The Portage race is just one of those classic races, it can be described as a journey an adventure or a challenge, it's one of those races that has to go on your bucket list.
We had a great trip across on the Interislander on Friday, meeting Brent Harrison and his mates and their 5 Sea kayaks (On a 3 day trip through the Sounds) as well as about 15 mountain bikers heading across (all walk on passengers like us) so it was a great sight with a bunch of us with our fitness equipment cramming the rail deck on the trip over.
On race day the weather was great, warm and misty, a bit of drizzle here and there, a bit of breeze occassionally, and the occasssional boat wake to break up the sometimes glassy water in some parts, of both Sounds.
This year some of the big guns in New Zealand Multisport and Kayaking took to the start line along with Wellington Paddlers Dean Ford, Les Morris and myself.
In any race the top paddlers get out and do their thing and you're either good enough to match them and you're up there, or you just stick to your race plan, pace yourself and enjoy the journey. I think it was the 4th portage race for Les, Dean's first and my second (last year we raced an alternate course because of bad weather)
Funnily enough, even though it's quite an expansive waterway, every year they always get at least one and sometimes two K1's paddling this course.
There is also the opportunity to run a lightweight outrigger canoe over this course, so who will be the first to take up the challenge, watch out for this in 2011?
For our Accomodation we stayed at the Picton Lodge backpackers, 300 metres from the Interislander Ferry Terminal and with plenty of space to park all our boats. Thanks to Mike who looks after us there every year.
We used the Welly Paddlers Ute for kayak transportation on the Wellington end so it had it's first run with multiple pick ups. It's there for visitors to Wellington for pick ups also, holding 8 canoes/kayaks in total. Thanks to
Sharlene for picking us up off the Ferry late last night as well.
Boats used this year.
Dean: Andrew Martin Sharp 6 metre x 430 wide 4 th in Open men, 7th overall
Les: Think Legend Surf ski 6.4 metre x 430 wide 4th in Masters men, 12th overall
Chester: Think Evo Surf ski 6.250 metres x 480 wide 3rd Masters men, 9th overall
Thanks also to Legend Paddles for supplying my paddles.
Big thanks to Andrea Koorey for sticking with this race, which has probably been running for around 20 years now? Also to all her helpers around 4 to 6 people at the transitions and also everyone on the 3 safety boats out on the water that day including Alan and Sally Martella who I flicked my camera to, all of about 5 minutes before the start of the race.
See you all there next year.
For more information on this race, results, photos and an article http://www.marlboroughmultisport.co.nz (all on there now) also you may see the same on http://www.sportzhub.com in the next few days as well............or click the links on the right hand side of the page to go directly to these websites and others.
Our last, last race for this current racing Season is the NZ Marathon Kayak/Canoe Champs in Blenheim on May 29, 2010. I'm looking forward to retiring the wider ski for the Season and getting onto my narrower and faster Hayden Molokai Surf ski for 18km of paddling with 3 (shorter) portages.
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