Recovering from the gruelling marathon 'kite', the 39-year-old commercial fisherman admitted the venture was as exhausting as anything he'd done.
"I was dry retching up the coast. It's pretty full-on," said Turner of the ordeal.
A straw-that-broke-the-camel's-back moment nearly came when he found himself going nowhere for about an hour after becoming becalmed in the notorious 'wind-shadow' off Cape Brett.
He tried a change of tack by swapping board and kite which didn't particularly help matters.
"My legs were too sore and stiff to ride the foilboard."
Watching the attempt aboard a support boat was friend Grant Payne, who noted that Turner went into the event completely focused and "pretty damned determined" to avoid a repeat of the past three years' frustration.
"He really planned it out. Didn't stop for a minute, sitting on about 22 knots all the way," Payne said, adding that the stamina and concentration required to take on the Coastal Classic was mind-boggling.
Turner's jubilation was obvious: "By the end of it he was doing jumps," Payne said.
Having represented New Zealand at various kiteboarding world championships, Turner now plans to help co-ordinate the Kiwi kiteboarding nationals - at Doubtless Bay over Easter next year with the Taipa and Mangonui sailing clubs.
He will also compete in the event, which was expected to see 20 of the best kiteboarders in the country taking part in formula and foil titles.
Kiteboarders barred
Kiteboarders are not officially allowed to take part in the Coastal Classic with organisers defending the stance by saying it would have been unfair to provide a kiteboard race when other larger sailing craft were denied the privilege because of the event's rigorous criteria.
The other kiteboarder to unofficially complete the 2014 Coastal Classic was Aucklander Dave Robertson who took 7.5 hours to finish second overall, just behind eventual winner and three-time record setter Team Vodafone Sailing.
