KEY POINTS:
British Seagull outboards are a bit like anchovies, olives or kina. Either you like them and can't get enough or you loathe and despise them and wish they would disappear forever.
They are the most basic of outboards: strictly two-stroke (with the oil added manually) and started solely by wrapping a rope around the flywheel and pulling hard (in my experience, often several times if you want the engine to actually start).
They are long gone from the modern boating scene, kept now only by enthusiasts and rarely seen by any but their keepers.
Each Easter, however, these relics of a far earlier technology are allowed out to play. At this time each year, their owners gather on the banks of the Waikato River. They bring along a wide and most definitely varied selection of craft. They bolt on their Seagull outboards, they line up and then spend the best part of two days racing some 140km down the river, from the base of the Karapiro Dam all the way to Hoods Landing, near the river's mouth.
And this is reasonably serious racing, too. There are six carefully regulated classes and there are competitors from all around New Zealand (and quite often from as far away as England and Bermuda, too).
The organisers proudly proclaim the event to be "The Longest Seagull Race in the World" although, strictly speaking, it is the second day leg (from Rangiriri to Hoods Landing) that actually lays claim this honour.
It is a challenging course, too, and those with long memories (and perhaps not the most pleasant of memories about the brand) will be surprised to hear that almost all the competitors manage to complete it.
Shortly after the start, competitors must negotiate some grade two rapids before racing through the gorges, past Mystery Creek, Hamilton, Ngaruawahia and Taupiri, through the shallows around Huntly and to the finish at Rangiriri.
Day two is even more challenging. Between Rangiriri and Mercer are many shoals and then the river deepens. This is great on a fine day but distinctly unpleasant for the smaller boats when the wind is up. This can create a nasty, short river chop which only gets worse past the Tuakau bridge, especially if the wind is against the now tidal river flow.
Despite the challenges, the little-known race, which has been staged in one form or another since the early 1980s, has no trouble attracting entrants including, during the 1990s, members of Team New Zealand's shore crew. But organisers say they never know how many competitors will take part or who they will be.
"They just turn up with an assortment of buses and boats," says John Crighton, a long-time competitor and one of those who help stage the event.
The well-organised race has come a long way since two mates challenged each other to a Seagull-powered race over a few beers some 25 years ago.
That first race, with its eight competitors, took four days to complete. Numerous breakdowns and the difficulty in getting fuel meant progress was slow but this was a real Boys' Own adventure. Contestants had to carry all supplies on board and crews slept on the riverbank, under haystacks or simply where they dropped.
These days, the race has developed into a family event with fathers and children forming the bulk of the field. However, competitors also need to have dedicated shore crews to move vehicles, trailers and supplies.
Competitors meet at the Karapiro Lake Aquatic Centre on Good Friday, March 21. Racing begins on both days at 8am.
