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We are thrilled to report that Morgan Norieaux has just claimed his 3rd Aloha Classic title at Ho’okipa with Black Project team mate Bernd Roediger in 2nd. With contrasting styles and equipment set ups the final showdown on the last day of contest was held in epic mast high conditions with four riders vying for the crown. Morgan riding his 14.5/9 quad set up displayed his signature speed and power cutbacks while Bernd riding a much looser 15.5/10.5 thruster set up danced his way through the pumping surf. With this win Morgan is also crowned 2017 International Windsurfing Tour Champion.

Morgan Noireaux, 3x Aloha Classic Champion – “I felt pretty good in the final; I started off with a really good wave and then from there I knew I wanted to get a wave a make a move on it. I ended up with another good wave and then I got a goiter that I was pretty happy with. Coming in at the end of the heat I knew I had done everything I could have done; this is pretty rare, I usually come in thinking I could have done a lot more so I was super happy. I don’t like losing, and when you’ve won you haven’t lost, so it’s always good to win! That’s why I compete.”

Duncan Coombs, Aloha Classic Head Judge – “What a great finish to the Aloha Classic! Ho’okipa again produced some incredible conditions. We had mast high sets, side-offshore winds and some of the best sailors in the world. I don’t think we’ve ever judged so many waves; it was a luxury to be able to have such long heats and I think it really pushed the level of the riders. We saw all the tricks come out of the bag. There were waves peeling through all the way from Green Trees, down to the point.”

Chris Freeman, Black Project, Founder – “I knew that the Semi-Final was going to be a pivotal moment for the team, I was so nervous for Bernd & Morgan, I sat alone away from the crowds checking the Live Scoring after each wave. At the final buzzer I ran down to the beach to give them both a big hug, they both mean so much to me, it reminded me of my rugby coaching days back in the UK. Once they had secured their spots in the top four I relaxed a little, I knew that win or loose they were part of Aloha Classic history already. Watching your two top riders battling it out for the title is an amazing feeling, each wave they took I was screaming for them to push harder and take the lead, neither deserved to loose and I thought that Bernd had made it with his final wave with that insane goiter, if he had sailed out of the white water I think that the headlines might be different this morning. Morgan always seemed to be on the biggest waves and carving from deep, this year in contrast to his previous two wins be needed to bring out all his tricks as he was pushed harder than in his previous Ho’okipa wins. Today a dream came true, two Black Project riders standing tall on top of the world as Aloha Classic Champion & Runner-Up. To me they are both winners today, despite their young age Morgan (22) and Bernd (21) they have amassed five Ho’okipa victories already between them and I cannot wait to watch many more finals in the years to come. Morgan with his 3rd Aloha Classic victory is just one win behind Robby Naish (4 titles) in the all time standings.”

With so much continual development in the sport of windsurfing you would be forgiven for thinking that riders at the highest level ride specialist equipment, while most of the leading riders use custom fins on their custom boards both Morgan & Bernd use the exact same Epic Quad and Epic Thruster fins which you can buy in our store. Morgan loves grip and has won all three titles using his standard Epic quad 14.5/9 set up. In contrast Bernd prefers a looser thruster set up and uses either a 14.5 or 15.5 rear with the 10.5 fronts. Depending on the conditions Bernd will switch his rear fin for more or less grip/power.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank Sam Bittner and the International Windsurfing Tour for putting on another great season and Aloha Classic finale. We were proud to help set up and sponsor the Live Scoring for this event and hope that you enjoyed watching the scores during the heats as much as we did.

Photos courtesy of IWT / Si Crowther 

More to follow…