The Cabo Verde World Cup

 

The end is near

We are now very close to be looking at the last day of competition here on the island of Sal. The weather gods have not delivered good conditions so far, and it seems that the last day will be no different.

For many people it is frustrating to not sail at an event like this, but for some, finishing this contest with a result will mean disaster.

Two days ago we saw current world nr. 2 and former freestyle world champion Ricardo Campello from Venezuela being kicked out by his countryman Diony Guadagnino. Finishing the contest will mean definately no world title hope and most likely a place out of the top 3 for this years tour.

Former wave world champion Kauli Seadi however is hopeful for some conditions as he has won this event before and with a good result he could be moving into the top 3. In this sense, this event has been an emotional roller coaster ride for many of the sailors. Many had prepared for a long time for this event and were hoping to yet again sail on the perfect wave of Ponta Preta.

For german Florian Jung it surely meant no more competition for some time after an accident on the rocks of Curral Joul costing him a serious injury to his foot which could leave him out of the sport for a while.

If the contest is not finished tomorrow, we will see Victor Fernandez from Spain as this years new world champion followed by Ricardo Campello and young gun Phillip Koster which has had a phenomenal season.

Follow us tomorrow as we set out for the last day of PWA competition for this season and for the crowning of this years PWA world champion.

 

Victor Fernandez World Champion

Congratulations to world champion Victor Fernandez for his outstanding performance this year. Unfortunately this years Cabo Verde Worldcup has to be finished with no result leaving the top 3 of this years tour unchanged. In second we have Ricardo Campello followed by young Phillip Koster. All of the top 3 had a great performance this year showing they can be versatile in different conditions. Unfortunately for Brazilian Kauli Seadi who is ranked 4th, the chance of a comeback into the top 3 will not show this year and he will have to settle with his current ranking. Closing the top 5 is Dany Bruch who lives in Tenerife. Dany has had a great season showing that he is going to be the man to beat in the future. I caught up to him at the food truck and he didn't want to talk about his performance, preferring instead to pull my chain and talk about his teenage years. Learned that he spent several years working as an assistant to a professional dish washer (I confirmed this story with his brother). He had to work in order to pay for equipment and training time, and washing dishes was as good a job as any. Don't get me wrong, he wasn't washing dishes by hand, but using an industrial machine to do the hard work of scrubbing etc. But he was in charge of choosing the low cost janitorial supplies used by the kitchen staff at the Margiette Inn de Savannah. He told me of the time the tub overflowed and sent a huge wave of soapy water across the floor and how he and his buddies used trays as boards to surf the soap, so to speak! No wonder he had such a great season - he's always training, even when washing dishes! To check out the complete rankings, click by the PWA website.

Later today the champions will be crowned at a big closing ceremony at the Angulo beach.

 

John Skye´s thoughts

We hit up British John Skye with a couple of questions on his thoughts right here right now in the waiting period of this years Cabo Verde Worldcup. John Skye with the sail number K-57 has been on the tour for some time and is currently ranked 11 on this years world tour. Check out these five questions we asked “Skyeboy” on this warm day on the island of Sal.

1. How do you feel after so many days of being on hold
Pretty frustrated really. I put a lot of effort into this event, going to Maui to train, working on my gear a lot and in the end missing out on the best event of the UK series. So to come here and not even really sail is a bit sad. Still that is competition, and that is windsurfing in a way. Its not over yet, so maybe there is still hope.

2. Competing in a spot full of rocks and sea urchins. How is that for you?
I am not a huge fan of rocks, and especially dont like sea urchins, but its definitely the best spot on the island when its small, so its probably the right decision to compete there.

3. Have you been out there surfing like everyone else?
I have surfed most days I think. The spot where we compete has been the best spot for surfing for me. Its a right hander and I am regular, so its a fun wave. Gets a bit crowded when the whole wave fleet come out at the same time, but had 2 really fun sessions without much crowd.

4. How do you like the social activities and the party programme?
The set up here is perfect. It reminds me a little of the party tent at Sotavento, but Josh’s centre acts as a VIP area within the party so its even better. I have to admit though I have been home early the last 2 nights. I was really hopeful that we would get some sailing and didn’t want to wake up too hung over. Last week before the competition I met the local rum that they call grog. It left me in a bad way!

5. Ricardo Campello was taken out by Diony Guadagnino yesterday. What do you think will happen if we manage to get a result without Ricardo in the top16?
Well if we finish the top 16 you can safely say Ricardo’s hopes of world champion are gone! I think the main contendors now have to be Kauli and Victor. Kauli has to do really well here, but in the past he has made every final.

Philip is 3rd at the moment and has been sailing brilliantly, but I dont think he has quite enough experience in these conditions to win the event. The way he learns however by next year he probably will!

Not sure who else is in with a shot, but if I had to put money down it woudl be on either Kauli or Victor. Probably my money would go on Victor.
 

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