The  World Cup Sylt is one of the biggest and longest running windsurfing events on the planet. Featuring all of the main disciplines, around 200,000 spectators on the beach, and some of the most extreme conditions. Our team was doing very well and we saw our riders in the Top 3 in Waves, Freestyle and Slalom!

The event started off with pretty decent wave conditions and already on Wednesday the Men’s Wave Final was on the schedule. Victor Fernandez had to endure an emotional rollercoaster  – things started brightly for him as he sailed tactically astute heats. Having won 5 consecutive heats in the Double Elimination, now there was only one man standing between Victor Fernandez and a 3rd world title. Then he had to face Thomas Traversa. The heat itself wasn’t so dramatic, but with almost nothing between them, this is where the confusion set in as incorrect information quickly filtered to Victor, who thought he had just won his third world title. However, at this point, the result hadn’t been fully verified or officially confirmed, which led to Fernandez having to be delivered the horrific news that Traversa had in actual fact won the heat by just 0.07 of a point and that he wasn’t world champion at all. Having just played the villain by putting a spanner in the works of his world title aspirations, he was placed in a strange position, not only having to deal with the heartbreak of not being world champion – yet at least – but also now having to root for Traversa, who had just eliminated him, as all his hopes now rested in TT’s hands. However, in order for that to happen, Traversa would have to defeat Campello not once, but twice, which is no easy feat on any given day – but even more so with Campello himself gunning for the title. That left Victor with an agonising wait, which must have felt like a lifetime. Fortunately for Victor, and not so fortunately for Campello, Traversa produced the goods at the critical times to win both the Final and the Super Final, and with it, Fernandez’s emotional rollercoaster was complete as he was now officially the 2018 Men’s PWA Wave World Champion. The win was also fitting for Traversa, who up until now had endured a tough competition season, but over the last 6 days TT has proven, once again, why he is one of the best wave sailors in the world. Traversa may have been low on confidence coming into the event, but at least walks away from 2018 with his first event victory since his title winning year in 2014 – while perhaps reminding every one of his ability, which has never really been under question.