Team relay for paddlers a winner

A new format on the water for the padders proved to be a winner for round six of the Northland Twilight Paddling series in Whangarei.Team Relay sprints over an 800 metre out and back course in the Whangarei Town Basin provided some close racing. Teams of three where each paddler completed two solo laps before all three paddlers completed one lap as a team made racing tight all evening.Leading the pack home was the trio of Hamish Pederson (ski), Tony Carne (OC1) and Tim Eves (Kayak) with Greg Jones apearheading his team mates -- Norm Best (kayak) and Gordon McKay (OC1) -- into second place on his brand spanking new Brainwave surf ski.Honurable performances came from the OC1 trio of Jason Eruera, Bob Thomas and Noperi Tiriti, Bob Thomas laying down the challenge with a blistering opening leg. David McFarlane, James Barrett and Darrin Collins also did well, all paddlling OC1 wakas while Alan Moscrip and Ken Vette in kayaks did well staying in the reckoning with their team mate Richard Pehi turning up in a rudderless OC1 waka.The hard luck story of the night went to Kelly Fogden (kayak) and Ed Firth (ski) who were down on manpower and forced to try and make up ground with just two in their team.Next week plans are for another team relay sprint session, this time at Ngunguru, with the possibility of using the surf break over the bar as part of the course.  Kayak paddlers will be catered for with an up-river leg from the same start-finish point at the same time.