Nayra Alonso (E-4) finishes 4th

The latest PWA event in Sotavento, Fuerteventura which was held from July 20th to July 30th came to a happy end for Nayra Alonso who finished in 4th place behind Daida Moreno, Sarah Quita Offringa and Laure Trebaux. This leaves Nayra with an overall 4th place in the 2007 Freestyle Rankings. Good progress!

courtesy of PWA

Fabio Calo at his home ground Lago di Garda

First price money for Phillip Koster

Phillip Koster's (E 44) outstanding performance at El Maquinola Super-Session

"Canary Islands surf sports magazine El Maquinola sponsored a jumping-only Super-Session to round off an epic Pozo Grand Slam event. Two men’s qualifying heats, a women's heat and a junior section entertained the crowds with an array of off-the-wall stunts.

"Philip Koster (Starboard/ Severne) showed why he's a future star of the PWA scene with his amazing performance of high backloops, shakas and forwards in the junior division

There is a glamorous prize giving and closing ceremony tonight for the competitors at the Gloria Palace Hotel, the official event accommodation partner.

The tour rolls on to the neighboring island Fuerteventura and Sotavento beach for the 2007 Fuerteventura PWA Grand Slam from July 20th through 30th"
(PWA)

2007 ProKids Turkey

Congratulations to Severne Team Rider Morane Demont & Maciek Rutkovski!

On the final day of the ProKids Slalom World's, Olivier Tom Schliemann was in top form as he battled against Maciek Rutkowski to show why he should be the first ProKids Slalom World Champion. He completed two straight wins to be crowned ProKids Slalom World Champion, Maciek came second overall with Bjorn Saragoza in third place.
Finishing in 5th overall, the French Martinique rider Morane Demont came first in the combined Under 15 competition. Not only did she beat the boys to win this class, she was also the first girl home in the overall Prokids event-marking her as the Prokids Slalom World's Woman's Champion.
As the competition was also part of the IFC Slalom Junior Championship, Morane's results were included in the over all woman's results. Here her results would be compared against the results of all women under 20...here too Morane made and impressive result finishing second.

No doubt we will all be a seeing a lot more Olivier-Tom, Maciek, Bjorn, Morane and all other ProKid riders as the professional champions of tomorrow.
The next ProKids event is in Bonaire for the ProKid's Freestyle World's. Next for Morane is the Formula Experience World's in Estonia in August.

Photo by Phil Demont

Photo by Phil Demont

Photo by Phil Demont

The summary of the competition below with photos and results is courtesy of the IFCA

Pro Kids Slalom Worlds Under 17
Oliver-Tom Schliemann seems to have recovered from 2 bad races yesterday and with 2 straight wins he secured his world title. Maciek Rutkowski with 5 second places and one bullet ended as Vice-world Champion. Bjorn Sargoza was never in trouble and secured his third place.

In the under 15 group Morane Demont (a Girl!!) was attacked by TUR 888 Sina Kural but also here the title was decided on the "best discard rule" in favor of Morane of Martinique. Amado Vrieswijk, 11 years old from Bonaire, was able to beat a lot of older boys and girls and took 3rd place in the under 15. This also put him in first place in the under 13 group. A promising kid is the least we can say. Vice-world Champion went to local Cem Catrili and 3rd place in the under 13 sub-division was 9 year old Jurgen Saragoza!

Youth under 20 World Championships
The return of the French could be the motto here with a strong attack of Maxime Gaubert with 2 bullets in a row. Enes Yilmazer missed a shift and by starting on the leeward side of the course lost his chances of the title. He made second place overall with the same points as "Max" but with a worst discard. With an impressive 2-2-3 last years vice-world champion Emirhan Kolburan took third place after a disappointing first day yesterday. Emirhan is focusing on freestyle lately and missed out some important slalom training days that could have put him on top of the podium. Joly Ophelie became first girl in this strong boys' fleet before the semi-local Lena Aylin Erdil and Pietrasik Agnieska from Poland.

Masters World Championship
The impressive constant Marcus Poltenstein secured his first world Title in the Masters fleet by beating 2 former World Champions Marco Begalli and Massimo Masserini. Marcus focussed this year on the championship after becoming father last year and took despite an OCS the title home. A footstrap problem for Marco and a broken boom for Constantino made it easier for Marcus to win but overall he was the best master on the fleet. Luis Marchegger, ITA 6 won the Grandmasters (>45) sub-division title ahead of his fellow Italian Franchini Giovanni and local Murat Sevincli.

Ladies championship
No big news today, Ophelie Jolie had no problems in defending her first place after the first day and 14 year old Morane Demont of Martinique is solid second. Agnieska Pietrasik fought her way back up to third place and completed the podium.

Conclusion:
The youth is coming!! Antoine, Micah, Finian,... be ready because a new fleet of kids is working hard to go fast and knock on the doors of the PWA. The kids of Bonaire WindsurfPlace, Martinique, HWO, Alacati Beach Resort are hot stuff!! See You next year in Lake Garda 1-6 July 2008 for the 2nd Junior, Youth and Masters World Championships.

The U17 winners Maciek Rutkowski (2nd) Olivier-Tom Schlieman (1st) , Bjorn Saragoza (3rd)

The under 15 winners Sina Kural (2nd) Morane Demont (1st) Amado Vrieswyk (3rd)

The U13 winners Cem Catirli (2nd) Amado Vrieswyk (1st) Jurgen Saragoza(3rd)

Over all women's winners Morane DeMont (2nd) Joly Ophelie (1st) Pietrasik Agnieszka (3rd)

Gaubert Maxime-winner of the Under 20 competition

Winner's of the Masters Markus Poltenstein (2nd) Begalli Marco (1st) Constantino Saragoza (Bjorn and Jurgen's father (3rd))

The boyz

Friday 13 July-wind-wind-wind
The promised wind materialized in a solid 25 knots in the morning, sometimes gusting up to 30 knots. With these challenging conditions everybody looked for the smallest sails in their registered equipment.

Pro Kids Slalom worlds Under 17
After the first elimination series it looked as if Oliver Tom Schlieman GER-1001 would have no problems in taking the title but, after an OCS in the 2nd eliminations and a fall in the first gibe of the final of the third elimination, Maciek took the lead after the first day. The solid performances of Bjorn Saragoza (3,1 and 2) put him in second place.
In the under 15 group Morane Demont (a Girl!!) is leading with 1 point on Tur888 Sina Kural. The Under 13 group looks to be under the control of the blond Bonaire surfer Amado Vrieswijk.??

Youth under 17 World Championships
This is the battle of HWO-Almanarre against the locals. Enes Yilmazer, last year's third on the Youth world championships, is leading but Maxime Gaubert and Thomas Gaudiot will not give the title away without a battle.
Remarkable also was the fact that Joly Ophelie managed to qualify for a final in this strong field of boys.

Masters World Championship
The first ever participation of AHO-1, Constantino Saragoza was impressive. Taking home the first elimination series in front of Marco Begalli (Master World Champion 2005) set the pace. On top of that Marco sailed the wrong heat in the second elimination and AUT 30, Markus Poltenstein, totally focused, placed himself on the top of the ranking after the first day with a 3rd, first and second place...exiting...
Luis Marchegger, ITA is actually leading the Grandmasters (>45) sub-division before his fellow Italian Franchini Giovanni.

