DAIDA MORENO
This event has been the first only women’s wave event ever in the PWA, so it was really special and totally different from what we are used to seeing. Of course all the attention this time was for the women and it makes windsurfing a bit more equal after men mostly dominating the news.
Even though it was a last minute call and many other girls couldn’t make it on time, it was a great success. With Easter time flight prices were up in the roof, but we still managed to have sixteen girls competing. The vibes with the girls was as usual, they all wanted to sail their best in different types of conditions. All the expectations were to see if we, the Twins, were able to perform at a starboard tack event. Iballa obviously proved to be the best in these type of conditions. She is every day surfing with her paddle! She has the timing and the style to beat us all, plus she is a regular footer. Sarah-Quita was luckier than me catching set waves in the final but she also improves every year in her wave riding. And for me, well after sailing a really bad semi-final, I still made it to the final and the top three. I would have obviously loved to be second, but I couldn’t catch a second set wave in the final and even though I was landing aerials it was not enough. With only wave riding it is always tricky and different. I still think it takes much more courage for a girl to do an 8 metre stalled forward or any jump one-handed, than catching a set wave and surfing it without doing any moves. It would have been nice to see some jumping as well in this event, but this is also part of the game. We have to show the best with the conditions we are given. We mostly sailed on 4.7-5.0 with 80 litre boards. Someone told me here it is usually windy enough for 3.3 sails, but that one stayed in the sail bag while we waited for the forecast to change until the last day. All in all, personally I feel satisfied with scoring some points in such tricky conditions and to have made it to the top three. I never get to train in starboard tack conditions any more as I have lived in Gran Canaria for the last 12 years, where I work now as a physiotherapist and try to spend as much time as possible in the water to continue my dream as a windsurfer.
Morocco, Essaouira and Moulay is a place I’d like to come back to, that’s for sure. I would love to see this spot pumping with stronger winds and jumpable conditions too, so I am hoping to come back for some training and have a bit more fun, continue feeding all the dogs (there are so many dogs around!) and continue testing the best local food in Morocco. Thanks Boujmaa to you and your team for making this event happen, it was really special and we are all grateful of your commitment and your efforts to push this event and be a great host.
“Morocco, Essaouira and Moulay is a place I’d like to come back to, that’s for sure.”