Twilight Series results March 29

For the last race of the Season we were lucky enough to again have conditions just good enough to paddle from Hataitai Beach and around the Carter Memorial Fountain and back. After a brilliant warm fine day it was clear that summer is all but behind us now as we had another cool evening and with that it also signals that daylight saving comes to an end this weekend.

That's us for this Season thanks to everyone for your support, we've enjoyed hosting all the races.


Next Season Shane Ross is back to run the Greta Point Twlight Kayak Series again and he's also running the Ruamahanga River Marathon Relay Race also check our website for confirmed dates of the events and also www.betterthantv.co.nz


Don't forget that Jan Kees is running another JJK Kayaks demo Session this Thursday evening from 4.30 pm to 7 pm at Kupe Canoe Club.

Hataitai Beach - Carter Memorial Fountain - Hataitai Beach 7.5km


33:59 Glen Muirhead - UFO 6.1
34:31 Rob Nichol - Advantage
35:38 Dean Ford /James Coubrough - Hypernova
37:20 James Flannery - Mako 6
38:43 Jerry Sheppard - Evolution Classic
38:51 Sandy Winterton - Fenn XT
38:52 Neil Taylor - Stellar SE
39:44 Olivia Spenser-Bower - Phantom
39:45 Martin Leighton - U2
40:05 Liam Drew - Fenn Millenium
40:12 Nick Lowe - Total Eclipse
40:31 Jude Ellis - Eclipse 5.7
40:52 Jeff Booth - Think Evo II
40:54 Iain Gillies - Fenn XT
41:17 Mark Hearfield - Ocean Eclipse
42:27 Dave Dellabarca - DMK Raptor
42:33 Nigel Parry - Sharp 6
44:03 Geoff Ludemann - Opus
44:37 Dave Fisher - Total Eclipse
44:42 Annabelle Ramsay - Eclipse 5.2
47:04 A.J. Millward - Eclipse 5.2
49:42 Sheila Hart - Eclipse 5.7
49:58 Michelle Ellison - Eclipse 5.2
55:34 Claire Sherrington - Eliminator

Greta Point Twilight Series Finale

Tuesday March 29 will see Sharlene and I running our very last kayak race.................. we're hanging up the stopwatch. Some will say why..........well we've been running them for over 15 years and now is as good a time as any to finish up. So see you at the Kupe Canoe Club for the end of race pizza and fizz (stock standard from most take out menus) and of course a whole bunch of spot prizes to give away. Oh yeah the Twilight race starts at 6.30 pm sharp and well be taking times and photos as well..............entry is free for the last one. The Forecast for tomorrow is: Fine, light winds (Southerly) so it looks like will be finishing off with the Hataitai Beach - Carter Memorial Fountain - Hataitai Beach course. Low tide is at 8.09pm.

The Motorway Race

One of the longest running paddling races in Wellington rolled through another year.

It's always hard to get the tides perfect and we were still about an hour off high tide today so most times were around 2 minutes plus down on the last 2 years, but it's still good to get out and race no matter what the tide or conditions are, they will always differ from year to year.

This was our last Welly Paddlers race so a huge thanks for everyone's support over the last 8 years ..... thanks to Piki for the flowers for Sharlene and the beers for me (I will share them with Sharlene) and thanks to Dave Ryde for the shout also at Flax Cafe in Petone.

Thanks to Fergs Kayaks, Hinano, Niu FM and Leon Rossbotham (Groundswell) for the extra merchandise for spot prizes for our last race. Many thanks to all those people who have help to bring the course buoys in after each race that's helped me heaps, so thanks again.

One last thanks to Sharlene.............without her we wouldn't have all the great photos each race, a smiling face at registration and a fantastically easy blogspot that she's set up as well and has made running these races over the years a much easier task by chipping in and adding her expertise.

I will see many of you out on the water at the W1 Series.

13 km Petone - Interislander reclaimation - Petone

1:06:27 Glenn Muirhead - UFO 6.1

1:09:12 Mike Tate - Fenn Millenium

1:09:29 Kokiri Puppies - W6

1:11:31 Andrew Cary - CHD Stinga

1:11:32 Matt Archer - Nelo SS

1:11:37 Dave Rudge - Think Evo

1:12:11 Les Morris - Sharp 6.5

1:12:43 Jerry Sheppard - Think Evo

1:13:40 Dave Ryde - Epic V10

1:13:49 Sandy Winterton - Fenn XT

1:16:14 Joern Scherzer - W1

1:16:19 Grant Barriball - W1

1:19:56 Iain Gillies - Fenn XT

1:21:04 Paddy Rimene - W1

1:21:23 James Sadler - W1

1:23:24 Piki Emery - W1

1:23:26 John Finch - W1

1:25:10 Taranaki Whanui - W6 (crew of 4)

1:25:48 O.J. Rodda - Stellar SR

1:26:28 Royce Gray - W1

1:26:39 Martin Crundwell - Eclipse 5.6

1:29:47 Anita Taggart - W1

Race this Sunday

The Final race for the Welly Paddlers Series is on this Sunday March 27, 2011.

