For the first time ever, the PWA ran a women’s only wave event, and further, they ran it in a new stop on the World Tour – Moulay, Morocco. The landmark competition was a success by every measure, establishing Moulay as a world-class venue, Morocco as a progressive country with the confidence and capital to fund such an innovative event and the PWA as an organisation keen to do more for their female fleet. Learn more as staff and riders reflect on the 2018 Morocco PWA World Cup.
WordsIballa Moreno, Sarah-Quita Offringa, Daida Moreno, Duncan Coombs, Richard Page // PhotosJohn Carter
This feature originally appeared in the June 2018 issue of Windsurf Magazine.
IBALLA MORENO The conditions were fun. It was a bit light at the beginning so we had to ride on big sails and floaty boards. The first heats were on the edge and a few knots too light. Once on the wave you could generate speed. You had to use a lot of technique to make the most of the wave. We knew it was probably our only chance to compete as the swell was forecast to be huge. Duncan the head judge did a great job there. There was an amazing level in the water from all the women and we put on a great show. I was riding what I normally use in Fuerteventura, a 4.7m and 76 litre Starboard UltraKode. Other girls were riding bigger equipment, Sarah Quita is nearly 20 kilos more than me, so she was on a 5.0m and an 86 litre board, while Daida was on a 4.7m and 80 litre board as she is about 7 kilos heavier than me. I used a Maui Ultra Fins thruster setup; in the middle I had a 15.5cm fin and on the side 11cm fins. It was a very good setup, very comfortable. By the end of the day conditions were getting better, more side-shore and we had more speed for wave riding. I was nervous but I managed to control my anxiety, I think that is a good thing. If you can’t control your nerves it can be a negative, but for me I was able to use my nervousness in a positive way. It was a good spot, decent conditions and great to have a women only event. It was amazing to be here sharing it with the other girls. I knew I could ride some nice waves but not control what the other girls were going to do. I was thinking about my riding and all the training I had done in the build-up. In the end my last two waves paid off and I was really happy to take the victory. It was a long heat but there were only a few chances to score really good rides because the wind was light. I was on the edge but I was happy to catch those two waves. I could not see what Daida, Lina and Sarah were doing so I just rode the best I could.
It was awesome for it to be just girls in Morocco. I think this event has been different to all the others because we had the focus 100% on us. It has been a long time since we had that. We even felt important. It was really good for the girls to have this and mix it up. Gran Canaria will be men and women but I think that event will also be special for the women. I like Morocco, the culture is different and the waves are really fun. It is a special event and we should have more competitions here in the upcoming years. It is a world-class spot for sure.
SARAH-QUITA OFFRINGA It was good times in Morocco! We were all very proud to have a women’s only event and grateful to Boujmaa for organizing it. It was cool to be here for the first week of the IWT and see all the other divisions compete and then all of a sudden it was our turn and the whole week was all about the girls. That was nice! The vibe between the girls is great at the moment. I remember when I got into waves a couple of years ago there were a bunch of rivalries going on, which was surprising to me coming from the easy going peace and love freestyle fleet. At the moment we’re a pretty tight knit group rooting for and supporting each other. And especially because it was a women’s only event, it created this extra excitement amongst all of us. There were still some high profile guys around, like Antoine Martin, Morgan Noireaux, Boujmaa Guilloul, Takara Ishii and some more locals, so honestly it didn’t feel like it was a completely women’s only event, but as soon as the event started the spotlight was completely on us. But besides that, hanging out on the beach or other activities, it was really fun to have all the other IWT riders around.
TACTICS The conditions were light, but believe me when I say that I loved competing in riding only conditions! The wind was onshore at the beginning of the elimination and it was high tide. But as we progressed the wind turned more side-shore and the waves were cleaner. I think for the final we had the best conditions all day! I think a bit bigger waves would have been nicer, but all in all I really enjoyed sailing that final. Before the event I sailed 4.0, 4.5 and 4.7, but when the event started the wind went light so I sailed my 5.0 and 86 litre Starboard UltraKode KP Pro Model. Because of sailing the Aloha classic I’ve learned I need a floaty board for the light wind days. So my setup was really perfect.
For competition tactics, I kept telling myself – ‘Patience, patience, patience’ and the next thing I know I’m pumping to try and catch the first ‘bump’ I see out there! As I jibe and float back out I see everyone else in the heat on a set wave. Darn it SQ, you did it again. I usually have the most waves on my scoring sheet out of all the riders ha ha. Only for the final I managed to be more selective about the waves and caught a few bigger ones. I was very happy to finish 2nd. Actually there were some issues with the live scoring and coming back to the beach, people were telling me that I got it. Which for a split second I contemplated and thought how freaking cool that would be, but then just as quickly figured it couldn’t be the case. I had seen Iballa sail all day, and judging my own performance I was pretty sure I hadn’t matched hers. But dude! How cool is finishing in 2nd?! I’m thrilled to have made the podium.
