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Website sponsored by
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CWA News 2006-07CWA Prize Giving
& BBQ 15 Apr 2007:
Special mention goes to Rachel and her team for the catering, which was magnificent. Colac Bay Easter 2007: Colac Bay west of Invercargill has never seen so much kite action, with sixteen kiters converging there over Easter in anticipation of some extreme wind, if not weather. Easter Friday delivered 15-20 knots SW side shore and some nice wave action. Saturday was NW and offshore, so a quiet day spent sightseeing or surfing for some. Sunday and the wind returned at 25-30 knots WSW, so a few of us headed for Te Wai Wai Bay and were rewarded with super flat water on the lagoon, and massive waves on the outside.
Big air and speed runs were the order of the day, and Craig Knights (pictured above) put his GPS into action, covering 36 nautical miles and a max speed of 38.5 knots! The wind swung back to SW, so we regrouped at Colac for some more clean wave action, before calling it a day. Magic. Women's Only Windsurfing Mar 3:
About ten ladies participated, while any men who dared to show their face were banished to the far side of the lake. A good time was had by all - big thanks to Nicky Taylor for organising what is becoming a popular event.
Kitesports
Challenge Mar 3-4:
Sunday was a repeat but windier, and wound up with a BBQ and prize giving at the estuary. Buggying (7km speed runs) first equal at ~9 minutes with just two seconds between them: Craig Hansen, Craig Knights, and Will; Landboarding: Nathan; Wave meister: Nico; Most Improved: Sandy.
Canterbury Windsurf Champs Feb 24-25 2007: After several postponements, the Canterbury Windsurf Championships finally found wind on the weekend of 24/25 February with a building nor-easter on Saturday, and continuing into Sunday, which saw a total of 11 downwind slalom heats run in the Estuary before the water level dropped off. A maximum of 19 sailors ran in mens heats and separate races were run for the 7 women competing. Heat wins were well shared around and we had 4 different winners in ‘Mens’ with Chris Dimock taking 4, Terry Beentjes 3, Fred Herritsch and Mike Sinclair 2 each. Annie Crombie and Di Blakely shared the ‘Womens’ wins. Discards were allowed after heats 5, 9 and 11 and so with one discard allowed on day one and after 7 heats, Chris Dimock held the lead over Terry Beentjes and Mike Sinclair and in the Womens event, Annie Crombie led Di Blakely and Gina Beecroft who was on her way to hospital with a torn knee ligament after a crash in the final heat. Day 2 had the easterly dying off and sail size became important with sailors having difficulty getting clean starts in the lighter breeze. Chris Dimock dominated on Sunday and won 3 of the 4 heats with his 7 metre sail coming into its own in these conditions and he did well to hold off some serious opposition in the form of Terry Beentjes who did so well in the recent NZ nationals in Dunedin. Mike Sinclair held onto 3rd spot overall winning the other heat on day 2. The womens event saw a turn around with Di Blakely winning all 3 races and getting past Annie Crombie for the overall win. Adrienne Chin came up to 3rd overall and Rachel Low sailed well with two 2nds and a 3rd giving her 4th place. It was good to see Rob Dinkelaar make an appearance and he took on the scoring work assisting Sue Lyons and many thanks to them for taking care of this important work. Results: Men (11 heats =3 discards allowed): P1 Chris Dimock 11.8 pts (2,1,3,3,4,2,3,1,2,1,1) Women (9 heats=2 discards allowed): P1 Di Blakely 8.8 pts (3,2,1,4,2,2,1,1,1) Waikuku Kite Jib Jam, Feb 17&18: Blue skies and light sea breezes made for a relaxed weekend and the feeling that summer was finally going to deliver. However, it remained light and possibly a bit too relaxed for some, but no one was complaining. Thanks to Morgan Fahey for making the call. Aaron
Smith making the most of the light conditions 2007 New Zealand Windsurf Slalom Nationals- Dunedin Harbour, February 3-7: 6 women, 30 men, 144 heats, but only two winners: recent Otago convert Gareth Wood for the Men; and Canterbury's very own Annie Crombie for the Women - or should we call you Supergluewoman for the way you manage blisters? Good one Annie! More results here... 2007 National
Womens Champ Annie Crombie showing her form and top
male contender from Canterbury Terry Beentjes, who placed a respectable
5th in the Mens 2007 NZ Kiteboard Nationals - Nelson Jan 19-22: Local riders performed well in somewhat difficult conditions (gusty wind and ~6 knot tide): Martin Harris placed 3rd in the Juniors; while Tom Cook and Mike Chapman were in the top 8 in the Open, with Nico Martin and Julian Sanderson in the top 16. Thanks to Delphine for an awesome event. Results and photos here and here and here.
