FW Youth and Masters Comes to an End

Two very worthy new world champions - Christian Justesen and Marco Begalli - have been crowned at the end of the Formula Windsurfing Youth and Masters World Championships "Pannonia Surfing Days" on Lake Neusiedler See in Austria.

On the final day competitors arrived on site to find zero wind. A very light breeze drifting over the course was the best anyone could expect as the wind forecast was not looking good for the final day. It was decided to wait until midday for a skippers meeting but with no wind on the horizon it was eventually agreed to finish the championship with a 1600 prizegiving.

Prize giving over, many thanks to all involved with the event - the organisers, the race crew, the competitors, spectators and friends. The wind gods were not with us for the whole week but our generous hosts certainly maximised the opportunities available and made sure everyone had a great time.

---

 A little bit of excitement on Lake Neusiedler See

Day 4 of racing started with 12-15 knots in the course area with expectations of 2 races back to back before a break. The first warning signal was at 10.00 and race 7 for the youths was soon under way, catching out one or two late arrivals expecting an 1100 start!

However, after that little bit of excitement the wind dropped, the race was abandoned and the racers were sent back ashore to await an improvement in the conditions. By mid-afternoon there appeared to be no chance the wind would improve. AP over A signalled time for a cultural visit to Vienna.

A gruelling day at Pannonia Surfing Days World Championships . . .

. . . but 4 more races completed. Racing started on time in good conditions, with wind averaging 17 knots, gusting to 21 knots. The plan was for 2 races 'back to back' in the morning, after a break for lunch 2 further 'back to back' races and if the wind played ball, a final 5th race later in the afternoon.

It was not to be; the morning session went according to plan, but in the afternoon the wind dropped steadily, enabling only race 5 to be completed and race 6 being abandoned half way through.

After a further break ashore the race committee decided the wind had picked up sufficiently to attempt the elusive race 6. It was the right call and most finished in the dying breeze. It was however a hard slog back to the beach to complete a tough day.

In the youth fleet Christen Justesen from Denmark consolidated his position at the top, as did Italian Marco Begalli in the Masters. Consistency wins titles.

Top 3 in Youth
1) Christen Justesen DEN-26
2) Mateus Isaac BRA-767
3) Elia Colombo SUI-63

Top 3 Masters
1) Marco Begalli ITA-415
2) Peter Eliens NED-538
3) Ansis Dale LAT-13

Racing gets underway at the Pannonia Surfing Days Formula Windsurfing Worlds

Competitors and race committee will be relieved to have got racing underway at this year's Formula Windsurfing Youth and Masters World Championship hosted by the Austrian Sailing Federation at their centre on Neusiedl am See.

It had all the omens of being another long day ashore, waiting for the weather to improve and the wind to kick in and stabilise. Eventually the race committee started registering wind readings of the right intensity and the postponement flag came down. But as sailors made their way to the starting area it looked to be dropping - but local knowledge played its part and the race committee got it right.

Two races for both fleets were completed before weather conditions deteriorated, and the rain killed the wind.

At the end of day 2 it is clearly an open championship and there are many racers vying for the title of world champion.

Top 3 at the end of today:

Youth:
1) Christian Justesen (Denmark)
2) Rytis Jasiunas (Lithuania)
3) Joel Gronqvist (Finland)

Masters:
1) Marco Begalli (Italy)
2) Ansis Dale (Latvia)
3) Giovanni Franchini (Italy)

69 competitors from 3 continents/18 countries have registered for the Formula Windsurfing Junior Youth & Masters World Championship - Pannonia Surfing Days - taking place on Lake Neusiedl, Austria. 30 are competing for the youth championship and the rest in Masters (including two seniors for a European Cup ranking).

The event was opened in the evening with speeches from representatives of the host organisation - the Austrian Sailing Federation; and from the Chairman of Austrian Windsurfing, Markus Poltenstein. On behalf of the class Chairman, Francesco Zarbo, declared the championship open and a welcoming meal was enjoyed on the terrace.

The forecast does not look too promising for the first two days, but local racers reliably inform us of an optimistic forecast later in the week. Stay tuned for news!

 The Camping site is changed from "Sandland" to "Grillplatz"

The organisers will provide you camping facilities free of charge at the Grillplatz. There you will find electricity, water and toilets. The nearby barbecue area may be used on Tuesday and Thursday.

Innocent supports PSD 

We are glad to confirm the support of innocent smoothies for the Pannonia Surfing days 2013 - We are able to supply all competitors with the healthy 100% natural fruit smoothies free of charge

Pannonia Surfing Days to host FW Youth & Master Worlds Organised by the Austrian Sailing Federation, Pannonia Sailing Days is a new, annual, Windsurfing Race Event that starts in 2013 with a big event. PSD are glad to host the World Championships for Formula Windsurfing Masters and Youth from 26th to 31st August. The venue will be the Bundesleistungszentrum Segeln, the Training Center of the Austrian Sailing Federation in Neusiedl, Lake Neusiedl. Also included is an event for Junior & Youth racers in the Techno 293 Class. Furthermore, an introductory Race in the newly established RS:One Class is planned. Further information on these two events will be published soon. In the coming years we will try to host different windsurfing races scheduled around the end of August. The venue is the National Training Institute for Sailing, a purpose built location, founded in 2003. The centre was the main venue for many big sailing events such as the 2006 ISAF World Sailing Games with more than 900 athletes or the 2012 420 World Championships with around 200 boats. The racing area on Lake Neusiedl is just in front of the beach. The lake is an UNESCO world heritage side with exceptional wind conditions. The average water depth is 1.5 metre. There is no current or tide.The area around lake Neusiedl is a popular holiday area which invites you and your families to bring bicycles to explore the nature or the local food and wine.