Hello everybody
pic: JC/PWA
The PWA finished a
couple of days ago and it was a great event with a 5th place overall! Not the
most wind but again good enough to finish at least one double! Below a report
about my heats.
My start wasn’t the
best at all as I just managed to pass against Maarten Van Ochten in my worst
heat of the event, luckily for me he didn’t have his best one either. The wind
just picked up in front of the heat and I couldn’t unlock my Freek 4.8 to take
my Freek 4.4 as the extension was full of sand so started the heat nicely overpowered
which is always great! But still could do some nice moves to score just enough
to overpass Maarten.
pic: JC/PWA
The next day was a
much better day, I got more in my rhythm and could sail better heats. Against
Anthony Ruenes I sailed a proper heat with moves like a super fast double
spock, sick culo and big shakas to pass against him to go into the quarter
finals where I would meet the World champion Steven Van Broeckhoven. In this
heat the wind just dropped in front of our heat which made us both sail back to
the beach quickly to take our bigger gear. That done I really stepped up my
level in this heat, in the beginning not too much yet but after 2 min of the
heat I really got into it. I did my first spock culo ever in the competition,
and a really sick shovit spock as my best moves on the way in. On the way out I
did a big Airfunnel, airflaka into flaka and
went for my new move the Freek but didn’t quite land it. But in the end
it turned out that staying upwind in the area and performing the moves I did
was enough to win against a weaker sailing Steven making me get into the Finals
for the very first time in a single!!
You can only imagine how happy I was when they said I advanced into the
Semi finals.
pic: JC/PWA
In the Semi final I
was against Tonky who was having a great day landing smooth Bonkas, no-handed
burners and of course his tweaked shovit spocks. Against him I took a bit of a
too small sail. It felt like the wind
was picking up again and I went for the freek 4.4 but in the end only the last
4 min I got really powered up and couldn’t sail my best heat, still sailed good
but just not good enough to win against Tonky who did his sickest Bonka of the
day.
pic: JC/PWA
In the Losers Final I
was against Kiri who just lost against Golitto in a really close heat and was
going full on in the heat. I did a super sick heat but got my shovit spock on
the way in only as my 8th move which made it not count and Kiri was just
ripping. I still did my first airflaka into flaka 720 in the heat and spock
culo and so on but against Kiri there was nothing to do. So 4th in the Single
SUPER HAPPY!!!
In the double I only
came in action again on the last day as it wasn’t windy enough anymore and I
all had to be done then. It was quite
nice to be already in a comfortable 4th place with only the possibility to drop
to 5th if I would lose so was pretty relaxed, maybe a bit too relaxed. The wind
got really strong by the time my heat was and I was against Steven again who
wasn’t planning to lose again against me and you could definitely tell that. I
think he sailed his best heat of the whole double with moves like perfect
airfunnel into burner, sick spock culos and so on, there was not much to do for
me. Besides that I didn’t really have my best heat, I still did spock culo and
so on but on the way out I was simply crashing too much to put on a fight. So
5th in the end which is still a result I am very happy with.
pic: JC/PWA
Next up now is home
for a couple of weeks to do my exams and then I might do another trip to Egypt
before Sylt, or stay home to train on the North Sea - will see!
pic: JC/PWA
Cheers Dieter
