King of Fuerteventura

Maynard crowned ‘King of Fuerteventura’
Thursday, 23 August 2012 13:53

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Finian Maynard claimed a windsurfing world cup slalom title this year, despite recovering from a thigh injury weeks before the event.

While the Virgin Islands cheered on its athletes during the London Olympics, Mr. Maynard was competing in Ventura, California against more than 50 windsurfers from around the world.

“I am so pleased with this latest result and I want the good folks back home to know I am flying the flag high with a lot of pride,” Mr. Maynard said.

His victory earned him the ‘King of Fuerteventura’ title in the Professional Windsurfing Association Tour event.

Mr. Maynard moved to the VI at the age of 5. He was first introduced to windsurfing at the age of 7 and by age 15 he was winning international events.

For the past 27 years, Mr. Maynard has been representing the territory at various competitions around the world.  He returns home to the VI regularly to train and spend time with his family.

“The BVI is always my home, my people and it’s where I learnt to sail so every time I come home, it just feels so good,” Mr. Maynard said. “I get refreshed before I go back into a very heavy training and competition schedule.”

Mr. Maynard has six world champion speed titles, and in 2004 he set a world record for all sailing vessels in France with an average speed of 46.82 knots in 500 metres. The time beat the sailing craft Yellow Pages Endeavour, which previously held the record for 11 years. One year later, he broke his own record with a speed of 48.70 knots, which stood for four years. His record speeds were recognised by the World Sailing Speed Record Council.

Off the water, Mr. Maynard owns a sail company, Avanti, which he reportedly credited for his recent victory.

He now has his sights set on the World Cup event in Turkey on Aug. 27 to Sept. 1, where he hopes to find a spot on the podium.

Last Updated on Thursday, 23 August 2012 13:56
 

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Finian wins Fuertaventura

25.07.2012 - by: Chris Yates
PWA FUERTEVENTURA

DAY 5 : MAYNARD WINS HIS FIRST EVENT OF THE YEAR IN FUERTEVENTURA
The final day of the slalom looked as though we would see another day of classic Fuerteventura conditions, as the morning started in much the same fashion as yesterday. However after an eleven O’clock start, which allowed three heats to be completed, the wind unexpectedly disappeared. On several occasions the wind did threaten to return but it was never for a prolonged period meaning that the sailors endured a frustrating day on standby with no more heats being completed. Shortly before 4pm the sailors were released for the final time, which means that Finian Maynard (RRD / Avanti) is crowned the King of Fuerteventura after a simply brilliant performance yesterday. Maynard won two eliminations and finished third in the other yesterday to claim his place at the top of the podium ahead of Ben Van Der Steen (Starboard / Loft / Mystic / Different) and Antoine Albeau (RRD / NeilPryde). The event site was still surrounded by a vibrant atmosphere as the crowds poured into the event tent to see the closing ceremony of the men’s slalom, as well as the live music and dancing.

Men’s Elimination Five

The first heat of the day saw Pierre Mortefon (Fanatic / North) be the first man to book his place in the next round after an accomplished display, which saw the Frenchman take the lead at the first mark ahead of Patrick Diethelm (Patrik / Loft), Pieter Bijl (JP / NeilPryde) and Sean O’Brien (Starboard / Point-7 / Mystic). The top three would remain unchanged for the remainder of the heat but Danny Aeberli (F2 / KA Sail) was able to overtake O’Brien by the third mark to claim the final qualifying spot.

Heat two needed to be restarted after Kai Kaufmann was a little too eager to cross the start line. Upon the restart Andrea Ferin (RRD / Challenger / AL360) made the best start of the pack but he couldn’t hold onto his lead. By the first mark the Italian found himself in fourth place, as Peter Volwater (Fanatic / Avanti) leapt into the lead ahead of Julien Quentel (RRD / NeilPryde) and Tine Slabe (RRD / Challenger / Different). Volwater went on to win the heat in convincing fashion and in the end Quentel, Slabe and Ferin all qualified, whilst Frederic Morin (Starboard / NeilPryde) chose not to complete the course after sailing down the finishing straight in fifth place.

The third heat of the day was dominated by a flying Ludovic Jossin (Patrik / Loft) as he led from start to finish. By the end of the heat the Frenchman had opened up a significant lead over his closest rival Andrea Rosati (RRD / Gaastra) in second. The top four was completed by Benoit Moussilmani (Tabou / Simmer) and Alberto Menegatti (Starboard / Gaastra), with the latter managing to overtake Thibault Bernard (JP / NeilPryde) to claim the final qualifying place. 

