Weather conditions were a little unpredictable as crews threw steely determination into paddling their Outrigger Canoes around the 3.5 kilometre course on the bay.

Although calm at the beginning of the day, squally showers and a south-westerly wind blowing up throughout the afternoon made paddling conditions a little more challenging.

Three canoes upturned in choppy conditions half way around the course, but no casualties resulted - apart from wounded pride and bruised egos.

Three heats and an exhilarating final resulted with the Doral Mineral Sands team, Defenders, winning the event for the second year running.

Team member Jay Ramierz said the team had undertaken six weeks of training to prepare for the event, under the guidance of club coaches Annie and George Williams and club president Rick Tucker.

"We went out for a paddle one night of the week and ran through a series of drills to get a feeling for how the canoe handles and learned to ensure we all stayed in the boat," he said.