JOHN SKYE - GLADIATOR PIT!

JOHN SKYE – GLADIATOR PIT!

JOHN SKYE TAKES ON THE PWA RACE TITANS IN FUERTEVENTURA!

Still in contention in 6th position I slam into the churned-up water at the last mark. Ahead of me, Cedric Bordes is swatted down, his sail spiralling across the water, blocking the way of Kordel in front of me. The German is forced wide, stops dead and, unexpectedly, a gap opens before me. Suddenly the fourth qualifying slot is all mine and I pass through mid gybe and come out ahead. I feel the adrenalin kick in, but right at that moment there’s an almighty scream from behind. In that brief moment of shock I go down and watch as my hopes vanish as quickly as they appeared. This is war, this is PWA slalom and this is my first ever heat.

Story JOHN SKYE // Photos JOHN CARTER

This feature originally appeared in the September 2014 issue of Windsurf Magazine. To read more features like this first, Print and Digital subscriptions are available. Prices include delivery globally for 10 x issues a year!

From what I understand, the head of Turkish construction company Polimeks Erol Tabaja, reached a deal with the PWA to host the event in Turkmenistan as a gesture of gratitude for all the contracts they’d received from the government, including the lucrative construction of the Ashgabat Airport and the 80 million dollar Yelken Yacht Club Hotel at Awaza, where the event was to be based.

GREENHORN

So I am not really a full rookie. I grew up racing, although mainly longboards and early course slalom and I had some good results in PWA Super X. But as for ‘real slalom’, I had very little experience. Working on our RRD Firewing sail all winter, I was really happy with its performance. It’s a 3-cam Freerace sail, designed for easy rigging and ease of use, but the performance seemed to me to be up there with the very best. I actually spent more time slalom testing than wave sailing and that was when the idea came to me. There’s no better way to test slalom gear than on the slalom course – and I had all the gear already in the van. Fuerte is just a short ferry ride from my home in Gran Canaria and is pretty much guaranteed windy, so that was it. Decision made. Providing I could get a wildcard that is …

To prepare I had a testing buddy – Kai Kautman – and we put together three easy to set buoys to practice gybing and starting. Typically we would do a countdown start sequence, following by a three-gybe figure of eight. Decent practice certainly, but nothing could prepare you for having seven other sailors around you battling for their lives. And it is a battle. In waves, freestyle (and even in Super-X a bit), you’re basically competing against yourself. You have an opponent, but really you try to do your best in the heat and that is it. If your best is better than their best, you advance. Slalom however is another world. You have eight guys in the heat and you need to finish ahead of four of them. If you get a chance to attack someone and put them in your wake, then you do it. If you can gybe inside of them and leave them stood still, then great. It’s not quite ‘win at all costs’, but its close. That certainly took some getting used to. Finally I needed some goals. Starting from zero made it a little hard to judge, so I had a rolling goal line. Firstly, it was simply to make it through the first round. If I made that, then the losers’ final would be the next. I had no idea really, but I have to admit to being quietly confident to make at least one losers’ final.

DAY 1 – DESTROYED

The ferry across is just 3 hours, but with a very early start and having only just finished the Pozo contest, I was pretty punished. I rigged a 6.2, which is normally my favourite size and hit the water to see how my speed was against the big boys. The results were very disappointing. I got killed. My magic trim that worked so well in the waters of Gran Canaria gave me zero control and I could barely sheet in. Add to that the sudden change from 4.2 and wave board to 6.2 and slalom board and I immediately had considerably more respect for the guys that do it all. How Ross [Williams] can jump from winning the Formula Worlds, finishing top 10 in the waves, then jumping on the slalom gear and win finals? I already had respect for him, but now it has just multiplied. Anyway, a few tweaks to the trim, by dropping the boom and moving the lines forward a touch and at least I could now sail in a straight line. My speed was a long way off though.

DAY 2 – CONFIDENCE GROWS

The second day dawned much lighter and gave me a chance to test the bigger gear. Starting on 7.8 everything felt much better. I was still a little off the speed of the top guys, but at least I could keep up for a bit. A quick test of the 7.0 in the afternoon and I was starting to get a bit of confidence.

DAY 3 – PUNISHED

I woke up the following day completely punished. Slalom sailing is pretty hard work on the body compared to the waves. After wave sailing a lot I get tired and covered in bruises. After two full-on days of slalom practice in Fuerte my legs and back were killing. I made the wise decision to take a day off and recover a bit. If we were going to have a full week of racing, I would need all the energy I could muster!

