Asking the Riders | What's Your Favorite FPT Stop of All Time? | Part 2
September 7, 2026
Every FPT event leaves behind memories; sometimes it’s a result, sometimes a single heat or move, and sometimes it’s simply the memory of being surrounded by the right people in the right place at the right time.
In Part 1, we heard stories from across the tour, with Naxos 2024 already proving to be a particularly memorable chapter. But there are plenty more events that have earned their place in FPT history, from legendary Lanzarote and Tarifa conditions to career-best results, first victories and the kind of sessions that riders still talk about years later.
So, here’s Part 2 of “What’s Your Favorite FPT Stop of All Time?”
Manolis Chrysopoulos
JP Australia / Neilpryde
“For me, the most memorable event is definitely Cape Town 2025. It’s the event where I had my best-ever result in an international competition, and also sailed some of my highest-scored heats ever.” (Manolis finished that event in 4th place, behind Lennart Neubauer, Jacopo Testa and Jamie Howard)
“Another one I’m also going to remember for a long time is Paros 2025 – that one left a little mark on my face after I cut my lip open with the clew of my boom. But the conditions at that event were insane.”
Takumi Moriya
Severne
“My most memorable FPT event would probably be Naxos in 2024. The conditions were epic, it was super windy – and more importantly, it was the first time I travelled to Europe for an event and got a really good result, so that event is definitely a special memory for me.” (Takumi finished the event in 5th out of a fleet of 32 riders)
A moment that really stands out for me from that one would be my heat against Jacopo (Testa) in the single elimination. It was the first time I ever managed to beat him, so that’s definitely a moment that makes this event even more special, and also one I’m gonna remember for a long time”
Lisa Kloster
Starboard / Sailloft
“I really liked it when we had the on-forecast event in Brouwersdam in 2023, right after Geneva. It was super cool to sail the whole competition in the pool in the super flat spot – but at that event my heats were exactly when the wind dropped. In both the single and double, my heats were the last heats of the day, so that’s why my favorite has to go to Naxos 2024.
There, we had wind all the time – Naxos is great; food, people, vibes, everybody was on fire. It was so nice to also live right there on the beach, it was so nicely organised as well – overall, everybody was so stoked about this event!”
Yentel Caers
JP Australia / Neilpryde
“For me it would be the events in Lanzarotte for sure. We had some of the best conditions ever there – waves, freestyle, ramps; the perfect combination. It was a sick event, also with former 2008 European Champion Antxón (Otaegui) organising that one – so all the elements for an epic event. We went back there quite a few years, and I managed to win there two times, so definitely for me the most memorable, with some of the biggest action. I think most riders you ask will be the most stoked about this event.”
Lennart Neubauer
Starboard / Severne
“My mind straight away goes to Naxos – I mean, I had my best friends, people I grew up windsurfing with, school teachers of mine, all on the beach cheering for me; it was an absolutely amazing vibe, the first year especially (2024) where we could properly show what windsurfing is. We had some amazing conditions at that event, and I was also obviously very happy with my sailing.
What also made me very happy was that other people/riders really liked my home spot a lot, and we also got a lot of positive feedback about it. My mom and my best friend Manolis (Orfanos) were organising the event, and so it made me very happy to see that everyone appreciated the organisation behind the event as well.”
Adam Sims
Sailloft
“As a rider, I really enjoyed EFPT Sigri 2012 in Greece. The community vibe around that event was so much fun; a lot of laughs, we were staying in a little shed off somewhere, and it was just a lot of fun. Conditions weren’t really all-time, but Davy Scheffers was there, and it was just so inspiring watching him do triple moves when most of us were struggling to do a single move – like I’ve never seen someone windsurf before.
EFPT Tarifa 2017 was also outstanding – it was still, to this day the highest level of freestyle windsurfing I’ve ever seen on flat water in competition. It was these dream comp conditions; 40 knots, dead flat water – I remember seeing Jacopo Testa do Spock Air Kabi into Kono, planing. I haven’t seen that move yet, to this day, still – and this is nearly 10 years ago.
Now as the owner of the tour, the most outstanding for me would be Cape Town. Obviously Cape Town is a place close to my heart, and it was fantastic running a competition there, where we pushed out this concept of a flatwater spot for the single and then a wave spot for the double. The first year was off the charts in terms of conditions, and we also had that unique edition of the event with the float and freestyle – where the wind was super light and we had people floating down waves into moves.
Also Naxos, Vieste, Geneva – all for the awesome organisation and the different disciplines we’ve had there. As a rider, Lanzarotte as well – I didn’t quite rate it as much as everyone else, but I’ve had a lot of standout heats against really tough opponents there. It was against Dieter van der Eyken there where I managed to get my sloppy Triple Culo, so yeah another standout memory there.”
A whole lot of memories there; and somehow Naxos 2024 still keeps finding its way into the conversation.
From the early EFPT days to the latest generation of FPT riders, every era has its own standout events with legendary conditions and stories that have stuck around long after the last heat wraps up. And with answers spanning almost two decades of tour history, there are plenty of stories still sitting in the archives, and even more event memories that are still yet to be made.
