Single Elimination

Almost like clock work, the opening day of the event saw Ponta Preta deliver mast high barrels and cross offshore perfection to complete the entire single elimination in style.

Opening the action, all eyes turned to the high profile return of ex-World Wave Champion, Francisco Goya (Goya Sails / MFC). The Argentinean certainly didn’t disappoint, with his opening heats seeing him crank often beyond vertical turns combined with his super smooth top to bottom style, proving he’s still more than capable of excelling within windsurfing’s new generation of sailors.

The first major upset of the elimination was the exit of Jason Polakow (JP / NeilPryde) in round one. The Australian departed after making a huge tactical error, failing to provide a second wave of any magnitude to his score sheet, which was to be judged on the best two wave rides. He’d have to wait for the double elimination to roll around before having another chance to advance.

Moving into the second round, Brit Robby Swift (JP / NeilPryde) made a stand out performance after he selected some monumentally big sets. His tactical approach paid off, allowing him to link turns all the way through to the inside section of the reef, boosting his wave scores and securing him a place in the next round.

One unlikely candidate to fall in round two was American Levi Siver (Goya Sails / MFC / Dakine), who looked to be firing on all cylinders during the warm-up and round one. Unfortunately, the imposing Ponta Preta rocks which can be credited for halting many seemingly certain advances, were to claim yet another victim in Siver.

As the fleet was narrowed down to the final eight, the level of sailing went sky high. Credit has to be given to Kai Lenny (Naish / Naish) for in part provoking this movement. The teen sensation was on another level, being one of the few attempting 360s in the jaws of the biggest set waves, and launching consistently huge aerials.

 

Departing in the star studded quarter finals were Scott McKercher (Starboard / Severne), who could never seem to sustain his usually solid form for an entire heat, Robby Swift, who was unlucky with equipment breakages in the increasingly fickle afternoon wind, Boujmaa Guilloul (Starboard / Severne / MFC) who was looking red hot despite getting knocked out and Kai Lenny, who’d already stamped his name firmly on the event.

This left only the final to run, under ominous skies and in increasingly weakening wind. The four finalists: Josh Angulo (Angulo / MauiSails / Dakine), Francisco Goya, Kauli Seadi (JP / NeilPryde / Mormaii / MFC) and Kevin Pritchard (Starboard / Gaastra / Dakine /MFC) had to be fully switched on to outwit each other.

Experiencing the might of Ponta Preta first hand, an on-form Kevin Pritchard fell victim to the rocks mid-way through the heat. Essentially crushing his hopes of winning the final, this must have been a tough pill to swallow for Pritchard, who was clearly capable of claiming the final as his.

Similarly Francisco Goya, who’d already left most of the professional windsurfing community dumb struck with the ease in which he’d found his way into the final of World Cup, stumbled on a similar block when we was washed onto the rocks.

So the final came down to a familiar two-man battle: Angulo vs. Seadi. It may sound bizarre in windsurfing to suggest someone has a home advantage, but the support for Angulo in Cabo Verde is just phenomenal. Competing only a stone’s throw from the beach, the throngs of local supporters make it their business to ensure Angulo could always hear their encouraging cheers and chants throughout a heat.

Shrugging off the one-sided local crowd, Seadi got down to business with a varied mix of aerials, slashes and dangerously late gauges, all linked cohesively by his distinctively fluid surf-style approach.

Watching from the beach there was nothing to separate the pair, but a 2-3 split decision from the judging panel ultimately handed the explosive final, and single elimination to Seadi.

Double Elimination

The second day of competition showed promise, allowing the first round of the double elimination to be completed before offshore wind and a dropping swell halted progress. Francisco Porcella (Simmer / Dakine / MFC) and Thomas Traversa (Tabou / Gaastra) were the stand out sailors of the day, having both convincingly advanced in testing conditions.

Two days of waiting then passed before Ponta Preta switched back on, delivering epic conditions to finish up the double elimination. Seizing the opportunity to compete in the classic Cabo Verde conditions, the wave fleet hit the water to pick up round two where it had left off.

Making their mark on the second round were: Ricardo Campello (JP / NeilPryde / MFC), who stepped his riding up to another level to advance. Camille Juban (Gun Sails / MFC), whose super vertical attacks on the wave were both impressive and technically brilliant, and Jason Polakow, who had far and away the fewest waves of the event but still managed to advance thanks to consistent excellence on the wave.

