PWA WORLD TOUR 2004 END OF YEAR ROUND UP
2004 has been an incredible year for the PWA World Tour with the crème de la crème of the worlds windsurfing talent battling out at thirteen cranking events during the year for nearly a million Euros in prize money. The tour hit locations all around the world with events ranging from exotic wave sailing in Hawaii, high wind freestyle and wave action in the Canary Islands, action packed Super X in Spain and France and racing and waves in the cold North Sea off the coast of Germany.
INDOOR
The 2004 PWA season stormed into action with the welcome return of indoor windsurfing after an absence of over two years with successful events in London and France. Featured for the very first time at the boat show in London in January, indoor was a huge success with the British public. On the final night, which featured a UKWA versus PWA battle, the likes of Kevin Pritchard (Starboard, Gaastra), Kauli Seadi (Naish) and Ricardo Campello (JP, Neil Pryde) stole the show on the jump ramp with Campello eventually clinching victory in the jump final, Kauli Seadi winning the freestyle and Nik Baker (Mistral, North) taking the racing. The indoor tour was back in the limelight in France when it returned to the spiritual home of the indoor at Bercy in Paris at the end of March. The French show saw a classic battle of the old guard versus the new school young guns with Robby Naish (Naish) and Eric Thieme (Neil Pryde) giving the likes of Kauli Seadi (Naish) and a run for their money on the jump ramp. Kauli Seadi eventually took the win with the very last jump of the contest, an insane air chacho probably the most spectacular jump ever seen in the history of indoor windsurfing.
SUPER X
The new discipline of Super X was the smash hit on this year’s tour and featured high-octane racing and jump obstacles combined with intricate freestyle moves around the course. The season opened up on the Mediterranean coast of France at Leucate where French all rounder Antoine Albeau (Neil Pryde) narrowly clinched the victory from the grasp of American bulldog Matt Pritchard (Gaastra, Tabou) with Britain’s Robby Swift (JP, Neil Pryde) hot on their heels in third. The tour then moved on to the Costa Brava coast of Spain where French sailor Cyril Moussilmani (Fanatic) was the surprise winner, fending off the challenge from fellow Frenchman, Antoine Albeau with Norwegian wild flyer Vidar Jensen (North) cruising home in third.
The tour concluded in the Canary Islands during July with two back-to-back events in Lanzarote and Fuerteventura. Robby Swift looked like he had it all wrapped up in Lanzarote until the final day where he was pipped at the post by in dramatic style by Matt Pritchard (Gaastra, Tabou). Pritchard went on the seal the overall freestyle title in Fuerteventura after taking the final event victory ahead of arch rival Antoine Albeau (Neil Pryde) with John Skye (F2, Arrows) of England pulling out all the stops to clinch third.
MEN’S OVERALL SUPER X RANKINGS 2004
1. Matt Pritchard (Gaastra, Tabou)
2. Antoine Albeau (Neil Pryde)
3. Robby Swift (JP, Neil Pryde)
FREESTYLE MEN
The level of performance in men’s freestyle once again went through the roof during 2004 with the likes of Ricardo Campello (JP, Neil Pryde), Kauli Seadi (Naish) and the Frans brothers (Starboard, Gaastra) raising the stakes with innovative and complex routines way beyond the frontiers we ever dreamed about when freestyle was created back in the late nineties.
The freestyle tour opened up with a PWA qualifier at a brand new location in Croatia. Despite the fact the winds failed to blow the new location showed incredible potential as a freestyle venue and will hopefully be back on the calendar next year.
The big guns joined the show on the Canary Islands Islands tour with Campello dominating the show in both Lanzarote and Fuerteventura. Lanzarote, featuring as an event location for the first time on the PWA world tour, delivered excellent conditions with howling winds and mast high waves. Campello stole the show with mind-boggling repertoires ahead of fellow Brazilian Kauli Seadi (Naish) and Venezuelan ripper Diony Guadagnino (Neil Pryde). Over to stunning beaches of Fuerteventura and once again Campello was on fire storming to victory despite concerted challenges from freestyle specialists Douglas Diaz (North, Fanatic) and Tonky Frans (Gaastra, F2).
The freestyle tour concluded in the howling winds of Gran Canaria where Kauli Seadi (Naish) won conclusively ahead of Bonaire freestyle maestro, Taty Frans (Gaastra, Starboard) with Campello back in third. Campello results in Lanzarote and Fuerteventura had been enough to put him in an unassailable position for the 2004 overall freestyle title baring disaster in Gran Canaria. Kauli Seadi’s victory in Gran Canaria was enough to clinch him the second overall slot for the season with Douglas Diaz finishing third.
MEN’S OVERALL FREESTYLE RANKINGS
1. Ricardo Campello (JP, Neil Pryde)
2. Kauli Seadi (Naish)
3. Douglas Diaz (North, Fanatic)
FREESTYLE WOMEN
The women’s 2004 freestyle tour saw an impressive level of action with events going off in Lanzarote, Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria and Canada. Daida Moreno (Mistral, North) was without doubt the superior force on the women’s freestyle circuit taking a clean sweep of all four events and winning the 2004 overall title in convincing fashion. Iballa Moreno (Mistral, North) missed out on the action in Lanzarote and Fuerteventura due to injury leaving the door wide open for Jaggi (F2, Arrows) and Alonso (Fanatic) to rack up second and third placings in her absence.
The tour then moved across to the home waters of the Moreno sisters at Pozo, Gran Canaria with Daida stamping her authority on the proceedings with clear victory despite braves challenges from Karin Jaggi (F2, Arrows) and Iballa Moreno (Mistral, North) back from injury and fighting as hard as ever.
