Tauranga is establishing itself as a successful windsurfing centre following success at the National Championships with two local sailors taking out their divisions.

Sailing on a one design Bic Techno board, Mount Maunganui sailor Alex Hart won the hotly contested under-17 division at last weekend's competition.

Alex Hart with the Lynch Trophy and Bradley Nixon with the NZYF Youth Yachting Trophy.

It was Alex's second national championships and Stuart Pedersen, from the Tauranga Yacht and Powerboat Club, says he has sailed consistently well during the six race series.

'The under-17 girl's winner was Xanthe Bowater of Christchurch, and the racing was made more interesting with a big contingent of sailors from Noumea.”

Both Alex and Xanthe were part of the New Zealand team which went to the Techno Worlds in San Francisco in 2011.

Meanwhile Tauranga's Bradley Nixon raced in the Youth (under-19) division of the RS:X class, which is the Olympic board.

After four days Bradley emerged as top NZ youth, a repeat of his performance two weeks earlier at Sail Auckland. This is the second year in a row that a Tauranga sailor has taken out the double, and last year's winner, Sven Pedersen from Mount Maunganui, went on to represent New Zealand at the ISAF Youth Worlds last July.

According to Stuart, who is Sven's father, Bradley is now hoping he has done enough to merit selection for the 2012 event, which is being held in Ireland.

Also at the regatta to gain experience were Josh McConnell in Techno under 15 boys, and Sven in mens RS:X.

With 2012 Olympic selection JP Tobin resting after an operation on his foot, and 2008 Olympic champion Tom Ashley taking a break from racing, the latter division was won by Tom's training partner Antonio Cozzolino from Auckland, with Sven third.

'Bradley and Alex have both come through the development programme, which was established just over two years ago by the Bay of Plenty Sailing Academy Trust.says Stuart.

'We have the best fleet of learner and race charter equipment in the country, thanks to grants from TECT. BoPSAT is now planning the next after school windsurfing course to start in March, so we're looking for new year 6 to 10 kids to join the programme.”