Victory for Antoine Albeau. Antoine wins the third stop of the PWA Nestea World Windsurfing Racing Tour in Sylt

Photo : PWA / Carter

After French all rounder Antoine Albeau (Neil Pryde, AHD), sealed event victory yesterday the pressure was all on Australian racer Steve Allen (Fanatic, Neil Pryde) to fend off the challenge from Britain’s Ross Williams (Gaastra, Starboard), in the fight for second place. With one race remaining to complete a maximum of 14 allowed at a Grand Slam, race director Klaus Michael set the marks close to the beach with the course designed to keep the element enduring crowds riveted to the action.

With the atmosphere tense out on the start line it was Devon Boulon (F2) of the US Virgin Islands who was on the money, leading the fleet towards the upwind mark, with Ross Williams hot on his heels in second, Kevin Pritchard (Starboard, Gaastra) third, Pieter Bijl (Fanatic, Neil Pryde) fourth and then Steve Allen chasing back in fifth. On the downwind leg Williams hit gas and stepped up into overdrive overtaking Boulon who fell as he gibed in the shore break. With the door wide open with Boulon in the water Pritchard and Allen also passed, both fighting tooth and nail to catch the wake of Williams out in the lead. Williams held his nerve and stormed around the rest of the course winning the race comfortably ahead of team mate Kevin Pritchard in second slot and Allen in third. Tense moments passed on the beach while the overall rankings were calculated, before Williams found out today’s bullet had been enough to clinch him the second slot on the podium fractionally ahead of Steve Allen who was forced to settle for third.

With no official wave competition taking place today, Aussie Wave guru Scott McKercher (Starboard) otherwise known as ‘Gramps’, has become the 2004 PWA men’s overall world champion, ahead of Norwegian Vidar Jensen (North) in second and ex world champion Bjorn Dunkerbeck (Neil Pryde) in third. McKercher drew from his years of competition experience to win earlier in the year in Pozo, Gran Canaria and did enough here in Sylt to finish in equal first with fifteen other sailors with the combined results clinching him this years title. McKercher (33) was modest in his victory and plans to stick around in Europe for the next few weeks before hitting Hawaii in November to catch the first of the Pacific winter swells !

With no women’s wave action taking place here in Germany, the winning performance of Daida Moreno (Mistral, North) at her home break in Gran Canaria back in August, proved enough for here to retain her status as women’s overall world wave champion. Daida’s, twin sister Iballa Moreno (Mistral, North) finished second overall with Karin Jaggi (F2, Arrows) of Switzerland taking third. Both Moreno sisters are also off to Hawaii in November while Jaggi is planning to stay in Europe and attempt to break the women’s speed sailing world record Record #sailingrecord .

The remaining event on this years PWA world tour will be the final of the Nestea PWA world racing tour due to take place in Almanarre between the 17th and 23rd of October. As it stands Steve Allen leads the rankings but with Antoine Albeau on fire here in Germany the race is on for the title, which is sure to go down to the wire in France.

• Men’s Racing Final Results

Pos Sailor Name Sail No
 1 ALBEAU Antoine F-192 Neil Pryde, AHD, Quiksilver, Atan,Select,Lava, Ford Leasing
 2 WILLIAMS Ross GBR-83
 3 ALLEN Steve AUS-0
 4 PRITCHARD Kevin US-3
 5 COSTA HOEVEL Gonzalo ARG-3

• Men’s WAVE Rankings 2004 (Best 2 events counting) after The 2004 Sylt PWA Grand Slam