Ladies championship
3 French, 2 Turkish and one Polish girl are fighting it out for the ladies title. After the first day it looks like FRA 64, Ophelie Jolie will have no problems in winning but 14 year old Morane Demont of Martinique is already knocking at the door. Morane misses her coach Remi Vila but nevertheless did very well against all the older girls with a 2nd, 3rd and a first place in the ladies fleet.

Friday the 13th played on the organizers with two boat engines breaking down, one anchor line breaking and one committee boat sinking. But for the ProKid competitors it was all plane sailing with strong winds providing a successful and exciting day for all the competitors. This was a positive change for all after several days of no wind and no competition.

At the completion of Friday's three heats, the Polish rider Rutkowski Maciek (U17) is currently in the over all lead with Starboard riders Bjorn Saragoza (U17) and Olivier Tom Schliemann (U17) in hot pursuit.

In the woman's division, Starboard's French Martinique rider Morane Demont (U15) is in first place and 5th overall. Her closest rival in the woman's is her older sister Elementine (U17) placed 7th in the overall standings.

In yesterday's update we shared a summary of 9 year old ProKid Jurgen Saragoza. He is competing in the under 13 division and doing well, finishing above above older riders.

Tomorrow (Saturday) is the last day, with the first start scheduled for 10am and last possible start 4pm. The winner of the first ProKids Slalom World's will be announced at 6pm. We'll be sharing a full summary of the winners on our next update.

A list of the winners is below courtesy of the IFCA.

It's Thursday evening and everyone is anticipating a solid day of competition for Friday. The winds started blowing briefly on Thursday evening at 7pm. The organizers decided to make use of the wind and the long day light by holding one race for the masters... but then the wind became irregular and racing was stopped. With all hopeful for racing on Friday, the skippers meeting is at 9am Friday with racing scheduled to commence from 10am onwards.

We look forward to sharing you a summary of the complete days racing.

Photo by Phil Demont

PWA Grand Slam, Gran Canaria-The Team prepares for Pozo

After a thrilling start to the 2007 PWA Championship, the PWA now shifts to the coast of Pozo in Gran Canaria for a true grand slam event covering freestyle, slalom and of course wave.

With competition scheduled from July 10 through to July 18, it will be a grueling eight days in conditions that rarely fail to disappoint with a seemingly endless supply of powerful winds.

With several riders competing across disciplines, it will be a strong test of stamina and talent.

Many of Severne riders have already set up camp here for the past few weeks. Margareta Engstrom caught some of them in action on video. Check out the action on the clip below with commentary by Scott McKercher.

Tomorrow will see a full summary of the first day of action. It is expected that the competition will kick off with the wave event as calmer seas are forecast on the horizon in the coming days.

Below a brief summary of some of the different dream team riders to keep a good eye on at Pozo and beyond.

Scott McKercher (Starboard / Severne) was the 2004 World Champ and Pozo winner. They call him gramps but he still rips like a grom.

Boujmaa Guilloul (Starboard / Severne)- Jumping genius who's improving on port-tack every year. If Pozo was on his favoured side he'd probably take the title.

Jaeger Stone (Starboard / Severne)- Young Western Australian with a mature and powerful style.

Philip Koster (Starboard/ Severne) won the junior event last year and makes this his second Senior event aged just 13.

Jesper Orth (Starboard / Severne)- Starboards Western Australian talent- 15th in the overall standings

Formula Windsurfing World Championships in Estonia

For the up-coming Formula Windsurf World Championships this coming August (13th to 19th) in Estonia, OverDrive sails and Blue Line Masts will be available for Charter.

For more details and booking information, please contact Mr. Erno at erno@extreme.ee

There will be limited amount of charter equipment available for Formula Experience class as follows:

Rigs (rental fee is 90 euro):

Severne Overdrive 11,0 m2 + Severne Blue Line 540
Severne Overdrive 8,5 m2 + Severne Blue Line 490
Severne Overdrive 7,5 m2 + Severne Blue Line 460

If you are interested to use some of this rental equipment, please make your reservation asap by sending an e-mail to erno@extreme.ee

Day 2 in Lanzarote

Due to flag high surf, all slalom heats were cancelled today and the freestyle competition went ahead. In the woman's division, Nayra Alonso is very happy about her 4th place today.

Photos: PWA/JC.

The 2007 Costa Tequise Grand Slam is starting today.Let's see what the next days will bring, for sure no shortage of wind & action. Just before that, Nayra Alonso (E-4) and Chris Pressler have had time for a little chat:

Your first PWA event , the Guincho Wave competition 2007, is done. What are your personal feelings after this event?
Actually, I feel pretty good. Last year I had a really bad experi ence here. We could not sail before the competition after being waiting all week and I freaked out a bit when I went out for the first time, in a new place, starboartack wind and all the nasty stories about the shorebreak and the rocks and cliffs...But this year, we had a few sessions before the competition started and I could sail a few days, crash a lot, go to ride the shorebreak and loose the fear. The day before the event was super fun and challenging, with 3,2 weather and logo high waves, and I loved it. So when the competition came, I felt a lot more confident and sailed more relaxed. In the quarter finals I got Daida, so my competition finished there and I finished 5th, but I was really happy with my sailing and I had some pretty good scores from the judges, so I am very happy. I wished we could have done a double elimination and maybe improve my result, but it is what it is...

How did you prepare for this season?
You know what, this time, I am trying not to prepare, the more I think about preparing for competitions, the more pressure I get. So I just go sailing and have fun. I am trying to worry less about everything and go for it a lot more, trying to loose fear in everyway... And it seems to work...

Which moves are you working on in the moment?
Pushloops and backloops in jumps, 360s in waves, and starting with the flakas in freestyle

What´s your favourite move at all?
Just to ride waves and smack it!

Did your sailing improve a lot because of training with your boyfriend (John Skye), who is a great wavesailor with a lot of knowledge in freestyle, too?
Yes, I think so. I normally get quite "wospy" when he starts correcting me, so he doesn’t do it very often, but after, I always remember the things he says.

Is it getting harder to be successful as a lady on the ladies Pro Windsurfing circuit?
If we talk about the competition side of it, in Freestyle definitely...it is really, REALLY hard to train and learn freestyle here in GC, as even when there is no waves, is always super choppy, so it is really difficult to improve quickly and keep up with the other girls that sail in a lake or in a flat water spot.
If we talk about how difficult is to make a pro-living when you are a girl, yes, I think it is getting a bit harder. Since I left univeryity and in the few jobs I did before, I never felt discrimination for being a woman. But I have to say, in the tour, things seems to go backward instead of forward (opposite than with my sponsors, that support me incredibly well, and I have to thank them for it..). I cannot really say the exact thing that is making this happen, but it is happening. In the PWA, the mentality is getting and becoming quite Manly, and against the progress, not only in the men-women issue, but In the development of the sport, what affects not only the ladys pro-sailors, but also the man. But this is just my opinion, or the way I am perceiving thing at the moment.

Can you make enough money to live a life you want to live?
Thanks to Fanatic, Severne, Rip Curl, VW and some Government money from the Sports Councils in the Canary Islands I can just make it, I am soooooo lucky in that way. I am normally pretty short with money, but yes, I just can make it happen.

What´s your most loved spot to sail and which gear you like to be on?
Vargas on a good day, I love to be on 3,7 just fine and my little Fanatic Board. This is a tricky question, as there are loads of amazing spots that I love to sail...like Hookipa, Platboom in SA, lots in Chile, etc... But my most loved spot is where my friends are, and that is here in GC.

