A swell time

Kobe Johnson’s eyes were no doubt lighting up at the prospects of this ride at Wainui’s No Access break during a Gisborne Boardriders Club’s contest last year. File photo

THE FOURTH Gisborne Boardriders Club contest for the year was held in perfect conditions at the No Access break at Wainui.

A combination of east and south swells and offshore winds made for ideal peaky conditions, and as the day progressed the swell became more solid with sets reaching at least four-metre wave faces by finals time.

Wainui surfboard maker Tommy Dalton consolidated his lead in the open division with a back-to-back win, following on from the previous club contest in October.

Teenager Kobe Johnson, second on the ratings, was keen to topple his boardmaker.

Johnson’s strategy of catching the biggest waves almost paid off, however, Dalton performed the most radical manoeuvres in the testing conditions to narrowly win.

Zack Rutledge was third while Brent “Razza” Rasby surfed solidly in the earlier rounds but was unavailable for the final.

The womens division saw an upset, with youngster Stella Smith snatching the win from the more experienced Dayna Story.

Smith opened with a good scoring wave but failed to catch a second. Story caught the wave of the final — a big, fast left-hander on which she took an all-or-nothing approach.

Hitting the lip of the wave with a powerful re-entry turn, Story lost balance at a crucial moment, leaving spectators gasping in awe and disappointment for her.

That wave could have produced a near-perfect score but was deemed incomplete, leaving Smith in the lead with her single wave score when the final hooter sounded.

Kai Woolf at surfed incredible speed while hunting an elusive tube ride but had to settle for a close third.

Saffi Vette, a frequent finalist these days, was fourth.

The under-20 division was a young guns shoot-out in the smoking barrels.

Reuben Mottart is becoming known as a tube-riding specialist but also knows how to carve the faces.

He won but not by much as Jonty Low turned on his best heat of the year with a wave he smashed several times to score highly.

Ben McCulloch caught the wave of the day just 45 seconds before the heat began. His huge stand-up barrel would have earned him a perfect 10 had it come through after the starting hooter.

Fate left him with smaller waves during the heat and third placing, but that warm-up wave is one he will remember for years to come.

Kobe Johnson was fourth.

Luck was on Tom Macfarlane’s side in the over-35 final, with his magic wave coming through during the heat.

A double tube ride netted him a perfect 10.

Dalton caught Macfarlane with two good rides but in the final minutes Macfarlane got another excellent ride to win with a total of 18 out of 20 — the highest of the contest.

Leon Kahn was third and Richard Page fourth.

The senior finals were a test of those who had maintained fitness over winter.

Sam Mottart win the over 50s and Richard Page was second. Andrew Devine and Don Pearson were challenged by the rip and lack of fitness, with Pearson putting in a serious entry for the best wipeout award.

The over-60s was a man-on-man contest with ex-world masters Champion John Gisby beating buddy Ross Moodie, who was fresh off the plane from a winter in Australia.

The under-14 and u16 divisions were run in the morning but with the swell boosting to epic proportion by midday, officials decided to run the finals on a smaller surf day. The same went for the longboard competitors.

These finals will be on December 5-6.

The final club event is on Sunday, December 13, and the club’s annual prize giving will be held that night.