Blog, 08-01-2012
Sneak peak: Ezzy Sails Lion 2012
Ezzy Sails will soon be releasing the new Lion. The Lion will be replacing the Infinity as their (free)race sail. Very little details have been released so far....(more)
Blog, 05-01-2012
Sneak peak: Hot Sails Maui Freestyle Pro 2012
Dutch sailor Paul Zeper has been hard at work developing his signature sail the Freestyle Pro....(more)
Blog, 05-01-2012
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Blog, 04-01-2012
North Sails Warp F2012 released
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2010 Almanarre, Hyeres, Women’s Slalom World Tour Final – Day Three
07.09.2010
Another
frustrating day on standby leaves the PWA’s hottest female racers eagerly
anticipating the return of the wind!
With
glorious blue skies and a light offshore breeze, sunbathing and swimming were
the main activities in Almanarre today. A slight fluttering of the flags late in
the afternoon caused the sailors to leap into action, but it wasn’t long before
they resumed their positions, and lay in hope for racing another
day.
After
an entire day spent on standby, we took the opportunity to talk to long standing
PWA racer and current tour leader, Karin Jaggi (Patrik, Severne) about the world
famous destination of Almanarre. Having entered her first ever world cup here,
returning to this beach brings back many special
memories…
PWA:
Tell us about your history with Almanarre.
KJ:
“Well, my time at this beach goes back a lot further than my first ever world
cup event, I actually learnt to windsurf properly around here. At first it was
mostly on the other side of the bay, but I did come over here to Almanarre quite
a lot too. And, by then it was already a world-renowned location with a history
of hosting international events to the superstars of the sport such as Robby
Naish (Naish, Naish), Anders Bringdal (Mistral), and Bjorn Dunkerbeck
(Starboard, Severne, Mystic).”
PWA:
When did you first enter an event here?
KJ:
“1994.”
PWA:
Wow, that’s almost two decades ago! Who was the local hero back
then?
KJ:
“Oh, it had to be Eric Thieme for sure. He was more famous for indoor events
though than anything else.”
PWA: He
was the French lunatic that used to wear the leopard print suits whilst racing
in Bercy right?
KJ:
“Yeah that was him! He actually has a windsurfing centre right here on the beach
now.”
PWA:
Has Almanarre always been about the racing?
KJ: “In
competition, yes. We used to do course racing and slalom, but now it’s just
slalom.”
PWA:
What does Almanarre have to offer?
KJ:
“First of all it’s a great spot to windsurf because the conditions vary so much,
so you’ll never get bored. It can be light and offshore one day, to strong and
cross-shore the next which also makes it a great place to train. It’s really
close to Marseille as well, which is a fun city to visit, and the coastline here
is beautiful. There are heaps of people that windsurf around here too, so there
are always plenty of like minded people who love to watch the world cup when
it’s in town.”
PWA: If
someone came to visit during the season what sort of wind can they
expect?
KJ:
“There are two main winds, the Mistral which - if it is forecast - is almost
guaranteed to be strong, and great for sailors who enjoy windsurfing in winds
above force 4. The other wind comes from the East which can be strong too, but
it’s not as reliable as the Mistral.”
PWA:
Which do you prefer?
KJ:
“For general sailing they can both be really good, especially if you have a car
because you can drive to the other side of the peninsula, so you can always get
clean onshore winds. Also, it doesn’t really matter which discipline you sail
here, it can be great for speed, waves, and slalom. Plus it’s good for all
ability levels.”
PWA:
How would you rate Almanarre as a destination for a
holiday?
KJ:
“Within Europe it’s definitely one of my favourites because it’s easy to access
by car so you can go on a good forecast from almost anywhere. The sailing is
world-class, and it’s still not too expensive to stay directly on the beach
because there are so many campsites, and small hotels. I’d recommend it to
almost everyone apart from those in search of perfect waves. It’s a great
destination for families too.”
Thanks
for your time Karin, and lets hope the ‘vent de est’ or the Mistral return soon,
so the locals can watch some more high-octane racing!
Results After 3 Races
1st Valerie Arrighetti (Tabou, Loft,
Mystic)
2nd Karin Jaggi (Patrik, Severne)
3rd Alice Arutkin (Starboard, North)
4th Lise Vidal (Exocet, North)
5th Fanny Aubet (JP, NeilPryde)
6th Sarah Hebert (Naish, Naish)
7th Delphine Cousin (Fanatic, North)
8th Sarah-Quita Offringa (Starboard,
Gaastra)
9th Ophelle Joly (Fanatic, North)
10th Marion Mortefon
Eye
On The Horizon
The
forecast looks hopeful with a good ‘vent d’est’ forecast for tomorrow, and a
return of the mistral on Wednesday.
Live
GPS Tracking
On day
one the women were tracked throughout the afternoon. Check out the racing by
following this link HERE.
Keep
in the groove
For
more information on all the entrants, and to keep up to date with every piece of
the action, click on www.pwaworldtour.com
Here
you can use our:
• Live
ticker service for heat-by-heat bulletins
• Check
live elimination ladders
• View
results
• Read
daily news summaries
•
Browse awesome action photo galleries
Or for
more information, please contact the PWA office via info@pwaworldtour.com
PWA/Paul Griffiths
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