Great turnout on a great day. All types of ski, kayaks and even rowing boats lining up. These events certainly are colourful.
Under the bridge was the normal choppy conditions with bounce back everywhere. One guy was paddling a boat made out of recycled bottles he collected from the harbour. I had a feeling most of them were going to end up back in the harbour. 
I stayed out of the mix for the start and managed to miss a couple of big pile up as boats got jammed up. 
Clearly there were a range of skills out on the water, from newbies (like me) to elite. A number of people had an unplanned swim, including one SUP paddler who came across in front on me, then fell in. I just missed him.
The conditions were probably quite tame. However the swell coming from the heads still kept me focused. I made it across the worst of it, and then within sight of the finish, fell in! I had a bit of an issue getting back on the ski, constantly falling off when the swell kept coming through.
Eventually I was back on and paddling to the finish. Actually, the 100m run along the beach to finish was the hardest part with my bad knee.
This is a great event so I plan to be back next year.
