New Zealand’s Piha surf boat crew has triumphed at the European Open Surf Boat Championships at Biarritz, France on Friday (7 September, 2008).

The open mens crews Piha and Mt Maunganui, were clearly the strongest of more than 30 mens crews that included an Olympic coxless four from France.

Conditions favoured the New Zealand crews with nearly two metre surf replicating the big surf days at Piha and Mt Maunganui.

But conditions were too big on Saturday, which was to have been the heats and finals of the European Ocean Thunder series, an identical series to the Open European Championship.

“Most of Saturday racing was called off because of huge storm surf,” said Mark (Horse) Bourneville. “Some of the better crews wanted to row out anyway because of the huge public gallery and interest on the beach, but the lifeguards would let us.”

“We ended up doing a small inshore demonstration instead of the full length race series,” he said.

“I had my usual Piha crew of Bruce O’Brien, Matt Kirke, Hayden Smith and Craig Knox,” said boat captain Horse. “We were allowed to use six rowers throughout the two series, so we included James Dillinger from the New Zealand Olympic coxless four and Brad Myton, who is an ex-Red Beach boatie currently lives at Oxford University in England and who actually rows for Oxford.

“It was interesting that the top three crews ended up in the same semi-final with the first two to go through to the final,” said Bourneville. “The Cornwall crew, who were champions last year, got knocked out of the competition with ourselves and The Mount first and second in the semi”.

The French Olympic coxless four crew made the final with an Australian sweep with the top English crew from Twickenham making up the four in the final.

“Ourselves and Mt Maunganui got a really hot start, but both of us were hit hard by a couple of really big sets,” said Horse. “Piha survived and rowed on, but unfortunately Mt Maunganui back-shot and broke their sweep oar and that was the end of their race.”

“Mt Maunganui rowed really well – there were only three crews that came through the heats and quarter finals unbeaten, our two crews from New Zealand and the Blue Bali crew from Cornwall in England,” he said. “Piha and Mt Maunganui were quite clearly the two best crews on the beach”.

The Wellington womens crew of Titahi Bay SLSNC raced well finishing third in the womens final. They were a clear second, but they lost the race up the beach when the runner went to the wrong finish flag and finished third. 

Also competing from New Zealand was the Aotearoa Old Boys team, including Ben Ashby and Brett Hamer of TItahi Bay SLSC. 

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Left: Piha crew sporting the NZ flag in Biarritz
Right: Aotearoa Old Boys team en route to Biarritz