Surf life-saving: Victory for St Clair pair in home surf

James Coombes (front) and Heath Ratten win the annual White Island Race at St Clair beach on...
James Coombes (front) and Heath Ratten win the annual White Island Race at St Clair beach on Saturday. Photo by Gerard O'Brien.
There have been 100 years of surf life-saving in Otago but it took James Coombes and Heath Ratten less than 25 minutes to knock off White Island on Saturday.

The St Clair pair combined on their double surf ski to win the 41st annual White Island Race in heavy 1m-2m surf.

The pair's winning time on the 5km course from St Clair beach around the island and back was 24min 47sec.

Single skiers Dan Peacock (Mt Maunganui) and Ryan Shanks (Brighton) were second and third respectively.

The event attracted a record field of 59 competitors on single and double skis, racing boards and four-person canoes.

St Clair's Carla Laughton, a recent winner of the national 10km flatwater kayak championships, showed her skills extend to surf and ocean paddling to be the first woman and sixth overall paddler home in a time of 28min 43sec.

Laughton also won the handicap section.

The St Clair masters (29min 7sec) were the first crew home, St Clair's Sam McCutcheon (38min 48sec) won the board section and Monique Francois (Midway, Gisborne) broke the women's board record in a time of 44min 4sec.

Before the race, a group photo was taken to mark surf life-saving's centenary in New Zealand.

St Clair was one of the first clubs formed in 1910 along with Lyall Bay, Worser Bay (both Wellington), New Brighton (Christchurch) and Wanganui/Castlecliff (Wanganui).

 

Add a Comment