Centreboard News

TYPBC win RS:X & Techno Nats 18-19 Feb

Tauranga firmly established itself as a successful windsurfing centre at the National Championships last weekend, with two local sailors taking out their divisions.

Sailing on a one design Bic Techno board, Mount sailor Alex Hart won the mostly hotly contested division, the under-17 Boys. “This was Alex’s second national champs and he sailed consistently well over the six race series, much of which was held in fairly light breezes off Manly Beach north of Auckland” according to Stuart Pedersen from TYPBC.

“The under 17 girls winner was Xanthe Bowater of Christchurch, and the racing was made more interesting with a big contingent of sailors from Noumea.” Both Alex and Xanthe were part of the New Zealand team which went to the Techno Worlds in San Francisco in 2011.

Meanwhile Bradley Nixon was racing in the Youth (under 19) division of the RS:X class, which is the Olympic board. “Women and youth race together with an 8.5m sail, and this year there was a very competitive fleet including multiple Olympic campaigner Jessica Crisp from Australia, plus other top sailors from Australia, Singapore, Noumea, Japan and of course New Zealand” said Stuart.

After four days Bradley emerged as top NZ youth, a repeat of his performance two weeks earlier at Sail Auckland. This is the second year in a row that a Tauranga sailor has taken out the double, and last year’s winner, Sven Pedersen from Mt Maunganui, went on to represent New Zealand at the ISAF Youth Worlds last July. According to Stuart, who is Sven’s father, Bradley is now hoping he has done enough to merit selection for the 2012 event which is being held in Ireland.

Also at the regatta to gain experience were Josh McConnell in Techno under 15 boys, and Sven in mens RS:X. With 2012 Olympic selection JP Tobin resting after an operation on his foot, and 2008 Olympic champion Tom Ashley taking a break from racing, the latter division was won by Tom’s training partner Antonio Cozzolino from Auckland, with Sven third.

“Bradley and Alex have both come through the development programme which was established just over two years ago by the Bay of Plenty Sailing Academy Trust (BoPSAT)” says Stuart. “We have the best fleet of learner and race charter equipment in the country, thanks to grants from TECT. BoPSAT is now planning the next after school windsurfing course to start in March, so we’re looking for new year 6 to 10 kids to join the programme.”

(Pic ‘nationals bradley alex.jpg’. Caption Alex Hart (l) with the Lynch Trophy and Bradley Nixon with the NZYF Youth Yachting Trophy at Manly on Sunday.)

Contacts:

Alex Hart 574 4963

Bradley Nixon 576 7461

Roy Walmsley, BoPSAT 541 2341

Stuart Pedersen 574 1169