IT GAVE AND IT TOOK

Jaeger Stone went to Cloudbreak hoping to ride a couple of waves to a standard he was really happy with. He left with one of the best waves of his life, the wave he posted to Instagram, a broken foot, and more respect for the reef than he arrived with. This is his trip, in his words.

Photos by Maleen Hoekstra & Malte Rahbek.

Jaeger Stone stepped away from the full-time PWA Wave World Tour after the 2019/2020 season. He didn’t step away from the water. When the Fiji Surf Pro brought him back into a competition jersey at Cloudbreak, the question was whether the old fire still lit the same way.

It does. It just burns for different reasons now.

“When I’m on the water I’m still as focused as I used to be,” says Jaeger. “I enjoy occasionally being in that mindset, feeling the pressure of time and performance. It challenges and pushes you to become better. I’m probably competing against myself more than anyone, being inspired by others, but focusing on my own level and what I can take that to. The difference now to before is that results are nice of course, but they don’t actually matter.”

That shift is the whole story. Jaeger isn’t chasing a ranking. He’s chasing the experience, the footage, and the standard he sets for himself.

Jaeger positioning himself on Cloudbreak – Photo by Maleen Hoekstra

Learning the reef

Cloudbreak doesn’t hand anything over. Jaeger spent his first day working out how it breaks.

“The first day I went over the reef 3 times and ended the day getting dragged over Shish Kabobs for half an hour,” he says. “I didn’t feel good about my sailing but I was positive about the experience and saw it as beneficial, learning how to navigate different parts of the reef and get myself out of difficult situations.”

Day two turned. There were moments that showed what Cloudbreak could do; busy water, a couple of good waves, but few and far between. He wanted more.

“Each day was different and better than the last,” he says, “so a challenge was learning the layout of the reef and judging how each wave would break as it approached.”

Heading up towards the reef. Photo by Malte Rahbek.

The wave

The morning of the third day was the first day of competition, and the place had truly turned on.

“The conditions were incredible and you could see the potential from the boat,” says Jaeger. He rigged for the contest and decided to do a warm-up run; check his settings, catch one wave, surf it long-board style to feel out the conditions and save energy for the heat. That was the plan.

A set approached. He started cruising in on top.

“I could see it developing down the line and the first section looked solid and too good!” he says. “Within the space of a few seconds I changed my mindset and decided that I was here to windsurf as hard as I could and to try to ride waves in a way that I would remember forever, whether that be in a warm-up or not.” He’d also caught the drone in the corner of his eye and felt he hadn’t lined up well with it earlier.

That wave is the one he posted to Instagram.

“Without a doubt it is one of the best waves I’ve ever ridden,” says Jaeger. “Margaret River has its moments for big hits but I can’t recall ever doing an aerial that big over such a heavy section. I kicked out and knew that wave was the type of wave that I wanted to ride before the trip was over. My trip was made in that moment.”

He sailed straight back to the boat. Bernd Roediger, Julian Salmonn, and the others met him with the same energy.

“It was so cool to share that moment and fire each other up,” says Jaeger. “I was on a high and knew that I wanted to continue sailing with that approach.”

The turn

That approach carries risk. Jaeger knew it, and named it himself.

“Unfortunately though, that comes with risks and I ended up breaking my foot at the end of my heat,” he says.

The heat was a separate ride from that warm-up wave. He started rough.

“I started with 2 falls and got caught on the inside, worked really hard to get back in to it and then turned the heat,” he says.

From there he went all-in. A big air, straight into another, and on the landing he went over the falls with his foot still in the strap. He won the heat. He broke his foot.

“I was so happy with the effort I put in up to that point and it can be nice to recognise those moments,” he says. “I think competition can be quite healthy and it can teach you so much, such as the importance of working hard and being persistent, as situations can turn around in an instant.”

Cloudbreak gave and it took.

“I had so much respect for Cloudbreak from the start, but I feel like I have more respect and appreciation now,” says Jaeger. “It gave me a massive high and dealt me a massive low, so it’s hard to put in to words how I feel but I wouldn’t be surprised if I go back.”

Rigging for the day. Photo by Malte Rahbek.

What’s next

What started as a broken foot was confirmed as a significant Lisfranc injury. Jaeger has already undergone surgery and is looking ahead to a full recovery.

He’s clear-eyed about it. He knows what he’s going back to.

“I love travelling to new places, and I love capturing amazing windsurfing footage,” he says. “It would be fun to keep doing that from time-to-time. Chile is somewhere I’ve wanted to visit for a long time, and it may be off the cards this year now but time will tell.”

First, the foot heals.

“I’ll prioritise getting better, back to my full-time job, and building up my confidence windsurfing again in W.A.,” he says. “I’ll go from there.”

The gear

Jaeger rode the same setup the entire trip: a 4.4 S-1 Pro rigged on an RDM Blue 370 mast and an Enigma 140 boom, on a Stone prototype at 77 litres. He weighs 73-74kg. The production Stone comes in 74 and 80.

“I use that setup with the RDM Blue mast in bigger, heavier waves in WA because I have so much trust in it,” says Jaeger, “and it withstood some heavy wipeouts at Cloudbreak as well. It gives you peace of mind.” That 77-litre prototype is his go-to volume; the board he can handle in strong winds and still float on in lighter air.

“The Stone was designed with conditions like that in mind so I was comfortable on my gear from the start,” he says.

The “Fiji Surf Pro” setup. Photo by Malte Rahbek.

A rider’s view on the tour

Since Jaeger left the tour, plenty has changed. The traditional PWA-led world tour is now joined by the World Windsurf Tour, adding new events of varying levels to the calendar. Asked for his read on the world tour right now, Jaeger kept it measured.

“It’s interesting,” he says. “There’s plenty being worked through right now, but for spectators, events like Fiji provide great viewing and entertainment if the exposure is there and enough top riders attend to show the highest standard.”

His view of the current state of affairs on the world tour offers a pragmatic, rider-focused approach.

“I’m sure I understand very little of what goes on behind the scenes for both the PWA and the WWT to comment too much,” he says, “but I believe that one of the most important things for growth would be that the riders trust they will get value out of an event. That comes from credible judging, quality photography and videography, and a livestream or delayed broadcast. If you have that and prioritise those things, especially in places that offer incredible windsurfing, then I think you build excitement from within which hopefully facilitates growth.”

Feeling right at home at Cloudbreak. Photo by Malte Rahbek.

Jaeger rides the 4.4 S-1 Pro on an RDM Blue 370 mast and Enigma 140 boom, paired with a Stone prototype at 77 litres (production Stone comes in 74 and 80). Rider weight: 73-74kg.

Photos: Maleen Hoekstra (@maleen555). Instagram wave clip: Paul Van Bellen.

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