Unfortunately at this point the wind dropped meaning that neither heat four or the fifth elimination could be completed as the slalom drew to a close for another year in Fuerteventura. 

At the end of the day we caught up with yesterday’s winner and the overall event winner, Finian Maynard, to see how his week has been:

PWA : Not only did yesterday represent your first elimination victories of the year, but you’ve now won the whole event. How are you feeling?

Finian Maynard : “It feels wonderful, especially after having such a tough year up to now, which has been well documented. I’m just ecstatic.”

PWA : How would you try and sum this week up?

Finian Maynard : “I’d say that this week has been a bit strange. But the racing we had was good, especially yesterday which enabled racing of the highest quality and probably the best racing of the year. I personally wanted to do another three rounds today because I had such a great time yesterday but it is what it is and overall it was a great event. We still managed to run enough eliminations for a discard and now I am really looking forward to Turkey.”

PWA : You own your own sail company, Avanti, do you think your sails gave you an advantage out on the water?

Finian Maynard : “To be honest yesterday saw some really tricky conditions and it was very choppy, I think that our technology certainly helped. Our sails are very light and stable, and they are extremely easy to handle especially when you are overpowered in the big gusts and they are great in the turn as well. I definitely feel that we have an advantage in those kind of conditions.”

That’s not the end of the action though, as tomorrow the PWA Freestyle competition begins and it will be running for the next five days. The skippers’ meeting will be held at 10am tomorrow morning with the action commencing from 10:30am if the conditions are suitable. Of course you’ll be able to see all of the incredible action live by tuning intowww.pwaworldtour.com and watching the live stream. 

Overall Results of Men’s Slalom - PWA Fuerteventura

1st Finian Maynard (RRD / Avanti)

2nd Ben Van Der Steen (Starboard / Loft / Mystic / Different)

3rd Antoine Albeau (RRD / NeilPryde)

4th Bjorn Dunkerbeck (Starboard / Severne / Mystic / Dunkerbeck Eyewear / Chris Benz)

5th Cyril Moussilmani (Starboard / Severne / Mystic)

Scope the action

For more information on all the entrants, and to keep up to date with every piece of the action, click on www.pwaworldtour.comHere you can use our:- Live ticker service for heat-by-heat bulletins- Check live elimination ladders- View results- Read daily news summaries- Browse awesome action photo galleries- Follow the event live, with top class commentary from pros and industry insiders.

There is also a dedicated website at www.fuerteventura-worldcup.org

Or for more information, please contact the PWA office via info@pwaworldtour.com

FInian number one !!

24.07.2012 
- by: Chris Yates

PWA FUERTEVENTURA

DAY 4 : MAYNARD DOMINATES AFTER A SCINTILLATING PERFORMANCE

The fourth day of the PWA Fuerteventura Grand Slam finally delivered the kind of conditions that everyone has been waiting for, as the slalom sailors reached for their smallest boards and sails from 6.2m to 7.8m. The wind blew all day which enabled three full eliminations to be completed. As the day came to a close it was Finian Maynard (RRD / Avanti) that dominated as he finished the day with two bullets and a third place, after a simply magnificent performance. Maynard was clearly delighted by his days work and no one can blame him after what has been a largely frustrating season thus far, due to injuries and kit breakages, all of which will make today’s victory all the sweeter. 

Men’s Elimination Two

Winners’ Final

Finian Maynard made the perfect start to the winners’ final as he crossed the start line in pole position, but Antoine Albeau (RRD / NeilPryde) was soon breathing down his neck and by the first mark Albeau had maneuvered himself into the lead, whilst Ben Van Der Steen (Starboard / Loft / Mystic / Different) fell at the first mark to ruin his chances of claiming back-to-back victories. The big Frenchman only extended his lead over the remainder of the course as he flew around the course at mach ten. His fellow countryman Pierre Mortefon (Fanatic / North) was his closest challenger in second place followed by Maynard, who claimed his best finish of the season so far, and Cyril Moussilmani (Starboard / Severne / Mystic). Bjorn Dunkerbeck (Starboard / Severne / Mystic / Dunkerbeck Eyewear / Chris Benz) endured a torrid time as his finished eighth, after an altercation at the second mark.

