Andy Brandt Claims HIHO 2000 Victory Windsurfing guru Andy Brandt started HIHO 2000 in fine form. Posting victories in the first three races he cruised to an easy overall victory in the six race week-long inter-island race. Brandt, a professional windsurfing instructor sponsored by Neil Pryde & BIC, admitted to focusing on winning the event. "I trained hard for this one," he explained. "I’ve been sailing the Techno for a year and it’s given me a distinct boardspeed advantage." Eli Fuller from Antigua pressured Brandt from the start. Fuller, the HIHO ’98 Champion and the Caribbean’s best racing windsurfer, encountered hard luck when his booms broke forcing his retirement from both the first and second races. Following his withdrawal from race #2 it was mathematically impossible for him to win HIHO 2000. This, however, didn’t stop him from winning the last three races of the event! Junior racer Antoine Questel who finished second overall posted a sensational performance. Californian Greg Fowlkes followed Questel in third overall. Fourth went to St Martin competitor Ricardy Maricel while Tortola’s Rusty Henderson rounded out the top five. Perennial HIHO Women’s Champion Mariel Devesa from California started poorly but finished with top honors in her division. An encounter with the reef on day one saw her destroy her board and injure her ankle. Capitalizing on the misfortune Florida racer Julie Rosenberg came in strong but ultimately settled for second. Sarah James from the UK finished third. Jean-Marc Peyronet from St Martin dominated the Masters division. He finished in 9th overall. Alex Caviglia from Florida took second with Canadian Rick Collins finishing third. First time racer Tom Suits took the Grand Masters division from Florida. The elated newcomer announced his intention to continue competing and return to HIHO 2001. Last years Grand Masters Champion Jean-Francois Guerin settled for second while German Ernst Bickmeier came third. While Antoine Questel dominated the Junior division fellow countryman Julien Quentel from St Martin took second. Puerto Rican Nick Leason took third. Martinique sensation William Geurin dominated the Cruising class. The ten-year-old took a second in the first race, then won every other to best second place finisher Arian Hamrhz of Germany by a wide margin. Third and fourth went to fellow German’s Budi Nickau and David Peet. Fifth belonged to Ling-Yue Hong of Canada. Television coverage of the HIHO 2000 event will air on September 18 at 9:00pm EST on the Outdoor Life Network in the USA. UK and European coverage will follow. HIHO 2000 was sponsored by American Airlines, Neilpryde, BIC Sport, Highland Spring, VPM Yachts, the Bitter End, M&M Power Boat Rentals and the BVI Tourist Board. HIHO 2000 OVERALL Race Results RANK NAME   CLASS SAIL Race 1 2 3 4 5 6 Total 1 Brandt, Andy USA M SP-1 0.75 0.75 0.75 7* 5 2 9 2 Questel, Antoinne SXM JR F-40 4 2 8* 3 3 4 16 3 Fowlkes, Gregory USA M 221 2 3 4 8* 6 3 18 4 Maricel, Ricardi SXM M SM-17 3 6 23* 5 8 5 27 5 Henderson, Rusty BVI M KV-2 7 5 16* 9 2 6 29 6 Lampe, Ryan ARU M ARU-5 5 4 5 11* 7 11 32 7 Egreteau, Olivier SXM M SXM-11 11 9 34* 4 4 9 37 8 Compton, Michael USVI M VI-07 9 11 19* 2 9 7 38 9 Peyronet, Jean-Marc SXM MA SM-10 6 7 3 28* 10 19 45 10 Quentel, Julien SXM JR 4218 13 12 36* 6 11 12 54 11 Suits, Tom USA GM 27 10 17 11 23* 15 18 71 12 Grimes Graham, Roddy ANT M 19 15 13 18* 14 13 17 72 13 Devesa, Mariel USA W US-80 76* 10 28 10 16 8 72 14 Bonne, Edwin CUR M NC-13 18 16 27* 12 12 15 73 15 Fuller, Eli ANT M ANT-1 76* 70 2 