Xanthe Bowater: update from across the globe

Late last month Seventhwave ambassador Xanthe Bowater left for Europe to compete in the 2012 Techno World Championships in the Netherlands. We have received some updates from Xanthe on her travels and experiences so far and she seems to be having a great time.

Starting her trip in Poland, she was entered in a regatta with some of the best sailors in the world at a Windsurfing Club/Hotel/Restaurant with a great setup for boards and small yachts, Xanthe was really impressed with the Learning programs, Hire and racing course.

While there the wind  didn't get over 5-6 knots which was a good and bad. Good as she had only had her plaster cast taken off her ankle from a hockey injury a week before, so she could ease herself back into windsurfing without putting too much pressure on it. Bad because she had to do a lot more physical pumping of her sail.

With three days of European sailing experience behind her, Xanthe was disappointed with how she went, but taking part in the regatta helped her in getting back regatta fitness in a great environment.

Xanthe and her father were loaned two brand new RS boards to train on, so they stayed in Sopot for a few more days to get some more training in and get her fitness levels back up. 

She seems to be enjoying the European summer, and the challenge of competing and training with some of the best European sailors in  her class. It's a great chance for her to compare her skills and experiences.

From Poland the Bowater family travelled to Medemblik, Netherlands, where the World Champs will be held. They had an interesting journey getting there, with flat tyre's, stomach bugs, and accommodation muck ups, but arrived in the end, with some added sight seeing in there for good measure.

Xanthe is now back on her own board, and has training with some of the Brazilian, Hong Kong, Singaporean and Brazilian teams under her belt.

It's been good for her to see what she will be up against but Xanthe was looking forward to the rest of the New Zealand team arriving in the following days.

With the Regatta started we are looking forward to our next update from Xanthe with her results.

Glad to hear you are having fun and learning lots Xanthe, thanks for keeping us updated and we are looking forward to hearing more.

Xanthe also has support from the following companies:

• Groundswell    
• Contours
• SkullCandy
• Carl Taylor Homes
• ATF Fencing
• ASP Engineering LTD
• Naval Point Yacht Club Lyttelton
• Mitre 10 Mega Ferrymead
• House of Travel Marivale
• Koller & Koller
• Rotary International
• Kiwanis International
• Leighs Construction  

Kiwi champ off to the 2012 TECHNO 293 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

Meet Xanthe Bowater, 16 year old windsurfer from Lyttelton. Brought up in a sailing family so yachting is certainly strongly in Xanthe’s genes. She has been racing dinghies since she was eight years of age and commenced windsurfing shortly after. She is the only South Island windsurfer competing in National course racing events, and one of only a handful of top young Female Windsurfers in New Zealand.
 

Xanthe entered in her first competition at 13 and won the North Island title that same year. The following year she was Nationals under 15 champion then kicked off her International career, competing in New Caledonia, and taking a podium position at just 14 years old.

In 2011 Xanthe headed over to San Francisco with six other keen young windsurfers to represent New Zealand at the Techno 293 World Champs.

Her results for the last season have been impressive, achieving top places in every competition she enters. This is her first season in slalom racing; she won the Canterbury Championships Junior event and was the youngest female competitor of the Nationals. Winning both the New Zealand and Oceanic under 17 titles and the prized Kendall cup series earlier this year Xanthe is definitely a name to watch.

In August she will be joining the International Competition once again travelling to the Netherlands to compete in the 2012 Techno World Championships. Whilst over there she is hoping to get extra training in with some of the European teams and also race in the Baltic regatta, Poland.

Having Windsurfing dropped from The Olympics this year has been a big blow but Xanthe has adopted a really positive attitude, focusing her attention on the World Championships and the other six competitions she has over the next seven months (which include another crack at the Australian Youth trials and Down Under Series).

She will also be competing to retain the Kendall Cup once again next year, competing in six regattas during the New Zealand sailing season.

Xanthe is heavily involved in her home club, Naval Point Club Lyttelton, playing a major part in the promotion of Windsurfing as a fun and competitive sailing option. She has been helping alongside local Windsports club, Windsurf New Zealand and Yachting New Zealand to make this happen, obviously seriously committed to the sport! She is now into her second season of teaching ‘Learn to Windsurf’ at the club, loving introducing children and adults to the sport that means so much to her, as well as helping out at the Club and Estuary as much as she can.

