NEWS BULLETIN

Just when you thought the news has gone quite and the wind and waves are taking a break…BOOM! The latest Windsurf News Bulletin has arrived fresh on your screen! We have more twists and turns than your best forward loop and lots of juicy gossip to keep you entertained; so…lets dive in and find out what has been happening out there!

Photos: John Carter, Fish Bowl Diaries, Maleen Hoekstra, WWT and Sailing Energy.

CHILE

Well, the riders are gathering in Chile for the first 5-star event of the season. The dreamy location and epic scenery of Matanzas will be the event HQ from 23^rd March right through until the 6^th of April. John Carter was in Chile many years ago with Francisco Goya and Vidar Jensen when parcels of land were for sale around $10,000 euro. Of course, JC didn’t buy, the same plots are now worth €250,000 to €500,000, or even more…ouch!

Baptiste Cloarec and Marc Pare will be joining the party this year having missed out in 2024 and those two riders can certainly shake things up.

Liam Dunkerbeck will be out to prove himself on his new Duotone gear, while Philip Köster will no doubt be gunning for victory after a relatively disappointing 2024 season for his standards.

Last years winner, Camille Juban is always a force to be reckoned with, while current world champion, Marcilio Browne will no doubt be prepared to defend his title and will be armed with his normal Goya quiver of weapons. Then there are the likes of Morgan Noireaux, Julian Salmonn, Victor Fernandez, Bernd Roediger, Antoine Martin and pretty much the whole Japanese crew who could shake up the mix!

It would be almost impossible to call the finalists with such a heavy-duty line in the men’s fleet. According to our sources, there have already been plenty of epic days in Chile, with early arrivals Antoine Martin, Baptiste Cloarec, Morgan Noireaux, Victor Fernandez and Marc Paré scoring epic sessions at Matanzas and Topocalma.

In the women’s competition Lina Erpenstein will no doubt be headed to South America to see if she can repeat her historic victory in 2024. This year Lina will also have to cope with the current world champion, Sarah Quita Offringa who just arrived in Chile to start training. Sol Degriek is growing and improving with by the day and will be a threat alongside, Alexie Kiefer Quintana, Justyna Sniady, Mariah Andres and Pauline Katz. Let’s hope the conditions are as insane as last year!

Marc Paré

“I actually came early before going to Puerto Rico and that was a good decision as ever since I got back it’s been super busy and all riders are very anxious and eager to train and warm up before the event. We haven’t had too many days of sailing, but it’s certainly been really epic conditions once the wind showed up. The sand banks also keep just getting better and better. When I first arrived 4 weeks ago the sandbanks were really bad and the wave was just closing out and was really bumpy. So, it’s super exciting it have it come to it’s more “normal” rhythm.

Honestly, I think it will be a really exciting event as literally everyone is sailing amazing and everyone is fired up! From my side, Chile and specially the spot of Matanzas feel extra special to me and I hold a special connection to the place, so I would really love to be on the podium and even more to win it. That would be a dream come true.

I’m really looking forward to compete and hopefully put some solid heats together showcasing how I’m capable of sailing here!

Bring it on! It’s going to be epic!”

If anybody has a spare first-class ticket going to Chile and a beachfront room at the Surazo Hotel, with free food and beer included we would happily sacrifice JC from office duties to attend!

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Sarah Quita Offringa

“I’ve always wanted to go to Chile and finally this year It could make it happen!

It was such an easy trip for once from Aruba. 1.5 hr to Panama and then 6 hours to Santiago.

I arrived at midnight and from there it was still 2.5 hr drive to Matanzas. It was about sunrise when I arrived and I couldn’t believe my eyes. This place is beautiful! It reminds me a bit of Australia.. Margaret River actually.

I’m staying somewhere on top of a hill for the moment with Pauline Katz and the view is fantastic. I can feel my self unwind instantly!

We spent the whole afternoon at Matanzas and it was so good to see everyone again. Apparently today was the perfect day to get in the water because the days before were really big! I was really lacking some sleep, so i took to my usual remedy: A quick coffee shot. and off I was to the water. I was really powered on the 4.7. by now I heard so many stories about how tricky the wave is etc etc.

But all I  could think was how FUN it was to be out there with everyone.  Especially being at a totally new spot it was a little bit daunting in the beginning seeing some rocks and plenty riders coming back to the beach with broken gear!

