The freestylers and slalom sailors that made it down to Worthing beach for the UKWA competition this weekend were treated to an incredible 35-40knots and stormy seas, making competition tough for even the most experienced of professionals.

In the slalom James Dinsmore was triumphant in the pro fleet, posting two bullets, with local man Ant Baker in second, whilst Simon Cofield took third spot in the tough racing. To paint a picture of just how windy it Ant Baker was racing on his 5.7m and was definitely not underpowered!

The freestyle competitors had to up their game too, with much of the competition taking part in less than ideal conditions! No more flat water, the seas were pretty messy, with a solid shore dump coming through too, so congratulations to all competitors for taking it on!

In the pro freestyle it was rising star Oscar Carmichael who took the win, with GetWindsurfing’s Phil Richards in second and Nic Hibdige third. In the amateur fleet Kieran Roan (check out more about Kieran in the Boards feature here) won in style, with Tushingham’s Ollie Acton second and Ben Lee and Jack Sawbridge tied for third.

The weekend also saw former pro windsurfing Mat Pearch making his way back onto the water after a few years absent. Did he take it easy? Go out and have a few warm up runs before going big? Of course not. Mat went straight out and busted out a massive back loop, cheered and jeered on by the crowds. Not to be outdone Nik Baker also took to the water around high tide and showed he still has the skills in all conditions, putting on some smooth wave riding and a jumping masterclass.

There are a whole host of photos from the weekend making the rounds, here’s our top shots, courtesy of K66.

Boards camera man Alfie Hart was also in attendance, so watch this space for a full video feature from the event as well as full results!