PWA World Cup Pozo Gran Canaria day 5 - Fifty knots and major upsets

by Ed Sinclair on 10 Jul 2011 PWA World Cup Pozo Gran Canaria day 5 and fifty knots of wind and pounding waves provided the perfect conditions for an action packed double elimination. The day featured radical wave riding, extreme jumps and colossal crashes, the sailor's fate decided by heats twelve minutes long.

Officials deemed the best three jumps and two wave rides would count and with the opportunity to improve their overall scores, the competitors were ready and waiting for the judges to drop the green flag and take to the water on their 3.3 metre sails.

The men were first to brave the challenging conditions, maxed out on their smallest equipment the sailors launched into their largest manoeuvres at full speed. The world finest wave riders had to make sure each move was completed with faultless precision or they would suffer the consequences.

Men’s Fleet
The major upset from the first round saw experienced wave sailor Peter Volwater (Fanatic / MauiSails) lose out to local ripper Jose Romero (JP / NeilPryde). Volwater fought hard with huge forwards and a backloop; however Romero superior wave riding ensured he was awarded the most points.

The standout move of the day came early on from Moroccan Boujmaa Guilloul (Starboard / Severne / Mystic) in his heat against Florian Jung (RRD / Gun / Dakine). Guilloul caught a shoulder height wave and boosted into an incredible pushloop off the lip, landing straight back on the face allowing him to continue with his ride. The judges were blown away with his performance and awarded him maximal points for his efforts and a ticket into the next round.

Six exceptional sailors, Andreas Olandersson (Simmer / MFC), Guilloul, Aleix Sanllehy, Jamie Hancock (Tabou / Gaastra), Camille Juban (Gun Sails / MFC) and Jules Denel (Exocet) all stormed through their opening two heats raising their overall results significantly. However the big guns in round three all held their ground, putting a halt on their rampage through the double elimination.

The only sailor to break into the top sixteen’s fortress from round two was Jaeger Stone (Severne). The young Australian defeated John Skye (RRD / RRD / MFC), Kenneth Danielsen (F2 / Simmer) and Klaas Voget (Fanatic / Simmer / MFC) with his enormous stalled forwards and aggressive cut backs earning him a place in round four.

Having held strong against their challengers in round three, it was time for Daniel Bruch (Starboard / Severne / MFC / AL 360), Marcos Perez (Exocet / Gun), Eleazar Alonso (Naish / Naish) and Stone to play the underdogs. The sailors moved on to face Robby Swift (JP / NeilPryde), Kauli Seadi (JP / NeilPryde), Alex Mussolini (Tabou / Gaastra) and Dario Ojeda (Tabou / Simmer / Dakine / MFC) respectively in the fourth round. Swift and Bruch had a particularly close heat however Swift managed to squeeze passed with a perfect double forward. Seadi destroyed Perez with his seamless riding, Mussolini defeated Alonso with an enormous backloop and a clean wave 360, while Ojeda finished Jaeger Stones winning streak nailing a tweaked pushloop and a sensational double forward.

The action in the men’s fleet will kick off tomorrow from heat 46, Mussolini will take on Seadi and Swift will face
Ojeda in a battle to decide who will advance into the top six.

Women's Fleet
The women’s fleet took to the water when the wind was reaching its peak, however they didn’t let the challenging conditions prevent them from busting their moves.

Fanny Aubet (JP / NeilPryde) disposed of Andrea Geierspichler, with her slick wave riding, but fell victim to Alice Arutkin’s (Starboard / North) forward loops in the second round.

Laure Treboux (Fanatic / North) also advanced through her initial heat passed Justyna Sniady by landing super tweaked table tops, and making the most of the waves in front of the judge’s tower. Evi Tsape (F2 / North) was ready and waiting in heat 46 and she wasn’t going to let Treboux spoil her day, Tsape charged ahead with a number of clean aerials.

Karin Jaggi (Patrik / Severne) and Tsape were the standout sailors of the double elimination. Both women ploughed through three heats, defeating their opponent’s with their controlled jumps and wave rides in the howling winds. The women will go head to head tomorrow morning, to determine who will move forward to face Silvia Alba Orozco and who will finish in sixth place.

The sailors were released at 7pm due to the retreating wind and waves.

The Pozo wind machine is forecast to step it up yet another notch for the final day of competition. Make sure you tune into the live ticker for the skippers meeting at 9am for more insane action as the sailors approach the final heats of the competition. The first possible start to competition is at 9:30am.

PWA World Tour website