MONDIAL DU VENT PWA FREESTYLE QUALIFIER, DAY
Marginal Conditions Get Sailors Wet But Keep Competition Dry

Sunday April 20, 2003
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Blue skies and sunshine have made for an excellent day at the beach for
the crowds of thousands who flocked to the Mondial du Vent here at Leucate
today.

An 8 o’clock skippers meeting had promised to give an early start, but
unfortunately the wind gods were not as keen as race director Olaf Van Tol
and only a gentle breeze greeted the early risers. For many, the Slipshot
party the night before, meant that 8 o’clock felt much earlier!

As the day went on, a marginal breeze developed, enticing a few sailors on
to the water, but only UK sailor Terry Luxton (Naish, Naish) really
managed to make any use of it, planing occasionally and managing to ride a
few choice waves.

Other sailors took the time to catch up on correspondence and made good
use of the internet tent here on site. For many of the top names it is
their first time at Leucate and they have been impressed by the size of
the event and the facilities on site. For the world tour regulars such as
Kauli Seadi (Naish, AHD) recently signed to the AHD team, and Ricardo
Campello (Neil Pryde, JP) the event here compares favorably to many of the
bigger World Cup events elsewhere in the world.

Regardless of the lack of wind, there has been loads of action. BMX
displays, springboard basketball and a massive trade show are among the
many other attractions here at what is very much a festival event. Crowds
in their thousands have patrolled the beach and promenade at La Franqui
today and none have been disappointed!

Forecasts for the coming days still remain unclear so everybody is very
much on standby, ready for anything.