EXOTIC In Morocco, everything is way, way better than I expected and imagined. Coming out of the Caribbean, Morocco is really exotic for me. Walking down the streets in Essaouira, reminded me of the Disney Movie Aladdin ha ha. The locals are genuinely friendly and good-hearted. From the morning I got here, I was completely at ease. The food is right up there with my favourites now! Moulay is a world-class spot to get into wave sailing and jumping. In the two weeks I’ve been here I have seen all sorts of conditions ranging from light to super strong wind and from small waves to seeing waves like mountains until the horizon. As a girl I was wondering what it would be like to spend time here. But in Moulay and Essaouira everything was fine. Maybe in Marrakesh it could be a bit different. Anyway, I am a fan and I just hope this event will keep running for many years to come!
BIG The anticipation of the big waves was pretty exciting ha ha. All the girls were getting mentally ready for something big. And then the day came with something even bigger than expected. Wow. I never went out in the really big waves. Since the contest was still running I didn’t feel like going out and smashing my kit if I didn’t have to. So I was careful with that.
On big Wednesday I sailed on the inside and had a fun mini jumping session. During that session every now and then I would venture a bit further out, but I realized quickly how seriously big these waves were when “le mouse” (the whitewater) of the first wave was almost mast high.The waves lasted for at least another 3 days afterwards. Compared to big Wednesday, the waves may have died down but after a closer look I’d realize that they were still massive. I love how it’s called “The Boujmaa session” already. I think that is a performance for the history books, because we judged the waves to be as big as a small Jaws day, and way more dangerous as there was no channel and therefore no way out. What a superhero. I saw him flying out through the break making his way out, catching a big piece of swell, watch that become a monster wave, see him bottom turn, disappear behind the mountain of water in front of him for a while and then come back up and smack the lip. WHAT? You have got to be kidding me?! You have to be really in tune with yourself, your gear and nature to put down a performance like that. I remember watching him cross the street with a smile on his face before getting out on the water. Uff.. I’d be shivering. It was awe inspiring to watch his demeanour on the beach right before and then his performance after.
“Moulay is a world-class spot to get into wave sailing and jumping.”
DAIDA MORENO This event has been the first only women’s wave event ever in the PWA, so it was really special and totally different from what we are used to seeing. Of course all the attention this time was for the women and it makes windsurfing a bit more equal after men mostly dominating the news.
Even though it was a last minute call and many other girls couldn’t make it on time, it was a great success. With Easter time flight prices were up in the roof, but we still managed to have sixteen girls competing. The vibes with the girls was as usual, they all wanted to sail their best in different types of conditions. All the expectations were to see if we, the Twins, were able to perform at a starboard tack event. Iballa obviously proved to be the best in these type of conditions. She is every day surfing with her paddle! She has the timing and the style to beat us all, plus she is a regular footer. Sarah-Quita was luckier than me catching set waves in the final but she also improves every year in her wave riding. And for me, well after sailing a really bad semi-final, I still made it to the final and the top three. I would have obviously loved to be second, but I couldn’t catch a second set wave in the final and even though I was landing aerials it was not enough. With only wave riding it is always tricky and different. I still think it takes much more courage for a girl to do an 8 metre stalled forward or any jump one-handed, than catching a set wave and surfing it without doing any moves. It would have been nice to see some jumping as well in this event, but this is also part of the game. We have to show the best with the conditions we are given. We mostly sailed on 4.7-5.0 with 80 litre boards. Someone told me here it is usually windy enough for 3.3 sails, but that one stayed in the sail bag while we waited for the forecast to change until the last day. All in all, personally I feel satisfied with scoring some points in such tricky conditions and to have made it to the top three. I never get to train in starboard tack conditions any more as I have lived in Gran Canaria for the last 12 years, where I work now as a physiotherapist and try to spend as much time as possible in the water to continue my dream as a windsurfer.
Morocco, Essaouira and Moulay is a place I’d like to come back to, that’s for sure. I would love to see this spot pumping with stronger winds and jumpable conditions too, so I am hoping to come back for some training and have a bit more fun, continue feeding all the dogs (there are so many dogs around!) and continue testing the best local food in Morocco. Thanks Boujmaa to you and your team for making this event happen, it was really special and we are all grateful of your commitment and your efforts to push this event and be a great host.
“Morocco, Essaouira and Moulay is a place I’d like to come back to, that’s for sure.”
DUNCAN COOMBS – HEAD JUDGE A PWA women’s only comp was run for the first time in Moulay Bouzerktoune March 26th to April 7th. The decision to run a women’s only event in Morocco was welcomed by the government; windsurfing was not the only sport in the limelight as a women’s off-road rally was also taking place in the Essaouira area at the same time. The PWA women’s competition ran for the second week of the men’s IWT PWA qualifying event. The event organiser, Boujmaa Guilloul, who grew up here, put a lot of time and effort into producing a professional event both on and off the water.
