Last week saw a record field of nearly 300 take on “The Doctor” from Rottnest to Sorrento. The race was won by New South Welshman and former Australian Kayak representative Tim Jacobs in a nail biting finish from Queensland’s Bruce Taylor.
Jacobs is regarded by many as the best ocean paddler in the World right now with the event attracting the best, meaning WAIS athlete Reece Baker’s eighth placed finish and two minutes from the lead was a very credible result.
The following day saw Baker team up with Olympic Gold Medallist Ken Wallace, World Championship silver medallist David Smith and ocean specialist Ben Allen to finish a close third, 30 seconds off the lead in the Finn Coastal Relay Challenge from Fremantle to Sorrento.
This weekend will see the WAIS squad head to Penrith to compete in Grand Prix 2 at the Sydney International Regatta Centre. GP2 is shaping up as possibly the most competitive GP on record with all Australian paddlers fronting up, along with full strength crews from New Zealand and Great Britain and some international crews from South Africa, USA and Italy with a few others thrown in for good measure.
The regatta will be the first GP of the year for WAIS athletes Jesse Phillips (Rivervale) and Steve Bird (Mt Pleasant) who will look to build on their reputation as an excellent K2 200m crew. WAIS paddler Alana Nicholls (City Beach) will also make her first appearance at a GP in almost two years and will look to carry forward her outstanding local form of late.
