| Perfect Dunkerbeck secures lead of the PWA Sylt |
| Saturday, 02 October 2010 09:23 |
|
Thirty-five times world champion, Bjorn Dunkerbeck tamed the tricky offshore winds in Westerland today, claiming a further two bullets to maintain his perfect scorecard! Following two tedious days on standby, Sylt delivered some seriously challenging conditions for the slalom sailors gathered in Germany on the seventh day of competition. A gusty 4-10 knots quickly increased to 12-20 knots and then backed off to 6-14 knots, but not before two full rounds of fast and furious racing had taken place. The offshore direction meant that the course was set far out to sea, and the sailors had to be prepared for anything from full-on 8.0m and 110L white-knuckle ride racing to a 10.0m pumpathon. To add to the already testing conditions, the water was far from flat despite the wind direction, with an opposing swell meeting the short chop to create a confused surface for the racers to ride. The legend, Bjorn Dunkerbeck (Starboard, Severne, Mystic) stamped his authority on the PWA’s fastest fleet today to win every single race by a convincing margin (apart from one minor semi-final where he allowed Antoine Albeau (JP, NeilPryde) to sneak his way through). To say Dunkerbeck was out there settling a score would be an understatement, today we saw the sort of dominance that saw him claim his Terminator title leaving the rest of the fleet to smoulder in his wake! With three straight bullets, he’s definitely on route to claiming the final crown of the year, which is bound to leave a sour taste in the mouths of his opponents until 2011. With the wind in a constant state of change due to the gusty direction, it wasn’t easy for the competitors to decide on which gear to take out. Factor in how far the racecourse actually was from the beach, and equipment changes were made almost impossible between heats. However, the most experienced sailors on the water appeared to have stunt doubles, who for a mere fifty Euros would follow their every move throughout the day. Needless to say, the small investment paid dividends in results, but in one isolated case resulted in a fairly hefty bill due to the lightweight caddy being unable to sail gear back that someone 30kgs heavier couldn’t quite handle on the course! Results After Three Races
|
