A field of more than 200 outrigger paddlers tested their fitness, strength and endurance on the weekend in Australia's longest and toughest ocean iron race, the Great Barrier Reef Ocean Challenge (GBROC).

Twenty knot, S-SE winds gave crews the ultimate surf ride on a gruelling 40km downwind course set against the stunning coastal backdrop between Palm Cove and Port Douglas.

Nine times ocean surf ski world champion Dean Gardiner finished with the fastest time of the day, 2 hours 45 mins 55 seconds.

Outrigger Australia, steered by Aussie legend Chris Maynard, set a blistering speed  to arrive at Four Mile Beach at 2:49:31 ahead of last year’s inaugural champion OC6 (six man) crew, Coconuts (3:14:33) and Cairns Beaches (3:22:48).

Top placings for OC6 women crew’s were Tweed Coast (3:44:24), Brisbane River Dragons (3:48:57) and Townsville (3:49:26). Five Islands from Wollongong took mixed open honours with 3:46:32, with Hervey Bay (3:56:12) and Pittwater (4:03:39) placed second and third.

Peter Dorries (Outrigger Australia) was first OC1 (single) male paddler to cross in 3:02:10, while Amanda Ozolins (Mooloolaba) was top OC1 woman with her time of 3:28:16.

Winning gold in the spec ski class, open Steve Bird (3:11:30) finished ahead of master Charles Wilke (Outrigger Whitsunday).

Not to be outdone by the visitors, dynamic local duo Emma Morgan and Sue Lockwood, from host club Hekili Cairns, smashed it out in 3:26:48 to take the OC2 women’s division (and first female outrigger over the line) ahead of another local combination Janelle De Boom and Linda Davis (3:50:15) and Karen Medhurst and Sue Creece (4:08:27).

Keith Vis and Ralph Seed, also from Hekili Cairns, took line honours for OC2 master men in 3:18:29.

Make your business move  - advertise on The Newsport - 07 4099 5122

Part of the Cairns Airport Adventure Festival, the GBROC attracted paddlers from Singapore, Hong Kong, New Zealand and Western Australia, doubling participation from last year's inaugural event.

Event director Sue Lockwood says paddlers came to the region from around the world to test themselves in a new form of extreme challenge and were not disappointed.

"There is nothing like the Great Barrier Reef Ocean Challenge on the outrigger calendar and it is now well on the way to becoming Australia's premier iron ocean race," Lockwood says.

Typically, outrigger long course events are 12-16km marathons or a changeover race format where paddlers are frequently rotated in and out of the (moving) canoe to allow them to rest and recover.
In an iron event, the same six crew members must complete the entire distance in three to five hours, rehydrating and fuelling their bodies as they go.

A cap of 50 craft was set for the first year but due to overwhelming response, was increased to 80 this year giving host club, Hekili (Cairns) Outrigger Canoe Club, confidence it would be even bigger in 2013.

Pictured: Hekili senior women's crew (from left) Yvonne Watters, Ineke Barton, Angela Fielding, Chris Robertson, Joanne Stonehouse and Wai Amaru finish at Four Mile Beach. Image by Justyna Polanska.

Looking for more ways to keep in touch. Like us on our Facebook page.