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A dramatic slalom final in Noumea marked the end of the PWA 2019 calendar, capping off a windy year with some amazing performances, 2019 also saw the continued rise of foiling and an increased profile and pay packet for the women’s fleet, not to mention a nail-biting climax to the wave titles. JC sat down with a variety of windsurfing pros to look back on the year and into the crystal ball for 2020, discussing their  highs, lows and future goals.

Words  Sarah-Quita Offringa, Philip Koester, Pierre Mortefon, Justyna Sniady, Iballa Moreno, John Skye, Lena Erdil, Ricardo Campello, Matteo Iachino, Thomas Traversa. // Photos  John Carter, Pedro Morales, Mathias Moerman/Two Goat Media

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PHILIP KOESTER

HIGHS
I would say that my high point was getting the world title on Maui, it was such a relief when I heard I was officially world champion after waiting for a lot of days without wind and with conditions on the edge. My personal high point was finding out that I will have a little girl together with my girlfriend Manca.

LOWS
My low point of 2019 was probably the final of the Pozo event where I was totally beaten up from quite a few hard crashes. The level of jumps is getting very high and the landings are very painful. In the final I forgot to do one last easy jump which would have given me the win, but I totally forgot about it because I was so exhausted. I don’t think I really had any personal low points in 2019, I have been travelling a lot and doing what I love.

BEST EVENT
Best event for me was Pozo since it is my home spot and I really like the challenge of doing high and tricky jumps. Also watching all the others go for it is amazing and really fun to experience. Maui is also at the top of the list since we had a great swell, unfortunately the wind was missing a bit and made it very hard, but there were really nice moments too.

WORST EVENT
I tried to compete at the IFCA Wave European Championships in Denmark. There were amazing conditions, if they would’ve started a few hours earlier and not had two registrations. One was a day earlier in the evening where it could have been finished and then unfortunately another one on the day of the contest. Start was at midday and the brilliant 35 knots of wind and waves had already gone and we had to compete in very light non-planing conditions. For this sport it is already hard enough to get lucky with the conditions for a contest! I appreciate that in the PWA they are a bit more flexible and start as early as possible to get good sailing done.

2020
I would love to achieve another world title! I really enjoy competing and travelling a lot and I don’t see myself stopping anytime soon! I also want to be a good father and to find a nice combination of both family and professional life will be fun! As for windsurfing I have been training more and more the cheese roll back loop and sometimes I get to land it! I am still not at the point to say that I will use it as a secure move for a contest, but I am working myself towards it. Since I switched to Severne boards, for the future I will work on my signature model, I am really excited to have such a good team to work with and this makes me confident that we will make a great product.

After 12 years on Starboard I felt like I needed a change so I can learn more about boards and really have my own signature board. I have had an amazing time with the Starboard team and we achieved great things together. Working together with Ben Severne and James Hooper, the shaper of Severne boards, is really good and after doing a few prototypes I have already learned a lot and I believe we will bring out a brilliant board for next season. It is also great to have Scott McKercher involved a bit in the boards too as I really liked what ideas he brought into wave sailing in the past.

“I would love to achieve another world title!.”

 

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SARAH-QUITA OFFRINGA

HIGHS
Well, winning the wave world title was definitely a high! I think winning the Aloha Classic first of all was such a treat. In that final I wasn’t sure I would get it. And when I did, it was so satisfying! And after waiting a couple of days I also won the world title. I think it only sunk in on the prize-giving night in Maui a couple of days later. I’ve won a couple of world titles, but waves was the most unlikely one for someone from the Caribbean. The only way I could win the title for sure was to win both Sylt and the Aloha Classic, and thinking about it now, it’s pretty crazy that happened.

LOWS
I don’t really feel like I’ve had a low point during the season. I think only a moment after the Canary Islands when I got back to Holland where I was quite exhausted and just hadn’t exactly hit the targets I was aiming for. Because of those events I kind of felt like it was the end of the season and was resetting for 2020 already. But then I still had the whole northern Europe leg ahead of me. Which I struggle with because of the cold and having been away from home for a while. But it turned out to be a really fun couple of months, doing a clinic with Oda in Norway, slalom in Denmark and then having some great conditions in Sylt for the wave contest.

