40 competitors from Auckland and Northland enjoyed another great mid-winter paddling event, and we all felt totally blessed by the weather gods!
Saturday
The event kicked off with a distance race with a difference. Competitors gathered on the shore of Lake Manuwai, to be faced with a three-loop course; each loop starting and finishing in front of race HQ. One loop to the north, one to the west and one to the south. The kicker was – racers could do them in any order. So at the start it was delightful mayhem as everyone went haring off in completely different directions, and we had no idea who was in the lead until they finally started converging for the race to the finish.
Sunday
A great day of Technical racing on Paihia Beach. The sun shone, the sea was glassy, the only slight fly in the ointment was the strong current running left-to-right across the course, which definitely made things interesting around the first few turning marks! Once the fleet had adapted to that, some great racing ensued.
Monday
To finish the weekend, the fleet enjoyed a sweet 8km distance race up the Kerikeri river, which winds its way up deep into the bush underneath the Waitangi forest. Again, flat glassy conditions perfect for paddleboarding.
Another fantastic Triple Crown with three very different events, and it was great to see a lot of youngsters and newcomers to the series competing in their first TC.
Results to follow shortly