We are delighted to support Xanthe, and have her as part of the Seventhwave team.


Xanthe also has support from the following companies:

• Groundswell    
• Contours
• SkullCandy
• Carl Taylor Homes
• ATF Fencing
• ASP Engineering LTD
• Naval Point Yacht Club Lyttelton
• Mitre 10 Mega Ferrymead
• House of Travel Marivale
• Koller & Koller
• Rotary International
• Kiwanis International
• Leighs Construction  

2012 TECHNO 293 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS - 11th to 18th August 2012
International Sailing Center Medemblik, Netherlands

Paige Hareb: testing our X-Over across the ditch

When Paige Hareb—kiwi World Tour surfing competitor and all around good sort—contacted us about trying out some Seventhwave gear, we didn't have to think twice. Before jumping on a plane to Australia for the Pro events of 2012, Paige did a quick measure up and sent us in her measurements. We made sure our X-Over Short John and a few other goodies were on the next flight via Lynne Dickinson of Pacific Media [Curl Magazine]. "I really love the blue and pink short john and how it looks at the back without a zip etc, very cool!!" wrote Paige. "Awesome!" Our lightweight rubber obviously helped her get off the ground in that second shot...

Unfortunately Paige has just fallen short of the Quaters at the ROXY event at Snapper Rocks, but she now heads to Bells Beach for event number two of the circuit. Seventhwave wish her all the best for the rest of 2012!

Melanie in Motion at Bells Beach

Seventhwave ambassador and World Tour competitor Melanie Bartels narrowly missed out on a Quaterfinal spot at Bells last week, but she did pinch one of the highest scoring rides, picking up a sweet barrel and a score of 9.5 out of 10. The team are behind her all the way at Taranaki this week!

Here's video footage of her heats at Bells, featuring our very own Seventhwave wetsuits.

Melanie's Dream Tour - Taranaki 2011

Check out Melanie Bartel's latest custom MAX spring suit! Using a limited edition yellow neoprene,

this beauty is ready just in time for the Women's Surf Festival and in Taranaki colours! Tour is on 26 Apr - 1 May and based at Fitzroy beach. Keep up with live streaming at  www.nzsurffestival.co.nz

O'Neill Canterbury Womens Surfing Champs 2011

Head north to Waikuku Beach this saturday for the Canterbury Women's Surfing Champs.
Surf is looking to be 2-3 foot and slightly onshore but then going off shore.
Take the day off and support your surfing sistas!

One 'Like' makes for one happy Facebook winner!

Facebook winner Sharne Quickenden came in today to pick up her prize  — the new X-Over Short John. She went for a mixture of her own custom colours, choosing fluro pink and a number of other hot highlights.

If you want to be the next Facebook winner, simply visit our Facebook page and click 'Like'. We will be drawing another winner in March.

Dancing through a canyon.. feedback from the edge!

 I spent the 2010 summer canyoning in Europe, both guiding and recreationally. The European canyoners grunted through the canyons in 7mm one piece or 5mm two piece suits. I danced through the canyons in my Seventhwave Viper 3/3 — what a dream it was, with many envious onlookers! For the glacier-fed canyons I was toasty warm with a Hot Top and neoprene shorts underneath and comfortable from start to finish. Cheers Seventhwave!

Annette Phillips
Deep Canyon Guide

New X-Over Short John

Hot off the press! We quite like the unique back entry system of this model, and the girls who've got one love it too. The X-Over Shorty — great for summer (how warm is the water at the moment!? Awesome!)

Paige Hareb second at the World Surfing Games

Paige Hareb has placed runner up at the 2010 Billabong ISA World Surfing Games in Peru this morning. Paige led the final until the last two minutes when the Australian surfer Chelsea Hedges got the better of the final exchange and jumped into the lead.

 

Hareb continued to dominate for the New Zealand team progressing through to the final. ISA / Paolo Lopez.