Entering the third round of the double elimination, mounting pressure meant that the sailors had to pull out all the stops to stand a chance of making it through the heats. Trips to the rocks became all too frequent, and the magnitude of crashes went through the roof.

Stamping their names on round three were Ross Williams (Tabou / Gaastra), who took the lions share of the waves on offer, and somehow was always in the right place at the right time. Similarly, Marcilio Browne (Fanatic / North) dug deep into his bag of tricks to execute some amazingly tight turns and super vertical cut backs that his rivals simply couldn’t match.

 

Thomas Traversa (Tabou / Gaastra) brought his unique flare and out-and-out attitude to his heat, which saw risk be rewarded with a highly credible pass through to the next round. Joining him was Moroccan Boujmaa Guilloul, who fended off tough opposition with some floaty aerials and late smacks that outclassed his rivals.

Entering a four way standoff with only two positions available in the next round, Williams, Guilloul, Browne and Traversa went to blows in barreling mast high waves and forever increasing wind.

When crunch time came, Traversa blew his chances, gambling super late smacks and deep bottom turns that were ultimately punished by the brutal Ponta Preta reef. Also departing was Guilloul, who notched up one truly brilliant wave, but failed to find a second to add to his score sheet, paying the heavy price of departure for his mistake.

This left Williams and Browne entering the two-man stage of the elimination, with only one place to play for. Williams was on a roll after dominating the four previous heats, but Browne was firing. The Brazilian was just going off, cranking the tightest bottom turns before smacking contorted top turns right under the lip. Williams performed well, but Browne was literally unbeatable.

Advancing to meet Francisco Goya, Browne knew he had to deliver a solid performance, but rival Goya just wasn’t in the groove. After dominating in the single elimination Goya struggled to find form, and essentially gave Browne a pass through to the next round after an unconvincing display.

Meeting Kevin Pritchard, Browne’s nerve was put to the test. Pritchard is impossibly consistent, and while sometimes lacking the flare of his rivals he rarely delivers a poor performance. This heat was no exception. Outstanding wave selection, time and time again, combined with a fluent and well-timed attack on the Ponta Preta lip gave Browne a harsh reality check. This left the Brazilian, who has worked his way through the double elimination in a highly impressive fourth for the event.

Advancing to meet Angulo in the next round, Pritchard saw the tables turn as he was constantly put on the back foot by Angulo’s impeccable wave selection and super vertical top turns. The American had fought well, but would have to settle for third place, an awesome achievement considering the line-up of sailors competing.

 

So, the all too familiar showdown began. In a rerun of the 2007 World Cup, Kauli Seadi, who’d won the single elimination, had to defend his throne from the local, Josh Angulo. In this instance, Seadi’s defense was over thrown by Angulo’s wealth of knowledge at Ponta Preta. The pair would have to sail head to head one last time to decide the outright event winner.

With a swarming local crowed chanting the name of their national windsurfing hero, the final began. Angulo drew the first blood with a colossal off the lip hit, but landed deep in the bowl, and ended up getting washed onto the rocks. Seadi seized the opportunity, putting Angulo on the back foot with two solid rides.

Returning, Angulo blew everyone away with a nine-point wave ride, a rare spectacle to behold, and something truly inspiring. Following this up, Angulo launched into his usual routine of insanely late under the lip hits and perfectly timed aerials. Seadi knew he had to deliver, and right on queue, threw a perfectly landed goiter on the wave face.

The heat was intense and virtually impossible to call, with two very different styles unified by the much-revered Ponta Preta Break. Crunch time came in the huge event tent, before hundreds of ecstatic local fans. Angulo had reigned supreme, returning the Cabo Verde crown to its motherland in emotional scenes rarely seen at windsurfing events.

This concluded the third Cabo Verde World Cup, an event that will forever be remembered for delivering awe-inspiring conditions and some of the finest wave riding ever witnessed on the PWA World Tour. Here’s to next year…

The World Tour’s next conformed stop will be in Podersdorf, Austria, from the 5th -10th of May for the opening event of the men’s slalom calendar. Tune back in then to follow all the action, and in the meantime, stay tuned to pwaworldtour.com for daily news bulletins on everything windsurfing.

PWA / Andrew Buchanan

1st Graham Ezzy - Taka (Dakine)
2nd Ricardo Campello- Backloop off-the-lip (JP / NeilPryde / MFC)
3rd Marcilio Browne - Air taka (Fanatic / North)

 

After that was the time for a final of the football competition that was going on in last few days. Angulo team won it!

 

Later at 20:00 we had closing ceremony and official prize giving in the tent on the beach.

