Once again, the wind gods smiled on the organizers of the 5th. Annual
Starboard Viet Nam Fun Cup, held about 250 km north of Ho Chi Min City in Mui Ne Bay.
The event included slalom racing, the 2nd Hypersonic Challenge, a kitesurfing
demonstration, and of course the giant Mad Beach Barbecue Party. Plenty of
Vietnamese and Western food, lots of local seafood, Havana Club Rum, and
free-flowing Foster's beer fuelled the party well into the early hours.
DHL also provided well-appreciated support for the weekend.
The Fun Cup was hosted by Jibes Windsurf Club, the premier wind sports
destination in Vietnam, where locals are lucky enough to enjoy a long
season of nearly non-stop high wind days from December to April.
Conditions were at times punishing, with wind topping 35 knots and a tricky
5-foot shorebreak. As a result we saw a fair share of equipment breakage (but
fortunately no injuries) and of course lots of smiles all around.
Each heat ran 2 laps on a figure 8 slalom course with a distance of
about 4 km. All 13 entrants, both locals and foreign, made a fine showing and
in the end victory went to Starboard pro racer John Hibbart, who won a
Sonic 110 offered by Starboard, but John turned around and generously donated it to the Vietnamese competitors.
"This was a really fun event - great people, great wind and a fun time, made even better by the fact that I won the event. The local sailors were ripping in the strong wind and were a real inspiration, with an average monthly wage of $50 they cannot afford to buy equipment so instead were racing on borrowed kit. My first prize was a brand new Starboard Sonic 110 Slalom board, worth in excess of $1000. I was so impressed by the hospitality and welcome I was given by the locals that I decided to donate my prize to the 4 local guys in the contest. Hopefully they might be able to sell it to the many windsurfing tourists that pass through the resort, which should net each of them almost a years wages!!" Said John Hibbard.
Welcome back next year, when Jibes most likely will be hosting one of the events in The Asian Windsurfing Tour.
1. John Hibbart UK, starboard, Tushimgam Sails
2. Nguyen Hoang Phi Ho, Vietnam Starboards, Yes Sails
3. Philipp Jouan France, Starboards Yes Sails
