Dave won a medal. There was a Paddlefest competition in Nelson last weekend so we decided to hire a couple of inflatable boards and get stuck in. Saturday was a bright blue sky day and Dave was adamant we needed to be on the beach for not long after 7am to register and hear the briefing.

He didn’t account for NZ time. It’s not quite as stretchy as Fiji time but if we’d rolled up at 8.30am, we’d still have had plenty of time to get changed, nip to the loo, fly a kite, feed the chickens and learn Japanese. You get my drift. 

We signed up for the 5km race from the beach. A mix of different types of craft headed out round the buoys. A hired inflatable paddle board came with extra bonus drag that other boards seemed to lack. A special inherent feature to stop ringers taking the booty, well, that’s my amateur biased take on practically everyone being in front of me. 😀

It was a grand day out, with a fun 2km race round the rock after the 5km and then Dave got involved some team games with kayaks and broomsticks while I headed off to the market to buy veggies for the week. When I returned about an hour later, the bbq had been fired up so lunch was happily devoured with some chitty chat conversation with other competitors.

Sunday was sprints on the river. The day brought blustery winds. One second they’d blow down river and the next gust was up river, 180 degrees in the opposite direction. Go figure. The course was about 250m from one bridge to the next. Dave came 4^th in his heat. I came 4^th in mine. There were 4 competitors in each. My little heart was fair pumping in my chest by the finish. Someone has to come last. The Savage family contributed two such competitors. 

The final event was the prize giving gathering and buffet. We got a chance to meet more local paddlers, plus we won a couple of ‘spot’ prizes, a tee shirt and a dry bag. Dave also got his medal. And I got a sticker. Well done husband. He said it was for entering everything and winning nothing. Good boy. 

Back to getting ready for sailing south this summer, the week has been taken up with Grace chores. New rudder stop, new ceiling in the front cabin, stay sail sacrificial strip has been patched, the life raft has been tested, sanding and varnishing the dining table is ongoing, we got the gas bottles filled (which isn’t straightforward in NZ), we pondered new taps for the kitchen but the big news is we have a new spray hood cover, the stack pack is in production, we have cockpit cushions for the first time ever and the upholstery in the lounge is on its way. Whoo Hoo. Grace is going to look swanky soon.

In real time news, Dave is cooking omelettes for tea. I’ve been out playing tennis this afternoon. It feels like summer is on its way here. It’s a good feeling.