Sandbanks, Poole in Dorset once again played host to the annual Animal Windfest, the biggest free action sports festival in the South which included windsurfing, kitesurfing, Zap Cat, beach volley ball competition, as well as the amazing mountain bike and wakeboard demonstrations.

Now in its 11th year and with clear blue skies and baking hot sunshine, the scene was set for a great weekend of action that would excite the visiting crowds.

More people than ever before turned up to hit the beach with an estimated 15,000 people visiting the event during the three days. The event promised to be bigger, better and even more awesome than ever before and it definitely did not disappoint. Some of the biggest names in the sports of wind-surfing, kite-surfing and stand-up paddle boarding were all set to blow the audience’s minds all over again! For the more amateur visitor, there was plenty of sun and fun with races on the water for newcomers and beginners alike as new land-based activities helped everyone feel involved. Climbing walls, windsurf simulators, Ultimate Frisbee coaching, juggling workshops and INDO balance boards were all available for everyone to try out.

Poole’s Blue-Flag beaches are amongst the best in the world and provided the perfect backdrop to an incredible event. Windfest once again provided another fantastic festival of windsurfing, kite-surfing, paddle-boarding and much more.

From the world of windsurfing, stars such as Antoine Albeau and Robby Swift competed in Masterblaster Races, while Kite-Surfing kings Tom Court and Susi May showed the latest moves and stand-up paddle-boarders battled it out in a long distance race around Brownsea Island.

The tone of the event was one of approachability and encouragement. Keen to draw young, established, new and revisiting kitesurfers to the water, the sponsors Animal introduced subsidised entry fees for competitors to ensure anyone felt welcome and encouraged to participate.

Gary Willingham, Windfest organiser commented: “Animal funded reduced entry fees this year which was perfect when this event was all about attracting every type of watersports fan to have a go.” To encourage young and beginner kiters, the event hosted free kite flying taster sessions on the beach with qualified instructors from both The Watersports Academy and Easy Rider Kiteboarding. As the sun set on the first day of events and the swell subsided, competitions gave way to celebration as the Friday Butterfly Ball took over. In keeping with the excitement of the day’s events the evening proved to be as fun filled!

Saturday morning and the competitors gathered on the harbour side for the start of the round Brownsea Island race, a distance of just over four miles, which would see the competitors circumnavigate the picturesque island before returning to the harbour.

Under the hot sun the competitors raced off into the distance. From the start it was clear that the likes of John Hibbard and Elliot Dudley would be battling all the way round. After forty minutes the leaders came into view, everyone waited in anticipation to see who would be in the lead as they battled against a stiffening head wind. It would be John Hibbard, but close on his tail was Paul Simmons.

As John crossed the line to the cheers of the crowd he momentarily forgot about the final act to secure victory, which was to touch the BSUPA flag. Paul seeing the opportunity dug in and powered toward the flag hoping to snatch victory from John. John realizing his mistake ran and splashed his way to the flag. The crowds excitedly cheered them both on and only by a few seconds did John take the prize of first place from Paul Simmons. A few moments later Elliot Dudley came home in third place, with Mark Slater in forth.

Following another great sporting day, it was little wonder that as the sun set on Saturday night legendary Windfest Party took over and did not disappoint.

The sun rose on the final morning of events and another perfect day for water sports. It was time for some sprint racing as the Sunday competition was moved to the Sandbanks seaside to allow the spectators the opportunity of watching the SUP racing close up. The format for the Sprint competition would be a ‘one on one’ knock out style. No second chance as it was the first to cross the line to win. The course would be to race out to a marker buoy 200m off shore, turn around, race back to the beach and then a run up the beach to touch the flag. Sounds simple, but add a blustery cross wind and incoming tide, it would test everyone taking part.

The wind was reaching speeds of up to 12 knots, allowing the windsurfers to go out on the water and show what they can do. Taking part this year was the recently crowned Slalom World Champion, Antoine Albeau. The big Frenchman had been giving tips to newcomers on the windsurf simulator throughout the weekend and was widely expected to take the Windfest title. However, he was beaten, under extraordinary circumstances, into second place – by a 16 year old! Youth under 17 World Champion, Sam Sills reached the chequered flag first after Albeau – unbelievably – couldn’t find the finish line! Third place went to Alan Jackson.

There were two competitions in the Kitesurfing. The AMS Freestyle competition was won by Martin Carter while Animal rider, Tom Court took pole position in the Slopestyle Pro Expression Session. One of the real stars of the weekend was revealed in the Stand-Up Paddleboarding as Saturday’s Champion went on to claim a clean sweep. John Hibbard won the Animal Windfest BSUPA Sprint Race – a feat made even more incredible after he had to overcome arch-rival Eliot Dudley in a tricky first round battle. Mark Slater and Chris Murray completed the podium places there, while Marie Buchanan, Claire Blacklock and Sarah Frymann took Gold, Silver and Bronze in the women’s competition.

History also repeated itself in the Thundercat Racing as boat number 33, Southampton Solent Uni, driven by Bligh Julius and Simon Butters won the Standard Class. In the P750, boat number 28, “Claro” – driven by Sean Fisher and Grant Pittard claimed top honours.

As the sun set, the crowds filtered out and many talked excitedly about having been entertained and inspired by the sports on show; for others the exchange of stories were about the previous night’s flourescent-themed party. There was one thing everyone agreed upon: that it had been a pretty awesome weekend.

Event director Gary Willingham couldn’t be happier: “Windfest has exceeded all our expectations this year. We had 200 competitors from all over the world taking part and with the sunshine we were assured of a great spectator experience and the wind god smiled upon us maintaining our credibility as a wind related event. The event grows each year and with the help of our sponsors we can ensure the event reaches its full potential. Next year’s event is guaranteed to be another show-stopper!”