By Craig Spender of PaddleSmart

The conditions for the inaugural “Beach to Beach” Ocean Race on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast were probably not quite what everyone was expecting…!

With 125 registered competitors covering various types of craft, the competitor list featured a strong field of paddlers including recent Molokai winner Corey Hill and regular Australian Ocean Racing Series front-runners Tommy Woodriff, Dane Sloss and Mackenzie Hynard.
The (alleged!) 22km course “looked” promising with a short (3.5km) leg to the South, followed by a buoy turn, then a run North-West to the inside of Mudjimba Island and from there to the finish just North of Coolum Beach at Stumers Creek.

 

Unfortunately, “looks” can be deceiving. More on that soon.
Race morning ushered in a typical Sunshine Coast winter’s day. 25deg(C), almost cloudless blue skies, crystal-clear blue ocean and glistening golden sands. Over a hundred enthusiastic competitors lined the beach and noticed something was missing, – the wind. Any wind!
The initial forecast was for a slight southerly breeze of 10km/h at race start (10am), but there were hopes for an increase to 15km/h as the morning progressed. Those hopes quickly faded.
When the green flag dropped for the start, the field streamed South in still air, rounding the tip of Point Cartright to find just a light southerly “zephyr” generously estimated at 8km/h.

Right from the start the top four (Tommy, Corey, Macka, & Dane) were in close proximity.

By this stage, the usual suspects had taken their positions at the front of the field, with Corey, Dane, Macka and Tommy already establishing a handy break. Behind them, small groups of 3 or 4 began to form as wash-riding skills were put to the test.


Wonderful conditions for power-boating, – not so much for a “down-wind”…!

The 100-strong field spread-out quickly on the run to the first mark.

Once around the turning mark, the slight breeze was generating enough bumps to supply some lift, but never enough to enable paddlers to rest, let alone “surf”. Did I mention they were also now heading into the incoming tide?
The run to the inside of Mudjimba Island proved to be a desperate search for any small swell that might provide a slight advantage. Up front, the leading paddlers were still tightly grouped, concentrating hard on milking whatever they could from the conditions. Around them, playful dolphins and chilled-out turtles were the only things disturbing the glass-like quality of the ocean.

The waters around Mudjimba Island are a great place to spot dolphins, turtles and other sea-life. On race day, they didn’t disappoint.
About 1km back, the leading “geriatrics” (over 50s) were having their own battle, with Martin Haberland and Craig Spender taking turns at the front while Gavin Cook lurked ominously behind.

The top-three over-fifties (Gavin, Craig Spender & Martin) had a tight-fought battle to the end, with all three finishing in the top-ten overall.

Slightly further back again was a group of promising teenagers including Daniel Peacock (18), Liv Emanuel (17), Will Tayber (16) and Cooper Blake (16). The final leg of the race would separate them a bit, but these are some names to watch in the future.

As paddlers rounded the inside of Mudjimba Island you could almost hear their collective groans as the wind began to swing to the North East. What little swell existed before, quickly evaporated and was replaced by a confused wind-chop slapping at the bow/side of the skis. Still 10km to go…
It was here that gaps started to appear in the respective groups with Corey Hill opening a lead over Dane Sloss and similar breaks developing to Tommy Woodriff and Mackenzie Hynard.
A little further back “Bondi Rescue’s” Bruce Hopkins and the Sunny Coast’s Todd Grace were paddling solidly but separated by enough that they were in their own private battles with the uncooperative ocean.
Meanwhile, the clash of the “over fifties” was still tight, with just metres separating Gavin, Craig and Martin. This one would go down to the wire.
The last leg from Point Arkright to Stumers Creek was, in the words of the winner, “brutal”.
And that winner was… Corey Hill, who once again showed why he’s one of the best ocean paddlers in the world. You don’t win as many international events as he has just by chance!

Winners are grinners! Fresh from his Molokai win, Corey Hill showed once again why he’s one of the world’s top paddlers.

Two minutes back was Dane with a further two minutes to Tommy, then Macka (feeling the pinch at the end) another four minutes behind. Great efforts from all of them and in particular Tommy, who’s just a few years from joining the “geriatrics”.
Speaking of which, less than a minute separated the first three over-fifties with Gavin making a well-timed push over the final few kilometres and finishing thirty seconds ahead of Craig, who was just in front of Martin. What they might lack in speed, they more than make up for in stubborn determination!

Snapping at their heels (and rounding out the top ten) was young teenager Daniel Peacock, just 15 seconds further back on a SLSA Spec Ski! Someone give that lad an Ocean ski…!

18-Year-old Daniel Peacock rounded out the top-ten with an impressive paddle on a SLSA Spec-Ski.
In the women’s event, 17-year-old Liv Emanuel was the winner in a very creditable time that eclipsed many of the older and more experienced male competitors.

Despite the less than ideal conditions and the race actually being 24km rather than the advertised 22km, it was a great event and full credit needs to go to Buck’s team at Mooloolaba Paddlers and Panamuna Outriggers for organising the event. Congratulations also to the competitors, who “toughed it out” to complete a difficult course. Well done to everyone involved.
Next year’s event promises to be bigger and better and hopefully the gods of wind and water will smile on us!

Photos: Alan Hamilton Photography Words: PaddleSmart.net.au