 

…and this is it. The 2009 Cabo Verde PWA World Cup is finished. Great conditions, great pormotion for the island of Sal and Cabe Verde in general. See you next year. We still got plenty of video footage so we will keep postin git during coming week.

Seizing the opportunity to compete in the classic Cabo Verde conditions, the wave fleet hit the water bright and early at 8.45am to pick up the action at heat 38, where it had left off previously.

 

The second round of the double elimination saw some stand out performances from the likes of: Ricardo Campello (JP / NeilPryde / MFC), who stepped his riding up to another level to advance. Camille Juban (Gun Sails / MFC), whose super vertical attacks on the wave were both impressive and technically brilliant, and Jason Polakow (JP / NeilPryde), who had far and away the fewest waves of the event and still managed to advance thanks to consistent excellence on the wave.

Entering the third round of the double elimination, mounting pressure meant that the sailors had to pull out all the stops to stand a chance of making it through the heats. Trips to the rocks became all too frequent, and the magnitude of crashes went through the roof.

 

Stamping their names on round three were Ross Williams (Tabou / Gaastra), who took the lions share of the waves on offer, and somehow was always in the right place at the right time. Similarly, Marcilio Browne (North / Fanatic) dug deep into his bag of tricks to execute some amazingly tight turns and super vertical cut backs that his rivals simply couldn’t match.

Thomas Traversa (Tabou / Gaastra) brought his unique flare and out-and-out attitude to his heat, which saw risk be rewarded with a highly credible pass through to the next round. Joining him was Moroccan Boujmaa Guilloul (Starboard / Severne / MFC), who fended off tough opposition with some floaty aerials and late smacks that outclassed his rivals.

Entering a four way standoff with only two positions available in the next round, Williams, Guilloul, Browne and Traversa went to blows in barreling mast high waves and forever increasing wind.

When crunch time came, Traversa blew his chances, gambling super late smacks and deep bottom turns that were ultimately punished by the brutal Ponta Preta reef. Also departing was Guilloul, who notched up one truly brilliant wave, but failed to find a second to add to his score sheet, paying the heavy price of departure for his mistake.

 

This left Williams and Browne entering the two-man stage of the elimination, with only one place to play for. Williams was on a roll after dominating the four previous heats, but Browne was firing. The Brazilian was just going off, cranking the tightest bottom turns before smacking contorted top turns right under the lip. Williams performed well, but Browne was literally unbeatable.

Advancing to meet Francisco Goya (Goya Sails / MFC), Browne knew he had to deliver a solid performance, but rival Goya just wasn’t in the groove. After dominating in the single elimination Goya struggled to find form, and essentially gave Browne a pass through to the next round after an unconvincing display.

Meeting Kevin Pritchard (Starboard / Gaastra / MFC / Dakine), Browne’s nerve was put to the test. Pritchard is impossibly consistent, and while sometimes lacking the flare of his rivals he rarely delivers a poor performance. This heat was no exception. Outstanding wave selection, time and time again, combined with a fluent and well-timed attack on the Ponta Preta lip gave Browne a harsh reality check. Pritchard had done enough to secure third overall for the event, leaving Browne, who’d worked his way through the double elimination, in a highly impressive fourth.

 

So, the all too familiar showdown began. In a rerun of the 2007 World Cup, Kauli Seadi (JP / NeilPryde / MFC / Mormaii), who’d won the single elimination, had to defend his throne from the local, Josh Angulo (Angulo / MauiSails / Dakine). In this instance, Seadi’s defense was over thrown by Angulo’s wealth of knowledge at Ponta Preta. The pair would have to sail head to head one last time to decide the outright event winner.

With a swarming local crowed chanting the name of their national windsurfing hero, the final began. Angulo drew the first blood with a colossal off the lip hit, but landed deep in the bowl, and ended up getting washed onto the rocks. Seadi seized the opportunity, putting Angulo on the back foot with two solid rides.

Returning, Angulo blew everyone away with a nine-point wave ride, a rare spectacle to behold, and something truly inspiring. Following this up, Angulo launched into his usual routine of insanely late under the lip hits and perfectly timed aerials. Seadi knew he had to deliver, and right on queue, threw a perfectly landed goiter on the wave face.

 

The heat was intense and virtually impossible to call, with two very different styles unified by the much-revered Ponta Preta Break. Crunch time came in the huge event tent, before hundred of ecstatic local fans. Angulo had reigned supreme, returning the Cabo Verde crown to its motherland in emotional scenes rarely seen at windsurfing events.

