Brodie pair in flying finish

 Brodie pair in flying finish  

FijiTimes.com

Josefa Makaba

A POWERFUL performance from the husband and wife team of Shayne and Torika Brodie saw them take second place in the Oceania Hobie Championships which was held in the country recently..

The Brodies, along with veteran sailor Graham Southwick, were all part of the Fiji team which took part in the Oceania and South Pacific Hobie championships.

"The Brodies successful performance proves that there are very talented sailors in Fiji, who can provide strong competition for experienced overseas sailors despite not having exposure to as many competitions as the overseas entrants", said Adrienne Ali, Administrator of Fiji Hobie.

Fiji team coach, Australian Aaron Worrall and crew, Brad "Worsty" Wilson, title holders in the Fiji regattas for the past three years, and Philippine sailors, Maria Vidoeira and Katie Wuori all assisted in organising the ANZ South Pacific Hobie Youth Challenge.

"Hobie sailing is a thrilling sport, full of challenges and excitement, and Fiji is the perfect place for it," Fiji Surfing Association president John Philip said.

The regatta is now on its 7th year ù the Air Pacific Oceania Championships (renamed from South Pacific Championships because of the truly international level of entries).

There are three categories in the Air Pacific Oceania Championships: Open (all ages); Masters (skipper must be over 45 years) and Grand Masters (skipper must be over 55 years and the crew over 40).

Competitors began the two days of course racing at 9.30am on Saturday morning in the bay in front of The Pearl in 20 to 25 knot winds, overcast weather and choppy seas and finished at 4.30pm after 6 races and a break for lunch.

A mystery guest sailor, Mick Butler, whose identity was not revealed until he appeared at the welcome function, joined the competitors for this event.

Mick and his crew, Yu Chan Ting of Hong Kong, are currently participating in the Open category at the 19th Hobie World Championships now being held in Weihai, China from 16-30 August.

Representing Fiji were several local youth teams and several notable sailing figures, including Fiji sailing couple, Shayne and Torika Brodie, the pride of the Fiji Team when they finished second in the Air Pacific Oceania Championships and third overall in the five-day Suzuki Fiji Hobie Challenge despite a three-year absence from sailing.

"The Brodies successful performance proves that there are very talented sailors in Fiji, who can provide strong competition for experienced overseas sailors despite not having exposure to as many competitions as the overseas entrants", said Adrienne Ali, Administrator of Fiji Hobie.

"The Fiji Yachting Association designated this event as part of the selection criteria for the South Pacific Games so with a year to practice before the South Pacific Games, we're confident the Brodies will win a gold medal."

Philp was a strong contender early in the Oceania Championships but ultimately placed 10th due to his absence on the last day of racing to attend the wedding of his nephew, Tony Philp Jnr.

Grahame Southwick, President of Fleet 252 and a very well-known figure on the domestic and international sailing scenes, won the Grand Masters category of the Air Pacific Oceania Championships and received the Fossil Cup, a skull & crossbones trophy, in person from Andrew "Fossil" Thompson, a long time world renowned who travels to Fiji each year from Papua New Guinea to cheer on the sailors during the regattas.

Southwick suffered a severe setback during the Suzuki Fiji Hobie Challenge, which is an open category only, when his mast collapsed during the race from Treasure Island to Vomo Island and that set him back a few placings to 10th place.

Three local youth teams, the top achieving teams in the ANZ South Pacific Youth Challenge held last month also participated in the regattas and managed to hold their own against some of the overseas teams.

More here on FijiTimes.com 
More here on Fiji Hobie blog

Adventure Playground

Adventure Playground by Rob McFarland - CourierMail.com.au

Take a paddle or flight on the "other" side of Fiji. 

It's Good Friday and I'm being guided by Moses. Ahead of us lies 24km of tumultuous white water, dozens of spectacular waterfalls and an impenetrable canvas of lush, dense jungle. Moses is a guide with Rivers Fiji and I'm on their Upper Navua rafting trip, an all-day adventure that follows the river as it slices through a chasm of black volcanic rock in the remote highlands of Viti Levu. At times the sheer-sided walls of the canyon narrow to just 7m wide while waterfalls tumble down through a canopy of ferns and bamboo. All around is the unmistakable background music of the jungle.

Rivers Fiji has been running this trip for 12 years after negotiating leases on a narrow strip of land along the river from local landowners. Having stopped the logging that threatened to decimate much of the rainforest in this area, the initiative has won the company several awards, including a Highly Commended in last year's Virgin Holidays Responsible Tourism Awards.

Getting to the river involves a 6am start, a bumpy two-hour drive up a logging track and a 30-minute hike through the jungle. All day, Moses and his fellow guides entertain us with anecdotes about their childhood and the colourful characters they've met in this line of work.

After stopping on a sandy beach for a buffet-style lunch, we make our way to Massage Waterfall where we take it in turns to be pummelled by a torrent of water cascading from the rocks high above.

After an early start and four hours of paddling, almost everyone falls asleep on the bus on the way back to a town that has become known as the adventure capital of Fiji – Pacific Harbour. This is the “other” side of Fiji, the place to come if you want to interact with the locals and gain access to a wide range of adventure activities. I'm staying at Uprising Beach Resort, a laid-back property that looks out over one of Fiji's finest beaches. Offering a range of accommodation from a backpacker-style bunkhouse to spacious, self-contained beachfront bures, it's the ideal base from which to explore the region. People flock here for the range of adventure activities on offer: white-water rafting, shark diving, horseriding, jetskiing, surfing, sailing, golf, game fishing, hiking, kite boarding and ziplining. I spoke to a guy who has dived all over the world and he said the shark dive here was the best he's done. No cage, just you sitting on the ocean floor while 5m tiger sharks slowly circle above. Gulp.

The following morning I try my hand at ziplining. Zip Fiji has built a 1km course comprising eight lines that range from 15 to 220m. What's impressive is that the platforms are suspended from the trees, not bolted into them, and the pathways for the lines were cleared by gently pulling the trees apart, not cutting them down.

After a quick safety briefing I'm flying Tarzan-style at 60 km/h through a lush canopy of towering rainforest. The whole experience takes about an hour and during a short hike between two of the lines, our guide Kitty points out some of the plants that the locals still use in their traditional medicines.

Pacific Harbour's Arts Village offers an entertaining tour that includes a canoe ride through ancient Fiji, a look around a chief's house and a show by the renowned Beqa firewalkers who walk barefoot across white-hot coals and perform a series of war dances. It's a reminder that as recently as 100 years ago, Fijian tribes would kill and eat their enemies. Now that's one adventure activity I'm happy to pass on.

Courier Mail article here