Boats fly in flat conditions as IRB nationals start in Gisborne

The day was cloudy and the sea was flat at Waikanae Beach, but the racing in the opening few hours of the Surf Life Saving NZ inflatable rescue boat nationals was hot, with two big days of racing to follow over the weekend. Photo / Murray Robertson

The BP New Zealand inflatable rescue boat championships started at Gisborne’s Waikanae Beach under cloudy skies on Friday afternoon and the action was red-hot in the flat conditions.

Midway and Waikanae clubs both started the titles with medals - a gold and a silver respectively.

Dawson Building Midway’s gold came in the masters tube rescue, and Kaiaponi Farms Waikanae’s silver in the open male tube.

Waikanae's Connor Mitchell sprints for the finish in a heat of the open men's tube rescue at the national IRB champs started in Gisborne Friday afternoon. Photo / Murray Robertson

A mini tent city has sprung up on the beachfront at the beach end of Grey St.

The championships feature more than 100 crews from 30 clubs across the country.

Competition started with the tube rescue event, progressing from heats to finals across the various age divisions.

Saturday’s races start at 8.30am with the assembly heats, semi-finals and finals.

The mass rescue heats, semifinals and team heats follow later in the day.

Waiting for their turn on the water are the patients who will be ferried out for the pick up at the buoys. Photo / Murray Robertson

Sunday’s programme will feature the single rescue for men and women across all age groups.

Waikanae’s crew of driver Harry Allan, crewman Travis Mitchell and patient Aengus Bettridge finished second in their heat of the open men’s tube rescue and second in their semifinal.

They went on to win the silver medal in the final.

It was the first time Allan and Mitchell had raced together this summer.

Connor Mitchell, crewman Callum McKenzie and patient Lucas Thompson were fifth in the same heat and missed out on the semifinal.

In the masters tube rescue, Dawson Building Midway’s Matthew Kemp (driver), Alan Thorpe (crewman) and patient Emily Atkins won their heat and then took gold in the final.

In the heats, Waikanae’s Rodney Richards, Eric Clearwater and Maxwell Latu were second, and their clubmates Matt Cairns, Joseph Williams and Michaela Clearwater were third.