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WINDSURF NEWS BULLETIN

The awesome world of Windsurfing has been firing on all cylinders this summer…from a packed PWA schedule in the Canary Islands, to wild summer storms in the UK and over in Denmark, as well as pumping south swells lighting up Hawaii. It’s been non-stop action across the globe. So, let’s get the ball rolling and relive some of the season’s stand-out moments, along with a healthy dose of behind-the-scenes gossip to keep things spicy.

Photos: Carter PWA World Tour // Inna Bru PWA World Tour // Tom Brendt // Rafasoulart / PWA World Tour

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PWA CANARY ISLANDS TOUR

Six gruelling weeks, three iconic venues, countless heats and plenty of controversy. Here’s the full tour breakdown…champions, challengers and the main talking points!

GRAN CANARIA: HOME OF THE WIND

What an explosive start to the Canaries tour it was. We were literally flung in at the deep end with two full days of pumping waves and ridiculous winds up to fifty knots. Yep, it was time to fly as Pozo delivered and kept its reputation as the ‘Home of the Wind’ firmly intact!

MEN’S WAVE

Nuking winds meant monster jumps and full-throttle action and it quickly became clear that the big names were thriving in these ballistic conditions. Marc Paré, Marcilio Browne, Philip Köster, and Marino Gil rose above the pack to reach the final and to be fair, any one of them could have taken the win given how fine the margins were.

Windsurf’s pre-event prediction proved spot-on (once again!): Köster was clearly on a mission to make amends after last year’s disappointment. The final was explosive from the moment the green flag went up, with a flurry of push loop-forwards setting the tone. Köster crashed his opening jump but bounced back with a flawless double and a massive push-forward, edging out Browne in second, Gil in third, and a frustrated Paré in fourth.

By the time the double elimination rolled around, the wind was cranking to 50 knots and sailors were throwing caution and themselves, to the wind. It all came down to Köster versus Browne once again. Even Köster got caught out, bailing a crazy double and ending up on the rocks by the bunker.

But in the super final, he left nothing to chance, delivering an assertive, mistake-free performance to seal the victory. 

Other standouts that caught our eye in Pozo were Moritz Mauch who’s wave riding was next level, Adam Warchol who definitely has a powerful style combined with a lot of talent and Alessio Stillrich with his incredible tweaked push loops, massive back loops and some decent doubles!

Result 2025 Gran Canaria Gloria Windsurf World Cup – Men’s Wave

1st Philip Köster (GER | Severne / Severne Sails)
2nd Marcilio Browne (BRA | Goya Windsurfing / MFC)
3rd Marino Gil (ESP | JP / NeilPryde / MFC)
4th Marc Paré (ESP | Simmer / Simmer Sails / MFC)

INJURY NOTE:

Unfortunately, on the first day of competition, Josep Pons suffered a brutal crash in the single elimination and was rushed to hospital for surgery; an injury later revealed to be more serious than first thought. We wish Josep a speedy recovery and can’t wait to see him back in action soon.

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WOMEN’S WAVE

With Daida Moreno back in the game at her home spot and with the Pozo crowd roaring her on: it was clear she was on a mission to claim victory. In the single elimination, everything went to script as she took the win ahead of Sarah-Quita Offringa and rising talent Sol Degrieck (we have an interview with Sol lined up very soon!).

But in the double, Sarah-Quita had her own agenda and was out to crash Daida’s party. In the first final, the Queen of Freestyle threw down against the Queen of Pozo and her raw celebration on the beach made it clear, she believed she could take Daida at her home spot.

The Super Final was pure high-stakes drama, right down to the last moments. With the heat hanging in the balance and SQ still in the lead, Daida unleashed a stalled forward and a sketchy wave ride in the dying seconds but was it enough? It turned out those two moves made the difference to crush Sarah-Quita’s dream and for Daida win the Pozo crown.

Result 2025 Gran Canaria Gloria Windsurf World Cup – Women’s Wave

1st Daida Moreno (ESP | Bruch Boards / Bruch Sails / Maui Ultra Fins)
2nd Sarah-Quita Offringa (ARU | Starboard / NeilPryde / Maui Ultra Fins)
3rd Alexia Kiefer Quintana (ESP | Duotone Windsurfing)

The wind continued to blow and for the rest of the weeks the masters and juniors all battled it out for the honours. It was awesome to see the likes of Roco Swift and Daniele Dunkerbeck in their first junior event, both likely to be big names in the sport in the future.

