This video presents the 9th annual wave sailing event, held at Bat Galim beach, Haifa, Israel while the last week of January 2010. The wave sailing community from Israel were waiting for a big storm. They had a 2 week waiting period. The storm arrived in the eastern Mediterranean Sea and pushed big waves towards the coast of Haifa. But the wind conditions were tricky, like you can see in the video.
Heavy conditions at Haifa, Israel.
Infos about the video production:
The video gets presented by Effect.
Directed & edited by Snow
Videographers: Yaron Weinstein, Erez Galonska.
DT, location editor: Daniel Wechsler
Music: Daniel Wechsler & Snow
Stormrider video from Israel
© Snowdrum Audio Visual
Read the Stormrider “Effect” 2010 Report by Yotam Gutman
On the 26.01.2010 the annual Stormrider “Effect” wave sailing cup took place at the famous Bat Galim beach at Haifa, Israel. This wave sailing contest is held for the 9th successive year and attracts Israel’s leading wave sailors, such as PWA regular Arnon Dagan (ISR-1) and Ex- Maui resident Eyal Shelef (ISR-43), along with many other famous local sailors and young up-and-comers. The contest is run on an invitational basis and enjoys a waiting period of 2 weeks to ensure it will be held at the best possible conditions.
The venue for the contest is Israel’s best wave sailing beach, Bat Galim in the city of Haifa, which offers supreme port tack, side to side-off wave riding conditions in almost any swell and wind combination. This year the contest was organized by the long time sailor Shachar Gal, who put out a lot of effort to raise sufficient funds, get the media coverage and summon the desired conditions. This year he really had outdone himself with assembling a very professional judging crew and arranging excellent facilities for sailors and spectators alike – like a giant hot-air blower to keep everybody warm.
The contest commenced with a junior contest and a group of young sailors from all over the country took the honour of entering the water first and enjoying the strong, sometimes gusty wind. The final saw Yarden Meir win with an impressive display of aerial tricks, including a Shaka and some high Forward Loops. Yarden is a freestyle specialist, who usually competes in the flat water of the European Freestyle Tour (EFPT). He was thrilled as he has never sailed this beach before and drove up north from the warm city of Eilat. Yarden doesn’t even own a wetsuit! Luckily for him a fellow surfer lent him one and the onshore conditions, which favoured jumping over riding giving him an advantage. The open competition then began in conditions ranging from 15-30 knots onshore wind and 1-3 meter high waves. The conditions were not easy or stable. With each new front of clouds the wind turned into onshore and blew hard for a certain time, before the rain got more intensity, making it hard for competitors and race officials to run the contest. Despite of the difficult and not very classic conditions – this beach usually has world-class wave riding conditions while winter storms – the first rounds progressed with no major upsets as they younger sailors fell to the more experienced veterans. Notable performances were made by local hero Ori Dagan and Israel’s wave sailing legend, Gadi. Both sailors, way into their forties, gave the young generation a hard time as they surfed wave after wave to progress through their heats. The semi finals were held in challenging conditions- side on winds between 15-25 knots and 2 meter waves, making equipment choice crucial. The past years winner Adi Zomer and ex- Maui resident Eyal Shelef, who both put on a great show of jumps and backside wave rides, made it into the final.
So it came down to final heat of the day, starring Eyal Shelef versus previous winner Adi Zomer. In the dying light conditions under a beautiful rainbow it was Shelef, who despite being a hardcore starboard tack riding specialist made the best out of the light wind to take the victory. Unlike regular surf competitions, where the winners are immediately declared, the contest organizer had a better idea: the prize giving was held at a pub on a weekend night with free drinks for all! This was not unnoticed by the sailor, their friends and family members, who filled the bar named “Inigo Montoya”. After the initial speeches it was time for the prize giving, where a very happy Eyal Shelef received a giant Buddha-statue as the winners prize! In addition to the regular prizing the event organizer decided to hand out another prize for the best trick- to PWA regular Arnon Dagan, who has won due to a massive, clean executed Push Loop.
The event was again a huge success. Plans for next year are already underway and the organizer is doing everything possible to make for 10th anniversary something special!
© www.adrenalin.co.il 2010
Thankyou, this is very helpful info, cheers.