This capped off the awesome Cabo Verde PWA World Cup, which is now complete with three days in hand. Thank you very much for tuning into all the action, and be sure to check out all the features available on the website, like video footage from the event, photo galleries, daily reports and more.

18:20 So the winner is JOSH ANGULO, 2nd KAULI SEADI, 3rd KEVIN PRITCHARD, 4th MARCELLIO BROWNE

18.08 Heat over. The winner is about to be announced in the main tent.

17.50 Seadi lands a perfect goita on the wave face, this heat is amazing, so, so close now.

17.42 Angulo falls again, getting washed onto the rock by a big set. Seadi takes the opportunity to post a decent wave score. Angulo only has one wave right now, but it’s a beauty. Seadi has two slightly lower scoring waves. This final is anyone’s.

17.32 Angulo just fell landing a big floater, his gear is trashed! Seadi’s out the back waiting for a set to come through.

17.25 The final is running. Seadi’s on the rocks in the very first minute, in the meantime, Angulo just put in an awesome ride with two huge aerials.

17.13 Angulo wins the heat. He will sail against Seadi one final time to decide who wins the event. Stay tuned.

 

17.00 Seadi pulled into a set wave a clocked two huge off the lip smacks before catapulting on the face. A good wave, but it would have been brilliant had be not fallen.

16.58 Seadi busts out some quality turns, then throws a clean goita on the wave face. That was insane stuff from him! Angulo’s back in the break now.

16.56 While Seadi hunts for a wave, Angulo has an entorage getting him new gear and a ride back to the launch. That’s a rapid turn around from him.

16.51 Angulo gets wiped out by a big set. Here’s Seadi’s chance to get back into the heat.

16.48 Seadi got a ride of his own, and by anyone’s standards it was pretty good, but it didn’t touch Angulo’s epic.

16.45 Angulo just pulled onto a massive set and clocked up the closest thing to a perfect ride you can get. Simply stunning sailing from him, that was phenominal, just phenominal.

16.42 The final: Angulo vs. Seadi is on the water right now.

16.30 Angulo advances to face Seadi in the final.

16.12 Angulo nailed another stunning wave ride, including a classic Angulo-style arched back off the lip and two further aerials. His timing is right on the pulse today. Pritchard chsaed on the next wave of the set, but failed to get an aerial, instead going for a huge ride the whole way down the point. Angulo looks to be leading right now.

16.09 There’s been a bit of a lull in sets, but lines are starting to appear on the horizon.

16.02 Angulo just clocked up yet another awesome wave, going super late on the main peak. His timing is just amazing.

15.59 Angulo just managed to get four aerials on a single wave. Really impressive stuff in increasingly testing conditions.

15.56 The first set of the heat just rolled in. Both sailors took a wave from it. Pritchard probably came off scoring a slightly higher wave, with a really late aerial right on the main peak.

15.51 Pritchard vs. Angulo is on the water right now.

15.37 Pritchard advances to face Josh Angulo in the next heat.

15.33 Heat ends, stay tuned for the result.

15.30 The sets just rolled in. Pritchard took advantage to secure a really strong wave all the way down the point to the inside. Browne also got a wave, but it didn’t match Pritchard’s effort. Still too close to call right now, it’s been a great heat to watch.

15.22 Pritchard has just racked up two solid waves for his score sheet. The sets have dropped down a bit, but are still a solid head to logo high. All even right now.

15.16 Browne and Pritchard score consecutive waves. Both sailors are looking really strong right now. This looks like it could be a really tough heat to call.

15.13 Browne and Prtichard are on the water going head to head right now. Both sailors have chalked up a solid ride for their score sheets.

14.48 Heat ends, Browne advances to challenge Pritchard in heat 49.

 

14.38 And yet another awesome wave for Browne, he’s looking untouchable right now. Goya just can’t find his form, he’s barely getting a look in here.

14.33 The waves continue to roll in here at Ponta Preta, conditions really are awesome right now. Browne still has the edge in this heat, his riding is just top notch right now.

14.29 Browne is looking awesome right now, he’s getting so vertical, and picking off only the best waves. Properly impressive sailing from him. Goya’s paying the rocks a quick visit after he failed to make it around the section. A big price to pay for a small mistake.

14.26 Browne gets straight back into the heat with a classy ride, getting properly vertical in his top turns. All square right now.

