Ocean paddle will bring out the best

FULL STEAM AHEAD: Pawarenga's Sean Herbert in action during the inaugural Poor Knights Crossing on the Tutukaka Coast. PHOTO/MALCOLM PULLMAN

CAMARADERIE WILL morph into rivalry when several members of the Aotearoa elite waka ama squad switch to their OC1 waka for this year's anticipated Poor Knights Crossing open ocean downwind race on September 3.

Billed as the "toughest open ocean downwind in NZ", the Poor Knights Crossing has already piqued the interest of many of New Zealand's elite paddlers who hauled home a bunch of gold medals from the World Sprint Championships held in Australia this year.

Sean Herbert, Tupu King, Richard Pehi and Stephen Roulston, who were all part of the gold medal-winning team in Australia, are expected to line up for the Poor Knights Crossing, along with many more of the elite men's and women's crews.

Many paddlers will use the event as a build-up for the Waka Ama Long Distance Nationals to be held in Tauranga three weeks later.

New Zealand's elite waka ama athletes will also mix it up with some of the best surf ski exponents, who have indicated they will be travelling from Australia to race, joining a cabal of Kiwi surf ski paddlers including defending women's surf ski paddler Rachel Clarke and Australian legend Dean Gardiner.

The third running of the 30km Poor Knights Crossing Oceanski and Waka Ama downwind paddling is also giving diehard ocean paddlers the unique chance to experience two internationally rated events in South Pacific waters on consecutive weekends.

The Poor Knights Crossing, which includes a 24km open ocean section on testing waters on the northern Pacific Ocean coastline, is set for the first week of September, just seven days before the Maar'amu race in Tahiti.

It is an opportunity Poor Knights Crossing race director Tim Eves hopes will tempt paddlers to venture from afar, with hopes of attracting paddlers from Australia top of his wish list, along with competitors from South Africa's surf ski hotbed.

"In tailwind conditions, it won't be a slog," Eves explains.

"I've been out there in conditions that are quite mindblowing from a downwind paddling perspective. There are ramps of waves just lined up and they just keep coming.

"Really, I just have this desire to have paddlers from anywhere on the planet get the chance to dip their blades in these waters, and maybe having two top races on the menu could be the carrot to get them here."

The Poor Knights Islands provides a mythical aspect to the race, including a race start inside the world's biggest sea cave (Rikoriko Cave) and a paddle through massive natural rock archways before the fleet even start the 24km to the finish line.

The history of the Poor Knights Islands is fascinating. They were the site of an infamous 1820 Maori massacre and remain a place shrouded in spiritual significance to this day as the islands act as a focal point for all who live in the area.

The event has five different course options to ensure a majority of downwind racing, but all efforts will be made to stage the race over the preferred Poor Knights to Tutukaka course or, in a westerly, from Tutukaka Harbour to a finish line inside Rikoriko Cave at the Poor Knights.