“I think it’s fair to say that Anders and Antoine are both a little bit ahead of everyone else at the moment. I would put this down to a few things: better overall tuning, knowledge, equipment and the ability to tune quickly on the hoof. Experience counts for a lot there too. They are able try different combinations of gear and hone in on the best quicker than most. I think they are more sensitive to the gear than most people realise and probably know what they are looking for more than most. I think they are both very good at ‘managing the course’ and knowing how to get the best out of it. On the whole, I think what really sets them apart is their ability to make the most of opportunities. When they get a bit of luck they make it count. Despite being so closely matched, it’s interesting that head to head they actually have different styles to each other.

“Looking at Antoine [top photo], his boom is slightly higher than most people and he has what you might describe as a more ‘traditional’ speed stance. It’s something we tend to see with the guys that do a lot of slalom. Straight front leg, bent back leg and his weight over the board more than most.

“Antoine is very strong and uses his strength to hold this technique. He’s also the guy who is on it from beginning to end and regularly racks up the most runs in a day.

“Anders has what I would describe as a more ‘modern’ speed stance. Anders is taller (and a bit heavier) than Antoine, but if you look at his luff pocket, his boom is almost at the bottom. Antoine’s is noticeably higher. I think this ‘new’ technique really started with Jurjen Van Der Noord towards the end of 2012. He suddenly got much quicker and a lot of riders took note. Anders spent some time in La Franqui testing after this and has adopted elements of this stance. By lowering the boom and lengthening the lines, he can get his weight out and the rig more upright, which you can see when you compare it to Antoine. This helps pin the rig down and also, because he is driving more sideways against the fin, you can use a smaller fin with less drag. Head to head it looks like Anders is just sat in the chair in comparison to Antoine’s more physical, upright style. It’s also worth noting that Anders is sailing full production gear with Mistral and NeilPryde“