SARAH QUITA OFFRINGA: NEW HEIGHTS!
With the Canary Islands tour done and dusted, we caught up with Sarah-Quita Offringa fresh from her first-ever victory in Tenerife, to hear how the event unfolded and what’s next on her agenda after a gruelling six-week competition marathon.
Photos: PWA World Tour / Rafasoulart
WINDSURF: How are you feeling now the Canaries tour is over…that was a long three weeks?
SQ: “I love being on tour and especially the Canarian leg! I’m pretty tired now from all the adrenaline sailing in extreme conditions and the waiting game that comes with competition, so I’m also happy that it’s over now. But I’m looking back feeling happy and proud of my results and sailing! I’m going to need some time to recover. The sailing is fun, but non-stop competing is mentally taxing mostly when you’re on the beach preparing, focusing and calculating when you need to get on the water.”
-
- Sarah Quita style
WINDSURF: Was it tough playing the waiting game with all the disciplines plus the men’s wave competition taking place?
SQ: “In Tenerife it was quite predictable to me whether we’d be sailing wave or slalom. It was not too bad to be on hold at all as there were 2-3 relatively clear days forecasted for waves. It can be kind of a relief when they put on the other discipline so you know that you can take it easy!”
-
- Sarah Quita on top…again!
WINDSURF: How confident were you going into the final….and how were the conditions?
SQ: “I’m so happy with my boards and sails this year, and from the first heat on I felt comfortable, happy and in control on the water, so all I wanted was to sail one more heat! In the final however the wind dropped quite a lot, they added the jump and I had to change to a bigger sail. So, I lost a bit of time looking for a jump and was fumbling a bit on some waves. Halfway through the heat I was not feeling super confident, but I kept it together and did enough to take the win!”
-
- Charging on the big gear!
WINDSURF: Do you prefer being fully powered rather than big gear conditions?
SQ: “I think I like all conditions. Of course, when there’s more wind and they add a jump I feel like it suits me better. At the same time, I’m also quite used to riding bigger gear because of freestyle and slalom, so I’m also very happy on a 5.0m and 5.3m.
So, when it’s lighter wind and only wave riding, I also enjoy it. It’s a bit less hectic and you need to only focus on one aspect of wave sailing. In the end I just want to be as good as I can possibly be in all conditions. Stronger conditions definitely suit me better, but the light wind is more relaxing and flowy. I like that you need to work the gear and be the one generating speed rather than relying on the wind.”
-
- Sarah Quita flying through a back loop
WINDSURF: What equipment di you ride and how was it all working…Board, Sail , Fins, what size harness lines etc
SQ: “In Tenerife I was sailing my Starboard 86L Ultra in all heats and I switched between the NeilPryde 5.0m and 5.3m Combat. As for fins, I had a 11 and 18 Thruster setup. I’m using 32 inch harness lines at the moment.”
WINDSURF: How did you feel it was going during the final and what did it feel like when you found out you had won?
SQ: “In the final I had a slow start because I went back in to change sails and then missed some scoring opportunities on some waves. But I stayed focused and in the moment! On the beach I could see Oda signing that I was leading eventually. Which I couldn’t believe! So, at the end I was looking for a better jump. I didn’t manage to get it, but it was all enough to take the win. I was so happy to hear that, because I’ve never won in Tenerife before and I always felt a bit like I didn’t know exactly how to get the best scores there!”
-
- The taste of victory
WINDSURF: How was the atmosphere at the event…was it tricky juggling all the fleets and keeping everyone happy?
SQ: “I think the organization of this event is amazing. You can really feel that it’s being organised with heart and the community behind it really cares about windsurfing. A lot of people there are big windsurfing fans, including the locals, and it’s so cool to hear them cheer for you when you come back to the beach of when you’re on the podium. Danny and his team have done a great job!
-
- SQ ripping in Tenerife
Of course, for the crew it’s always difficult to juggle the different fleets and making the right decisions. So, there was definitely some tension on the day they started running the double for the juniors and then switched to pros, in the end not getting a result for the masters and the older juniors and not doing slalom on the windiest day. Unfortunately, we didn’t have the best forecast and even so we got better conditions than expected. But when the wind doesn’t play ball it’s very hard to keep everyone happy and fit so many disciplines in.”
-
- Sarah Quita and Marc Pare
WINDSURF: What are you plans now for the rest of the year?
“I’m looking forward to a little time off competing, but will probably still be sailing a lot in the coming weeks before Sylt. I think I’m heading to Brazil to get some quality hours in as it won’t be windy in Aruba and in Europe it’ll probably be a bit unpredictable!”
More info from the events here:
PWA WORLD WINDSURFING TOUR: Home