But once I was on the water, I eased into it and really enjoyed sailing. I felt like I had already been there before, but i think it’s a bit of a combination of some other places I’ve been too and the fact that I’ve watched so many videos of the spot.

People were going off all day on the wave and it was a pleasure to be a part of it!

Antoine Martin and Takuma really stood out to me as well as Lisa Wermeister! (obviously everyone is ripping). I hope I can still catch some good sailing days before the contest starts!

The atmosphere at the beach and the local’s vibe is very laid back and friendly.

The water is a touch colder than I expected. The wave was better than what I have been hearing. The rocks less scary from the water than from the beach and the surroundings are just incredible. It’s already the trip I’ve dreamt of!”

CHILE WARM UP VIDEO!

PUERTO RICO WWT 4-star

It took a while to make it through to the finals in Puerto Rico due to some tricky conditions, but the waves finally came through on the last day of the event. Bernd Roediger shone through in the light winds to secure victory in the men’s final ahead of Takara Ishii who looks to be on fire this year, with local sailor Vincent Beauvarlet claiming third. Over to the ladies and Maria Andres fought her way back to take the event victory ahead of Kaelyn Holmes in second and Coco Foveau back in third. It didn’t look like we saw quite the best of Puerto Rico’s wave conditions, but the spot sure did show some epic potential. Bernd Roediger has written an excellent piece on his experiences in Puerto Rico and we will be posting that separately.

Coco Foveau speaks out!

Coco Foveau was clearly unhappy with the outcome in the women’s competition and sent us the following report to voice her opinions:

“I had the opportunity to visit Puerto Rico for the “Wind Warrior” World competition, a prestigious event rated 4 out of 5 stars on the global ranking scale. Briefly, the number of stars determines the points awarded to competitors towards the World title.

We had a great small team from Guadeloupe, including pro riders such as Antoine Martin, our videographer, local riders looking for fun, and friends, including my boyfriend Morgan Noireaux. We didn’t feel out of place in terms of climate, but the Americanization of the island was immediately noticeable; fast-food chains every 200 meters in urban areas were particularly striking!

From a nature perspective, Puerto Rico was spectacular, rich in surf and windsurf spots, with incredibly welcoming and friendly locals. Having a car is strongly recommended to fully experience the island. Unfortunately, since we were there for the competition and conditions weren’t ideal, we didn’t explore many spots. Nonetheless, this trip really made me eager to return for a freeride session because the island’s potential is amazing.

We explored four spots: Surfers, primarily for surfing but definitely suitable for windsurfing when windy; Jobos for surfing; Shaks, the main competition site; and Zarapas, another surf/windsurf spot where we also competed. These spots ranged between 10 minutes and 1.5 hours apart.

The event organization at Shaks was fantastic, with a beachfront villa as our base and regular social gatherings creating a wonderful atmosphere. I appreciated their flexible approach of relocating the competition, even an hour and a half away, if it meant better conditions.

Frustration

However, regarding the competition itself, I’m deeply disappointed by some internal decisions, particularly regarding the respect shown to us female competitors. I joined the IWT (now WWT) two years ago specifically because they respected riders, especially women, unlike my negative experiences with the PWA, where judges openly made disrespectful remarks such as, “conditions are terrible, let’s send out the girls.”

Initially, things seemed to be going well, with heats held at Zarapas. One heat was confusingly cancelled due to “non-optimal conditions,” despite being clearly manageable. We accepted this decision, believing it was in our best interest. The second heat was understandably cancelled due to genuinely poor conditions.

On the second-to-last day, conditions finally improved, yet internal decisions caused total confusion among all the female competitors. The wind was light, waves substantial, and currents strong, yet the heat duration wasn’t extended to improve fairness. We entered the water 18 minutes before our heat, yet when it started, no one except me had managed to reach the lineup. Expecting fairness from the organizers, I remained cautious, believing the heat would certainly be cancelled. Shockingly, it wasn’t. This turned out to be a huge tactical error on my part, but I would have found no satisfaction winning under such circumstances.

