I’m super happy from my top 10 result in Costa Brava. This was not one race event, where it can be luck as well to have a good result. When you do 8 races, you really get the result you deserve. I was surprised at the beginning of the event from my speed. I was not expecting to be so fast, and did not race with the same level of my speed. After Japan and Korea with practically no wind, I was a bit un focused to believe in a good result. The last day of racing I decided to go for it and try to get into top 5, as my results were good enough to allow myself mistakes and risk, but I risked too much and had 2 over earlies, so needed to get happy with the 8^th. I used for the first time our new Point-7 booms in all sizes, and I was proud to obtain this kind of result with the full Point-7 rig…especially when I cannot have the same full focus as most of the pros doing the PWA.

Andrea Cucchi

 Before the first event in Korea I didn’t know what to expect about the entire racing scene. I knew the level was high and everybody is tuned and ready to go. I was feeling confident with myself too, but I had to admit the first few starts in Korea I was a little anxious, first of all because it was probably a “one race” event and second because it was like a movie in my head before the start, I was doing that 6 years ago!!For Japan, I believe I already got some improvement. Won 2 heats, had competitive speed in a stronger wind. Still it was a very hard event!!In Costa Brava, I started the event very bad. I’m still not 100% tuned on the very light wind condition. Luckily the wind got stronger and I had some good heats!! I was feeling competitive and totally in the game!! Went to my first winner’s final of the year. It was a good feeling!! I finished the event on the 16th position. I think it was a good place for me, I’m happy to improve during the events.

Now I’m here on Maui for few days and going back to Brazil before Fuerteventura. I’m looking forward for a nice and windy event. Normally I like these conditions!! Let’s see how it goes there!!

Gabriel Browne

 IIt’s frustrating from time to time. You sail out with the best riders in the world and you are even faster than them. You enter the event thinking that you can beat everyone, but sometimes you face a hard truth. The reason is because precision in technique, can beat your physical power. Having a good timing beats speed. Fast thinking, beats focus.

think all the riders are fast, but if you don’t have the perfect timing on the starting line your speed is nothing. I lost my timing in the starts during this event, and in our sport if you are late, you can jibe and go back to the beach. The level is too high to believe to go through one round if you don’t nail the start to the meter. #ATUONO

Bruno Martini

Now being back home after 6 weeks on the road, I can say, that my first three events of the year started long time ago. Before heading off to Korea and Japan, I was at home training, and I headed off to Lake Garda to join the Point-7 team for some preparations. I spent three weeks on the lake, and it was an amazing time. I headed off to Korea fully prepared and ready to compete.

When we arrived in Korea, unfortunately this year, we were presented with a poor forecast. So a lot of time was spent sitting on the beach, and as the days passed, I felt myself slowly getting more out of shape and losing my sharpness. I tried to sail as much as possible in the small windows of wind that we did have, but it was not much.

By the time the wind came, I was actually caught off guard, because it was unpredictable. I managed to get to the quarter finals, but was eliminated because I was so overpowered on my 8,6, that I was all over the place in the gybes! But oh well, we didn’t finish the elimination in the end as the wind disappeared again!

In Japan, we were presented with the same scenario. The wind gods were just not with us. Sitting around is hard, and exactly the same thing happened here. The wind came up, and I went from sitting at the local café sipping a late to being on the start line within 30 minutes. I was on my biggest sail, which obviously was too big! Again, I made it to the quarter finals, and I was in a good position to move up further, but because of intense fighting with the other guys, I eventually caught a rail in one of the gybes, and I was once again eliminated. And that was it for Japan. We didn’t get any more wind for that event. It’s a far way to go for just one race ?

After the event in Tsukuihama, I spent another day in Japan with friends before flying straight to Barcelona, where I spend another few days waiting to go to Costa Brava. At this point, I was quite tired of being on the road!

Costa Brava presented us yet again with some waiting time until the last few days, where the wind really came through, and we managed to get an impressive 8 eliminations done! My only way to describe this event for me was “total meltdown”. Whether I was just worn out from traveling, or I just not was in the right state of mind is hard to say. I am still trying to analyse it. But one thing, which was certain, was that I wasn’t present the way I should have been, and I wasn’t in my normal fighting mode. I never managed to get really good starts, and my gybing was terrible. I never made it past the 1/8 finals, which I find really terrible. I just didn’t have it in my, and something was holding me back.

One thing is for certain, I am already at work figuring out what went down, and already looking forward to the next event in Fuerteventura, where I will do my best to break this rhythm and come back stronger ?

Kurosh Kiani