A contingency plan is in place in the hope of making sure the first offshore powerboat race Oamaru has hosted in 30 years, scheduled for today, will go ahead this year.
Organisers planned to reintroduce the offshore event last year, but bad weather and rough seas meant it had to be called off. Today they will try again.
But this time, they had a back-up day tomorrow, one of the organisers, Gary Story said yesterday.
Looking at the long-term forecast yesterday, he thought conditions would be good today.
''I'm looking at the sea and it's a shame we aren't racing now,'' he said from his home above Oamaru, about yesterday's conditions.
The race will follow the anticlockwise triangular course laid out last year. The foreshore leg extends from about Waitaki Boys' High School to Oamaru Creek and the start and finish will be opposite the end of Coquet St.
Best viewing will be on the foreshore, south of Oamaru Creek, or Holmes Wharf, close to where the boats will turn for the seaward run.
Mr Story hoped about a dozen boats would enter, including three in the bigger classes from the North Island.
One of the North Island boats had been left in Oamaru since the Te Anau event.
The event will cater for seven classes - A class mono and tunnel, B, C, D, E and F, and a nominated speed event. The range of classes allows family boats to race.
A and B class boats will race 100km and the other classes various distances down to 60km. The event is expected to take about an hour, depending on sea conditions.
The race headquarters and viewing of boats before and after the event will be at the North Otago Yacht and Power Boat Club. Boats are expected to start arriving about 9am. The race will start at 10.30am today or 10am tomorrow, if the day is needed.