It's on the Motorway course and it's an out and back course starting at the Wellington Waterski Club with paddlers heading towards the Interislander and turn around a buoy by the reclaimation then back to the finish total distance is 13 km.

Race starts at 10 am with registration open from 9 am.

Open to all types of Kayaks, WakaAma and Surf skis.

Entry fee:
$5 singles
$8 doubles
$12 sixes
There will be spot prizes dished out 15 minutes after the last craft has finished.

The forecast is for North Westerly winds of 19 km/h gusting to 28 km/h. (Forecast will be updated daily up till 8 pm Saturday)

High tide is 12.21 pm

Any inquires:
022 6455 820

Twilight Series cancelled tonight

The Twilight Kayak Series hasn't exactly been a good luck charm for fine weather with rain over the last 3 weeks with tonights rain proving more constant so we decided many would just flag it tonight. But we can't complain we've turned up every week and run 16 Tuesday night races this Season with tonight the only one that we've flagged.
However I'm glad to say there are always a bunch of dedicated people who choose to get out there and Surf some waves, as they did tonight.

Next week is the final race of the Series and I would really like to see the weather play ball for the last one.............and that the rain stays away.

Being the last race of the year we'll have pizza dialled in for 7.30 pm and a whole bunch of spot prizes will get dished out around that time as well.

Also we hope to get Jan Kees (JKK KAYAKS) back to Kupe to run another demo session as he heads on the homeward leg back to Christchurch..............I'll send a few e-mail outs but the website will find most people quicker..............he may be back through around Monday to Wednesday night next week.

Trans Taupo results and Twilight Series Preview

The 44km Trans Taupo race was run on Saturday so here's some results from some of the locals.

3:46:51 Marianne Archer/Glenn Muirhead - JKK Hypernova
3:53:23 Dave Rudge/Jerry Sheppard - JKK Quasar
4:18:23 Mike Tate - Think Evo SS
4:24:18 Sandy Winterton - Q-Kayaks Maximus
4:49:12 Paddy Rimene - Polaris W1
5:57:07 John Taylor - Albatross SK

Fastest Times:
3:27:09 Travis Mitchell Mens SS
3:58:05 Dene Simpson Womans SS
Full results http://www.epicevents.com/

Twilight Series penultimate race of the Season this Tuesday.

The forecast:
Southerly 37 km/h gusting to 43km/h rain at times

High tide is at 8pm.

The forecast will be updated again at 3 pm today

Likely course is one that runs from Hataitai Beach and follows the shoreline and breakwater along Cobham drive to the Troy Street roundabout and back x 2 laps..................remember along the shoreline it's fairly sheltered with some good smaller waves to keep it interesting.

JKK Demo Session @ Kupe

The JKK road show hit the Kupe Club in Wellington on Thursday with Jan Kees bringing three of his latest models and one of his prototype Surf skis. About a dozen people turned up mainly Wellingtonians but also Leon Rossbotham (Hong Kong) and Mike Ball (Levin) did more travelling to get here than most.

Most people knew exactly what kayak they wanted to try out. Sometimes it's difficult for many of us to make our minds up on what supposed people weight range kayaks are designed for or how wide or how long we envisage the kayak should be to fit into our or someone else ideals.
More importantly the decision on what kayak you should buy sometimes comes down to how it feels when you paddle it.
So just go into it with an open mind you should be able to feel for yourself which kayak or surf ski is going to work for you.
Kayaks at the demo session.
Eclipse SS 5.2
Total Eclipse SS
Magnetar
Hadron prototype ski

Chester's hot tip for hull shape to watch out for..............the Magnetar.
Jan Kees may be back through to do another demo session after his 2 week journey up North where he will be racing at Trans Taupo, a beach series event in Auckland and a kayak Marathon in the Bay of Plenty..................that's what I call a great road trip.

