Competition, But Make It Fun
Something different went down in Western Australia this month. An event that brought the stoke back to windsurfing competition, and we’re here for it. We grabbed a yarn with the brains behind Wave Rally Paul van Bellen for the inside story on what might be the most fun event in recent years according to those who took part.
Images by: Chelsea Ross
Q: How are you feeling on the back of this year’s event? Did you achieve what you had set out to do?
A: “Feeling relieved!! Being the first windsurfing event I’ve organised there’s quite a few unknowns. The feedback from Wave Rally has been great so I’m very happy the sailors and volunteers enjoyed themselves. The goal was to establish an inclusive & positive event for the Mid West region of Western Australia and bring the fun back to windsurfing events again. I think that was achieved!”
Q: Any standout moments to mention?
A: “Quite a few actually! Seeing the event work great in 10-15 knots was amazing for me. Purchasing the inflatable WindSups was an event saver and the entrants actually really enjoyed it! Watching the volunteers take charge of the roles was great as I was worried that I’d have to run around everywhere making things work. The whole vibe of the event was really positive and the Wave Rally concept seemed to attract a great bunch of people!! Friday evening saw one of the best sunsets I’ve seen in Geraldton and the wind picked up to 20 knots for the Semis and Finals which was right on script ha!”
This is where SEVERNE’s home state really shows its true colors. Proper West Oz conditions delivered their full repertoire – rain, sun, rainbows, and winds building from a challenging 10-15 knots to a solid 20 knots for the finals. Classic Geraldton.
Q: Why Geraldton/Coronation?
A: “Firstly I live here, secondly it’s one the world’s best wave slalom locations in the world and thirdly it’s packed with windsurfers!”
Q: What sort of conditions did you get over the event dates?
A: “We had rain, we had sun, we had rainbows, we had 10-15 knots for most of the event and then 20 knots at the end. Had a bit of everything!”
KEEPING IT CORE
The gear restrictions helped maintain the event’s freewave focus – minimum two fins, no slalom boards allowed, and maximum five-batten sails. Some competitors pushed these boundaries, prompting a rethink for next year’s gear regulations.
Q: How did the multi-fin rule work?
A: “Rules for the board was that it had to have minimum 2 fins. The idea was to enter wave and freewave style boards. No slalom boards. There was no restriction to fin size however next year I’ll have to look into that because there were a few sailors pushing the limits of gear choices. For sails the rule was max 5 batten sails. Again the idea is for wave and freewave style sails.”
Q: How was the winner decided?
A: “There was a league system put in place for the whole event which has the feature of maximum heats for everybody until the finals. There were 4 divisions, Women’s, Lightweight, Middleweight and Heavyweight Men. The weight categories for men worked really well as it brought the races closer together. There were 4 finals for the different categories and then a ‘Mega Final’ for the 8 best sailors regardless of category.”
Q: Were there activities for those who weren’t competing?
A: “There was a dance floor with pumping 80s tunes ha! We had food vans and shade structures on the beach where spectators could watch the action from.”
THE SCENE IS ALIVE
The West Australian windsurfing community continues to show its strength, particularly in the Mid West.
Q: How do you view the windsurfing community at this day and age?
A: “Here in WA it is quite stable with a new batch of young groms coming through thanks largely to the efforts of a committed bunch of windsurfers creating opportunities for the young ones. Geraldton on a good day is still very popular with windsurfers and you can easily get 60-80 windsurfers there on a good day.”
Q: Who is Wave Rally for?
A: “If you can waterstart you can enter Wave Rally. Wind could be 5-35 knots so it’s not for complete beginners as you do need to sail out at Coronation and return. If you want to meet fun windsurfers, have a party, share good vibes and try your luck at becoming Wave Rally World Champ, you’d love it!”
WHAT’S NEXT
Q: Are you considering a Wave Rally version 2 for next year?
A: “A few days after the event I was exhausted and didn’t want to think about it. A week later I’d recovered and hell yes let’s do it!! Wave Rally II let’s go, bigger and better!”
Want to get involved? Check out www.waverally.org for more details on the next edition.
SEVERNE CREW TAKE THE WIN
Ultimately, it was the SEVERNE crew that walked away with the overall win with Albert Pijoan taking this year’s title followed by Thewes De Boer. Both used Gator and Dyno combos (when it was planing conditions).
RESULTS
Overall Wave Rally World Champion
- Albert Pijoan
- Thewes De Boer
- Peter Kenyon
Womens
- Maria Schälin
- Tania Holldack
- Onike Basile
Mens lightweight
- Anton Pain
- Ben Ryan
- Matthew Robertson
Men’s middleweight
- Albert Pijoan
- Thewes De Boer
- Logan Haggerston
Men’s heavyweight
- Mathias Moerman
- Tim Fitzhardinge
- Aiden Grove
Albert Pijoan is the 2025 Wave Rally Champion.
Albert Pijoan victory leap across the finish line.
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