Position Sailor First name Sail no Event 1 Score 1 Event 2 Score 2 Points
 1 MCKERCHER Scott KA-181 GRAN CAN 2100 SYLT 1853 3953
 2 JENSEN Vidar N-44 GRAN CAN 2067 SYLT 1853 3920
 3 DUNKERBECK Bjoern E-11 GRAN CAN 2034 SYLT 1853 3887
 4 PRITCHARD Kevin US-3 GRAN CAN 1919 SYLT 1853 3772
 5 BAKER Nicholas K-66 GRAN CAN 1919 SYLT 1853 3772
 6 FERNANDEZ LOPEZ Victor E-42 GRAN CAN 1919 SYLT 1853 3772
 7 VOLWATER Peter H-24 SYLT 1853 GRAN CAN 1787 3640
 8 SANCHEZ Jonas Ceballos E-40 SYLT 1853 GRAN CAN 1787 3640
 9 VOGET Klaas G-4 SYLT 1853 GRAN CAN 1655 3508
 10 SKYE John K-57 SYLT 1853 GRAN CAN 1655 3508
 11 POLAKOW Jason KA-1111 SYLT 1853 Hawaii P 1638 3491
 12 MUSSOLINI Alex E-30 GRAN CAN 2001 SYLT 1325 3326
 13 JENSEN Orjan E-19 SYLT 1853 GRAN CAN 1457 3310
 14 ANGULO Josh US-11 GRAN CAN 1655 Hawaii P 1500 3155
 15 SEADI Kauli BRA-253 GRAN CAN 1787 SYLT 1325 3112
 16 ALLAWAY Greg KA-38 SYLT 1853 GRAN CAN 1193 3046
 17 HUART Xavier F-33 GRAN CAN 1655 SYLT 1325 2980
 18 OJEDA NILSEN Dario E-211 GRAN CAN 1457 SYLT 1325 2782
 18 SORLUT Yann F-60 GRAN CAN 1457 SYLT 1325 2782
 18 TABOULET Julien F-100 GRAN CAN 1457 SYLT 1325 2782

• Men’s RACING Rankings 2004 (Best 2 events counting) after The 2004 Sylt PWA Grand Slam

Position Sailor First name Sail no Event 1 Score 1 Event 2 Score 2 Points

 1 ALBEAU Antoine F-192 SYLT 2100 GRAN CAN 2034 4134
 1 ALLEN Steve AUS-0 GRAN CAN 2100 SYLT 2034 4134
 3 PRITCHARD Kevin US-3 GRAN CAN 2001 SYLT 2001 4002
 4 BUZIANIS Micah USA-34 GRAN CAN 2067 SYLT 1902 3969
 5 WILLIAMS Ross GBR-83 SYLT 2067 GRAN CAN 1770 3837
 6 BOULON Devon ISV-1 GRAN CAN 1869 SYLT 1836 3705
 6 DAGAN Arnon ISR-1 SYLT 1869 GRAN CAN 1836 3705
 8 BIJL Pieter NED-0 SYLT 1935 GRAN CAN 1638 3573
 9 MCGAIN Phil AUS-7 GRAN CAN 1902 SYLT 1638 3540
 10 COSTA HOEVEL Gonzalo ARG-3 SYLT 1968 GRAN CAN 1539 3507

• Women’s WAVE Rankings 2004 (Best 1 events counting) after The 2004 Sylt PWA Grand Slam

Position Sailor First name Sail no Event 1 Score 1 Points
 1 RUANO MORENO Daida E-64 GRAN CAN 2100 2100
 2 RUANO MORENO Iballa E-63 GRAN CAN 2067 2067
 3 JAGGI Karin Z-14 GRAN CAN 2034 2034
 4 ALONSO Nayra GC-4 GRAN CAN 2001 2001
 5 REICHMAN Anne H-98 GRAN CAN 1919 1919
 5 ALBA OROZCO Silvia E-67 GRAN CAN 1919 1919
 5 VOGT Claudia AUT-23 GRAN CAN 1919 1919
 5 WAHL Steffi G-303 GRAN CAN 1919 1919
 9 BLANCH Anna E-20 GRAN CAN 1787 1787
 9 HAUSBERG Andrea G-212 GRAN CAN 1787 1787
 9 OSTROWSKA Ania POL-00 GRAN CAN 1787 1787
 9 WIRAEUS Frida SWE-93 GRAN CAN 1787 1787