JOHAN SØE DOMINATES EPWT HANSTHOLM

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JOHAN SØE DOMINATES EPWT HANSTHOLM

Johan Søe…nicknamed ‘The Beast’…put on a commanding performance at the EPWT event in Hanstholm, Denmark, claiming victory in seven out of eight slalom foil races. Armed with his new Patrik slalom foil gear, Søe looked unstoppable on the water. Windsurf caught up with the Danish powerhouse to hear how his new equipment partnership is shaping up and what goals he’s set his sights on for the upcoming season. You can also watch the Windsurfing TV highlights from the final day here!

WS: Was this your first event on using the Patrick equipment?

JS: “Yeah, first event on the slalom equipment. I think I did ok winning seven out of eight races with one over early.”

WS: How, how do you feel the gear was working?

JS: “I feel the gear was working really well for me and I did not even have so much time to get to know the foil slalom gear, but straight away I felt really nice and comfortable so it has been a great success, I think so far. My top speed during the races in Denmark was 37.2 knots and I was using the Foil Slalom 85, Race HA and AEON foil system”

WS: How much of an adjustment do you have to make when you move to a new brand and have to get used to the new equipment?

JS: “So far for me, it was pretty easy, I was in Australia right after Japan last year in 2024 for two weeks working with Patrik and Alex Cousin. I gained some amazing knowledge about the gear and I was straight away happy with the brand.”

WS: Do you feel you’re going faster this year?

JS: “I used the Patrick foil already last year and that is amazing…you see it already on the world tour that almost everybody is using the Patrik foil. It’s just faster I think, so that is simple. The sail and board combination also fit perfectly and the trim is amazing with this equipment. I just want to keep improving, win some more races. Right now, I’m fully focused on the iQFOiL until this summer and then after that I switch more into slalom mode again for remaining PWA events!”

WS: So, the iQFOiL is your main number one goal?

JS: “We have the world championships coming up in my hometown this year in Aarhus in Denmark. It’s in my home and I really enjoy the sailing and the support from the Danish sailing Federation. It is a very professional setup and I learned a lot as a sailor training there. So that is my main goal this season”

WS: Is the long term goal the Olympics?

JS: “Yes, but I’m not thinking about the Olympics right now because it’s so far anyway. I would also like to win the PWA title as well. Let’s see with the discards this year. I just take it one at a time and we see from there.”

WS: So, if you won the rest of the PWA events this season you can still win the title?

JS: “Yeah, I guess so. I think I will do all the rest of the events.”

WS: So, it sounds like you are pretty happy with being on the Patrik team so far?

JS: “Absolutely and I love the iQFOiL gear as well so it’s really a perfect match if you like. I am very happy about the amazing performance, which is the most important thing in the end.”

WS: What do you love about the foil racing?

JS: “I think, we can go race in so many conditions; in light wind, strong wind and now on the iQFOiL foil we go up and downwind. We can go very fast on the slalom foil and it’s not so sensitive as the fin. It’s a lot of work tuning the gear and I just think it’s exciting to fly faster with the water on the foil. I was super overpowered during the EPWT races in Denmark this week, which was both and scary. But I absolutely enjoyed it. Lets see how the rest of the season pans out, but I am excited to be on this journey with Patrik to see how far we can take it”