Aaron McIntosh

2 times #1 in the world, but yet to sail in the Olympics, the goal is obvious for JP. To get there he has to first qualify as the sole NZ representative, and to do that he has to beat Tom Ashley, the current Olympic champion. He has taken the first step already by taking the National title from Ashley, but that won't count when it comes to the crunch. He's training alongside top Dutch sailor Dorian van Rijsselberge who is coached by kiwi 2000 Olympic bronze medallist Aaron McIntosh (TV3 video).

Thursday 4th December brought together some of NZ best sailors to promote windsurfing as a sport and to officially launch the six new Techno boards destined for Tauranga. They are courtesy of the Bay of Plenty Sailing Academy and funded by TECT. At $5800 apiece fully kitted out, the boards aren't cheap but spokesman Stuart Pedersen is adamant they'll be a great investment for the sport's future. "Getting these boards is huge - they'll provide a pathway from learning to windsurf through to getting into serious racing without having to commit to buying your own gear," Pedersen said.