The welcome party signaled the commencement of the two regattas held annually in Fiji over nine days, attended this year by 9 local and 15 overseas teams. The previously named Air Pacific South Pacific Championships, now more of an “oceanic” event with competitors attending from across the Atlantic, is a two-day course racing competition in which there are three categories: Open (all ages); Masters (skipper must be over 45 years) and Grand Masters (skipper must be over 55 years and the crew over 40).
The Suzuki Fiji Hobie Challenge is a five-day long distance competition of between 40-60 kilometres per day, which this year started from Pacific Harbour and stopped in Sigatoka for a night before continuing to Treasure Island in the Mamanucas for three days and finishing at Vuda Point in Lautoka on Saturday 7th.
Attending from overseas were several World Champions, including former Hobie 16 and current Hobie 17 World Champion, Aaron Worrall and his crew Brad “Worsty” Wilson, winners of the four previous Championships and Challenges in the Open category, and regular visitors to Fiji to assist with Fiji Team training.
Bruce Tardrew and Sarah Turnbull, current Grand World Champions in the Grand Masters category and Hong Kong sailor of the year, Tong Shing and his crew Kit Tong also attended, as did three teams from the USA including two-time North American Champions Paul and Maryann Hess, and top-ranked American sailor, Mike Montague, sailing with Heather Mathews.
Regular attendees to the event, renowned Australian sailors David Lovell and Geoff Rowden and their respective crew provided fierce competition for the fleet, while first-timers, Philippine representatives Maria Vidoeira and Katie Wuori, placed 13th overall in the Challenge after arriving a week early to assist with sailing the Hobies from Suva to Pacific Habour. Former Fiji resident and organiser of the 2007 Worlds in Fiji, Matt Sheppard travelled from New Zealand to join his former fleet and sailed with his previous crew, Xiamara Rosenblatt, the only female sailor on the Fiji Youth Team.
Representing Fiji were several notable sailing figures, including long time sailor John Philp, sailing with Charlotte Dugdale; renowned national and international sailor and President of Fleet 252, Grahame Southwick, and local sailing couple, Shayne and Torika Brodie, who proved to be extremely adept and quick on the water despite a three-year absence from sailing.
The Championships commenced on Saturday morning in overcast weather with 20 to 25 knot winds and 1-2 metre waves. The stormy weather and choppy seas proved challenging for the competitors who had to adjust quickly to increasing swells and gusty wind conditions. Competition was intense over the 9 races, of which only the 8 best scores were counted.
The Air Pacific Oceania Championships were won for the fifth time by Australian duo Worrall and Wilson. Second place was awarded to the Fiji team of Shayne and Torika Brodie, who were ony 18 points behind the winning team and 2 points ahead of experienced Australian team, David Lovell and Nick King, who took third place.
Current World Champion from the 2007 World Championships in Fiji and a surprise guest entry in this year’s Championships, Mick Butler, came in fourth with new crew, Yu Chan Ting from Hong Kong. In next place were Hong Kong Sailor of the Year, Tong Shing and crew, Kit Tong and in 7th place, but ahead of current World Grand Masters Champions Bruce Tardrew and Sarah Turnbull, was Fiji’s Grand Masters representative to the 2010 World Championships in China next week, Grahame Southwick.
Locals Philp and Dugdale came in 10th overall out of 24 entrants after missing a day of sailing due to a wedding, followed by local youth team, Marshall Nusbaum and Jeffrey Nusbaum in 12th place. Nadi local Alan Marshall sailing with 17-year old local sailor, Epeli Droma, came in 13th and former local resident, New Zealander Matt Sheppard, who presided over the Fiji Fleet’s organisation of the 2007 World Championships, sailed into 14th place with the Fleet’s only female youth sailor, Xiamara Rosenblatt. They were closely followed in next place by local youth team, Moave Dramainivesi and Vincent Tuicaucau.
Two other local youth teams participating were placed 17th (Manoa Naburelevu and Ovini Yasawa) and 19th (Kaveni Natadra and Usaia Tamainisave) behind local sailor Rusiate Saini, who sailed with Cyril Miller into 18th place. All of the local youth teams came ahead of four overseas entrants.