BEST EVENT
Denmark was probably my favourite event. It really stood out for me. It was 5 days of non-stop action, and that’s what windsurfing competitions used to be like when I started back in the day. After two days I was ‘SO’ knackered. Probably because I haven’t sailed slalom in a while. I’m happy I’m not doing the whole tour at the moment, because it simply takes too much energy. But winning a slalom race or contest is like nothing else. And since I didn’t compete for over a year, it was even more exhilarating to cross that finishing line in first place for the first time in that event. Every day was different, every day was a challenge and you had to adapt all the time. Which is exactly what makes windsurfing appealing. Maybe I loved it because I hadn’t sailed slalom in a while, anyway, yeah, that event was the bomb.

WORST EVENT
I don’t feel like any event was bad for me, but Gran Canaria is the one that comes the closest. I spent about two months there before the event and was feeling really positive, but when I had to perform, I didn’t. I lost to Justyna and finished third. I mean, a podium finish is always good, but I had my eyes set on 1st place, anything less wasn’t going to cut it. So it stung quite a bit, when it didn’t go my way and then I hadn’t even made it to the final. Especially since I purposely spent two months there and then to just have the event over in a blink of an eye. At the same time, it was awesome to see Justyna Sniady going all in and making it all the way to the podium. Second place nonetheless. So if anything I think it was only good that I finished in third because it makes you stop and reflect on the things you can improve on, and that’s all I want to do.

2020
You know, I feel like I haven’t set my goals yet for the year. The wave title came quicker than I expected. I’m still pumped up to keep pushing and improving my level, but the urgency of improving has left a little bit. I guess one very specific event I would really like to win is Gran Canaria. Personally, I think I’m still trying to figure out the right balance of travelling, training and competing. I just want to push the women’s level. But it’s harder than I thought. Willingly hurling myself into a double forward is proving a bit more daunting. And trying to hit the lip on bigger waves definitely requires some take downs, swims and broken gear. But I will get there step by step. I haven’t given the Olympics very much thought. Simply because I love what I do right now and I have a fair bit of freedom in deciding what I want to do all year. I’m scared if I’d go for the Olympics my life will be too regimented!

“I just want to push the women’s level.”

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PIERRE MORTEFON

HIGHS
I think it’s easy to guess, my world title was easily the highlight of the year in all ways. I would say it was mixing professional and personal aspect. Why? Because I truly worked for it for several years but also because I dedicated my life to this, and my family was definitely fully involved in this victory. The finish of this event was just crazy with such special vibes during the last race on the beach and when I arrived back on the shore with everybody going crazy! I really lived some memorable moments. I am also super proud when I see all the happiness around me after this victory, from my family, friends and other riders. It was also great to give Boards & More their first ever slalom title. One of the personal highlights also is when my little son Léon started walking around, a very special experience to witness. I am also really happy to be able to have a true family and build something on the side of my sports, it is definitely not easy, and we are a true team – thanks to my wife Julie for this!

LOWS
At the PWA slalom in France we had strange conditions all week long! There was a lot of pressure, and even though I won I felt pretty sad for the organisers and big crew of volunteers regarding the conditions. This spot is one of the best spots in the world for slalom and it didn’t show its true potential. After that, it was not easy for me to travel to Maui straight after those days of competition for three intense days of shooting before flying to Asia to compete for three long weeks. Personally, I lost a friend right before Christmas. He was older, but he was a true passionate windsurfing fan who was following the competitions and who was coming often to PWA events. I had him on the phone right after New Caledonia and he was so happy for me. I am sad, but I am also happy that I was able to offer him this victory before he passed away!

BEST EVENT
New Caledonia, because we scored great conditions and lots of racing in this little paradise. The emotions there were pretty intense. I also really enjoyed Fuerteventura this year, the racing there was sick with also a big battle. This year I really have plenty of good memories almost everywhere! In Japan it was really nice to get the victory in foiling when nobody was really expecting me to win!

WORST EVENT
I would say Korea, this event was not the best for me. I don’t know why, I felt good, but nothing was going the right way. My results were not that special, but I just turned the page and tried to do my best and enjoy the rest of the competition. It was also tricky because I had cut my foot in Japan and I was super stressed about it getting infected as the water is definitely not the nicest there. It was also a bit painful to sail. So not really my best memory of the season!

