For the 14th time in 14 years, the Jibe's Beach Club in Mui Ne hosted the 2013 Vietnam Fun Cup for the annual concentration of windsurf addicts and strong winds. Watch the video and read the official report below:

The prelude to the event saw forecasts predicting large swells and a mix of differing wind speeds, causing the usual and challenging equipment choices. A few day prior to the start of the event, competitors began to arrive from all over the world and got their essential practice time on the waters of Mui Ne. The event is always warmly welcomed and this year was no exception! The usual faces were seen eager to improve last year’s efforts, as well as new competitors experiencing their first outing. This year saw judges from the Binh Thuan Sports Committee and for the first time in the history of the Fun Cup, the event was ran under the Vietnamese Sailing Federation (VSF).

In true tradition, the weather kept everyone on their toes right up to the last minute, proving to be one of the most challenging Fun Cups for both competitors and organizers so far! The 7-races slalom event tested not only the riders’ racing ability but also their skills to tackle a serious shore break in order to get to the start line.

For 2013, the results in both the male and female categories offered quite a surprise, with first place positions being awarded to Vietnamese competitors. The Men’s event was won by Nguyen Van Rot (Vietnam), a local rider whose skills have been growing with every Fun Cup, resulting in his first win and probably not his last. Ho Van Vinh (Vietnam) achieved second place with Tanguy Gilles (France) finishing third.

Tran Thi Kim Chi (Vietnam) took first place for the Women. Chi is a local rider whose skills have grown at an incredible rate with no sign of slowing down and allowing her to reach the highest step on the podium this year. Montserrat Collado Orive (Spain) took second whilst Deborah Khoo (Singapore) completed the podium.

The closing ceremony was excellently conducted in the usual Jibe's style, with a high standard of prizes available thanks to the sponsors. First prize consisted of two brand new Starboard boards (iSonic 80 for the Women and Futura 93 for the Men), a variety of other windsurfing equipment for second and third place got a full one year membership to Jibe's.
During the early evening of the ceremony, guests were treated to traditional displays of Vietnamese dancing and entertainment, leaving the later hours for the more familiar style of cork popping and liquid encouraged dance moves. The music carried on until the early hours of the morning, accompanied by the free flow of champagne and the exquisite delights of the Jibe's famous BBQ, a perfect way for all to celebrate the end of the 14th 2013 Fun Cup.

Big thanks goes out to all the sponsors that made this event possible, especially Le Fruit. The Warehouse helped fuel the festivities with their donation of 60 bottles of Freyxenet Champagne. Thanks to all the sponsors including Coco Beach, Onward, Le Fruit, Starboard Windsurfing, Lang Ca Voi and Coca-Cola to mention a few.

Organization for the 2014 Fun Cup is already underway with the 14th and 15th of February 2014 being the chosen dates. If you were one of the unlucky ones to miss this year’s event, you better be wise and start planning your holiday early for 2014! See you there!

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