Today's news...

No "live ticker" this year on the "Reunion Wave Classic" but you can still be informed about what's going on by having a look from time to time at our Facebook page. This will be updated as much as possible so you know where we are and what we do from friday morning, as the competition starts.

11.45 news : not much wind right now in St Pierre but some waves are peeling in Etang Salé. Free session for all today so some of the boys are out for a surf session in Etang Salé. Tom and Wesh are tuning their equipment and sticking their sails. Still some things to do for the organization before tonight's Opening Ceremony @ 7pm at the Longboard Café in St Pierre. So see you later this evening !

A perfect landing...

This could be a good post title after a good jumps session, but we're not talking about jumps actually ! Just that some of the riders landed in good conditions at around 9am this morning at Roland Garros airport. Pierre Godet, the local organizer, was there with some locals to welcome the Taboulet family, Camille Juban and Jules Denel, as well as myself and the photographer Gilles Calvet.

As we were on the way to St Pierre, we could see that there was some swell outside on the reefs of St Leu and la Pointe au Sel. Right after a quick lunch and all bagages left at our "guest house", Leon Jamaer (who already has tasted the power of the waves from Ravine Blanche yesterday !), Jules Denel and Camille Juban jumped into the waters of la Pointe au Sel with sails from 4.2 to 5.0, in head high hollow waves breaking very close to the sharp reef. Just a small warmup for the boys to see the potential of this super hardcore down the line pointbreak !

Tonight will arrive Austrian rider Tom Hartmann. Colin Sifferlen is expected only on the 27th as there are not daily flights from New Caledonia. Whatever, the teams drawn will be done tomorrow during the Opening Ceremony, as usual, and the forecast seems to be pretty ok for the rest of the week ! So we'll have enough time to celebrate this 3rd edition and then get used to the local vibes...

Opening Ceremony and press conference @7pm at the Longboard café tomorrow. We'll then keep you updated about the 3 teams led by local captains Pierre Godet, Steven Pichot and Sylvain Bourlard. Stay tuned !

Jamaer on a clean one... ©RWC 2011/Calvet

Local spot... Jamaer and Denel on their way back... ©RWC 2011/Calvet

The event's program...

Check out the 2011 Reunion Wave Classic program. It's all written in French right now but just leave us the time to do the trip to the island. We'll translate it as soon as we are arrived in St Pierre de La Reunion tomorrow morning (+2h from Paris).

The beach cleaning is maintained like last year, followed by a cool party on the beach of Ravine Blanche. Also introduced last year, the riders will take on their time to teach windsurfing to young local kids from St Pierre !

And for sure, do not miss the famous opening & closing ceremonies (Aug. 25th and Sept. 4th, 7pm @ the Longboard Café in St Pierre) !

Click the program to enlarge !

Some news about the qualification trials and the upcoming forecast...

The 2 qualified locals to enter this year the 3rd "Reunion Wave Classic", Steven Pichot and Sylvain Bourlard, talk to us about the conditions they meet since the beginning of the winter on their island. Unusual forecasts this year they say, so it's been tough to launch the qualifications trials...

Steven

"We have had a very special early winter this year, with little wind and some days warm temperatures like in summer. With the lack of wind, it was difficult to launch qualifications trials... Pierre was pre-qualified. Selections were done with a double elimination. The simple was run in two days, on June 29 and then July 16 as the wind dropped down on the first day. I won this simple. The double was run on August 7 but we have not made it up to the finals. But in the semi-finals of the double, Sylvain wins ahead of Loïc and Walerian.
As for the weather of the upcoming week, it seems not too bad but the system does not seem very reliable. So let's wait a bit to refine this forecast..."

Steven, launching a goyter during the last RWC ©Calvet/Open Ocean Media

Sylvain

"In 2011, the conditions are really unusual. There were a few sessions, which has complicated the trials that were long and difficult. Pierre, winner of the previous edition, was already qualified. For other places, a double elimination was started on 2 weekends in July and August. Steven won the single ahead of me and I won the double. I finished second overall, which allowed me to be qualified this year.
The weather forecast appears optimistic for the next days. It looks like wind and waves will be there for the 3rd Reunion Wave Classic !"

Sylvain on a fat ride in St Leu... ©DR

3 local riders as "teams captains" !

The names of the 3 local riders who will join the 2011 Reunion Wave Classic this year have been revealed. If Pierre Godet and Steven Pichot are part again of the contest, the "newcomer" this year is named Sylvain Bourlard. So welcome aboard Sylvain !

Stay tuned as we are in contact with Steven and Sylvain to get their feedback about the upcoming event that now starts in 6 days.

Pierre, Sylvain & Steven, the 2011 RWC "captains" !

Some words from the local organizer, Pierre Godet...

If the company Open Ocean Media was in charge of the whole organization on the 1st edition of the "Reunion Wave Classic" in 2009, local rider Pierre Godet really got involved in the project since last year. Thanks to his efforts, the Regional Council supported the event in 2010 and also this year again.

Acting as organizer and rider in a same time is not an easy task. But Pierre proved that everything is possible with passion and motivation, making the 2010 edition a real successful event ! He and his wife worked hard to launch the 3rd edition in 2011. Pierre will also ride again alongside the other local riders.

"This year we are the unique organizers of the "Reunion Wave Classic" through our association "Reunion Windsurf". We have completed the first two editions in exceptional conditions of wind and waves, we expect even better this year. We have spent a lot of energy on this project with the help of our partners. We are now in the starting blocks for a great show. It's just a bit sad that some top riders declined the invitation to our contest, maybe because they fear the local extreme conditions ;-)... "

Pierre, ripping the local wave of l'Etang Salé last year / Watershot ©Calvet/Open Ocean Media

Pro riders' feedback...

Read what the participating pro riders have to say about the contest... Leon Jamaer, Colin Sifferlen and Camille Juban already gave us their feedback so far !

Check our riders'page : http://reunionwaveclassic2011.blogspot.com/p/riders.html

 

The posters you've missed...

Check this out ! This is an overview of all the posters we've created for this 3rd "Reunion Wave Classic" ! We've thought it would be cool for you to see it all. But for sure, we like the last one with "Wesh". Don't you ?

The poster !

Check out the RWC 2011 poster. Very simple one, but super action from Julien "Wesh" Taboulet on Etang Salé's line up last year, a powerful slash captured by Gilles Calvet. Wesh is back on the contest again this year and after he and his team took the honor on the past 2 editions, let's say that he pretty deserves it ! Please Wesh, rock the place again in 2011  !

The 2011 Reunion Wave Classic is on the way !

Well, it took the organization a lot of time to gather all the necessary elements to make it happen. Sure, the positive answer from the sponsors was a bit late, but finally we are really happy to say that the contest will happen for the 3rd time on the extreme and radical south spots of La Reunion Island !

This time, the local organization and the local riders are happy to welcome new names such as young Leon Jamaer (21) from Germany, Jules Denel (21) from France, and Tom Hartmann (31) from Austria. If Hartmann and Denel already shared some cool waves on the last edition of the Fuerteventura Wave Classic in February, Jamaer is going to be part for the first time on this kind of "open event".

Definitely addicted to the waves of La Reunion since the 1st edition of "La Reunion Wave Classic", Camille Juban (21) from Guadeloupe and Julien Taboulet (31) from France will do the trip again this year ! We are also very happy to welcome again (he was part of the 1st edition too) talented ripper Colin Sifferlen (26) from New Caledonia.

Stay tuned as we will soon reveal the names of the local riders who will join the boys for another great 3rd edition of this epic event !