2020
2020 will be special with the new discipline of foil slalom! We will see how it works. It could be a super good addition, but I hope it will be well organised. Foiling will help us to secure 99% of the events with results and it can be fun in light wind conditions. I am just a little bit afraid of some conditions because when it’s gusty, foiling can be dangerous. But if everyone is smart it will work! On the other hand, slalom is still amazing as soon as you have good wind! I hope it will be a good mix. My aim is to prepare as much as possible for this new system. I want to be competitive and fight for the top places, but we will see. I know we have a good team ready to work hard on every detail. For example, the LOKEFOIL guys are super motivated! Personally, it will not be easy, I want to share more time and travel with my family and see my son growing a bit more. Family holidays will be mandatory for 2020! As for the Olympics, why not? I don’t want to close any door, but firstly I want to focus on 2020. It’s an Olympic RS:X year so I don’t think people will be really in foil mode already.

“The Olympics, why not? I don’t want to close any door.”

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JUSTYNA SNIADY

HIGHS
Wining the semi-final in Pozo against the reigning world champion after landing three clean jumps and getting some good waves in 50 knot plus winds must be it. I felt like everything I worked for came together in that heat and my dream of guaranteeing the first podium came true. I think that it was the highest high of the year for me, even compared to taking the lead of the PWA wave overall ranking after Tenerife. Personally, I managed to pass Australian citizenship after many years and free myself up to travel more. My family also got to visit me in Australia finally, some for the first time!

LOWS
Not managing to break through the shorebreak for my heat in the double elimination in Sylt and losing my PWA tour leader position in doing that. Definitely the low point of the season getting washed in the shorebreak alongside my title hopes! I was devastated I must say.

If I have to point out one thing that really brought me down this year personally; it was two of my closest family members getting very ill. It always puts everything in perspective and hits you harder than anything else because it’s completely out of your control. I’m so happy they are much better now.

BEST EVENT
Pozo for sure. I felt on it, sailed my best heats ever and got not only my first podium, but also two finals against Daida! I was over the moon to come 2nd and then defend it in the double elimination. I have had so much bad luck and so many injuries in Pozo that it was great to do well in this event especially.

WORST EVENT
Despite being devastated in Sylt, I must say Maui was my worst event. I had big hopes, not to finish on top, but at least to sail a few good heats. Unfortunately, both wind and waves disappeared in my first heat. We all struggled to even fill up the score sheet. It was not what I was hoping to show in Hawaii and not a result I was happy with. As the conditions didn’t improve, we were left without a chance to fight back in the double elimination. It was a long way to go for one bad heat. Definitely the worse event for me due to disappointing wind conditions.

2020
After getting a taste of leading the PWA wave world tour I will for sure be aiming to get in that position again. However, competition is competition, so my focus will be on what is in my hands and control – to sail better than ever before. I feel like I improved a lot since last year’s Canary events already and I am training hard to get more consistent with all I can do and polish up some new moves as well. I aim to spend as much time as possible with the close people to me who matter most. I have a lot of plans around that for the whole year. Also I have some new moves in the pipeline, but they are top secret for now!

“I have some new moves in the pipeline.”

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IBALLA MORENO

HIGHS
2019 was a very complete season for me. I started the year injured but finished in the best way possible with a win in the SUP competition in Gran Canaria. I combine two sports on a professional level and that is really difficult to do. But finishing second overall in both sports and winning the last pro SUP event at home in Gran Canaria in December was a decent end to the year. In windsurfing I was happy to complete the season without further injuries.  I won in Tenerife and took 2nd in Hawaii after having a shocker in Sylt due to the incredibly difficult conditions.

LOWS
Being injured is the worst setback that can happen to an athlete. When the event in Gran Canaria started, I had not been able to sail much due to injury and that meant I had a poor start to the season. Personally, there were no low points, there are always a few little battles to fight but I stayed positive through the season.

BEST EVENT
For me it has to be Gran Canaria because we are a group of friends that work really hard to make Pozo the best event with the low budget we have (compared to other events on tour) and we have been able to offer equal prize money for men and women.

WORST EVENT
All events are good on tour, but I guess Sylt did not work out for me this year with the horrendous shorebreak and onshore winds.

2020
I want to work even harder to make Gran Canaria Wind and Waves festival another big event and be able to complete the tour and hopefully win the title again. I’ve always been interested in riding big waves so I will look out for any opportunities to score some special sessions. But basically, I just want to have fun doing the sports that I love for as long as I can! I have had a successful career for more than twenty years, so I am enjoying the ride and I couldn’t ask for more! Together with my sister Daida, we would like to continue and keep doing this for as long as possible!

 

“I couldn’t ask for more!.”

