Craft of all shapes and sizes took to the water off Kingscliff on Saturday morning for the inaugural Cook Island Challenge.
The Challenge – to paddle to Cook Island and back to the Cudgen Headland Surf Club at Kingscliff (or part of the way there, depending on the division) was taken up by 50 craft, with everything from outrigger crews to stand-up paddle boarders.
The more than $3000 raised by the event went to the Surf Club and to Prostate Cancer Research Australia.
Cheryl Cain, one of the event organisers, hailed the paddle, which was blessed with flat conditions and blue skies, as a success and definitely something to build on for the future.
“We were blessed with a beautiful ocean and a clear day,” she said.
“Even though it was a beautiful day, it was still a tough event – it was a 14 kilometre event all up. We will be looking at making some small changes for next year.”
She said there had been a lot of support from local businesses for sponsorship and prize giveaways and the paddle had also served its main aim of raising awareness of Prostate Cancer.
“Just about everyone who took part had been touched by the illness in some way,” she said.
