The 2009 Speed World Cup has been presented to winners Anders Bringdal of Sweden and Valerie Ghibaudo of France who now hold the official title of the ‘2009 World Ranking Winners’.

The final stage of the European Speedsailing Championships was held in Dungarvan, Co Waterford in November. Wind on the very last day finally brought results for the windsurfers and kiteboarders in Ireland. There was just enough time to complete a few fast runs along the speedstrip, with the fastest speed of the event set by Dave Williams (GBR, Best) at 44.2 knots over 250m.

Andrea Baldini (ITA) set the top speed in the windsurfers fleet with slightly over 40 knots, and Zara Davis (GBR) took victory in the women’s fleet.  In the kiteboarding fleet, Jason McCaffrey (GBR, Cabrinha) and Jemma Grobbelaar (GBR, Flexifoil) were on top after two completed rounds. Two times Irish Slalom Champion Pearse Geaney finished fifth and Dubliner Steve Flanagan came in at a very respectable third place.

The event came to an end with the prize-giving ceremony held in the Dungarvan Harbour Yacht Club.  Commenting on the Championships event organiser Martin Waldron said, “The winds weren’t ideal for the week-long Championships here in Waterford but we were delighted with the fantastic speeds that were achieved on the course on the last day. Due to the sandspit and lack of currents in Dungarvan Harbour it would be ranked in the top ten speedsailing venues in the world.”

Martin went on to say, “We’re thrilled with the local support the Championships received in Dungarvan and the number of people that came out to join in the free introductory lessons to windsurfing, kitesurfing and various watersports was brilliant, there is obviously a huge appetite for adventure out there.”

The world-class event was the last major event of the 2009 speedsailing season. Over 60 of the biggest names in the sport came to Waterford to compete for points counting towards the 2009 Speed World Cup and the one-off Production World Cup Title. 

The European Speedsailing Championships are kindly supported by Fáilte Ireland, Waterford Leader Partnership, Waterford County Council, Irish Windsurfing Association, Red Bull and powered by LOCOSYS. The event is hosted and organised by Waldron Event Management, ISWC, Pure Magic Kitesurfing, Irish Speedsailing Series and the Irish Slalom Series.