Rough seas on Saturday ensured that a 30-year wait to bring offshore power boat racing back to Oamaru came to naught.
With swells outside Oamaru Harbour reaching up to 5m in height, officials from the New Zealand Boat Marathon Commission said they were left with no alternative but to cancel round two of the South Island offshore power boat championships.
NZ Boat Marathon Commission president Ian Spencer said the decision had left the 14 drivers, two of whom had travelled down from the North Island to enter the race, "gutted", but safety had to be paramount.
"It is solely for safety reasons, and the safety of our drivers is what we are all about."
Mr Spencer added that the cancellation also meant the race could not be rescheduled.
"To hold the race on another day we would have to gain permission to raise speed limits from Maritime New Zealand and the harbourmaster."
The race had been scheduled to take place outside Oamaru Harbour, returning to the town for the first time in 30 years.
Although race convener Gary Story, from Oamaru, said it was "a shame" the race could not go ahead, he was happy the right decision had been made in terms of safety.
"That's racing - that's what happens when you're racing on the ocean."