What did CWA members do over the Christmas Break? Email secretary@cwa.org.nz your favourite wind or kite photo (reduced in size to 800x600 pixels please) with a caption for this page - there may even be a prize. I was a bit busy kiting to take many photos, but here's a few to get you started...
Kiteboarding in the news - uh oh! Dec 7 2006: Kiteboard Problem - 2MB podcast from Radio NZ Morning Report December 2-3 2006: Canterbury Kite Champs Saturday dawned clear and sunny, with a fresh dump of snow on the mountains, and classic Canterbury conditions for kiting at the estuary (northeasterly 15-20 knots). Just under 30 kiters started with a freeride expression session before voting for the top eight 'open' riders to go into 2 x 4 man heats. These were followed by the women's, juniour's, and open finals, after which most headed to the beach. Then it was on to Morgan's place for the Underground Sausage Sizzle, where an ice luge and bonfire kept us warm and entertained till late. You had to be up early for the best wind on Sunday, so most enjoyed a lazy start to the day, and finished with a cruisy session at the estuary. The winners were revealed at prize giving on Wednesday night (thanks to the sponsors: Dakine; Groundswell; Kitesports; Ocean Rodeo; Peter Lynn Kites; Underground Kiteboards; and Waterfly), which was combined with the CWA club night and a draw for a Garmin Geko GPS (thanks to the Downunder PilotShop for the great deal on the GPS). The photo's below tell part of the story - for more photos go to http://ndb.orcon.net.nz/ (thanks to Neil & Linda).
No Photo
The graph
below reveals how lucky we were with the weather. November 17-19 2006: Canterbury Show Weekend Camp at Lake Clearwater Canterbury windsports enthusiasts have been trekking to Lake Clearwater every Show Weekend for years. Given its location near the Southern Alps inland from Ashburton, the weather can be changeable, and sometimes extreme. This year was somewhere in the middle, and despite a poor forecast of wet weather from the east, the campground was full on Friday night, somewhat depleted on Saturday, and practically empty by Sunday, which was when the fun (sun and then wind) really began.
Friday - Lake Mudpuddle Saturday - gone fishing. ...matagouri - it's a real kitemare. Sunday - ah, that's more like
it!
Lost & Found: Sun glasses, blue & grey frame, Tech Division Gambo Sud, made in Brazil. Contact secretary@cwa.org.nz. October 28: CWA Open Day & Boot Sale: The weather gods blessed us with warmish weather and favourable winds - a north easterly breeze that was neither too heavy nor too light. A steady stream of visitors got a taste of what all the excitement is about, and some hands on experience with the trainer kites - there may even be a few converts from windsurfing to kiting! Some serious kite action. Mystery kiter flying in the face
of an ill wind (the dreaded nor'wester). High energy sustenance suitable
for windsports. Thanks to all those who made it happen. November 11-12 2006: South Island Cup Round I Round one of the 2006 South Island cup was held in Canterbury on the weekend of 11 November. Terry Beentjes, the current South Island cup holder, defended his title and emerged as the overall winner over Terry Alkemade and Paul Vliestra of Dunedin.
The weather forecast was for nor west winds and since this wind direction rarely works well for racing in the Christchurch area, Lake Clearwater, 2 hours south west of the city was chosen as the venue. The lake is at 667 metres altitude and the surrounding valley funnels wind from the alps down onto the Canterbury plains creating great sailing conditions .
Wind strengths above 40 knots are quite the norm here and so it turned out this time and 15 slalom races were held over the two days in winds ranging from 25 to 40 knots. Eight races were held on Saturday with most sailors using sail sizes around 4.8 metres. Huge gusts made life entertaining or competitors and several heats had the entire field in the water at the first gybe mark. Terry Beentjes and Terry Alkemade both scored 4 wins and 2 second places after eight races with 2 discards allowed.
The tie was settled in favour of the last race winner and Terry B went into Sunday's races with the lead although both sailors had the same points score. Sunday's winds were a little lighter and 5.9 was the general sail size choice. Ex NZ slalom champ Dale Muller made an appearance on Sunday and although he was at the lake for a bit of fly fishing he still showed he has lost none of his skills by winning two races before returning to his fishing. Terry Beentjes won 3 more races to reinforce his overall lead and Paul Vliestra found his form and won the final 2 heats. First time racer Pete Holder who was sailing wave gear was another consistent scorer and took 4th overall ahead of Dunedins Ross Monk.
