After four days on hold waiting for suitable conditions, Steve Palier of Open Ocean Media reports from the fifth day of La Reunion Wave Classic 2011…
An incredible day of intense action today for the riders of the third edition of “La Reunion Wave Classic” : two official rounds have been completed on two different spots! The forecast was not wrong when announcing bigger waves and stronger wind.
Round 1 – Etang Salé : surf, surf and only surf !
That’s on the spot of Etang Salé the riders meet this morning. 15 to 20 knots side offshore wind, 6 to 8 feet perfect barrels, in 15mn, everything was set up and the organization could launch the first heats of this 1st round. 2 best waves count, surf only. Local sailor Steven Pichot, New Caledonian Colin Sifferlen and Guadeloupean Camille Juban took the honours on this first round. Pichot with a good wave choice and great turns, Sifferlean with clean airs over the section and Juban with a 360 attempt and a high goyter behind the wave in the last minutes of his heat. Youg german Leon Jamaer did not have luck as he ripped his sail in the middle of his heat. Around 3pm, the 1st round was completed but as the conditions were not really improving, the organization decide to move to Ravine Blanche for another 2nd round in more radical conditions…
Round 2 – Ravine Blanche : stronger, radical and extreme !
And that was a good choice to move because as the riders arrived on the spot, they could see that it will be another story than riding the cool tubes of Etang Salé ! 30 knots of wind and mast high hollow waves ready to crunch the gear… Wow ! No time to loose. 15mn later, everything was set up again and the first heat was launched at around 4pm. And that was extreme from the start with epic action, extreme and radical show as we like it on the “Reunion Wave Classic” events since its creation ! This time, the riders decided to add one jump to the judgements but still, with 2 best waves to surf to get points. Facing the raging elements in this 2nd round, these are again Sifferlen and Juban who provided a good show with a perfect wave choice and great moves pushed to the max. This time, local sailor Sylvain Bourlard got first in his heat against Steven Pichot who won this morning in Etang Salé. No chance this time for Pierre Godet and Julien Taboulet who both broke their mast from the start as they were again fighting in the same heat! Afters these 2 rounds, it’s time to score the points that each riders brought to their respective teams and it’s actually Steven Pichot’s team that leads the ranking. But it’s not over yet as we expect for tomorrow more extreme conditions around l’Etang Salé with bigger waves! Stay tuned to www.reunionwaveclassic2011.blogspot.com for more…
Check out this trailer movie, including warm-up action from the first few days… http://mpora.com/videos/ExgYgvWdk
