Gunnar Asmussen and Damien Cervera can look back at a great week of racing during the IFCA European Championships in Sylt. Here is what they had to say about their first international event of the year.

Damien Cervera, 1st youth (4th overall & winner elimination 5)

Coming from New Caledonia it was my first time ever to Sylt, Germany. The experience was amazing and the conditions we had were super diverse. From cold hardcore side-onshore winds to light and gusty offshore winds. On the first 2 days we sailed in some of the most challenging and extreme slalom conditions. With a swell up to 3 meter and strong winds we used our smallest sail size 6.2. Guys where getting washed half way the reach or at the gibing marks close to the beach. I could start off good with a 3th place, but after that  I made to many mistakes to keep my ranking during the next 2 races. On the gusty light wind days (10 – 22 knots) I managed to come back with a 4th place in elimination 4 and my first win of the season in elimination 5, jumping from 3rd in the Youth to a first place after a long but good week of racing! With so much experienced gained in this event and the good result I’m feeling very confident for the following big event, the PWA Costa Brava in Spain.

Gunnar Asmussen, Vice European champion Slalom at Sylt.

Sylt has provided us with another great event for the summer opening of 2018. The most important part was the IFCA European championship with plenty international riders attending. In the end it became a battle of the Germans in typical Nordsea conditions. By the end of the week I sailed competition in three disciplines, Slalom, Foil and Wave. I scored  two second places in Slalom and Foil and a fourth place in the wave.

IFCA European:

After a good start in the beginning of the event with a second place in elimination 1. A long swim in elimination 2 didn’t allow  me any room for more mistakes further in the event. With a safe second place in the 3th elimination I needed to step things up to still be in the running for the title. In the 4th elimination I finally managed to score my first bullet of the week and this put me back in title contention with just one more race to go. To win I would need to win the last final and for this I was pushing it at the start together with Vincent Langer. Rather than fighting for the event victory during that race we ended up going over early together in the last final keeping the results as it was. A second place finish is still good given the mistakes I made and the high level on the water. It keeps the motivation high and leaves me hungry for more.

First foil racing experience:

Besides the Slalom it was great to sail my first Foil competition. The gear felt amazing and although I need to build more experience I’m more than happy to finish second with a victory in the third elimination. It’s a good start in this new discipline and with still plenty of events to come in Foil racing for Germany I’m looking forward to improve even more and do one better next time!

Thank you Sylt and see you soon!