La Torche PWA Grand Slam - Radical wave tow-in on day 8

by Chris Yates on 26 Oct 2014 The penultimate day of the La Torche PWA Grand Slam saw stunning sunshine as the mercury hit almost twenty degrees. In the afternoon seven of the world’s best sailors took to the water for a radical tow-in contest, which kept the crowds entertained with the massive aerial antics on display. In the end there was nothing anyone could do to stop Ricardo Campello (Patrik / Point-7 / MFC) from claiming victory, just as he did at the last wave tow-in contest in Tenerife earlier this year.

Ricardo Campello wowed the crowds as he earned 29.5 points out of a possible 30 to claim a well-deserved victory after rotating through a crazy double pushloop / inverted pasko. Meanwhile, the queen of freestyle - Sarah-Quita Offringa (Starboard / Mystic / Maui Ultra Fins) - held her own and actually taught the men a thing or two as she claimed an excellent second place after landing an outstanding pasko, which was rewarded with 26.5 points from the judges. Antoine Martin (JP / NeilPryde) completed the podium with his pushloop into backloop earning 24.5 points.

We also caught up with Thomas Traversa (Tabou / GA Sails), who leads the overall world rankings at the moment, having finished second in the single elimination on Tuesday:

PWA: How was the day of competition for you… the conditions, windsurfing in front of a massive ‘home’ crowd and coming second to move to top spot in the overalls?

TT: 'Tuesday was pretty much a perfect day here in La Torche! The waves were solid, the wind was strong, and the amount of people on the beach was just amazing! This was the best stage ever to perform for me, and I am very happy to make it to the final in front of all the French spectators! Moving up in the rankings is a little bonus, but for me Victor [Fernandez] remains the tour leader heading to Maui.'

PWA: You seem to be on fire at the moment, bringing your freesailing into competitions… do you think winning the RBSC has given you an extra bit of confidence in comps or any other reason?

TT: 'Of course the RBSC was a big moment in my career, it helped me realise that I could actually fight for the top spot in all kinds of conditions. And when you start making podiums, it is kind of addictive and you want to be there every time you compete! Luckily this year things seem to go my way, so I just try to enjoy and show my best sailing.'

PWA: Thanks, Thomas.

The forecast for tomorrow is a little bit better than today, but still very light, meaning it looks like tomorrow will see the champion of the waves crowned at the official closing ceremony, to conclude the 2014 La Torche PWA Grand Slam. The skippers' meeting for tomorrow morning has been called for 10am for both the wave and slalom fleets.

Official Results 99 International and Point-7 Tow-in Competition:
1st Ricardo Campello (Patrik / Point-7 / MFC)
2nd Sarah-Quita Offringa (Starboard / Mystic / Maui Ultra Fins)
3rd Antoine Martin (JP / PWA World Tour