January in Cape Town is renowned for consistently strong winds, but 2010 has been something special combining the strong winds with one of the biggest swells ever seen in Table Bay! The Fanatic team just happened to be testing their new range of Quad fin boards when the swell hit, so sit back and enjoy the spectacle!!
Photos courtesy of: Cape Sessions, Ingo Meyer and Caitlin
The beginning of a wipeout for Marcilio.
Klaas hits it hard for a hardcore aerial.
Craig goes down in completely the wrong place.
Craig hitting the section.
Marcilio with nowhere to go.
Klaas getting deep on a bomb.
Klaas Voget cut back on to the face.
Another bottom turn by Victor.
Victor getting a big old fashioned jump.
Victor forward off the lip.
Klaas Voget on a massive wave.
Tweaked pushloop sequence 1.
Tweaked pushloop sequence 2.
Tweaked pushloop sequence 3.
Tweaked pushloop sequence 4.
Victor backloop sequence 1.
Victor backloop sequence 2.
Victor backloop sequence 3.
Victor backloop sequence 4.
Victor Fernandez E-42:
“Well, I have to say that this day in Haagkat really impresed me. This is my 3rd time in Cape Town and I never saw such a big swell here like that. That day was my first day in Cape Town and just coming out from the plane we went home, then we had a little session in Milnerton beach, just in front of our place and after that we went to Haagkat and scored those big waves. It was actually very fun to sail with Craig, Klaas and Marcilio in my first day of the trip. This is one of those very big days I would never forget.”
Marcilio Browne BRA-105:
“Most of the times i heard about cape town before i arrived here it always sounded like a place with strong winds and small waves. But since one week it has been some big swells pretty much everyday. The day we went to Haakgat was a special day, the waves were prettty big, and increasing as the day went by, also the wind was really strong, full power 4,2 weather. I was impressed how good the quad was working. I had the 81 liter that day, beacause the current was really strong in the inside, winds were gusty and the last thing you wanted was to get stuck in betwen waves. The board felt nice, was getting planning really early and had a lot of drive on those big choppy waves. The board kept a lot of control pretty much most of the time and also was moving around pretty well.”
Klaas Voget G-4:
“This was one of the biggest days i’ve ever seen here in Cape Town. It was quite windy and pretty choppy on the biggest ones, but still a lot of fun. The grip and control our quad prototypes have made my day. For me this was also the first big day with my new Simmer sails and they rip. The ICON feels neutral and controlled and it’s very strong, as i got a few of these bombs on the head without any problems.
Craig Gertenbach (Team Boss):
“As a local who has sailed Haakgat for over 20 years, I was pretty suprised to see the swell picking up as quickly and as largely as it did on Monday. Last week I had a great session at Haakgat, without any swims or wipeouts, so on Monday I had to catch up...on my 2nd wave I got totally wiped out, held under and had a very long swim & walk. After a few similar situations I retired to the beach and enjoyed watching Klaas, Marcilio and Victor totally ripping in the huge sets. We have had 2 major swells and another 2 are on the way, so it´s definately the best January I have ever seen in Cape Town!”