Elsewhere in race two, yesterday’s third place finisher, Peter Volwater (Fanatic / Avanti), failed to escape the first round after a poor start cost him dearly. The Dutchman did his very best to fight back but in the end he couldn’t quite catch Matteo Iachino (F2 / Challenger / Mystic / AL360), as he finished in fifth. The final heat of the first round saw an epic battle for fourth between Andrea Cucchi (Patrik / Point-7) and Kurosh Kiani (Fanatic / Simmer), both sailors powered down the final leg desperate to clinch the final qualifying place and in the end the Italian, Cucchi, managed to find an extra knot or two to beat Kiani to the line. For the first time in a long time Jimmy Diaz (Starboard / North) would be missing from the semi-finals as would Ross Williams (Tabou / Gaastra) and Antoine Questel (Starboard / Loft).

Men’s Elimination Three

Winners’ Final

Fresh from his best finish of the season Finian Maynard was in buoyant mood and he started his second winners’ final with aplomb as he burst into the lead. This time around Maynard managed to hold his lead into the first mark ahead of Dunkerbeck, Van Der Steen and Angulo and he went onto win his first race of the season after leading from start to finish with a quite brilliant performance. Maynard looked blisteringly quick and super smooth in the gybes as he left his opponents in his wake. Behind him though there was still plenty of action as Severne teammates, Dunkerbeck and Cyril Moussilmani battled for second place. On this occasion Moussilmani managed to get the better of the terminator as he had a better exit to his final gybe, to claim second. Meanwhile, Van Der Steen, steam rolled down the final leg to overtake Dunkerbeck as the Dutchman finished in third place after his victory yesterday.

The opening round of the third elimination saw no upsets but Antoine Albeau can be very grateful to Antoine Questel because Albeau had snapped his fin just minutes before his heat. Thankfully for Albeau, Questel was on the ball as he sailed a new board out to him. Albeau may not have been perfectly on time for the start but he was soon in the lead as he survived a potential red herring. The most dramatic incident of the second round involved Taty Frans (Starboard / MauiSails / Mystic / Maui Ultra Fins), who was leading heat ten after flying down the final reach to pass Frederic Morin (Starboard / NeilPryde). However just fifty meters from the line disaster struck for Frans as he suffered a huge wipeout, after continuing to push himself to the limit in the choppy waters. Meanwhile, Arnon Dagan (Tabou / Gaastra), who was also in heat ten, suffered a snapped mast before the start of the race, unfortunately for the Israeli he wasn’t as lucky as Albeau and he missed his heat completely. 

Elimination Four 

Winners’ Final

24.07.2012 
- by: Chris Yates

PWA FUERTEVENTURA

DAY 4 : MAYNARD DOMINATES AFTER A SCINTILLATING PERFORMANCE

The fourth day of the PWA Fuerteventura Grand Slam finally delivered the kind of conditions that everyone has been waiting for, as the slalom sailors reached for their smallest boards and sails from 6.2m to 7.8m. The wind blew all day which enabled three full eliminations to be completed. As the day came to a close it was Finian Maynard (RRD / Avanti) that dominated as he finished the day with two bullets and a third place, after a simply magnificent performance. Maynard was clearly delighted by his days work and no one can blame him after what has been a largely frustrating season thus far, due to injuries and kit breakages, all of which will make today’s victory all the sweeter. 

Men’s Elimination Two

Winners’ Final

Finian Maynard made the perfect start to the winners’ final as he crossed the start line in pole position, but Antoine Albeau (RRD / NeilPryde) was soon breathing down his neck and by the first mark Albeau had maneuvered himself into the lead, whilst Ben Van Der Steen (Starboard / Loft / Mystic / Different) fell at the first mark to ruin his chances of claiming back-to-back victories. The big Frenchman only extended his lead over the remainder of the course as he flew around the course at mach ten. His fellow countryman Pierre Mortefon (Fanatic / North) was his closest challenger in second place followed by Maynard, who claimed his best finish of the season so far, and Cyril Moussilmani (Starboard / Severne / Mystic). Bjorn Dunkerbeck (Starboard / Severne / Mystic / Dunkerbeck Eyewear / Chris Benz) endured a torrid time as his finished eighth, after an altercation at the second mark.

