By Ingrid Juchem

Promise delivered. 

That, is the message the Port Douglas outrigger club is sending out to the community after the weekend's Grand Prix regatta at Ellis beach.

"We will win a gold medal at the next regatta in this new light weight canoe," Ingrid Juchem said during her speech at the Canoe Blessing earlier this year.

The $25,000 needed for the purchase was raised entirely through fundraising and the support of the local community, hence the name of the craft, 'Makana mai po’e' which means the gift of the people.

The women’s 14-kilometre race started the day and took the crews around Scout Head and Double Island.  

The open crew of Kim St. Pierre, Kelly King, Danielle Bellero, Monique Johnson, Mia Messinger and Lilli Jansen, battled for position with Cairns Club, “Hekili” and “Malanuka” from Mackay for the first half of the race before they  broke away and won  their category and the overall race by  over two minutes.

They then placed third in the sprint.

The senior master women's team featuring Faye Lilly, Jan Ward, Vicki Dowson, Winnie Shiroma, Leanne Griffith, Cecily Ridderhof paddled in a heaver canoe but dominated their category, winning gold in the 14-kilometre race and  250-metre sprint.

The newly formed master men's team of Lee Foster, Kevin Bellero, Dimitri Stievano, Vernon Carpenter, Darren Heatley and Justin White second place in the sprint was a big surprise. 

They then went on and completely shocked their competitors by winning gold in the 14-kilometre race. 

These are the first medals for a Port Douglas men’s team for over 15 years.

"We had a bad start but stayed right with the rest of the field. I followed one of the Cairns Crews because this is their training course," Steerer Justin White said. 

"As soon as we hit the seaside of Double Island and had the swell behind us, we just took off and left them behind."

The Mixed 20-kilometre race brought out a  friendly, competitive rivalry between the two Port Douglas teams.

Paddling  Makana - the  light weight Canoe - the open  mixed crew of Kevin and Dani Bellero, Vernon Carpenter, Glen Thorp, Mia Messinger and Cecily Ridderhof got chased all the way by  the second Port Douglas crew competing in the masters Category. 

Winnie Shiroma, Steve Grainger, Lee Foster, Ingrid Juchem, Dimitri Stievano and Lilly Jansen’s performance in the race was even more outstanding considering they were paddling a canoe almost 100 kg heavier than their team mates.  

After almost two hours of racing, only 19 seconds separated the two teams resulting in a second place for the open and a third place for the Masters crew.

The afternoon race took 47 double and single crafts (OC1, OC2) from Holloway’s Beach to Ellis Beach. 

Coming in fifth overall and first of the women over the line was Monique Johnson winning the masters category way ahead of the rest of the field. 

Faye Lilly won the senior master division with Kim St. Pierre and Kelly King placed third in Open OC2 category.