Round 2 of the cup is to be held at Dunedin on November 25/26 and Terry Beentjes goes into the round with the points lead but should get some serious opposition from the Dunedin sailors (many of them armed with the lastest race gear) on their home waters.
Saturday, October 14 CWA members enjoyed a brief spell of calm weather on Saturday by spreading mulch around new planting at the Sandy Point kite launch area. This space has been established thanks to the vision of Morgan Fahey of H2Owaterfly and the CCC, to provide recreational access while protecting the fragile beach and rare salt marsh nearby. Mulch was spread in the morning, before breaking for lunch, and downing tools completely as the wind went north/north easterly. Many kiters took the opportunity to sail from Sandy Point. Extreme(ly) flat water kite action
at Sandy Point. Earlier that day... Lunch time. Can you dig it? PS: There's still some mulching to do. I'll keep you posted. John - Mr Secretary Sept 23: CWA Clean Up the World (Estuary) A good number of CWA members turned up to clean up the estuary windsurf area, with over 40+ bags of rubbish and other assorted items being removed from the bed & forshore, including hazards such as glass & the odd post/log. Then, as the tide came in, we we're treated to a sausage sizzle and the spectacle of some smooth low water kiting. All in all a good day. Thanks guys.
Sept 8-10: Wanakite 2006 Light winds and mild temperatures predominated for the 20 odd SNOW-kiters who came to Wanaka from as far afield as Invercargill and Auckland. Some got 3 days kiting out of 4: Thursday NW ~10 knots & sunshine; Friday SW ~5-10 knots & cloudy; Saturday SW ~10 knots & sunshine; and Sunday... well, sunny.
Thanks to: Tim Stockman of Kitesports for making the call and organising access, sponsors, and prize giving. YHA Wanaka for accommodating most of the crew. Snow Farm Proving Grounds for access. The crew. July 15: News from club members racing in Maui. We had good slalom conditions last Saturday (15 July) for the Maui Fin Co slalom Champs. Terry Alkemade scored P1, P3, & P3 for 3rd overall in the expert class and Mike Sinclair had 4th scoring P2, P3, & P4. Hawaiin local Ben Massenburg won the class with Ted Hunter of Canada in 2nd. Glen Taylor had been running 2nd series overall in Advanced class but had to return home early for medical attention after suffering from carpal tunnel syndrome in his wrists. Ned Tamatea has been racing advanced class also and the experience has him scheming his return for next years race series. Next race day is Hawaii State titles on 29 July. Huge damage list running here among
the 12 inmates of our accommodation with 4 boards dead, 5 booms,
2 sails, 2 nose jobs, 3 masts and a fin box and fin left embedded
in a turtle. Its been windy, choppy, and gusty, and the 4.2 sails
have had a thrashing. Mens 50-54
into turn 1, Ned Tamatea (KZ81) & Mike Sinclair (KZ71). Expert heat
race winner Ben Massenburg (Hi158) and P2 Terry Alkemade (KZ98)
Mike Sinclair
(KZ71) finishing expert heat 1 at Kanaha Kanaha June
17 2006 Advanced class Ned Tamatea (KZ81) Photos from http://www.tmmaui.com/2006MFCOpen2.html June/July: Two faces of winter in the South Pacific. Lake Clearwater,
popular windsurfing & kiting spot in South Canterbury, NZ, &
Malolo Island, Mamanuca Group, Fiji. June 10: Sandy Point planting day. At least 50 people (~10 from the CWA) turned up on a glorious winters day to plant and mulch over 500 plants around the perimeter of Sandy Point on the estuary. This Christchurch City Council/Environment Canterbury initiative is designed to protect and enhance the environment for birdlife, as well as provide a well defined space for budding kiteboarders. Please avoid trampling the plants and especially the fragile salt marsh beach area. Respect earns respect, and in this case a place to launch and learn to fly. Thanks to Jason Roberts of CCC, Jenny Bond of ECAN, and Honda for the plants.