Elsewhere in race two, yesterday’s third place finisher, Peter Volwater (Fanatic / Avanti), failed to escape the first round after a poor start cost him dearly. The Dutchman did his very best to fight back but in the end he couldn’t quite catch Matteo Iachino (F2 / Challenger / Mystic / AL360), as he finished in fifth. The final heat of the first round saw an epic battle for fourth between Andrea Cucchi (Patrik / Point-7) and Kurosh Kiani (Fanatic / Simmer), both sailors powered down the final leg desperate to clinch the final qualifying place and in the end the Italian, Cucchi, managed to find an extra knot or two to beat Kiani to the line. For the first time in a long time Jimmy Diaz (Starboard / North) would be missing from the semi-finals as would Ross Williams (Tabou / Gaastra) and Antoine Questel (Starboard / Loft).

Men’s Elimination Three

Winners’ Final

Fresh from his best finish of the season Finian Maynard was in buoyant mood and he started his second winners’ final with aplomb as he burst into the lead. This time around Maynard managed to hold his lead into the first mark ahead of Dunkerbeck, Van Der Steen and Angulo and he went onto win his first race of the season after leading from start to finish with a quite brilliant performance. Maynard looked blisteringly quick and super smooth in the gybes as he left his opponents in his wake. Behind him though there was still plenty of action as Severne teammates, Dunkerbeck and Cyril Moussilmani battled for second place. On this occasion Moussilmani managed to get the better of the terminator as he had a better exit to his final gybe, to claim second. Meanwhile, Van Der Steen, steam rolled down the final leg to overtake Dunkerbeck as the Dutchman finished in third place after his victory yesterday.

The opening round of the third elimination saw no upsets but Antoine Albeau can be very grateful to Antoine Questel because Albeau had snapped his fin just minutes before his heat. Thankfully for Albeau, Questel was on the ball as he sailed a new board out to him. Albeau may not have been perfectly on time for the start but he was soon in the lead as he survived a potential red herring. The most dramatic incident of the second round involved Taty Frans (Starboard / MauiSails / Mystic / Maui Ultra Fins), who was leading heat ten after flying down the final reach to pass Frederic Morin (Starboard / NeilPryde). However just fifty meters from the line disaster struck for Frans as he suffered a huge wipeout, after continuing to push himself to the limit in the choppy waters. Meanwhile, Arnon Dagan (Tabou / Gaastra), who was also in heat ten, suffered a snapped mast before the start of the race, unfortunately for the Israeli he wasn’t as lucky as Albeau and he missed his heat completely. 

Elimination Four 

Winners’ Final

Having rediscovered winning ways, Finian Maynard set about achieving back-to-back victories and that’s exactly what he managed to do as his brilliant day became even better. Maynard had been giving a starting master-class and his perfect timing continued in the last winners’ final of the day as he crossed the line in first place yet again. Maynard repeated his superb form again in heat sixteen as he was able to hold his lead from start to finish just like in elimination three. Maynard’s fantastic starts combined with his blistering straight line speed and super fluid gybes meant that his opponents has no chance. Maynard today was in a league of his own and he was visibly delighted as he exited the water after a magnificent display. Julien Quentel (RRD / NeilPryde) tried to challenge Maynard on the final straight but Maynard stepped back on the gas to leave Quentel battling for second place with Josh Angulo. As the two sailors crossed the finish line they were almost inseparable, but the news was soon released the Angulo had just pipped Quentel to second place. The top four was completed by Ben Van Der Steen.

Taty Frans finally enjoyed some success in race four as he progressed into the semi-finals for the first time in the competition, however his run would stop their after finishing in seventh place. Bjorn Dunkerbeck made a catastrophic error as he completely missed his heat due to thinking he was sailing in heat seven and not heat six. The terminator will now be hoping to resurrect his mistake when the competition commences again tomorrow. The quarter finals proved to be a turbulent affair for many of the big names as Steve Allen (Starboard / Severne), Ross Williams (Tabou / Gaastra) and Andrea Cucchi were all knocked out of heat nine. Williams was qualfying for the next round until Van Der Steen flew down the final leg to push the Brit out of the top four. There were further upsets as Micah Buzianis (JP / MauiSails) just missed out on fourth place in heat twelve to Jimmy Diaz. Pierre Mortefon who had finished second in race two would also be missing from the semi-finals.

After six adrenaline fueled hours of racing today, tomorrow promises to be another cracker as the final day of the slalom takes place. The skippers meeting has been called for 10am tomorrow morning with the action commencing from 10:30. You’ll be able to watch the action unfold as it happens by tuning into the live stream at www.pwaworldtour.com.

