Surf lifesaving: Papamoa complete stellar summer

2015 BOP IRB Long Haul victors from Papamoa, Kirby Wheeler (left), Mitchel Brady and Chad Wheeler. Photo / Andrew Warner

Papamoa Surf Club capped off a record-breaking summer by taking first and second places in the 2015 BOP IRB Long Haul challenge that finished on the Mount Main Beach on Saturday afternoon.

In March Papamoa retained the overall points trophy in style at the BP Surf Rescue New Zealand Championships near Dunedin and won the teams' race for the first time.

On Saturday the third version of the epic IRB Long Haul race, sponsored by McMillan Lockwood BOP, took in six stops from Ohope Beach to Mount Maunganui for the nine crews from Sunset Beach (3), Papamoa (2), Pukehina, Mairangi Bay, Red Beach and Whiritoa clubs.

The crews had to carry the engine 100 metres over hot sand, perform simulated rescues and other challenging exercises at each of the six stages while navigating the tricky Bay of Plenty coastline.

The winning Papamoa crew of Mitchel Brady and twins Kirby and Chad Wheeler were pleased to do so well after a bad previous experience.

"Last time we only made it half way," said Brady. "It was a lot choppier then but we only just made it to the finish. We had just the perfect amount of fuel. We had a little obstacle course with fuel bladder carry so you don't want a big heavy bladder for that."

Papamoa's second-placed crew of Hamish Smith, Sam Johnston and Scott Cowdrey also used their past race experience to their advantage.

"Planning was definitely a key," said Smith.

"We got everything ready on Thursday night and we had quite a light boat in the end, which helped us out heaps. We had a couple of little hiccups but nothing too major. It was a good hard race."

Papamoa made it to the finish 35 minutes quicker than last year's winners, thanks to the calmer conditions and a relaxing of the rules.

"Being winter there is usually no-one on the beach so crews have to stay within the surf line, that is stay inside the breaking waves, to make it tougher," said SLSNZ Eastern Region sport manager Mark Inglis.

"But it was such a nice day with so many people on the beach and surfing it just wasn't safe so we let them run pretty much a straight line out into the open waters."

Inglis says the event went without any major incident but defending champs Red Beach and the third Sunshine Beach crew had to withdraw early with mechanical failure.