Words by: Chris Pressler

Nayra Alonso ripping in her home ground,GC

Jesper Orth advancing in Costa Brava on a Code RED R2, 6.7

The PWA Championship , one of the top slalom competitions of the year is underway.

After day 3, Jesper Orth (AUS-10) is advancing further in Costa Brava on a Code RED R2, 6.7.

Jesper Orth: "I was using a 6.7 Code Red RII and iSonic 101 with a Vector Canfire 38. Was quite happy with the set up and could make into the final of the full fleet race."

courtesy of PWA

World Cup Guincho Wave Contest 2007

After some days waiting, the winners have been determined. In the men’s category 23 year old Victor Fernandez took the 1st place, in the woman’s division Daida Moreno. A lot to celebrate for the Iberians but some other young talents emerged at Guincho as some serious threat to the more established elite usually leading the top rankings. Boujmaa Guilloul also has reason to celebrate. He scored a fantastic 5th place and hopes to stay on the top of the league this season.

Congratulations Boujmaa!

After a rather uneventful 3rd day in Guincho, athletes are now looking forward to an unexpected change in weather. With a double elimination to complete in both the Men’s and Woman’s events, all hope is focused on a windy weekend. So far, both Boujmaa and Nayra are pleased with there results but hope for the competition to continue in order to push themselves further ahead in the rankings. If nothing more, maybe we get to see some chilled out sunbathing shots by the end of the day.

Boujmaa Guilloul inflicted more misery on the establishment, by beating Levi Siver of Hawaii. The Moroccan's wave scores were close to Siver's, but his jump scores edged it for him to take a vital step forward.

The massacre continued. Guilloul went on to remove Matt Pritchard (Tabou / Gaastra), the 2005 Guincho winner, from the frame, to set up a mouth-watering match against Angulo, who’s already beaten the legendary Jason Polakow, for a fascinating youth vs. experience encounter.

June 5th
Boujmaa is taking off!

The first day of racing produced unexpected results in the men’s division. Young talents such as Boujmaa Guilloul (M-3) made it to the quarter elimination leaving many of the big names behind. Let’s hope he can defend this excellent start on day 1. The re-shuffle on the top promises interesting and exiting days ahead. In the ladies division, the seating was somewhat less eventful. The wind forecast for the coming days is not too promising.

Stay tuned for more up-dates.

The latest stop of the PWA World Tour (wave sailing) has started in Praia do Guincho, Portugal today. Top male and female wave riders meet at the Resort of Estoril near the capital of Lisbon from June 4th to 9th to demonstrate radical and stylish wave riding skills. A cash prize of 45,000 Euro is attracting the biggest names on the PWA tour to challenge the powerful Atlantic waves and legendary winds. So far, the winds have not kicked in but stay close and we will up-date you about the latest event news.

Boujmaa Guilloul takes 1st place in Moulay, Morocco

Last week, Boujmaa showed off his talent with a great performance at his local spot Moulay Boukzertoune. Amid lots of fan and pretty unstable conditions, he sailed his way to the top leaving big names like Victor Fernandez and Alex Mussolini behind. For Boujmaa, this was a very emotional victory, and we look forward to see more success stories this season. Phillip Lavigne from windsurfjournal.com spoke with Boujmaa and this is what he had to say:

Windsurfjournal.com : How do you feel after that victory in Morocco ?
Boujmaa Guilloul : In fact, during my heat I really didn’t believe it would happen. At the start I was reassured seeing Alex Mussolini out but that still left Victor Fernandez, Baptiste Gossein and Fettah Alhamara, the latter having really impressed me in his previous heat. I was just hoping to have a podium finish but I wasn’t able to do everything I wanted in my heat, I didn’t see myself winning, but there you go ! In the end I did win. It’s my first win as a pro windsurfer, I can still hardly believe it. It’s great, but also a great motivation to go even further in the future !

WJ : Before the real contest you had to be a judge for the competition for young locals… How do you see windsurfing developing now in Essaouira ?
BG : There are more and more young riders, lots of young talent and hopefuls, I think there are almost certainly some future champions there. I’m sure Morocco is going to become a major windsurf destination, especially round Essaouira.

WJ : You beat some big names, like Victor Fernandez and Alex Mussolini, what do you think made the difference ?
BG : To be honest I don’t really know… I know that I didn’t actually sail that well in the final but perhaps the other riders did likewise, and the fact that it’s my home spot helped. They’re all really talented riders at what they do, riders I didn’t think I’d end up beating one day…

WJ : How would you sum up this round of the Windsurf Challenge in a couple of sentences ?
BG : I’m really happy we were able to bring the Windsurf Challenge to Moulay. It was hardcore but very well organised and with an excellent spirit between the riders, all the more seeing as there were some cool guys who I really appreciate and have big respect for. It would have been even more cool to have had more consistent conditions, have more contest and see how good I really am on my own patch !!!

WJ : We spotted you during the Starboard photo shoot riding Twinzer and Thruster boards, can you tell us any more about them ?
BG : I’ve got a starboard Acid 75 litres that I feel really comfortable on, specially in light winds. We’re trying to develop the concept on a few different boards to see what happens. Personally, I’m looking for a true 4x4 board to use in light winds as well as strong winds. I’m working with Tiesda You on some prototypes for the 2009 collection, I think they’ll probably be thruster boards, with an option for a single fin, but that’s to be confirmed…

WJ : What are your plans for the rest of the season ?
BG : I’ll be going to the PWA event in Guincho hoping to make decent progress up the standings and learn how to ride port side ! The idea of this year is also to try and develop easily accessible wave boards for strong and light winds, and of course to help the sport develop in Morocco.

Courtesy of windsurfjournal.com

FE MARTINIQUE CHAMPIONSHIP
Congratualtions Morane!

Another successful FE Champioship was held last weekend in Martinique. Out of around 50 contestants, Morane Demont (FRA 59) finished with an excellent 12th place in the overall ranking using only a 7.5 m OverDrive.

Result summary:

Under 20 years old :

NAYRAL Charles-Elie FRA 52
LECLERC Tristan FRA 2
BOURDAIS Sébastien FRA 5
RIMBAUD Jean-Baptiste 58

Under 17 years old :

CADIGNAN Wilson FRA 8
DEMONT Clémentine FRA 371

Under 15 years old :

DEMONT Morane FRA 59

Finland’s Tuomo Naalisvaara FIN-3 in action in the cold

Tuomo Naalisvaara FIN-3 is already one of the top Nordic wave surfers and training hard for the upcoming POZO Wave World Cup in June. The 25 year old student of medicine has big ambitions and looking forward to some solid results in the season ahead.

Below a few pics of Tuomo busting a few of his favourite freestyle moves with his S-1 in the icy waters off the Northern coast of Finland.

OCEAN FLOW / DRIVE
A coffee Table book and Windsurf Movie

Is a combined effort from Swedish photographer Margareta Engstrom and World cup wave sailor come Accidental filmmaker Scott McKercher.

They invite you to sit down with a beer and share with them their personal experiences which have been put down in the format of a coffee table style Book (Produced by Margareta) and a collaborative DVD production.

"OCEAN FLOW" The book, is the result of Margareta’s Flow experience in and around the Western Australian coastline. Her new found love for it’s wide open spaces, natural beauty and that of windsurfing, everything, everyone and all experience that has been interwoven to make the tapestry which is her life.

A beautiful collection of photo’s which will no doubt inspire you to make sure that those travel plans are made to either Western Oz, or where ever, to seek wind, waves, adventure and new horizons.