Results After Elimination Four - Men’s Slalom

1st Finian Maynard (RRD / Avanti)

2nd Ben Van Der Steen (Starboard / Loft / Mystic / Different)

3rd Antoine Albeau (RRD / NeilPryde)

4th Bjorn Dunkerbeck (Starboard / Severne / Mystic / Dunkerbeck Eyewear / Chris Benz)

5th Cyril Moussilmani (Starboard / Severne / Mystic)

Scope the action

For more information on all the entrants, and to keep up to date with every piece of the action, click on www.pwaworldtour.com

Here you can use our:
- Live ticker service for heat-by-heat bulletins
- Check live elimination ladders
- View results
- Read daily news summaries
- Browse awesome action photo galleries
- Follow the event live, with top class commentary from pros and industry insiders.

There is also a dedicated website at www.fuerteventura-worldcup.orgYESSIR WWW.AVANTISAILS.COM FINIAN !!!!
24.07.2012 - by: Chris Yates
PWA FUERTEVENTURA

DAY 4 : MAYNARD DOMINATES AFTER A SCINTILLATING PERFORMANCE
The fourth day of the PWA Fuerteventura Grand Slam finally delivered the kind of conditions that everyone has been waiting for, as the slalom sailors reached for their smallest boards and sails from 6.2m to 7.8m. The wind blew all day which enabled three full eliminations to be completed. As the day came to a close it was Finian Maynard (RRD / Avanti) that dominated as he finished the day with two bullets and a third place, after a simply magnificent performance. Maynard was clearly delighted by his days work and no one can blame him after what has been a largely frustrating season thus far, due to injuries and kit breakages, all of which will make today’s victory all the sweeter. 

Men’s Elimination Two

Winners’ Final

Finian Maynard made the perfect start to the winners’ final as he crossed the start line in pole position, but Antoine Albeau (RRD / NeilPryde) was soon breathing down his neck and by the first mark Albeau had maneuvered himself into the lead, whilst Ben Van Der Steen (Starboard / Loft / Mystic / Different) fell at the first mark to ruin his chances of claiming back-to-back victories. The big Frenchman only extended his lead over the remainder of the course as he flew around the course at mach ten. His fellow countryman Pierre Mortefon (Fanatic / North) was his closest challenger in second place followed by Maynard, who claimed his best finish of the season so far, and Cyril Moussilmani (Starboard / Severne / Mystic). Bjorn Dunkerbeck (Starboard / Severne / Mystic / Dunkerbeck Eyewear / Chris Benz) endured a torrid time as his finished eighth, after an altercation at the second mark.

Elsewhere in race two, yesterday’s third place finisher, Peter Volwater (Fanatic / Avanti), failed to escape the first round after a poor start cost him dearly. The Dutchman did his very best to fight back but in the end he couldn’t quite catch Matteo Iachino (F2 / Challenger / Mystic / AL360), as he finished in fifth. The final heat of the first round saw an epic battle for fourth between Andrea Cucchi (Patrik / Point-7) and Kurosh Kiani (Fanatic / Simmer), both sailors powered down the final leg desperate to clinch the final qualifying place and in the end the Italian, Cucchi, managed to find an extra knot or two to beat Kiani to the line. For the first time in a long time Jimmy Diaz (Starboard / North) would be missing from the semi-finals as would Ross Williams (Tabou / Gaastra) and Antoine Questel (Starboard / Loft).

Men’s Elimination Three

Winners’ Final

Fresh from his best finish of the season Finian Maynard was in buoyant mood and he started his second winners’ final with aplomb as he burst into the lead. This time around Maynard managed to hold his lead into the first mark ahead of Dunkerbeck, Van Der Steen and Angulo and he went onto win his first race of the season after leading from start to finish with a quite brilliant performance. Maynard looked blisteringly quick and super smooth in the gybes as he left his opponents in his wake. Behind him though there was still plenty of action as Severne teammates, Dunkerbeck and Cyril Moussilmani battled for second place. On this occasion Moussilmani managed to get the better of the terminator as he had a better exit to his final gybe, to claim second. Meanwhile, Van Der Steen, steam rolled down the final leg to overtake Dunkerbeck as the Dutchman finished in third place after his victory yesterday.

