Please select your home edition
Edition
Barton Marine Pipe Glands

Top RS:X sailors working out of Takapuna under Kiwi coaches

by Richard Gladwell, Sail-World.com on 31 Mar 2016
Natalia Kosinska training with Peina Chen, Takapuna, March 31 2016 Richard Gladwell www.photosport.co.nz
Former NZL Sailing Team member, Natalia Kosinska, has put together her own program working with some of the world's top windsurfers and coaches in a bid to gain NZ Olympic nomination in the class she earned Olympic qualification back in September 2014.

The current world RS:X Women's Champion, Peina Chen and her training partner Zhichao Zhang have arrived in Auckland and will be sailing out of the Takapuna Boating Club for the next five weeks. It is not the first visit for Chen to Takapuna - she sailed in the 2008 RS:X Worlds off Takapuna Beach.

They will be coached by 2008 Olympic Gold medallist Tom Ashby (NZL), who also coaches Aichen Wang, Silver medallist in the 2015 RS:X World Championships in Oman. Chen’s training partner is no slouch either - Zhicao Zhang finished in fourth place at the 2015 World RS:X Men's Championships in Oman last November

Recently departed Yachting NZ board sailing coach, David Robertson is working with the Chinese for the five weeks they are in New Zealand.

Next week the Brazilian RS:X Women's representative for the 2016 Olympics, Patricia Freitas will also be based at Takapuna working with her new coach, JP Tobin, the 2012 NZ Olympic representative.

Tobin also qualified New Zealand for the 2016 Olympics in the first round of qualification in September 2014, but didn’t compete in the 2015 World Championships and was dropped from the 2016 NZL Sailing team.


The events post September 2014 drove JP Tobin to give away his 2016 Olympic campaign. He has now turned to the fulltime coaching ranks, joining Ashley and 2000 Olympic Bronze medallist Aaron McIntosh, who coached the 2012 Olympic Gold medallist Dorian van Rijsselberge (NED), all of whom are working with other nation’s teams.

Ironically JP Tobin finished ahead of Aichen Wang in the 2014 World Championships in Santander. One got the backing, the other did not.

Kosinska’s last chance for Olympic selection is the Sailing World Cup regatta in Hyeres, France, which runs from April 25 to May 1. To prepare for that event, she could not do better than to be able to work with the elite group of RS:X sailors and coaches who have assembled at Takapuna.

The Chinese are here to test gear in the one design class. At the Olympics, competitors are allowed to take their own fins and masts. Sails are supplied.

Robertson says they have bought about 15 fins with them to test at Takapuna and six masts.

“The gear is supposed to be one design, but these sailors can feel the differences, and we want to pick a fast set for the Olympics.”


Asked about the pedigree of his two charges for the next few weeks, and the fact that the Chinese side of the entry lists at major events is peppered with different names while the other countries tend to stick with just one or two competitors only.

“New Zealand doesn’t have a single professional windsurfer,” explains Robertson. “China has 50”.

A typical gear testing session in the RS:X will last about 90 minutes or three races.

“They are working at about 80% of race pace,” says Robertson.

Asked to translate that into heartbeats per minute, Kosinska says she works at 185-200bpm in a race. “But I’ve got a small heart, so it has to work harder,” she laughs.


Her role through to Hyeres will be as a training partner for Patricia Freitas. It’s an arrangement that many competitors slip into for the final build up to the Olympics.

For Kosinska, she gets the benefit of working with a full-time coach. “She’s capable of medaling at the Olympics,” Tobin told Sail-World, earlier this month.

The former ISAF World Youth Champion finished seven places behind Freitas at Santander in 2014, so they are reasonably evenly matched, and both with have the benefit of working with the current World Champion.

Asked why the top sailors come to Takapuna, instead of training at home. Kosinska says it is the coaches and conditions.

“It’s easier for them to come to New Zealand, the top coaches are all here, and we have great conditions for training. I’m very lucky.”










Sydney Boat Show 2025 - Apply to ExhibitAllen Dynamic 40 FootersMRT AIS Man Overboard Beacons AUS / NZ

Related Articles

Rolex TP52 Worlds in Cascais day 4
All on the line Sunday as American Magic Quantum Racing seek to close out eighth world title After three spectacular races today on Cascais, Portugal's showcase high winds arena, Doug DeVos' seven times world title winners American Magic Quantum Racing lead into the final day of the 2025 Rolex TP52 Worlds with a hard earned five points buffer.
Posted today at 6:45 pm
North launches new Wingfoil Race Collection
Pinch even higher and reach even deeper at pace Pinch even higher and reach even deeper at pace. Engineered with a VMG-optimised partial double skin for improved aerodynamic efficiency, lower drag and precise manoeuvres at higher speeds.
Posted today at 10:35 am
AEGEAN 600 Attica Warm-Up Race
5th edition sets sail with strong winds and signature Greek hospitality Under perfect sunny skies and brisk northerly winds, the 5th edition of the annual AEGEAN 600 kicked off with a flawless start both on and off the water.
Posted on 4 Jul
GKSS Match Cup Sweden & Nordea Women's Trophy D5
Stage set for Finals showdown in Marstrand With just one day to go at the 2025 GKSS Match Cup Sweden and Nordea Women's Trophy, the stage is set for a thrilling finale in both the Open and Women's classes.
Posted on 4 Jul
Sam Goodchild in the Course des Caps
The final phase is full of potential pitfalls Sam Goodchild, the British skipper of MACIF Santé Prévoyance who has been dominating the IMOCA round Britain and Ireland race since the start of the third day, says the goal now is to focus on the complex finishing section.
Posted on 4 Jul
29er Europeans at Lake Garda day 2
Light breeze, boat park buzz and big wins off the water >Day 2 brought lighter winds to Lake Garda, but the energy around the event stayed sky-high.
Posted on 4 Jul
Rolex TP52 Worlds in Cascais day 3
French tour de force gives Paprec world championship lead As the Rolex TP52 World Championship passed its midway point today in Cascais, Portugal it is the French underdogs on Paprec, led by ocean racing legend Loïck Peyron, which has taken the overall lead.
Posted on 4 Jul
Rolex Fastnet Race IRC One preview
Beyond the French legends there is plenty of international talent with podium potential With 17 editions of the Rolex Fastnet Race to his name, including five class victories along the way and an outright victory in 2015, could anyone bet against Géry Trentesaux doing it again?
Posted on 4 Jul
International Moth Worlds begin this weekend
Pre-Worlds are under way at Malcesine From 6 to 13 July 2025, the 2025 Moth World Championship officially gets under way, hosted by Fraglia Vela Malcesine and preceded by the Pre-Worlds on 4 and 5 July. The event marks the culmination of three weeks entirely dedicated to foiling.
Posted on 4 Jul
K-Challenge gives opinion on proposed Protocol
Why the 38th edition could usher in a new era for the America's Cup Stephan Kandler and Bruno Dubois, Co-CEOs of K-Challenge, jointly stated: “The provisional Protocol published on 23 May 2025 by Defender Emirates Team New Zealand is an important step forward for the America's Cup."
Posted on 4 Jul