Keep an eye out here for details of Jan Kees next demo session in Wellington. We'll also send info through to Mariska to e-mail out to you also.

Twilight results March 15

Yep it was a bit drizzly.............. but hey no one got too overheated out on the water tonight.

Fishing lines have been a real problem for kayakers this Season and yet another night when someone got caught up in them...................all I can say is watch the shoreline, but at times this is not as easy as it sounds, as you paddle around some of the points...............the fisherman don't yell out anymore to warn us..............tongue tied or worried about scaring the fish who knows.

Sorry I wasn't being a pussy by sitting in the ute at the finish............. my paper was getting wet.............thanks to Arc'teryx for our gortex jackets they keep us both nice and toasty on nights like tonight.

2 more races to go.

Don't forget to go and visit Jan Kees at the JKK Kayaks demo session at the Kupe Canoe Club Thursday March 17 from approx 4.30 pm to 7.00 pm............view info on http://www.sportzhub.com/ on the kayaking discussion group

Photos from tonight will be loaded on by 9 pm tomorrow evening.

Hataitai Beach - Carter Memorial Fountain - Hataitai Beach
7.5 km
34:01 Glen Muirhead - U.F.O
35:22 Leon Rossbotham - Evo II
36:01 James Flannery - Mako 6
36:53 Dave Rudge - Sharp 6.5
37:09 Jerry Sheppard - Evo II
38:33 Martin Leighton - U2
38:34 Rob Nichol - Advantage
38:38 Sandy Winterton - Maximus
38:48 Nick Lowe - Total Eclipse
39:34 Jeff Booth - Evo II
39:37 Olivia Spenser-Bower - Phantom
40:32 Jude Ellis - Eclipse 5.7
40:43 Dave Dellabarca - Raptor
40:54 Iain Gillies - Fenn XT
41:14 Dave Fisher - Total Eclipse
45:49 Mark Hearfield - Meteor 2000

Twilight race preview Mar 15

Forecast for tonights Twilight series race at Greta Point looks promising again we have a 15 km/h southerly forecast from around 6 pm............low tide is at 7.37 pm.

Tonights course is likely to be:
Hataitai Beach - Carter Memorial Fountain - Hataitai Beach.

If the North Westerly doesn't drop off by 6.30pm then it'll be a 4 to 5 lap course tucked into the sheltered confines of the Greta Point - Hataitai Beach Area

3 races to go in this Seasons Twilight Series with the wind up food, drinks, spot prizes on March 29.

See you down there for a 6.30pm start.

Also don't forget the JKK Kayaks demo session at Kupe Canoe Club on Thursday March 17.

Twilight results Mar 8

Finally a nice little southerly and a ticky tour around the fountain.
There's always some obstruction that interrupts any journey, this week a broken seat mount and also a fisherman with an 87 kg catch..............kayak, paddler and buoyancy vest those items = full weight of catch.

Only 3 more races to go..............the more people who turn up over the next 3 weeks the more the prize pool increases for the last race on March 29................ pizza, fizzy (the classic take out menu) and spot prizes and of course socialising.

7.5 km Hataitai Beach - Carter Memorial fountain and return
33.28 Rob Nichol - Advantage
36:06 James Flannery - Mako 6
36:25 Sandy Winterton - Opus
36:33 Hamish Groves - Total Eclipse
37:54 Glenn Muirhead - Talon K1
38:20 Martin Leighton - U2
38:26 Nick Lowe - Total Eclipse
38:29 Nigel Parry - Sharp 6
38:45 Olivia Spenser-Bower - Phantom
38:54 Jude Ellis - Eclipse 5.7
39:00 Jeff Booth - Evo II
39:01 Paul Chaplow/Rachel Moore - Hypernova
39:21 Iain Gillies - Fenn XT
40:12 Dvae Fisher - Total Eclipse
40:34 Katherine Allan - U2
41:14 Mark Hearfield - Meteor 2000
42:19 Brian Astridge - Firebolt
42:30 Kris Jarvis - Eclipse 5.2
44:43 Brent Harrison - Total Eclipse
46:35 Michelle Allison - Arrow
--:-- James Coubrough - Sharp 6

Sharlene has uploaded all the photos - see the right hand side of the screen. Enjoy.

Twilight race preview Mar 8

Moving right along after the cancellation of our race in the weekend.
I doubt if I would have found too many people busting their chops to get out on the water and run some of the great waves from the Southerly..................10 or 11 degrees bbbrrr............. get out of here that's a winter day being plonked into our Summer.

