Weather conditions affect sailors at day four of PWA World Cup Catalunya Costa Brava 2011
Day four at Professional Windsurfer Association (PWA) World Cup Catalunya Costa Brava 2011 ended in a bit of a problematic situation, as the weather conditions on Friday, June 3 fluctuated heavily
at the Catalunya shores. The surfers as a result, faced difficulties during the heats due to the winds blowing from eight to 12 knots.
The heavy gusts and sudden change in direction of the breeze were creating problems for the sailors as they moved close to the finish line. Cyril Moussilmani, who finished second at the end of the
day, failed to cross the finish line while his fellow contenders moved across the line with the help of a heavy gust.
He finished sixth and protested that the wind speed was below the standard minimum speed of seven knots, that’s why he fell short but the race organisers neglected his protest because they were continuously
checking the speed of the wind and it was not below the minimum threshold.
However, an eight to 12 knots wind range did bring some changes in the strategies of the sailors as they moved further into the course. Josh Angulo, Micah Buzianis, Ben Van Der Steen and Julien Quentel
grabbed the first spots in the four heats of the first round and surged into the second.
While talking to the PWA, some of the surfers shared their thoughts. Peter Volwater said about his racing experience, “I went pretty well, I started off in third in the first day but I have slipped
down to sixth. I would have liked to have done a couple more races so that I could have a couple more discards, but the wind is looking a bit light now.”
He added, “I sailed some high wind before this event and got a little bit of an injury on my shin and could hardly walk yesterday morning. I took some ibuprofen and I was happy to hang-in.”
Talking about the weather conditions, Arnon Dagan said, “It is kind of hard, even though we are training all year round, you don’t get that many days of wind like that. It is a surprise, you have
to rely on your knowledge and you go into your survival settings, longer harness lines and bigger footstraps at the front and a much more controllable fin.”
The overall result at the end of the day is as follows.
Antoine Albeau (JP / NeilPryde) Cyril Moussilmani (Starboard / North) Bjorn Dunkerbeck (Starboard/Severne/ Mystic/) Ben Van Der Steen (Starboard / Loft / Mystic) Julien Quentel (RRD / NeilPryde)
Tags: