Cyril Moussilmani, ranked 4th in the 2013 PWA Overall Slalom title race just sent us this quick report from Sylt. Thanks to his speed and tactics, the giant from Marseille managed a 4th place in Korea, followed by a 5th place in Alaçati and finished the tour with another 4th place in Sylt. But let's hear it from him! Oh! And wait... there's a bonus video at the bottom of this report featuring some nice wavesailing in Marseille and of course, a bit of iSonic blasting!

Hello!

The final event of the 2013 PWA Slalom Tour just finished yesterday in Sylt. Once again, we had strange conditions here but we managed to validate a total of five races:

The first race took place in very gusty winds, ranging from 10 to 19 knots and coming offshore. I mostly used the Reflex IV 8.6m² with the iSonic 110 Carbon but in the final, the wind dropped and I had just enough of time to switch to my bigger kit: Reflex 9.6m² and iSonic 127... And it paid off as I won it!

The second race was even harder with the same offshore winds gusting between 7 and 22 knots. I managed to secure a place in the final but the wind was too strong during this race and with my 9.6m² and iSonic 127, I couldn't fight on this one. I was completely overpowered and paid the price for being on my Reflex 9.6m² all race long. Unluckily, I couldn't change gear before the semifinal, which I should have done and finished 8th in the final. I will have to do better for the remaining races.

On the next day, we ran the third elimination. I paid the price for holding on to my Reflex 9.6m² all day yesterday and had to settle for 13th place. I was still on my Reflex IV 9.6m² and iSonic 127, as it was between 12 and 17 knots.
The fourth race was in the same kind of conditions but I managed to relax my muscles between the heats a little bit and grabbed 4th place.

For the fifth and final elimination, the wind was still very strange: 12 to 15 knots at the beginning, going up to between 12 and 19 knots after the second round. I did another two rounds with my 9.6m² in hardcore conditions and had time to change gear before the semifinals; I switched to my smaller iSonic, the 110 with Reflex IV 8.6m² and that was much easier! I went on to the final... Only problem was that the wind dropped during the final! Right after the first reach, the wind dropped to 9-12 knots, I arrived third at the mark but I couldn't save my place and just managed to save the 5th place.

So in the end, I finished the event in 4th position, very close to the Top 3 guys.
During Sylt, a lot of things happened on the virtual overall ranking! After my victory in the 1st race, I was virtually 2nd overall behind Antoine Albeau. After the second race, I dropped a spot and was virtually 3rd. Then, from Race 3 until the end, my ranking didn't change: I finished the 2013 PWA Slalom Tour in 4th place.

Now I'm going to start preparing for the 2014 season. Everything will happen very fast! I'll keep you informed!

Cyril Moussilmani - F 71