Rob Gittoes writes:

One of my biggest regrets in life was not finishing the 111km Hawkesbury Classic last year. The worst thing about it was I had to do it again to prove to myself I could. The problem was last year I had a lot more km's under my belt but not the right expectations or goals.   Last year I was 80% physically ready to do it (even though Benny Brown only talked me into it 4 weeks before the race) but only 20% mentally
ready.

This year I was 80% mentally ready to go but only 20% physically ready but just one goal in mind & that was to finish.  I was paddling a few times a week with the ESS crew but averaging only 6-10km's a
session, I couldn't find the time or bring myself to go out & do 30km paddles by myself (although I did have a new hip which I was sure would make all the difference). 

The upside of this years race was that there were 15 Sup's entered (up from 6 last year) & I knew I'd have the company of some great like-minded paddlers.  My plan was no real plan other than to keep paddling no matter what.  Last year I paddled the 14 x 23.5 Starboard Ace which was definitely quick on the flatwater but unstable when I was fatigued.

This year I paddled the NEW Bic 14 x 28" Tracer.  A much smarter choice, way more stable with plenty of room to move around the deck when I needed to & it was already setup with attachment points for my waterproof bag & all the safety gear that you're required to take. 

It was great catching up with old & new faces at the starting point at Windsor, the only downside was it must have been 35 degrees in the shade & getting your gear sorted in the heat was a killer.  The Sup's started at 4.15pm & of course the non-existent breeze in the park started up as a headwind for the first 15 or so km's. Not as bad as last years but along with the heat it was enough go through your fluids faster than expected. 

Matty & Mark took off at the start aiming for a race record (which they both broke) while I just tried to get into a rhythm & settle in for the long night ahead. We enjoyed a fantastic lightening show which fortunately stayed out to the side of us & the wind died down as the sunset creating beautiful paddling conditions. 

I pretty well paddled the first 30 odd km's with Pete Hopkins, Andy Ferno & Dave Sorrenson.  The boys kept up a good steady pace & we all arrived at Sackville within 10 minutes of each other. Pete took off after a quick Pitt-stop while I waited for Andy to eat & Dave to finish his massage.  

The 3 of us headed out into the night bound for Wiseman's Ferry taking it in turns up front & making sure no-one was left behind in the darkness. This leg was a real slog into the incoming tide & the aches & pains started to appear. With about 10km's to Wiseman's we were hit head-on with the southerly change, the last thing we wanted after paddling for 7 or so hours!

Talk about a grind for the last few km's into Wiseman's in the distance.  We all agreed to meet back at our boards after a 20 minute stop for food & dry clothes so we could finish the last 56km leg together but after me needing some physio on my shoulder & Andy needing treatment to his blisters we lost Dave and headed back out into the darkness a little later than planned.  This is the hardest part of all & where I gave up last year!

After already paddling for 8 hours straight we now faced at least another 6 lonely hours to the finish but at least we had the tide with us & the wind had stopped making for ideal conditions for the next few hours at least. Instead of thinking about the distance to the finish we decided to just aim for the next checkpoint & focus on one  checkpoint at a time. 

After each checkpoint we'd treat ourselves to a little stretch & a snack or drink but each time we got back up it was a little harder to get your rhythm back & work out the stiffness.  At around 5.30am it was starting to get light & we were near Spencer which meant we only had about 11km's to go but we also knew the tide would be against us for the remainder of our paddle. 

It was a beautiful sunrise but an even more beautiful sight to see the Hawkesbury Bridge come into view in the distance. After 111km's and nearly 15 hours of paddling it was an amazing feeling to cross the finish line to the cheers of everyone waiting on land. Not sure I want to pick up a paddle for a while but hopefully when the soreness disappears I'll be getting for next years goal of doing the Molokai. At least the distance shouldn't be too much of a problem :)