Windsurfing: Gareth has wood on rivals

Dunedin's Gareth Wood waits for the wind to pick up as he prepares to defend his New Zealand...
Dunedin's Gareth Wood waits for the wind to pick up as he prepares to defend his New Zealand title on the Otago Harbour yesterday. Photo by Gerard O'Brien.
The Otago Harbour has been a happy hunting ground for Gareth Wood, who has won three New Zealand windsurfing titles in the last four years.

Wood (29) is keen to win his fourth title at the national slalom championships in Dunedin this week.

Wood started windsurfing in Wellington at the age of 6 and honed his talents in the Wellington winds before shifting to Dunedin with wife Victoria four years ago.

The couple have a 12-week-old daughter, Ngaire, and Wood had broken sleep as he prepared to defend his title.

He was a natural at the sport from the start with his excellent sense of balance.

He has also honed his understanding of wind shifts.

Wood was a child prodigy and represented New Zealand in the Olympic class at the world junior championships in Finland when he was 18 and finished eighth.

He also demonstrated his talents in the slalom when he finished sixth at the Australian championships in 2004.

He was the second amateur to finish.

When he was younger, Wood toyed with the idea of turning professional, but that has now changed.

"I just enjoy my sport and like the thrill of going fast," Wood said.

He is certain to get this over the next few days.

Windsurfers can reach downwind speeds of 65kmh on the Otago Harbour, meaning each five-lap round will be completed in three to five minutes.

This week's slalom is a non-Olympic class, but sailors need just as many skills to cope with the fast course.

The cost of windsurfing equipment is high, with Wood's racing gear costing between $4000 and $5000.

Wood won his first New Zealand title in 2007 and has also won the title in 2008 and last year.

Leaders after eight rounds are:

Open men: Gareth Wood (Dunedin), Isaac de Vries (Perth), Rowan Law (Perth).

Open women: Annie Crombie (Christchurch), Sue Bradley (Queenstown), Lucy Waters (Wanaka).

Youth: Laurence Carey (Auckland), Dan Meehan (Dunedin), Harry Reed (Auckland).

 

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