Wow what an event, the Geraldton Wave Rally 2025 was a big success! After a year of planning, we were greeted on the Friday morning with a forecast of 15 knots, clouds and even rain! It’s very unseasonal weather for Geraldton in January however the show had to go on. Thankfully 12 inflatable WindSups were purchased through Quatro Windsurfing and they saved the event. I was nervous the format would work, 10 minutes between heats starting at 11:30am till 6pm for 3 days straight. Would the sailors enjoy the big boards? Would the racing be fun? I needn’t have worried it was a big YES to both questions from the competitors. It was like a scene from the year 1985 seeing everyone have fun in light winds on big floaty boards and believe me the racing was still pretty intense. Whether racing on a short board or a big inflatable, people wanted to win. The heat draw format was perfect, everybody got maximum time on the water as the league system was all about inclusion and not knocking people out of the event. Friday and Saturday nights saw DJ 'Cool Sounds Collective' keeping the party vibes going and we had some amazing sunsets right there on the beach. Next year we might have to have a dancing prize as there were some serious moves on display ha! On the final day of Sunday, the wind gods blessed the event with 20 knots in the afternoon just in time for the Semis and Finals. The sailors were able to transition to their wave gear (rules; multi-fin boards and max 5 batten sails) which was a perfect end to the event. In the end Albert Pijoan won the Mega Final and became the ultimate Wave Rally champion. There were also a Women's and 3 Men's weight division champions as well. It was a fantastic 1st Wave Rally event and the plan is to have Wave Rally II in January 2026. Thank you to all the sponsors and volunteers for the event, we couldn't have done it without you!! Women's Wave Rally Champion 1st Maria Schälin 2nd Tania Holldack 3rd Onike Basile Men's Lightweight Wave Rally Champion 1st Anton Pain 2nd Ben Ryan 3rd Matthew Robertson Men's Middleweight Wave Rally Champion 1st Albert Pijoan 2nd Thewes De Boer 3rd Logan Haggerston Men's Heavyweight Wave Rally Champion 1st Mathias Moerman 2nd Tim Fitzhardinge 3rd Aiden Grove Overall Wave Rally World Champion 1st Albert Pijoan 2nd Thewes De Boer 3rd Peter Kenyon