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FUERTEVENTURA: THE X FACTOR

The tour then shifted to the crystal-clear waters of Sotavento, Fuerteventura…and once again, the conditions did not disappoint. On the opening day? You guessed it: 50 knots and full-on, mental Slalom X!

SLALOM X

The first five days were dedicated entirely to Slalom X and after 12 full rounds of brutal, high-octane racing, the sailors were running on fumes. The battle wasn’t just on the water, each day meant hauling piles of gear up and down the hill to the rigging tent. Add in gusty, swirling winds, and it was like an SAS training mission just to get to the start line.

When the wind is nuking, drama comes built-in and with Slalom X’s jump sausage and technical components thrown into the mix, the racing was nothing short of spectacular. This year’s relentless wind turned it into a war of endurance, fine-tuning and raw skill.

In the men’s fleet, Pierre Mortefon was untouchable and he claimed five bullets from twelve races, plus a stack of second and third places. His edge? All-round technique, years of experience, razor-sharp tactics, perfectly tuned gear and maybe a little something extra. In Fuerteventura, Pierre simply had the ‘X Factor’, outclassing his rivals over the long haul.

Maciek Rutkowski came out swinging, winning two of the first three races, but luck turned against him. A mix of misfortune and unforced errors saw the Pole slide down the leader-board. Jordy Vonk was on fire with two bullets and two seconds in a four-race streak, before a gnarly crash side-lined him on the final day. Matteo Iachino stayed rock-solid throughout, making every final, winning two rounds, and grinding his way to second overall.

 

WOMEN

In the women’s fleet, Sarah-Quita Offringa started in survival mode … 50 knots had her briefly considering pulling out, but she then rallied to win eight of the last nine eliminations, dominating the event.

Jenna Gibson was arguably one of the fastest women on the water, but costly mistakes and a disqualification saw her just miss the podium in fourth. Foil specialist Justine Lemeteyer sailed brilliantly for second overall, while Femke van der Veen grabbed a couple of bullets on the opening windy day to secure third. Sarah-Quita walked away with another world title in Slalom X… and wasn’t done yet.

WOMEN’S SLALOM X

1st Sarah-Quita Offringa (ARU | Starboard / NeilPryde / Maui Ultra Fins)
2nd Justine Lemeteyer (FRA | PATRIK / PATRIK Sails)
3rd Femke van der Veen (NED | Starboard / Severne Sails)
4th Jenna Gibson (GBR | Duotone Windsurfing)

FREESTYLE

No rest for the wicked; the morning after Slalom X wrapped up, it was straight into freestyle. And the conditions? You guessed it… nuclear winds again! The twist this time was the forecast: nuclear winds for the first two days, then a predicted lull. That meant the entire competition had to be crammed into the early sessions, with relentless back-to-back heats until the results were locked in.

MEN

The pre-event rumour mill suggested reigning world champion Lennart Neubauer was carrying an injury from Gran Canaria and that the brutal Fuerteventura chop and high winds could expose a weakness. In the single elimination, he ran into former world champion Gollito Estredo, who was eager to prove himself on new Gaastra Tabou gear. Gollito found some of his old magic and Lennart suffered an early exit.

The final saw Yentel Caers seize the moment, powering past veteran Steven Van Broeckhoven to claim victory, while Jacopo Testa held off Japanese rising star Takumi Moriya in the battle for third.

In the double elimination, Lennart mounted a gutsy comeback, only to be stopped by Jacopo Testa.

Testa advanced to face Caers in the double elimination final, but Caers was unstoppable; sealing the win and strengthening his campaign for a third world title when the tour heads to Sylt at the end of September.

MEN’S FREESTYLE RESULTS

1st Yentel Caers (BEL | JP / NeilPryde)
2nd Jacopo Testa (ITA | WeOne / GUNSAILS / AL360)
3rd Steven Van Broeckhoven (BEL | WeOne | GUNSAILS)
4th Takumi Moriya (JPN | Severne / Severne Sails)

WOMEN

The women’s showdown was a two-way battle between Sarah-Quita Offringa and Maaike Huvermann, the clear standouts in the fleet. After two days of fierce competition, they met in the double elimination final. Maaike came out blazing in the opening duel, landing every move and handing Sarah-Quita one of her rare freestyle heat defeats.