14.22 Heat 48: Goya vs. Browne is underway. Goya starts with an awesome ride to kick off the heat. That was a big set. Browne is waiting out the back for a wave to come through.

14.07 Heat ends. Browne wins in a 5-0 judging decision. He advances to take on Goya in heat 48 which will start in 10 minutes. Stay tuned.

13.52 Browne attempts a goita on the wave face but drops off the back. Williams gets another wave in, but it closes out on the inside forcing him to pull off the back of it.

13.48 Williams gets off the mark with a really high scoring wave. Browne’s slightly ahead at the moment though.

13.45 Browne scores another awesome wave, with a huge aerial at the start, then a second aerial on the inside. Williams is still to score anything significant.

13.41 Browne starts the scoring with a long ride down the point, launching into two aerials. That’s a solid scoring wave, very early on.

13.40 Heat 47 is on the water right now. Both riders are waiting out the back for a set wave.

13.35 Williams and Browne advance to go head to heat in heat 47 which will start shortly. Stay tuned.

13.20 Heat ends. Stay tuned to find out who advances….

13.16 The swell’s backed of a bit here at Ponta Preta, but the wind is still howling. Traversa has been ripping, scoring some short, but high scoring waves. Guilloul has nailed the aerial of the heat, with a big arched back floater. Browne has also been putting in a good show. There’s not much between them right now.

13.10 Apologies we’ve had a few technical issues with the connection here on Ponta Preta. We resume coverage with heat 46; Traversa, Guilloul, Williams, Browne.

12.29 No proper sets have hit for a while, but the riders are still picking up smaller waves. No scores of any impact recently.

12.25 Browne found a decent wave to work to the inside to pull him back up the ranks, but Williams has had the lion’s share of the best waves so far.

12.23 Advancing from the previous heat are Traversa and Guilloul.

 

12.19 A huge set just came through, properly huge! Williams, Swift and Browne pulled onto three consecutive waves, all getting awesome rides. Williams and Swift clocked up the most points and currently lead the heat.

12.16 Williams and Browne start the heat really well, with long set waves. Solid scores for both of them within the first minute. Lenny has fallen and is on the rocks.

12.14 Heat ends. Next up it’s heat 45: Lenny, Williams, Swift, Browne.

12.11 It;s fully howling now. Most of the guys are on 4.7m sails and planing all around the break on 75-85L boards.

12.05 The mother set just came through. Every wave was well over mast high and reeling the whole way down the point. Traversa launched a huge aerial but got thrown off axis and bailed, Porcella bailed as well. McKercher siezed the opportunity to nail an awesome ride, with a huge, late aerial. Fully balls out sailing from him.

12.00 Porcella takes a trip to the rocks, luckily his score sheet’s looking pretty good and there’s still time for him to re-launch.

11.55 Guilloul wipes out after a really agressive aerial, Traversa follows on the wave behind with a really high scoring ride. McKercher also has a good ride on one of the bigger sets.

11.52 Willaims and Browne advance from the previous heat.

11.49 McKercher’s on the rocks in the first minute of the heat. He’s got a good size jog to get back to the launch.

11.47 Next up it’s heat 44: McKercher, Traversa, Guilloul and Porcella. Stay tuned.

11.43 Polakow makes it back to the line-up to score a good ride, he might have just pulled this one back, but it’s all really close. Heat ends.

11.40 This looks like William’s heat, with Browne close behind in second. There’s still time for it to all change though.

11.37 Polakow’s had a nightmare heat here, he’s just snapped his mast on his first proper wave. Baker’s also ended up on the rocks, as has Williams. Browne’s the only man left in this one right now.

11.32 Browne gets a decent couple of waves for his score sheet, but it’s Williams who’s leading the way in this heat.

11.28 Traversa and Porcella advance from the previous heat.

11.26 Williams lands three aerials on one wave with some solid riding as well. Far and away the best wave of the heat so far. Polakow and Browne are still to score.

11.22 Not much going on in this one so far…

11.16 Three bigs sets and three awesome rides from Juban, Porcella and Traversa. This has been a super high scoring heat. Heat ends. Next up it’s heat 43: Polakow, Browne, Baker, Williams.

11.13 No sets for a while now, but there’s planty of good scores down. Traversa leads the way with his huge grabbed aerial.

 

11.06 Campello put himself right back into contention with a sick set wave. His riding is looking great at the moment, but he’s in need of another solid wave to stand a chance here. Juban also worked a good set. Porcalla boosts a floaty aerial out the back, and tucked into some quality riding. All pretty even now.

