Four Sunshine Beach SLSC members took on the 52km World Paddleboard Championships, Molokai to Oahu in Hawaii last Sunday.
The race sees competitors exposed to the elements, the deepest of blue waters with incredibly strong currents, ripping tides and rising swells. In true Sunshine Beach style there were some amazing results.
Lachie Lansdown, their most experienced World Paddleboard Championship competitor finished an amazing 2nd Place in the Stock Board Division in a time of 4:45:23. Lachie hit the lead with a few kilometres to go but got run down by the 5 times Australian Board Race Champion Matt Bevilacqua missing the win by 1:37.Max Smallman finished in an amazing 10th place in the Stock Board Division (7th in U29 Div) in 5:43:09 a huge result for Maxxy in his first attempt at the race and becomes one of the youngest men to ever cross the channel of bones at only 16 years old.
The Sunshine two-men team of Zion Pettigrove and Zac Brewer took out a well earned 2nd Place Stock Board Teams in 5:08:58 an amazing effort for these two. Unfortunately they just went down to a team with both open Australian Board Race medallists, so they were in excellent company.
“We are all super proud of these guys it was a tough gig to prepare for. Paddling and training throughout winter on the open ocean, in the worst and best conditions and being brave enough to take on the world’s most challenging paddle race,” Sunshine Beach SLSC spokesperson Pauline Gleeson said.
