Wicked Wellington weather makes Waterbourne a success

3rd April 2018

Wicked Wellington weather makes Waterbourne a success

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

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