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Click on the images below to enlarge. Photos by PWA/Alex Williams , comments by Andy ‘Bubble’ Chambers.
     

View High | low resolution 		  This event is renowned for its great organisation, big crowds, big parties and variable wind conditions!  The amount of people that visit the event is phenomenal for a windsurfing event. All the brands and local shops had display tents where you could see and buy all the latest gear.  Also special ‘Pit Walks’ were organised where the general public were allowed to walk around the competitors tents and look at their gear, ask them questions etc.  There was a prize for the best looking tent which my tent won!!  

On the first day we had offshore winds and competed in the middle of the lake and then the rest of the heats were run in onshore conditions. It relies on fronts coming through to bring the wind so it could be howling or could be really light.  It’s the sort of event where you have to rig up everything.
     
     

View High | low resolution 		  The no handed flaka is a relatively old move. We all learnt it a few years ago but kind of left it behind because the level of freestyle in the last few years has rocketed with all the switch/double moves. The reason it has now become a key move is because the NEW format which stipulates that moves have to look more explosive with more style rather than be low and slidey. So effectively what we have done is re-invent the no handed flaka to make them look higher and faster with more style which made it a high scoring move in Austria.  Most of the sailors can do them but Gollito’s style is sick!  He almost does air no handed flakas. Also Brawzinho and Taty have them pretty dialled.
     
     

View High | low resolution 		  You can either duck the sail half way through or at the end of a move which would make it a ‘Diablo’ which scores you well on technical difficulty or you can duck the sail at the beginning in moves such as Chachoo, Switch Chachoos or Bobs and Funnels.  The normal Chachoo is one of the most technical duck moves.  Andre Paskowski from Germany is the king at these! Brawzinho here is doing one of his trade mark Cana Bravas. When this move was first invented the duck came at the end once the board had fully slid around but he has now given it his own style by ducking the rig at the beginning making it much more technical. Ricardo is doing a Switch Chachoo which is a fairly standard ‘switch move’ which is actually easier than the regular stance chachoo shown by Anxton here.
     
     

View High | low resolution 		  The shaka is one of my favourite moves and for me it looks one of the most impressive.  It has evolved from being a low slidey shuv it into upwind 360, to a full power, high flying aerial manoeuvre.  It’s definitely a move that everyone who is getting into freestyle wants to learn.  The key to getting good height is speed; if you’re going fast enough and carve super hard then you’ll go high.  If you go slow and don’t carve your board hard enough you will only rotate about half way round and end up coming down tail first and finish like an upwind 360.  This is definitely one of the moves that has evolved with the new equipment.  
     
     

View High | low resolution 		  Gollito and Brawzinho have two completely different styles; Gollito is so smooth and all his moves look totally effortless.  He has the ‘Caribbean’ laid back style but at the same time does all his moves at full power and mostly all in the air.   He has such a smooth and explosive style and I think that’s why he won. Brawzinho has a lot of strength and power which comes from his wave sailing style.  His moves are also at full power but lack the smoothness of Gollito. But in this new format it’s the big, explosive moves that were winning and Brawzinho certainly has these up his sleeve.
     
     

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The prize giving happened after an epic final where the wind just turned up for the last 10 mins of the event and switched off again as soon as the heat finished.  The sailors went straight up on stage for the prize giving.  There was a clear winner in everyone’s minds and when Gollito was announced as the victor the crowd went wild! The guys looked like rock stars spraying their huge bottles of champagne all over the crowd. Also it was Brawzinho’s 19th Birthday so he was presented with cake which obviously ended up in his face!

The guy on the surf board is Chico Bento, a local kid from Jericoacoara in Brazil.  He is famous for Capoeira Dancing.  He wowed the crowds each day and night with his incredible displays of flips and spins, almost like he’s on his freestyle board.  He definitely takes some of his Capoeira style in to his freestyle.

     

 
 

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