Tsunami messes with windsurfers

Any home waters advantage for Tauranga windsurfers competing in the RSX and Techno North Island Championships over the weekend was taken out by tidal surges.

“The local knowledge didn’t help a lot,” says event organiser Stuart Pedersen.

Tidal knowledge would normally have helped the locals in the low-wind event, says Stuart. But tidal surges from the Japan tsunami were still affecting the harbour on Sunday.

“We would have liked more wind,” says Stuart.

Low wind speeds meant sailors had to pump their sails a lot, making racing physically demanding. Under Windsurfing rules sailors have to be given breaks between races, a situation that resulted in a five instead of six race programme.

It worked to his son Sven Pedersen’s advantage says Stuart. Sven, the national youth champion, was first overall on the weekend.

He would have lost his overall position to Auckland sailor Justina Sellers if six races had been sailed.

“Justina sellers couldn’t make it to the first race,” says Stuart. “She was working up in Auckland Saturday morning. She didn’t race the whole regatta, and Sven was a little bit lucky in that there were six races scheduled, but we only managed to get five races done.

“If there had been six races then they would have been able to drop their worst race. And if they had done that then Justina would have won it. It was just bad luck for her the wind didn’t come in earlier in the day.”

Tauranga sailor Bradley Nixon had an outstanding event. Bradley was second youth man, the only other youths to beat him were Sven the national champion, and Georgia Schofield, the NZ youth team sailor to go to the worlds.

“She’s a pretty good sailor,” says Stuart. “So for him to come in ahead of all the other guys was pretty impressive. Tony MacKenzie and Tim Driver, seventh and eighth just behind Bradley have been on RSX for quite a while. Bradley hasn’t been on it for long at all.

“He’s going really well. He hasn’t had that much time on the water and he hasn’t had any professional coaching really, he’s just done it for himself which is brilliant.”

Brandon Hailwood just turned 16 and got his first RSX board on Saturday morning.

“He was sailing techno all last week then he got on that RSX on Saturday morning, so its not a result to be ashamed of at all,” says Stuart.

Results as of 18:46 on March 13, 2011
RS:X and Techno North Islands
Tauranga

RS:X Fleet
Sailed: 5, Discards: 0, To count: 5, Entries: 12, Scoring system: Appendix A

Techno Fleet
Sailed: 5, Discards: 0, To count: 5, Entries: 12, Scoring system: Appendix A