The 2011 VW PWA Reno World Cup Sylt – day eight: Blazing sun, enormous crowds, a ferocious SUP race and an incredible night tow-in freestyle session make the eighth day in Sylt a memorable one.

Despite the light wind, the event site was flooded with weekend spectators sun bathing on the beach, listening to the interviews with the PWA stars, watching the Reno World Cup SUP race and the Panasonic night tow-in freestyle competition.

Having spent the morning chilling in the sunshine, the sailors were eager for some action and ready to give everything they had in the Reno world cup SUP race. Extremely flat water ensured that the combination of power and endurance was essential to gain the extra advantage over the competition.

Six teams made up of four sailors each including one female in each team were organised into two heats and then it was up to them to furiously paddle their way around the three mark race course.

Heat 1

Steve Allen (Starboard / Severne) and Cedric Bordes (Tabou / Gaastra / Mystic) both had a blistering start to the racing with Caesar Finies (Starboard / NeilPryde) going a little slower. Bordes managed to push ahead and hand the baton over to Julien Quentel (RRD / NeilPryde) who looked super-powerful on the SUP, really putting the French team in the lead. The event organiser Matias and Boujmaa Guilloul (Starboard / Severne / Mystic) had a battle for second and third, but Guilloul managed to keep his team in second. It was then up to Antoine Albeau (JP / NeilPryde) to keep his team in the lead, Albeau flew around the course and handed over to Fanny Aubet (JP / NeilPryde) who managed to fend off advances from Sarah-Quita Offringa (Starboard / Gaastra / Mystic) putting her team in the final.

Heat 2

Bjorn Dunkerbeck (Starboard / Severne / Mystic / DunkerbeckEyewear) and Kauli Seadi (JP / NeilPryde) had a fierce fight around the opening lap of the race with Ludovic Jossin (Loft) in third. Keeping the race close Marcilio Browne (Fanatic / North / MFC) and Dario Ojeda (Tabou / Simmer / Dakine / MFC) went side by side around the course. It was then up to Danny Bruch (Starboard / Severne / AL360) to put his team in the lead ahead of Ricardo Campello (JP / NeilPryde / MFC). Finishing the race and putting her team in the final, Iballa Ruano Moreno (Starboard / Severne) paddled hard and squeezed ahead of Nayra Alonso (Fanatic / Severne) to the cheers of the huge crowd.

Final

Having put the fastest time in out of the non-qualifying teams Alonso, Browne, Seadi and Campello also made their way into the epic final race.

It was a particularly close first lap of the course from Quentel, Dunkerbeck and Browne, but obviously fired up and determined to win Dunkerbeck pushed hard on the final straight putting his team in the lead. A swift hand over to Ojeda put the team further in the lead but Seadi’s and Bordes exceptional techniques allowed them to close the gap slightly. Ojeda handed over to Bruch and Bordes handed over to Albeau. Albeau took to the water with all guns blazing and nearly managed to get his SUP planning, his performance provided the team with a whole legs lead. It then came down to Aubet to bring the victory home for the team. Iballa and Alonso tried their best to catch Aubet but she was consistent and was able to bring her team to victory.

The second Reno world cup SUP race winners:

Antoine Albeau (JP / NeilPryde)
Cedric Bordes (Tabou / Gaastra / Mystic)
Julien Quentel (RRD / NeilPryde)
Fanny Aubet (JP / NeilPryde)

The Panasonic night tow-in freestyle competition

The beach was completely full of spectators ready to be wowed by the world’s finest freestylers in the Panasonic night tow-in freestyle competition. Having had plenty of time to practice all week the sailors didn’t hold back with their moves and they put on an insane show.

The opening heats witnessed six amazing sailors earn their places in the final, with the world champion Steven Van Broeckhoven (F2 / Gaastra) pulling an incredible thirty point scoring triple jumping funnel and Browne landing at perfect burner into funnel to put him through. The brothers from Bonaire, Taty Frans (Starboard / MauiSails / Mystic / Maui Ultra Fins) and Tonky Frans (Tabou / Gaastra) blew the judges away with their moves putting them straight into the final. Heat number three saw Bjorn Saragoza (Starboard / Hot Sails) secure his place with a double jumping funnel and Jose Estredo (Fanatic / North) nailing a burner into funnel for maximum points.

The sailors knew they had to up the game for the final, but unfortunately Estredo went down on both his moves. Taty nailed a jumping double funnel but it wasn’t enough as Browne and Saragoza were on fine form landing their own amazing moves. Closing the competition Van Broeckhoven pulled a super-fast triple funnel to earn him his first tow-in competition win in Sylt.

The Panasonic night tow-in freestyle competition results:

1st Steven Van Broeckhoven (F2 / Gaastra)
2nd Bjorn Saragoza (Starboard / Hot Sails)
3rd Marcilio Browne (Fanatic / North / MFC)

The final day of the 2011 VW PWA Reno world cup will kick off tomorrow morning with the skippers’ meeting for all three fleets at 10am, first possible start at 10:30am.

Scope the action

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

Make sure you check out the event website for more video clips and pictures at www.windsurfworldcup.de, ‘like’ the Facebook page at www.facebook.com/worldcupsylt and follow everything on Twitter at www.twitter.com/#!/worldcupsylt. http://mpora.com/videos/UdNCG0tCd