KIA Cold Hawaii PWA World Cup, Denmark day 3 - Brutal

by PWA/Paul Griffiths on 16 Sep 2010 KIA Cold Hawaii PWA World Cup lives up to its name on the third day of competition delivering down the line perfection for the double elimination!

The brutal North Sea greeted the sailors with some epic conditions this morning allowing the world’s most radical wave riders to strut their stuff in conditions that they would normally scour the globe for. Unfortunately, the hallowed cross-off perfection didn’t last all day, leaving the contest at a standstill for the top 16.

When it was going off the set waves were extremely chunky, and pushing on for mast high on occasions. Couple this with 25-30 knots of wind, and you’ve got the ultimate wavesailing playground. With rainsqualls battering the coast, sail sizes ranged from 4.0s to 5.3s, and the boards were even more diverse. Masts were getting snapped, and caddies were being called for, creating an all-time action packed show for those at the beach, as well as for those sat in the comfort of their own homes watching via the live stream!

Five of the PWA’s finest fought their way back into the top 16 from the first round heats today, and still have the chance to advance further if things go their way tomorrow. These include the two Brits, Jamie Hancock (Tabou, Vandal) and Ross Williams (Tabou, Gaastra), Moroccan aerial anarchist Boujmaa Guilloul (Starboard, Severne, MFC, Mystic), local hot shot Kenneth Danielsen (RRD, Simmer, MFC, Mystic), and 2010 Pozo champion Victor Fernandez (Fanatic, North, MFC).

The first of the five to battle their way back to the top today was Williams who played it safe by milking the waves for all their worth, whilst also spotting solid backloop upon backloop, which was a winning formula for advancement. Williams was one of the unlucky few who had to endure re-run after re-run of his final heat (which is yet to be completed) keeping him wetsuit bound for the entire day. Addicted to surfing, Williams wowed the crowds with some amazing frontside hits later in the afternoon, which unfortunately didn’t gain him any points due to the constant abandonment of his heat.

The second of the big five was Hancock who had to fight his way past the local motley crew of Lars Gobisch (RRD, NeilPryde) and legend Lars Petersen (JP, NeilPryde) in their own backyard before taking on four times freestyle world champion, Jose ‘Gollito’ Estredo (Fanatic, North). Estredo had knocked him out the day before, so his victory there was one of complete redemption. Hancock stunned the judges with his excellent riding style, and once even smacked a thick North Sea lip so hard it looked like it would snap his miniature board in half! Hancock also endured the frustration of heading out for his final heat time after time, but will be back tomorrow with a new lease of life.

Starboard tack mentalist, Guilloul turned himself around today, flipping and sliding on his less than preferred tack. The gusty offshore winds seemed to suit the lightweight, who took the scalps off some impressive riders including Kevin Mevissen (Mystic), Florian Jung (RRD, Gun, Dakine), and Camille Juban (Gun, MFC). Perhaps this is a sign that the young Moroccan has decided that port tack sailing is not so bad after all…

It was a shock to the system when the current tour leader, event favorite, and Pozo champ Fernandez went out yesterday. However, it came as no surprise when he returned this morning with a smile on his face, and sailed straight to form. In the awesome conditions he proved his worth with vertical turns on mast high monsters that scored some serious points from the panel of judges. If the conditions had continued to be perfect for the full day, he may well have been too tired to take down the top sailors, so it was probably a saving grace that the wind disappeared, giving him plenty of time to get ready for tomorrow.

Danish boy wonder, Danielsen is the only true Klitmoller local still flying the flag. After an early exit yesterday, his huge backloops and radical riding style saw him advance his way through to the last 16, taking down top tour rippers Thomas Traversa (Tabou, Gaastra), and Phil Horrocks (JP, Gaastra), as well as Belgian boy Wout Burman (RRD, Vandal, MFC).

Dark horse, Klaas Voget (Fanatic, Simmer, MFC) sailed outstandingly well in the one heat that he competed in today to cruise into the top 16. Britain’s Ben Proffitt (Simmer) put on a an excellent performance against him, but couldn’t quite match the massive one handed backloop, and amazing aerial that Voget pulled off with ease. It may have been that Voget’s knowledge of the spot helped him to annihilate his opposition, but it was probably more down to the fact that he was hungry to make amends for his mistakes of yesterday.

After today’s feast of down the line action, we’re told that tomorrow will bring a new dimension. Thirty knots of north-westerly wind is forecast with bigger swells, so it could be an onshore day of epic proportions!

Results
1st Kauli Seadi (JP, NeilPryde, MFC)
2nd Ricardo Campello (JP, NeilPryde, MFC)
3rd Dany Bruch (Patrik, Severne, MFC)
4th Kevin Pritchard (Starboard, Gaastra, Dakine, MFC)

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