Kayakers win in Tasman
Team Makaira-Interislander from the Porirua Canoe Kayak Club showed their class in the Waka Te Tasman competition earlier this month, taking out all three stages in the premier W6 race.
Their time of 1: 37: 37 at Kaiteriteri gave them an impressive winning margin of more than five minutes over the full 21km distance.
After the team narrowly missed out on the trophy at last year’s event, this year they left no stone unturned in their preparation, team member Joern Scherzer said. Fellow paddlers Matt Archer, Marty McDowell, Paddy Rimene, Jack Wormald and Api Hurihanganui all put in plenty of practice time before the big day on November 17.
The event was the biggest yet, with more than 280 paddlers and 35 teams.
Porirua Canoe Kayak Club premier women’s Team Inano also won their division, and Team Makaira’s Marty McDowell, the national sprint champion, won the W1 race over 10km.
In total, the club took home seven trophies, including the club trophy, which is based on points accumulated.
The club is preparing for the regional Waka Ama Sprint Champs on December 8 and 9 December in Porirua, and the national champs on Lake Karapiro in midJanuary. Team MakairaInterislander is working to improve on last year’s bronze medal at the nationals in the W6 and WT12 500m.