11.03 Juban is looking tidy right now. He’s working every wave he catches for all its worth. Him and Traversa are leading the way in this one.

11.00 Traversa just went off!! He launched into a truely massive aerial, while pulling a tail grab at the same time. That score will be big!

10.57 Campello and Juban have started well, but no proper sets have come through yet. Traversa has also just clockked up a high scoring wave. All even so far. Baker and Williams advance from the previous heat.

10.55 On the water now is heat 42: Porcella, Campello, Juban, Traversa.

10.53 Williams just killed it, with a massive aerial, then some awesome riding. He’s sailed an amazing heat. Baker also finished with a good wave, boosting a forward loop off the lip to finish it & Siver had a good ride. Ojeda didn’t have the best of heats. Heat ends.

10.48 Baker and Williams both find bigs sets to work to the inside. Their score sheets are looking healthy. Siver also got a really nice wave. He’s cranking far and away the most vertical and aggressive turns but isn’t haveing much luck finding decent waves.

10.43 Siver finds a good section to launch an aerial off, but the wave wave short lived, dying out pretty early on. Baker and Williams are the guys to beat right now.

10.40 Siver’s visiting the rocks after a brilliant wave ride that closed out on the inside. He’s all good though, nothing broken.

10.37 Baker nails the ride of the heat so far. A huge aerial started a high scoring mix of over vertical top turns and super cranked bottom turns. Technical and aggressive sailing from the Brit.

10.35 Siver launches into a massive aerial but bails on the landing. Luckily he waterstarts away before the next set. Williams guns down the line into a smooth aerial on the inside. Another good wave from him. Advancing from the previous heat are Polakow and Browne.

10.32 Baker narrowly misses an encounter with the rocks thanks to some solid front crawl. Ojeda airs over the top of him with a nice, but small wave. Nothing epic in this one so far.

10.28 Williams starts the heat well with a small, but well ridden wave. Not much coming through right now. Siver got a few really nive turns in, but the waves aren’t really extending down the point.

10.26 Heat ends. Next up it’s heat 41: Siver, Ojeda, Baker, Williams. The top two sailors advance.

10.19 The sets have backed off here at Ponta Preta, even so it doesn’t stop Browne from picking up a small wave and working it for all it’s worth. Impressive sailing from him.

10.14 Browne gets back into contention with a long and fluid ride to the inside. Sorlut also found a good set to work with. All pretty even in this one so far, hard to call a stand-out player.

10.10 Polakow weaved his way around the debris of Browne, who got wiped out on the wave before him. Another decent, but only moderate scoring wave from him. Taboulet picked off a nice set but dropped off the shoulder, likewise Sorlut cranked a big aerial but dropped off the back on landing.

10.08 Taboulet finds a good size wave and cranks some decent turns right to the inside. Polakow followed with the next wave of the set, getting really vertical, but often having to gun down the line to make the section.

10.06 No sets coming through right now. The riders are waiting out the back. Advancing from heat 39 are Juban and Traversa.

10.05 Green flag up. Browne starts the heat well with a decent set wave and some nice turns. That was a good wave to get on the score sheet so early on.

09.58 Heat ends. Next up it’s heat 40: Taboulet, Sorlut, Polakow, Browne. The top two sailors advance from this 25 minute heat. Two waves to count. Currently it’s about 15-20 knots cross offshore, with head to mast high waves and occasionally bigger.

09.54 Juban just nailed another wave. It’s impressive how vertical he’s getting on the wave, he’s just a level above the other guys in this heat. Fernandez also scored a solid wave, with some safe but decent riding.

09.53 Traversa notches up another sick aerial, but goes for a super late smack at the end and pays the price with a chunky lip to the head.

09.48 Traversa just launched into a huge aerial, sadly the rest of the wave didn’t really shape up for him. Amazing stuff though. Juban has been the real stand-out in this heat

09.45 Campello and Porcella advance from heat 38.

09.43 Juban nails the ride of the heat so far, cranking super-tight turns and some awesome aerials. The wave just went on, and on. He’s sailing really well.

09.39 Ceballos pulls onto a big set, launching into two, decent big aerials and mixing in some nice turns. Sadly he crashes at the end. Traversa takes the set infront of him, riding it to the bitter end at the far left of the beach.

09.36 Juban draws the first blood with a really smooth wave ride. He’s looking solid. Fernandez takes a trip to the rocks after a crash.