0.75 0.75 0.75 74 16 Brink, Martin SXM M SXM-1 16 14 7 13 46* 26 76 17 Caviglia, Alex USA M USA 8 71* 6 34 22 13 83 18 Guerin, J.F MART GM 9 20 71* 10 17 21 20 88 19 Woodward, Keith ANT M 16 21 8 15 51* 24 23 91 20 Herbert, Rob BVI M 42 32 18 21 16 35* 10 97 21 Treguilly, Benoit FRA MA 59 22 19 9 25* 25 22 97 22 Henault, Denis MART MA 46 19 22 24 19 18 33* 102 23 Harman, Richard USA M 57 29 21 17 33* 20 16 103 24 Emmanuel, Chad BVI M 45 28 32* 22 22 14 27 113 25 Damy, Rene MEX M MEX-5 12 27 14 27 46 48* 126 26 Collins, Rick CAN MA 11 14 34 43* 35 19 29 131 27 Leason, Nick PR JR 17 24 29 45* 15 33 30 131 28 Mathias, Ernest USVI MA VI-2 35 23 13 44* 31 31 133 29 McKee, Erik USA M 32 76* 25 20 54 17 21 137 30 McKee, Ian USA M 29 36 39* 38 29 23 14 140 31 Rosenberg, Julie USA W US-2 17 28 25 32 40* 38 140 32 Charles, Imran ANT JR 20 27 31 33 49* 29 25 145 33 Bic, Antoine FRA MA 61 31 36 42 52* 26 24 159 34 Tomblin, Marcus HK M   76* 34 29 21 27 48 159 35 Crook, Winston NEVIS M 32 23 40 12 71* 43 48 166 36 Rahnenfuehrer, Eric USA MA 36 41 43* 41 30 28 32 172 37 Bickmeier, Ernst GER GM G-1 29 47* 44 36 30 39 178 38 Knight, Colin USA M 55 34 33 40 43* 37 36 180 39 Frazier, Zach PR JR 23 38 38 51* 24 46 35 181 40 Cadenas, Daniel PR JR 25 25 41 46 71* 41 34 187 41 Morales, Rodrigo MEX M MEX-2 26 35 61* 41 46 48 196 42 Mills, Dusan AUS GM AUS-411 52* 47 35 31 46 37 196 43 Farrimond, Martin UK GM 33 40 44 30 59* 46 40 200 44 McGee, Mike GER M 62 76* 25 32 71 32 48 208 45 Lebrun, Thierry MART MA 54 37 48 31 53* 46 48 210 46 Schulze, Richard USA MA 56 53* 45 37 38 46 48 214 47 Sparkes, Jim USA GM 45 76* 27 26 71 46 45 215 48 Carter, Joph BER JR 22 42 70* 61 18 46 48 215 49 Fernandez Del Valle, Pedro MEX MA MEX-3 33 71* 53 40 46 48 220 50 Jones, Alex BER JR 21 76* 51 61 18 46 48 224 51 Gallardo, Arturo USA M PR-52 76* 70 50 17 46 43 226 52 Diamond, Jeremy UK M 47 44 42 49* 47 46 48 227 53 Hofmeyr, Jan SA M 13 56 22 56 71* 46 48 228 54 Gandoulf, Juan MEX MA MEX-4 43 54 47 71* 38 48 230 55 Heddle, Robert USA M 53 39 46 48* 57 46 48 236 56 Domingo, Ray USA GM 28 57* 49 52 45 46 48 240 57 Olmedo, Eddie USA GM 58 47 70* 61 52 42 48 250 58 Onuki, Kozi JAP GM 35 61 63* 57 46 46 41 251 59 Froelich, Stefan USA M 38 58 55 61* 58 36 48 255 60 Teysserand, Christine SXM W 37 56* 53 54 55 46 48 256 61 James, Sarah UK W SP-1 54 53 61 71* 44 44 256 62 Hermann, Jurgen GER M 60 76* 70 39 71 34 48 262 63 Bic, Rianne FRA W   76* 70 61 39 46 48 264 64 Bendon, Jim USA GM 15 49 64* 61 61 46 48 265 65 Yawching, Dexter GREN MA 3 50 62 61 71* 46 48 267 66 McLean, Ivan SA MA 52 48 70* 61 64 46 48 267 67 Shell, Jonathen SA M 24 60 57 61* 60 46 48 271 68 Iossi, Rick USA MA 49 55 61 61 62* 46 48 271 69 Bernus, Dominique MART GM 6 76* 70 61 50 46 48 275 70 Passani, Cornelius USA GM 30 51 70 61 71* 46 48 276 71 Hung, Ling-Yue CAN W 10 76* 50 61 71 46 48 276 72 McGee, Gabi GER W 61 76* 70 61 52 46 48 277 73 Erdmann, Kai USA GM 40 60 70 59 71* 46 48 283 74 Harris, David USA GM 45 59 70 61 71* 46 48 284 75 Everett, Lewis USA GM 8 76* 59 61 71 46 48 285 76 Lincoln, Jay USA GM 4 76* 70 55 66 46 48 285 77 Callahan, Marianne USA C 14 63 70* 61 67 46 48 285 78 Thayer, Kristine USA W US-2K 76* 60 61 71 46 48 286 79 Wiley, Garett USA M 34 62 70 61 71* 46 48 287 80 Failace, Ricardo BRA MA 39 76* 70 61 71 46 48 296 81 Gatson, Kenneth USA GM 26 76* 70 61 71 46 48 296 82 Verneuil, Thierry FRA MA 41 76* 70 61 71 46 48 296 83 Schevlen, Luc SXM MA 12 76* 70 61 71 46 48 296 84 Miller, Brian USA M   76* 70 61 71 46 48 296 85 Bailey, Cam CAN MA 2 76* 70 61 71 46 48 296