were disqualified. In that same heat, Ross Williams (Tabou, Gaastra) adjusted to the changing conditions well, to sail a blisteringly fast race and advance into the final. Also putting the hammer down to fend off the opposition were Buzianis, Finian Maynard (RRD, NeilPryde), Jimmy Diaz (North Sails) and Thomas Larsen (Mistral, NeilPryde), who took up positions in the final as well.
In heat six, Albeau claimed victory thanks to a smooth overtaking manoeuvre to leave Benoit Moussilmani (F2, Simmer Sails) in second. Also advancing into the final were Kevin Pritchard (Starboard, Gaastra), Sylvain Moussilmani (F2, Simmer Sails) and Cyril Moussilmani (Fanatic, North Sails).
The losers final was riddled with more disqualifications as Ludovic Jossin (F2, The Loft), Robby Swift (JP, NeilPryde), Patrick Diethelm (F2, North Sails) and Dagan started too early, leaving only six sailors left to battle it out. Seizing the opportunity, Steve Allen (Tabou, Gaastra) stole the lead, only to fall gybing, leaving the door open for Dunkerbeck to take the win. Van Der Steen sailed consistently to take second, Taty Frans (Starboard, North Sails) came in, in third Sylvain Moussilmani fourth and Matt Pearch (Mistral, North Sails) took fifth.
In the final, Albeau, Pritchard and Maynard broke away from the pack after the first gybe and proceeded to open up a considerable lead. The spearheading threesome jostled, but on the finish line maintained the same formation that they had had for the entire race. Albeau first, Pritchard second and Maynard third. Buzianis fronted up the second group of sailors to take fourth, and Sylvain Moussilmani claimed a solid fifth place finish.
Race Two
In evermore challenging conditions, the sailors settled into the second elimination of the day. The usual suspects stamped their authority on the first round, with Maynard, Pritchard and Albeau winning their heats. Also joining them was Josh Angulo (Maui Sails) who showed he’s not one to be left out of contention when the going gets tough.
Moving into the second round, heat five saw Pritchard find his groove and cruise to victory ahead of Maynard who pressured in second, Dunkerbeck was fast in third, Williams took fourth and Cyril Moussilmani was the last person to advance into the final in fifth.
In the bottom half of the draw, Buzianis showed class when he squeezed passed Angulo to secure a podium finish in third. Dagan dug deep with a solid performance to push him into second, and the familiar face of Albeau occupied the top spot following a trademark display of textbook slalom racing.
The decreasing wind meant the competitors had to rig up bigger sails for the finals. The losers final had arguably the most testing conditions as the wind gusted anywhere between 15 to 25 knots around the inside marks.
Playing a tactical game from the word go, Van Der Steen opened up a solid lead, and showed determination to hold off sustained attacks from Peter Volwater (North Sails) and Angulo. On the finish line he was rewarded for his efforts, stealing first position from his hungry rivals. Volwater kept his peddle to the floor to take second, and Angulo charged across the finish line in third, ahead of Swift in fourth and Diethelm in fifth.
The final of race two was laden with truly spectacular sailing. Albeau showed why he’s World Champion, entering the first mark in sixth and coming out in second with a magnificent gybe through the fleet. He then proceeded to chase heat leader Maynard, who stood firm and held his lead around marks two, three and four, only succumbing to Albeau on the final reach. Eager to defend second place Maynard forced advancing Buzianis downwind and into the path of his dirty wind. His tactic payed off, only Maynard hadn’t spotted Dunkerbeck, who screamed over the finish line in the gap left upwind. When the dust had settled, the finals results read: 1st Albeau, 2nd Dunkerbeck, 3rd Maynard, 4th Buzianis and 5th Pritchard.
The end of the second race signalled the end of another highly successful day in Pozo. Tomorrow’s set to deliver even more twists and turns, so be sure to stay tuned to pwaworldtour.com to follow every stroke of the action on day three.
PWA / Andrew Buchanan
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tony
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Re:2008 Gran Canaria PWA Grand Slam - 2008/07/06 20:27
Aussie Steve Allen flat out at the Gybe mark
Pic - PWA/John Carter
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Re:2008 Gran Canaria PWA Grand Slam - 2008/07/06 20:28
Taty jumps the finish line
Pic - PWA/John Carter
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Re:2008 Gran Canaria PWA Grand Slam - 2008/07/07 22:09
The 2008 Gran Canaria PWA Grand Slam – Day Three
06.07.08 -
Battering 40 knot winds set the scene for a full day of freestyle and race action at the infamous Pozo Izquierdo windsurfing arena.
