Drysdale and Twigg with their trophies. Photo/Bevan Conley
The two former world champions made no contest of their grades in the festival atmosphere of The Hits Billy Webb Challenge for 2015 on the Whanganui River yesterday.
The first time the race has been held as an annual event certainly was a success, in terms of visual spectacle, as the 40-rower armada, starting in alphabetical grades from Men's Elite back to Women's Under 17s, at Aramoho made a grand sight on their 5km journey to the Union Boat Club sheds on Taupo Quay.
However, in terms of competition, it was all about Mahe Drysdale and Emma Twigg with all other rowers, including the young hopefuls in the New Zealand training group, racing for placings in the overcast but warm conditions.
Having come second last year to fellow Olympic gold medallist Hamish Bond, Drysdale had the water current all to himself as he was followed by the tight group of three South Island lads in Andrew Potter, Cameron Crampton and Bryce Abernathy.
They stayed close together as Drysdale powered away, long before the boats crossed under the Dublin St Bridge, and by then the three lads had a bigger problem.
The 2014 women's world champion Twigg, getting back into the national scene after her year's break with study in Europe, had left behind the other 10 talented entries for the Women's Elite and was looking to haul in the three Southern RPC bolters.
That battle took centre stage with Drysdale a figure in the distance, his loud breath-strokes being audible even from the town side of the riverbank opposite where he chose his river line this year post the floods in June.
Spotted by the crowd at the quay a few minutes later, Drysdale powered across the line in 18m 15s, perhaps settling a few ghosts from the year before, as he beat Bond's winning time by 30 seconds.
Although, as Drysdale would comment, river conditions change year to year so the idea is to beat the man, not the stopwatch.
"It's always good, you're trying to improve. Got to keep the standards high, it was a bit of a shame the top guys didn't come and do the elite men. But I believe in supporting it."
Drysdale was delighted to see just how strong the women's entry field was - not just the New Zealand squad but also a big turnout in the Under 17 grade.
"Our women's programme is strong, there's more depth in the women at the moment. It's often been that way. The men sort of took charge around the last Olympic rotation, but they're now leading the pack again.
"You've got [Canada's] Carling Zeeman, and she's world class, getting beaten up by four to five of our girls in the New Zealand group."
Organisers are promising next year's race, immediately post Olympic cycle, will be a truly "all star" event, and Drysdale intends to have a word with a few of the standouts at the Rio Olympics to make sure they show up to challenge his four Billy Webb championships.
"We're all good mates, the scullers, I've already got a couple of people who are pencilled in. We can expect to see at least two to three of the world's top scullers."
"Still, it's certainly great we can put on a world-class event with only Kiwis."
In the race for silver, Potter and Clayton had an absolute dog fight to the finish-line, with Potter getting a quarter of a boat length ahead on the quay to wrap up second place.
They were shortly followed by Twigg, who had overtaken Abernathy and local Men's Elite entry Tom Monaghan, while the 2014 winner Lucy Spoors was second in the women's race, followed by the strong-finishing Olivia Lowe.
"The Armada Cup is one of my favourites," Twigg said afterwards.
"I enjoyed being washed down by a couple of boys for 5km.
"Trying not to be beaten is always good motivation.
"They're probably quite good racing partners for me to use.
"It's hard when you're sitting in their puddles and their pride is at stake. There was a lot of dirty water.
"I caught one of them but couldn't quite get the other two."
Despite having been outside the official New Zealand Rowing programme for 12 months, Twigg said she had been training twice a day, six days a week while in Europe. So it was almost easier to get back into the camp routine which allowed for rest days.
"I'm going as fast, if not faster, than I was before."
Now a two-time winner of the Philippa Baker-Hogan trophy, Twigg is donating her $1000 to the Kafue River & Rowing Centre, a research facility that studies methods for clean water management, using this river basin in Zambia. Twigg is an ambassador of the centre.
The New Zealand rowers will now go back into training camp in Lake Karapiro as they prepare for the start of the Olympic year, which begins with the nationals in February.
Billy Webb Challenge event director Bob Evans said they will start working on next year's "All Stars" event from now on, and hope to have 80 boats in 2016.