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Riders ready for the Marianas Windsurfing Cup
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Posted on Nov 10 2005
After waiting for months of unpredictable gusts to turn into sustainable fuel, local water sport enthusiasts were finally able to celebrate the official start of the windsurfing season with the coming of November.
In keeping with Umi Biraki, Windsurfing Saipan, Inc. and the Marianas Visitors Authority are teaming up once again to lure the swiftest air-guided surfers to the waters off of Micro Beach for the 4th Annual Marianas Windsurfing Cup.
The two-day event is little more than a week and a half away, as local competitors can test their skills against windsurfers from Guam and Japan on Saturday, Nov. 19 and Sunday, Nov. 20, 2005, from dawn to dusk. Saipan riders may have an added edge in their quest for the cup this time around as race coordinator Shigeru Tomita said that there are not as many seats available for the flights to the CNMI.
“I think this time with the Japan Airlines pullout that some people are looking for a way to get here so it may be a little down, but we should still have around 30 competitors [from Japan],” he said.
Those who don the board shorts and take to the coarse can enter the men’s open, men’s master (50-and-over), or the women’s open divisions, and the Cup is open to everyone, as Tomita said Windsurfing Saipan will be offering a special two-day rental rate of $80 for those without gear who want to enter the challenge.
The cost to participate is $100, which includes a commemorative T-shirt, racing tank top, and awards banquet at the Hyatt Regency Saipan’s Kili Terrace Cafe. Registration forms are available at the MVA headquarters in San Jose and at Windsurfing Saipan on the beach behind the Hyatt, but open registration will also be held in the Hyatt lobby from 6pm to 8pm on Friday, Nov. 18. For more information on the event, contact Tomita-san by calling 234-1234 ext. 5634 or via e-mail at wind@saipan.com.