ELIMINATION 1 – LESSON 1

After registering – and being handed the largest rash vest I have ever seen – I was ready for action. Elimination 1 started with light winds and my 7.8 Firewing/105 X-Fire/36 F-hot fin combo. Having discussed it a bit with the guys, I decided my best starting position would be in the middle of the line. It didn’t go too well as, within about two seconds, someone came flying over the top of me and put me in their dirty air. I arrived at the first mark in sixth or seventh, but, after the first gybe, I was still in touch with qualifying. Everything is very intense in slalom.
Decisions need to take place within milliseconds. Staying upwind, dropping downwind, gybing wide, gybing tight. It’s no wonder that the experienced guys continue to win, as that knowledge means the decisions become intuitive.

Coming into the last mark I was sixth and, barring an incident, I didn’t have much hope. However Cedric dropped his sail during the rig flip and suddenly it was all open. Kordel was forced wide and stopped, and a gap opened before me. I slipping through and suddenly I was in fourth. Then there was that scream. Had I hit someone? Was I about to hit someone? I had no idea what was going on, and in the momentary confusion I dropped the sail and with it qualifying disappeared. So what had happened? Well nothing! Kordel had just screamed in an attempt to put me off and, being the full rookie, it had worked a treat! I vowed there and then to not be such a pussy and be ready to fight.

ELIMINATION 2 – HEAT OF DEATH.

I was stood by the notice board as they wrote the names on the ladder. Heat 3 looked a death heat as they wrote Albeau, Dunkerbeck, Maynard, Mortefon, Yilmazer – and then Skye. Talk about a tough draw! With the wind stronger I opted for my 7.0 and a smaller board, desperate to get the maximum speed possible. I opted for a boat start this time to keep upwind and out of trouble, but as we approached the line Dunkerbeck powered upwind from below and basically slammed me into the boat. I pretty much had to sheet out and wait for him to start and then follow behind him. Not a good start. However justice was served as he crashed at the first mark. Plus, in the confusion that followed, I managed to come out in third. That didn’t last long though as Mortefon flew past me, but still, fourth was all I needed. Now it was between me and Yilmazer. I had a small lead, but he positioned himself on the inside coming into the gybe and there was nothing I could do but watch as he gybed tight and accelerated away. So fifth-place finish was close, but not close enough. However I did finish ahead of Dunkerbeck, which was very satisfying. Growing up watching him dominating the sport, he is my hero, so that is a very nice victory to have on record!

DAY 4 – NO WIND

No wind all day, so a very useful day to reflect.

DAY 4 ELIMINATION 4 – PLAN GOES WRONG.

Having had a nice rest day, the wind started light again, but still on my 7.8/105/36. With a full day to reflect I quickly worked out that the gybing was my strong point. Our three cam, easy rotation sail was so much lighter in the hands at the gybe mark, so for Elimination 3, I planned to utilise this to the maximum. So approaching the first gybe I positioned myself out wide to attack at the gybe. What I had failed to notice however was that there were three of the freestyle kids in the heat, who all dived inside of me and came out fully planing, leaving me with nowhere to go and
no hope. That was me done at the first mark and it was back to the
drawing board for more heat strategies.

ELIMINATION 4 – FINALLY IT GOES RIGHT.

Another light-ish wind race for 7.8/105/36. My start tactic was now to position myself upwind of the pack that always fights it out at the pin. That way I could keep them in my sights but be free from their dirty air. This time it worked beautifully, as they were having a real scrap down the bottom. I arrived at the first mark in third and following a decent gybe I was looking good. Round the outside gybe and I was still in 3rd, and there didn’t seem too many people around me either. Suddenly I realised that I had quite a lead over fifth place and the qualification was now mine to lose. Coming into the third gybe, all I was thinking was “don’t crash don’t crash”, which is obviously the worst thing to think. Sure enough, as I come out the gybe, the rail catches and I get pulled round the front, back foot in the air. I just manage to hold on, choosing to slam the brakes on rather than risk falling. I lose third place instantly, but I am still fourth and, following some frantic pumping and a final wobbly gybe I cross the line in fourth. The spectators were probably wondering why I was fist pumping for fourth, but goal number 1 was in the bag.

ELIMINATION 4 – QUARTERFINAL 1.

With a night to sleep on it, I woke up ready for the quarterfinal fight. Could I make it through this and into the semis, thus
guaranteeing at least a losers final spot? With the wind a bit stronger, I opted for 7.0/105/36. I can’t really claim I was ever in much of a qualifying position, but I was in touch with the pack and in fifth place until the final gybe. Cyril Moussilmani stopped dead in front of me, meaning I had to slam the breaks on and watch as two people shot by. But still, with that result, there was hope that the semi final was in reach.

ELIMINATION 5 – SO CLOSE.

Finally the strong winds of Fuerte were starting to kick in. I always figured the rougher it got, the more chance I had. Our sails are so easy to use and gybe with that it would really be an advantage. I took the 6.2/90/32 and after a decent first gybe I was in a position to attack third place. However, instead of trying to move forward I focused on defending fourth, with young Jordy Vonk right on my tail. It went nicely to plan all the way until the final mark where, once again, Cyril Moussilmani stopped dead in front of me. Jordy ducked low with a great gybe and had just enough to get ahead of me, leaving me devastated in fifth. I vowed after that to always fight for third, because you never know what’s going to happen…

ELIMINATION 6 – THINGS STARTING TO COME TOGETHER.

