New category

For the first time, Manureva was a double-pronged competition, encompassing both freestyle and course racing heats. Last year riders competed in freestyle heats only, but yesterday they chased each other around Maina Iti.

A series of inflatable yellow buoys marked the race course, which wrapped around the motu and required extensive tacking and jybing to loop.

Twice, all competitors rounded the island and both times the women – of more than 10 competitors, three were female – brought their best. The men held their own race later in the afternoon.

Kiwi kiter Glenn Bright won the first round-the-motu race, but hot on his heels was Aussie Alice Child. New Zealander Olly Brunton took third, but was later advised he’d been black flagged because he broke the start line prematurely. That landed local instructor Troy ‘Ina’ Nooroa in third.

Child won the second motu-round dash, followed closely by female Kiwi rider Rebecca Taggart.

Third went to Bright, who had swept the first course racing segment.

Following the round-motu races was a downwinder – a slalom race that had competitors tacking toward and away from (as opposed to parallel with) the shore.

Bright proved his forte is speed when he swept the slalom race, followed closely by Brunton and local competitor Evaraima Koteka.