Windsurfing is back!!! Get rid of everything else, slalom x is awesome

Agreed, awesome. Long live the fin

dissapointed the women avoided the jump, or that it was even allowed to be avoided.
didnt the sausage used to be much larger years ago?

And how exactly is this better than if they allowed foils? ??
You know, whatever is faster wins the race...

Later on they jumped it. See 11:40 timestamp in the video. ?si=XetYTCU-9NqTZpqb&t=782 . Sounds like it would be a longer course if not jumped so advantageous to jump it well.

Sarah-quinta sailed around it because there wasn't a rule saying you couldn't, so the whole pack followed her. They then added another bouoy upwind of the sausage to motivate the racers to go over it by making it slower to go around, which is when they started jumping it...

The new rules are a work in progress. They have been quick to adapt the rules to what has been going on. End of day 2 and the new features are bedding in nicely. Adding the upwind bouy on the jump if you dont want to jump. Changing the position of the bouys on the chicane so you have to do a gybe. Sailors adapting to the new features, timing gybes at the chicane to make sure you get the swell.
Also we have the last 2 reaches closer to the beach so the swell and waves feature more.
Its easy to jump off some chop, but when you are maxed flat out in 30 knots of wind on a downwind leg perhaps not so easy. Looks like they are bearing up a little just before the jump. Cedric Bordes took a while to adapt.
I think its been a great 2 days. 2016 watching the livestream yesterday at 1 point. Thats more than the wave event. Hopefully another day of slalom tomorrow, 3 days slalom racing is epic. Then a day to finish off the wave 40/48th of a double elimination. And another day spare.

Yet foilers moan. FFS, the foil events are on the calendar, there are only 2 fin only events.

foils + sausage would be nice

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PhilUK said..

...Yet foilers moan. FFS, the foil events are on the calendar, there are only 2 fin only events.

Not all of us. I found it very entertaining and exciting to watch despite not having been on a fin in nine months. I applaud their willingness to try different courses and seeing so many different faces at the top of the heats makes things much more compelling.

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jdfoils said..
And how exactly is this better than if they allowed foils? ??
You know, whatever is faster wins the race...

in everyway i can imagine

Pity it's a rocky, love to see beach starts and foils are welcome

37 knots on the first reach is mega. Glad they brought back windsurfing slalom. Love the sausage and chicane. Enjoyed the commentary, Ben Proffit wants to see this in the Gorge, that would be something!

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PhilUK said..

Yet foilers moan. FFS, the foil events are on the calendar, there are only 2 fin only events.

Not moaning. With waves, sausages, and beach starts the format is strongly biased towards the fin... But if you want to drive development rather than stifle it, you should leave the door open.

Now that's exciting! I can't usually watch sport , even windsurfing but this had me on the edge of my seat. I hope the general public get to watch it on Youtube.
?si=yXMr3vSJa5L5S_Km

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jdfoils said..

PhilUK said..

Yet foilers moan. FFS, the foil events are on the calendar, there are only 2 fin only events.

Not moaning. With waves, sausages, and beach starts the format is strongly biased towards the fin... But if you want to drive development rather than stifle it, you should leave the door open.

There seem to be hardly any events that favour the fin these days.
I think it's great! We need more of it.

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Ben1973 said..
Windsurfing is back!!! Get rid of everything else, slalom x is awesome

+1

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PhilUK said..
The new rules are a work in progress. They have been quick to adapt the rules to what has been going on. End of day 2 and the new features are bedding in nicely. Adding the upwind bouy on the jump if you dont want to jump. Changing the position of the bouys on the chicane so you have to do a gybe. Sailors adapting to the new features, timing gybes at the chicane to make sure you get the swell.
Also we have the last 2 reaches closer to the beach so the swell and waves feature more.
Its easy to jump off some chop, but when you are maxed flat out in 30 knots of wind on a downwind leg perhaps not so easy. Looks like they are bearing up a little just before the jump. Cedric Bordes took a while to adapt.
I think its been a great 2 days. 2016 watching the livestream yesterday at 1 point. Thats more than the wave event. Hopefully another day of slalom tomorrow, 3 days slalom racing is epic. Then a day to finish off the wave 40/48th of a double elimination. And another day spare.

Yet foilers moan. FFS, the foil events are on the calendar, there are only 2 fin only events.

No-one has moaned more than fin lovers in the past few years mate. Every live broadcast had plenty of people who didnt like foils or couldnt foil, complaining the fins were getting spanked.
If you take a look at this event there is nowhere near the amount of competitors that there were when they had foil & fin combined, and theres only one young guy racing. Not sure this is a step towards a stronger future when the young guys dont show up coz theyre foiling instead. I preferred the combined races myself because it was up to the competitor to choose their weapon but to each their own.

