Lake Dunstan Boat Club regatta points officer Dave Robertson (left) presents Matthew Pope, of Gore, with the trophy for the overall winner. The trophy was donated by Stoop Gallery of Cromwell
The 20-year-old Gore car painter was competing in his first regatta, in his first season of racing.
His parents, Steve and Linda Pope, of Cromwell, organised the regatta and Steve also competed, in the same Formula 1 tunnel boat his son used.
‘‘Losing your seat in the boat to your son, especially when he beats you by so much, I'm not sure about that,'' Steve joked.
‘‘He'll have to save hard now to buy his own boat.''
Matthew had five first placings and one second.
The Popes were delighted with the success of the twoday regatta at Cromwell, which attracted 20 competitors.
The drivers were from throughout the South Island and one travelled from Auckland to take part.
‘‘We're pretty pleased with how it went, especially as it was our first shot at it,'' Mr Pope said.
‘‘The feedback was good and the competitors were all happy with the venue and the weather during the weekend.''
Saturday was hot, with a light nor'west wind, while on Sunday, the lake was like a mirror.
‘‘I was losing sleep on Friday about the possibility of rough weather, but we were blessed with two good days.''
The organisation of the regatta was a community affair, with many of the neighbours in their Cromwell street also helping out.
There was a separate race for Formula 1 drivers, which made up part of a national circuit, and the other races featured every other class of boat.
‘‘We mixed it up so you could see the advantages and disadvantages of different boats and it gave the locals a taste of something they've never seen before here,'' he said.
The Formula 1 boats had rev-limited engines but still reached speeds of about 185kmh during their races, which were held on a triangular-shaped course, near the confluence of Lake Dunstan and the Kawarau River.
The boat club had only been a member of the New Zealand Power Boat Association for one full season, and it had to be affiliated to run races.
Mr Pope hoped the weekend's racing would spark interest in the sport and build up the power boat side of the boat club. The event was likely to become a regular one.
