When the going gets rough, what do you do with slalom stuff? The 2018 Ulsan PWA World Cup in Jinha Beach, South Korea tested PWA slalom sailors to their limits with high winds and choppy seas. So how do they adjust their tactics and equipment to handle the rough stuff and what did they think of some of the most extreme slalom racing to take place in years. A selection of the world’s best racers share their knowledge and experiences.
MATTEO IACHINO
Korea was proper slalom and very difficult sailing. I have never seen in my career so much chop and turbulence on the water. There was backwash from the island and waves coming from all directions. The first reach we were coming full speed down a battleground. We were getting the swell plus a cross-chop and then randomly a backwash coming the other direction. It was really hard-core. It was windy, but not offthe scale. The problem was more the sea state. Some heats were almost normal with the swell and chop, but others had a lot of backwash and very unpredictable conditions. It felt like a huge boat had passed by, sending in weird waves right before we gybed. In the end, it was the same for all the riders so it did not change my tactics. You go for more control in your setup. Some guys, like Julien Quentel, were going for maximum speed and he was full power, but I went for control. He did not look in control to me; I preferred to sail a bit easier and kind of relaxed and comfortable to avoid any crashes. In those conditions it was not just about making it to the first mark in front, it’s never like that when it’s windy. It’s more about staying as comfortable as possible on the board and making it round without crashing. If you are comfortable and you feel secure about your sailing then the race comes to you! If you just go for speed like you would in flat water then it can be tricky because you can lose control and go from first to last.
This story is from the Issue 387 - August 2018 edition of Windsurf.
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This story is from the Issue 387 - August 2018 edition of Windsurf.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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