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Windfoiling nationals

Haybittle takes out Windfoiling nationals

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Patrick Haybittle didn't exactly have the most ideal buildup to the Windfoiling national championships over the weekend considering he could barely walk a few days before.

The 23-year-old crashed heavily when competing at the fourth event in the Windfoiling racing series at Maraetai the previous weekend and needed help to get back to shore before he collapsed in agony with a painful thigh injury.

"It was pretty much the worst Charlie I have ever had," Haybittle said of his crash. "I arrived in the Bay of Islands and decided to sit out the training session the day before the nationals started.

"It wasn't ideal but I could at least put weight on it so it was pretty manageable."

Haybittle went on to narrowly take the national title, finishing two points ahead of Josh Armit, with Thomas Crook third. Veerle ten Have sailed impressively across the 12 races to finish fourth overall and also claim the women's title from Brianna Orams.

The Windfoiling national championships was part of the third annual ForwardWIP Foil Bay of Islands, which also featured the Moth national championships and racing in the kitefoiling and Waszp classes.

The conditions were pretty challenging at times, particularly on Saturday when the breeze topped 20 knots combined with a confused sea state.

Nathan Outteridge topped the podium in the Moth, finishing ahead of Luna Rossa co-helmsman Francesco Bruni, with Mattias Coutts third.

Lukas Walton-Keim dominated the kitefoiling fleet, winning all 12 races, with Lochy Naismith second and Andy Robertson third. Encouragingly, given kitefoiling is on the programme for the 2024 Paris Olympics, Naismith is still a youth sailor and Hugo Wigglesworth, who was fourth (he finished on the same points as Robertson), is only 14.

Justina Kitchen was the first female and fifth overall, while Stella Bilger and Sean Herbert topped the standings in the Waszp fleet.

Stella Bilger
Stella Bilger was the top female in the Waszp racing. Photos: Adam Mustill / Bay of Islands Yacht Club.

The windfoilers made up the largest class, with 33 entries across the gold and silver fleets, which was a good representation of how popular Windfoiling has become over the past couple of years. The fact it will also be at the Paris Olympics is a factor but it's rejuvenated windsurfing in this country.

Haybittle was a top youth RS:X sailor, and competed at the 2016 youth sailing world championships in New Zealand, but packed the boards away for about three years as he completed his air force training. He wasn't sure he would ever really return to competitive windsurfing but the emergence of Windfoiling changed all that and he now has his sights on Paris.

He's part of Yachting New Zealand's Windfoiling squad, which has been making significant progress under the gaze of coach JP Tobin, and can't wait to hit the international circuit.

"We're all really keen to see how we stack up internationally," Haybittle said. "It's great having a big squad and we know we're getting faster and faster every day. We'd love to know just how fast."

They're all keeping half an eye on the world championships and European championships which are scheduled to take place later in the year but realise a lot depends on the situation with Covid-19 and the re-emergence of international competition.

At least Haybittle can look forward to some more intense racing on the domestic scene, starting with next month's Oceanbridge NZL Sailing Regatta at the Wakatere Boating Club, when he's likely to resume battle with Armit, Crook and the rest of the fleet.

"It was pretty stressful and close racing [at the Windfoil nationals] so I really enjoyed that," Haybittle said. "It became quite tactical with Josh being tied going into the last day. I needed to keep a cool head and sail fast and clean because it would have been a different story if I had made one little mistake."

Just like he did the previous weekend.

Results and standings form the Windfoil national championships at the Bay of Islands Yacht Club:

Gold fleet (17 entries) 

Men

1st: Patrick Haybittle (Wakatere Boating Club) 2 (3) 1 2 (3) 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 - 13 points
2nd: Josh Armit (Murrays Bay Sailing Club) 1 1 (2) 1 1 (2) 2 2 1 2 2 2 - 15 pts
3rd: Thomas Crook (WBC) 3 2 3 (5) 2 3 4 3 4 4 (6) 3 - 31 pts

Women

1st: Veerle ten Have (Tauranga Yacht & Power Boat Club) 4 (6) 4 4 4 5 3 4 5 3 (10) 4 - 40 pts
2nd: Brianna Orams (Torbay Sailing Club) 13 (15) 14 14 13 (18 DNF) 14 11 13 13 12 13 - 130 pts

Silver Fleet (16 entries)

1st male: Charles Solly (WBC) 3 1 1 3 1 1 1 1 4 2 (12) (12) 18 pts
1st female: Aimee Bright (Manly Sailing Club) 10 9 (17 RET) 7 (17 DNC) 17 DNC 17 DNC 17 DNC 10 10 9 9 - 115 pts

Full results here

Results and standings form the Moth national championships at the Bay of Islands Yacht Club:

Moth (14 entries)

1st: Nathan Outteridge (Wangi Sailing Club) (1) 1 1 1 1 1 (3) 1 1 1 1 1 - 10 pts
2nd: Francesco Bruni (CCRL) 2 2 (6) 2 (3) 3 1 3 2 2 2 2 - 21 pts
3rd: Mattias Coutts (MSC) 3 3 (4) (5) 2 2 2 2 3 3 3 3 - 26 pts

Full results here

Kitefoiling

Gold fleet (11 entries)

Women

1st Justina Kitchen (Takapuna Boating Club) 3 (5) 3 5 4 (6) 5 5 5 5 5 5 - 45 pts

Men

1st: Lukas Walton-Keim (TBC) (1) (1) 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 - 10 pts
2nd: Locky Naismith (TBC) 2 2 2 2 (3) 2 2 2 (3) 2 3 2 - 21 pts
3rd: Andy Robertson (NZKRA) 4 3 (12 DNC) (8) 5 4 3 4 2 3 2 4 - 34 pts

Silver fleet (6 entries)

1st male: Robbie Naismith (TBC) 1 3 2 1 1 3 2 (4) 3 (4) 1 1 - 18 pts
1st female: Lucy Bilger (Panmure Yacht Club) 3 1 1 2 (7 DNC) (7 DNC) 7 DNC 7 DNC 1 1 3 4 - 30 pts

Full results here

Waszp: 

1st male: Sean Herbert (MSC) (1) (1) 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 - 12 pts
1st female: Stella Bilger (Kohimarama Yacht Club) 3 4 (7 DNC) 3 3 3 2 2 3 3 3 3 - 28 pts

Full results here