Day 2 dawned even hotter as 18 K2 crews headed out on the course after a mass start. The pair of Matt Blundell and Richard Armstrong duelled with James Feathery and Steven Armstrong for 5 laps, trading the lead well ahead of chasing crews. The strain was beginning to show at the end of lap 6 when Feathery and Armstrong put in a burn to open a small gap before entering the portage. Their race almost came undone as they bent their rudder on the pontoon but after a quick portage they had time to straighten their rudder shaft and headed out on the final lap with a 50m lead. They extended their lead on the final lap to complete the 32km distance in a time of 2:23:17. Blundell and Armstrong, having never paddled together before, were a courageous 2ndplace, finishing totally spent and only 3 minutes down on the winners. U16 paddlers Thomas Cole and Gregor Park paddled well to keep pace with the top two crews for the duration of their 3 lap race. The recreational class was also popular, with several crews taking on the shorter 2 lap distance complete with portages and mixing it well against the full distance crews before happily peeling off onto the finishing leg for an early swim. Well done to all who completed the full length courses in all classes. | 
Feathery & Armstrong, Arawa |