World Cup Pozo: Finns vs Foils in the Pozo Hack - Marotti and Alabau in the lead
Tobias Frauen
· 04.09.2023
Which is the better choice, fin or foil? This question took centre stage on the first day of slalom at the World Cup in Pozo. 14 years after the last World Cup races, buoys were laid out again and the small equipment was prepared on the rocky beach. This and the rocky shore break made it not always easy for the riders to get onto the water or ashore - "like Sylt, only with boulders instead of soft sand," said commentator Ben Proffitt, describing the challenge.
In around 25 to 30 knots, most of the riders initially took to the water with the fin. Among the few foil riders were the German starters Nico Prien and Michele Becker. "He's a foil machine, he'll probably always go for the foil if at all possible," said Dieter van der Eyken in the livestream and gave Becker a good chance of a top placing. While the foilers were using sails of around 5 square metres, the Finn riders had rigged 6.5 to 7.0.
Foils at an advantage - the death of fin racing?
In the first heats, it quickly became clear that the foils were constantly on the verge of losing control, but with the right amount of skill, they were faster in the end. Specialists such as Enrico Marotti and world champion Maciek Rutkowski, as well as Prien and Becker, dominated their heats, with at least one foil often leading from the start. However, good tactics and an optimised start were important, as the Finns had a clear advantage in the pack. Because they are more manoeuvrable and react faster, you could see several times how Finn riders pushed the foils in the field slightly off the ideal course, and the Finn riders were also able to take much tighter radii at the neck buoys. Because the start was so important, some riders risked too much and there were numerous early starts and general recalls.
Nevertheless, the speed advantage of the foils was obvious, provided you stayed flying and had a clear track. Over the course of the day, more and more riders switched to foils, and in the last final there was only one Finn left. Does this mean the death of the Finn in professional racing? This question was hotly debated by the commentators and in the commentary columns of the livestream.
Nico Prien on course for a podium finish after the first day
The first two eliminations were won by Enrico Marotti from Croatia, who was already among the absolute best last year. World champion Maciek Rutkowski, disqualified in the first round with a false start in the final, fought hard and took two second places. These two lead after the first three eliminations, with a very strong Nico Prien in third place, who finished in the top 5 in every run. This consistency puts him on the podium for the time being, as many other top riders have made at least one mistake. Michele Becker is currently in eighth place, having put in a strong performance in the first run, but then had a bad off in the semi-final. Amado Vrieswijk then won the third race after an extremely close duel with Rutkowski, who got off to a miserable start with a false start and an early exit after a driving error.
The field of just nine women started five full fleet races, which were no less exciting than the men's races. Most of them went for the Finn, but Blanca Alabau was in the lead after the first day, foiling throughout and winning two heats. Lurking just behind her are Sarah-Quita Offringa with a win and Justine Lemeteyer from France, who has led the World Championships up to this point. Marion Mortefon (4th place) and Jenna Gibson were also able to celebrate a victory each. The Brit caused a stir in the first race because she sailed to the wrong buoy while in the lead ("After the first gybe I mistook a spare buoy in the harbour for the second buoy") and the majority of the field followed her.
Tomorrow there should be more races with a little less wind - so excitement is guaranteed!
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Tobias Frauen
Editor