KEY POINTS:
The dominance of the Titahi Bay surf boat crew will be sorely tested by a hard-charging home crew when the national surf boat series hits Whangamata today.
Whangamata's crew, nicknamed the "White Rhinos", warmed up for the second round of the series with a dominant display at the New Year's Classic at Omanu on Sunday, and are looking to continue their rapid improvement on their home beach.
Their cause was unexpectedly aided by Titahi Bay crew member Tim Marsden's injuring his shoulder and missing the round.
Chris Middleton takes his place in the boat.
That has given Whangamata a sniff, although White Rhino skipper Nathan Hight was still wary of the Titahi Bay threat.
"They've had the wood on us for the last couple of years and there's a pretty strong rivalry between Titahi Bay and Whangamata going back a long time," Hight said.
"We're a new crew this year. Myself and Ben Robinson have been racing surf boats for a while now but the other three guys have come from skiff rowing and we're still learning how to get a bit quicker and working out the finer skills."
The two crews from Mount Maunganui should also be in the mix after sharing runner-up spoils behind Titahi Bay in the first round.
Piha are also a threat, especially in big swells, and they showed their flat-water speed in Wellington last month.
- NZPA
