Power of the Paddle Australia

Over 60 competitors gathered in Coolum, QLD for the second Ocean Addicts Power of the Paddle event on Saturday, November 17th. Small waves and light winds made for perfect racing conditions. The girls were up first and Naish Australia’s Molly Walker battled it out on her 12’6 LE. Molly enjoyed the lead a few times but after a few missed waves she had to settle for third place.

Next up was the Open Mens heats. The event ran a mixed format loosely following the Survivor format, with a mass start and the back runners getting cut from the fleet each heat. Jake Jensen led the first heat until a fall which allowed the paddler behind him to overtake. Jake recovered to take second place in the heat. The second heat began with a good battle between Jake Jensen and fellow Naish team rider Andy Davies. Jake pulled away to take the lead for this heat. The final heat saw Jake battle it out in a very close race between himself, Kelly and Lincoln. Kelly picked up a wave on the last leg of the 3km race and although Jake was right on the wave behind there was no way of closing the gap between the two, leaving Jake with a solid second place.

Congratulations also to fellow Naish teammates Andy Davies and Beau Nixon, who is now trying his hand at racing also. Both finished just outside the podium positions.

Also in this event the Naish One inflatable 12’6″s were used by a couple of competitors who were keen to give this style of racing a go. The Inflatable boards proved to be a great tool, allowing them to enjoy some close quarter racing without the fear for their safety or that of their boards.

Congratulations to all!