DRIVE is in essence a wave sailing movie with a collection of action moments and insights from the cutting edge wavesailors from around the world, in a variety of waves. Travel plus cultural experiences and personalities which make up the sub culture that is windsurfing on this planet.

More info: www.oceanflows.com
To watch the Preview of DRIVE click here.

Nayra and girls training camp
Severne's Team Rider Nayra Alonso joins the annual Girls Training Camp. Very professional and super fun.

Here's what Nayra had to say...

Hello!!

I am just back from Tenerife, where we did the Girls Training Camp organized by the Moreno Twins.

It was a full success, and nearly 50 girls came from all over the world.It was a great experience and we had loads of windy days and perfect condition to all the different levels that the girls had.It was not a "clinic" style Camp. Like every year, we just help the girls in whatever they ask or they want if they want to be helped and if not, we just share the experience and motivate each other to go for things... Loads of girls were doing their first ever forwards, while others were trying to water start.. It was so much fun!!!!! and we had a few good parties too...:-)))

Check out the video : here

All the best!!!
Nayra

Photo: Mario Entero/Dani Miquel.

ING F1 Renault Test Driver Tests the Gator

Nelson Piquet Jr, the official test driver for the ING Renault F1 team is optimistic in extending his passion for sport to windsurfing as well as motorsport.

Earlier this week he visited one of our stores on Lake Paranoa in Brasilia to check out and test some of the offerings from both Severne and Starboard.

He’s still in his early days, but enjoyed taking the Severne Gator out “for a quick spin” on a Start board.

Speed, racing and winning are in his blood, so we are sure it won’t be long before we see him blasting along on both the track and on the water.

Following in the footsteps of his father and other Brazilian champions the Severne team look forward to seeing Nelson Jr. on the winner’s podium very soon.

Click here for more info in the Gator.

Farewell to our friend Per Andersson

In further to the the passing of our colleague and friend, Per’ s funeral will take place this Friday 20 April in Sweden.

Should you wish to attend or require further information, please contact us at the e-mail address below.

For those unable to attend, please feel free to mail us any messages or condolences and we will pass these on to the family as part of the memorial book.

Please send this to memorial@severnesails.com with "Memorial Message" in the title.

We thank you for your thoughts during this time.

Welcome to the team, Paulao!

We are stoked to announce that Paulao dos Reis (BRA 3333), current 2004/2005/2006 FW champion has become the latest member of the Severne Race Team. Paulao a very charismatic guy who is very well known in and around his home country Brazil, he has also shown excellent results over the past 3 years and it looks like there is no end yet to his winning streak. Paulao's first official race with the CODERed R2 was on last weekend when he took all firsts at Sao Paulo state Formula Windsurfing circuit. His first words about Severne sails were: "I’m very happy with the performance of my new Severne sails, its stability is quite impressive. The Phase 3 new battens make the sail's profile very stable and it's especially important for the top end maximum speed, as the sailor feels the sail more controllable at higher speed. In resume, this sail is amazing!"

Brisbane 2008
Formula Windsurfing
Oceanic & Australian Championships

For up-dated info running up to this grand event, check out the all new FW-Australia website at:
www. fw-australia.com

Awesome action in Capo Verde

An epic event, the 2007 Sal, Cabo Verde has come to and end. John Carter (for PWA) kindly shares some of the most hard core action shots of Scott Mc Kercher (KA-181) and Boujmaa Guilloul( M-3 ) with us. For more details: www. pwaworldtour.com

Rider: Levi Siver	Rider: Boujmaa Guilloul	Rider: Boujmaa Guilloul	Rider: Boujmaa Guilloul
Rider: Kevin Pritchard	Rider: Kevin Pritchard	Rider: Kevin Pritchard	Rider: Levi Siver
Rider: Boujmaa Guilloul	Rider: Scott McKercher	Rider: Scott McKercher	Rider: Scott McKercher
Rider: Scott McKercher	Rider: Boujmaa Guilloul	Rider: Boujmaa Guilloul	Rider: Kevin Pritchard
Rider: Kevin Pritchard	Rider: Kevin Pritchard	Rider: Kevin Pritchard	Rider: Kevin Pritchard
Rider: Kevin Pritchard	Rider: Levi Siver	Rider: Levi Siver	Rider: Levi Siver

The 2007 Ulsan PWA World Cup Confirmed!

The PWA proudly confirms that the 2007 Slalom 42 tour will open with another brand new and exciting tour stop in Ulsan, South Korea.

The event, in association with the Ulsan Broadcasting Corporation, is scheduled from May 5th – 12th.

With a new title race open, and glory at stake, this exciting new location and its attractive €45K prize purse is guaranteed to attract the big hitters of the PWA’s exclusive Slalom 42 discipline.

Get ready to see the likes of 2006 World Champion Antoine Albeau (F-192 Starboard / NeilPryde), last year’s gutsy runner up Micah Buzianis (USA-34 JP / NeilPryde), racing stalwart Kevin Pritchard (USA-3 Starboard / MauiSails), world speed record holder Finian Maynard (KV-11 F2 / NeilPryde) and many, many more, jostle for position in the toughest racing fleet on earth.

The event also marks the beginning of another series of cut-throat competition for the women’s fleet.

Reigning World Champion, and windsurfing’s undisputed all-round performer Karin Jaggi (F2 / North), is sure to face unparalleled pressure from last year’s runner up Verena Fauster (F2 / Gaastra) and tactical race specialist Allison Shreeve (F2 / NeilPryde), who are bound to have raised their game in the off-season.

There will also be new threats from local competitors in both fleets, with specialists familiar with the location providing an added threat.

Ulsan, a metropolitan city in the south-east of South Korea, is a magnet for Asian windsurfers who visit it for its beach scene, and quality windsurfing conditions.

The Sea of Japan resort has hosted many regional events and can now boast winning full international PWA status.

The long white sandy beach of Jinha will doubtlessly reward the cream of pro windsurf racers with its favorable spring time trade winds and warm tropical waters.

You’ll be able to follow all the progress during the event at www.pwaworldtour.com with live updates, daily news summaries and more.

Or, for more information, please contact the PWA office at info@pwaworldtour.com.

PWA / Brian McDowell

Anticipating Capo Verde: High quality wave sailing and more...

Looking forward very much to things highly anticipated event on Cabo Verde. The first real injection of quality wavesailing onto the tour since Fiji in 1997. Outside of Hawaii. It's such a good wave it's amazing. So clean with the perfect section for backdorroring the peak for massive airs at the beginning as it wraps down the point for perfect bowl carving not dissimilar to Jefferies bay or something. It seems amazing that it was 10 years ago that I was there last for the Trilogy event, and am looking forward to see how much development has gone on in the island.
All the sailors are super excited about this event with a predicted swell lining up to make it one of the all time PWA competitions ever. I can't wait!
The obvious ones to look out for will be starboard tack specialists such as Angulo with his home turf advantage, Levi Siver, and Jason Polokow,but it wil be different to Hawaii I believe, as it will really show people's abilty to carve full proper turns or not.
Boujmaa will obviously going Balls out to make an impression so close to home on starboard tack, with the cutthroat fleet of 32 meaning there will be no easy heats.

Stay tuned
Scott McK

Pan America Cup 2007

After 2 days of racing in light (6-12 knots) and medium (12-20 knots) winds and choppy water, four races were completed. So far, it looks like Charles-Eli (FRA 52) is leading in light winds while Remi (FRA 7) is ahead in stronger winds. Peruvian Nicolas (PER 2) ranked on 3rd place.

