SANTANDER, Spain (Tuesday, Sept. 4, 2007)- The World's Top 17 Women will play the waiting game on the beautiful beaches of Liencres today, with the Rip Curl Girls Festival being placed on hold as surfers wait for the ocean to deliver.
With a slight increase in swell to clean half-metre waves this morning, organisers are positive of an early start on Wednesday.
"The forecast for the next three days looks like a good a 1- 1.5 metre swell and we are looking at the possibility of running Round 1 early tomorrow morning," Gerhard D'Avezac Rip Curl Girls Pro Contest Director said. "The mornings are preferable to the afternoons with light offshore winds. We could see the Finals take place on either Friday or Saturday."
The first heat in the water sees former World No. 2 Melanie Redman-Carr (AUS) take on 2004 ASP World Champion Sofia Mulanovich (PER) and Melanie Bartels (HAW) in Heat 1, when Stop No. 4 of 7 on the ASP Women's World Tour gets underway.
Redman-Carr, who was in the thick of the world title race this time last year, finds herself down at World No.8 on the ASP ratings and will be eager to reposition herself at this event.
"I'm happy to get this contest underway but I'm just a little apprehensive about getting up so early," Redman-Carr said. "It only gets dark at about 21h00 and we go to bed at about midnight so it's going to be a struggle to get up for the 07h30 call tomorrow morning."
Despite the early start Redman- Carr is optimistic of good waves in Liencres this week.
"There are some really well formed triangular banks, I've seen them on the low tide," Redman Carr said. "I think we're in store for some good waves when it picks up a little bit."
Heat 2 sees current World No. 2 Samantha Cornish (AUS) up against Jessi Miley Dyer (AUS) and Caroline Sarran (FRA), while Chelsea Hedges (AUS) takes on event wildcard Alana Blanchard (HAW) and Jacqueline Silva (BRA) in Heat 3.
The next call will be made at 07h30 on Wednesday morning.
The waiting period for the Rip Curl Girls Festival, Santander, Spain extends from September 4- 9, 2007 and needs just two full days of surfing to be completed.
RIP CURL GIRLS PRO ROUND 1 MATCH-UPS:
Heat 1: Melanie Redman-Carr (Aus); Sofia Mulanovich (PER); Melanie Bartels (HAW)
Heat 2: Samantha Cornish (AUS; Jessi Miley Dyer (AUS); Caroline Sarran (FRA)
Heat 3: Chelsea Hedges (AUS); Jacqueline Silva (BRA); Alana Blanchard (HAW)
Heat 4: Layne Beachley (AUS); Megan Abubo (HAW); Rochelle Ballard (HAW)
Heat 5: Stephanie Gilmore (AUS); Amee Donohoe (AUS); Roseanne Hodge (AUS)
Heat 6: Silvana Lima (BRA); Rebecca Woods (AUS); Claire Bevilacqua (AUS)
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