THE PLAYA SUR, TENERIFE PWA WORLD CUP
4 star event delivers 5 star performances!
The Tenerife PWA World Cup returned for the first time in five years and El Médano reinforced its reputation as one of the best wave sailing spots in Europe. We hear from a selection of the top sailors.
Words: Marc Paré, Victor Fernandez, Julian Salmonn, Lina Erpenstein, Iballa Moreno and Alexia Kiefer Quitana.
Photos: Carter / pwaworldtour.com
After ten gruelling days in Fuerteventura at the PWA Grand Slam, John Carter made the short journey hop, skip and a jump over to El Médano, Tenerife to report on an epic week of wind and waves. This may have only been a four-star PWA event open paper, but it had all the hallmarks of a five-star competition and we hear the inside scoop from all the winners in both the men’s and women’s divisions.
MARC PARÉ – 1ST – COMEBACK COMPLETE
This was my first ever PWA victory and it felt like a big relief. It really feels cool to win at last, honestly. It is a dream come true for me. I felt like I was back to form after my injury. I also think I sailed smart heats, which is also satisfying when under pressure like that. I am happy with how I managed to deal with the whole situation. Sailing with Victor [Fernandez] in the final felt like free sailing in a way, it was pretty cool. We are best friends on tour, so that made it special. It was competition mode on the water for sure, but we were smiling at each other on the water. I wanted to win and I knew he wanted to win as well. Also, with Julian [Salmonn] we have grown up on the tour sailing against each other and training together. We came right through the junior system together so that is cool also. We have also done a lot of trips together, so we are very close friends. It was dream top three. I was on my 5.3m Simmer Blacktip and 92L thruster in the final, but I still had a bigger set of gear if needed. I did most of the contest on the same gear apart from one heat when I rode a 5.6m and 99L.
VICTOR FERNANDEZ – 2ND – CONTINUES STELLAR SEASON
I thought the sailing in Tenerife was going to be tricky on the final day. Marino Gil was coming through the double elimination on a strong run, he was on fire. Ricardo Campello was also sailing well so I knew I would face one of those two to save my third place. I wanted to keep my podium place as it’s always tough when you drop from third to fourth. I have sailed a lot in Tenerife in the past, so I was ready with my D/Lab 5.3m and my big Grip 3 95L board. I managed to beat Marino and then the heat against Julian was super close also, but I managed to just take the victory to face Marc in the final. Then I didn’t have my best heat and Marc had an incredible heat, so he really deserved to win. It was amazing to sail with Marc. We are sharing the same apartment in Tenerife with his parents, Josep Pons and my family.
It was a dream to have a final with my best friend. I don’t know if that will ever happen again. I am so happy for Marc after his injury. He was sailing so well, especially considering he has been off the water a while. It has been a great year so far. Last year I had my worst season in a long time, but now I am back. This year started with a third in Japan and a third Chile, but I only managed to finish tenth in Pozo which was a bit disappointing. Here in Tenerife, even though it is only a four-star event, it feels like a five-star. We are just missing a few top guys who went to Peru. Tenerife is a tough place to compete, the tide changes the spot so much and you need to be really on it, otherwise you are out. The equipment I was riding actually made is so much fun to sail in those conditions.
JULIAN SALMONN – 3RD – SPECIAL HOME PODIUM
I am really happy with third. I am mainly so stoked to have the event back in Tenerife at my home spot. I am so thankful to Dany Bruch to make this happen and all the hard work he, and his team, put in. Also, all the sponsors like the Hotel Playa Sur, who have been incredible. For me a home event is the most special on tour. To be on the podium once again after Pozo I could not be more stoked. One of the nicest things about that podium was to have Victor and Marc next to me. The single elimination final was really emotional with Marc. We both had some tears in our eyes. We have been training together for over ten years. To be finally where we wanted to be at the top has been really special for both of us. I could not have asked to share a better podium. I was happy with my sailing, but not 100% satisfied. I felt like I did not fully connect on a single wave. It was a bit forced for me. There is still a lot to work on for me. I feel like I still have a lot to show in my heats and that I have still not shown my full potential. I feel like I am just getting started. There were definitely some moments where I felt close to finding my flow, but I still did not feel like I had a single wave where I fully connected. There were a few single moves which felt great though. There is always a lot to learn and I am just following my process. I was riding a 5.7m and a 105L Happy Bruch board in the finals. It was really big equipment, but I have been using it quite a bit here. In the heat against Victor, I probably should have gone on the 95L as the rails on the big board were maybe a bit big on the sets. I was incredibly happy with how the gear was working. Those boards plane so fast and make the moves so much easier when the wind is lighter and the waves get soft. I am really stoked about my equipment and the fact we had a World Cup back in Tenerife.
