Ocean Ski and Waka Ama: Simon Longdill blitzes field at Poor Knights Crossing

Competitors in the Poor Knights Knights Crossing, from Sandy Bay to Southern Arch via Elizabeth Reef. Photo/Malcolm Pullman

Despite concerns around a tsunami warning, the Poor Knights Crossing Ocean Race was a rousing success.

Simon Longdill had laid waste to a field of the best ocean ski and waka ama paddlers who had assembled for the third edition of the Poor Knights Crossing event, an impressive performance in tough waters.

But it was just part of the story, and only a small part really, in what may just have locked the Poor Knights Crossing event into the racing calendar for good.

This edition surpassed all expectations, even with the absence of Tawhirimatea, the most sought after addition of all downwind races, and is now a slick operations machine.

Paddlers were welcomed in Tutukaka with a karanga and waiata from the people of Ngatiwai at the race briefing, then serenaded with a delightful version of 'Beautiful Brown Eyes'.

From the flagfall at Sandy Bay paddlers where sent north almost to Whananaki before turning to charge eastward to the spectacular finish line through the Southern Arch at the Poor Knights Marine Reserve.

It was Longdill, Michael Walker and Travis Mitchell who looked the most likely in the ski division with Garth Spencer and Jono Reschef leading a pursuing pack.

The predicted 10-15 knot westerlies had not arrived as expected, replaced instead with a variable nor wester and a not inconsequential northerly sea surge.

Paddlers could bank a few runs by jumping on the northerly push early but then pay some tax by being pushed south of the finish line and face an upwind push to the end, or they could grind out a cross wind early then turn with the conditions late in the race.
The field dutifully split almost clean in half. One pack went south, the other tracked north.

It turned out very little divided the two packs. The consensus afterwards was more centred on a sense of relief and pride mixed with awe. Paddling through a massive rock archway to finish then being treated to a unique tour of the sights of the Poor Knights Islands including Rikoriko Cave, the world's biggest seacave, tends to mask the pain of paddling 30km of testy water.

In the female division, Pamela Kane finished over 15 minutes ahead of second-placed Michelle Impey.

Ngaire Pehi took out the women's OC1 waka division in a time of 2:50:50.

Tupuria King took out the waka OC1 men's division, beating out Sean Herbert and Paora Monk by three and five minutes respectively.