After a two days drive and 1700km we arrived at Costa Brava. Today was the first day of competition and for some some riders it was a surprise in how less wind the PWA did the races. 5 heats got finished. We saw many premature starts, re-sailed heats and some upsets. The biggest upset of today was probably the early elimination of Björn Dunkerbeck, who was hardly planing with his 127 liter board and 9,6 sail. The wind was up and down, between 4 and 12 knots during the day and for us it was hard to tell if a heat will be cancelled or not.
Björn Dunkerbeck: “The wind was close, but not good enough for racing, but the race committee did start and pulled the heat 1 through. Not suitable racing conditions and last years this heats would have been cancelled and heat 2 did not even start. I got to the the first mark too, but after that the wind got lighter and getting going was hardly possible , off course nice for the lighter guys since there is a board and sail limit it’s normal that a lighter guy plans earlier, but it not a fair race wind situation at all.127 isonic 9.6 severne reflex 4 , was made for suitable wind PWA conditions not this what we had today. With some rule change this year this will happen more often we will sail in this no wind conditions! Good or bad i gees it will make other windsurfers win which have no chance in real racing conditions! Yes, it fools everyone that is not on the beach ,,,, no wind limit ok, but then also no equipment limits! To race in this kind of wind is a joke and no Slalom at all! This is not about wining or loosing , but about fair windsurfing slalom conditions!”
Watch our picture gallery in chronological order.
Maybe they should just do a simple downwind leg and no jibes in these conditions. Ok it wouldn’t be anymore real slalom racing but better than no races at all.