FOIL SLALOM & SLALOM X : MAKING THE SWITCH IN FUERTE
Over five days of brutal racing, some of the world’s best sailors tried to conquer switching between Foil Slalom and Slalom X. We hear from a selection of top sailors about how they coped…
Words: Pierre Mortefon, Matteo Iachino, Maciek Rutkowski, Jordy Vonk, Taty Frans, Daniel Benedetti, Sarah Quita Offringa and Justine Lemeteyer.
Photos: Carter/ pwaworldtour.com
PIERRE MORTEFON – SLALOM X WORLD CHAMPION – 2ND FOIL SLALOM
EMOTIONAL ROLLERCOASTER
It was an emotional rollercoaster for me. I cried at one point as I was sure when I crashed in the last round I had lost the title. I didn’t know the rules on the countback between myself and Matteo [Iachino]. I thought if Matteo was in the top two in the last final then I would have lost the title. That is why I was so upset on the beach. It was super hard to take that. I think I have had amazing events in Slalom X – apart from the last elimination, my worst result was a fourth for the season – I think I always had amazing speed. When they told me I had won the overall title I was really happy. I started the year in a pretty low place mentally with all the sponsor changes. Now I have won a world title in Slalom X I am super happy with how it has all worked out. I am also thankful to the people who followed me, Alex from Phantom and Finian Maynard from FMX Racing. They believed in me and now we are here. I am not a person who is speaking out about sponsors, so I prefer to do my talking on the water.
FIN TO FOIL
It was super hard making the transition from fin to foil. I was going on the water much earlier than usual to tune up and get used to the stance adjustments. I took forty-five minutes to adjust from Foil Slalom to Slalom X. I fell on my first gybe. You have to go early on the water to adjust the settings and the stance is so different between fin and foil. On the second day of Slalom X, we were all gybing much better than the first days because we were all back in the foil groove. The first races of Slalom X after foiling were really tough because the foil is much less physical. Even though I sailed more kilometres on the foil during the races I felt okay, whereas after Slalom X I was dead! At the end of the day, I was physically drained. Between the races it is much easier on the foil. You float on top of the water and go to the start in one reach. In the Slalom X we needed three or four reaches just to get to the start.
I still love foil racing as well as Slalom X. My main passion is the fin, but I love both. Foil is the evolution and when I was training here on the 6m Slalom X set up I was slower than on the foil. So I think the foil show is the future, and the evolution, while Slalom is the base of the sport. This is where we have thousands of people sailing at the moment. I like both and I am also proud to fight in both rankings. It is something that I want to really achieve, winning in both. There is not an overall at the moment, but I want to be known as a good all-round racing guy.
MATTEO IACHINO – 1ST FOIL SLALOM – VICE-WORLD CHAMPION SLALOM X
Swapping from Foil Slalom to Slalom X has been difficult. I gave it my all in the last race of the Slalom X. I didn’t know who had won the title. I gybed inside Jordy [Vonk] at the last and I made it happen and won the last race and the event. Pierre sailed very well in Fuerteventura and Pozo, so I guess he deserved it. I have been second overall many times so that is a bit frustrating. We had complete conditions in the Slalom X with lots of high winds and very difficult choppy conditions. The jumps and the speed run were both awesome. I don’t like having the fin and foil events together because it is really difficult to swap. I would rather have separate events. The guys at the top in the fin were trying to focus on that because titles were on the line, but we were doing foil racing the day before. I wanted to do well in the foil as well as it was the first event of the season. I did not like mixing the two personally. Now we have the disciplines separate it is much better though. Pozo and Fuerteventura are both amazing for fin racing. To me fin racing is still the best. I grew up with it and to me windsurfing is all about the fin. In light winds I go foiling, but when the fin is howling, I just love that feeling of flying on the fin.
MACIEK RUTKOWSKI – 8th FOIL SLALOM – 3rd OVERALL SLALOM X – NEVER GIVE UP
I am proud that I kept fighting all the way. Every time I crashed, I got up and chased and battled until the end of every race. I never gave up. Finally, things came together for me in the last final of Slalom X. There was a lot of pressure because the overall podium was within my reach. So, I am stoked to deliver under pressure and it was a really fun event. The guy I was fighting with was Jordy and we were first and second to the opening mark, I actually overtook him in the air as we cleared the obstacle. I just went full power, I barely cleared the jump, but then landed and accelerated in front of him. It was a super fun race and I’m proud to keep fighting that way. You feel like a pussy if the pressure is on, and you make a mistake like I did in Pozo where I went over early. I was hoping for a title fight rather than a race of attrition for the podium, but I got the latter.
