Bringdal still on top as the Navman Maui Speed Challenge Series returns in a fury

Maui, Hawaii (USA) - Words are not enough to describe the furious wind and water conditions at Race 4 of the Navman Maui Speed Challenge Series. After a two week hiatus due to weak trade winds caused by a hurricane passing by offshore, the winds returned with a vengeance, with gusts breaking 30kts and wave and chop running close to waist high. Race 4 also brought about some new faces from the international windsurfing community including Ross Williams, Ben Van Der Steen, and Peter Bijl, who all clocked in some amazing knots in near impossible conditions.

Jacques Pauvert threw down the gauntlet early on in heat 1 with 38.8 kts but when it came down to the wire, it was Anders Bringdal who once again pulled together a perfect run posting an event record of 39kts, edging ever closer to the 40kt barrier in the radical conditions. Hopes were running high in breaking 40kts this day but it was not to be with the steep chop and waves, although many of the top contenders felt that one good puff near the "bone yards" would have put them over the edge. Alex Aguera, sporting around 15lbs in his weight jacket pushed Anders as well, clocking a top speed of 38.6kts. The increasing wind conditions were a boon for some, posting personal bests in the 37kt range while for some pushed them to the limits. Spectacular wipe outs could be seen from the beach as sailors battled the elements. In all cases the Navman units once again withstood the physical abuse thrown at them.

In the Kite Division, David Dorn really put the pedal to the metal and posted an event best for the kite division with a speed of 35.2kts, passing the previous record of 33.4kts by Shawn Richman. "The key to speedy times were in picking your line. If you found yourself on the peaks you were in trouble, if you stayed in the troughs and carved to maintain your line it was smooth and good speed resulted," said Dorn.

In the Men's Division, Marc Lefebvre matched his personal best of 30.7kts, finding his goal of 33kts elusive. "I felt like I had the right gear, the right setup for better speeds but I think the fear factor was the limiting factor for me," said Lefebvre.

In the Women's Division, event newcomer Ashley Baxter, who is 14 years old, took on Paulina Pease, Linda Cherry and Kristin Orth, posting a personal best of 26.9kts for her first Speed contest.

In the Master's Division, Mike Yasak found some really smooth water on port tack on the upper side of kite beach and posted some blazing speeds of 34.7kts. "Inside of the Bone Yards was my secret spot on Port and found my fastest times there", said Yasak. Hot on his heels was Jeff Fagerholm, of Vector Fins fame, posted fast times of 32.2kts.

Skylar Haywood, although the only Junior Division competitor, posted times that surpassed many in the Men, Open and Masters Divisions with a top speed of 32.5kts. It is obvious the apple does not fall far from the tree.

In the Fun Division, Carl Grundy handled the crazy conditions on his classic plastic Tiga 257, and found a top speed of 30.1kts. That board surely helped keep things under control when the chop got out of hand.

Last but not least, the Menehune Division saw some scary speeds and fierce competition. In the end it was Jake Golm who once again dominated with a top speed of 29.5kts. Hot on his heels was Baker Grant with a top speed of 27.7kts, and Connor Baxter who went the fastest ever in his life on his new Starboard Speed Board and ended up third with a top speed 26.1kts.