The winds have been calm here in Costa Brava today. With the forecast now
pointing towards strong thermal winds for the next few days sailors have
been taking the opportunity to re-charge their batteries following
yesterdays incredible action. To re-cap on the situation, Dutch sailor,
Remko De Weerd (Gaastra, Fanatic) is currently in pole position after
winning the first round final against seventeen-year-old French hotshot
Nicolas Akgazciyan (AHD, Neil Pryde). The double elimination has yet to be
settled so Remko is on standby to defend his top slot when the wind returns.

In the double elimination draw the Canarian contingent of sailors; Jonas
Ceballos (Fanatic, Gaastra), Victor Fernandez Lopez (Fanatic), Vidar
Jensen (North) and Orjan Jensen (North) could all pose major threats to
the podium positions:

Vidar Jensen, is a past winner here and looked like he was cruising
towards the finals yesterday. His advancement was eventually halted when
Argentinean young gun Mariano Estivill (Arrows) pulled out all the stops.
Jensen excels when the wind is cranking and he will be hoping for balls to
the wall conditions so he can use his jumping skills to gain the advantage
over the new school freestylers.

Vidar’s elder brother Orjan is also capable of going all the way and has
already proven he is a force to be reckoned with earlier this season after
placing 3rd at the Tarifa PWA qualifier. Orjan can also bust out the big
moves when required and now he has a taste for the podium, will no doubt
be determined to put the record straight if given the opportunity.

The Canarian Young guns; Jonas Ceballos and Victor Fernandez Lopez are
both explosive sailors. Combining a mixture of new school moves with
mind-blowing jumps they are equally capable of putting together
event-winning routines. Jonas went out in the second round yesterday up
against Christian Sammer (F2, Arrows) who was firing on all cylinders.
Victor, made it as far as the quarter finals until he was knocked out by
the fluid style of Austrian sailor, Frank Lewisch

Alternative activities taking place today at La Ballena campsite, the
event headquarters have included beach golf and tennis tournaments. In the
golf, French sailor Julien Taboulet (JP, Neil Pryde) is currently holding
the record for the longest drive although, Remko De Weerd, Leo Ray (Naish)
and Nicolas Akgazciyan are all learning fast. On the tennis courts Mariano
Estivill (Arrows) of Argentina has been serving up a few aces much to the
dismay of his Austrian opponent Christian Sammer (F2, Arrows). Other
sailors have been enjoying the hot sunshine and sunbathing beside the
campsite pool, chilling outside their chalets or fine tuning their rigs in
preparation for the next round of competition.

The tourist season is just kicking into action here in Costa Brava so we
are expecting huge crowds to hit the beach over the weekend. Many will be
coming here especially for the windsurfing although the area is also
popular for golf, skiing, Parachuting, canoeing, sailing and diving. The
Costa Brava coastline actually extends for 200km from Portbou to the
French Border but it is here in Roses Bay where the water sports
facilities and conditions are second to none.

With three days of possible competition remaining here at the event
headquarters anything could happen. Can Remko hang on? Will newcomer
Nicolas Akgazciyan be able to handle the pressure? Or will the Canarians
fight back? Tune into this space for all the latest news and updates.