The third day of competition in Costa Brava didn’t kick off until twenty past five, as the wind continued to change direction and strength. Eventually after three and half painstaking hours on standby, the sailors' patience was rewarded and the whole of the second race was completed in fourteen to twenty four knots of wind. Antoine Albeau (RRD / NeilPryde) came out on top as the Frenchmen claimed his first elimination victory of the year with an assured display.
Winners’ Final
Steve Allen (Starboard / Severne) came flying out of the blocks in heat sixteen after a textbook start. The Australian held his lead into the first mark, as Bjorn Dunkerbeck (Starboard / Severne / Mystic / Dunkerbeck Eyewear / Chris Benz) came roaring past Albeau to move into second place. However the terminator wasn’t in the top two for long as his archrival, Albeau, flew through his opening gybe and exited fully planing to move back into second place. The big Frenchmen looked like a man on a mission and he soon had Allen in his sights. He combined his blistering top speed and flawless gybes to take the lead by the exit of the second mark, and from this point on Albeau only extended his advantage to take a thoroughly deserved victory. Meanwhile, Starboard and Severne teammates, Dunkerbeck and Allen, battled it out for second and third place respectively. The Australian managed to hold onto second place until the final gybe, however at this point Dunkerbeck struck as he took the inside line to overtake his team mate. Allen tried to fight back on the final straight but Dunkerbeck used his wealth of experience to block him off, the Australian was left to settle for third. Completing the top four was the super consistent Julien Quentel (RRD / NeilPryde), who finished ahead of Cyril Moussilmani (Starboard / Severne / Mystic).
Losers’ Final
In the losers' final Pierre Mortefon (Fanatic / North) made the best start of the fleet, and he took full advantage of his early lead to cruise to victory in heat fifteen. The race for second place was a much tighter affair, involving Jimmy Diaz (Starboard / North), Ludovic Jossin (Patrik / Loft Sails) and Josh Angulo (Angulo / Point-7). As they left the third mark it was Jimmy Diaz who had managed to muscle his way into second, and he showed no signs of relinquishing it. Jossin won the battle for third ahead of Josh Angulo and Cedric Bordes (Tabou / Gaastra / Mystic).
Prior to the finals the opening rounds of the second elimination saw no major upsets, as the top seeds all safely navigated their way into the next round. However the quarter finals proved to be a whole different ball game as the big names began to fall. In heat ten the winner of Korea, Micah Buzianis (JP / MauiSails), was extremely unlucky, as the American followed Cedric Bordes into the gybe, Bordes fell which left Buzianis no room to maneuver, meaning that the two sailors collided. This altercation saw both the sailors drop out of the top four and unfortunately Buzianis was unable to recover, however Bordes fought his way back through the pack to finish in second place. Buzianis wasn’t the only casualty from heat ten as Ben Van Der Steen (Starboard / Loft Sails / Mystic) and Arnon Dagan (Tabou / Gaastra) both failed to qualify as well. Heat eleven proved to be no different either as Finian Maynard (RRD / Avanti) was pipped to the crucial fourth spot by a flying Jimmy Diaz. Other sailors who failed to progress past the quarter finals, included Sylvain Moussilmani (Tabou / Simmer) and Alberto Menegatti (Starboard / Gaastra), who both made the winner’s final on day two, proving just how competitive the men’s slalom tour is.
Tomorrow promises to be another day full of action with a forecast similar to today's, be sure to tune in again to see how the competition unfolds. The skipper's meeting has been called for 10:30 tomorrow morning with racing commencing from 11am.
Men’s Slalom Standings After Elimination 2
1st Bjorn Dunkerbeck (Starboard / Severne / Mystic / Dunkerbeck Eyewear / Chris Benz)
2nd Antoine Albeau (RRD / NeilPryde)
3rd Steve Allen (Starboard / Severne)
4th Julien Quentel (RRD / NeilPryde)
5th Jimmy Diaz (Starboard / North)
The second day in Costa Brava started very calm and overcast, but just after two o’clock the wind kicked in, enabling the completion of the first race. Bjorn Dunkerbeck (Starboard / Severne / Mystic / Dunkerbeck Eyewear / Chris Benz) stepped up to the plate to win the opening elimination, as he kicked off his event with a perfect start. More importantly the victory firmly re-establishes his bid for the world title, and the terminator will now look to cement his place at the top of the rankings over the remainder of the week.
