Top Windsurfers at Formula and Open Nationals

by Event Media on 8 Nov 2006
The Barfoot and Thompson National Formula and Open Windsurfing Champs will take place at the Manly Sailing Club on the 10, 11 and 12 November. The event has attracted several ISAF ranked boardsailers.

Many are unaware of this class, but Formula Windsurfing is by far the largest Windsurfing Class in the world with up to 800 sailors ranked world wide in a season.

The windsurfing boards are alleged to be the fastest sailing craft in the world around a course and can exceed 30 knots in a good breeze. The boards have no centreplate and as they are a planing class, typically only race above seven knots.

New Zealand has no full time formula sailors and the class has only a small presence here. While that is the case, five New Zealanders competed in the World Championships last year, in Melbourne and Ray Smith competed in the Worlds in South Korea in September of this year.

The regatta also incorporates the Manly Windsurfing Championships which will cater for other windsurfing classes with a centreboard including Mistral, RSX, techno and older boards.

At this stage Sean O'Brien the current Australian Formula Champion is arriving tomorrow, the current New Zealand Champion Dave Holt from Wellington has confirmed. John Paul Tobin will be racing a Formula board and Barbara Kendall and Shayne Bright have entered.