Anyhow the southerlies continue for a few more days and good to see it warming up for the Twilight series race at 6.30 pm on Tuesday.

We're looking at a 15 km/h Southerly................. and we've got a low tide at 2.52pm turning to a high tide at 8.49 pm.
I'll update the above forecast daily with the last one being Tuesday midday.

The weather looks promising for a course from Hataitai beach and and around the Carter Memorial Fountain and back.

Four more races to go in the Series.............last one is March 29.

Race Tomorrow Cancelled

The weather wind forecast for tomorrow is for a cold Southerly 56 - 59 km/h rain easing to showers.

I've decided to cancel, due to past experience at this venue with adverse wind and weather has lead to very few people turning up.

I would expect that there will be a few people who will be keen to do a paddle tomorrow at some stage during the day when the weather has improved.

The final Welly Paddlers Series race of the year "The Motorway Race" (13 km) will be on Sunday March 27.

Welly Paddlers race this Sunday

Race 9 and the penultimate race of the 2010/2011 Welly Paddlers Series takes place this Sunday March 6 starting at 10 am at Hataitai Beach.

We will be there for registrations from 9 am and will have a race briefing at 9.50 am.

The race has a short course and a long course option.

Short course 8 km:
Start at Hataitai Beach (same time as long course) head North up Evans Bay turn around Point Halswell then turn into Kau Bay and turn anti clockwise around the orange mooring buoy then head back the same way back to the finish.

Long Course 16 km:
Start at Hataitai Beach head North up Evans Bay turn around Point Halswell then head south down the Coastline past all the Seatoun Bays and turn anti clockwise around the yellow Welly Paddlers buoy just before the Seatoun Wharf then back the same way to the finish

Entry fees:
$5 singles
$8 doubles
$12 sixes

All entry fees go into the spot prize pool, spot prizes will be given out 15 minutes after the last long course paddler comes off the water.

There will be no motorised safety craft on the water we expect everyone to either carry or wear a buoyancy vest and any other safety equipment that is appropriate for the craft detailed in your respective Sports Open water races.
We expect everyone to be self sufficient basically, you should be capable of self rescue (if you fall out climb back in your craft and carry on).

It's an open water race so craft and participants/competitors capable of paddling in the conditions on the day in Waka Ama, Surf skis, Sea kayaks and some stable multsiport kayaks are welcome.

The forecast for Sunday is for a strong cool southerly 54 km/h gusting to 65 km/h rain easing to showers (as at 9.45 am Saturday) we will post details of wind changes daily on this posting.

The final call on the race venue and courses will be posted here by 8 pm Saturday March 5.

Any information that you require further to the above phone 04 976 1795 or 022 6455 820 or 0274 581 005.

Twilight results Mar 1

Well the winds just keep rolling through every Tuesday night but that's the way we like it, lots of wind = lots of fresh air.............and hey look at the weather we have on Wednesday, Tuesday looked pretty good.

Sorry we had a baggy line on the top buoy and it got a little baggier with the tide going out and Sandy got caught on it on lap 4 ..... unfortunately those on skis and kayaks with understern rudders suffer this fate when cutting the buoys finely....................I'll make sure I get the buoy line length right next week...............or better still live in hope of a course that heads around the Fountain and back................I'm sure a bit of a lull in the winds stakes and fine weather may draw a few more paddlers out next week.

There are now four more races remaining in the series which means that the last one is on March 29, we will have a spread of Pizza and drinks and dish out a big pile of spot prizes..................the more people that participate in the next 4 races the bigger the spot prize pool will be.

Race 9 of the Welly Paddlers Series (Harbour races) is on this Sunday we have a 7 km and a 16 km option, both courses start and finish at Hataitai beach with the long course heading around to Seatoun Wharf and back more details posted on Wednesday afternoon.

Course: Hataitai Beach - Soi Restaurant -boat Lionheart x 5 laps
Distance 5.6 km
25:49 Glenn Muirhead - U.F.O
27:57 James Flannery - Mako 6
28:34:00 Dave Rudge - Evo II
28:34:05 Les Morris - Sharp 6.5
30:07 Nigel Parry - Sharp 6
30:41 Sandy Winterton - Maximus
31:01 Martin Leighton - U2
31:12 Jeff Booth - Swallow
31:16 Iain Gillies - Fenn XT
32:21 Dave Fisher - Total Eclipse
33:45 Katherine Allan - U2
34:50 Sheila Hart - Eclipse 5.7
35:44 Louise Hales - Eclipse 5.7