It’s countdown time to the beginning of the 2010 Formula Windsurfing Oceanic and Australian Championships, which will take place at Jimmy’s Beach, Hawks Nest, NSW from 3rd – 6th February. With important points for the Formula Windsurfing (FW) World Ranking up for grabs as well as five qualification places for the 2010 World Championships, this is one of the most anticipated continental championships of the season.
At the beach, competitors will be arriving not just from Oceania but from all over the globe, searching for one more victory to add to their World Ranking points. The race office is busy receiving registrations confirming the participation of some of the best Formula Windsurfers in the world.
The list of pre-entered sailors has already shown some of the big names in the sport are coming to Hawks Nest. Leading the list of favourites for the event win is Brazilian sailor Wilhelm Schurmann (BRA-999) who is currently #5 in the World Rankings. Wilhelm is a multiple-time Brazilian and South American FW Champion as well as securing podium finishes in many World Tour and International events and will be certainly looking to add another title to his belt. Leading the Australian charge will be three-time defending champion of this event Sean O’Brien (AUS-120) from Brisbane who is in top form, having won a string of events in Australia over the summer.
Even the women will find their way to Hawks Nest for this historic event, including three-time FW World Champion Allison Shreeve (AUS-911) who will be battling for the title multiple-time Olympic Windsurfer Jessica Crisp (AUS-15) as well as Beijing Olympian Krystal Weir (AUS-898) who has just recently switched to the windsurfing class from Laser sailing.
The event will prove to be a spectacle on and off the water, with a variety of festivities going on at the beach during the days, including beach parties, bbq’s and a free concert at the Hawks Nest Golf Club featuring renowned Brisbane band ‘Afterglow Duo’ at the prizegiving ceremony. Demonstrations and displays from NSW windsurfing retailer (Windsurf’n’Snow), product displays from Blackberry as well as clinics run by the World’s best windsurfers. Daily images, HD video, news and results will all be available on the event website (www.fw-australia.com).
This Windsurfing Championships is open to everyone, young or old and competitors from foreign countries and interstate are very welcome. Please feel invited to join us in this exciting competition which will set a benchmark for professionally run international windsurfing events in Australia.
