Sylt PWA Super Grand Slam - Waiting game continues on day 4

by Chris Yates on 30 Sep 2014 The waiting game continued on day four of the Davidoff Cool Water Sylt PWA Super Grand Slam as the light winds continued. Over the course of the day a few sailors took the opportunity to make the most of the small waves on offer, either surfing or SUPping. After spending the day on hold the sailors were released at 4:30pm.

With plenty of down time today we caught up with Arnon Dagan (RRD / NeilPryde), who currently leads the slalom, after winning the opening elimination on the second day:

PWA: You leading the slalom at the moment, what’s your state of mind at the moment?

AD: 'It’s a difficult state of mind at the moment and a difficult place to be in because in Sylt you have to wait a lot for the wind, so it’s easy to switch into the no wind mindset where you don’t really want anymore racing. But I’ve been in this position before and that doesn’t really work, so I’m going to try and keep focused stay in the racing mindset.'

PWA: Are you nervous?

AD: 'No, I’m not nervous.'

PWA: Do yo think you would have been a few years ago?

AD: 'Yeah, but I think that’s changing. I can remember I was nervous before. In 2007 I was leading here for 7 days and then when it came to racing I got too nervous and dropped the ball - as Angulo would say. I’m in a better state of mind for sure now.'

PWA: Why do you think that is?

AD: 'The head is starting to sit in the right place. It’s not bent anymore.'

PWA: Who are your biggest threats?

AD: 'As usual a lot of Frenchies are waiting there. They’ve been making the podium at every event so far I think, so some body has to stop them and hopefully that’s going to be me. We cannot have those French win again. Nothing against the French, but they are so good and there are so many of them. It would be great to keep them off your back a little bit.'

PWA: What did it feel like to win the final on the second day?

AD: 'First of all exhausting and happy that it was over. I would’ve enjoyed it much more if I was not so tired. I was physically dead. I had a long trip from Maui, so I was jet lagged, couldn’t sleep and then straight into that shorebreak. I couldn’t get out for 45 minutes, a couple of times. A lot of people ate it in that shorebreak, so I was happy, but I was even more happy that it was over.'

'The conditions were really enjoyable in the end. If my physical state was better, then I would have been able to enjoy it much more. It was very challenging.'

PWA: Thanks Arnon, good luck for the rest of the event.

The light winds are set to continue tomorrow and the sailors will meet for the skippers’ meeting at 10am with the first possible start at 10:30am. If the light winds do continue then we’ll have more interviews coming PWA World Tour