The Eastern Bay Canoe Racing Club made a good start to their season on Lake Tikitapu recently.

The Blue Lakes Regatta, held to ease paddlers into the season ahead, featured 13 clubs with nine paddlers representing the Eastern Bay.

These included Evan Faithful, Fiete Osterhoff, Dom Rowland, Hannah Baxter, Jess Cleghorn, Greta Luttmer, Helena Pirnea (Arawa), Holly Rowland and Nicole Pirnea (Arawa)

Coached by Gary Waller, their goal was to record personal best times, which is what they did.

They also encountered some Olympian canoeists in their events.

Dom and Fiete tested themselves against Olympian Kurtis Imrie, who was racing in the K1 200m and 500m events.

One of the best results from the weekend came from Dom, who was first in the 2.5km paddle.

Holly and Helena were up against Olympians Tara Vaughan and Lucy Matehaere in the K2 500m, with Holly and her partner finishing second, while Helena and her partner were third.  

It’s only early in the season but the regatta was a perfect first hit out for the Eastern Bay paddlers as they eye bigger targets in 2026.

The club hosted two international students from Trident High School and Whakatāne High School, both from Germany, who have been training over the winter to compete in this regatta before they head home. Both students made finals in their categories.

In a new initiative, the club has started exchanges with Arawa Club. Sisters Helena and Nicole Pirnea travelled from Christchurch to compete and stayed with host families. Earlier in the year, Holly and Dom and Fiete travelled to Twizel for the South Island Championships, and were hosted.

If anyone is keen to give kayaking a go, the club trains Monday, Wednesday and Thursday on Whakatāne River from their base at the Whakatāne Yacht Club on Kakahoroa Drive.