In the woman’s category, Morant Demont (FRA 59) is leading on a overall excellent 10th place, followed by her sister Christine (FRA 371) and Yoann (651) on 3rd place.

More up-dates on the next 2 days of racing coming soon.

The Race continues…

… in Martinique with Severne Sailors leading in all events this year.

In small chop and wind between 15 to 24 knots, it was a perfect "warm up" for the next Formula Experience in Martinique, the Pan Am Cup which will take place on Feb 17/18th.

In the men’s categorie, the top 3 places were taken up by:

Men:
1) Vila ( Severne)
2) Nayral Charlaes Elie (Severne)
3) Rimbaud Jean baptiste (Severne)

Youth:
1) Demont Christine (Severne)
2) Demont Morane (Severne)
3) Roset Jerome

Club Vass Divas

Starboard team rider Jo Scott has released the dates for her Diva clinics, in association with Club Vass, for 2007.

The Diva clinics are a female only windsurfing event for ladies of all levels of windsurfing from beginner to advanced, taught by advanced RYA instructor Jo and her all girl team of instructors.

The emphasis of the tuition is placed on learning techniques for the fairer sex and due to the nature of the week the participants can expect more time on the water with more flexibility than you would expect on a 'regular' Club Vass teaching program and all with the latest state-of-the-art Starboard boards. All of this ensures that each lady improves to her maximum potential throughout the week whether it be cracking the harness, waterstarting or first duck gybes.

But it's not all work, work, work! The ladies get to play too with lots of optional extra activities from mountain biking, yoga and even skipping lessons (it's a lot tougher than you think!), to picnic sail-aways and meals out in the local village. In Dahab, Egypt, for example be prepared to snorkel in the most beautiful and flourishing waters in the world or hop on a camel to the Egyptian 'wadis' to enjoy a barbecue cooked by the local Bedouins!

For those who prefer the British shores Jo and fellow Starboard team mate Andy 'Bubble' Chambers will be commencing a spring time UK tour. Check out the websites below for more information.

For a full list of dates, venues and prices for Club Vass holidays please visit www.clubvass.com/events or www.windsurfdivas.com. Jo can also be contacted directly on diva@clubvass.com.

For information on UK clinics please visit www.k540.com

2^nd Speed Crossing in Martinique

Another day of racing in strong waves and wind of 25 to 28 knots took place on the island of Martinique on February 3rd. Severne /Starboard Team Rider Per Andersson took the 1st place in the men’s category and Moran Demont from Martinique won the top rank in the youth (female, under 18 years) category.

Men

S531, Per Andersson, Starboard/Severne
F-117, Lequesne Thomas, Starboard/Severne
97, Cornelus Charles-Henry, Tiga/Pryde

Youth

F 119, Jaques Arnaud, Starboard/Severne
59, Demont Morane, Starboard/Severne
174, Gallet Guillaume, F2/Severne

Remi Vila and Morane Dumont crowned Long Distance 2006 Champions

Organised by the French Sailing Federation, the 2006 Long Distance Challenge in France has been the year's most popular tour with an incredible total of 1532 participants. With such popularity in this new discipline, windsurfing finds itself a breath of fresh air and there is no doubt that the popularity will grow again in 2007. With all this new motivation, the sport in France is expected to grow more popular once again over a 2006 year when the market has already increased by an exciting 26%.

To close the 2006 tour, 3 racers from Martinique have been crowned Champions: Morane Dumont in the women's category under 18 years old, Arnaud Jacques in the men's category under 18 years old and Remi Vila in the Master's category. The prize ceremony took place at the French Board Show in December but as the 3 winners were unable to travel to France from their island, Christian Chardon from the FFV went over to visit them and handover the trophies.

Congratulations to the team!

As the prizes were awarded, the 2007 Long Distance Challenge is well underway with the first two events of the year out of 8 completed. Remi Vila and Morane Dumont set the pace and both take 1st place.

Severne continues it’s lead: 10th Monsoon Madness

George Warren and the Ministry for Tourism of the Province Pahang/Malaysia invited a top fleet to this years 10th anniversary of the Monsoon Madness. 44 riders from 12 different countries arrived at Balok beach. The event started with a grand opening ceremony on the 18th of January. Each rider was greeted with a handshake by the Sports Minister of Malaysia, who expressed her deepest respect for the Watersport. "When the windsurfers are at the beach, they are normal people, but when they enter the water, accelerated by the steady Monsoon winds, they get totally mad.”

On the first day of competition the wind did not kick in, nothing but heavy rainfall at Balok beach. The competition took off with two long distance races (master blasts) and two downwind slalom eliminations. Pro Slalom rider Jesper Orth (AUS 10) dominated during most of the heats in light wind of only 8 to 16 knots on his CODE Red 9.0. Pawel Hlawaty (POL- 11) , well known from several PWA competitions, also demonstrated his light wind skills and finished in second place on a Code Red R2 8.3 and a SSR 10.0. Dan Ellis, former AWT (Asian Windsurfing Tour) winner followed in third position. He won the first downwind slalom heat but had bad luck in the second final because he got crashed on the starting line. The excellent organized event ended on the 20.01.2007 with an amazing closing ceremony.

Written by: Chris Pressler

1. Jesper Orth (Starboard/Severne) 2.25
2. Pawel Hlawaty (Starboard/Severne) 7.00
3. Dan Ellis (Fanatic/Naishsails) 11.75
4. Steven Stratfold (F2/Neilpryde) 12.00
5. Alan Jackson (Maui sails) 12.00
6. Oka Sulaksana (Starboard/Neilpryde) 17.00
7. Chris Pressler (Starboard/Challenger sails) 19.00

SEVERNE DOMINATES IN THE LANCELIN OCEAN CLASSIC

For Severne, the 2007 Season kicked off successfully this week in WA. Severne Team Riders placed 1st to 5th using this season’s newly tweaked high performance Wave Sails.

1st Luke Walmsley (SEVERNE 07 S-1)
2nd Scott McKercher (SEVERNE 07 Blade)
3rd Ben Severne (SEVERNE 08 S-1)
4th Ty Bodycoat (SEVERNE Blade)
5th Jaeger Stone (SEVERNE 07 S-1)

Ben Severne's view:

Conditions were actually about as good as South Passage gets - windy enough for jumps, and lots of clean overhead sections linking up all the way to the inside. Luke and Ty were looking very dangerous through most of the early heats with their local knowledge really showing. Both these guys were continually in the right place at the right time, blowing the backs out of the biggest sets.

Scotty was nailing monster back loops most runs out, Luke was answering them with his own one-handed versions as well as his trademark 'Roast Beef'.

All in all, it was an afternoon of quality wavesailing, followed up by a few beers at the Lancelin Tavern.

Ben.

The Cougar bourbon Lancelin Ocean Classic 2007

Photos: Colin Lionhart

The strong and long running Lancelin Ocean Classic downwind marathon, hosted by the little charming town of Lancelin north of Perth, had again a big fleet of sailors on any level. Many competing for the high honor of winning this prestige full race, and get their name on the trophy next to the names of prof windsurfers through 22 years.

For the entry-level racers it was a matter of pure fun and just finishing the long downwind, with 7 boats as jibe marks and arrive to a well deserved cold beer or Cougar Bourbon at the Lancelin Endeavour Tavern.

Photos: Colin Lionhart

The race conditions were light to medium wind and sails were used from 7.0-10.

