By JO SEARLE
FOLLOWING the successful Noosa Outrigger River Race last month, the club teams recently travelled to the Tweed to contest the final race in the OC1/2 2014 series and the second race on the OC6 2014-15 series.
Initially, the races were to be contested off Kingscliff Beach at Tweed Heads, just over the border in NSW. However, due to very high NE winds, the venue was shifted to the slightly more sheltered waters at Fingal Point.
Noosa was well represented in the OC6 events by three women’s and four men’s crews with all teams contesting the long course over 14kms.
The large field of teams provided for some very interesting tactics approaching the start line for both the men’s and women’s events, as all age groups started the race together. The course was two laps of a 7km course with turning buoys at each end. Starting off into a strong NE wind saw a great battle for positioning before the first buoy. Following the first turn, the crews headed down river with the wind from behind, but this offered very little relief from the heat of the day, which was energy sapping.
By the turn at the second buoy, the field had spread out considerably due to the mixing of all age groups in the same race. Each crew needed to concentrate on the long haul back up the course, once again into the wind. At the final turn, it was great to think that there was only about another 3kms to go to the finish. Though it wasn’t to be easy with one crew after another surging up and attempting to take some of the glory at the finish line. This is all part of the inexplicable joy of competitive outrigging, as teams always seem to find that little extra to carry them home, exhausted, but satisfied.
The efforts of the teams were evident in the race results. For the women’s teams, the Golden Masters were first in their division in a time of 1:32:05, while the two Master teams were third and sixth in their division in times of 1:23:09 and 1:29:33.
The men’s team results were Golden Master’s, first in their division in a time of 1:19:46, Senior Master’s second in their division in a time of 1:13:32, and the two Master teams second and third in their division with times of 1:11:09 and 1:11:11.
The Noosa Outrigger Canoe Club always welcomes new members, both competitive and social paddlers. For more information or to come and try, check the website – noosaoutriggers.com.au/
