3rd April 2018
Wicked Wellington weather makes Waterbourne a success
WaterbourneDay2-OceanClash-01 -- Waterbourne 2018 Photo by Evan Davies
Wellington provided ideal conditions for extreme water-sports athletes last weekend, allowing them to showcase their
abilities in a variety of challenging conditions.
More than 80 athletes competed at the three-day Waterbourne competition at the weekend, with windsurfing, kitesurfing
and stand-up paddleboarding (SUP) events.
Day one of Waterbourne provided perfect conditions for the Paddle for Hope charity race and the SUP sprints, with Trevor
Tunnington (Auckland) winning the men’s title and Helen Blair (Auckland) claiming the women’s title.
Despite rough conditions developing during the multi-facet Ocean Clash race on day two, Tunnington battled his way to
victory. Matt Taggart (Raglan) was the first kitesurfer to cross the line.
With a beach full of spectators and perfect winds, Saturday also held the Kite Big Air Nationals, with Aucklander
Ticiana Fetterman’s spectacular performance taking her to the women’s title and Marc Jacobs (Auckland) claiming the
men’s title.
Slalom windsurfing racing dominated the final day of Waterbourne, with Jack Holliday from Auckland claiming the
Waterbourne Windsurfing title ahead of brother Luke Holliday.
Event organiser and professional windsurfer Laurence Carey was proud of the success of New Zealand’s premier extreme
water-sports event in Wellington.
“The ideal weather conditions and the fantastic spirits brought by all the competing athletes created an awesome and
intense weekend of competition.
“It was fantastic to see the Wellington community come out and support our athletes over the weekend, particularly those
who saw the Kite Big Air Nationals on Saturday. That was quite the show.
“Next year we hope for Waterbourne to be even bigger, which will allow for more athletes to compete from overseas and
New Zealand,” said Carey.
The Waterbourne event ran from March 30th-April 1st based at Eastbourne’s Bishop Park and beach and included the New
Zealand Slalom Windsurfing Nationals, Kite Big Air Nationals, the Waterbourne Ocean Clash, SUP Racing, and the cancer
charity event Paddle for Hope.
ENDS