The winning combination came from Jesper Orth that won the event some years back. With his Starboard Isonic 122 and out of the bag 9.0 Severne Code Red II, he finished in the very quick time of 31 minuts.

"The race was probably the closest I have tried through the 6 years I done it. In the start it was legendary Dan Engdal and Scotty McKercher having the running beach start perfectly dialed. Quickly closing in on the first mark was Peter Wolwater, Jesper Westerstroem, Steven Stratfold and myself. Through the next 5 marks the lead was changing more than one time time. In the end I managed to hold it all together and I was stoked to run up the beach as the Cougar bourbon Lancelin Ocean Classic winner."
Says Jesper Orth –

1'st Jesper Orth AUS 10 (Starboard/ Severne Code Red II)
2'nd Jesper Westerstroem DEN 111 (Starboard/ Neil Pryde)
3'rd Dan Engdal KA 18 (Starboard/ Severne)
4'th Steve Stratfold SAS (F2/ Neil Pryde)
5'th Scotty McKercher KA 181 (Starboard/ Severne Overdrive II)

Team Severne

Vietnam Fun Cup

Final Countdown to the 8th Vietnam Fun Cup
February 2nd & 3rd 2007

For more info, please contact:
fullmoon@windsurf-vietnam.com

Windy days in Thailand

This might be interesting news for those of you living in the region or planning a trip : Thailand, in particular Pattaya area, has had some nice and windy days of around 20-25 knots lately. To receive more information about the local windsurfing scene and regular weather up-dates ,please contact: am@windsurfing-thailand.com.

Multiple World Champion, Wojtek Brzozowski joins Severne

Severne proudly announces that Wojtek Brzozowski has joined the Severne racing team.

With a career of numerous podium and world championship results, Severne is excited that Wojtek has joined their team. It will be interesting to measure his performance as he is now fresh from a rigorous training program after an injury in 2006.

He will challenge the world title with the soon to be released Severne CODE Red R2, possibly the fastest and lightest race sail in 2007.

We wish him a fun, successful year and look forward to seeing the familiar Pol-10 sail number on Severne sails.

Interview:

1) What is your reason for joining the Severne Team?
I am fascinated by Severne Slalom sails. They are light and extremely fast. I just love them!

2) You had bad luck this year because you broke your leg. What have you been doing during your recovery?
I started training first day after operation and since then almost every day I worked out. That was my goal, to keep my body fit even though I couldn't windsurf. Besides that I did quite a lot of sport promotion and publicity. These last few months were very busy.

3) You like cinema and theater. What's your favorite movie?
Casino Royal is not bad; lately there is a lot of great stuff in cinemas. I also follow TV series with my favorite Prison Break.

4) Can you recommend Poland as a great place to go Windsurfing? Why?
Sure I can! I love this place! There is a lot of good wind, a lot of great venues. Slalom and formula every day and pretty often wave conditions with swells 1 to 4 meters left side shore. Besides that, beautiful sandy beaches and great party almost every night. Great place to be: and an especially good to find a pretty girlfriend…

5) You will be racing on the new Code Red. What do you particularly like about this sail?
Speed, speed and one more time speed. This is just a very fast sail. Red color is the most aggressive of all and it says it's going to eat other competitors alive. I also like Severne a lot because they are very light in weight but still very durable and strong.

6) What rigging and tuning techniques can you share?
Pull a lot of downhaul, it gives you speed. Outhaul tension is not that important. Place your mast foot in the middle position of your mast track and move forward for speed and backward for power.

7) In your opinion, what should be the largest sail size used in Formula Windsurfing for Men and Woman?
For man definitely 12.5 and for woman 10. We are much stronger than woman and heavier so the difference should be at least 2.5 m.

8) Besides winning, what are your goals for 2007?
I want to be happy. That's all. Windsurfing gives me happiness so that's why I do it. Besides winning I do not have any other professional goals for 2007. After my injury I got a lot of motivation and I plan to use it this season.

9) Where do you see the future of Formula Windsurfing, as compared to other categories like Wave, Slalom and Free style?
I believe that formula will be there, mostly because in very light winds there is nothing else. If we had wider slalom boards we could replace formula with it but slalom rule is 80cm and that's not enough. I love formula for smoothness of the ride. It's unbelievable how light and fast you can glide in super light winds on formula gear. It's like flying. Freestyle is not one of my favorites but wave will always be there and I love it.

10) Does being a well known, professional Windsurfer help to pick -up interesting girls? What's your approach?
Sure it helps :) it helps with many things. You know, you just talk. Need to be nice but determined. Most of girls like sportsman that are nice and know what they want. Everybody needs some fun and surfers are definitely a lot of fun.

Severne Backpack

Colour: brown/black

Complete with;

Large, easy to access storage areas
Convenient smaller pockets for pens, wallets, ipods etc
Extra pocket designed to store you laptop
Comfortable, padded shoulder straps

Perfect for weekend sailing excursions, or simply as a cool backpack for city use.

Gold for Scott Mc Kercher in Japan

After the final event of the PWA tour before going home to WA I was invited over to Japan to compete in one of their NWA events. Picked up by the importers at the airport, straight away there's something so different to Japan than other places I go. That extra bit of effeminacy to everything that's done.

I and Alex Mussolini were the only tour sailors that went along to Omaezaki to hopefully score some of the fabled windy conditions, but alas that were never to eventuate.

We hung out for the first day in the car park doing not too much at all, with the highlights coming at dinner time to some awesome Japanese food and a drink I'm particularly fond of Sake!!!

We sailed on a couple of days at a different locations with the beautiful Mount Fuji in the background. That had me out on my 5.7' blade and my 80 litre Evo, but not planing. Waist high waves it was marginal at best.

They had an expression session where I was judged to have come out on top; I was able to get enough speed to get a few gouges and cracks where everyone else was kinda struggling, so the importer was pretty stoked as it showed the superiority of my gear in the marginal conditions. (Good riding as the Japanese say)

The next couple of days after the contest I was taken around Tokyo and surrounding area to a lot of the shops and dealers to say G'day and see some of the surrounding sights. Temples and such. An amazing place for sure and somewhere worth checking out during their typhoon season.

But travel lightly. I ended up having to leave all my boards and sails behind due to a $4000 excess charge..

Written by: Scott Mc Kercher

Jesper Orth (AUS-10) wins the "Penghu Pro - Am"
Penghu Pro-Am November 23-27

With a long record of super windy conditions the Penghu Pro-Am the first stop of the Asian Tour is not a race to miss if you will ever have the chance to go there.

Penghu is situated between China and Taiwan and it picks up unbelievable wind force through out the winter season from October – April.

It doesn’t take long to fall in love with the place, with its culture and friendly local people that will do anything to help you out. Local organizer Alex Mowday made it very easy for all the competitors and was a great host.

This year conditions were a bit unusual by Penghu standards. With only one day of slalom racing in 15-18 kts and with 4 races in total it was Severne/ Starboard rider Jesper Orth Aus –10 that took first place, closely followed by Anders Bringdal SWE-10. With an impressive show of 85 competitors, the local scene is very alive with a lot of young talents battling the conditions. Outstanding talent was local Penghu sailor Howard Chang, TPE 8.

"It was just amazing to be a part of this event. I wanted to go there for so many years and I’m so glad that I went and of course stoked with my 1’st place. The conditions are truly amazing and I extended my stay here to experience the true potential of Penghu. There is smooth as well as super choppy conditions in 40-50 kts. Wave sailing on the other side of the island and a 2 km long speed strip 3 km offshore linked up to a little island. This creation is a naturally created sand bank. All this combined with the culture and lifestyle is clearly a “must go” place along with your other favorite locations".