That loss lit the spark. In the decider, Sarah-Quita dug deep, delivered a gutsy performance and edged out Maaike in a nail-biting finish claiming the event win and her 27th world title in the process.

Right on cue, the wind finally eased, giving sailors and crew a rare breather before the closing ceremony. With Fuerteventura in the bag, everyone looked ahead to a short four-day break before the next stop: the Tenerife Wave and Super X Grand Slam.

EVENT AND OVERALL WOMEN’S RESULTS

1st Sarah-Quita Offringa (ARU | Starboard / NeilPryde / Maui Ultra Fins)
2nd Maaike Huvermann (NED | Severne / Severne Sails / Maui Ultra Fins)
3rd Lisa Kloster (GER | MB-Boards / Sailloft Hamburg)
4th Živa Batis (SLO | Flikka / GUNSAILS)

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TENERIFE: HIGH STAKES DRAMA

RACING: ON THE EDGE!

The tour wrapped up its Canaries stint in the more laid-back setting of El Médano, Tenerife, with the event hosted by the ever-hospitable Playa Sur Hotel and Bruch! This stop was a juggling act for the PWA crew, balancing Slalom X, men’s and women’s wave disciplines, plus juniors and masters’ events, all under a forecast that looked sketchy!

In true Canary Islands fashion, the reality was far better than expected, with competition running on most days.

SLALOM X: ON THE EDGE!

Pierre Mortefon, now sailing on NeilPryde gear after the Phantom ban, stormed to his second consecutive Slalom X win, dominating the four races that ran. The entry list was disappointingly thinner than usual, with around twenty riders but the action was still intense. Pierre took two bullets and a second, securing a convincing victory over Amado Vrieswijk who stormed into second (Windsurf Prediction wild card!!) and Jordy Vonk, who finally broke his “fourth place curse” to claim third.

MEN’S SLALOM X RESULTS

1st Pierre Mortefon (FRA | FMX Racing)
2nd Amado Vrieswijk (NB | Future Fly / Point-7 / Z Fins)
3rd Jordy Vonk (NED | Duotone Windsurfing)
4th Matteo Iachino (ITA | Starboard / Severne Sails / Z Fins)

In the overall world title race, Pierre sealed the crown, Matteo Iachino fought hard for second, and Jordy Vonk took a well-earned third…earning him with his first-ever PWA wing!

SLALOM X OVERALL

1st Pierre Mortefon (FRA | FMX Racing)
2nd Matteo Iachino (ITA | Starboard / Severne Sails / Z Fins)
3rd Jordy Vonk (NED | Duotone Windsurfing)
4th Maciek Rutkowski (POL | JP / NeilPryde)

By week’s end, a few disgruntled racers took to social media to voice frustration over the limited number of races. But with so many fleets on the water and a tight schedule, keeping everyone happy was always going to be a tall order.

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MACIEK’S RANT

A rant from Maciek Rutkowski’s social post here:

PWA 5^th PLACE

“Of course, this is not the result I wanted, or I trained my off for. It basically came down to 3 first mark rounding’s in 3 finals with things out of my control happening pushing me from top 2 down the order each time. I felt good, the gear was working great, mentally sharp, but the level is so close that when things don’t exactly come together you can’t count for more than a 5th. Actually, same points with 4th but this time losing a tie break – I won a few tie breaks in my life so can’t really complain .

This has nothing to do with my result, but I just can’t help to feel disappointed about the competition management here in Tenerife. I was not going to touch the subject but after one of the PWA judges confronted me to say it was disrespectful to windsurf the racecourse while we were on standby because of lack of wind I can’t really hold it. We raced 3.5 hours in 8 windy days. Did 16 heats total in 8 windy days. Skippers meeting most days was at 12. When it wasn’t windy/wavy enough for the wave competition the course was not ready to race – we simply sat at the beach waiting for better conditions for waves. And the last day was a cherry on the cake when instead of a high-stakes race with podium implications we did a “fun race” in probably the best conditions we raced in the whole week .

I’m not even sad for myself, I’m just in disbelief how we (the PWA – an athlete/industry association) can work like this and expect the sport to flourish. How can we give 50% effort and expect 100% result? We have such massive potential as a sport (shown many times, even just last month in Fuerteventura) but every single little cog in the machine needs to work well otherwise there’s no chance to stand out. I hope we can learn from this. Actually, we have to learn from this. No other choice. Our sport deserves better.