09.33 Green flag up. Heats have been shortened to 25 minutes, 2 waves to count.

09.31 Heat ends. That was inspirational stuff and conditions are only getting better, if that’s possible. Next up it’s heat 39: Fernandez, Juban, Ceballos and Traversa. Stay tuned.

09.27 The mother set just rolled through. It was massive, absolutely massive. Volwater and Porcella picked off waves that were way above their masts. There aren’t words to describe the conditions here right now. It’s going off in a big way, it’s epic.

09.25 Campello just killed it, a huge aerial, super vertical turns and a sick air taka to finish the wave. That was amazing!

09.22 Volwater rides a wave right to the inside, he was still riding the wave when there were dry rocks exposed infront of him. Risky stuff.

09.20 Voget and Porcella with another wave. The score sheets are just overloaded with awesome waves. This is world class sailing in world class conditions.

09.15 Porcella comes in with another awesome wave. He’s on fire right now. Voget picked off a big set, working some solid turns but fell at the end. He might be lucky and miss hitting the rocks. It’s a real gamble for the sailors, one mistake and they’re almost certainly on the rocks and risking broken gear. Tactics are everything out here.

09.13 Voget and Campello both secure another wave. There’s so much on offer here, the sets just won’t stop coming.

09.09 Another good ride from Volwater. This was a smaller wave, but he worked it well, staying right in the pocket, and avoiding an encounter with the rocks. Porcella follows suit, possibly exceeding Volwater’s ride with some really tight top turns and a floaty aerial.

09.04 Volwater just notched up an inspirational ride. He cranked around 8 turns, right in the critical section. He’s looking really strong right now.

09.01 Porcella just nailed the aerial of the heat. Conditions have really switched on here. This is Ponta Preta at its very best; consistent mast high waves and a solid cross offshore wind.

08.57 A big set just came through, with all 4 sailors picking off a wave, and all four falling. They are all on the rocks now, a harsh reminder of just how brutal Ponta Preta can be.

08.53 Campello picks off a set, cranking 3 turns and an aerial. A solid wave for the score sheet but nothing epic.

08.50 Porcella launches intot a huge aerial, but gets caught by the white water and gets washed onto the rocks. Luckily the 45 minutes heat should give him plenty of time to make it back to the break.

08.49 Campello and Voget start the heat well with a set wave each. Both sailors floated nice aerials on the logo to mast high sets.

08.45 Heat 38: Volwater, Porcella, Voget and Campello (top two sailors advance) is running now.

08.25 Competition is scheduled to begin at 8.45am, starting with heat 38. Heats will be 45 minutes long, with two waves counting to the sailors’ final scores. At present there’s light to moderate side-shore wind and logo high waves at Ponta Preta.

08.05 Good morning and welcome to day 5 of coverage of the Cabo Verde PWA World Cup. The sailors have their skippers meeting at 8.15am, with a first possible start to the day’s competition scheduled for 8.30am local time. Stay tuned for more updates shortly.

JA: “Well the event’s primarily run by the government, but my brother-in-law, myself, and one of my companies here in Sal are the international force behind the event. We put an unbelievable amount of work into it, which we’re starting to see the fruits of this year with things like the beach football championships, and the massive event tent. Ultimately, the realisation of this event is a testament to the Cabo Verdean peoples’ attitudes, strengths, and the union as a country and group of people. Even in difficult times everyone came together at the right time to help make this amazing event happen.”

PWA: The event seems to be growing every year, what’s new for 2009?

JA: “There’s a whole bunch of new stuff for 2009. This is the first year we’ve had the event tent. It’s 1200 square metres, and the very first of its type in our country, so the very first time this tent has ever been used is for the World Cup, and now the Island will have access to it for numerous other events like the big music festivals out here. I’m also psyched to have a better judges’ stand and sailors’ area. Also we have Roberto Hoffman out here commentating on all the action in three different languages. There’s also a dedicated event website, and numerous smaller measures the people don’t really see, but all go towards making the event that much better.”

PWA: The local guys seem to be ripping, how much windsurfing talent is there on the island?

JA: “Well if you have a look at the guys here, the current kite boarding World Champion is born and raised here in Santa Maria, he’s also competed in the windsurfing for the last two years. A lot of the guys are getting into kiting, windsurfing, surfing, body boarding…they are a really multi-talented group of people. The talent pool runs so deep, and as the infrastructure grows they’ll be more sails, boards and equipment for people to learn on.”

PWA: Your board brand, Angulo Boards, have just become a corporate sponsor of the World Tour. What made you decided to back the PWA?

