Cook Islands sailors look to future Olympics

Following in the footsteps of 20-year-old Helema Williams from Manihiki, who recently competed at Weymouth in the women’s single-handed Laser Radial event, the youngsters at the Aitutaki Sailing Club practice every Saturday on an all year round weekly programme.

Despite the hub-bub surrounding the Olympics, the youngsters are generally oblivious to their significant surroundings and what might one day be destiny for one of them.

The pristine emerald green lagoon offers ideal conditions for learners in most water sports with steady winds and favourable weather.

The sailing club has introduced a year round children’s programme, upgraded its boats and this year bought more.

Parents encouraged their children to join in.

The club has three major youth events on their calendar and this year a group of young Aucklanders came for a regatta.

The sailing programme is open to any child who ”jumps on the truck“, according to one mum.

They pay a nominal fee that goes towards their lunch and some petrol for the guide boat. The club recognises the need to stop young sailors becoming jaded from long training sessions and eventually drifting off to other activities.

Aitutaki Sailing Club Captain and Vaitau Primary School principal Ingrid Steward is also keen for the different codes to work together - from kite surfing to oe vaka and sailing.

She said she would love to see a water sports centre established, so children can benefit from cross training.

Club members recently jumped at the chance to take a break from their usual Saturday morning sailing lessons so they could try windsurfing. Alan McIntosh from the Madloop Windsurf Centre in Auckland was supported by Pacific Islands Trade and Invest to initiate his first group of windsurfing holidays. The first week was spent with the windsurfing group whilst in the second week Alan offered a few hours of free windsurfing lessons daily.

Alan, who said he has the biggest windsurfing centre in New Zealand, is looking at starting regular windsurfing holiday tours to Aitutaki.

Although the uptake on free windsurfing started slowly, with many of the youngsters off the island in Rarotonga at the Te Maeva Nui celebrations, Saturday morning saw them return and keen to hop on board the windsurfers.

Windsurfing has been dropped from the next Olympics in favour of kite surfing, but enthusiasts hope that a review in November by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) will see the sport returned.

(Alan McIntosh was in Aitutaki with the support of Pacific Islands Trade & Invest Auckland).