The opening round of the third elimination saw no upsets but Antoine Albeau can be very grateful to Antoine Questel because Albeau had snapped his fin just minutes before his heat. Thankfully for Albeau, Questel was on the ball as he sailed a new board out to him. Albeau may not have been perfectly on time for the start but he was soon in the lead as he survived a potential red herring. The most dramatic incident of the second round involved Taty Frans (Starboard / MauiSails / Mystic / Maui Ultra Fins), who was leading heat ten after flying down the final reach to pass Frederic Morin (Starboard / NeilPryde). However just fifty meters from the line disaster struck for Frans as he suffered a huge wipeout, after continuing to push himself to the limit in the choppy waters. Meanwhile, Arnon Dagan (Tabou / Gaastra), who was also in heat ten, suffered a snapped mast before the start of the race, unfortunately for the Israeli he wasn’t as lucky as Albeau and he missed his heat completely. 

Elimination Four 

Winners’ Final

Having rediscovered winning ways, Finian Maynard set about achieving back-to-back victories and that’s exactly what he managed to do as his brilliant day became even better. Maynard had been giving a starting master-class and his perfect timing continued in the last

Good luck Finian in Fuertaventura,happening as we speak,pray for wind...


We also had a quick chat with Finian Maynard (RRD / Avanti), who has recently started his own sail brand, Avanti, with Dan Kaseler.

PWA : How has your year been thus far?

Finian Maynard : “It’s been pretty horrific, I’ve had a lot of injuries. I had bad injuries in Reggio Calabria and Costa Brava. In reality I should have probably gone home in Costa Brava but I made the decision to try and compete, which didn’t really work out. In Korea I suffered some very unlucky gear breakages which certainly hasn’t helped matters. However for the first time this season I’m feeling strong and healthy, and I’ve also managed to fit in a lot of training before the event and I’m feeling pretty quick, so we’ll see what happens.”

PWA : When the wind kicks in are you feeling confident? And what sort of conditions do you think we can expect?

Finian Maynard : “In the sixteen or seventeen years that I have been here I don’t think I’ve ever seen two glassy days in a row, but for sure when the wind arrives I am feeling confident. If the wind comes in from the North East, then I think we’ll have winds ranging from 15-25 knots. If the wind is dead offshore from the North, then we can expect anything with the wind topping out at about 45 knots. It’s really hard to predict at the moment though because of the heat.”

PWA : Which of the two wind strengths would you prefer, medium or strong?

Finian Maynard : “At this point I don’t mind either one. It’s just great to be healthy again and I feel excited to race.”

PWA : You recently started your own sails company, Avanti, how is that going?

Finian Maynard : “We’ve had a positive reaction so far, we have brought new technology to the market with our masts and sails. The reaction to the sails thus far is that they are light, stable and offering outstanding performance for the regular customers. I have opened the company with Dan Kaseler who is the ex Naish and Gaastra designer and it’s going really well. It’s obviously been a difficult economic time to launch our brand into, what with the euro zone crisis making things a little more challenging than expected but we expect great things from the year 2013 and beyond, we’re really looking forward to the future.”

PWA : Top five for the competition?

Finian Maynard : “I’m just going to say that I think that it will be the usual suspects. Fuerteventura is somewhere that experience really counts for a lot. It’s a really fast location so it’s usually the guys who have the experience with the speed that rise to the front of the fleet. We’ll just have to see what happens.”

The forecast for tomorrow looks good and many of the locals are forecasting a return of the wind, we certainly hope so. The skippers meeting will be held at 10am with the competition commencing from 10:30am. You’ll be able to see it all live via the live stream @ www.pwaworldtour.com

Scope the action

For more information on all the entrants, and to keep up to date with every piece of the action, click on www.pwaworldtour.com

Here you can use our:
- Live ticker service for heat-by-heat bulletins
- Check live elimination ladders
- View results
- Read daily news summaries
- Browse awesome action photo galleries
- Follow the event live, with top class commentary from pros and industry insiders.We also had a quick chat with Finian Maynard (RRD / Avanti), who has recently started his own sail brand, Avanti, with Dan Kaseler.We also had a quick chat with Finian Maynard (RRD / Avanti), who has recently started his own sail brand, Avanti, with Dan Kaseler.

PWA : How has your year been thus far?

