PWA Bonaire 2014 6th place

Hello everybody

All pictures by JC/PWA

First PWA event of the year finally happened and what an event it was! The highest level competition I’ve ever seen and definitely one to remember for a very long time!

Conditions where amazing these 4 days and actually almost couldn’t have been better.. During the registration day the wind was to light to compete but everyone knew the forecast was amazing. It actually became a super relaxed first day like this where everyone could take the time to prepare all their gear without having to hurry to be in time for their first heat. Atmosphere was super relaxed and everyone was ready to compete!

I had a pretty good event with a 6th place, it always could have been better but also worse. I sailed pretty solid heats but just missed out on the top 4 in a single elimination 2 times.. I could have done it but the first time I lost quite unfair in my opinion against Tonky Frans as the judges made 3 mistakes on just 16 moves which was really frustrating, especially as I just lost with half point and this probably would have made the difference. Anyway that’s how it goes sometimes you win sometimes you lose. The second time I ruined it myself so fair job from the judges there I just simply should have sailed better! 

My best heat was probably against Bjorn Saragossa in the first Double elimination. He really pushed me to the maximum as I saw him sail an amazing heat but luckily I won making me advance into the top 8 and probably scoring my best heat score so far of my career with around 55 points out of 60! It was also great to see him getting a 6th place in the second double elimination sailing some solid heats and helping me actually to jump over Youp Schmit in the ranking. Who was also sailing amazing in almost all his heats (just against Bjorn he sailed a little bit less good). 

Everyone was sailing on such a high level it was a must see event and for the people who saw the live stream out their, you know where I’m talking about right?!! The action was just insane!! Also the Severne team performed extremely well and both Amado Vrieswijk and Maaike Huvermann did exactly what I was hoping for, finishing 3rd and 2nd scoring the first podium places for Severne sails in the Freestyle disciplines on the PWA! The Youth world champions of last year showed they want more than just a Youth world title!!

The 6th place is a good start for me and I’m really looking forward to Fuerteventura to improve my overall result and get back into that top 5, I know it won’t be easy but the motivation is there! It’s a good start of the year and with a month of training together with Amado Vrieswijk on the canaries I’m sure we will both push each other to the next level!!

Next up is the EFPT in Lanzarote but before that a week of teaching for the Next Generation Project at Brouwersdam! Still places free so if you want to join make sure you check www.ngp-windsurfing.com or mail to info@ngp-windsurfing.com for some more information!! So hopefully see you next week at the Brouwersdam!

Cheers Dieter

4 day trip to South of France

Hello everybody

As I’m writing this I’m on my flight to Bonaire for the first PWA event of the year. I haven’t been updating my blog to much with travel story’s anymore but hey why not get started with it again! So during my last weekend at home the forecast was bad, super bad. I stayed home longer especially for the long weekend of my parents and could talk them in to repeat a trip we did 5 years ago during the same periode, a 4 day trip South of France in Leucate!!

The forecast was good and gues what, I wasn’t the only one who saw the forecast and decided to go. Pretty much the whole trip I sailed together with Yentel Cears who talked his parents into it as well after reading my update on facebook. We sailed 3 days on 3 different spots. The first day when we arrived late in the afternoon as we left in the morning we sailed at Porte la Nouvelle pretty much where the Defi wind had their course layed out. Lucky for me I just arrived when they where going to finish so straight on the water 4.4 weather and perfect flat water in perfect tempertiors! Balz Muller was also out there with his brother and Antoine Albert joined this session as well. Perfect first day ending with a nice pasta and a long sleep!

The next day was the best day out of the 3. Yentel showed me a spot inbetween Porte La nouvelle and La Franqui where all the speed sailors go. Flat water, strong wind and not to many people sailing! We almost sailed 5 hours that day and it was perfect to train double moves finally landing does first double burners, still some work to do but pretty stoked I could land some Airskopu’s both ways! Yentel was pushing at well and his airskopu’s where getting more and more consistent so its good to see another Belguim stepping it up, definatly one to watch in the future!

After this day I was so broken, pushing for those double moves run after run took a lot of my energy and the next day it was just howling! So time to go to the lake of Leucate and rig the smallest freestyle sail I have 3.6! It’s the first time I use the 2014 one and its sick! I’m not a favorite of super strong winds but with this sail I feel pretty comfortable (especially as I won my first EFPT event on this size!). Balz was also on the water and how much fun is to watch this guy, he doesn’t know fear and lands some moves I couldn’t think are possible, he knows how to handle the strong wind and pushes freestyle in another way than anyone else! Can’t wait to see his next clip cause I’m sure it will be another sick one again.

After 3 hours of sailing the wind dropped a bit and we decided to go back to the city have a nice pizza and pack everything for the next day. After a long day of driving home I could look back on a great weekend with my parents and my sister sailing everyday in some of the best conditions I ever had in Leucate! Lets hope now it doesn’t take another 3,5 years before I go back to this place defiantly going to make some more trips to there when I’m in Europe! Now wind is one in Bonaire so lets train even more and get ready for the worldcup in 2 weeks! Can’t wait! 

Cheers Dieter