PWA Aruba Hi Winds Grand Slam 2011 Day 1

by PWA on 20 Jun 2011 PWA Aruba Hi Winds Grand Slam 2011 Day 1 saw tropical thunderstorms put a damper on on the Caribbean trade winds which left the sailors waiting anxiously on standby in Aruba’s blazing sun.

The first day of action in Aruba was greeted by overcast skies and a gentle offshore breeze, which offered up a relaxed feel to the registration and skippers’ meeting. As the morning progressed the 42 men and eight women sailors waited patiently as the clouds burnt away and the breeze increased.

In an attempt to kick start proceedings the PWA crew headed out to sea to their floating judge’s platform, however the building wind still remained insufficient to run any heats. Teased by the occasional gust the sailors worked their way onto the plane in order to iron out any faults in their armor of tricks, whilst the crowds on the beach enjoyed the afternoon sun and some relaxing tunes from the main competition tent.

Freestyle magician Max Rowe (Fanatic / North) currently sits in 12th place on the 2011 world tour, he has provided the PWA with his overall impression on Aruba’s competition area.

'It is an amazing location and a really beautiful island, the event is really impressive with a huge tent on the beach filled with a big crowd ready to see the action. On the water the conditions really contrast Bonaire, the wind blows offshore so it will always be gusty and it seems quite choppy too. However I don’t think this will have an effect on the sailor’s performance, and we can expect to see a really exciting competition this week. Fingers crossed for more wind tomorrow!'

With little change later in the afternoon head judge Duncan Coombs released the sailors for the day at 4.30 pm, marking the end of the first day of competition.

Day two of competition will kick off with the skippers meeting at 9:30 tomorrow morning, with a first possible start to the heats at 10am.

PWA World Tour website
Aruba Hi Winds Grand Slam website