07/05/2010 - Xenia and Youp, winners at the Curacao Windsurf Challenge

A nice report from the Curacao Windsurf Challenge by Reptile International team rider Xenia Kessler.

Curacao Windsurf Challenge

After a busy 2009 with a nicely packed windsurfcalendar around the world, I suddenly found myself back in Sorobon, Bonaire. I’ve now spend 3 months again in Bonaire, training as much as possible. Especially January was surprisingly good, with wind pretty much every day. In February we were a bit more unlucky windwise, buuut I still felt ready to enter the competition Curacao Windsurf Challenge, which was going to be on in the beginning of April. And I’m really happy I went. I went from Bonaire, along with a bunch of other windsurfers, among those teamrider Youp Smith. I’ve been on the water with Youp many times in Bonaire, and I must say he’s really ripping and raising his level. Cool! Therefore he was competing both in the under 18 category as well as the 18 plus category. I was competing in the Womens rank, and it was really great to get into the competing mode again, and to meet all the windsurfers at the challenge. The wind wasn’t quite as good as we all could have wished for, but at least the conditions were super technical which I like as a challenge too. The competition was held at the spot Spaanse Waters in Curacao, and the spot was nice and flat, though gusty.

The first day I worked my way though the girls rank and finished 1st, and thereby secured a nice spot in the double elimination for the following day, which was going to be a bit windier (yeeeaah). The second and last day of the freestyle competition was surely windier, but still pretty weak and both Youp and I grabbed our bigger sails (4.8’s) with our 400 Reptile Masts. Youp again did a good job, pulling a show on the water and secured his first place in the under 18 category at the Curacao Windsurf Challenge. I had to sail only one single heat this day, so I knew this was my only chance to show if I deserved the first place or not. Before the competitions were started, I went out in the morning just playing and enjoying sailing in a new good spot. I was practicing new tricks and tried to prepare for my heat later on. Once again I won my heats, and I thereby won the womens Curacao Freestyle Challenge competition, really nice! It was so cool to see and meet more freestyle girls in the carribean, and I hope to meet all these girls windsurfing again. Thanks to the Curacao Windsurf Challenge crew for a great event and to all the competitors for good competition

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