written by Jarad Kohler

It was an interstate blitz at this year’s Outlaw Graeme Long Memorial Paddle, with the top three placegetters showing the locals how it’s done. New South Wales’ Mark Anderson snatched the winner’s trophy, barrelling home in 1hr 35mins 10secs, and managing an impressive average speed of 15.13 km/h despite the sluggish conditions.

Hot on his rudder was WA’s Reece Baker, in a time of 1hr 35mins 50secs, while downwind demi-god, Dean Gardiner, came in third in a time of 1hr 36mins, taking out the 40+ honours in the process, and proving once again that skill and experience are what count in the open ocean.

In the women’s field, local paddler and open water expert, Wendy Reyntjes, was victorious, reaching the shore at Fisho’s in 1hr 59mins 6secs, followed by Queensland’s Kate McGrath in 2hrs 5mins. In third place was Penny Locke in 2hrs 8mins 50secs. Nice one, girls!

In the OC1 field, Garry Jones, Rod Clark and Steve Vegh took out the top three places respectively, while Mark Grey and Darren Stewart claimed the OC2 title. And it was age over beauty in the double ski class, with Tim Altman and Matthew French beating young guns, James Pretto and Alex Polizzi, to the beach.

Of course, ocean paddling being what it is, the race wasn’t without its thrills and spills. According to reports, the first five kilometres out from Urquhart’s Bluff were a bit of a struggle, with the side chop making for heavy going. But once the paddlers turned the can at Point Addis, it was full steam ahead, with 25knot winds and decent swell allowing them to link up some fun runners all the way to Fisherman’s Beach. Yes, a few paddlers may have felt they spent more time out of their boats than in them, but that’s all part of the adventure! We reckon just getting out there is an achievement, and remember, the more time spent in heavy conditions, the better you’ll get.

So congratulations to everyone who took part. It was a great turnout, with world class paddlers mixing it with novices to make for a truly egalitarian event. It was fantastic to see a solid outrigger field this year, and we hope to see some OC6s in the mix next year. (Spread the word guys!) A special congratulations also goes out to the women – it was heartening to see so many of you getting out there, taking the challenge right up to the lads. This is a tradition we hope to build on in the coming years, and with more and more women embracing the sport of ocean paddling, we know it’s only a matter of time before we have entries in the double digits.

Once again, we’d like to say a big thank you to the crew from Torquay Surf Rescue ­– their thorough local knowledge, professionalism and vigilance out on the water are what make events like this possible. Thanks guys.

And finally, we’d like to thank all our sponsors, whose support and financial assistance have kept this race alive for another year. Let’s make it even bigger and better in 2012!

In the meantime, if you have any tips or suggestions for next year, please feel free to leave a comment.

Full results

Oceanpaddler Mark Anderson