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Sam Bullock's races normally take about 8-12 minutes, so it was understandable his feet were numb and legs didn't work during the six-and-a-half hours of his recent adventure.
The 26-year-old last weekend kiteboarded the 119-nautical mile distance from Auckland to Russell.
Bullock had hoped to see if he could kiteboard the course under Frank Racing’s PIC Coastal Classic record of five hours and 13 minutes but the conditions didn’t allow for a quick time even though he still averaged more than 20 knots. It also meant he was stuck on starboard for virtually the entire journey which played havoc with his body.
“The hardest part was getting around Cape Brett,” Bullock explained. “Because of the wind direction, I had been on the same tack for the last three hours so when it came to gybing my legs were seized into position and my feet were numb.
“On a normal training day, we cover quite a bit of distance but we’re never on a single tack for more than about 1km. I couldn’t move my legs but I had to do a few gybes and fell off them all until my legs got moving again.
“It’s definitely a very, very long way and was really hard work but it was an awesome experience. It’s such a beautiful coastline to race along. I’m stoked that I made it all the way and was stoked to beat Frank Racing into Russell.”
Bullock wasn’t the only one to kiteboard from Auckland to Russell, with Matt Taggart about 15 minutes behind. The pair were supported the whole way but Bullock didn’t stop, instead grabbing food and drink off the side of the RIB while still foiling.
Former Yachting New Zealand board coach Dave Robertson was the first to complete the same run on a kiteboard, doing it in 2014, and Ben Turner has also achieved the feat.
Bullock said he will “definitely” be back for another crack but his attentions now switch to next month’s World Sailing meeting to decide on the format and equipment to be used at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Kiteboarding has been included on the programme and Bullock is hopeful they will opt for hydrofoils, which is what has been used on the racing circuit in recent times.
In the meantime, the two-time national champion will try to build the kiteboarding fleet in New Zealand, particularly younger boarders who might have ambitions to compete at the 2024 Olympics.
