A healthy turnout of 19 crews made the most of the Canoe Training Day, also known as the Surf Canoe Classic, at Red Beach on Saturday 27 October.
Hosted by the club for the seventh time, the event saw crews from Orewa (5), Mairangi Bay (2), Piha (1) and Red Beach (11) paddle their way through choppy sea conditions over a series of five races for each age division.
Jointly sponsored by The Flying Herons and Cornish Truck & Van, the outing gave experienced and new paddlers the opportunity to find their sea legs before the first Northern Region Interclub carnival comes up on Saturday 10 November at Waipu Cove.

And for the first time there was a category for U16 athletes who had recently obtained their Surf Lifeguard Award or were experiencing surf competition for the very first time.
The Great Crate Mixed Club Race, with crews comprising of two male and two female paddlers, was the finale to three hours of competition. On the starter's gun, crews had a Le Mans style start and competed for a wooden crate filled with an assortment of goodies. The event was won by an Orewa crew.

Results:  
Masters Men :          Red Nicks (RB) 1, Hibiscus Blue (Or) 2, Red Engines (RB) 3, Ururoa (Or) 4
Masters Women :  Flying Reddaz (RB) 1, Rockin' Reds (RB) 2, Piha Masters (P) 3, Orewa Masters (Or) 4
Open Men :                Red Bricks (RB) 1
U19 Men :                    Red Rockets (RB) 1, Mermen (MB) 2
U19 Women :            Red Hot Chilis (RB) 1, Red Sloths (RB) 2, Mermaids (MB) 3
U16 Men :                    Team Skuxx (Or) 1
U16 Women :            Oh Damn (Or) 1, No Idea (RB) 2, The Foodies (RB) 3, Red Arrows (RB) 4
Great Crate Race :  Orewa B 1, Red Beach A 2, Red Beach D 3

Red Beach's Red Nicks crew members sprint for the finish flags.

The trophy for the Great Crate Mixed Club Race.