event

The 2025 Recap

With the final days of 2025 approaching, we take a look back at the year’s biggest moments.

Chile, Guadeloupe, South of France, Gran Canaria, Fuerteventura, Tenerife, Sylt, Lake Garda, Maui, Japan, Namibia and youths traveling to Aruba, Bonaire, Miami and Alacati. Across Wave, Freestyle, Slalom, Foil, and Speed, Duotone has been represented all over the world by our amazing team. We took some time to look back at the year and catch up with part of the team.

Victor Fernandez (4th overall):
I would say my favorite event of the year was Chile. It’s a competition but it is also a trip where you get to enjoy the country. The scenery is incredible and love riding perfect lefts in different spots such as Topocalma, Matanzas or Pichilemu.

⁠I think getting 2nd place in Tenerife. It’s not easy to be in the finals and specially in light wind onshore conditions, but my big gear felt great as I put a lot of time on it and I gave it all.

There is always something to learn and improve. I am very proud of my season because I was up there with some of the best guys. I need to improve a little more on my strength training out of the water which helps me to go more for it during my heats.

Liam Dunkerbeck (10th overall):
My favourite event of the year it’s pozo of course, having one event at home it’s really especial with all the support from all my family and friends.

Also I’ve been sailing this place since I’m really young so i really know the spot and I really enjoy it.

The highlight of the year for me it’s the come back I did in the event in pozo coming from 9th place fisnhing 5th and also one highlight would be competing in the same event as my younger brother for the same time.

I always try to learn from everything I can and this year I’ve leaned a lot about my gear together with Kai and Marco and I think that it’s really important for improve my sailing in the upcoming years.

Alexia Kiefer Quintana (Vice-World Champion):
Without a doubt, my favorite event of the year was Chile. It’s an incredible place — the trip I look forward to the most every year. The people, the food, the nature, the waves… I absolutely love everything about it. It’s also a very special place for me because I achieved my first podium in the absolute category there. I would love to spend a whole season in Chile.

I think my highlight was definitely in Chile. This year I had problems with my windsurfing gear and it didn’t arrive on time for the start of the competition. I received the equipment just before competing, so I couldn’t train at all — and that’s exactly how it went. I was knocked out in the first round. I came out of the water, but I wasn’t sad. I dedicated that day to calming down and repeating the mistake I had made over and over again so I wouldn’t do it again in my second and last chance. The next day I went back on the water and everything went the way I wanted. In the end I finished second in the competition. It was an amazing feeling.

My biggest learning point was when I finished seventh in Sylt. I had been on a streak of seven podiums in a row until Sylt came. I was really disappointed with my performance. What I didn’t realize was that after being sad for several days, it actually motivated me a lot to go back home and prepare really well for the next season. It had been a long time since I felt so focused and serious about my training. Now, I’m grateful that the situation happened the way it did.

Lisa Wermeister (6th overall):
My favorite event of the year is definitely the aloha classic! It’s my favorite because it’s the wave I know the best, the one where I’ve spent the most time. I really love wave riding, and the conditions in Ho’okipa are just legendary for that. Since I’ve spent so much time there, I feel more and more comfortable on starboard tack. And of course, Hawaii is an absolutely beautiful island, so going there is always a pleasure.

The highlight of my year has been the strong progress I’ve made. I’ve learned a lot, and I can really feel the difference in my sailing, in my confidence, and in the way I handle competitions. I started following specific training methods and began a proper physical preparation with a coach, which helped me take things to another level.

I also got my first podiums in Hawaii, which was a huge moment for me. Overall, this year feels like the start of a new chapter, and it makes me excited to see what 2026 will bring!

My biggest learning point this year has been managing my stress, especially during my heats. I’ve really improved in the way I handle those moments, from choosing the right waves to making better decisions overall. It’s made a big difference, and I’m really happy about the progress I’ve made!

Maria Behrens (7th overall):
I’ve always said that the Aloha Classic on Maui is my favorite event—the conditions are nearly perfect, the weather is warm, and coming from Germany I can’t get enough of those paradise vibes. But this year I have to admit that Gran Canaria became a second favorite. After my knee surgery, I was finally able to really push my jumps again, and with every training session I grew more confident in those aggressive conditions. I improved a lot this summer mentally and physically and that’s what stayed in my mind and makes that event so special.

My biggest highlight was definitely riding those massive waves in Chile and Maui. The Baltic Sea rarely gets big, so dropping into over-mast-high waves like in Matanzas or Ho’okipa is still nerve-racking for me. Once you get used to it, it starts to feel more normal—but in that very first session in those huge conditions, my heart was racing. That feeling is pure adrenaline and the best of all!

I would say I had my biggest learning moments on the Canaries and on Maui. Before the event in Pozo, I made huge progress with my backloops and landed so many over the summer. I also trained push loops with Josep Pons, which really motivated me to keep pushing. After the Aloha Classic, I stayed on Maui for another month, and it turned out to be the best possible training for starboard-tack wave riding. I feel like sometimes you learn more when you’re not feeling the pressure of competing.

