Shoal Bay became outrigger canoe central across the weekend, with up to 900 paddlers in Port Stephens for the National Marathon Championships.
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Port Stephens Outrigger Canoe Club president Tony Compton said visitors had remarked that they were "blown away" by the paddling in the Port, in particular the islands that they were required to race around across the three-day championship (Friday, May 27 to Sunday, May 29).
"[The event] exceed expectations, with the brilliant weather being a strong contributor," Compton said.
"All participants thoroughly enjoyed the racing, with big smiles all weekend.
"The atmosphere and vibes were incredible.
"Many had not been to Port Stephens before and were gobsmacked by the beautiful scenery.
"We manage to get most races outside in the open waters around the Islands of Cabbage Tree and Boondelbah. Paddlers were blown away how spectacular the islands are."
In the short course OC1 and 2 (singles and doubles) events on Friday, there were 86 canoes on the start line with 100 in the premiere long course event.
World champion paddler Tupuria King, from New Zealand, took out the men's division in a blistering time of 1 hour and 25 minutes for the 17km course.
He was closely followed by Mathew Abbott, from Queensland, and young Jake Woodger from NSW.
The OC6-man races held on Saturday around the same course saw NSW men's team Cronulla take line honours in a time of 1hr 16min in a field of 37 canoes.
The ladies and mixed divisions were won by NSW team Northern Beaches.
Western Australian team Hurricane took out line honours it the unlimited OC6 category.
The Port club hosted the national marathon with the sport's peak body, the Australian Outrigger Canoe Racing Association.
"Port Stephens OCC were privileged and proud to host the national championships in partnership with our national body AOCRA," Compton said.
"Twelve months of planning and preparation by a dedicated management team and all our volunteers certainly paid off and we were ecstatic to be able to deliver a highly successful championships.
"The club has not nominated for a regatta next year, as the intensity of staging a national championships is quite draining, and having hosted NSW zone and championships and regattas over the past 10 consecutive years, we feel we need a small break.
"We will be back bigger and better in 2024 and hopefully successful in winning the bid for the National Marathon Championship again."
Ellie-Marie Watts
A journalist with 10 years experience, Ellie-Marie connects readers to the stories that matter in their communities. A Port Stephens-based news, sport and event writer and photographer with a passion for human interest features.
A journalist with 10 years experience, Ellie-Marie connects readers to the stories that matter in their communities. A Port Stephens-based news, sport and event writer and photographer with a passion for human interest features.