Realizing the heat was validated left me extremely frustrated with myself. Conditions deteriorated even further during the following heat. Despite thorough preparation, none of us could perform adequately. Additionally, I began experiencing symptoms related to my ongoing concussion recovery, loss of balance, seasickness, intrusive thoughts—and with mounting frustration, I nearly had an anxiety attack. Maria Andres and I returned to shore, visibly upset, as this heat was also validated despite only one woman managing a minimal wave. Ironically, the following men’s heat was cancelled under identical conditions.

A subsequent meeting led to private apologies but no official changes, despite unanimous agreement among competitors to invalidate both heats.

On the final day at Zarapas, conditions were better, yet the previous day’s trauma clearly impacted everyone’s performance. I made strategic mistakes and ended second in the day’s only heat. Although disappointed, my frustration was directed at myself, which I can handle. However, the unfairness from the day before still lingers, especially since the promised fourth heat to compensate for the fiasco never occurred, despite suitable conditions.

I intentionally haven’t included the overall rankings because I believe they inaccurately represent the competitors’ true abilities—two heats out of three had only one woman managing a marginal performance. Such outcomes are unacceptable and damaging to women’s sports. I hope this experience deeply affects judging decisions in the future and that any future errors will be publicly acknowledged rather than just privately.

Despite the negative sporting experience, I cherish the overall memories from Puerto Rico, especially thanks to the incredible hospitality of locals like Irene, Nelson, Charlie, and Mickael.

A vlog will follow soon, as video editing clearly takes longer than writing! I’ll keep you updated on its release.

Next stop: Chile, for a new event and fresh energy.”

Ciao, Coco

iQFOiL

The iQFOiL International Games event in Cadiz saw some epic story weather which was challenging for the racers and crew alike. There was lots of rain, swell and strong winds making for some tough but interesting conditions. In the men’s races Grae Morris of Australia took the victory in the Medal race ahead of Max Castelein in second with Finn Hawkins with an excellent result in third! In the women’s fleet Tamar Steinberg took the gold ahead of fellow Israeli, Sharon Kantor with Emma Wilson taking the bronze!

Emma Wilson

“The conditions in Cadiz were mega. The forecast was always looking pretty strong and it produced. I had some good speed but sometimes just went a bit too fast and couldn’t control it so had a few too many swims, but for me it’s really good to be pushing at this stage. I really enjoy windsurfing when I push the limits, that’s what keeps me motivated and enjoying it, so even though I crashed maybe a bit too much I came away happy. Also, for me entering the medal race in 4th position was a new experience and I was happy to make it through the semi-final.”

HOLIDAY NEWS

CLUB VASS

Club Vass tell us ‘Windsurf or Wing, which is your thing?” They have just a few places left for the first week of the summer season kicking off on the 18th May! And you can grab a bargain at £100 OFF per person! Now that is a deal! And there are still some space on their Beginner & Intermediate Wing Clinics, but hurry and get booked up or you could miss out!

Head to CLUB VASS for more details!

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TRANSFER UPDATE

Goya and Quatro have been recruiting another Japanese hotshot and this time it is the brother of Takara Ishii (who is already onboard), Hayata Ishii!

Francisco Goya announced on social media: “We’re beyond stoked to announce Hayata Ishii is joining the Goya Windsurfing family! Don’t let his age fool you! He’s put in thousands of hours on the water, from Omaezaki to Pozo to charging Jaws. And the real question? Which Ishii brother will claim the World Wave Championship first? One thing’s for sure: it won’t be long before they’re both gunning for the top. It’s an absolute honour to welcome you, Hayata. Can’t wait to share many epic rides!”

Quatro shaper Keith Teboul posted: Keith: “Beyond excited to welcome Hayata to the Quatro Windsurfing Team! As the shaper behind Quatro’s boards, it’s always a special moment bringing a new rider on board; especially someone with Hayata’s talent and dedication. I’ve watched his progression over the years, and his style and commitment to wave riding really stands out. He blends fluidity with power, always pushing the boundaries of what’s possible. That’s exactly the kind of energy we look for; riders who inspire, innovate, and challenge themselves. With Hayata’s feedback, we’ll keep refining our boards and designs, ensuring we deliver the best for the next generation of windsurfers. Can’t wait to see what he accomplishes! Welcome aboard, Hayata. Let’s make some magic!”

Hayata commented: “I am now able to ride the board I have always dreamed of. I am truly grateful to Francisco for taking me seriously and offering me a sail. More than ever, I am happy to be part of this sport and industry and to devote myself even more to it.”

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