Regardless, Tenerife is always fun, good people, good food, good conditions, fun wave sessions… Can’t wait to be back in the winter, but now it’s time to get back on the foil program now!”

NICO PRIEN

Nico Prien was pretty unlucky in Fuerteventura when he was clearly leading one of the finals but a mark meant the race was cancelled. He did come back and win another round as a consolation, but his results could have been right up there if he had been counting two bullets! You can find his rant on his Facebook Athlete page!

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WAVES: GRINDING IT OUT!

With a dubious forecast at one point it looked like we might not even get a result in the waves. But each day the forecast came up with a new improved outlook which was enough to make it through the single elimination and most of the double in men’s and women’s fleets. Of course, running the double came at a cost and it meant that no results were achieved in the Under 21 and the masters’ fleets and once again there were a few unhappy entrants who never got a chance to compete.

MEN-DOUBLE OR NOTHING

As often stated by commentator, the awesome Ben Proffitt, even with sketchy conditions the best still come out on top! And that is precisely what happened in both the racing and the waves. The double loop was a key ingredient for success in Tenerife as far less sailors were able to land a clean double in lighter conditions meaning landing one was pretty much a gateway to the next heat. The top half of the draw was pretty stacked and saw Paré, Marcilio Browne, Philip Köster and Miguel Chapuis battling out for the two slots available in the final. Paré and Browne came out on top and went on to face Victor Fernandez and Marino Gil for the overall victory.

With 5.3m conditions and head high waves at best it was a real battle of attrition on the water, but Paré set the bar with some incredible turns and that juicy 8.27 point perfect double.

41-year-old Victor Fernandez proved he has still got what it takes by taking second ahead of Marino Gil in third and current world champion, Marcilio Browne in 4^th. By the way…Windsurf predicted Paré as the winner in our preview feature on the website…cue fanfare and applause!

MEN’S WAVE RESULTS

1st Marc Paré (ESP | Simmer / Simmer Sails / MFC)
2nd Victor Fernandez (ESP | Duotone Windsurfing)
3rd Marino Gil (ESP | JP / NeilPryde / MFC)
4th Marcilio Browne (BRA | Goya Windsurfing / MFC)

WOMEN

We also predicted Sarah Quita to win the women’s wave event, but that call was made a lot easier when Daido Moreno chose not to enter and Lina Erpenstein crashed out in the first round after breaking her mast.

The final whittled down to a showdown with SQ, Alexia Kiefer Quintana, Sol Degrieck and Line Bang Wittrup, once again in tricky conditions.

Alexia looked had the best wave riding in the final, throwing down some powerful gauging turns but she was lacking that all important jump right down to the last minute of the heat. A back loop ramp appeared; she flew up high but just botched the landing which cost her the event victory in our books. Sarah also sailed an incredible heat, with some epic turns and jumps, but also sailed smart and completed a full scorecard to take the victory. 

We have to give a mention to Line Bang Wittrup here who racked up her best ever result with 4^th place thanks to some aggressive smacks and clean jumps.

WOMEN’S WAVE RESULTS

1st Sarah-Quita Offringa (ARU | Starboard / NeilPryde / Maui Ultra Fins)
2nd Alexia Kiefer Quintana (ESP | Duotone Windsurfing)
3rd Sol Degrieck (BEL | Severne / Severne Sails)
4th Line Bang Wittrup (DEN | Goya Windsurfing)

So that was it…six gruelling weeks in the Canary Islands all done and dusted! Congratulations to all the competitors, winners and losers plus the epic PWA crew for working relentless hours to get the job done!

OVERALL WAVE RANKINGS AFTER THE CANARY ISLANDS TOUR

MEN

1st Marc Paré (ESP | Simmer / Simmer Sails / MFC)

1st Marcilio Browne (BRA | Goya Windsurfing / MFC) (TIED ON POINTS!)

3rd Philip Köster (GER | Severne / Severne Sails)

WOMEN

1st Sarah-Quita Offringa (ARU | Starboard / NeilPryde / Maui Ultra Fins)

2nd Alexia Kiefer Quintana (ESP | Duotone Windsurfing)

3rd Sol Degrieck (BEL | Severne / Severne Sails)

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NEW TALENT

While the headlines often go to the winners, 2025 is also proving to be a showcase for an exciting new wave of talent lighting up the tour.