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JOHN SKYE

HIGHS
My professional high point has been seeing the success of the Compact Series folding sails and rigs that fit in a backpack. To have the team fighting to use it in the photo shoot was probably the best proof that the system is working really well, but we also had great tests and just everything has been super positive. From a personal perspective my high has probably been leaning to surf foil. It has been so hard, and challenging, but at the same time super rewarding and the feeling of really learning something new is great, especially as I get a bit older. Makes me feel like a kid again!

LOWS
Professional and personal low point was having my van broken into and my backpack stolen whilst going surfing. Professionally because inside the backpack was not only my laptop but loads of notebooks and papers with tonnes of pretty valuable information. It could have been much worse because at least my computer was backed up, but a few important notes have gone forever. Possibly the worst of it all was they stole five of my favourite F-Hot fins, including one really special 30 cm RS3 that I set all my best speeds with ever. Hopefully Steve from F-Hot can reproduce the magic, but it was especially painful knowing that the fins probably got thrown away or used as weapons or something! And if all that was not bad enough, I didn’t even catch any waves that day either!

BEST EVENT
This year I went to the RRD One Hour event in Lake Garda for the first time. Such a nice event in such a beautiful place. I took the family with me too, so it was extra special. My results were not the best, as big boards and sails are not really my thing, but the whole experience was amazing and definitely something that has to be tried. Definitely going back next year and maybe I will hit the gym a bit before I go to be more ready!

WORST EVENT
Probably the Defi Wind. The event overall was great like always, but the actual races were a disaster for me. I was told it was always normally windier than 7.0 weather. They said if it was lighter than that, the wind didn’t really blow, and they wouldn’t run. Turns out that is not really the case, and this year I definitely needed bigger gear than the 7.0 and 90 litre I had brought. Doing the 40 km race is hard enough on the good days, but doing it on too small a board and underpowered is brutal. I was pushing and twisting and doing everything I could to stay moving and squeeze upwind. Absolutely killed me to be honest and took me a good couple of weeks to recover! Next year I will take a big sail, big board and big fin… just in case!

2020
Professionally and personally I would just like to sail a bit more in some quality conditions. Gran Canaria is great, and we get tonnes of wind, but I miss a bit of variety and the last few years I have not been able to travel so much. Hopefully in 2020 I can sneak off on some good forecasts and score some good conditions. Maybe even the occasional UK trip on a forecast if it works out. I also really want to get to La Franqui on a good day to have a proper go at some serious speed sailing. I would like to score a few speed days and nail some speeds over 45 knots (max, not 500). And finally, on the foil, I’m looking forward to progressing more with that and eventually getting a wind wing thing. We have loads of days in front of my house with straight onshore 15 knot wind and waves. It is pretty terrible for windsurfing, but I have a sneaky feeling it could be fun on the wing, let us see.

From a professional point of view I can’t wait to see where we can take the Compact Series gear. Each year we are making massive jumps in both performance and quality, as well as finish and ease of use of the gear. It is really exciting to see it build momentum, see the test results and best of all speak to happy customers that have trusted in the system and loved it. I think it can really help to make windsurfing even better and easier for some people. Also, more important than anything is to win the Fantasy Football trophy again from John Carter, Ben Proffitt and the others in our league. It’s tight at the top at the moment, but I am feeling good this year!

“Learning something new is great.”

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LENA ERDIL

HIGHS
Winning one of the first races in South Korea right at the beginning of the season was a real high, even if I couldn’t hold up the good performance for the rest of the event. Especially when conditions were choppy my foot was giving me a lot of troubles still. But the best moment was finally being able to climb on the podium again in New Caledonia! Narrowly missing out on second place at the event and finishing equal third in the overalls and winning the last final of a week full of racing for me was really incredibly motivating and rewarding. A personal high point was moving back to Germany earlier this year and reconnecting with my German family. Since my mother passed away three years ago, I had lost touch a bit, so it was nice to reconnect with that side of me, speaking German again on a regular basis and also properly windsurfing different spots within Germany for the first time.

LOWS
2019 has been the most difficult season of my life, so it was actually full of low points. One of the lowest is when I realised that I had to start racing totally unprepared as my Lisfranc injury took way longer to fix then I initially expected. As a competitor I know that at the end of the year nobody remembers or looks at the story behind the results, ranking points is all that counts. A personal low was losing my last grandparent, my Turkish grandma and finding out while driving to the event in France. Another personal low was finding out that my partnership with Red Bull will not be continuing in 2020, after two years of fighting with injuries and nine years together, this was a painful loss. It felt like they were giving up on me at a time when I was ready to fight the most. Looks like in 2020 I have more points to prove than ever, giving up is not my style.

