Surf’s Up
Competitive windsurfers were on full speed in Dahab in late
February for one of the biggest slalom competitions to be held
in the Sinai resort. A total of 63 competitors arrived from as far
Won With the Wind
as Russia, England and Turkey to take part in the event, which
was hosted and organised by CDWS member watersports centre
Five Circles, based at the Panda Hotel.
The Sinai resort of Dahab recently hosted the windsurf slalom
Competing over a series of timed races, windsurfers had to
competition with local and international competitors fi ghting it out
expertly manoeuvre their way around a number of buoys on the
in a high- pressure race. BLUE reports.
Dahab lagoon course in a race where speeds can reach up to
70kph.
Windsurf slalom competitions demand a high level of skill from
those who take part. Negotiating the tough z-shaped course
at such speed can present a number of dangers, such as the
hard water surface threatening serious injury to anyone who
falls. Ranging between a distance of 2km and 4km, each course
had to be completed in a certain number of minutes to avoid
disqualifi cation.
Following each race over the ten days slot, competitors in the
Dahab Open Windsurfi ng Slalom Competition were numbered
according to time. Time penalties were given to those who
failed to complete specifi c turns around each marker buoy or
for any collisions. Each competitor started out fi ve minutes after
each other. The one competitor completing the courses in the
quickest times without incurring penalties became the overall
winner of the tournament. Judges on the scene included well-
known Russian windsurfer Ivan Balashov.
Dmitry Davidenko of the Ukraine was named the competition
winner, with second place going to Emirhan Talbunan of Turkey
and third to Sergey Makarenko of Russia. Prizes included top-
of-the-range windsurfi ng equipment, subscriptions to Men’s
Health magazine as well as clothing supplied by competition
sponsor Animal. Other sponsors included Scorpion Bay.
Slalom windsurfi ng, particularly fashionable through the
Eighties and Nineties, is popular with those who enjoy
combining speed with tactical skills and challenges. Although
its popularity dropped at the start of the new millennium,
windsurf slalom is now seeing a revival. The growth of
specifi cally designed equipment available on the market
for slalom riders has retriggered interest. Slalom boards are
generally smaller in size than standard boards and, together
with sails, must be suitable to handle high and low speeds and
handle sharp turns.
Egypt’s climate, sea and wind conditions – many places, such
as Dahab experience at least 300 windy days a year – make it
an ideal holiday destination for kite and windsurfers. This is
why Medhat Mohammed, the manager of Five Circles believes
the Red Sea should increase the number of international
windsurfi ng competitions.
Medhat is planning to organize a series of freestyle competition
events and hopes to see the number of participants increasing.
‘We started the competitions seven years ago with around 25
competitors,’ he says. ‘Now we have more than 60. It would be
great to increase this number and bring more windsurfers in
from diff erent countries.’
The next freestyle competition is due to take place from 15
March, with another slalom event planned for early 2011. For
more information email
medhat200073@hotmail.com.
To see a list of CDWS member watersports
centres, see the CDWS website
www.cdws.travel
48
www.cdws.travel
Issue 5 March - April ‘10
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