Cook Islands couple takes podium at US paddleboard competition

Husband and wife team Damien Heather and Ana File-Heather, both new to outrigger rowing, took the podium at the Gorge Downwind Champs in the US earlier this month (8-13 July).

The couple entered the Class 2 Outrigger Canoe race with very little experience but were very pleased with their results, finishing second in the 99-person age group and third overall.

“We are very happy with our result in the 21km race against experienced paddlers,” said Anna. “We couldn’t have asked for a better result.”

With the temperature reaching 41 degrees and the water still cold, the couple enjoyed their first surfing trip at OC1.

The Gorge Downwind Championships is a week-long downwind rowing festival held annually in the Columbia River Gorge, an hour outside of Portland, Oregon. The event is in its 10th year.

Although the Downwind Championship has only been around for a short time, it has become the largest downwind paddleboarding competition in the world.

This year, over 750 paddlers signed up for the event, which will be bused throughout the day to allow paddlers to paddle as much as possible with a favorable wind.

“We had the best time,” Anna said. “It was a week of downwind fun culminating in a 21km final race – and by fun I mean you can jump in the canoe, surf to the shuttle, jump back to the shuttle with the canoe, and then go back to the start, over and over again.”

“It’s exciting to race with over 800 paddlers in a landscape like this.”

The biggest challenge was finding a canoe. Anna said it was not an easy task, adding that they were lucky to have recently met someone relevant when they became a canoe dealer in the Cook Islands in April.

One of the highlights of the Canyon Championships is the ‘epic atmosphere.’ Ana and Damien are looking forward to returning to the Canyon Championships with more Cook Islands paddlers.

They were inspired to create more international rowing experiences after competing in the World Canoeing Championships and have been keeping a close eye on interesting international competitions.

The couple competed in the Takapuna Aotearoa Waka Ama in February this year and later signed up for the Gorge Downwind Champs.

Ana would like to thank the Rarotonga boating community for their great support.