Article by Brad Hayes

Some gusty southwesterly cross winds were tricky for some, but it was a great day on Lake Karapiro with flat water on the 2km out and back course.  We had 25 entries from as far afield as Gisborne, Waitara and north of Auckland.  The two Karapiro Tyros were first away and had a close race, with Libby Tonks beating Logan Ferguson by just 0.6 seconds.  Next start were the U14 and U16 paddlers racing for three laps (6km).  Jack Read took the win in a fast 32 minutes.  U16 paddler Abby Collins took the large Toblerone home for fastest female.

The remaining divisions paddling 10km had a mass start and some close racing followed.  Fastest time went to Jordan McLarin in 48:16, beating Sam Newlands in a tight sprint for the line.  Simon McLarin was fastest masters paddler in 50:27 so the McLarin household ate a lot of chocolate on the way home to Auckland.

In addition to the large amounts of chocolate for podium finishers, paddlers and supporters enjoyed a sausage sizzle and pumpkin soup courtesy of the KKRC team and the Suttons brought a generous supply of health food over from Gisborne in the form of some excellent mandarins.  Many thanks to them and to all who helped on the day.   An enjoyable day's racing! 

Full Results:

The overall points can be viewed on the website.