Port Macquarie June Long Weekend Regatta Wrap‑Up

What a fantastic June long weekend at the Flamin’ Dragons Regatta in Wauchope. Pendragons and Port Hacking joined forces as the mighty “PenHacking”, and the partnership couldn’t have gone better.

Regional regattas always bring something special — the road trip, shared accommodation, extra social time, and the chance to build new friendships both within our club and with others. This weekend delivered all of that and more. The weather gods were kind, giving us sunshine exactly when we needed it.

A big thank you to Alan and the Port Hacking crew for bringing the marquees, and to Mel for helping juggle entries and race crews. Balancing two clubs, multiple categories, and ensuring everyone had plenty of racing opportunities was no small task, but for our first combined outing, we absolutely nailed it. Thank you to every paddler from both clubs — you made this weekend memorable.

Special Thanks

• Linda Bowman – Our powerhouse sweep, steering 13 races across two days, including both finals. Maddie also stepped in to give Linda a well‑earned breather on Sunday.
• Our drummers – Kerrie, Pauline, Jane, Fiona and Maddie kept the rhythm strong all weekend.
• Michelle Thomas – One of our newer Pendragons and on her first road trip.
• Matt Parkinson – Our nominated volunteer and absolute champion. Matt spent two days knee‑deep in water and didn’t get fed nearly enough on Day 1.
• Kathy Howard – For brilliant photos, GoPro setup, and sharing everything on Facebook.
• Steve (Linda T’s partner) – For capturing great group shots so everyone was included.

Day 1 – 100m Dash for Cash & 2K Turns

The 100m Dash for Cash brought some interesting lane changes and a few creative interpretations of the 180‑degree turn required at the end. True to form, our Linda executed it perfectly. It was fast, fun, and set the tone for the weekend.

In the 2K turns race, we finished 8th out of 13 crews, with only a whisker separating positions 6–8. A solid performance.

Day 2 – Strong Racing Across All Categories

We entered:

• 20s Women
• 20s Mixed
• 10s Women
• 10s Opens Shire
• 10s Opens West

Finals were determined by combined heat times, and our standout performers were the 20s Women and 20s Mixed — fantastic results, especially as every paddler in our squad contributed to one of these crews.

We also had two bonus events:

• Newbies Race – for paddlers in their first season
• Oldies Race – for paddlers aged 70+ In the Oldies event, the winning boat included three of our own: Alan, Kerrie and one more mystery legend.

20s Women – Finalists

10 crews in the category

• Heat 1: 2nd – 1:02:27
• Heat 2: 2nd – 1:05:48
• Final: 3rd place + Trophy

20s Mixed – Finalists

11 crews in the category

• Heat 1: 2nd – 1:01:34
• Heat 2: 1st – 1:03:04
• Final: 4th place A tough start after being blown onto the buoy, but the crew fought hard and finished strong.

A Regatta Full of Fun, Spirit and Community

Flamin’ Dragons put on a brilliant event — music, bubbles, Vikings, dancing, a great raffle (with Michelle scoring a prize), plenty of food and coffee, plus the Oldies and Newbies races. It was the perfect way to wrap up the season in Port Macquarie.

Off the water, the fun continued:

• Relaxing by the ocean with coffee, watching surfers and swimmers
• A visit to “The Local” for Jenga and fire‑pit warmth
• A final celebration at The Beach House Pub (thank you Rebecca), complete with trophy photos and shared pride in our PenHacking success

Pendragons may be holding the trophy, but it’s absolutely shared custody with Port Hacking — our partners in every sense this weekend.

A Wonderful Finish to the Season

We had an awesome time both on and off the water and were thrilled to bring home a 3rd place trophy in the Women’s 200m. Thank you, Port Hacking, for joining forces with us — we were fabulous together.

Great racing, great company, and a brilliant way to close out the season.

Jane

Pendragons Coach