The 2023 Harbour Series consisted of 6 races between April and September: the Pittwater Challenge hosted by the Manly-Warringah Kayak Club, the Dolls Point Classic hosted by Dolls Point Paddlers, the Iron Cup hosted by Pacific Dragons Dragon Boat and Outrigger Canoe Club, the Hacking Classic hosted by the Cronulla Sutherland Kayak Club, the Central Coast Classic hosted by Brisbane Water Paddlers and the series finale, the Newy Harbour Classic hosted by Newy Paddlers. A massive thank you to these wonderful host clubs. It was great to see such a diversity of clubs, race locations and paddle conditions.
Unlike the last few years which were significantly impacted by COVID and bad weather, this year’s series was lucky to have great conditions at also every event. Whilst the Dolls Point Classic missed out on the sunshine enjoyed by the other events, the wind and light rain provided some interesting race conditions. But that’s the whole point of Harbour Racing, we provide opportunities for our paddlers to gain racing experience in more challenging moving water.
Newy Paddlers deserve a huge pat on the back for hosting a fabulous series presentation after the iconic Newy Harbour Classic at the Newcastle Cruising Yacht Club.
Congratulations to all our race and series winners. The seven awesome paddlers who participated in all 6 races deserve a special pat on the back:
- Andrew Mattinson, Learn to Paddle Now
- Donnae Distin, Learn to Paddle Now
- Jono Cousins, Learn to Paddle Now
- Julia Ong, Manly Warringah
- Rozanne Green, Sydney Harbour Surf Club
- Sean Choo, Learn to Paddle Now
- Tim Griffiths
The winner of the coveted 2023 Paddle NSW Harbour Racing Club Trophy is Learn to Paddle Now closely followed by the Manly Warringah Kayak and Cronulla Sutherland Kayak Clubs. Congratulations to Learn to Paddle Now.
The 2023 Series was brought to you by PNSW and Learn to Paddle Now.
Finally, thank you to the host club representatives who make up the HR Committee, all the amazing volunteers and also Diane Lanz, the PNSW Event Coordinator. We can’t run this series without you.
The dates and locations of 2024 Harbour Racing Series races will be announced in the coming weeks. The 2024 series promises to be pretty awesome.