JAPAN DSQ DISCUSSED

After a dramatic last minute disqualification when on the verge of a maiden world title at the age of just 20 - Johan Søe tells his version of events.

- Johan Søe

THE AFTERMATH

Obviously, what happened to me during the last couple of hours on the final day in Japan was extremely devastating. I raced the best all year and I was without a doubt the most consistent guy on tour during all the events, especially when you consider that I was not even in Pozo because I had to finish school. I was not faster than the other top guys, as a matter of fact, I was actually slower speed-wise on the bigger sizes. The reason that I did the best was simply because I was starting and gybing better, as well as smarter and more consistently, than all of the other sailors no matter the conditions. In Japan I also I felt really good and ready to kick some which I did. I had prepared myself really well the month before, working super hard both in the gym and also on the water - where I had my father sitting in the boat setting a course and running starts for many hour-long sessions in freezing cold Denmark. I was really looking forward to the battle for the title, which I won.

THE SAIL IN QUESTION

I had no idea that the sail was not to the correct specs. I did know that the sail had been corrected by Point-7 at the beginning of the year to make it comply with the registered specifications, and therefore I did not give it one single thought. Had I known, or even suspected, that something was not right, I would simply just have taken my other 7.8m, which I had raced on during all of the other events. The reason I did not take the one that I was normally competing on was because I was testing some battens on my two 7.8m sails - one with production battens and one with carbon battens. The one with the carbon battens felt really good and I just took that one so I could feel really tuned in.

SHOCK