Techno 293 Under 15 Boys
1st - Andrey Zagaynov (RUS) World Champion
2nd - Tomer Blum (ISR)
3rd - Michele Cittadini (ITA)

Techno 293 Under 17 Boys
1st - Gael Cousin (FRA) World Champion
2nd - Maxime Labat (FRA)
3rd - Chun Leung Cheng (HKG)
Techno 293 Under 15 Girls
1st - Marta Maggetti (ITA) World Champion
2nd - Emma Labourne (GBR)
3rd - Hadar Heller (ISR)

Techno 293 Under 17 Girls
1st - Neomi Cohen (ISR) World Champion
2nd - Atar Yuval (ISR)
3rd - Veronica Fanciulli (ITA)
Techno 293 Open
1st - Alex Navarro (FRA)
2nd - Clemence Olivry (FRA)
3rd - Jozef Masseroli (ITA)

Windthings Photo Gallery - high res pics are available - e-mail Patrick De Bryne giving album/photo number, description/sail number

Photo gallery

1300 images for purchase here

Final Day - 2 more races

Two races were completed on the final day at the Martigues 2010 World Championships- one in the morning, and one in the afternoon.
To catch the forecast early morning breeze the racing started at 9.00 am - committing competitors , coaches and race crew to an early arrival at the race site.
Fortunately the wind lasted long enough to get in one race before dropping - as expected. There followed a tense wait on the beach for the afternoon thermal breeze to kick in - which would be the normal pattern at this time of year. Eventually enough wind settled in and the final race of this series was completed before the 4.00 pm deadline for the last possible start.

"Medals and Memories" by Patrik

Team USA invite all to attend the World Championships next year in San Francisco - where it's 20 knots every day!

Benoit from Bic Windsurf "We will bring 150 boards to San Francisco to make sure the class will grow and remain very strong!"

"Many parents want to see their kids in the videos that we make . . . many kids want to see themselves in the videos . . . but it's impossible to include all 430 people" says Patrik but "we gave it some thought and we found a way!"

"Past, Present and Future" by Patrik

Interview with Benoit Benguilly of BiC - This is a great big championship, very friendly, nice atmosphere, nice location. After 5 years this board is still a success, growing in numbers, and not only gives great pleasure on the water but also has been chosen for the Youth Olympics in Singapore.

Day 4 - Just one Race for U17 Gold

At the end of racing on day 3 the boys fleets were split into Gold and Silver for the last two racing days. Regrettably it was only possible to complete 1 race today - for the under 17 boys Gold fleet - as the strong mistral wind returned.

First finishers were Gael Cousin FRA 753, Kiran Badloe NED 194, Kieran Martin GBR 926, Maxime Labat FRA 0 and Stuart Hards GBR 597.

This now means that Gael is in first place on the leaderboard, knocking Maxime down to second. Kiran Badlow of the Netherlands has equal points to Maxime but a worse discard. Fingers crossed that the wind gods are kind tomorrow - it should be an interesting battle at the top.

"Friends Forever" by Patrik

Some parents have problems managing just one or two kids . . . this film explores the valuable role of coaches who take on the role of mother, father, friend to whole teams of kids and they enjoy it very much . . . Kids need to be kids but you have to let them know when it is serious time - it's a lot about discipline, relationships, respect.

This is a challenge, a chance to live their dream and they are having fun, talking with people from other countries, learning and making friends for many years to come . . perhaps even forever!

Day 3, 3 races, again in testing conditions

The Race Committee managed to complete three races for all fleets today despite the late start to proceedings. French competitors Maxime Labat and Gael Cousin are on good form leading the blue and yellow U17 boys' groups. In the girls' U17, race wins have been shared out with five different winners in the five races but Israel's Naomi Cohen is at the top of the leaderboard.

Russian Andrey Zagaynov is a very strong competitor with three bullets and 2 seconds in his group and he leads the boys' 6.8 fleet overall. Italian Marta Maggetti has a perfect score at the top of the girls' 6.8 having discarded her race 3 result. Alexandre Bavarro at the top of the Open Fleet needs to watch his back!

"Long day at the office" by Patrik -

"Yesterday we had too much wind, today not enough but the race committee is optimistic and waiting for the wind to shift as forecast before sending out the fleets. Next announcement at 2.00 pm." 2 races for each fleet, all 435 competitors racing, meant they were coming off the water at dusk, as the lights started twinkling!

Another Film from the Brits
2 Races for all on Day 2
The second day of racing promised a big improvement on the day before when it had been impossible to race - too much wind!

Unfortunately the forecast morning wind (from the north) failed to materialize - ensuring everyone had a long wait until the thermal breeze moved in. When the wind arrived, prompting the race committee to call out the racers, they were met with very unstable conditions, and further delays due to abandoned races and resetting of courses.

The race committees persisted, and at the end of a very long day - the u17 girls came off water after 8.00 pm! - 2 races were completed for all divisions and groups. However, there were lots of protests so a busy night at the club . . . First possible start tomorrow at 12.00 hrs.

"55 knots" by Patrik
Usually we wait for the wind but today . . . 35 knots gusting to 55! Safety is paramount so no racing.
However, it's more than a championship for these kids, it's an adventure - time to relax, meet new friends and enjoy beautiful Martigues.

And, while they stay safe on the beach, watch who obeys his animal instincts and takes to the water with his shortboard - even with a broken finger!

Record Entry for Martigues!

364 competitors from 26 countries, 4 continents, have registered for the Techno 293 World Championships in Martigues, smashing the 2009 record entry. With the Raceboard Youth and Masters running concurrently bringing the total number of competitors at CVM Martigues up to 435, this is the biggest championship event in windsurfing for 20 years!

Techno competitors will race on two course areas and a third has been allocated to Raceboard. However, the first scheduled day of racing had so much wind it was impossible to race - in excess of 30 knots with very strong and sudden gusts up to 55 knots.

Competitors are keen to get started. The forecast for Wednesday promises winds of around 16 km/h - fingers crossed! Stay tuned to up-to-the minute reports on Twitter.