Fuerte – WTF

Photos – Oli Stauffacher

So I’ve been here two days and it’s been crazy getting back into sailing on 4.2 completely stacked. It’s been a long time since I really had sessions like this and one thing I know for sure, I’ve missed it!! The last 48 hours have been a fast learning curve for me. I decided to really just go all out and try and learn all the latest moves that the top guys are landing, by default my other moves, just the single moves, have gone a little … wild! Both days we sailed at Matas Blancas in the morning and then I sailed at centre 1 in the afternoon. The first day Steven was out as well as Loick Spicher and a few others, and from just that one session it is obvious that EVERYONE has been training like a group of wild beasts over the winter. The moves are insane! Big double forwards, massive pushloops, air skopus, double/triple combos, one handed, no handed, just about everything you can think of… So it is all fairly inspiring to watch and then try and copy, albeit pretty savage on the body. As many of you will know, last year I couldn’t compete because I crashed hard on a pushloop just a couple days before the competition, well this first two days has cemented a bit of fear back in to my mind about ending up back at the hospital… I had a real bad one today where I was fairly unsure as to whether I had cracked a rib or two, I think I must have been sailing at about 35knots and then came to a dead stop on my boom clamp as I planted my body full speed into it! Although I have no planes to slow down on the progression, I will do my best to stay well clear of the hospital. Oh and gawwwd-damn-it those Patrik boards are working, as well as being super popular out here!

So to cut a long story short, the plan is to update every few days with pictures and perhaps even do something similar to Ben Proffitts Pozo Training Diaries if I can get round to getting the video camera out and filming, also I think a few more people need to turn up… Unfortunately I’m not as well situated to film during lunch and after my sessions but we shall see. If not then it will just be round ups similar to this.

So putting myself aside, as obviously I’m sailing like a complete hero and deserve to be number one in the world…… there are a few others who have been impressing. No one more so than Youp Schmit who I have yet to see sail but have heard that he is sailing like some crazed animal! I managed to get a whole load of pictures off Oli Stauffacher and they certainly back up the claims. Just check out the height he is getting on his pushloops! Obviously Steven Van Broeckhoven is on fire, I’ve heard of countless perfect double forwards, I saw him pushloop over a guy, well at least that was my perspective of it… and in general you can see he means serious business this year. Aside from that there are plenty others stepping it up, but I’ll leave a lot of the actual moves people are training for you all to see during the competition.

Anyway that’s enough chat for now, check out the pictures below, feel free to rate them and enjoy this beastly update.

Finally, a massive thanks to Oli Stauffacher who took all the pictures and for letting me post them, some he wanted to hold back but allowed the permission for you all to enjoy! So any feedback would be much appreciated by him no doubt, leave a comment, etc… I’m sure you know how it works!