BEST EVENT
Of course, New Caledonia was the best event for me as I was finally beginning to see light at the end of the tunnel after the injury. But what really makes it the best event is sailing in warm waters with nice winds while competing against the most talented girls in the world. When you are having really great battles on the water the points at the end of the event begin to lose relevance.

WORST EVENT
Denmark was probably the worst as I had hoped to be back to full performance by the time of the Denmark event in September and actually was sailing pretty well until the big storm hit. We had a huge storm for two days which made sailing extremely difficult. While I excelled in the more flat water conditions, the extreme chop saw me making all kind of mistakes, so this was definitely not an event I am proud of.

2020
In 2020 I want to give it everything I have; finally being able to train again properly is a big relief. I’m in Tenerife now and have started slalom training and am feeling stronger by the day. It’s crazy to see that I’m still not exactly where I was before the injury, but I can also finally believe that I will be there and better very soon now. So in 2020 the big goal is to truly enjoy the racing again and hopefully win some PWA events while I’m at it!  Personally I have just launched a new project called ‘‘MyWindstories’. It’s an online platform with the aim of growing and connecting the windsurf girls community, we have a blog and a forum and for 2020 I offer three Windsurf Camps for windsurfing girls of all levels. Locations this year are Lake Garda, Leipzig and Fuerteventura; you can check them out and book also on our webpage www.mywindstories.com.
As the name suggests ‘MyWindstories’ is about sharing stories and connecting through these stories. Realising that there are other girls who have similar experiences as you and feeling stronger because you are not alone and making it easier to relate to when  it’s other women doing it as compared with other guys. I see more girls then ever competing and windsurfing in general, but I would like to see even more! In windsurfing on a daily basis, women have to deal with massive pay inequalities and are not being given the same opportunities as guys in the sport. Pretty much all female professional windsurfers have another job on the side to be able to survive. This is not the case for the men. But times are changing and I hope that also in the windsurfing industry we can make some major changes in this regard. Having more women in the sport is a precondition for that.

At the moment, the move I am practicing is the foil gybe. I’m still quite behind with my foiling skills since my injury happened just when I was about to properly start training for this new discipline. 2020 plans also include ticking off some of my bucket list waves, I would love to go to Gnaraloo and One Eye. Also high up on my list is a Galician road trip!  I’m so excited that foiling is now in the Olympics, it’s such an exciting new discipline, I actually can’t wait to get my hands on the iQFoil setup and do some racing. Unlike many others I don’t really have any course racing background, so this will be a whole new challenge for me.

“I want to give it everything I have.”

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RICARDO CAMPELLO 

HIGHS
At the end of the year I finished in the top three which was ok, but obviously my goal was to become world champion! Another great point was that I was able to find lots of support from brands that helped me pay my expenses to compete which was a huge help. The final and perhaps biggest high point was me signing with Naish boards and sails. After a long time talking to them, I was finally able to convince them to invest in windsurfing and I think together we will do an amazing job! On the personal side of my life the huge high is that I proposed to my girlfriend Diana; she said yes and we are extremely happy!

LOWS
The low point for me was again that I was unable to become world champion in 2019. I was feeling better than ever and it was a close battle between five or six of us, but in the end it didn’t go my way. I competed without a sail sponsor and this at the beginning was a real challenge for me. Luckily I came up with an idea to find sponsors per event and this helped me pay my expenses and I am truly thankful for that!

BEST EVENT
Obviously Pozo, I was super focussed, everyone was behind me supporting me and after so many years of being so close, I was finally able to win this prestigious event!

WORST EVENT
I guess it was Sylt, to me it was horrible, it messed up my rankings, but I was mostly upset on how head judge Duncan decided to run some heats, including mine. I was on my biggest equipment and the wind was so light and there were so much current that I couldn’t even get upwind. I don’t think it was fair to fight for the world title in those conditions as it is a gamble.

2020
I want to keep on training and competing and probably search for some swells to make some media trips. I have to tune my gear and need to make sure I am ready for this season’s events! Hopefully finally land the double Air Taka back on the wave! My ambition is to become wave world champion as always, but also create a business somewhere in the world hopefully related to windsurfing!

