The 2007 Cabo Verde World Cup Day One

History’s Made As The PWA Score On Their Virgin Visit To Cabo Verde.

Josh Angulo drives off the bottom

Kauli with a solid top to bottom turn combo

A building swell on Ponta Preta’s shallow reef this morning, immediately lured many top names out to test the conditions, whilst  the draw was made.

Around 11.30 Head Judge Duncan Coombs got the competition underway, and some mouth-watering matches in the early bouts proved there’s no such thing as an easy heat at this level, especially given the restricted entry list.

Many beachgoers were then treated to the sight of windsurfing’s highest profile names tearing the lengthy set waves apart.

The 4-man heat duration was set at 30 minutes, with the best 2 waves for each competitor counting, and the best 2 riders advancing.

Testing offshore winds challenged everyone, but standing out in the first heat were Scott McKercher (Starboard / Severne), and Klaas Voget (Fanatic / NeilPryde).

It was a tribute to their skill that they left Robby Swift (JP / NeilPryde) and up and coming talent ‘Brawzinho’ Browne (Mistral / Gaastra) in their wakes.

The second heat was also toughly contested. Time spent training here in Cabo Verde paid off for Julian Taboulet (F2 / Naish), who made it into the next round alongside Kauli Seadi (Quatro / Naish).

Seadi’s stylish rhythm and impressive vertical attack made him shine above most people on the water today, his twin fins perhaps helping him make turns many other top-class acts struggled to replicate.

Unlucky not to progress were impressive local rider Titik Lopes (Fanatic / North), who’s radical aerials earned many cheers from locals and visitors alike, as well as seasoned campaigner Marcos Perez (Exocet) who became a victim of the razor sharp reef resulting in 5 stitches to his feet.

Around lunchtime the sets were too infrequent so sailors were once more placed on standby, hoping that the low tide later in the afternoon would coincide with a slightly less offshore wind direction, and perhaps a more established swell.

The outlook for tomorrow is also super positive with favourable conditions that Punta Preta’s locals and regular visitors claim could be epic. Skipper’s meeting is set for 08.00 with a first possible start at 08.30