Today was the first day at the 2011 PWA Kia @coldhawaii World Cup. 44 men have registered for this third stop on the men´s wave tour. Gentle winds and small waves caressed the Klitmoller shores whilst the sailors rigged their equipment and prepared for the week’s competition. Once the formalities of the morning were completed, head judge Duncan Coombs placed the sailors on standby, well aware of the impending storm on the horizon. The winds and waves built throughout the afternoon and the competition could kick off at 17:45.

The beach - Pic: PWA/John Carter

PWA legend Lars Petersen (JP / NeilPryde), made his return to the competition scene with his exceptional wave selection allowing him to sail past his opponent Thomas Wessel Svensson (Gaastra) with ease, whilst Phil Horrocks (JP / Gaastra) went about landing a clean set of aerials, earning him enough point to defeat his contender. Mikkel Asmussen (RRD / Simmer / MFC) was next up to impress the judges with his wave rides and a tweaked pushloop, obviously comfortable sailing on the North Sea. As was Andreas Olandersson (Simmer / MFC) in his heat against, Stefan Gobisch (JP / Simmer). Olandersson pulled a super-high pushloop and a backloop when the wind was at its most deadly. 

Head judge Duncan Coombs and Danish local Kenneth Danielsen checking the conditions- Pic: PWA/John Carter

The slickest wave rides of the day came from Brit, Adam Lewis (Point-7). Lewis ripped each wave to pieces with his super-aggressive top turns, both impressing the judges and guaranteeing his pass into the second round. Despite missing the initial three minutes of his heat, Kevin Mevissen (Mystic) came back with a vengeance and made a superb recovery. Mevissen picked up a head high wave and worked it for all it was worth pulling a backside hit, two frontside smacks and a taka on the end for good measure. Closing the day’s competition, Germany’s Florian Jung (RRD / Gun / Dakine / Maui Ultra Fins) whipped up a frenzy on the waves, and pulled a series of smooth turns on a record number of waves to secure his victory against Casper Lykke Pedersen (Fanatic / NeilPryde). With an epic forecast on the cards and rumors of the fifty year storm on the way, the second day of competition promises ferocious waves, howling winds and insane action as the higher seeded sailors enter the competition.

 

The skippers meeting will kick off at 7:30am with the first possible start to competition at 8am.

© Text: Ed Sinclair/PWA, continentseven 2011

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