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When you combine a brand new rookie crew with a handful of death defying surf based training sessions in killer tides and throw them in cars for a road trip to Sydney you get Mako’s debut at the Lunar Festival in Darling Harbour. And what a day it was…
With the crew arriving on site bright and early, we were surprised to see that most of the local crews looked they had been camping there like the great camp out for tickets at the 1976 Bay City Rollers Tour. Langers nodded knowingly as he watched the crowd sprawl into every piece of available shade having attended said Bay City Rollers show for his 40th birthday.
The heat was building early and by the time warm up was done, the smell of sweat and beer began to betray some of the Mako Friday night pre-race preparations. Den mother Lynney kept a great cap on the Prymont Party house that always had the potential to get out of hand early, could she (or would she) control them on Saturday night…..
Mixed Mayhem
Nerves jangled and rattled as we headed off for our first Prem Mixed and at times some members could barely contain their excitement and babbled gibberish……..
Bear: “How’s this Simon, huge regatta, best teams in the State, awesome venue. I’m jumping outta my skin here. How you travelling?”
Simon : “Good.”
Off to the line and with an uber casual park in new surroundings, Chicki lined up the crew, and it was on for young and all. Blink of an eye and Mako were out of the blocks and hauled down course to pull a good time and grab third in the opening heat. Not dusty at all, but the crew all knew that we had more, with our single goal for the day etched in our minds – get faster each trip out.
With crews looking to the single final, everyone hardened up and attacked our second heat with a poise and discipline not expected from an L-plate salt water crew in their first Darling Harbour outing. The Mako crew shaved 1.5 seconds (third of a boat) off in the second run and finished the mornings racing with a very bloody cool 15th placing out of 31 crews. Ohhhhhhh yeah!!!
The Heat Was ON
It was hot, damned hot….as we hit the afternoon racing and teamed up with Stormin Norman and the folks from Sudu to field out crews in the Prem Women’s, Prem Men’s and Senior A Mens. With the organisers making a goof welfare call for all, it was one round of heat and a single final and nothing to lose.
I’ll get to the racing parts in a minute but the really cool part of the day was seeing how adaptable both crews were in jumping into a bat to race with (for some) no shared sessions under the belt.
Our Women were first out and sent a Senior A crew into a Prem brawl and finished up with a 11/16 ranking.
Senior A Open had a great heat run and jumped into the final for a hard fought 6th and a 6/15 ranking on the day.
Prem Open’s had a harder go of it, with their sweep (forget his name, some young go getter with a snappy hat showing all the skills built by crashing into beaches backwards) to avoiding a train wreck with Lane 4 by a coat of paint before crossing the line with a ‘Stop Stop, *^&&*^*&^*&^ Stop’ as the Darling Harbour wall loomed large in front.
As the sun set over a still freakishly hot Darling Harbour, Mako adjourned to spa baths full of champagne and the inevitable trip (and subsequent ejection) to and from Karaoke for Sonja and Amanda, Mako wrapped up Lunar New Year for 2020.
Huge thanks for the DBNSW organisers and volunteers who stuck out hellacious conditions to keep the day running.
Thumbs up to Norman and the Sudu crew for sharing the journey, more shenanigans afoot there me thinks.
Normal programming resumes for Mako this week…but what’s ahead????
