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The Hibiscus Coast was well represented at the Aon New Zealand Surf Life Saving Championships, held at Ōhope Beach, Whakatāne, earlier this month with strong performances from Red Beach and Ōrewa surf lifesaving clubs.
Red Beach topped the standings, accumulating the highest points total across three days of racing to win the Champion Surf Boat Club trophy.
Affectionately called The Oar, the trophy was first contested at the 2008 Nationals, where it was won by Piha Surf Club. Red Beach has been a close runner-up on a previous occasion, but this is their first win.
Forty-seven crews from around New Zealand competed across short course and long course events, with seven crews taking part in the surf boat relay that concluded the programme.
Red Beach’s Kalani Gilbertson won the open men’s surf ski final after leading from start to finish. He also claimed gold in the open men’s ski relay, alongside his younger brother Kaiha and Grant Clancy.
Kaiha Gilbertson was in a crew that remained unbeaten across their races, including winning gold in the open men}s long course canoe event.
Red Beach fielded six sweeps at the event, including Lorraine Brake, the club’s first female sweep and currently the only female surf boat sweep in New Zealand.
Brake also rowed with the Bullets crew in the open women’s division, earning two silver medals. The Bullets recently represented the New Zealand Oar Blacks at the Trans-Tasman Surf Boat Challenge in Sydney, where they defeated Australia two races to one.
Another highlight was the Rascals crew, who won two gold medals in the under 19 women’s division. Swept by Brody Lang, the crew of Neve Baguley, Anahera Bhreatnach, Emmy Bennett and Annika Hogguer Mearns won both the short course and long course events.
Ōrewa Surf Life Saving Club was also well represented, with athletes travelling from around New Zealand and Australia to compete.
In surf boat events, the Lucky Girls crew of Georgia Savage, Maddison Savage, Ciara O’Neill and Jaime Eagle, with sweep Jon Copeland, won silver in the under 23 women’s short course and bronze in the long course surf boat events.
Macca Headaches, made up of Caitlin O’Reilly, Emma Giles, Abbey Carroll and Hannah Turner, with sweep Mark McCarthy, took bronze in the under 23 women’s short course.
In beach and surf events, James Scott won gold in the open men’s board race, with Kailen Brackebush placing fourth in the same event.
Scott, Brackebush and Dylan Pearce combined to win bronze in the open men’s board relay.
The under 17 boys beach relay team of Henry Reardon, Joshua Lysaght, Caden Smith and Aiden Dent also secured bronze.
Additional reporting by Ross Malyon
