Please select your home edition
Edition
V-DRY-X

Caribbean Foiling Championships at Orient Bay Beach, Saint Martin - Day 1

by Sacha van der Wouden 11 Dec 2021 10:31 GMT 10-12 December 2021
Caribbean Foiling Championships day 1 © Caribbean Foiling

This Friday, December 10 marked the first day of the 2021 Caribbean Foiling Championships in Orient Bay. This is the second edition of these long-awaited watersports championships, postponed due to Covid.

This year, the Caribbean Foiling Championships have 35 registered riders, coming from all over the region with participants from Sint Maarten, Saint Martin, Saint Barthélemy, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Antigua and Barbuda, Puerto Rico, and from elsewhere such as France, the Netherlands, Greece, Canada but also further away like South Africa and even Norway, with the former Olympic windsurfing champion who has become addicted to foiling.

The riders had met the day before during a convivial wine and cheese evening, sponsored by Monoprix, at the championships' headquarters at Wind Aventures club in Orient Bay. The professional windfoiler Maëlle Guilbaud has a smile on her face: 'it's nice to be with other athletes who share the same passion, you can feel a certain emulation. Saint Barthélemy being right next door, it was obvious to me that I would come and participate'.

From the morning on, a positive group atmosphere was felt, with strong mutual support especially regarding helping out with gears between the runners. For example, the Guadeloupe windsurfing team was unfortunately not able to bring their equipment on time, but could count on the solidarity of other competitors who shared pieces of equipment.

Wingfoiling as a novelty for this edition

Wingfoil is a recent discipline, the gear being available on the market only for the last three years and with the first world championships being organized this summer. The wing has a triangular shape and can be handled directly by hand, without lines like in kitefoil and without boom and mast like in windsurfing.

The organizers, Sacha van der Wouden and Maxim van den Pol, explain that faced with the enthusiasm in this new sport, it was natural to include it in these championships: 'We see this championship as a platform to bring together all foil sports. Wingfoil is a growing and fun discipline. We are pleased with this addition and the success in the entries and outcomes.'

14 runners did a technical slalom course around buoys placed in Orient Bay. There were a couple of falls due to Sargassum, a few bumps between runners, but most importantly good spirits and a friendly atmosphere.

Young people always in the spotlight

At the height of her 11 years, Enoha Laurent from Guadeloupe is not afraid of anything. She sets off with her kitefoil, in sustained 20 knots wind and swell to the starting line to race along with the adults. She is accompanied by her training comrades, and under the supervision of her coach Sébastien Queney, previous record holder for the around Sint Maarten island race in kitefoil, who spins on the water around his young protégés to check that everything is going well and encourage them.

In wingfoil, Arthur Thebault, 12 years old, sails with the smallest wing of the group with more motivation than ever, under the encouragement of his uncle who is also a runner in these championships. After nine races, Chucho Nonnot, 17 years old and currently in the top 8 in the world, won the day's event.

Sacha Fortuné, 16 years old and participating in the French Espoirs Championship for his Guadeloupe club, comes first in windfoil.

The results are tight in the professional kitefoil category for the first place. It is the local Julien Quentel who wins most heats, in front of Tiger Tyson of Antigua, who won the first edition of the Championships in 2020 when he was 17 years old.

If the competitive spirit is clearly present, 'the most important thing is that everyone is safe and is having fun', concludes Sacha Daunar, an experienced racing judge for the French sailing federation of Guadeloupe.

caribbeanfoiling.com

Related Articles

1, 2, 1, 2… RS200 sailors this is your mic check
For the 2025 Nationals social programme 1, 2, 1, 2... RS200 sailors this is your mic check for the 2025 nationals social programme. Set your sails and your Spotify to "absolute bangers" - because the 2025 Noble Marine RS200 Nationals in Abersoch isn't just about racing. Posted today at 1:00 pm
Supernova Nationals 2025 at the WPNSA overall
An impressive 88 despite a change of venue It wasn't that long ago that the Supernova fleet were excited for their upcoming visit to Plymouth for the 2025 national championships. Sadly things weren't to be with some overrunning building work unfortunately leaving us without a venue. Posted today at 11:13 am
Europe Masters & Youth Europeans Days 2 & 3
Hayling Bay didn't fail to deliver on Thursday and Friday The forecast for both Thursday & Friday looked perfect - 10-12 knots from the SW with the likelihood of a sea breeze and Hayling Bay didn't fail to deliver. Posted today at 10:32 am
Harken Hadron H2 Nationals day 1
A 12-14 knot south-westerly breeze at WPNSA provided a thrilling start to the event A 12-14 knot south-westerly breeze at WPNSA provided the competitors a thrilling start to the 2025 Hadron H2 national championships on Friday, 4th July. Posted today at 6:08 am
AEGEAN 600 Attica Warm-Up Race
5th edition sets sail with strong winds and signature Greek hospitality Under perfect sunny skies and brisk northerly winds, the 5th edition of the annual AEGEAN 600 kicked off with a flawless start both on and off the water. Posted on 4 Jul
Sam Goodchild in the Course des Caps
The final phase is full of potential pitfalls Sam Goodchild, the British skipper of MACIF Santé Prévoyance who has been dominating the IMOCA round Britain and Ireland race since the start of the third day, says the goal now is to focus on the complex finishing section. Posted on 4 Jul
Harken D-Zero Nationals day 1
Thrills, spills and misdirections With a strong south-easterly wind forecast for Saturday, gusting 24kts, the race officer scheduled three races for day one in the hope that all eight races scheduled for the Nationals might be completed over the weekend. Posted on 4 Jul
29er Europeans at Lake Garda day 2
Light breeze, boat park buzz and big wins off the water >Day 2 brought lighter winds to Lake Garda, but the energy around the event stayed sky-high. Posted on 4 Jul
Melges 24 European Series in Monfalcone day 1
Nefeli sets the pace after three races The seventh leg of the 2025 Melges 24 European Sailing Series, hosted by Yacht Club Monfalcone, kicked off in promising conditions with a steady 10-knot breeze from 220 degrees. Posted on 4 Jul
Rolex TP52 Worlds in Cascais day 3
French tour de force gives Paprec world championship lead As the Rolex TP52 World Championship passed its midway point today in Cascais, Portugal it is the French underdogs on Paprec, led by ocean racing legend Loïck Peyron, which has taken the overall lead. Posted on 4 Jul