North Cottesloe notch open men’s, women’s and under-23 male Surf Craft Challenge victories

North Cott FONC, from North Cottesloe, mastered the wet and windy conditions on Sunday, to register a hat-trick of Albany Surf Craft Challenge victories. Record-breaking numbers turned out for Albany Surf Life Saving’s annual boat rave event with more than 260 competitors braving the cool and trying 13km journey from Princess Royal Harbour to Middleton Beach. North Cott FONC clinched the open men’s boats division for a third straight year claiming the coveted Whale Tail Trophy stopping the clock at 1hr 27min. 46sec. Albany’s Kelpie finished fourth in the fleet of five boats, reaching the finish line after 1:40:49. North Cottesloe made it a winning trifecta on the day when The Moose (1:28:35) and North Cott Impact (1:27:25) won the under-23 male boats and open women’s boats divisions respectively. City of Perth’s City Black won the 160+ men’s boats division with a time of 1:19:14 — the quickest of all mariners — while Albany Wedgetails (1:24:32) waved the flag for the hosts, taking out the 160+ women’s boats and Albany’s Fat Gannets finished third. Mermaids, from Mullaloo, won the under-23 women’s boats, hitting the Middleton Beach shore after 1:20:45. Fifty ski paddlers entered the surf with Harry Hewitt (55:23) making the quickest voyage to Middleton Beach to win the open men, Nicole Jahn (1:10:06) clinching the open women’s and Alexander Small (1:03:24) won the under-19 men. Ross Lewin (1:05:06) and Sarah Gregson (1:27:03) took out the men’s and women’s over-55s respectively while Sprint Finish and Finnabelle won the double ski open and mixed divisions. Harry Hewitt celebrated a double victory after being the quickest across the sand in the traditional 2km dash, meanwhile, Celia Meyer was the fastest of the open women’s category. Australian Surf Life Saving Championships 2km gold medallist and Denmark’s Anthony McEwan flexed his muscles, winning the over-50s dash. ASLSC event organiser Nick Walker said despite the tricky conditions, the day was met with high spirits for all involved in yet another successful edition. “The mood among competitors coming off the water at the finish line was certainly buoyant,” he said. “There was a sharp rise in the number of young teams and first timers and they really seemed to relish the challenge and enjoy the huge variety in the course, from the fast downwind run across the harbour and through the channel. “There was a real sense of camaraderie on the water among all the competitors and the perfect level of friendly competitiveness. “A welcomed presence of volunteer water safety crews out on the water battled the conditions at times to help keep everyone safe. “The whole day was made possible with the help of a huge team of volunteers and Albany SLSC would like to extend its thanks not only its dedicated membership base, but also to those in the wider community who chipped in support.”