MATTEO IACHINO
Korea was proper slalom and very difficult sailing. I have never seen in my career so much chop and turbulence on the water. There was backwash from the island and waves coming from all directions. The first reach we were coming full speed down a battleground. We were getting the swell plus a cross-chop and then randomly a backwash coming the other direction. It was really hard-core. It was windy, but not off the scale. The problem was more the sea state. Some heats were almost normal with the swell and chop, but others had a lot of backwash and very unpredictable conditions. It felt like a huge boat had passed by, sending in weird waves right before we gybed. In the end, it was the same for all the riders so it did not change my tactics. You go for more control in your setup. Some guys, like Julien Quentel, were going for maximum speed and he was full power, but I went for control. He did not look in control to me; I preferred to sail a bit easier and kind of relaxed and comfortable to avoid any crashes. In those conditions it was not just about making it to the first mark in front, it’s never like that when it’s windy. It’s more about staying as comfortable as possible on the board and making it round without crashing. If you are comfortable and you feel secure about your sailing then the race comes to you! If you just go for speed like you would in flat water then it can be tricky because you can lose control and go from first to last.
On the windy day I was on my 7.0m and 107 Isonic. Then I dropped down to the 7.0m and 90 and finally I was on my 6.2m and 90 Isonic. It was proper 6.2/ 90 conditions! We were full power! I was not really ready for that in Korea. I trained the whole winter in Tenerife but it was not so windy! Usually we prepare our small gear for Fuerteventura. I brought the equipment I needed for high wind to Asia but I did not test it. I was ready for light wind conditions, but luckily I also brought my small gear. I always bring everything as I am fighting for the title so I need to be prepared for any conditions. Usually you never even use the 7.0m in Asia, that was until now. I was on my 32cm fin on my small board with the 7.0m and 6.2m. For the 107 board I used a 36.5cm fin. When the wind picked up the sea became a lot more chaotic. The swell and the backwash were the same but the water was even choppier. It was fun for me, I love it, it’s real windsurfing! Every race we competed in Asia this year has been really nice. In Japan we were racing in powered up 8.6m, almost 7.8m conditions and then down to 6.2m and 90 litre board in Korea, which was fun and what people want to see!