Chasing storms off the Cornish coast

Amid hurricane-force winds and 10 metre waves, the world’s best windsurfers took part in the final round of the Red Bull Storm Chase in Cornwall.

 

Red Bull Storm Chase claims to be the most-challenging windsurfing contest of all time. By hunting down three massive storms around the globe, ten of the world’s best sailors entered the battle for the crown of ultimate storm windsurfer.

 

Four of the original fleet were eliminated during the first mission in Brandon Bay, Ireland, at the end of January 2013. From July 22, 2013, the six remaining windsurfers were on standby for the second mission, held in Tasmania, Australia, last August.

 

Out of these six athletes, four emerged as qualifiers for the third and final mission to crown the victorious Red Bull Storm Chase Champion of 2014, in Marrawah, Cornwall on the 9 February 2014, where the Great Southern Ocean cyclone sent double-mast-high waves and seriously strong wind.

 

In the end, Thomas Traversa, from France, was crowned Red Bull Storm Chase Champion, after performing a series of stratospheric jumps, delayed forward loops and 35 foot wave drops.

 

“I feel super happy to win this – even happier than when I won the PWA Worldcup in Denmark and, yeah, especially to show what I can do in big, gnarly conditions because, for me, that’s really why I windsurf, so to be here in Cornwall and to have visited Tasmania and Ireland with these amazing riders is a privilege“ said Traversa.

 

Marcilio Brown, from Brazil, came second, and Leon Jamear (Germany) came third.

OAG