Please select your home edition
Edition
Maritimo M50

GWA Wingfoil World Cup Morocco 2021, Day 1 - Surf-Freestyle action

by Gemma Hamaini 3 Nov 2021 21:10 AEDT 2-6 November 2021
GWA Wingfoil World Cup Morocco 2021, Day 1 © Svetlana Romantsova

The GWA crew and athletes are thrilled to be in Dakhla, Morocco, bringing this new emerging sport to Foum Labouir wave spot for the first time. It is an epic location known for incredible wind and waves, and the forecast for this coming week is no exception.

Registration took place at Westpoint Dakhla Hotel in the early morning, where 20 men and five women of over 10 nationalities signed up to compete at this event.

Wind and waves were pumping from the very start, so the Race Director, Juan Antonio Aragon, decided to start the event with the Surf-Freestyle discipline as the conditions were ideal. By 1 pm, the first Men's Heats were already under way. Riders were competing in 15-minute heats, where they were allowed 10 wave attempts, with the two best waves counting and five trick attempts with 1 trick counting for their total score.

Men's Rounds 1 and 2 were completed seamlessly, as the wind conditions were ideal. Titouan Galea's opening performance at this event was nothing short of spectacular. He scored an almost perfect single wave score of 9.13 points, and an overall score of 23.67, the highest of the day. He proved right away that he means business here in Dakhla, and set the bar high for the rest of the event.

All riders advanced through Round 1, and for Round 2, it was Malo Guenole who scored an impressive 20.80 points for his heat, locking down his spot in Round 3 and knocking out French rider Francois Prevost in the process.

Things started heating up in Round 3, as riders went full throttle to avoid being eliminated from competition, and focus was on advancing through to the Quarter Finals. Chucho Nonnot managed an incredible heat, having just landed in Dakhla half an hour before he hit the water due to flight delays. He knocked out Sebastien Jourdant from Round 3. Joining him in the Quarter-Finals will be Camille Bouyer, Francesco Cappuzzo and Hugo Marin.

Francesco Cappuzzo went from strength to strength today, gaining an overall score of 18.47 points in his heat against Hendrick Lopes. Francesco rode smoothly and confidently, showing that he was extremely comfortable riding in Dakhla, after having been here training for over three weeks now.

"I've been wingfoiling a lot in waves this last year, and these conditions are really similar to what I'm used to at home in Sicily, so i felt really comfortable riding today," said Francesco. "I have been here in Dakhla for over three weeks now, so that definitely helped. The waves were really perfect this afternoon, and if you chose wisely you could connect the three sections, and that is what always gives you the biggest reward. My dream for sure is to win this event, and I will fight for it. I've been training a lot more racing than freestyle and wave, but I feel really good in both disciplines here."

The competition continued steadily up until 6pm, when the wind dropped, in the middle of Round 3, Heat 5, between Jerome Cloetens and Fabian Muhmenthaler. They had been neck and neck throughout, but the decision was made to call off the competition for the day, and the full heat will be re-run tomorrow.

The skipper's meeting has been called for 9.30 am, with the first possible start at 10am. We'll go live as soon as the action will hit the water.

See all the details here...

Related Articles

Marina Militare Nastro Rosa Tour LaMaddalena day 1
The fleet left Cagliari yesterday to face the 165 miles to La Maddalena The fleet of Figaro3 of the Marina Militare Nastro Rosa Tour left Cagliari yesterday to face the 165 miles that will take them to La Maddalena. Posted today at 4:08 pm
North launches new Wingfoil Race Collection
Pinch even higher and reach even deeper at pace Pinch even higher and reach even deeper at pace. Engineered with a VMG-optimised partial double skin for improved aerodynamic efficiency, lower drag and precise manoeuvres at higher speeds. Posted today at 10:35 am
Marina Militare Nastro Rosa Tour Cagliari overall
Team Aeronautica Militare wins The Aeronautica Militare team wins the Cagliari stage, ahead of the Verein Seglerhaus Am Wannsee team and the Circolo Nautico Sanbenedettese team, which came in third. Posted on 4 Jul
Marina Militare Nastro Rosa Tour Cagliari day 2
Today in Cagliari, the awards ceremony for the stage winners At the Regatta Village, preparations are under way for the closing ceremony of the Cagliari stage scheduled for this evening at 9:30 pm, preceded by a concert by the Banda della Brigata Sassari. Posted on 2 Jul
Marina Militare Nastro Rosa Tour Cagliari day 1
The Circolo Nautico Sanbenedettese team was the first to arrive in Cagliari The Circolo Nautico Sanbenedettese team was the first to arrive in Cagliari and win the first offshore leg in Sardinia. Posted on 1 Jul
Athena Pathway announces AFP Foiling Festival
All abilities welcomed at Weymouth this August AFP Foiling Festival will cater for different levels of foiling experience, offering tasters for beginners, skills sessions for developing sailors, and structured training for current squad and intermediate-level athletes. Posted on 29 Jun
GWA Wingfoil World Cup Tarifa 2025 overall
Big upsets mark changing of the guard in Tarifa The GWA returned to the iconic location of Tarifa this July for the sixth consecutive year, delivering four days of thrilling Surf-Freestyle action. A total of 17 women and 28 men registered for this second Surf-Freestyle stop of the 2025 season. Posted on 29 Jun
Marina Militare Nastro Rosa Tour Trapani day 3
Team Verein Seglerhaus Am Wannsee wins in Trapani, now heading to Sardinia The Verein Seglerhaus Am Wannsee team won the Trapani stage after about 54 hours of navigation in the offshore category, preceding the Aeronautica Militare team and the Royal Madras team who came in third. Posted on 28 Jun
Marina Militare Nastro Rosa Tour Trapani day 2
In Trapani, the Royal Madras team was 1st in the offshore race. The Royal Madras team was the first to arrive in Trapani and win the offshore leg, followed by the Verein Seglerhaus Am Wannsee and Aeronautica Militare teams. Posted on 26 Jun
Kieler Woche Day 6
Double gold for France in Olympic classes Perfect sailing conditions marked the final of Kieler Woche in the Olympic skiff, dinghy, and surf classes: On Wednesday, June 25, the waters off Schilksee offered fresh to strong, challenging winds with flat waves. Posted on 25 Jun
Boat Books Australia FOOTERRS Sailing 2021 - FOOTERMaritimo M75