Are you an aspiring slalom sailor, but not sure you are quite ready to battle it out with the absolute best in the world yet? That’s where the PWA Slalom Qualifying Series comes in as we aim to merge the gap between National to International contests and make the transition as seamless as possible. Up and coming slalom sailors will have to earn their stripes on the Qualifying Series in order to qualify for a place on the World Tour the following year. Zoo Station Bol, Croatia, will be the first destination to host a PWA Slalom Qualifier between 8th-13th July and we recently caught up with the owner Tony Bulić to find a bit more about Bol.  Hi Toni, can you tell us a bit more about why you wanted to become the first host of a PWA Slalom Qualifier?  “Back in 2004, Zoo Station hosted a PWA Freestyle Qualifier. Ever since then, it has always been our wish to get back on the PWA Tour and welcome the best of the best. In the last 10 years, Zoo Station organised several high level international events visited by many top level riders, including [Pierre] Mortefon, [Finian] Maynard, local boys [Enrico] Marotti and Croatian Olympic windsurfer [Luka] Mratović, [Maciek] Rutkowski, [Bruno] Martini, [Damien] Arnoux… PWA is the natural step forward to a higher level of racing.”  When will the Qualifier be held? And who can enter?  “The event is scheduled for 8th-13th July. There will be 5 categories (for both men’s & women’s) - overall, U20, U17, U15, U13. Everyone can enter, however, bear in mind that the number of competitors per each category is limited to 64.”  Can you tell us a little bit more about Bol and the usual conditions to expect at that time of year?  “Bol is a small beautiful seaside town on the island Brač in Dalmatia, the central part of the Croatian coast. It is most known, besides being one of the few places in Croatia with constant thermal winds, by the beautiful beach the Golden Horn, shaped like an arrow whose top changes directions in line with the direction of the wind.   During the entire summer, when the weather is sunny and stable, Bol is blessed by a thermal wind called Maestral, blowing every day around 15 to 20 knots side-shore between approximately 1PM and 6PM."  Anything else you’d like to add?  "Maybe just that we are really looking forward to hosting this event and welcome all the amazing riders out there. Bol is an amazing place to windsurf and, if you haven't been here yet, we are sure you will love it.  If you have any questions or need any help or advice with travel or accommodation, please feel free to contact us - https://zoo-station.com/"  Thanks, Toni. All the best with the event!   Chairman of the PWA Jimmy Diaz (Starboard / Duotone): “We are very happy to announce the PWA Qualifying event in Croatia as a first step in creating a proper qualifying series into our racing system.  Following our strategy in creating a qualifying system for all our disciplines, we are eager to move away from a wild card system into a proper qualifying series where the top sailors will receive guaranteed entry into PWA events the following year.  We also feel strongly that our sport needs a much wider base and together with the PWA youth events, we hope to do our part in helping the younger generations with proper stepping stones into the top levels of professional competition. We welcome Croatia into this first important step and look forward to a great event off the coast of this beautiful country.”   If you are interested in hosting a PWA Slalom Qualifier you can contact the PWA: info@no-spam-pleasepwaworldtour.com

Details of how to enter the first PWA Slalom Qualifier will be released soon.