Winners' Final
Antoine Albeau (RRD / NeilPryde) crossed the start line first just ahead of his nemesis Bjorn Dunkerbeck, but by the first gybe Dunkerbeck’s blistering speed had taken him clear of the Frenchman. Whilst the terminator exited his gybe cleanly, further extending his lead, Albeau was caught in a melee of sailors, which cost him dearly as he struggled to get back onto the plane. Steve Allen (Starboard / Severne), Pieter Bijl (JP / NeilPryde) and a flying Alberto Menegatti (Starboard / Gaastra) all leapfrogged Albeau, who now found himself in fifth. Dunkerbeck held a commanding lead over his nearest rival, Allen, and the terminator made no mistakes over the remainder of the course to claim the first bullet of the week. By this point Steve Allen had built an unassailable lead over Bijl in third place to claim second. Despite Albeau’s best efforts he was unable to catch the flying Dutchman ahead of him, so he had to eventually settle for fourth. Menegatti had been right in the thick of the action from the start, but he crucially dropped his gybe meaning he dropped to the back of the pack.
Losers' Final
Heat fifteen needed to be restarted as Taty Frans (Starboard / MauiSails/ Mystic/ Maui Ultra Fins) and Josh Angulo (Angulo / Point-7) were both a little too eager with their starts. When the heat was re-sailed it was Benoit Moussilmani (Tabou / Simmer) that made the best start and he went on to lead from start to finish in an accomplished display. The Frenchmen combined his brilliant top speed with fluid and effortless gybes to leave the rest of the fleet in his wake. Micah Buzianis (JP / MauiSails) and Ludovic Jossin (Patrik / Loft Sails) were involved in a tight battle as they approached the first mark, but the American had enough in his tank to see off the challenge of the Spaniard, as they finished in second and third respectively. Jimmy Diaz (Fanatic / North) completed the top four ahead of Peter Volwater (Fanatic / Avanti).
Incredibly in the seven heats that were completed today, we witnessed no fewer than eight false starts. In heat eleven Bora Kozanoglu (Starboard / Severne) and Ross Williams (Tabou / Gaastra) were the first sailors to cross the start line early and from then on it proved contagious. In the very next heat a further three sailors all suffered the same fate, as they pushed a little too hard for the perfect start. Ben Van Der Steen (Starboard / Loft Sails / Mystic), Finian Maynard (RRD / Avanti) and Sean O’Brien (Starboard / Point-7 / Mystic) would all be missing from the next round as some big names exited the first elimination prematurely. The semi-final saw Taty Frans jump the gun, whilst Italian Alberto Menegatti eventually went on to win the heat ahead of Dunkerbeck, Sylvain Moussilmani (Tabou / Simmer) and Pieter Bijl.
After the completion of the first elimination the wind deteriorated, meaning that the start of race two shall have to wait until tomorrow. The forecast for Thursday offers considerable promise with stronger winds than today being predicted for the afternoon. Make sure you join us again for what should be an afternoon packed with high octane action. The skipper’s meeting has been called for 10:30 tomorrow morning with the racing commencing from 11am.
Men’s Slalom Results After Elimination One
1st Bjorn Dunkerbeck (Starboard / Severne / Mystic / Dunkerbeck Eyewear / Chris Benz)
2nd Steve Allen (Starboard / Severne)
3rd Pieter Bijl (JP / NeilPryde)
4th Antoine Albeau (RRD / NeilPryde)
5th Sylvain Moussilmani (Tabou / Simmer)
The inaugural day of the 2012 PWA Catalunya Windsurf World Cup saw a quiet start to proceedings as sailors registered for the upcoming week of competition, between 10am and 12pm. It wasn’t long before the tranquil calm was replaced by a frenzy of activity on the beach, as the glorious sunshine kicked the thermal wind into action. The first elimination started just after quarter past two, and nine heats were completed before stormy clouds and rain brought a halt to the racing.
Elimination One
In the first heat of the day Turkey’s Ege Kurt (RRD / MauiSails) jumped the gun, enforcing a general recall. When the heat was re-started it was Josh Angulo (Angulo / Point-7) who crossed the line in first place, this proved pivotal as he went onto to win the heat in convincing manner. Taty Frans (Starboard / MauiSails / Maui Ultra Fins / Mystic) flew down the penultimate leg and he threw an audacious duck gybe around the final mark to claim second place, followed by Pascal Toselli (RRD / Point-7), Nicolas Warembourg (JP / NeilPryde) claimed the all important fourth spot.
