Race debrief and results attached
It was about halfway across to the Poor Knights Islands that
one slightly frustrated paddler glanced over at the race control boat and, in
tones you might have heard used to order a working dog to heel, asked: ‘So where’s the #@%ing wind”.
Who knows? In
virtually every other aspect of the 2016 Poor Knights Crossing Ocean Race, all
the components had fallen into place.
Oh, except for the bit where some babbling news presenter
had offered this little gem a mere 24 hours before the race was about to start:
“And Civil Defence advise everyone to move to higher ground and avoid all ocean
related activities until the tsunami warning has been lifted.”
Cue an expletive laden rant from race headquarters that made
a Trump rally protest look like a Girl Guide badge ceremony.
At this point, it is best for all involved to fast forward to approximately 12 noon on race day, at which time Simon Longdill was powering through some challenging waters toward the finish line at the pointy end of the pack.
Simon Longdill leaves
the field behind as he powers toward the Poor Knights Island: Malcolm Pullman photo.
Simon had laid waste to a field of the best ocean ski and
waka ama paddlers who had assembled for the third edition of the Poor Knights
Crossing event. It was a fairly
impressive performance in waters that would best be described as ‘technical’.
But it was just part
of the story, and only a small part really, in what may just have locked the
Poor Knights Crossing event into the racing calendar for good.
This edition surpassed all expectations, even with the
absence of Tawhirimatea, the most sought after addition of all downwind races,
and is now a slick operations machine.
From the moment paddlers were welcomed in Tutukaka with a
karanga and waiata from the people of Ngatiwai at the race briefing, then
serenaded with a delightful version of ‘Beautiful Brown Eyes’ before the race
briefing proper had even begun, to the point where waka paddler Liz Tane
completed the race at the tailend of the field, the event went virtually
without a hitch.
That’s not strictly true of course, behind the scenes there
had been some rapid decision making, Tsunami warnings do tend to heighten the
senses. From that point on the problems
seemed minsicule.
Travis Mitchell takes
second place through the finish line at Southern Arch. Photo Malcolm Pullman.
But to the racing proper.
From the flagfall at Sandy Bay paddlers where sent north
almost to Whananaki before turning to charge eastward to the spectacular finish
line through the Southern Arch at the Poor Knights Marine Reserve.
From the get-go it was Longdill, Michael Walker and Travis
Mitchell who looked the most likely in the ski division with Garth Spencer and Jono
Reschef leading a pursuing pack.
Not far behind was Tupu King, the waka ama ace from Taipa in
the far north who was fresh back from competing in Tahiti and preparing for
more races in Hawaii, United States and other paddling destinations afar.
King was being pushed hard by Kaitaia’s Sean Herbert and
Aucklander Poara Monk.
But there was a real tactical arm wrestle emerging among the
midpackers. The predicted 10-15 knot
westerlies had not arrived as expected, replaced instead with a variable nor
wester and a not inconsequential northerly sea surge. Paddlers could bank a few runs by jumping on
the northerly push early but then pay some tax by being pushed south of the
finish line and face an upwind push to the end.
Or they could grind out a cross wind early then turn with the conditions
late in the race.
The field dutifully split almost clean in half. One pack went south, the other tracked north.
It turned out very little divided the two packs. The consensus afterwards was more centred on a sense of relief and pride mixed with awe. Paddling through a massive rock archway to finish then being treated to a unique tour of the sights of the Poor Knights Islands including Rikoriko Cave, the world’s biggest seacave, tends to mask the pain of paddling 30km of testy water.
Womens waka ama
champion Ngaire Pehi. Photo Malcolm
Pullman.
The privilege of hosting the best kiwi paddlers and a clique
of intrepid Australians suddenly took a spiritual meaning. The Tutukaka coast has a special place in the
heart of this race director, and seeing the smiles of the competitors
afterwards was soul food.
Love ya’s all man.
Put this down in your calendars: Poor Knights Crossing 2017, Saturday,
September 4. We’ll be waiting.
And hey! Give the
sponsors some love to….please.