MERIMBULA SAILBOARD CLUB

MAMBO MERIMBULA CLASSIC REPORT

MAIN BEACH MERIMBULA 27^TH TO 30^TH NOVEMBER 2008

Ben Wilson takes kite surfing honours , Jason Pyke the wave sailing and Matt Lumley the inaugural Stand up paddle surfing section.

Merimbula turned on the conditions for kite surfers,wave sailors and SUP surfers over the four days making number 28 one of the best events on record.

In what could best be described as a celebration of wind and waves competitors revelled in four days of fantastic surf and wind.

There was something to suit each discipline each day with waves from 2 to 6 feet and wind up to almost 30 knots.

The glassy mornings provided ideal SUP conditions and then as the wind came up each day the wave sailors and kite surfers took to the water in a spectacle of colour and action.

Over 160 competitors entered the event this year arriving from Hawaii, NZ, Denmark, Holland France and around Australia.

REPORT DAY 1   27TH NOVEMBER

There were some nice early high tide waves for SUP surfers this morning

Then by 10 o’clock the nor'easter kicked in and by 11 this was the scene for the rest of the day.

Wind hit the 20k+ mark and with the dropping tide and a small south swell the kite surfers and the wave sailors had a ball.

SUP surfers got a few nice ones on the Bar, and Dave took a crew on a downwinder to Pambula River mouth.

With a making north swell against a southerly push the water down that way got a bit chaotic, but they managed to make it.

Some kiters also down winded ending up in the Rivo as well and had a good session whilst over at Short Point others revelled in the strong onshore.

These were the best wave sailing session conditions we’ve seen for years and the break was filled with wave sailors carving up the bear-aways.

REPORT DAY 2   28TH NOVEMBER

Mambo Merimbula Classic

This Was The Lull Before The Storm.

Well It Was The Lull Before The Nor'easter Kicked In And Got Every One Out There For An Hour Or So Of Ripping

Then The Storm...Which Looked Like A Storm With Rain And Thunder And Lightning And Hail All Those Horrible Things ...But The Strom Turned Into Another 4 Or 5 Hours Of Screaming Sou'easter Which Filled Merimbula Bay With Kites And Sailboards

REPORT DAY 3   29TH NOVEMBER

Once again some nice waves for the SUP surfers along the beach full with the high tide but fun for all. Many Suppers headed for the north facing beaches and scored 4 feet waves at Short Point and Pambula Beach and some lengthy sessions were had.

The wind also BLEW LIKE CRAZY  from late morning first from sou’east then backing off to sou’west before really getting serious hitting the 25knot+ range.

Kiters went off with some of the biggest air of the event taking place and a quick session from the flying Dutchman, Ruben Lenten,blew the crowd away. This was massive air time all afternoon.

REPORT DAY 4   30TH NOVEMBER

The SUP Spectacular we’ll call Sunday.

A new south swell was pushing in from the south and producing great waves from main beach to the bar.

It became the SUP session of the Classic.

The clean making swell provided the Stand up paddlers with their best waves of the event and many great waves were had. Frenchman Fred Branger mesmerized the crowd with an exhibition of tandem surfing never before seen in Merimbula.

The nor’easter began to increase later in the morning and the kites were able to have a good session before the wind backed off and the swell just leaped producing a classic bar session for local surfers and the SUP crew.