"This was the first time that we brought the newly developed Code Red sail into action in a competition and I can only say that we are very happy with the result and potential of those racing machines" said Jesper Orth

1'st Jesper Orth AUS 10 (Severne sails Code Red / Starboard)
2'nd Anders Bringdal SWE 10 (Neil Pryde / A+B boards)
3'rd Chris Presler Aut 226 (Challenger / Starboard)
4'th Alex Mowday TPE 81 (Neil Pryde / Starboard)
5’th Kato Carpenter J 47 (Neil Pryde/ A+B boards)

Written by: Jesper Orth

King Power Raceboard Worlds Pattaya,Thailand
18-25 November 2006

An IWA sanctioned event organised by the Eastern Windsurfing Club together with the Windsurfing Association of Thailand recognised by ISAF

Official Event Website: http://www.raceboard.org/
Notice of Race: http://www.internationalwindsurfing.com/files/usercontent/pages/NoR2006RBWorlds.pdf
E-mail: raceboard@internationalwindsurfing.com

Reporting from Pattaya, 26th Nov.

On Saturday, the last day of racing the competitors took to the water for the last and deciding day of competition. Like the previous days, a light breeze dominated throughout the day and two back to back races were completed. The final ranking in each of the 5 categories was confirmed as follows:

Youth:
1. Navin Singsart (THA20)
2. Natthapong Phnopharat (THA1)
3. Songkram Singsart (THA3)

Woman:
1. Napalai Tansai (THA4)
2. Helene Cardon (FRA59)
3. Tina Sahl (THA247)

Men (Heavy):
1. Patrik Pollak (SVK1)
2. Riccardo Giordano (ITA12)
3. Marco Andreuccetti (ITA129)

Men (Light):
1. Tak Sum Wong (HKG11)
2. Navin Singsart (THA20)
3. Jean Asia (FRA171)

Overall:
1. Patrik Pollak (SVK1)
2. Riccardo Giordano (ITA12)
3. Tak Sum Wong (HKG11)

Although the wind was not as constant as organizers and sailors had hoped for, a great spirit on and off the water made the event a real success. Many positive comments were made about the Severne/Starboard Testing set-up which was in place during the whole duration of the Event. The light wind conditions were ideal for Serenity and Phantom Board Sailing and many test riders were surprised and impressed by the performance of those boards. Severn’s Glide sail also received a very positive feedback, especially it’s light feel and powerful performance were highly rated.

On Saturday evening, a stylish prize giving ceremony and dinner party at the event site officially ended the Kingpower Raceboard World Championship 2006.
Racers and organizers alike were in great spirits, the pressure was off and the party was on.

Over all event winner commented: " I am really happy that this time I finished the Championship in a first place because last year I was leading for the first three days but then lost out to the big guys on the hybrid boards…This is still fresh in my memory and therefore I tried hard to win every heat in this event and tried to do as good as I can throughout….at the end if was ok"

We would like to congratulate all participants and especially the winners of this event and we are looking forward to seeing you again next year at the Raceboard World Championship in Argentina.

On a personal noted, we would like to extend our great thanks to the many new friends that we made for their unselfish helpfulness and great positive attitude on and off the water.

Windy days and all the best,
Tina & Per

Reporting from Pattaya, 23rd Nov.
Thursday:

Today was yet another day of clear skies, warm water and great racing here in Pattaya. The breeze came in a little earlier and stronger than previous days and everybody was keen to get on the water.

Again the "I" course was selected and racing got under way just before lunch.

Two races were sailed back to back before the wind backed off giving the competitors and organizers alike the opportunity to enjoy a beautiful tropical sunset on the beach.

In the men's division, Patrik Pollak of Slovakia reinforced his position at the top of the rankings with a 3rd and a 1st finish. Riccardo Giordano of Italy also continued to show great form with a 2nd and 3rd place, as did Tak Sum Wong of Hong Kong with a 1st and a 2nd.

After a total of 7 races, Patrik Pollak still leads the overall rankings 2.5 points ahead of Riccardo Giordano in second and 4 points ahead of Tak Sum Wong in third.

In the women's division, Napalai Tansai of Thailand continues to impress with her great racing skills. She finished the day in 9th position overall with a 10th and 7th in today's races.

Reporting from Pattaya, 23rd Nov.
Wednesday:

Clear sunny skies on Wednesday morning gave the competitors hope for a little more breeze than previous days and around lunch time, a steady breeze or 4-6 knots filled the bay "I-course" and the competitors took to the water for the first race of the day.

Three races were completed throughout the day with the first 2 being sailed back to back.

Riccardo Giordano of Italy again showed good form, winning race 3 just in front of event leader Patrik Pollak of Slovakia and Tak Sum Wong of Hong Kong.

Patrik Pollak retaliated straight away by winning race 4, leaving Riccardo Giordano in second, while local hero, Tailands Arnun Homraruen put on a great performance by claiming 3rd.

Race 5 saw the wind picking up just before the start getting everybody exited for more racing. The wind stayed for the majority of the race and Patrik Pollak reinforced his position at the top of the rankings by yet another race victory. Thailands Arnun Homraruen sailed another brilliant race to claim 2nd while Tak Sum Wong of Hong Kong was 3rd.

Over all, after 5 races, Patrik Pollak of Slovakia is leading the fleet, 4 points ahead of Riccardo Giordano of Italy and 5 points ahead of Tak Sum Wong of Hong Kong.

In the evening Starboard Severne Sails invited everybody to a dinner party at the Starboard Test Center located directly on the beach just a few hundred meters way from the event site. The competitors took the opportunity to socialize and relax after a long day on the water and everybody had a great time.

Reporting from Pattaya, 19th November:
Day 1 &2:

For the first time, a World Championship Windsurfing event is held at North Point in the warm waters of Wong-Amat beach in Pattaya, Thailand.The organizers have arranged for an ideal environment for racers and spectators alike including massive equipment storage, a maintenance area, and food outlets and seating at the beach directly in front of the action. It is indeed a great place to spend a week of racing.

The opening ceremony jointly organized by King Power and North Point on Saturday night was a great success. It was set directly on the beach at the event site where a large scene, fantastic buffet and open bar all contributed to create a fabulous atmosphere. Introductions and speeches by the organizers and sponsors were kept short, leaving plenty of time for the 800 or so guests to enjoy a multitude of performances such as a Lingerie Show, an Argentinean Tango, Magicians, cumulating in a grand Firework. There was a great vibe amongst the whole crowed. In particular the teams from Goa and Argentinia contributed to the great atmosphere.

I m already looking forward to the next party on the 22th at the Starboard Test Center just a few hundred meters up the beach.

On Sunday, many people took the opportunity to test Starboard Serenity Boards and Severne Glide Sails that were available at the event site.It was indeed interesting to see people gliding along in not more than 5 knots of wind, going faster than competitors on much larger sails who was preparing for competition.

Please find reports and pictures from the first day of racing here tomorrow.

Polish teamrider Pawel Hlavaty (POL 11) has just returned from his trip to Japan. During his four days stay, he organized an open training session, one day was dedicated to rigging and tactic tips and a fun race on the last day. The winds were up and down with a peak of around 16 knots. Despite some hours of low wind, the mood was fantastic Pawel has enjoyed true Japanese hospitality and has already been invited to come back next year.