I ran the PWA qualifier to conclusion in what could only be described as hardcore conditions. Moulay certainly delivers. The final was won by an on form Antoine Martin who put on a solid display. The forecast for this day was 3.7 m @ 14 sec with side-off trades of 25/30 knots. When I refreshed my forecasts to plan for the women’s pro PWA fleet of 16 I saw a low pressure deepening off the Azores and tracking our way. This was predicting 4.8 m @17 sec. with 15/20 knot winds. All respect goes out to the top 16 women sailors on the planet but I had just witnessed seriously challenging conditions for the top men and this latest forecast had more size and grunt. It was to be iconically named ‘Big Wednesday’. Not ideal for the women who were all nervous after witnessing the guns a blazing Mach 10 on the men’s finals day.
There was a small window before the swell hit showing 7/10 knot NE trades with head high sets. Luckily Moulay has a local trade increase on sunny days but due to the colder than usual winter this was late to kick in during the day. Girls were sent to the water knowing conditions were not primo but with the oncoming forecast all 16 riders favoured the light side shore head high waves than the lottery of who could make it out back in over mast high pounding surf.
Light wind heats of long duration were challenging but there were no upsets in the first round for the top seeds. With 30 minutes set for the final and the conditions improving we witnessed solid performances from all 4 girls. Sarah was ahead with Daida closely following her, but Iballa’s last two waves were excellent, she thought so too with a small claim on one. Her more vertical approach and perfect timing stood out, frontside aerials wrapping cutties and vertical snaps rewarded her with the first win of the 2018 tour. Lina Erpenstein finished a very respectable 4th, Daida 3rd and Sarah 2nd. With the result of the single elimination in the bag, the tension was relieved with the oncoming big forecast.
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Big Wednesday was certainly big. With competition called off only a few pro men dared to venture out. Moulay was a boiling mess, closing out mostly, with luck playing a major part in making it out. Local ripper Soufian had a couple of beauties with one turn then kicking out before it detonated on the reef. By midday with pushing tide I was seeing waves on par with the storm chase. Outer bombies breaking to the horizon. It was at this peak that Boujmaa rigged and headed out. The cliff was crowded with onlookers trying to spot the tiny orange sail branded with the Moroccan flag. He was a spec of colour amidst a sea of whitewater. Boujmaa flew off the oncoming double mast peaks clearing the horizon with massive airtime. Somehow he picked off peeling sets and laid down his rail, smacking a huge aerial and landing in the pit then kicking out to sneak through the mess of stormy waves. He continued to find rideable waves ripping them up until he came back to the beach to the cheer of onlookers.
“ Moulay certainly delivers.”
RICHARD PAGE – PWA TOUR MANAGER
We have been in touch with Boujmaa for several years in order to try and help him realise a PWA event in Morocco, and he has been working on the project in one form or another since 2012. Last year the event first came to fruition as a PWA Qualifier event, which was the first step towards a
full-blown World Cup, something which we had initially hoped may be possible in 2018. Although we did not quite reach that objective, there was still the possibility to have a Women’s World Cup, as this required less in terms of budget and infrastructure, due to the smaller fleet size.
Being able to plant the World Cup flag on Moroccan turf was an important second rung on the development ladder of the event and has helped to maintain the momentum of growth, as well as providing a valuable event for the women’s division. There have been efforts within the PWA to promote the women’s side of the sport, as we believe that it is significantly underutilised and undervalued by the existing set of events and event sponsors. Stand alone women’s events have enormous potential for growth, compared to the men’s events, and open the sport up to an entirely new range of media and sponsors, that perhaps do not realise the talent and the value of the women’s side of the sport, when they are only ever seen as a subset of events also including men. This makes events like Morocco (even with the men’s qualifier alongside) incredibly important to prove that value, raise awareness of that potential, and develop more women only World Cup events. Stay tuned for some exciting news about women’s events in 2018 coming very soon….
Of course, in the case of Morocco, the development of the event is very important, not just for the PWA, but for the development of windsurfing tourism to the area. Moulay shares many parallels with Pozo of 25 years ago, when the first World Cup events were held there. The government and tourism authorities of Gran Canaria saw the potential for tourism in what was a sleepy, backwater fishing town, with not much more than a dusty, windswept pile of rocks disappearing into the sea. Pozo is now a thriving destination for windsurfers with properly developed facilities, bars, restaurants, an international windsurfing centre and modern accommodation, much of which has been built off the back of the promotion and credibility created by the regular hosting of a World Cup event. It has also created countless opportunities for local kids to have great careers in the sport and we would love to bring those opportunities to the youth of Morocco too.
What it takes for events in new and remote destinations to happen, more than anything else, is someone on the ground with the motivation, passion and drive, to make it a reality. Boujmaa has that drive in abundance,andwelookforwardtocontinuingtoworkwithhim,histeamandthelocalcommunitiesofMoulayandEssaouira,tocontinuetobuildtheevent, andthesport,inMorocco.
