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A converted carbon-fibre catamaran paddleboard left competitors in its wake at this year’s Matakana Seagull Race, while Dandy Ferries were the peoples choice for best dressed.
The annual race, on April 11, was fundraising for the Kawau Coast Guard, Matakana Rural Fire Force, Omaha Surf Club and Warkworth St Johns.
Matakana Pub co-owner and event organiser Duncan Anderson says the total is still being added up, but is expected to be $10,000.
About 30 boats entered the Seagull Race, ranging from conventional dinghies, to homemade highly decorated rafts and lightweight racing crafts. Nearly 40 people competed in the inaugural paddleboard race.
The difference in boat speed between entries was stark – by the end of the 6km race there was a half-hour gap between first and last place, and some entrants didn’t finish at all due to engine failure.
With nearly $500 in cash prizes up for grabs there was more than enough incentive for speedsters to focus on the podium positions.
The more colourful and festive entries proved no match for Raman Patel’s Nine Knots, which completed the course in 25 minutes, beating second place getter, Lambordinghy, by over five minutes. Third place, Sign HQ, came in a further five minutes later.
Raman says the 16-foot craft was used for paddleboard racing in Hawaii and weighs just eight kilograms. A special brew of aviation gas fuel helped get the boat flying with the 4.5hp outboard.
But the biggest smiles were on the faces of the children, who jostled for position at the Matakana wharf at the start of the race, eggs and flour-bombs in hand. Some of the younger and less experienced members of the mob couldn’t take the anticipation and lofted their eggs into the Matakana River before the starting horn sounded.
The lumbering boats, with crews of up to eight, proved an easy target for the more patient. One spectator had to tightly clutch a bag of produce purchased at the Matakana market as children searched for projectiles to lob for the rafts return.
Duncan says the addition of the paddleboard race was a success, with many people competing in both the paddleboard and Seagull events.
Jeff Beckett won the paddleboard event, with Matakana Beach Outfitters instructor Matt Craig coming in second by a nose, beating Paul Russell.
Next year Duncan is planning to have separate junior and women’s divisions for the paddleboard race, and will look at having competitors complete two laps of a shorter course to encourage more crowd interaction.