JA: “I’ve always supported the PWA throughout my windsurfing career, and as Angulo Boards have expanded as a brand we though this was the right time to fully commit to the World Tour by becoming a corporate partner. I think having a professional relationship with the PWA will give me the opportunity to share my ideas and thoughts for the future of the sport, it’s something I’m really happy to be part of, and excited about what the future holds.”

PWA: Can you tell us a bit about the 2009 Angulo range?

JA: The 2009 Angulo range has taken a big step forward this year, we re-did our whole range and introduced a twin fin board. We’ve also remodelled our Chango line, which is a proven hardcore wave board. We re-did our SuperGu line; the sumo we chose to keep the same as last year. It’s a proven board with a really good shape, but now with a nice new graphic. We’ve also brought in a whole new freestyle-wave line called the Creola, based around the beauty of the Cabo Verdean women and the Creole culture. It’s the jewel of our line. And we’ve also come out with the Magnum, which is a three board slalom range to cover all the conditions we get on the PWA World Tour. The three boards literally cover everything, we’re really excited about them. I think this is going to be a big year for us!”

Josh Angulo is sponsored by Angulo Boards, MauiSails and Dakine. You can find the 2009 Angulo board range at www.anguloboards.com

Tomorrow’s skippers meeting is set for 8.15am, with a first possible start scheduled for 8.45am local time (GTM -1). Be sure to tune into pwaworldtour.com to follow all the action as the double elimination is gradually narrowed down to the final two-man showdown.

PWA / Andrew Buchanan

In the meantime, you can browse the event’s photo gallery, check out video footage from the event so far.

17.30 End for today

17.15 No change at Ponta Preta. Competition remains on standby.

16.45 Competition remains on standby while the offshore wind continue to skunk the double elimination’s progress. Stay tuned for more updates.

16.19 Competition is still on standby here at Ponta Preta. Stay tuned for more updates.

16.00 No change here in Cabo Verde, big swell but offshore wind. Competition is still on standby. Next announcement will be at 4.15pm. Stay tuned.

15.33 We’re still on standby. The swell has picked up, with some absolutely massive sets rolling down the point, sadly it’s still really offshore. Next update at 4pm.

15.15 We’re still on standby here at Ponta Preta. There’s the odd monster set coming through but the offshore wind is still making it impossible to run competition. Stay tuned for more updates.

 

14.47 Heat cancelled. The wind is just too light for the guys to get out the impact zone. It’s unfortunate as the swell is epic. Lets hope more wind comes.

14.43 A massive set just came through and wiped out 3 of the 4 sailors. Only Voget remains standing. He took advantage to score a solid ride.

14.36 Heat duration is 30 minutes, the best two waves will be scored. No sets have come through as of yet.

14.33 Heat 38: Voget, Porcella, Volwater and Campello (top 2 sailors advance)is underway. Porcella has had really bad luck and got washed onto the rocks within the first minute of the heat. His gear is in quite a few bits now.

14.15 We’re on! Conditions have switched on and Ponta Preta is firing once again. The action will kick off with heat 38 at 2.30pm. Stay tuned!

14:00 While waiting for stronger wind competitors not loosing time and do surfing. Jason Polakow does SUP with some incredible wipe outs. Check out few shots from surfing session.

 

13.45 There’s been no real change in conditions here at present. The ground swell is a good size, but the wrong angle for Ponta Preta to work well. The wind is also light and offshore. Competition remains on standby should conditions improve. The next announcement will be at 2pm, with a first possible start at 2.15pm.

12.45 Competition is still on hold. At present most of the wave fleet are taking advantage of the light offshore wind to surf at Ponta Preta, where the left hander is churning out the odd monster.

12.00 Competition remains on hold here at the event HQ on Ponta Preta. Stay tuned.

11.15 Still no change here at Ponta Preta. The next announcement will be at 11.45am, stay tuned. The event crew is setting up the huge tent on the beach where we will have live concerts over next days and all kinds of party action going on.

 

11.00 The wind has backed right off now. Competition is still on standby while we wait for conditions to improve.

10.30 No change here at Ponta Preta, competition remains on standby.

10.00 Good morning and welcome to day 4 of coverage of the Cabo Verde PWA World Cup. At present there’s a small but building ground swell at Ponta Preta. Competition has been placed on hold until conditions improve sufficiently to restart the double elimination. Stay tuned for the next update at 10.30am.

Check out the movie showing Cape Verdian guy Djo Silva CV-11 joining PWA World Cup event on Cabo Verde.