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Tiree Wave Classic 2004

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The Legendary Tiree Wave Classic

THE AMATEUR FLEET

The most promising fleet of the Tiree Wave Classic was the amateur fleet with 14 sailors competing. The competition amongst the fleet was as intense as the Pro’s with just as many controversial decisions and emotions running high. As first time campaigner, Emile Kott from Bristol, describes:

Styling by Jon Metcalfe

Scottie McDowell cartwheels forward

Round 1: Balevulin Beach

Conditions: Light, onshore winds, starboard tack wave riding in the small beach surf.

Emile: The Amateurs were sent out in conditions reminiscent of the Irish Triple Crown early this year. If you were lucky, you got planing on a 6.0m sail but there were some waves in the gusty conditions.
In my first heat I managed to get through with a forward loop although not landed and a
bit of backside riding.

Jon Metcalfe was pulling off some nice backside rides given the marginal conditions.
The final saw the wind pick up a bit and Jon got a nice tabletop followed by a clean forward which won him the heat fairly convincingly.

Scott McDowell, a Tiree Regular, got in a few forwards, whilst I was struggling with a 6.6m which for some reason I thought was a good idea to use. A serious school boy error as the sail was just too heavy to perform any radical moves on. Consequently my result suffered and I finished fourth.

Round 2: Balevulin again

Conditions: 5.0m weather, port tack, better waves.

Being port tack, it was the Rhosneigr boys who stood out. Martin Francis (Gopher) nearly nailing a lovely backloop and Dave Horrocks doing tweaked table tops and good front side rides. (Dave is brother of Phil Horrocks and this was his first competition). Scott McDowell seemed to much prefer port tack and did some big forwards. But it was Gopher’s day as he went straight through to the final and won it by sailing the heat of his life. He didn't even get his hair wet!

Round 3: Crossapol Beach

Conditions: Light winds, small waves, starboard tack wave riding.

The morning was taken up with the Pro fleet completing their final round at Balevulin in mast high waves. But the dying wind and waves meant that Crossapol was the only option by the afternoon.
Everyone ended up on big sails trying to ride the waves on their freestyle boards – nice!

Scott McDowell proved to be really good at wave selection and always seemed to be in the right place at the right time, which must come from plenty of experience. Also looking good was Dave Horrocks with some powerful bottom turns.

I found that I couldn't really bottom turn very well on a 100 litre freestyle board but was coming off the top quite nicely and throwing up a good amount of spray on the glassy faces, which is always nice.

The last final of the competition was made up of Scott McDowell, Martin Francis, Dave Horrocks, Paul Healy and myself.
I think that I got the most rides but Dave and Scott were looking pretty good and hard to beat. When the decision came I felt a bit robbed, to be honest, coming third in the round as a lot of people on the beach seemed to think I had it. But hey, that seems to be competition.

It was a great week, and there is no doubt that competing forces you to step it up. Hopefully the Amateur fleet will be much bigger next year and hopefully I will win it!

Emile Kott: robbed

RESULTS (M= Master)

Darren Mitchell's sailing was outstanding.

Close competition from Pip Pardoe. (click image to enlarge)

Pip again.

RESULTS

1.  DARREN MITCHELL
2.  PIP PARDOE 
3.  CHRIS MURRAY 
4.  BEN KENNEDY
5.  JAMIE MACDONALD

Chris Murray’s thoughts:

Tiree was a real adventure and the best competition of the year. The island goes mental at night time and is even better in the daylight for windsurfing!

The Youth fleet consisted of 5 competitors: me, Pip Pardoe, Darren Mitchell, Ben Kennedy and local boy Jamie MacDonald. Darren was at his first Triple Crown event of the year and cleaned up without losing a single heat due to his long summer training abroad. Pip did well coming second in all his heats but one. This was the heat where I collided with Pip and broke his boom with the extra toughness of the nose of my new AHD board. Sorry Pip, I didn’t mean it!