FIN TO FOIL
It was very hard to make the switch. I use a different harness, the harness lines are half the length, you use way less outhaul and everything is completely different. The power delivery is different as well as the way you trim – on fin you rail to the leeward and on foil you rail to the windward. So, it is just completely different when you switch. The gybing is different too.
I am glad the fins are back. We knew the fin shines in high winds when it’s wavy and choppy. We brought it to Gran Canaria and Fuerteventura and found an exciting format. The races are never over and they are cool to watch. I was there when we were brainstorming about it, and I am really proud of how it turned out. It is not too dangerous, but it is exciting with a lot of adrenaline, which makes it really fun.
DANIELE BENEDETTI – 1ST FOIL SLALOM – NEW FACE ON TOP
On the last day I was on my Challenger 5.4m sail and then I switched to my 4.7m when the gusts hit thirty knots. I felt like one of the fastest racers and I was solid on the racecourse with three elimination victories. I was a little worried on the last day when I crashed in my first heat. I had to really focus for the next round. I have so much emotion that it is hard to describe, especially after winning in Fuerteventura which is a magical place with a lot of racing history. It makes me feel confident for the next events and the rest of the season. I felt like I had good speed and my tactics were good. This winter I trained in Tenerife, but most of the time I live close to Rome, Italy, and I train on the sea there as well.
TATY FRANS – 3RD SLALOM X – RENEWED PASSION
It has been a while since I have made a racing podium. To come to Fuerteventura and finish third was amazing. I made it by one point over Jordy Vonk! I was thinking to quit the tour after this event, but now it has given me the motivation to be back again next year. The foil just doesn’t give me the same feeling as racing on a fin, so my passion is for fin racing especially in the high winds. With the fin you have connection with the water, so you feel more tension. I like foiling, but I don’t really like foil racing. I like jumps and all the elements in Slalom X. The new system is great and there are more opportunities to pass another rider. Adding the jump gives a wow factor. I love it.
JORDY VONK – 4TH – HITTING THE CROSSBAR
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I’ve been there all the time. I think I missed out on the podium in Pozo by two points, I missed out here by one point and in the overalls, I finished equal third on points with Maciek [Rutkowski], but missed out on countback. Could it not just fall my way one time. On the other hand, I’ve been there all the time, I’ve sailed consistently and qualified for all the winners’ finals here. It feels like I gave it all away in the last gybe you know. Matteo [Iachino] was aggressive, which he had every right to be as we have no rules. It’s just so tough out there as you see the waves, it’s crazy choppy, we were marching a bit of a high line, so I was just trying to survive. Suddenly I heard a scream and I had to avoid him. If things had stayed as they were before the last gybe, I would’ve finished third for the event and third in the overalls, so it’s a double whammy.
ON THE CONDITIONS
I wish that the people at home could sail the course one time and then put it on the livestream. It’s so much more difficult than it looks. I know some people who competed here for the first time were like: “Oh my God, this is tough.”. But it’s cool, I mean we are at the top of the sport, so we can handle these conditions. It just adds to the drama and it’s awesome.
NEXT SEASON
I’m even more motivated for next season now, I’ve finished fourth at countless of events. I’ve been fourth on the tour in 2018 and 2019 and now I’m fourth on the Slalom X World Tour. I know I can do it, you know when you’ve been so close so many times, it just has to fall your way once. So, I will keep on pushing. The motivation is there, I believe the skills are there, so it would be a shame not to make it happen.
SCOTTY STALLMAN – ANOTHER SET BACK
A competition like in Fuerte where we are swapping between fin and foil is pretty demanding on both the body and mind. We need to be ready to adapt to the different styles and to be able to do that quickly. Luckily in Fuerte we were able to have separate days for fin and foil allowing for an easier transition so we could reset overnight and be ready to go in the morning. When we chop and change between fin and foil during the day the transition always feels strange but after a couple of runs it all feels normal again, all we have to change is the way we race. Slalom X is all out speed and physicality whereas Foil is a little more tactical requiring some precision manoeuvres at the gybe to gain places, so you really need to be switched on!