The Championships ended with a lovo and meke night at The Pearl, during which several overseas competitors took to the floor to join in the dancing. The Masters category of the competition was won by Australians David Lovell & Nick King, followed by Hong Kong’s Tong Shing and Kit Tong, and Australians Geoff Rowdon and Rosie Phelan were third. In the Grand Masters category, the sole winner was Fiji’s Grahame Southwick, who was awarded the Fossil Cup, a skull and crossbones trophy, by its namesake and avid former sailor, Andrew “Fossil” Thompson, who regularly travels to regattas all over the world to cheer on other sailors.
Each year the Fleet’s Committee commissions a local artist to make the prizes for the events and this year’s prizes were local mother-of-pearl shells handcarved with turtles and frangipanis by artisans Peter Frey and Andreas Frey. The winners of the ANZ South Pacific Hobie Youth Challenge held the previous week in Suva, consisted of two local teams and a team from Wallis in third place, also received pearl shell pendants hand carved with Hobie sails by the Freys.
Following a much deserved rest day, the Suzuki Fiji Hobie Challenge began on Tuesday with the sailors expecting a quick run in relatively calm water inside the Beqa Lagoon. However, the weather changed rapidly from 10-knots to 30-knot winds outside Frigate Passage and the sailors experienced 30 minutes of squalls in they were fighting to stay upright on their boats. Several boats capsized in the intense conditions and had to race to upright themselves so as not to lose time in the race.
From there, the Hobies entered open water outside the barrier reef, as deep as 900 meters in places and sailed 62 kilometres to the first stop of the race at The Fijian Resort & Spa in Sigatoka. Normally a relatively straight run down the coast for 30 km, on this occasion, there were high winds and waves, and one boat had to be rescued near Sovi Bay by David Philp, who was following the fleet in a rescue boat provided by Tradewinds Marine. Local sailors Shayne Brodie and John Philp drove from The Fijian Resort after finishing the race to relieve the exhausted skipper and crew of the stricken Hobie near Sovi Bay and sailed the boat to The Fijian Resort’s bay. Also in need of rescue during the Challenge, was Fiji’s Grahame Southwick and crew, when his mast collapsed during the race to Vomo Island.
From the Fijian Resort, the fleet sailed another 7km downwind into the scenic Natadola bay in front of the Intercontinental Fiji Golf Resort & Spa in 12 knots and 1 metre swells before heading out towards the Mamanucas. At the 20 mile mark, they passed Tavarua Island, when the wind suddenly reduced to 3-4 knots and the fleet spent four hours slowly sailing to Treasure Island, arriving after 7.5 hours sailing for their three-day stay at the island resort.
Day 3 and 4 courses of the Suzuki Challenge were dependent on the wind conditions for the day and as the wind was very light in the mornings, short races were held from Treasure Island to Vomo Island, Aqualand and Tivoa Island and back. The final day racing was delayed by several hours until the wind picked up enough to sail the short 12km to the finish line at Vuda Point on the mainland, where a prizegiving ceremony was held in the evening at Vuda Marina.
The two categories in the Suzuki Fiji Hobie Challenge are the Open category (any age) and the Best Performance category in which the two best performing teams from the same country receive a trophy. The Open category was won again by the Australian team of Worrall and Wilson; in second place was Australian Geoff Rowdon, very closely followed, with only a minute behind, by Fiji sailors Shayne & Torika Brodie. The Best Performance trophy was won by Worall/Wilson and Geoff Rowdon & Yu Chan Ting.
The strong finish by the Brodies ahead of several very experienced overseas sailors, despite a three year absence from sailing and very little practice before the event, indicates that they will be strong contenders at the South Pacific Games next year. Shayne has won silver and bronze medals in the Games and at the Mini Games in the past and judging from their performance this year, he and his wife have a very good chance of bringing home a gold medal.
The Brodies will be competing in the 2010 Australian Hobie Class Championships in December. Grand Masters winner, Grahame Southwick is currently in Weihai China, representing Fiji in the 19th Hobie World Championships, following which he will compete in the TanzaCat – All Africa Hobie Championships in September.
