Top windsurfers battle it out at the coast

THE world’s best wind- and kite-surfers are set to battle out their world rankings at this year’s Walvis Bay Speedweek, which starts tomorrow.

This will be the final round of the International Speedsailing Association and the Professional Kiteriders Association’s Grand Prix Tour World Championship – one of the biggest events on the international wind- and kite-surfing circuit. A record number of 105 participants from 20 countries will take part in the event, and – if the wind plays along – records are bound to be shattered on Walvis Bay lagoon.According to the Chairman of the Namibian Sailing Association and co-organiser of Walvis Bay Speedweek, Juergen Geiger, the top five ranking windsurfers in the world will have a fairly equal opportunity to become the world champion speed windsurfer in Namibia.Antoine Albeau (France) and Valerie Ghibaudo (France) are leading the 2007 ISA Speed Windsurfing World Tour.Ghibaudo has only a few points left in front of her strongest opponent Karin Jaggi (Switzerland) – last year’s word champion in the women’s division.Albeau is leading with just a few points up from world record holder Finian Maynard (British Virgin Islands) – who was also crowned Word Champion in the men’s division at last year’s event.Geiger said Namibia will be represented by a promising team, namely Mathias Roetcher and Frank Stein, in the windsurfing division.Namibia’s first female participant in the kite-surfing division, Isabelle Sabina, will also strut her stuff.Walvis Bay’s venue is the only place in the world where windsurfing and kite-surfing can take place at the same time and at the same location, according to Geiger.”Walvis Bay is fast becoming a world renowned spot for speed surfing, and we want our town to become an asset to Namibia in this regard,” Geiger told The Namibian.”Speedweek is growing and this year’s event proves it with the massive response in participants.”He said the prize money would not be so much the motivation of the event, but rather the competitors’ world rankings and the breaking of records.”They come here because conditions here are perfect,” Geiger said.He said wind conditions will hopefully play along and that speeds of 35 knots and up are expected for the best results.The events include the world championship, which involves the highest speeds accomplished over 501 metres.This championship will take place from Sunday until next Saturday, September 8.Next Saturday the new world champions will be crowned officially.After this, from September 9 to 12, the attempt to break the world speed record over the nautical mile will take place.The current world record over this stretch is held by France’s, Alain Thebault at 41,69 knots.Before him, Spain’s Bjoern Dunkerbeck held the record after he smashed it at last year’s Speedweek at 41,14 knots.”There has not been a single year since the inception of Speedweek that a record has not been broken, and we are very optimistic that this year’s event will not be any different,” Geiger stated.Besides the action, there will be a family day tomorrow where all can get “into the mood” for the action-packed week ahead.A record number of 105 participants from 20 countries will take part in the event, and – if the wind plays along – records are bound to be shattered on Walvis Bay lagoon.According to the Chairman of the Namibian Sailing Association and co-organiser of Walvis Bay Speedweek, Juergen Geiger, the top five ranking windsurfers in the world will have a fairly equal opportunity to become the world champion speed windsurfer in Namibia.Antoine Albeau (France) and Valerie Ghibaudo (France) are leading the 2007 ISA Speed Windsurfing World Tour.Ghibaudo has only a few points left in front of her strongest opponent Karin Jaggi (Switzerland) – last year’s word champion in the women’s division.Albeau is leading with just a few points up from world record holder Finian Maynard (British Virgin Islands) – who was also crowned Word Champion in the men’s division at last year’s event.Geiger said Namibia will be represented by a promising team, namely Mathias Roetcher and Frank Stein, in the windsurfing division.Namibia’s first female participant in the kite-surfing division, Isabelle Sabina, will also strut her stuff.Walvis Bay’s venue is the only place in the world where windsurfing and kite-surfing can take place at the same time and at the same location, according to Geiger.”Walvis Bay is fast becoming a world renowned spot for speed surfing, and we want our town to become an asset to Namibia in this regard,” Geiger told The Namibian.”Speedweek is growing and this year’s event proves it with the massive response in participants.”He said the prize money would not be so much the motivation of the event, but rather the competitors’ world rankings and the breaking of records.”They come here because conditions here are perfect,” Geiger said.He said wind conditions will hopefully play along and that speeds of 35 knots and up are expected for the best results.The events include the world championship, which involves the highest speeds accomplished over 501 metres.This championship will take place from Sunday until next Saturday, September 8.Next Saturday the new world champions will be crowned officially.After this, from September 9 to 12, the attempt to break the world speed record over the nautical mile will take place.The current world record over this stretch is held by France’s, Alain Thebault at 41,69 knots.Before him, Spain’s Bjoern Dunkerbeck held the record after he smashed it at last year’s Speedweek at 41,14 knots.”There has not been a single year since the inception of Speedweek that a record has not been broken, and we are very optimistic that this year’s event will not be any different,” Geiger stated.Besides the action, there will be a family day tomorrow where all can get “into the mood” for the action-packed week ahead.