Bjorn Dunkerbeck (Starboard / Severne / Mystic / Dunkerbeck Eyewear / Chris Benz) was involved in the second heat of the day, and it was evident that he has fully recovered from his injury he picked up in Korea. The terminator safely navigated his way into the second round as he won his heat. Joining him are; Sylvain Moussilmani (Tabou / Simmer), Andrea Cucchi (Patrik / Point-7) and Maciek Rutkowski (Patrik / Loft Sails / Maui Ultra Fins).
Heats three and four witnessed the first upsets of the day. In heat three, Gonzalo Costa Hoevel (Fanatic / North) narrowly missed out on a place in the next round after finishing fifth, just behind Spain’s Pablo Ania (F2 / North). Also qualifying are Pierre Mortefon (Fanatic / North), who led from start to finish, Pieter Bijl (JP / NeilPryde) and Alberto Menegatti (Starboard / Gaastra). Meanwhile in heat four, Antoine Questel (Starboard / Loft Sails), who sailed superbly in Korea, went over the handlebars and despite his best efforts the Frenchmen couldn’t quite recover as he finished fifth. Britain’s James Dinsmore (Starboard / Severne) grabbed the final qualifying spot as Damien Le Guen (Exocet), Ludovic Jossin (Patrik / Loft Sails) and Micah Buzianis (JP / MauiSails) completed the top four.
Heat five saw Ross Williams (Tabou / Gaastra) aim right at the pin and storm into the lead, however his lead was short lived as he dropped his gybe at the first mark. Luckily the Brit was able to recover from his mistake as he fought his way back through the field to finish fourth. Bora Kozanoglu (Starboard / Severne) returned to winning ways in his opening heat, whilst the ever consistent Jimmy Diaz (Starboard / North) took second ahead of France’s Benoit Moussilmani (Tabou / Simmer).
In heat six, the first four to cross the start line all qualified for the second round. Steve Allen (Starboard / Severne) was first over the line, but the Australian was fourth going into the mark one. Cedric Bordes (Tabou / Gaastra / Mystic), Julien Quentel (RRD / NeilPryde) and Cyril Moussilmani (Starboard / Severne / Mystic) all managed to overtake him. By the end of the heat it was Bordes who came out on top, whilst Quentel took second. Cyril Moussilmani and Allen were involved in a tussle for the remaining two spots, with Allen eventually coming out on top on this occasion.
Norway’s Sondra Sturla Krey (Fanatic / North) was a little too eager with his start and he paid the ultimate sacrifice as he was disqualified from heat seven, which also consisted of a number of big hitters. Ben Van Der Steen (Starboard / Loft Sails / Mystic), Finian Maynard (RRD / Avanti) and Peter Volwater (Fanatic / Avanti) all managed to successfully escape from round one unscathed along with Dennis Muller (F2 / Challenger / AL360), in what was arguably one of toughest heats of the day.
The final heat of round one featured the current tour leader Antoine Albeau (RRD / NeilPryde), and he looked in scintillating form as he dominated his heat to build a commanding lead by the finish. Albeau’s greater board speed, especially in the turns, was the real difference between him and his rivals. Arnon Dagan (Tabou / Gaastra) looked comfortable in second place, as Sean O’Brien (Starboard / Point-7), who made the best start of the bunch finished third. Patrick Diethelm (Patrik / Loft Sails) battled his way into the crucial fourth place in front of Dennis Littel (Patrik / Loft Sails).
Bjorn Dunkerbeck continued his winning start to the competition in Costa Brava as he took top spot in heat nine. Dunkerbeck once again demonstrated his superb straight line speed and effortless gybes to be the first man through to the quarter finals. Sylvain Moussilmani made a valiant effort to catch the terminator on the final straight but by this point Dunkerbeck had built a big enough lead not to worry. Josh Angulo continued to look dangerous as he and Taty Frans finished in third and fourth respectively.
Heat ten was started, but unfortunately the wind shifted during the race which left sailors unable to make the third mark, thus leading to the cancellation of the heat. The wind never re-established itself from this point on, and the sun was soon replaced by increasing cloud cover and rain.
Tomorrow’s forecast offers the opportunity for more thermal activity, with clear and sunny skies on the latest predictions, which should hopefully see the exciting conclusion of the first elimination, after an action packed hour on the opening day. The skipper’s meeting has been called for 10am tomorrow morning, with the first possible start at 10:30.