Continuing her run of dominance after winning in Lanzarote, Sarah-Quita Offringa (Starboard, NeilPryde) took top honors in the first freestyle single elimination after defeating Daida Moreno (North Sails) in the final.
In the slalom fleet, Antoine Albeau (Starboard, NeilPryde) showed devastating form to win both race eliminations, adding to his run of first place finishes in all four race eliminations so far.
Women’s Freestyle Single Elimination
The first freestyle elimination hit the water in winds gusting up to 45 knots at times. In the first quarterfinal Laure Treboux (Fanatic, North Sails) and Sarah-Quita Offringa looked more comfortable than rivals Silvia Alba Orozco (MFC) and Yolanda Freites De Brendt (Fanatic, North Sails), landing more technical moves to advance into the semi final. Joining them were Junko Nagoshi (Simmer Sails) and Daida Moreno, who defeated opponents Iballa Moreno (North Sails), and Evi Tsape (Fanatic, NeilPryde).
Shock came in the semi final, when Treboux injured herself while competing with Offringa. She was forced to swim ashore and seek medical assistance, leaving Offringa to take the victory by default. In the second semi final Daida Moreno defeated Nagoshi with a solid performance that included a ponch on the inside and huge stalled forwards off the rolling swell on the outside.
Since Treboux could no longer compete, Nagoshi took third place in the losers final, leaving Offringa and Daida Moreno to battle it out in the final to see who’d take victory in the elimination.
Piling the pressure on Offringa, Moreno landed a clean backloop, and a one footed forward early in the heat. Offringa didn’t try and compete with Moreno’s powerful jumps, instead opting for technical sliding moves like a puneta 900 and a funnel, alongside a solid base of safer moves. This tactical and varied routine was enough for her to claim the victory in a 3-0 judging decision. Offringa will now have to defend her position from advances in the double elimination.
Race 3
Surf slalom was the order of the day when the race fleet heat hit the water. First up was elimination three, which culminated in a monumental final showdown of slalom’s fastest players.
Hitting the start line as the green flag was hoisted, Albeau and Angulo (Maui Sails, Dakine) set the pace on the first reach, however it was all change at mark one. Angulo’s concentration lapsed, allowing Pritchard (Starboard, Gaastra, Dakine, MFC), Dunkerbeck (T1, North Sails), and Williams (Tabou, Gaastra) to pass him. The fleet continued to jostle for positions as they rounded marks three and four, leaving a drag race down the final reach to settle the scores. Albeau looked untouchable in first, leaving Angulo, who’d clawed his way back through the pack, and Pritchard to fight for second. Pritchard put the pedal down and accelerated across the line to beat Angulo to the number two spot. Angulo took third, Dunkerbeck fourth, and Williams came home in fifth.
In the losers final, Micah Buzianis (JP, NeilPryde, MFC) showed class and determination to fend off Taty Frans (Starboard, North Sails) and Sylvain Moussilmani (F2, Simmer) to take the win. Frans sailed well and stole second from Moussilmani who finished in third.
Race 4
Race four saw some uncharacteristic errors from Buzianis, Maynard and Williams, who all failed to make the top five of their respective semi final heats, thus not qualifying for the final.
More upset came in the final, when Pritchard and Angulo crossed that start line early, forcing the heat to be rerun without them. The rerun saw more dominance from Albeau, however he was put to the test by Volwater (North Sails), who was hot on his heels around the four mark course. Albeau, the seasoned professional, kept his cool and executed perfect gybe after perfect gybe, to open up a lead that meant he was unchallenged down the final reach. Volwater on the other hand, had Cyril Moussilmani (F2, North Sails) to contend with. The Frenchman put the hammer down in a race to the finish line, sneaking past Volwater. Volwater took third, ahead of Cedric Bordes (Tabou, Gaastra) in fourth, and Dunkerbeck in fifth.
In the losers final, Williams owned the show, opening up a huge lead ahead of his nearest rival, Buzianis. Untouched from the first gybe onwards, Williams went on to win in comfortable fashion, leaving Buzianis to take second, and Allen third.
On completion of the second full race of the day, the race committee called an end to day three of competition, giving the sailors an opportunity to rest their bodies in preparation for more high wind windsurf antics tomorrow.
© PWA / Andrew Buchanan
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Re:2008 Gran Canaria PWA Grand Slam - 2008/07/07 22:13
Kevin Pritchard leads the fleet in a high octane slalom race
Pic - PWA/John Carter
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