My injury was very frustrating and in all honesty I’m still a little confused as to how it happened. I’ve watched the footage from the live stream over and over and it still doesn’t make sense to me as initially I thought it was my fin that cut my foot open, however it doesn’t look like I’m anywhere near it… It happened on on the runners up final of elimination four. After a great start I was leading the fleet up until the jump. When I got to the jump, the chop had flattened out and I had to make the decision to jump early otherwise I might not of got an opportunity at all. This wasn’t the best jump from me but I just managed to clear the sausage, however on the landing I span out and caught the leeward rail of my board in the chop which led me to crash. I didn’t think anything off it so I got straight back on the board to finish the race, but immediately I knew something wasn’t right. I looked down to see my foot and board covered in blood. By the time I got to the beach the adrenaline had worn off and then I released how bad the cut was, especially as the pain started to come through. The medic team on the beach were super helpful and got me glued back together straight away. But that did mean my competition was over two days early. This was very frustrating for me after having to pull out of the Pozo event early after damaging my board beyond repair. The Slalom X season was very short this year, so retiring from both of them left me with results that aren’t the most desired… Having said that, there was some really good moments in there and I’m super grateful to my sponsors for their continued support and belief after not getting the result we had hoped for. Time to finish the year on the foil and come back stronger on the fin next year.
SARAH QUITA OFFRINGA – SLALOM X WORLD CHAMPION – QUEEN OF WINDSURFING & CONSISTENCY
At the beginning of the week my goal was to win the world title in Slalom X, but I didn’t want to mention it. I wanted to leave this event as Freestyle world champion and Slalom X world champion. In the Slalom X I don’t think I have ever been that consistent in my life. For me that was something new. I feel I went to the next level this year somehow. I think I just learn fast. In Pozo I won the event, but there were some things that I wasn’t good at or not doing well enough. I feel like I learned from that and brought it into play in Fuerteventura. I felt like I had much more control and the racing was all in my own hands because of the adjustments that I made. I know my skill is there and I also made some adjustments to my set up. My mindset was also better in Fuerteventura’s strong conditions. I like light and medium wind slalom conditions normally because when it is strong I sail freestyle and waves. Every race I felt like I was improving on my stance and with the equipment as well.
THE JUMP
The jump was nerve racking every single time. The first time I did it I just scraped over. I actually touched it with my fin. I am glad I made it over. After that I cleared it every single time. When the chop lines up it is amazing, it feels like a gift from heaven. When it doesn’t line up you are praying to make it over. You just have to go for it. I was not keen on it at first, but now it adds an element of surprise. Even the best guys hit it. It was exciting. With Slalom X there is more risk for the guys and girls who are leading as there is that chance to catch up with the jumps and the speed runs. The different elements make it exciting. Some of the girl’s heats were carnage. Once a few went down, there was almost no space for the rest to jump. I think we all improved from Pozo to Fuerteventura. I think it is cool that we rose up to the occasion and went for it. I only sailed my 5.3m and my small board, which is a 63L iSonic, I think I sailed only one race on 5.6m. That is what I am excited about, the fact I won in high winds.
JUSTINE LEMETEYER – SLALOM X VICE-WORLD CHAMPION – FOIL SLALOM WINNER
I was very satisfied to take second in the Slalom X overall this season. I really like the Slalom X it’s a lot of fun. It has changed with the jump and the elements, but that is good. We were all a bit scared of the jump. I crashed a few times going over the sausage. It’s tough, but it’s manageable, each time I was going towards it I was getting less scare and it’s adding some new feelings that we did not have before in the race. So overall, I liked it.
In the foil, the last day felt amazing with the three bullets. I have better gear this year for sure. Last year I had fin sails on my foil gear and two medium front wings, so I changed that. I worked with Art from S2 Maui on the foil sails and the worked paid off. I worked physically and mentally with my coaches this winter and everything came together. I went to the water earlier than usual to get used again to how we manage the foil in the speed and the gybes. Those areas are the main difference. It is harder when you switch from foil to fin. In foil you are gybing like a grandma doing a huge arc, so it was a bit hard to adjust to that on the first day of fin racing. The gybes on the fin improved on the second day after foil racing. You slowly get your feelings back for the discipline. I need one or two days to get back to my level on fin or foil and I feel like I have to switch my brain at night between fin and foil.
