Day 1 – slalom races Challenging conditions and a number of surprises marked the start of competition in Fuerteventura, and set the scene for the forthcoming four days of race action.
First on the course was the men’s fleet. The opening rounds tested the nerves of all involved, with the wind gusting from the minimum required 7 knots, all the way up to over 20 knots.
Returning to the Professional circuit after an 8-year break, Jamie Hawkins (Exocet, NeilPryde) was one of the day’s first casualties, false starting in the first heat of the competition. Kurosh Kiani (Starboard) made the same mistake, meaning the pair failed to qualify for the semi final.
There was more upset in the opening round, when the fiercely competitive Josh Angulo (MauiSails, Dakine) struggled to dial into the fluky conditions, and ended up finishing last in heat two. Adding to the surprises, seasoned racers Ross Williams (Tabou, Gaastra) and Arnon Dagan (Fanatic, Gaastra) slipped up when they false started in heat four, denying them a chance to compete in the next round.
Moving on to the semi finals, Finian Maynard (RRD, NeilPryde) was robbed of a position in the race final after an unfortunate collision. Micah Buzianis (JP, NeilPryde, MFC) went on to take second place, behind Stave Allen (Tabou, Gaastra) in first.
In the second semi final, Ben Van Der Steen (Exocet, Simmer) failed to tune into the conditions, finishing uncharacteristically in last place. Antoine Albeau (Starboard, NeilPryde) didn’t need much prompting to take the lead, and won by almost an entire reach, leaving Patrik Diethelm (F2, North Sails) to front up the chasing pack and ultimately claim second place.{mosimage}
The final was dominated by Albeau, who needed little more than the first reach before he sat untouched at the front of the fleet. In second place, Gonzalo Costa Hoevel (NeilPryde) pieced together a solid heat to fend off Micah Buzianis who was hot on his heels round marks three and four. A blistering final blast to the finish rewarded him with second, close behind, Buzianis took third. Padding out the top spots, Allen had a good start to the event to take fourth, and Albeau’s protégée Julien Quentel (Starboard, NeilPryde) crossed the line in fifth.
The women’s fleet completed two races over the course of the afternoon, which witnessed a return to form for Valerie Ghibaudo (Tabou, The Loft). The legendary French racer looked like she may have dropped off the pace, following a disappointing 7th place overall at the last women’s slalom event in the Costa Brava.
Not one to be underestimated, Ghibaudo dominated both races to claim back-to-back first place finishes. In a similar style, Lee Korzitz, racing in her second ever PWA slalom event, managed to muscle her way to finish second in both races. The feat puts rest to any rumors that her podium finish in the Costa Brava was a one off lucky result.
Sarah Hébert (Starboard, Naish) started well to take third position in her first race, but dropped down to seventh in the following bout. Conversely, Alice Arutkin (Starboard, North Sails) had a slow start, finishing in seventh, but picked up her game in race two to come home with a solid fourth place finish.
Freestylers Sarah-Quita Offringa (Starboard, NeilPryde) and Junko Nagoshi (Simmer, Dakine) made sure they left their mark on the day. Offringa nailed an impressive fourth place finish in her first race, and Nagoshi put the hammer down in race two, to walk away with third place.
A surprise result was Karin Jaggi (F2, North Sails), who kicked off the event with a shocking last place in the first race, and fifth in the second. The World Champion now sits in ninth place overall, and has work to do to climb back to her familiar ranks on the podium.{mosimage}
DAY 2 – more slalom races In the men’s fleet, Antoine Albeau (Starboard, NeilPryde) further cemented his event lead by winning two out of the three men’s races. Hot on his heels, Kevin Pritchard (Starboard, Gaastra, MFC, Dakine) snapped up his first victory of the event in the remaining race. In the final of race 2 there was another display of Albeau’s dominance. He stole the show to walk away with his second successive race win. Buzianis (JP, NeilPryde, MFC) and Dunkerbeck (North Sails, T1) mopped up second and third respectively. Maynard (RRD, NeilPryde) and Pritchard struggled with the conditions, finishing ninth and tenth respectively. In the final of race 3 the top three positions remained unchanged from the previous race, with Albeau looking comfortable in first, Buzianis rewarded for his consistency in second, and Dunkerbeck sneaked across the finish line to pip Sylvain Moussilmani (F2, Simmer) to third place. But in the final of race 4, Pritchard screamed out the gates to command the race around the four gybe marks. Albeau attempted to chase down the speeding American, but Pritchard had no intention of letting his lead slip. On the finish line, Albeau had to settle for a rare second place, leaving Pritchard to take the victory, and a massive psychological boost after he failed to make the previous two race finals. Maynard also bounced back to finish in third place, bumping him up to eighth overall.
In the women’s fleet, Valerie Ghibaudo (Tabou, The Loft) stamped her authority on the day’s proceedings, by winning two out of the three women’s races. Marking a return to form, Karin Jaggi (F2, North Sails) emerged victorious in race four but remains seventh overall following her early disastrous results.{mosimage} Ghibaudo continued her run of dominance from the previous day, to cruise to her third race win in a row in race 3. Jaggi, who’d clearly put her shaky first day performance behind her, came in second. Offringa (Starboard, NeilPryde) also sailed a solid heat to award her, her highest place finish so far, in third. In race 4 Jaggi turned up the heat to sail to victory in the final. Not far behind, Ghibaudo added a second to her near perfect run of results, and unsung racing talent Nagoshi (Simmer) nailed a third place finish. Korzitz and Offriga both false started so had to settle for joint last place. Race 5 – after qualifying for the final, Jaggi disappointed with a seventh place finish. Super consistent Ghibaudo continued her run of top-notch results, adding another first with Iballa Moreno (North Sails) coming in second and Nagoshi in third. Nagoshi now lies in second place overall, not bad for freestyler. (source: PWA / Andrew Buchanan – images from THE 2008 GRAN CANARIA PWA GRAND SLAM)