Women kiteboarders compete for biggest prize purse [1]
Monday, October 29, 2007 - 18:45. Updated on Tuesday, July 21, 2015 - 15:44.
Photos courtesy Ian Trafford
Women kiteboarders seeking the adventure of a lifetime gathered at Mounu Island in Vava'u earlier this month to display some spectacular and dynamic kiteboarding in Tonga's warm waters.
Amateur women kiteboarders from around the world joined in the "Cindy Mosey Island Odyssey" event held from October 13-19.
Competitors from New Zealand, Australia, the United Kingdom, USA, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, Switzerland and the Dominican Republic raced around a course in sparkling turquoise waters surrounding Mounu Island for a share of the biggest prize purse ever offered to women in the sport.
Organiser Cindy Mosey from New Zealand said they had searched the Pacific to create a new experience for women kiteboards and decided on Vava'u for this year's event.
"Tonga is such a special place to me. Having sailed its islands and kiteboarded there extensively over the past few years, I'm so excited about seeing everyone in beautiful Vava'u," said Mosey.
Professional riders joined the commercial event to offer coaching advice to the participants.
Some 28 women kitesurfers joined this year's odyssey. The professional riders - including Professional Kite Rider's Association (PKRA) World Champion Kristin Boese competed for a share of US$20,000 in prizes.
When not competing in the three divisions of Boardercross, Freestyle and Racing, the world's leading kitesurfers coached other participants.
Winds of between 15knot and 18 knots provided ideal conditions for kitesurfing.
Last year's PKRA world champion Kristin Boese won the Boardercross division of the US$20,000 international kitesurfing competition, and was in fine form as she raced across the starting buoy line in a final with Poland's Ania Grzelinska and New Zealand's national champion Su Kay.