PWA Freestyle Bonaire 2011 – Preview by Dieter van der Eyken

PWA World Cup Bonaire 2005 - Pic: PWA/John Carter

Today is the start of the PWA World Cup in Bonaire. Until the 16th of June, 8 ladies and 40 men will compete in Caribbean waters. It is the 3rd PWA Freestyle event in this 2011 season and the Belgian freestyle windsurfer Dieter van der Eyken will report for us from the event.

Dieter van der Eyken
Nationality: Belgium
Sailnumber: B-35
Sponsors: Starboard, Severne, Fox-Sports, Chocofins ,Pat Love, Sunwise Sunglasses,Liquidsurfshop
Website Dieter van der Eyken

Since 2005 there hasn’t been a PWA event anymore on Bonaire, the place where so many professionals where raised out of the flat water bay of Sorobon. But this year its finally back on the PWA Freestyle Worldtour and with a great wind prediction! With 2 days of around 20-25 knts and 3 more days around 15-20 knts big action is guaranteed and everybody is ready for it. It’s the first event this year, where the whole top 16 from last year will be competing despite Maarten Van Ochten who is still injured.
The past 2 days we already had some really good wind. There was already great action from all the guys, a Burner and Culo is a standard move for the most riders and it looks like we are going to see a lot of sick heats with big action especially during the first 2 days in the stronger winds.

MY HOTSHOTS

Who are the real hotshots for this event for me? For sure leading the worldranking Kiri Thode will be the man to beat here at his homespot, which he knows better than any other and he will be sailing in conditions which he loves. It looks like he will be a hard man to beat. Like already in the previous events we could see him just fly’s through the air with the smallest chop and the lightest wind doing more radical moves both tacks. Kiri has a good repertoire to put together a high score again in his heat, like he did in the semi final of Podersdorf.
But don’t think 4-times worldchampion Gollito will give it away to him for nothing, you could see he has been training hard in Egypt after his less good result in Podersdorf and got working on his height in the Airbobs, Culos etc. And with doing moves coming in like Flaka Ponch, super stalled no-handed Flakas he has some nice variations to work with to put Kiri under pressure. But let´s not forgot about the rest of the top 5 from last year Steven Van Broeckhoven, Taty and Tonky Frans are all doing as good as Gollito, putting the top 5 really close together but that doesn’t mean it will be this 5 who will make it in the end of the event as top 5.
The competition level is high here. Björn Saragoza who is doing Flakashaka perfectly one handed like he’d just do a Double Flaka, lands also big Konos and Kabichuchis. You can see he is really in his homeplace here on Bonaire. But also Davy Sheffers has chanced, he spent already 3 wintertimes here on Bonaire, which is almost his second home. He is doing all his moves right in front of the judges. Davy is totally ready to put on another good result after his 3rd place in Podersdorf beginning of last month. Myself I feel ready for this competition but I know the level is high here but I hope I can get good into the top 10 and hopefully put some really good heats together.
But also we have a lot of new faces at this event with a lot of good young upcoming talents. Youp Schmid has been training hard this winter after his 17th place in Fuerteventura and has a good chance to get into the top 16 over here. But also Amado Vrieswijk who will compete for the first time at a PWA event here sails incredible on his homespot doing big Konos, Culos and Burners. Making him top 16 level. But there are so many other guys to. Like Choco Frans who will compete again, Quincy Offringa, Phil Soltysiak and so many more will put on a good fight here in Bonaire.

THE GIRLS
Also this is the first event for the girls in the PWA. With only 8 girls it´s s not a big fleet like the men, but the women who are competing have a high level. Sarah-Quita is still pretty much unbeatable being a big step ahead of the other girls but we will see a big fight for second place between Yoli Brendt and Laure Treboux, who went for a whole month of training to Dahab which definitely payed off making some nice ss Konos right in front of where the judges will be. Further we also have Xenia Kessler and Arianne Aukes, who have been training a lot this winter. But there is an upcoming talent from Bonaire Maxime Van Gent. At the age of 15 she is doing already perfect one handed Spocks 540 and she is for sure a girl where we will hear a lot from in the future!
 
The action will be good and with Ben Proffit doing the livestream it is for sure a good choice to just sit behind you’re computer and just watch the great show which is guaranteed for this event!
 
Aloha Dieter