East coaster wins at Waimarama,
Vette supreme in rapid-fire Bay Bash event
A fast-paced day saw the Backdoor Bay Bash surfed through to completion at Waimarama Beach on Saturday with Billy Stairmand of Raglan defending his title in the open men’s division, while Gisborne’s Saffi Vette claimed her first win in the open women’s grade.
Organisers said the the day broke to clean 0.5m waves and light winds, and with no improvement forecast throughout the weekend, completing the event in one day was the best option.
Stairmand lived up to his status as favourite with precision surfing all day, including the final which he dominated from start to finish, retaining his event title and leapfrogging Zen Wallis of Piha to reclaim the No 1 ranking at year’s end.
“It’s good to finish the year on a high, it’s a good Christmas present,” Stairmand said.
“I didn’t have a good year competing internationally but to win the final event of the year here in New Zealand is good and my earlier win in the Rip Curl Pro has helped me defend my overall New Zealand Surf Series title so that is something to take into next year as I gear up for another shot at the Australian leg of the WQS.
“I knew the final was going to be hard, Levi surfs those conditions really well and Caleb has been in good form plus I have watched Jack Lee improve so much surfing at the [ Raglan Surf] Academy this year. But when I got that first good wave, that gave me a boost and the confidence to wait for the best waves for the rest of the final.”
Stairmand finished with a 14.10 point total in the final, attributing his win to the finding the right waves and having new boards from Sharp Eye which has pumped him up to compete in small waves.
Finishing second was Caleb Cutmore of Hamilton, who took one last swing at Stairmand with an air reverse but came up short of the required score.
Seventeen-year-old Vette left her run late in the open women’s final, surfing her decisive wave in the last 10 seconds to overcome Auckland’s Aimee Brown.
“It was pretty nervewracking but I have had heaps of comp experience this year and I got that last wave and did the job so I am stoked,” said Vette.
“It was a huge confidence boost to get that win, I haven’t done extremely well this year so hopefully I can take this on to next year and start well at the nationals in January.”
After the national titles, Vette will quickly switch focus to international events, with the goal of qualifying for the World Surf League (WSL) Junior Championships as well as competing on the WSL Qualifying Series.
The under-18 girls’ final brought a role reversal for Vette when she led the final until the last 10 seconds, when Brown caught a favourable wave to jump into the lead and win the series for 2018.
Natasha Gouldsbury (Tara) finished the final in third ahead of Tegen Bishop, while Ohope’s Jared Gebert won the under-18 boys’ division with a 14.26 heat total to defeat Luke Griffin.