LINA ERPENSTEIN – 1ST – SECOND WORLD TOUR VICTORY
Honestly, I am very surprised how this year is going. I am not doing anything different from last year, but somehow, something has clicked, and this year I am starting to win events. The event win here in Tenerife feels like the biggest win of my career. I think we had a really strong field, and I have been looking up to the Moreno twins and Sarah-Quita [Offringa] all of my windsurfing career. I managed to beat them here which was an incredible feeling. In all of my heats I was riding my 4.8m Severne S1 and a 78L Severne Nano board. The 78L Nano felt super nice, I managed to play around with the fins a bit, so I was on 13’s and 9’s. Somehow the gear really felt amazing here. I have been working together with Dieter [Van der Eyken] for two seasons now and I think our teamwork is clicking this year. He understands me really well and knows exactly what I need to hear before and after heats. We were doing some coaching before the contest to solidify my positioning and technique on turns. I think that really made the difference. I am super stoked to have him by my side. I am sure I couldn’t have scored this victory without him. We have an elaborated system of signals from the beach where he is telling me what to do and who is winning. That includes a poncho he is waving on the beach, but it seems to work.
In the single elimination I had a very strong final with Sarah Quita, Iballa and Alexia who has also been pushing super hard in wave riding this year. Obviously, Sarah Quita and Iballa have been my idols since I started windsurfing. I never managed to beat them and here it came together. Now in the double elimination I cemented my victory with another heat win. I can’t put this feeling into words!
IBALLA MORENO – 2ND – SOLID FIRST APPEARANCE OF ‘24
I am happy because in the last few years I have been dealing with some injuries and I have not been able to windsurf as much as normal. I love Tenerife and it is always a great spot to compete. I am used to these conditions from Fuerteventura. I normally sail with a 4.7m and 80L board from Severne. I was pretty stoked to comeback from fourth into second because the level of the girls is amazing. It really has gone through the roof in the past few years. I am happy to see that I am still there. It has been difficult times with sponsorships also, so this year I won’t do the whole tour. I am motivated to keep sailing and competing. Let’s see what happens for next season. I have been in competition mode this year with SUP, but it was nice to get into the groove with windsurfing again. The waiting on the beach can be a lot of pressure but I had support from Alba and Beat Steffan. I was happy to hang out with the girls and have fun on the water. That is the most important thing, windsurfing is not all about winning, it is more about enjoying the sport. I have been on tour for twenty-five years and I have been enjoying every moment. Sometimes it is tough because things don’t always go your way. Life is like this, you go through ups and downs, and I am really happy to go through all the bad moments because there are so many good moments on and off the water. I told Lina that it was her moment and to enjoy it. They were my words for her because I know how it feels to be on the top. I know she has been fighting for it for a long time. She totally deserves it. She is really sailing incredibly well and training hard. It is good to see a Severne team mate up there winning too. I am really happy for her and I am sure will be world champion this year.
ALEXIA KIEFER-QUINTANA – 3RD – BREAKOUT SEASON
I can’t be happier. I love Tenerife and I love competing there and enjoy those conditions. I was happy to compete against such a high-class line up of amazing women. I was riding my biggest gear, my Duotone 4.5m and 76L Grip. The wind was pretty light actually compared to Pozo, but I managed to score some decent turns and find my jumps, so I was satisfied with my sailing. I am having an incredible season so far. It is my first year to make the podium, and I made three already. It could not be any better. The level in the women is getting higher and higher. We are seeing new girls ripping like Sol [Degrieck] and Maria Behrens. It is amazing to see girls like Sol who is only fourteen-years-old improving every day she sails. Lina had the best year so far as well. She made many podiums this year. She is ripping. She ripped in Chile, she ripped in Pozo and she ripped it up here in Tenerife. I think Tenerife is my favourite event because I love the spot, I love the food and I love everything about the location.
Fancy a trip to Tenerife then check out the Playa Sur Hotel here:
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