The tour concluded with a unique ‘women only’ event in the beautiful Magdalene Islands in the Canadian Gulf of St Lawrence. After a stunning 2500km road trip around the Gaspe Peninsular the girls competed in wild winds which came as a result of the tail end of hurricane Francis. No surprises with the winner… Daida Moreno, who completed a clean sweep of victories at all four events but Iballa Moreno sailed brilliantly to take second ahead of Swiss ex world Champion Karin Jaggi (F2, Arrows)
WOMEN’S OVERALL FREESTYLE RANKINGS
1. Daida Moreno (Mistral, North)
2. Karin Jaggi (F2, Arrows)
3. Nayra Alonso (Fanatic)
WAVE
The PWA wave tour opened its season in epic conditions at the world’s best wave sailing location Hookipa, Beach Park in Maui, Hawaii. After four days of intense battle the event concluded in insane mast high peeling waves with wave legends Jason Polakow (JP, Neil Pryde) and Josh Angulo head to head in one of the greatest finals in windsurfing history. Despite Angulo firing on all cylinders it was Jason Polakow who had fought back through eight heats in the double elimination and then won two incredible finals to take the victory. Local wave specialist Keith Teboul finished in third place ahead of ex world champion Kevin Pritchard (Gaastra, Starboard) who is also a Maui resident.
In the women’s battle Japanese sailor Motoko Sato sailed brilliantly to take victory in the women’s final in a heated confrontation against Karin Jaggi (F2, Arrows) of Switzerland. Local sailors Jenny Ellefsen and Jennifer Henderson (Starboard) took third and fourth places respectively.
The wave tour continued later in the summer on the windswept shores of Gran Canaria where Australian wave guru, Scottie McKercher (Starboard) took a historic victory ahead of local Pozo specialists Vidar Jensen (North) and Bjorn Dunkerbeck (Neil Pryde). McKercher ripped apart the onshore waves with his own unique style to take the event win despite several double loop attempts in the final from Norwegian local Vidar Jensen.
In the women’s showdown the final saw an amazing head to head between local sisters Iballa and Daida Moreno. Daida Moreno eventually outclassed her sister with a formidable display of jumps, which included a double, massive push loop and a tabletop forward. In the battle for third and fourth Karin Jaggi (F2, Arrows) took the remaining podium slot after defeating Gran Canaria local Nayra Alonso (Fanatic).
The wave tour concluded at the Sylt Germany Gran Slam where the wind only played ball enough to allow an equal first place between the sixteen top men remaining in the competition. With the combined results from Gran Canaria and Sylt deciding the title, Scottie McKercher became the 2004 overall wave champion with Vidar Jensen second and Bjorn Dunkerbeck third.
With no official women’s result in Sylt the results from the Gran Canaria event decided the title with Daida Moreno taking the 2004 overall wave title, Iballa Moreno clinching second and Karin Jaggi finishing in third.
MEN’S OVERALL WAVE RANKINGS
1. Scott McKercher (Starboard)
2. Vidar Jensen (North)
3. Bjorn Dunkerbeck (Neil Pryde)
WOMEN’S OVERALL WAVE RANKINGS
1. Daida Moreno (Mistral, North)
2. Iballa Moreno (Mistral, North)
3. Karin Jaggi (F2, Arrows)
NESTEA RACE TOUR
MEN
This years Nestea racing tour boiled down to a thrilling battle between Aussie race specialist Steve Allen (Neil Pryde, Fanatic) and Frenchman Antoine Albeau (Neil Pryde) both determined to fight to the very last race to take the overall title. After Allen took first blood in Gran Canaria one step ahead of Micah Buzianis (F2, North) with Albeau in third, Albeau hit back in Sylt Germany scooping first with Britain’s Ross Williams (Starboard, Gaastra) taking second fractionally ahead of Allen who finished third.
That meant it was all down to the last event in Almanarre to decide the 2004 PWA Race World Champion. Following six tense races it was the French sailor, Albeau, who held his nerve and took the event victory along with the overall title, with Poland’s Wojtek Brzozowski (Starboard, Neil Pryde) romping home in second and Steve Allen close behind in third.
MEN’S OVERALL RACE RANKINGS 2004
1. Antoine Albeau (Neil Pryde)
2. Steve Allen (Fanatic, Neil Pryde)
3. Kevin Pritchard (Gaastra, Starboard)
WOMEN
The women’s race tour opened up with a shock result in Gran Canaria when Aussie racer Allison Shreeve (F2, Neil Pryde) went straight to the top of the rankings finishing ahead of Lucy Horwood (Fanatic, North) and Karin Jaggi (F2, Arrows). Reigning world champion Dorota Staszewska (Gaastra, Starboard) had a disastrous race and finished back in fourth place making for an almost impossible task to recoup her world Cup win for 2004. The women were back on the race course at the closing event of the season in Almanarre France, where Dorota Staszewska (Gaastra, Starboard) returned to winning ways with victory ahead of Lucy Horwood (Fanatic, North) and Allison Shreeve (F2, Neil Pryde) back in third. Shreeve, however had done just enough to steel the PWA World Championship ahead of Horwood in second with Staszewska having to settle for third!
WOMEN’S OVERALL RACE RANKINGS 2004
1. Allison Shreeve (Neil Pryde, F2)
2. Lucy Horwood (Fanatic, North)
3. Dorota Staszewska (Gaastra, Starboard)
2005
The PWA strives to represent excellence in windsurfing, with professionally run events featuring the world’s best sailors. 2004 was a massive year for the PWA featuring incredible events at existing and new locations, insane conditions throughout the year, whilst introducing many new faces emerging to challenge the old guard on the circuit. Be sure to stay tuned to the PWA web site www.pwaworldtour.com
