Foil advantage

04/07/2023

With the wind oscillating between 20 and 30 knots, easing off towards the end of the afternoon, the 3rd day of the Gran Canaria Windsurf World Cup marked the return of the slalom discipline to the Pozo Izquierdo spot. And after some hard-hitting warm-up sessions on the previous days, Monday saw the foil competitors dominate the field, with Blanca Alabau and Enrico Marotti leading the way after a lively day...

14 years after the last race of its kind, the slalom returns to Pozo Izquierdo on Monday July 3 for the Gran Canaria Windsurf World Cup. The first races got underway in the early afternoon, with the small fleet comprising a total of 9 women and 28 men. While many took to the water with fins, Maciek Rutkowski, Enrico Marotti, Nico Prien and Michele Becker opted for foils. It wasn't long before the 4 boys were breaking away from the pack, proving that this type of craft offers exceptional performance. At almost the same speed, while the foil undoubtedly requires more control and attention in a straight line, when jibing, the difference is obvious, with better speed and optimal recovery.
Although the competitors with fins put up some resistance at the start of the day with Matteo Iachino, Jordy Vonk, Pierre Mortefon, Bruno Martini, Jimmy Thiémé and Taty Frans, after 3 valid races it was Enrico Marotti, Maciek Rutkowski and Nico Prien who were at the front. Tight and very fast, Marotti won 2 of the day's 3 finals, the last of which was won by Amado Vrieswijk. Among the rare competitors to have raced exclusively with fin, Frenchman Jimmy Thiémé is currently in 7th place, just behind Pierre Mortefon.

In the women's category, the fin was favoured by the competitors from the outset, with Spain's Blanca Alabau looking brave as she was the only one to take to the water in a foil. But as the day wore on, with 5 races completed, the E-3 option proved to be the right one, with 4 places in the top 3, including 2 wins. In finals that were just as exciting as the men's, Marion Mortefon, Jenna Gibson and Sarah-Quita Offringa each won 1 race. France's Justine Lemeteyer was a consistent performer, finishing 3rd on the day, behind Alabau and Offringa.
With 2 more days of slalom still to come, the final result remains wide open for both the women and the men, with foil support set to take over as the races progress, as long as the wind doesn't exceed 30-35 knots...