The parties were crazy. One night it started off with me and Pip in bikinis parading around the bar with Miss Scotland and Miss UK! (We even got to change with them!) The party ended up with too many people dancing on the tables and bar top. What a night, can’t wait for next year.

Pip Pardoe’s thoughts

When I arrived in Tiree it was as I expected with wind and good waves although I was fairly tired after the mammoth 10 hour drive and 4 hour ferry crossing.

The next few days there was not so much wind and we just hung out on the beach and ran into the pub during the rain showers (which were frequent). However the word from Windguru said gales by the end of the week, and sure enough come Thursday, Balevulin was rocking. In the Youth fleet we all did our best and the judges said they were impressed with our wave riding and variety of jumps. But in the end Darren Mitchell took a well deserved first place and I came second. However my second meant I was overall Triple Crown Youth Champion for 2004 and that was the title I wanted this year. The Pros better watch out!

However, her winning move in Round 1 was an end-over-end forward in 3.7m weather. Although she crashed the landing, it still counts in the ladies fleet as the judges try and encourage us to go for bigger moves. Natasha was looking the best on Day 1 and we all thought she had the contest in the bag. But light wind, starboard tack wave riding later in the week, just wasn't her game.

I personally had a cracking day as my jumping isn’t as varied as the other girls but I managed to beat them on wave riding and the odd donkey kick. I finished half a point behind Natasha, which is always frustrating. Charlie Connelly came third with Ruth Elliot in second.

Louise Emery in control.

Some nice wave riding from Charlie.

Followed by some big jumps. (click image to enlarge)

Ruth Elliot looping. (click image to enlarge)

Ruth Elliot came second in Round 2 because she had the most guts on the water and went for solid forward loops whilst searching for the biggest waves. Her wave riding is getting smoother on her Starboard Evo and her wave selection better. Being able to loop means you can get your jumping points in the bag which is what saw her through most heats.

I came in third and Sonia Pavelin in fourth. Like Ruth, Sonia looped her way into the final, but she hasn't done a lot of wave riding in this direction and it showed. A winter in Cape Town should sort that out though!

Now it was starboard tack and it showed as port tack wonders Ruth and Natasha lost early on. Sonia Pavelin was clearly more comfortable on starboard and although not renowned for her wave riding (yet) she made the final along with Tanya Saleh.

Tanya has improved so much, especially on starboard tack. Her jumping needs work but who cares when the judges were only looking for 2 waves? She beat Ruth in the second round but then finished third in the final with Sonia in fourth. As for first and second, that was down to me and Charlie. I tried my best, I really did. I sweated buckets, even in the Tiree chill, searching for my winning wave, tacking back and forth. I found a couple and was quite pleased with my riding as I carried my kit up the beach. The expectation that I may have won was shattered by my boyfriend who had watched the heat. “A solid second, Lou”. Was that a complement? Men!

2004 Freestyle champ, Sonia Pavein

Naish team mate Tanya Saleh

Podium - Hebridian Stylee

RESULTS

1. Charlie Connelly
2. Louise Emery
3. Ruth Elliot
4. Natasha Petersmann
5. Sonia Pavelin
6. Tanya Saleh
Joint 7 th Caroline Radway & Lucy Robson

Word needs to be said about the girls who didn’t make a final. Caroline Radway has just come back from a major knee op and lives in central London and has a proper job. Therefore she doesn’t get on the water as much as the rest of us. Her knee injury has left her a cautious sailor but she is super determined and will keep coming back for more until she reaches the podium.

As for the newcomer, Lucy Robson, she's barking mad for starters. A tough cookie that got a 20 second hold down under the only rock in the bay at Balevulin and still carried on sailing. Her wave riding career is only just starting and her inexperience during heats showed. But she seems to love competition, is super keen and will be looping by next season!

As for me, god knows how I came second? My jumping relies on a table top and a back loop attempt because I am too much of a wuss to go for forwards. My wave riding has improved but I honestly feel this is down to my new stubby board. I suppose I've done enough heats to know what you need to do: keep it simple. And of course, I bribed the judges!