With the wind still strong again, I stuck with the 6.2/90/32 combo. I came out of the first gybe in fourth, but this time I went on the attack. Poor Gonzo was probably just trying to cruise around in third for qualification, but each gybe I would snap inside of him, and each reach he would claw it back. In the end I managed to get ahead of him, but probably he just wanted to stay out of trouble, as we both qualified.

ELIMINATION 6 – QUARTERFINAL 2 –SEMIS GETTING CLOSER.

My second quarterfinal and this time the conditions were much more to my liking. With waves cutting through the course and mixing with the chop it was pretty technical gybing, particularly on the outside. If ever I was going to have an opportunity to get to the semis, it was now.

After a reasonable start I arrived at the first mark in touch with the pack and, following a safe gybe, came out in contention. I dropped down to get the inside line at the outside mark and came out in fourth, with Maciek Rutkowski below and just behind. Maciek had actually been really helpful all week and advising whenever I had questions. However here we were neck and neck and you could see there was no way he was going to let a ‘wave sailor’ beat him. Coming into the third gybe he had the inside line, pushed me up high and left me nothing to do but wait for him to gybe and follow him around. Not only did he get ahead, but he also left so much space at the mark that two others went through too. No chance to make up the ground after that, so I finished sixth, but in this one the semis were definitely within sight.

ELIMINATION 7 – BEATEN BY THE WIND.

It was still windy and they wanted to push to get the first round done of Elimination 7. I once again opted for my favourite 6.2/90/32 combination and, following a good first gybe, I ended up sitting in fourth. Like I had done in the other heats, I decided to drop low to get the inside line into the outside gybe, but this time it went terribly wrong. As I dived low the wind not only dropped, but also swung, meaning I was struggling to stay planing and even struggling to make the mark. Two guys went flying past at this point and that was it, game over. Pretty frustrating as it was a massive hole in the wind, but that is how it goes. I should have been on my 7.0 really. The positive was that Dunkerbeck fell at the last mark and I was able to pass him and finish fifth. Meaning a 2 out of 2 record against the champ! Annoyingly they cancelled the next heat and called it a day.

DAY 5 – ELIMINATION 8 – LAST CHANCE.

After yesterday’s mistake I decided to go big and went on the 7.0 even though the wind was more or less the same as the day before. I was ready to put it on the medium 105 board, but everyone around me was taking small boards, so I went with that, which I think was a mistake. I had a reasonable start, but by the first mark I was in my usual sixth. I made it to fifth at the first gybe and then went on the attack. Every reach and every gybe I was closing in on Cousins, putting him under pressure and positioning myself to attack. Finally, on the ultimate gybe, he went wide and I could sweep in and take him on the inside. I was ahead and upwind, which should have meant victory was in the bag. I pushed him down low, but Yilmazer, who was in third, decided to cover us and dropped low himself. Suddenly I got caught in his dirty air and was struggling to make the finish line myself. Cousins took advantage and started pushing from below and I got sandwiched in the middle. In the end Cousins took fourth by a couple of metres, leaving me out. I was pretty gutted, as that was the last race and therefore my last chance to make the losers’ final. Maybe if I had been on my 105 that might have made the difference, but you never know?

CONCLUSION.
I ended up 40th and never made the losers’ final. If you had asked if I would be happy with that before the event the answer would have been no, but actually I was reasonably content with the end result. I made two quarter finals and finished fifth in four of the eight rounds. I think if we could start again now, I could possibly have made at least another two quarter finals and maybe that elusive losers final would have been within reaching distance?

I don’t think the conditions really suited me, I was hoping for more crazy wind. With the easy handling of our Firewing it would have been a real advantage when the conditions got gnarly, but that is no excuse. I was very happy with the performance of our sail. For sure, against the top 10 in the world, I don’t have the speed. But thanks to the easy handling I was able to battle at the gybes and put up a fight until the last metre of the course. I’m not sure I would have faired any better using Antoine’s gear and already I’ve been able to put some of what I learnt into the new 2015 sails. Slightly more power and more stability to be able to keep going through dirty air. Also I think this power will actually give more control as it can help to keep the board pinned to the water better.

Am I tempted to compete more? The answer is yes for sure, but I think I’ll stick to the golden sands of Fuerteventura. I don’t think you can ask for a nicer place to compete. Sun, sand, wind and, if it all goes wrong, parties every night. Next year I will be back and this time I will be ready for the fight. Top 30 is the goal and to get that I will need to make that elusive losers’ final! JS