Jordy Vonk (3rd PWA SlalomX & European Champion Fin Slalom):
My favorite event of 2025 might be my favorite event of my whole career! The SlalomX in the PWA Fuerteventura was absolutely amazing, when I look back at the videos I still get goosebumps. The conditions were amazing, the racing was extreme and performance wise I was on my best ever… We’ll never know where I would have finished without crashing, but finishing 4^th while missing out on 3 eliminations I think says enough!

It's hard to point out one highlight; racing wise Fuerteventura was a highlight winning eliminations back-to-back. Tenerife was an absolute highlight finishing third at the event and thereby finally breaking the curse and finishing third overall…. Lake Garda was awesome claiming my first European title and the birth of my second son, Matty, is of course an highlight itself…… 2025 was simply an amazing year!

My biggest learning point was probably that I’ve realized how confidence can translate in results, you can be strong/fit/fast, but if you’re really confident it’s almost all you need to win.

Jenna Gibson (Speed World Champion):

We've just come back from an epic time in Namibia for the luderitz speed challenge. A lack of wind has been a reoccuring theme this season, but we had a great time nonetheless.

So the highlight was spending 6 weeks in the South of France for the Prince of Speed World Championships, AFF Slalom event, and then Defi Wind. It was just the perfect road trip with friends. We went down in the van full of speed, slalom, and foil kit, and took our little dog Maisie with us. I even got a visit from my brother and sister-in-law when I was there. Friends, family and wind: it doesn't get much better than that for me.

What was my biggest learning point? The need to focus on my weaknesses- my health, fitness, and those pesky gybes.

Sacha Fortune (Youth European Champion Fin Slalom):
As a fin lover, the best event for me this year has been the PWA Slalom X in Fuerteventura. I really like strong winds and hard chop conditions, and Fuerteventura always delivers these kinds of conditions. These conditions fit perfectly with the 5.8 Warp_Fin and the 99 Falcon_Fin, which is my favorite combo. It was my favorite event so far!

On top of that, I was happy to make my first two winners’ finals. It was my goal for the PWA events: making at least one winners’ final per event and aiming for the top 16 at each stop I could do.

My highlight this year has been my Youth Foil Slalom World Title at the IFCA Worlds in Turkey. I was really happy to become youth world champion for the second time, but this time on the foil, showing that I can be competitive in both disciplines: foil and fin. I was a bit sad that we couldn’t race on the fin due to the lack of wind, as I wanted to win both and felt ready, especially after winning the Youth Fin European Title three weeks earlier.

My biggest learning point this year happened during the European Youth Championships in Fin and Foil. For this event, I really wanted to win both disciplines. On the last day, I was leading both categories, and we had one last foil race to go. I qualified for the winners’ final while my closest opponent didn’t. During the final I was third, and I don’t know why, but I told myself I had to move into second. I went for the inside gybe and I fell. I finished 8th in that final, and with the discard I dropped to second by 0.3… I lost the title on this stupid mistake, while finishing 7th or better in that race would have guaranteed the title, something I didn’t know.

So my biggest learning point is to race with my brain when it matters most, especially on the last days of a competition.

Kasper Friis Nielsen (PWA Youth World Champion Foil Slalom):
Throughout the season I had a lot of different events, but I think my favorite was the IFCA Worlds in Turkey. There I managed to take second place in U21 foil. Throughout the whole week Sasha and I were battling for first place, which was super fun!

I feel like I had a lot of highlights this season, but the main one was becoming the overall U21 PWA World Champion.

My biggest learning point was probably that nothing comes easy. I learned that during my competition in Klitmøller, where I didn’t have much preparation time and I definitely felt it during the event.

Adrien Bosson (10th overall):
My favorite event of the year was Sylt, even though it was a really long event and we were on standby for the first eight days. On the Friday, basically one week later, I really enjoyed it. The conditions were super good. Unfortunately, I couldn’t really make it through the ladder, but that’s competition.

The highlight of the year, or the moment I enjoyed the most, was during the winter. I went twice to Cabo Verde and surfed with Liam and Victor in perfect waves, which was super sick.

On the competition side, I’d say that Friday was pretty sick. I had a good battle against Jacopo. I lost by 0.3 points against him to reach the final. I was pretty pissed, but it was a fun battle. I had a good heat, so I was pretty stoked about that.

My biggest learning point?
In Sylt, on the day we ran freestyle, I came to the beach later than most of the other guys. The wind was offshore, and I ended up being the first one out testing the conditions, so I basically pushed the contest to start. I sailed well, and it was the first time I’d ever done that, pushing for the contest to happen. And then I lost in my first round, so I won’t do that again, haha.

Niclas Nebelung (12th overall):
Boot Düsseldorf was definitely my favorite event this year! It was my home event and I made the podium. I am already looking forward to next year’s Boot Düsseldorf. We will compete there again end of January.

My highlight was that we surfed some pretty big waves (at least for a freestyler ;)) on Gran Canaria this summer. Still a lot to learn when it comes to waveriding but jumping is going pretty well. Besides that we had some really fun trips to Cold Hawaii (Hanstholm).

What was your biggest learning point?
Don’t always look at your spray when waveriding! I will not make for a good photo. Besides that get a swimming case for your GoPro. Two GoPros lost in two seasons :(. Oouch!