Finian Maynard : “It’s been pretty horrific, I’ve had a lot of injuries. I had bad injuries in Reggio Calabria and Costa Brava. In reality I should have probably gone home in Costa Brava but I made the decision to try and compete, which didn’t really work out. In Korea I suffered some very unlucky gear breakages which certainly hasn’t helped matters. However for the first time this season I’m feeling strong and healthy, and I’ve also managed to fit in a lot of training before the event and I’m feeling pretty quick, so we’ll see what happens.”

PWA : When the wind kicks in are you feeling confident? And what sort of conditions do you think we can expect?

Finian Maynard : “In the sixteen or seventeen years that I have been here I don’t think I’ve ever seen two glassy days in a row, but for sure when the wind arrives I am feeling confident. If the wind comes in from the North East, then I think we’ll have winds ranging from 15-25 knots. If the wind is dead offshore from the North, then we can expect anything with the wind topping out at about 45 knots. It’s really hard to predict at the moment though because of the heat.”

PWA : Which of the two wind strengths would you prefer, medium or strong?

Finian Maynard : “At this point I don’t mind either one. It’s just great to be healthy again and I feel excited to race.”

PWA : You recently started your own sails company, Avanti, how is that going?

Finian Maynard : “We’ve had a positive reaction so far, we have brought new technology to the market with our masts and sails. The reaction to the sails thus far is that they are light, stable and offering outstanding performance for the regular customers. I have opened the company with Dan Kaseler who is the ex Naish and Gaastra designer and it’s going really well. It’s obviously been a difficult economic time to launch our brand into, what with the euro zone crisis making things a little more challenging than expected but we expect great things from the year 2013 and beyond, we’re really looking forward to the future.”

PWA : Top five for the competition?

Finian Maynard : “I’m just going to say that I think that it will be the usual suspects. Fuerteventura is somewhere that experience really counts for a lot. It’s a really fast location so it’s usually the guys who have the experience with the speed that rise to the front of the fleet. We’ll just have to see what happens.”

The forecast for tomorrow looks good and many of the locals are forecasting a return of the wind, we certainly hope so. The skippers meeting will be held at 10am with the competition commencing from 10:30am. You’ll be able to see it all live via the live stream @ www.pwaworldtour.com

Scope the action

For more information on all the entrants, and to keep up to date with every piece of the action, click on www.pwaworldtour.com

Here you can use our:
- Live ticker service for heat-by-heat bulletins
- Check live elimination ladders
- View results
- Read daily news summaries
- Browse awesome action photo galleries
- Follow the event live, with top class commentary from pros and industry insiders.

We also had a quick chat with Finian Maynard (RRD / Avanti), who has recently started his own sail brand, Avanti, with Dan Kaseler.

There is also a dedicated website at www.fuerteventura-worldcup.org

PWA : How has your year been thus far?

Finian Maynard : “It’s been pretty horrific, I’ve had a lot of injuries. I had bad injuries in Reggio Calabria and Costa Brava. In reality I should have probably gone home in Costa Brava but I made the decision to try and compete, which didn’t really work out. In Korea I suffered some very unlucky gear breakages which certainly hasn’t helped matters. However for the first time this season I’m feeling strong and healthy, and I’ve also managed to fit in a lot of training before the event and I’m feeling pretty quick, so we’ll see what happens.”

PWA : When the wind kicks in are you feeling confident? And what sort of conditions do you think we can expect?

We also had a quick chat with Finian Maynard (RRD / Avanti), who has recently started his own sail brand, Avanti, with Dan Kaseler.

PWA : How has your year been thus far?

We also had a quick chat with Finian Maynard (RRD / Avanti), who has recently started his own sail brand, Avanti, with Dan Kaseler.

Finian Maynard : “It’s been p

retty horrific, I’ve had a lot of

 injuries. I had bad injuries in Reggio

 Calabria and Costa Brava. In 

reality I should have probably gone home in Costa Brava but I made the decision to try and compete, which didn’t really work out. In Korea I suffered some very unlucky gear breakages which certainly hasn’t helped matte

rs. However for the first time this season I’m feeling strong and healthy, and I’ve also managed to fit in a lot of training before the event and I’m feeling pretty quick, so we’ll see what happens.”

We also had a quick chat with Finian Maynard (RRD / Avanti), who hasUpdate on Finian Maynard from Fuertaventura,good luck Finian.

PWA : How has your year been thus far?

We also had a quick chat with Finian Maynard (RRD / Avanti), who has recently started his own sail brand, Avanti, with Dan Kaseler.

