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25 challenge 5th Micronesian Windsurfing Cup
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Posted on Dec 04 2006
The month of November meant more than salutes to our veterans and eating heaps of turkey on Thanksgiving Day as fans of water sports celebrated the start of the windy season with the 5th Micronesian Windsurfing Cup.
Twenty-five windsurfers brought their boards, booms, and sails to Saipan last month to compete along the shores of Micro Beach in what organizers call some of the best conditions for the sport in all the world.
The Men’s Open division produced a number of exciting heats but none was better than Japan’s Masataka Hattori, who bagged first place with the lowest point total at 2.1 through the two-day affair from Nov. 11-12.
Second place went to fellow countryman Yoshiaki Ubegawa, who was just behind Hattori at 3.4, while Shunichiro Toyooka (4.7) took third place and Shoichi Niikura (5.7) placed fourth out of the 16 member field.
Japan’s Mie Toyooka was the fastest among the women as she was the first to complete the course in all three heats to finish high atop the leader board with 2.1 points, while Tomoka Sekiya (7) and Juri Ichiae (8) placed second and third, respectively.
The Master’s division was wide open but Ryo Okawa (4.4) and managed to eke out first place overall by one race over second place Noboru Iizuka, who finished the day with 5.7 points.
Hideo Kamogawa secured third place with a total of 9 points, while Masao Hirota (11) and Shigeru Mekino (16) gave chase with strong efforts between Micro Beach and Managaha Island.
