We catch up what’s been going out out in Egypt…
Saturday night saw the launch of the Dahab Watersports Festival. Coinciding with a massive beach party, the windsurfers took to the water to provide a Tow-in exhibition for the huge crowd. Big names in attendance were World Freestyle Champion Sarah Quita-Offringa, Jamie Drummond, Maarten van Ochten, Arriane Aukes, Alex Seyss and lots of the local sailors.
Towed behind a ski boat, the riders disappeared into the darkness before being whipped into the spotlight to perform big moves. Lots of Funnell variations were landed, with Maarten van Ochten and Jamie Drummond launching big Burners to end the spectacle.
Monday saw the start of the freestyle competition. With 20 riders registered, the fleet consisted of sailors from the UK, Holland, Russia, Egypt, Germany and Switzerland. Blessed with solid 4.7/4.2 weather all day, the competition managed to advance through a single and double elimination.
In the single, Jamie Drummond advanced to the final to meet RUS-99, Vladimir Yakolev. In an extremely close final, Drummond managed to pull out the win, nailing a high Kono and Burner 900 to top the Russian’s double jumping moves on both tacks.
The Double Elimination saw young Swiss sailor Loick Spicher battle his way through 4 consecutive heats to finish in a great third place. Yakolev managed to take him down, resulting in a mirror image final against Drummond. The wind picked up towards the end allowing the Brit to take the win on Day One.
- 2nd Place Vladimir Yakolev
Competition is scheduled to resume on Thursday and the forecast looks excellent, so the action will no doubt be massive once again!
Results after one Single and one Double elimination:
1. Jamie Drummond, K-787
2. Vladimir Yakolev, RUS-99
3. Loick Spicher, SUI-19
Thanks to Dahab Holidays for all the great photos, make sure you check out the full albums on their Facebook page HERE. If you are thinking of a holiday to Dahab, definitely have a look at DahabHolidays.com to see what they can do for you; tailor made windsurf, kite and dive packages, accomodation, transfers and more.
Additional pictures by Gala Liubytska.
