Thirty- five times world champion, Bjorn Dunkerbeck claims the final event crown, but it’s Antoine Albeau who walks away with the last race of the season and the 2010 title!

With the possibility that the wind would be more suitable for the discipline of freestyle today, the world’s most tricked up windsurfers arrived at the beach at dawn, only to be greeted by almost exactly the same conditions that had prevented them from taking to the water the past few days.

After a couple of hours of trying to make the most of what the weather had brought, the organisers decided to switch over to slalom. Many of the more experienced sailors in the fleet opposed the decision having been tested to their limits over the past few days in the brutal conditions dealt out by the North Sea. However, once the heats were in full swing, and the sun came out, they were happier than ever battling in the gusty 12-24 knots for the final time in 2010.

An Exciting Finale

The first winner’s final of the day was arguably one of the most exciting seen this season. All too often, we witness the newly crowned world champion, Antoine Albeau (JP, NeilPryde) or the legend Bjorn Dunkerbeck (Starboard, Severne, Mystic) leading from the start, controlling the pack as they hammer their way round the course at full throttle, and then crossing the line with a fist in the air. Race six however was completely different!

Both Albeau and Dunkerbeck were buried at the beginning allowing the PWA’s president, Jimmy Diaz (Starboard, North) to have his moment of glory. Diaz lead the pack around the first mark, but unfortunately for him, his team mate, Cyril Moussilmani (Starboard, North) was hot on his heels, and halfway round the race managed to sneak his way past to take line honours.

Meanwhile, Albeau and Dunkerbeck were having their own battle out the back. And, despite those battles not being with each other, their final finishing positions would none the less determine their overall event standings. Dunkerbeck fought his way through the fleet, using his outstanding speed to eventually be within touching distance of Diaz, and finished a split second afterwards to take third. Albeau battled hard throughout the heat, but was fighting a lost cause with Dunkerbeck out in front. A fifth for the current world champion saw him comfortably in a top two position, but the thirty-five times world champ had already secured the Sylt crown.

The Race For Third Place

With the event results, and the overall rankings already decided for Dunkerbeck and Albeau, the real battle in race seven was for the final spot on the podium. Two sailors had the possibility of claiming third place in Sylt, and the same two third overall. And to top it all off, they both happened to be lined up next to each other in the final race of the season!

The two in question were 2009 runner up, Finian Maynard (RRD, Gaastra), and flying Frenchman, Cyril Moussilmani. Moussilmani happened to be on a roll having claimed victory in the previous elimination, whereas Maynard was recovering from a complete shocker after a broken fin saw him exit the last race in the quarterfinals. When the gun went, you could feel the tension that had been building on the water all the way back at the beach. Maynard burst into the front of the pack, and held his ground. But, just as it looked like he’d done his job, disaster struck. Moussilmani rounded the mark and couldn’t pump onto the plane, leaving the race director with no choice but to cancel the heat.

In the re-run, Maynard and Moussilmani were neck-a-neck (but not in the lead) in an all-time showdown for that final podium spot. However, once again lady luck wasn’t on Maynard’s side, as a small collision between the two sailors saw them swimming at one of the buoys. Moussilmani leapt back on his board and raced off into the distance to claim his place next to Albeau and Dunkerbeck, whilst Maynard was left to regain his composure.

Event Results

1st Bjorn Dunkerbeck (Starboard, Severne, Mystic)

2nd Antoine Albeau (JP, NeilPryde)

3rd Cyril Moussilmani (Starboard, North)

4th Finian Maynard (RRD, Gaastra)

5th Kevin Pritchard (Starboard, Gaastra)

2010 Men’s Slalom Rankings

1st Antoine Albeau (JP, NeilPryde)

2nd Bjorn Dunkerbeck (Starboard, Severne, Mystic)

3rd Cyril Moussilmani (Starboard, North)

4th Micah Buzianis (JP, NeilPryde)

5th Finian Maynard (RRD, Gaastra)

Freestyle

Head judge, Duncan Coombs made every effort to get the double elimination going in the gusty winds by doing everything within his power to please the competitors, but it just wasn’t meant to be. This left the results unchanged from day three when the single elimination came to its conclusion.

Event Results

1st Jose ‘Gollito’ Estredo (Fanatic, North)

2nd Taty Frans (Starboard, MauiSails, Mystic)

3rd Steven Van Broeckhoven (F2, Gaastra)

4th Kiri Thode (Starboard, Gaastra)

2010 Men’s Freestyle Rankings

1st Jose ‘Gollito’ Estredo (Fanatic, North)

2nd Taty Frans (Starboard, MauiSails, Mystic)

3rd Kiri Thode (Starboard, Gaastra)

4th Steven Van Broeckhoven (F2, Gaastra)

Wave

Due to the lack of sufficient wind and waves, neither the men’s or women’s fleets hit the water this week leaving the overall rankings unaffected by Sylt.

Women

The absence of a result this week means that the 2010 women’s wave rankings were decided on just one event in Gran Canaria where Daida Ruano Moreno (Starboard, Severne) once again proved she’s the woman to beat with an outstanding aerial display, and some great wave rides. Her twin sister, Iballa Ruano Moreno (Starboard, Severne) finished a close second, with the fearless Karin Jaggi (Patrik, Severne) claiming the final podium spot.

2010 Women’s Wave Rankings

1st Daida Ruano Moreno (Starboard, Severne)

2nd Iballa Ruano Moreno (Starboard, Severne)

3rd Karin Jaggi (Patrik, Severne)

4th Nayra Alonso (Fanatic, Severne)

5th Steffi Wahl (Patrik, Severne)

Men

The men’s wave fleet have one final opportunity to prove their worth in 2010 at the hardcore destination of Cabo Verde in November. But, leaving Sylt without a result does mean that there will now be no discard for the year.

Current Men’s Wave Rankings

1st Victor Fernandez (Fanatic, North, MFC)

2nd Ricardo Campello (JP, NeilPryde, MFC)

3rd Philip Koster (Starboard, NeilPryde, Dakine)

4th Kauli Seadi (JP, NeilPryde, MFC)

5th Dany Bruch (Patrik, Severne, MFC)

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

There’s also a dedicated event website which can be found at www.windsurfworldcup.de

Or for more information, please contact the PWA office via [email protected]