Thundercat crews from all over the North Island are ripping into action on Tauranga Harbour as they compete in the inaugural ‘King of the Island' race.

The 110km stint started from Sulphur Point at 10am, with boats racing out of the harbour and north to the Bowentown entrance and back to Sulphur Point.

The Thundercats start their 100km race. Photos by Tracy Hardy.

Event organiser Ash Weeks says Tauranga has really turned the weather on for us today.

'We have clear skies and not much wind compared to last night when it was blowing a gale.

'So perfect conditions for thundercat racing.”

Ash says they would like a bit more surf to even the playing field.

'More surf means it doesn't matter how fast you are, the surf will slow you down and even the playing field for the slower boats.”

The same crews from today will be competing in The Mount race is surfcross racing tomorrow, beginning at Tay St at 11am. This will provide spectacular viewing for the public, as boats rip across waves at speeds of up to 80km/h.

Ash says this is part of our National Series.

'We have two long hauls and four surf cross events. Both these are national events and they count towards our national point standings.”

He says the long haul racing is about endurance and is a lot more punishing on the body.

'A lot of the guys don't like it because of that. With these boats you're doing close to 100km/h on the water so it's quite hard on the body.

'It's about mental strength as well as how fast you boat it. So the surf cross events are slighting different as they are short races and you don't have to be quite as physically fit.”

Ash says this is one of the most physically demanding races of the year they will be competing in.

'They guys will moan about it but they will enjoy it and talk about it with a beer after the race.”