“My ambition is to become wave world champion.”

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MATTEO IACHINO

HIGHS
On the professional side, being on the podium in both of the PWA racing disciplines fighting for the title till the last day of each competition got me quite stoked, but I guess Denmark has been the highest point. On the personal side, I enjoyed the whole year!

LOWS
I had a huge low the day New Caledonia finished because I really felt positive until the end even with some really unlucky moments, even a sea snake being wrapped around my fin! It has not been easy to deal with it for sure, but this is how sports go and you have to learn how to deal with losing as well as winning through the years. This was much harder because it was close until the last race! Either of us could have won the title and that emotional swing from winning to losing was immense. I didn’t have such a hard time to digest it. It took me about a week or so, but I really like my life and I still feel lucky every day. I’m ready to fight back and get my hands on that trophy again in 2020! I also hit a low right before the start of the season as I got injured in Australia during the Starboard photo shoot. I went over the falls at Margaret River wave sailing and twisted my ankle. Not only did I miss some amazing sailing for the rest of the shoot, but I also had to rush to get my body back in shape for the first event in France. It was quite stressful.

BEST EVENT
Denmark! We raced in mixed conditions using all the gear from the big sail on the big board to nuclear winds on our smallest kit and I won! That was very satisfying to be in the mix through all those different conditions up against not only the likes of Antoine and Pierre but all those other hungry sailors who are closing the gap every season.

WORST EVENT
France! Only one elimination with many heats run in marginal to non planing winds, I went out early which put me on the back foot at the beginning of the season.

2020
Obviously, I will do my best to get the slalom title back and I want to give energy to my new windsurf centre in Tenerife, the Surf Hub, hoping it works at its best. It’s something completely different and new, but yet still connected to our world and I’m really excited to see the outcome when it’s going to work fully in the high season. I like the change to the PWA tour with foil slalom. I guess we can improve slalom racing in light winds when before we were either sitting on the beach or pumping our biggest sails while now we will be able to race and to make it interesting. I plan to get myself into the Olympic project and review how it is. It’s going to be slalom foil till 15 knots and then upwind and downwind and because of that I think we might be able to finally see the Olympic and PWA riders fighting together.

“I will do my best to get the slalom title back.”

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THOMAS TRAVERSA

HIGHS
I would say that the high point of the windsurfing season was getting my new 70 litre board in March for the Tabou photo shoot. It felt amazing from the very first wave and brought something fresh to my sailing. I have been using that board 90% of the time I sail. I took it to the PWA event in Sylt, which I won, and had two great trips to Cape Verde and Brittany where I really enjoyed riding that board! On the personal side of things my high point was buying a camper van for our family at the beginning of the year, it was a dream come true and we don’t regret it at all.

LOWS
The low point in 2019 was definitely the streak of injuries and health problems I had between July and November. It started with a broken toe in Gran Canaria when I advanced to the quarters and had to watch the rest of the contest from the beach. Then I had a kidney stone crisis in Sylt. It started the day after I won the waves and it took me two weeks to finally get rid of the two stones through surgery. I came out of the hospital about 10 days before the start of the Aloha Classic. Once there, I hurt my foot the day I arrived but still was able to compete luckily. The next week I had a massive knee infection and had to lie for one week without being able to bend my knee, even though I was taking a heavy antibiotic treatment.

BEST EVENT
Sylt was clearly the best event for me. I could win it for the second year in a row, which was just incredible! I love these tricky and ever-changing conditions and that is where I usually sail my best. My family was there with me so that was a good trip, until the kidney stone sent me to the hospital!

WORST EVENT
The Aloha Classic felt terrible. I was feeling very weak and the conditions were super light! I felt like I took the right tactical decisions in my heats but couldn’t sail at 100% and I ended up losing in a very close heat in the quarter finals. It was very frustrating as I only caught four waves during that event. We could not run the double elimination and I finished 6th overall for 2019! Had I made the final of the single elimination I would have been world champion, so it was a real disaster.

2020
I want to score big conditions in Europe this winter, that’s my ambition right now. I am particularly looking at sailing Mullaghmore in Ireland one day, and there is a big wave spot in Spain that I really want to go to. And hopefully win Sylt again! Also have a good time on the PWA tour and enjoy and push myself in competitions. I am also looking forward to spending a bit more time at home in France and finish the renovation of our house!

“I want to score big conditions.”