PWA : How has your year been thus far?

www.avantisails.com

PWA : How has your year been thus far?

Finian Maynard : “It’s been pretty horrific, I’ve had a lot of injuries. I had bad injuries in Reggio Calabria and Costa Brava. In reality I should have probably gone home in Costa Brava but I made the decision to try and compete, which didn’t really work out. In Korea I suffered some very unlucky gear breakages which certainly hasn’t helped matters. However for the first time this season I’m feeling strong and healthy, and I’ve also managed to fit in a lot of training before the event and I’m feeling pretty quick, so we’ll see what happens.”

PWA : When the wind kicks in are you feeling confident? And what sort of conditions do you think we can expect?

Finian Maynard : “It’s been pretty horrific, I’ve had a lot of injuries. I had bad injuries in Reggio Calabria and Costa Brava. In reality I should have probably gone home in Costa Brava but I made the decision to try and compete, which didn’t really work out. In Korea I suffered some very unlucky gear breakages which certainly hasn’t helped matters. However for the first time this season I’m feeling strong and healthy, and I’ve also managed to fit in a lot of training before the event and I’m feeling pretty quick, so we’ll see what happens.”

PWA : When the wind kicks in are you feeling confident? And what sort of conditions do you think we can expect?

Finian Maynard : “In the sixteen or seventeen years that I have been here I don’t think I’ve ever seen two glassy days in a row, but for sure when the wind arrives I am feeling confident. If the wind comes in from the North East, then I think we’ll have winds ranging from 15-25 knots. If the wind is dead offshore from the North, then we can expect anything with the wind topping out at about 45 knots. It’s really hard to predict at the moment though because of the heat.”

PWA : Which of the two wind strengths would you prefer, medium or strong?

Finian Maynard : “At this point I don’t mind either one. It’s just great to be healthy again and I feel excited to race.”

PWA : You recently started your own sails company, Avanti, how is that going?

Finian Maynard : “We’ve had a positive reaction so far, we have brought new technology to the market with our masts and sails. The reaction to the sails thus far is that they are light, stable and offering outstanding performance for the regular customers. I have opened the company with Dan Kaseler who is the ex Naish and Gaastra designer and it’s going really well. It’s obviously been a difficult economic time to launch our brand into, what with the euro zone crisis making things a little more challenging than expected but we expect great things from the year 2013 and beyond, we’re really looking forward to the future.”

PWA : Top five for the competition?

Finian Maynard : “I’m just going to say that I think that it will be the usual suspects. Fuerteventura is somewhere that experience really counts for a lot. It’s a really fast location so it’s usually the guys who have the experience with the speed that rise to the front of the fleet. We’ll just have to see what happens.”

The forecast for tomorrow looks good and many of the locals are forecasting a return of the wind, we certainly hope so. The skippers meeting will be held at 10am with the competition commencing from 10:30am. You’ll be able to see it all live via the live stream @www.pwaworldtour.com

Scope the action

For more information on all the entrants, and to keep up to date with every piece of the action, click on www.pwaworldtour.comHere you can use our:- Live ticker service for heat-by-heat bulletins- Check live elimination ladders- View results- Read daily news summaries- Browse awesome action photo galleries- Follow the event live, with top class commentary from pros and industry insiders.

In memory of Jim Drake who I am pleased to have known personally

JUNE 20, 2012 |  BY JACK  |  ARTICLES, FEATURED, NEWS


In memory of Jim Drake


“Jim Drake changed lives of millions of people and will continue to do so.


Windsurfing has made people experience the wind, waves and water in new ways.
The sport has made converts travel and even settle on the opposite side of our planet.


His spirit was always to include everyone and especially women and kids into windsurfing.
Jim and his wife Sam spent years with us in Thailand developing designs and strategies to
increase the popularity of windsurfing. He was always optimistic and especially happy to
challenge the status quo. His view on “one design” versus free choice of windsurfing gear
for the Olympics was well known. His designs, like the Formula 175, the worlds most winning
race board ever took competitive windsurfing to a new level.


Jim was an early adaptor of paddle boarding and he has helped design a number of winning
designs like the K15. Some of his later designs are still being tested and his ideas on the future
of paddle board designs may soon be shared.


He had so much more to give and reminded us on how precious each hour of life is.”


Svein Rasmussen and the Starboard family.