13 years old Morane Demont (FRA 59) from Martinique just won the French Slalom Championship (under 15 yrs). It is the first time in French Federation history that a girl her age has won this title ahead of the boys. Previously, she placed 2nd in the FE Worlds (under 17 yrs).

Interview:

1) You are 13 years old now. How long have you been windsurfing?
I have been windsurfing for 6 years.

2) How come you started windsurfing so young? Have your parents been taking you sailing since you were very young?
My parents have come to Martinique to windsurf before I was born. About 6 years ago I have followed them and got started. . I used to take some lessons at "Club Nautique Le Vauclin".

3) Do you sometimes take time off from school to join Windsurf Events?
Until now I never had to take off any school time, but this could change in the future. I have no problems with my teachers, I am sure we can work out a good solution then.

4) What do you like best about windsurfing?
I love speed and big jumps that get your adrenaline up.

5) What can you tell others about your local windsurf spot?
Our spot, le Vauclin is really easy for beginners, but also excellent for riders who would like to have some excitement . It depends on the spot. It is very nice to windsurf only in bordies and a lycra to protect you from the sun. I can progress on all direction on this spot: speed, slalom , waves, Formula and hi-jump. It's an excellent place to windsurf with all my family, Clémetine my sister, Philippe my father, Nathalie my mother and plenty of friends.

6) Where would you like to go sailing and why?
I would like a lot to go to Hawaïi for the slalom and waves. I only wish that there were no sharks ! I would also love to go to Thailand to windsurf with Svein.

7) Do you want to become a professional windsurfer or do you have other plans for your future?
Yes, I would like to become a professional windsurfer, maybe also a windsurf teacher or sports teacher.

8) Besides Windsurfing, what else do you like doing?
When there is not enough wind I go roller blading and I join the fitness training of the Martinique Team twice a week.

9) What makes you laugh?
Big crashes on the water and windsurfing with the dolphins.

10) Is there anything else you would like to tell us about you?
Thanks a lot for everything and hope to see you next time on water.

Pawel Hlavaty, Pol -11, defends his polish slalom title

Congratulations Pawel!

Pawel Hlavaty has added another great result to his record by winning the Polish Slalom and Speed Championships in Rewa, October 5th-8th 2006.
The event was divided into three days of Slalom racing and one day of speed racing. Despite shifty and gusty winds, the sailors managed to finish 2 complete rounds of slalom. The first final heat was won by Pawel, followed by Jared Miarczynski and Maciek Rutkowski. The second final was won by Italian Alberto Memgatti, followed by Jared Miarczynski and Pawel. That left Pawel with a total of 3.7 points and a win. In the speed contest on Sunday which was held in 25-28 knts of wind , Pawel placed 3rd with a 59.5km/h run behind Rafael Kapuscinksi with 60km/h and Jared Miarczynski 61km/h.

BEN SEVERNE INTERVIEW : Click here for more detail.


Name :		Sam Ireland
Sail No :		CAN-1
Favorite discipline :		Down the line freesailing and racing
Other sponsors :		Starboard, NFA, Ronstan
Address :		Canada
Email :		samvireland@mac.com
www :		http://www.prosecretsvideo.com/
Best results :		3rd overall Eurocup ranking 2001 5th Aloha Classic Maui 2001 Canadian Champion 2001, 2003 3rd Miezyzdroje Euro Cup 2001 4th Greece World Cup 1999 7th overall PWA World Cup Racing 2002/2003 4th Poland World Cup 2003 5th FW World Champs 2004
Hobbies :		Surfing, tow surfing, Mountain biking, and Hockey EH!

Interview:
1) How would you best describe your lifestyle?
Hyperactive family man.

2) Canada is not a particularly famous place for windsurfing. How and when did you get started?
My mom and dad were always packing me up and going sailing as a family on Okanagan Lake, which is a high mountain lake in the interior of BC. I got a bit bored, so they bought an old longboard for me to mess about on when we were out on the sailboat. I caught the bug and all I could think about was windsurfing ever since. I'd sit in school staring out the window, looking for the slightest rustle of the trees indicating wind, and race home on my bike to go sailing. I went to the national youth champs just for fun and next thing you know I'm traveling the world living the dream!

3) Why did you decide to join the severne team?
Two reasons: First, Severne is the most innovative, fresh, and quality company out there today. Severne has developed new materials and cutting edge designs that are the best I've ever seen. Second, the people involved in the company. Everyone in the company is a hardcore sailor who sails almost everyday from Ben Severne, Clinton, and Jesper on the design team and including the marketing and management guys like Svein and Trent. Not to mention the team riders who are all friends of mine. I'm pretty lucky to be player on this great team.

4) Where do you think windsurfing as a sport will be in 5 years from now?
Windsurfing got a little sidetracked 10-15 years ago by being too focused on planing conditions. This was good for expanding the horizons for planing conditions. However, what is wrong with jumping on a long board in 2 knots of wind and going exploring with your daughter or dog on the nose of the board?! The wind is always free unlike a ski lift ticket or golf green fee. Windsurfing is going to attract a lot of new people. I'm pretty excited these days to see all my friends getting back into the sport after 10 years off.

5) What are your personal goals for 2007?
My goals are to put back into the sport as much as I can. I want to coach some new kids that are starting out, develop my Windsurfing Instructional DVD business more, and compete in as many local and national windsurfing events as I can. I'm also excited about helping out with R & D for the Severne team.

6) What is the most memorable sail of your life?
It was November off the northern BC coast a few winters ago. I was sailing off a small island in the middle of nowhere with no other windsurfer for 600 kms. The shore break was 10 feet high and it was blowing 35 knots and raining hard. Timing the shore break was an ordeal and is messed up once, getting absolutely nailed onto the rocky beach. When I finally got out it the swell was so big I couldn't even plane in the troughs of the waves and was overpowered on the tops! I lost sight of land for awhile and saw a huge 12 foot sea lion grab a large salmon about 4 feet from me. That got my heart racing more than any mast high Ho'okipa day!

7) Who are your favorite male and female riders? Why?
Scott McKercher and Josh Angulo. They wave sail like a surfer would, each wave dictates their line and they know how to lay rail. As far as women, Karin Jaggi and Jen Henderson rip the hardest hands down wave riding. Anne-Marie also is one of my favorite women to watch wave riding. When it comes to jumping, it's all Daida Moreno.

8) If you took your mp3 player with you sailing, what would you listen to?
Bloc Party, Hives, ACDC, Johnny Cash, 80's, old Metallicca....

9) What sort of training do you do to stay fit for Windsurfing?
I surf, tow surf, mountain bike, run, and windsurf. No time to fit much any training in the day!

10) What places can you recommend to visit for great sailing & fun?
If you are adventurous and like long beautiful drives go to Western Australia because of the great conditions and good people. Just like in New Zealand.

11) Is windsurfing your only and most important passion or are you also trying to spend time for other interests/people?
My passion has shifted more towards my family these days, and this makes me appreciate every good sailing session even more and is get more enjoyment out of my time on the water. I'm living the dream and am don't take it for granted anymore!!

12) How would you best describe your own sailing style?
Well rounded is guess. Micah Buzianis calls me "heavy footed"...not sure what that means! Growing up we had the "Crazy Canucks" dominating the World Cup ski racing scene. I've kind of modeled my career on that "go for it" or "giver'!" attitude!

If you want to know more about Sam, e-mail him at: samvireland@mac.com