April 29-30: NZ Kiteboard Nationals 2006
Kiteboarders from the Mainland almost outnumbered their North Island counterparts at the NZ Kiteboard Nationals at Raglan. Unfortunately the winds were predominantly light offshore easterlies, which meant riding was restricted to early morning sessions on the incoming tide, and ultimately no finals were completed. Most of the time was spent wake boarding, tow in surfing, bridge surfing, or just hanging out and talking and eating and partying and drinking. The last day saw the wind swing onshore, strong enough for the Juniors to show the older (and somewhat heavier) riders how it's done, the results being Torrin Bright 2nd and Mark Jacobs 1st, alongside several heroic rescues of kiters and their equipment from the outgoing tide. A good time was had by all, and there's the possibility of a rerun in the spring. Thanks to organisers Delphine Ducaruge and Tony Bruce for the time and committment to bring it all together. For more see hyundaikiteboarding.co.nz and http://ndb.orcon.net.nz/Nationals/. April 7: End of Season Prize Giving The last club night for the 2005/06 season saw a big turnout to celebrate the achievements of club members young and not so young. CWA President Russell Matheison reeled off the awards assisted by Glen Taylor who handed them out. Guest speaker Steve Gurney told us about his kiting experiences, including propelling himself through the estuary, and his kayak in multi-day endurance events. Spot prizes were drawn, and an honorarium presented to John Thyne (me) for services renderred as CWA Secretary, especially in establishing and maintaining the website. All in all it was a good night, as well as the end of an era given that the Ferrymead Tavern is closing to make way for new developments. Windsurf Kiteboard Thanks to sponsors EastCoast, Groundswell, KiteSports, Underground, and Dale Wylie Industrial Webbing for the spot prizes. Thanks also for Russell Matheison for running the show, and Nicola Taylor for organising the young ones, and Rachel Low for organising almost everything else. March 31: The need for speed... Speed results for the 2005-06 season are out, dominated by a hard core group who, like heat seeking missiles, homed in on high winds and flat water at places like Clearwater and Coleridge, pushing their gear and luck with the latest GPS technology. I briefly caught the bug myself, clocking an unofficial top speed of around 28 knots at Camp Clearwater, in nor'west conditions on a 13m kite, but not actually in touch with the water at the time. I've since decided I'm more of a freestyle kind of guy... - John. Speed results, average of fastest 5 speeds. Windsurf
Men Windsurf
Women Kite
Men Other notable results. Rob Dinklear 40.3 knots For more detailed results click here March 13: Canterbury Champs Windsurf rrracing results 2006. The north east wind finally kicked in on Monday 13 March, and the racing went off after work, as planned. There was a good turnout at the Estuary Bowling Green launch area, and once it was over there were smiling faces all around from the exhilaration of mass starts and full on racing. The Howisit windsite reported 15 to 20 knots of clean A grade north easterly, with an air temp of around ~15 degrees - don't mention the wind chill. Canterbury Windsurf Champs 2006 Results. Terry Beentjes and Annie Crombie won the Canterbury champs for 2006 on Monday evening 13th March. Downwind slalom was the format and 7 races were run with up to 19 competitiors showing for the heats. A rabbit start system was used and the starts were fairly orderly considering the lack of a flag start. The 7 heats had 5 different winners: Terry Beentjes, Glen Taylor, Dan Willems, Jamie McGillivray and Russell Mathieson. Geena Beecroft won 3 of the womens heats and Annie Crombie won the other 4. Overall results: (7 races with one discard allowed.) Men Women March 8: Club Nite The focus of this night was travel - we heard about great kite & wind surfing to be had in Western Australia and New Caldonia from Delphine Decurage and Andrew Wilson respectively, and inconsistent trade winds in Vanuatu from John Thyne. We also had time for drinks and informed wind & kite travel advice from Annie Crombie, House of Travel, Merivale. For more info Ph 03 355 1681, or email acrombie@hot.co.nz March 4: Kitesports Challenge 2006 gets off to a stormy start A dying southerly packed a few punches on Saturday March 4 for the dozen or so hardy kiters who braved the weather. Regrouping in the afternoon at Ashworths Beach north of Christchurch, where the wind was mostly cross-shore, they managed a couple of downwind runs from Saltwater Creek to Liethfield Beach. Sunday was clear and sunny at South Brighton, with big surf and a southeaster picking up in the afternoon for at great wave session.
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Women's only windsurfing (kitegirrls welcome too) got off to a great
start at Lake Clearwater earlier this month, with calm sunny conditions
building to a respectable breeze that had all the ladies out and
riding (and too busy to take any photo's of the action!).
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%20finishing%20expert%20heat%201%20at%20Kanaha.jpg)
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