The Simmer Style Team Takes Multiple Podiums in Pozo

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The 2026 Gran Canaria Gloria Windsurf World Cup has come to an end. Another amazing event at the windiest stop on the tour — Pozo. The Simmer Style team came through with flying colours — Marc Paré finishing in 2nd place in Pro Men’s, Ben Proffit with a 2nd place in the Masters, and rising young stars Eric Kolb González winning the U13 and his older brother Dennis winning the U15. Yannik Kolb González placed 5th in the U18 and competed in his first year in the Pro Men’s qualifier. Our favourite Pozo wave expert Moritz Mauch also proved his ground as one of the key riders in Pozo, making it through to the quarter-finals. Our UK Wave Champion Cori McFarlane missed out on the event due to an injury but will be competing later this season. We are proud to have such a talented wave team representing Simmer Style.

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We met up with Marc Paré to congratulate him on his 2nd place at the Gran Canaria Windsurf World Cup — winning all his heats all the way to the final.

Congratulations Marc! You were looking super high energy in your first heat, scoring
over 16 points within the first minute and winning the heat with 20.33 points. Tell us how you were feeling coming into the event.

Marc – Thank you very much! I’ve been feeling really good both with my sailing and the gear, in the lead up to the event. After a bit of a tough off season and not a great start on Maui, I put a lot of work in to get back on the right track, so it feels really good to see the results again.

Windsurfer leaps above white-capped waves with a bright pink-yellow sail, sea and blue sky in the background, spray trailing from the board.

How was it competing in Pozo this year compared to last year when it was nuking?

Marc – It was really challenging, and definitely had to be a lot more precise. Also if you were not lucky with the ramps, you pretty much had to be able to build up moves out of nothing.

What gear were you using during the event?

Marc – I was using the preproduction 2027 Blacktip TC ( release: Oct/Nov 2026 ) sails in 4.2 and 4.5 and a 90l onshore board that crosses over the Flywave and the Omnia, which will see the light in the next generation of boards! (G8 – release: Aug/Sept 2027)

You had a big quarter-final heat against Miguel Chapuis, Carlos Kiefer and Antoine Martin, with three doubles in one heat and a massive 23.83 point heat score. How was the heat?

Marc – I didn’t feel like I had my best heat on that one, as I seemed to be stuck in the wrong side of the rhythm. None-the-less I was really happy to come out on top of that one and be able to manufacture my way through!

Wind surfer launching off a wave with a bright pink and neon yellow sail as spray erupts, coastal backdrop in the distance.

Then you came up against Chapuis, Fernández and Sugi in the semi-final. Did you plane out that double? Tell us about the heat.

Marc – That was a tough heat, but I was happy to collect a few good jumps and wave-rides to win it. The double was out the back and off a small chop, but I got really good whip on it which allowed me to land really dry out of a very small ramp!

In the final you had Liam Dunkerbeck, Philip Köster and your third heat against Chapuis. It was such a close heat, with you leading up to the last minute. What happened?

Marc – I was feeling very relaxed and comfortable during the final as I managed to collect two decent jumps and a decent wave. I was leading all the way through, but I knew I could make a bit of space with a better double or backloop, unfortunately conditions degraded a lot and no more jumping opportunities presented and it was Philip in the end who managed to improve his jumps with a little ramp he found down at the bunker.

Bummed to miss out on that 1st place, but really happy to come out 2nd in such a tough fleet and tough conditions, plus it sets a good base for the rest of the season to build upon!

Tenerife is up next — are you heading over there now to train?

The plan is to head there next week as the forecast is looking solid for the middle of the week! Looking forward to it!

Find out more at www.pwaworldtour.com and https://worldwindsurftour.com

Three men stand on a prize podium posing with medals and a trophy as officials applaud at a sailing event, Red Bull branding visible on the podium guard.
Two athletes share a hug during a sporting event by a rocky shoreline, wearing bright turquoise and pink jerseys written with event logos.
Windsurfer airborne above blue ocean waves with bright pink-yellow sail.
Three men standing in a row, each holding a blue surfboard, in front of a beige building with windows.

Congratulations Ben Proffitt – 2nd in the Masters.

Ben Proffit came out of the commentary booth to battle it out in the Masters and made it to the final against Lars Gobisch, John Skye and Michael Friedl. Although Proffit posted the higher jump score, it was not enough to overcome Gobisch.

Ben comments –The Masters final was a bit different from what we normally see in Pozo. I was on the biggest gear probably ever used in a Pozo competition,  a 78 L Flywave and our new Evoq 4.7 ( release Aug -26 ). It went really well and I was really happy. I scored a really good wave 360, so I thought I had the best wave score and focused on my jumps. In the end I won on jumps but lost on the wave scores by 2 points, but that’s how it goes in competition. I’m really happy, and all the boys put on a great show. The level just keeps getting better. That’s my Pozo experience –  next up Tenerife!

Windsurfer riding a bright yellow sail on breaking waves near a coastal town.
Man wearing a headset and microphone screams into the mic while raising hands at a broadcasting desk, with colorful banner behind him.
Male cyclist in a colorful race jersey raises both arms in celebration on a seaside promenade.

Congratulations Yannik, Dennis and Eric Kolb Gonzalez. 

We’re really stoked to see the development of the Kolb González brothers from year to year. Yannik (14) competed in the U18 and the Pro Men’s qualifier this year. Following in Yannik’s footsteps — who won the U15 in 2025 — Dennis (12) won the U15 this year, and the youngest shredder on the team, Eric (10), won the U13, pulling nice forwards in really marginal conditions. These brothers just keep getting better and better.

Well done Yannik, Dennis and Eric!

Three young surfers stand on a rocky beach, each holding a blue surfboard with neon-green edges and swimwear/tees.

Find out more at www.pwaworldtour.com and https://worldwindsurftour.com

Photos by John Carter