Marianas Open goes ‘Gonzo’

While the races were close, the result was never in question, as Gonzalo Costa Hoevel of Argentina bested a field of 27 competitors from Saipan, Guam, Japan, Korea, Denmark, and the United Kingdom to take the Marianas Open in this past weekend’s action in the crystal clear waters off Micro Beach.

“Gonzo” took the top spot in all but three of the nine heats overall, but won six of the seven races that counted toward his point total of 6.2. The only non-first place finish that figured in the Argentinean’s point total was a second place line crossing in the ninth and final heat.

Hoevel was able to maneuver his F2 board and Neil Pryde sail through the slalom course from Managaha Island to Micro Beach more deftly than the competition, as was captured on film by a helicopter-mounted camera crew during the weekend events.

Hoevel’s closest competition was fellow professional Dan Ellis of the U.K., who finished in second with 11.4 points. With the exception of two first place finishes, Ellis was a close second to Hoevel in the rest of the races that counted

Ellis was also feeling the heat from third place finisher from Japan, Kazuo Okada. Okada had a first and second place finish to compliment his five thirds to end the tournament with 17.7 points overall. Fourth place finisher Yuji Wakimoto of Japan was placed as high as second during the competition, but was not able to crack the top three overall, but he fared far better then the only remaining pro male—fellow countryman Mitsuharu Niijima—who finished a disappointing 17th place with 103 points.

Lucy Horwood of the U.K. had a better experience, as she topped the list of women professionals in the competition with 39 points—good enough for fifth place overall.

Second and third place in the women’s pro division, respectively, went to Yoshie Ishinoda and Ayako Suzuki of Japan. Ishinoda finished eighth overall with 51 points, while Suzuki was 10th overall with 66 points.

The men’s open division was one of the closest races in the weekend’s event, as Keiichi Kobayashi of Guam and Yoon Sung Soo of Korea dueled for the top spot on Saturday and Sunday. Kobayashi held a lead going into the second day’s heats, and was able to stave off a comeback run by Soo when the Guam delegate took fourth place in the seventh heat to seal the deal. Kobayashi finished the Open with 43 points, while Soo ended the weekend with 48. Pierre Juel of Denmark was not far behind in third place with 56 points, but failed to finish any of the heats higher than sixth place.

There were only two competitors in the women’s open division, and 20-year veteran Ann Jordan of Saipan wrapped up the title by finishing in a tie for 18th overall with 112 points, while Noriko Manabe of Japan finished in 22nd overall with 139 points.

The master’s division went to local windsurfer Norimitsu Ono who finished 16th overall with 102 points, while Kaoru Takamiya of Japan took second with 117 points (20th overall). Two locals were neck and neck in the race for third place, but Dan Harding edged out Daniel Lamar by one point to finish with 164 to Lamar’s 165.

All of the top three finishers in each division received commemorative plaques that featured the artwork of local artist Greg Elliot. His brother Jeffro did most of the legwork in making the Marianas Open a success, and said that he was happy that everything went smoothly.

The Friday afternoon action of the Marianas Open was canceled due to poor wind conditions, but organizers were able to complete six of their planned nine heats on Saturday before rounding out the final three on Sunday.

A crowd of onlookers and participants enjoyed the bright sunshine and Pacific winds as they watched the races get bigger as the fleet of sailors crossed the line in unison after traveling down wind around a series of buoys to the finish line.

The Marianas Open is one of the longest events of its kind, and as the fourth event on this season’s Asian Windsurfing Tour, it fits into the larger group of the region’s biggest windsurfing events. The next stop on the tour is the Ulsan International Windsurfing Championship in Ulsan, Korea from May 27 to 31.

For more information on the Adecco Asian Windsurfing Tour visit their web site at www.asianwindsurfingtour.com.