![\"Carnage](\"https:\/\/www.pyranha.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/01\/166370_480642309132_518059132_5466007_8102742_n.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nWords: Dave Hollins<\/p>\n
Photos: Fico Gallese<\/p>\n
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The section the BoaterCross was held on is a series of three drops, the first two are each about fifteen feet in height and the third is about twenty feet, with some smaller rapids in between.\u00c2\u00a0Each heat of three people\u00c2\u00a0started from a makeshift ramp, which was incredibly sturdy considering it had only been\u00c2\u00a0knocked up that morning.\u00c2\u00a0There were twelve heats, with only the winner of each going through to the next round. Then in the quarters, semis and final, four people\u00c2\u00a0were going head to head,\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0the first two from\u00c2\u00a0each race going through. I shrugged off my jet lag and did my best to keep the british end up, managing second in my heat.<\/p>\n
The river was fairly high, the lines are pretty tight and some of the holes are\u00c2\u00a0very sticky\u00c2\u00a0so everyone was expecting, and of course hoping, for alot of carnage. Sadly there was very little, only a couple of blown decks and a few beat downs. But the battles for the lead\u00c2\u00a0were fierce and all the races were really close.<\/p>\n \u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n In the final all four boaters were neck and neck coming off the third waterfall, but Jake managed to\u00c2\u00a0blast through from fourth place, cut across the boil on the left side of the fall and stay in\u00c2\u00a0 the lead all the way to the finish to take first place.<\/p>\n \u00c2\u00a0After the race the barbecue was fired up and everyone got stuck in to a fine chilean asado and a lot of not-so-fine chilean cerveza!<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n