Before sunrise, tired eyes saw the Starboard iSonic slalom board range taking an early gamble on the wind conditions. You guessed it: “The 19th Jibes Fun Cup” is about to begin.
All forecasts point to some of the most serious riding conditions in the history of this two day event. Not to be deterred most competitors rigged up large camber sails, they knew that their riding was going to be pushed to the limits and beyond if they wanted to have any chance of walking away with this year top prizes. Meanwhile all buoys were in place for a traditional four jibe downwind course.
The ten minute warning call was announced as riders from Vietnam, Russia, France, Korea, Thailand, Estonia, Germany, England, Spain, Canada and America all took to the water. Red flag and veterans to the Fun Cup all set their watches for the five minute count down. The green flag was raised and the race was on! The morning saw a total of 3 heats being completed in both male and female categories. With 20+ knots and increasing swell height, the competitors battled it out on the water trying to secure a top position.
The afternoon conditions were too much for some sailors, as the competition started to see a couple of early retirements. The action continued late into the afternoon as riders continued to battle it out to secure a good position for the start of the next day. The men’s division saw Maksim Koshkin, Truong Kytai, Alexey Trusov, Ilya Chaika and Shamil Ageev securing the top positions, whilst Tran Kim Chi, Irina Gurko, Marina Cirerapascual and Anna Sagulenko showed us some of the most competitive racing so far for the women.
Saturday morning saw an easier start to the racing conditions. Although forecasts were predicting stronger winds than the previous day, riders were left with the difficult decision on what sail to rig up. Too small and they would be left at the back of the pack, too large and only the heaviest riders would be able to hold down the power.
As the day unfolded the stronger riders made themselves seen by repeatedly taking the top positions. The fastest riders were heading full speed towards the finish line. Rumours and gossip spread amongst all, but the final results would have to wait until the closing ceremony.
Jibes Beach Club hosted the after party in their impressive style. An amazing tasty BBQ, and the evening entertainment started with the talents of the Bien Xanh group from Binh Thuan Province.
Men’s Final Results:
1st place: Alexey Trusov
2nd place: Maksim Koshkin
3rd place: Shamil Ageev
Women’s Final Results:
1st place: Anna Sagulenko
2nd place: Tran Kim Chi
3rd place: Irina Gurko
We would like to thank all the amazing sponsors who took the time and effort to support this great charity event. All proceeds go to Anh Sang orphanage for the blind. This is a very important organisation giving love, care and support to those less fortunate. We appreciate all sponsors, riders, spectators and organizers to the support for this charity and the Fun Cup event.
We hope to see you all for next year. The event will be 25th-26th of January 2019.