The result equals the best ever at the World Surfing Games by a New Zealand surfer and is the best result ever achieved by a female team member.

Paige has helped the Quiksilver New Zealand Surfing Team to eighth place at the event - 3 places higher than their result in 2009.

Follow the tide, not the crowd

Amee Donohoe is living the life. She travels, she surfs and when she misses home she holes up near a secluded beach in her native Australia. Although it’s easy to be jealous of how she rolls, it’s hard to resent her for it—the optimistic and well-thought-out wave rider is as nice as they come. She also genuinely loves travel without ever forgetting to consider the sometimes difficult realities of the people who live in the far flung places that she gets to visit. 

Amee, now 29, has surfed professionally since she was 18. Her skills have kept her ranked among the top ten female surfers in the world for the past five years and in 2007 she was the runner-up for the prestigious Triple Crown. This week, while taking a rest between surf sessions, she spoke to Boostnall.com about her favorite places, where she wants to go next and why she loves life on the road.

READ THE REST HERE

Amee Donohoe's new suit

With the Women's World Tour's due to hit the colder waters of Portugal in October, Amee wanted something warm, flexible and bright for her heats. And here's the result: a MAX 3/2 G&S ZB Steamer to match her other red suits. Looking forward to seeing this one in action.

Shot of the Day

Sick shot of Seventhwave ambassador Angie Koops enjoying some concrete stoke.

Desert golf in Peru?

Seventhwave rider Amee Donohoe and friends partake in a game of desert golf after the Peru stop on the Women's World Tour. Someone forget to turn the sprinklers on?

New homepage pics!

We have some fresh pics on our homepage banner: check them out! Thanks to Amee Donohoe, Maru Pou, Al T, Jimi Crooks, Sam Wells and Ryan Isherwood for the sic pics.

Upsets at Taranaki Dream Tour Comp!

In a major upset yesterday, kiwi wildcard Sarah Mason has knocked out reigning world champion Stephanie Gilmore and is through to the quarter-finals of the ASP World Women's Tour event in New Zealand.

Sarah has continued her  dream run at the TSB Bank Women’s Surf Festival this morning when she knocked out compatriot Paige Hareb in the quarter-finals.

Now through to the semi final and up against Hawaiian Carissa Moore, head to nzsurffestival.co.nz to watch the competition live, here's hoping a kiwi wildcard can take out the first ASP competition in New Zealand!

Video highlights: ASP tour in Taranaki

Check out this great video of yesterday's action at the ASP Dream Tour event in Taranaki. You can even spy Amee Donohoe sporting our very own MAX steamer in all red: watch out for her at 1.23 minutes into the video. Ripping!

Taranaki Surf Festival LIVE now!

 Taranaki Surf Festival is on live NOW! The worlds best women's surfers are in town and ready to roll. Sarah Mason has won the NZ Women's open and scored herself a wildcard into the ASP World Tour dream event due to start this afternoon.

Live streaming from the event can be found at http://www.nzsurffestival.co.nz/

Kristi Zarifeh: Canterbury Surfing Champ for 2010

The O'Neill Canterbury Womens Champs was held on Saturday 6 March in clean 2ft waves at New Brighton Beach. A field of 32 women entered 4 divisions and a stand out star emerged in the Open and Junior events. Seventhwave team rider Kristi Zarifeh (from Sumner) ripped her waves to 1st place in the Open and Junior division, having combined scores from her best two waves and more than doubling those of her fellow competitors. As the conditions deteriorated in the afternoon with a strong onshore breeze Kristi still found high scoring waves doing floaters and re entries that impressed the judges. Pic by Mark Stevenson. Article from SISA.

O'Neill Canterbury Women's Championships

O'Neill Canterbury Womens Surf Championships 2010 is on this weekend at New Brighton beach.
Hosted by womens surf club Tubular Belles

Contest starts 7:30am and will field women from all over the South Island.
Divisions include Open, Junior, Longboard, and a new Senior Womens division this year. Points go towards the SISA circuit.

Entries available online at www.sisa.co.nz or drop into Sisco's Surfgirl, 14 New Brighton Mall, Christchurch. Phone 03 382 6969