In Gran Canaria, 15-year-old Sol Degrieck threw down a double loop in the single elimination, along with tweaked push loops and back loops. Her rate of progression has been phenomenal as she matures as a sailor. Already feared in the women’s fleet, and with her podium finish in Tenerife and 4th in Pozo in the Canary Islands, she looks every inch a future champion.

Lizzlotte Schilling Andrew is another 15-year-old new talent, Lizzlotte boasts a seriously stylish top turn and could well be another name to watch in the years ahead.

 

In the men’s main event 18-year-old Carlos Kiefer Quitana finished an impressive 13^th place. Carlos definitely has the talent to take him places and with a training ground like Pozo who knows what the future holds!

In the junior fleet, Javi Escribano (Son of the PWA head judge!) was outstanding in the double elimination, landing nearly every jump in his heats and cruising to victory in the Boys Under-18 Wave double elimination with commanding style.

Over in Fuerteventura, 18-year-old Takumi Moriya from Japan claimed an impressive 4th in freestyle and will surely be a feared contender in future events.

In racing, 15-year-old Bobbi-Lynn De Jong took 5th in the Slalom X; once she adds more strength and experience, a world title could be within reach. And with her determined sisters, Lone and Kit, also hungry to turn pro, the De Jong family will no doubt become a formidable force to reckon with on the race circuit. Rumour has it they are also learning waves…do we have three young Sarah Quita Offringa’s in the making?

Meanwhile in Tenerife, young Hyata Ishii, another hotshot from Japan, impressed with stylish wave 360s in the double elimination, while 19-year-old Gregory Stathopoulos from Greece displayed a natural flair that marks him as yet another rising star.

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OTHER NEWS!!

UK ROCKS!

Strom Floris brought some crazy conditions up in Scotland as well as the West Kirby Speed strip where the likes of Jenna Gibson, Si Pettifer and Jim Crossley scored an epic speed session. You can read all about it here: Windsurf MagazineWEST KIRBY CALLING! | Windsurf Magazine

Meanwhile on the south coast earlier in the month both East and West Wittering saw some epic sessions go down in the summer gales!

Check out some of our summer wave features here:

Windsurf Magazine2XS EPIC SUMMER WAVE SESSIONS! | Windsurf Magazine

Windsurf MagazineWEST WITTERING: A DAY TO REMEMBER

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MARION MORTEFON

Congratulations to Marion Mortefon who has just had her baby daughter…Violet!

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CLUB VASS

The season at Club Vass has been rocking this summer. You can read all about the epic Speed Week and Divas Week here: Windsurf MagazineCLUB VASS: MID SEASON ROUND UP!

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DENMARK

Over in Denmark, Storm Floris delivered a rare summer spectacle; mast-high swell paired with side-off winds at Hanstholm. Local legend Lars Petersen, along with Leon Jamaer and Martin ten Hoeve, were quick to seize the opportunity, carving up the radical conditions in style.

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HAWAII

Some of you may have caught the recent run of epic swells pounding Tahiti, serving up mind-blowing barrels at Teahupoʻo… enough to tempt Kai Lenny over for some outrageous sessions. Those same swells eventually marched north to Hawaii, lighting up Oahu’s Diamond Head and Maui’s La Perouse with flawless south shore waves. Legends like Robby Naish, Levi Siver, and Kevin Pritchard were among the lucky few to score these epic south swells.

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WINDSURF TOWERS

It’s been a challenging spell here at Windsurf Towers lately, it’s felt more like Windsurf Calamity HQ! Our chief reporter, John Carter (JC), suffered a snapped Achilles while on PWA duty in Fuerteventura. He had to cut the trip short, fly home, and then navigate the journey back to the Isle of Wight the very next day all while dragging 80 kilos of luggage. The Achilles is a slow healer with no shortcuts, so JC is currently housebound and stumbling around on crutches.

Meanwhile, our Windsurf website has been under the weather too. Thanks to countless hours from our tireless technical crew, a host of behind-the-scenes issues have now been fixed, giving us a much brighter long-term outlook (so they assure us!). Things should already be running faster and smoother and we’ve got some exciting design updates in the pipeline. Watch this space!