Here's Jordy Vonk's speeds from day 1. www.gps-speedsurfing.com/?mnu=user&val=444485&uid=25071&spotid=5893

Bloody hell a 25knot alpha in that lot

I think it think is was a brilliant watch! Around here there are still a lot of weekend warriors that are on Slalom/freerace kit, I am sure it resonated with them as well!

More please!!

Used to fin but only foil now. Looking forward to the live stream each night. Exiting racing and plenty of stoke Does it really matter what discipline it is, these sailors are pushing the limits for the love of the sport!! Can't wait to see how it develops.

Fins cannot compete with foils not even close so if you combine the two disciples in one race 95 percent are going to choose foils so effectively there will be no PWA Tour for the fins.

I dislike the sausage thing as its dangerous and it breaks gear.

A bit gimmicky.

Watching a fin race in strong winds is next level to watching any foil race.

No connection to the water makes it somewhat boring.

Yeah maybe the sausage is a bit gimmicky but it's a good watch. Think adding variety to the coarse with waves could be explored more when fin and foil are both on, could even out the field...

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Pcdefender said..
Watching a fin race in strong winds is next level to watching any foil race.
No connection to the water makes it somewhat boring.

Most sports are more interesting/fun to watch when you can do them at some level.
You're more likely to appreciate the nuances and skill you're looking at.
I'd bet that most here that prefer watching fin can probably fin windsurf ok but can't foil or are pretty ropey at it

Foil for me

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azymuth said..

Pcdefender said..
Watching a fin race in strong winds is next level to watching any foil race.
No connection to the water makes it somewhat boring.

Most sports are more interesting/fun to watch when you can do them at some level.
You're more likely to appreciate the nuances and skill you're looking at.
I'd bet that most here that prefer watching fin can probably fin windsurf ok but can't foil or are pretty ropey at it

Foil for me

Well said

I encouraged my wife to watch it last night (a non windsurfer) she thought it was good, said it was exciting and looked fast.
not saying she's buying tickets or taking up the sport but interesting non the less

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Maddlad said..

PhilUK said..

Yet foilers moan. FFS, the foil events are on the calendar, there are only 2 fin only events.

No-one has moaned more than fin lovers in the past few years mate. Every live broadcast had plenty of people who didnt like foils or couldnt foil, complaining the fins were getting spanked.
If you take a look at this event there is nowhere near the amount of competitors that there were when they had foil & fin combined, and theres only one young guy racing. Not sure this is a step towards a stronger future when the young guys dont show up coz theyre foiling instead. I preferred the combined races myself because it was up to the competitor to choose their weapon but to each their own.

Slalom developed rapidly into 2 different sports. Foil events are coming later. If foiling has saved PWA slalom, how come no events already?

Guess it depends upon what you call young.
Scotty Smallman is only 22. Currently 16th in Pozo. He said yesterday he grew up watching slalom, and doing this event was like going back to his roots. He was on cammed race slalom sails from the age of 11 (July 2012). He was faster than me by 13, but thats not hard.

Lohan Jules is 22. Currently 14th in Pozo.
Lucas Pierboni is 14? on his PWA debut, 18th at Pozo. Current world youth speed champ. Says he is 14 here gunsails.com/en/lucas-pierboni Is that right?
Alexis Mathis is 21, current world youth slalom champ, guess IFCA. Currently 19th at Pozo.



So yes, fin is bloody dead:
www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/Windsurfing/Gps/Numbers-doing-GPS-speed-sailing-going-up-?page=1#29

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azymuth said..

Pcdefender said..
Watching a fin race in strong winds is next level to watching any foil race.
No connection to the water makes it somewhat boring.

Most sports are more interesting/fun to watch when you can do them at some level.
You're more likely to appreciate the nuances and skill you're looking at.
I'd bet that most here that prefer watching fin can probably fin windsurf ok but can't foil or are pretty ropey at it

Foil for me

I can foil ok, but gybing is poor, but its good light wind fun for me. I havent used my 8.5 on a fin since I started. I'm rubbish in waves, dont them much around here. I am better at fin sailing than the other 2, but I enjoy watching them all. But fin and foil are now so different. I dont prefer watching fin to foil.
Freestyle - not interested.

And I guess the other youngsters are doing the PWA Youth events, Aruba & Bonaire, have been completed, Denmark, Alacati & Miami to go.

Initially all girls went upwind of the obstacle as no extra mark and the total reach was already quite upwind - so almost no loss at all plus less risk.

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Ben1973 said..
Windsurfing is back!!! Get rid of everything else, slalom x is awesome

Thankfully they separated fins from foil!

Could not care less about the (one) jump, it seems to be there mostly to occasionally trash a board, but the chicane is a great idea, so is half-the-fleet race, and slalom is awesome. The problem is that there is one venue on the planet that makes it really work. We need a windier planet! Jupiter?