JP Aloha Classic PWA World Cup day 4 - Youth’s contest begins

by Vivienne Masters on 28 Oct 2013 Day four of the JP Aloha Classic, presented by Nalu Kai, started in bizarre fashion as two winds battled against each other throughout the morning. In the end the regular trade wind prevailed - starboard tack - and continued to build through the afternoon, which saw the youth’s AWT contest begin.

After three solid hours of competition the youths have now been whittled down to the top four sailors, and the final will now be sailed at a later date which is still to be confirmed.

AWT Youths
The youths proved today that windsurfing is in safe hands for the future with an abundance of talent waiting in the wings. Casey Rehrer (MauiSails) was the standout sailor today as he successfully navigated his way into the final with a display of sailing beyond his years.The sixteen-year-old impressed the judges with his excellent wave selection and execution. Rehrer was able to link together fluid vertical turns in the critical section to win each of the three heats he sailed. Closely behind Rehrer in the top half of the draw was the son of the legendary Josh Stone (Goya Windsurfing), Harley Stone (Naish), who saw off the tough competition of Ridge Lenny (Naish) and Justin Denel (RRD) to advance into the final.

In second semifinal Tom Juban (Quatro / Goya Windsurfing) sailed his way to victory as he combined powerful turns with an aerial or two. The remaining spot for the final saw an incredibly tight call between sixteen-year-old Fiona Wylde (Sailworks) and eight year old Daniel Wiley. After some deliberation it was eventually revealed that Wylde had just edged to duel to book her place in the final. Wylde impressed for the entire day with her powerful and slashy turns catching the attention of both the crowds and the judges. Wiley proved that he’s a real talent for the future and a name that we are bound to hear more and more over the next few years. Alizée Roy-Bergeron (Simmer) also put together a fantastic performance as she finished in joint seventh overall.

The forecast for tomorrow still looks excellent and it looks as though we will see more brilliant sailing at Ho’okipa, with a larger swell and longer period expected to hit the Hawaiian shores. The skippers’ meeting for tomorrow shall take place at 10am with the action kicking off from 10:30am onwards. The anticipation and excitement around Maui is starting to build with the strong possibility that tomorrow could see the single elimination of the JP Aloha Classic PWA World Cup - in association with the AWT - begin. With the biggest names in windsurfing going head-to-head right from the word go you can’t afford to miss one heat. If you aren’t lucky enough to be in Ho’okipa itself then be sure to tune into the live stream at PWA World Tour where you’ll be able to watch at action unfold as it happens.

Also follow the JP Aloha Classic live via Facebook at PWA World Tour Windsurfing and American Windsurfing Tour. If you haven’t done so already then be sure to ‘like’ both pages too.