By Ingrid Juchem

Two teams hit the road on Friday to attend round 2 of this years NQ Outrigger Grand Prix  Regatta series in Townsville.

Eleven clubs between Port Douglas and Rockhampton made it up to FNQ. 

The first race of the day, a 20 km run for all man and women categories took the teams of 6 from the railway estate in  town, around the harbour wall and out to a marker in front of Magnetic Island and than heading towards Pallarenda Beach.

The honour for being the first female paddler over the finish line went to Denise Lee Long, paddling in seat No. 1 in the Master Men Crew. Together with Kevin Bellero, Vernon Carpenter, Lee Foster, Peter Dorries and Cairns Resident Iva Wright, the mate shift crew stunned the rest of the field by placing second in a time of 1:26:38 . “There were some very startled faces of some of the crews we past” Kevin said with a  big smile. “They ( the men's teams) did not expect to get past by a team that had 2 female paddlers in it. The ladies did a fantastic job and I consider this to be most outstanding performance of the day”.   Club Life Member Ingrid Juchem said.

The Open Women crew demoralised the field by winning the race with a massive lead. Monique Johnson, Danielle Bellero, Kim St.Pierre, Kelly King, Jan Ward and Ingrid Juchem were leading from the start and kept increasing their lead winning the overall race in a time of 1:34.49  “ This was our fist race in our new Lightweight Southern Spirit, a canoe developed in Australia. It run fantastic. By the time we had gone around the marker we were so far in front of the rest of the female crews, we could not hear them anymore. We overtook another men's crew and than just enjoyed the downwind run to finish line.” Monique Johnson said.

Beating the Cairns Club Hekili in the Marathon, the friendly rivalry between the 2 clubs  continued at the   women's sprint race. To get revenge, Hekili stacked on of their teams but still could not shake our local crew. The neck on neck race went all the way with a photo finish giving the win to Hekili.

The single race (OC1) brought together the regions 2 top female paddler battling it out on a 7 km course. Leading the first leg, Monique Johnson capsized after a laps in concentration allowing Hekilis Emma Morgan to go past. She caught back up before the half way mark and than it was another neck on neck race between the 2 clubs, this time giving the the win to Port Douglas

The fun race of the day saw mixed  teams of five drawing a steerer from another club out of the hat. Ironically Carpenter, Bellero, Foster, Juchem and St.Pierre draw Rachel Small from Hekili and they went on to place 4th in a field of 25 just in front of Hekili.

In the women’s Master  Double (OC2) Johnson and Bellero had a strong start only to be struck down by equipment failure and had to pull out. The race still produced another Port Douglas Medal! Ingrid Juchem and Jan Ward won bronze in the same race and another bronze medal went to Kelly King in Open  Women  OC1 category. Her first ever OC1 race.

Bellero and Carpenter placed 6th in the Master Men OC2, the fastest race of the day, and backed up in the OC1 race also placing 6th.

Lee Foster, in the OC1 Senior Master Men placed 9th and backed up in an  Mixed OC2 with Danielle Bellero. The pair placed 7th.

One of the smallest clubs in the Zone, Port Douglas placed 6th in the overall point score of the day won by Hekili. “You Rock Port Douglas” was the comment made by the Cairns club during presentation night, in awe oft the local talent in the sport.

The club is hosting a “Come and try” training session every Monday night from 5 p.m. at Four Mile for anyone that is keen to have a go.