Coastal Invaders 08

COSTAL INVADERS

It was a typical sunny (ha!) day in Wellington, really it was. It was an amazing day, no wind and no clouds, not really typical of Wellington but perfect for the events to come. Members of the Wellington Yakity Yak club excitedly jumped out of bed with little to no sleep from being so eager to get out into their kayaks into a grueling competition of both mental and endurance based activities.  The event began around 9am on the 3rd of March at Shelly Bay, a great little untouched spot away from the bustle of the city.

As part of their reward for winning last year, Neil, John and Cameron had the responsibility of organising and running the day.  After some quick introductions, members were split into groups of 4 for the team competitions. Teams were Moby Dicks, The Pogies, and Team blah.

The first event was a team relay in which teams had to get into their gear and into the kayak, then race around buoys in the bay.  They then had to run up the beach to tag their next member in. It was a close finish as the Moby Dicks just pipped blah. This was followed by a rescue relay where team members saved each other from the cold water.

Other team events were a general knowledge quiz, and a kayak packing test where we had to sensibly jam all Neils stuff into his boat!

Individual events included the paddle throwing competition (a very valuable kayaking skill), and standing on top of your kayak while in the water.  This task proved to be a bit too easy for some, causing the judges to turn it into a one leg competition after some time! It finished quickly after that, with Andy coming out as the winner.

There were two members in the advanced class competition, Andy and Mark, who were put to an Eskimo rolling duel.  It was a great sight as they flipped in and out of the water for 5 consecutive rolls. Wellington Canoe and Kayak , Andy came away as the winner.

It was such a nice day that members even voluntarily stayed in the water after the events, to practise wet exits and go for swims.

Prize-giving was held during a much deserved barbeque feast. Despite tough competition, the Pogies won the team event, while Andy won the individual event for Advanced and Liz won the Novice class.  Every participant came away with a fabulous prize kindly donated by Canoe and Kayak Wellington and its suppliers. It was an awesome day, a great chance to practise skills and meet other members.  Big thanks to Jim and Andy, and organisers of the event Neil, John and Cameron for putting on a great day!

By Mark D’Ath and  Anneka Friis