Phoenix member Sandy Jenner is a Pilates instructor and personal trainer. At 46 she is the second oldest team member. The Lantau-based mother of Jess, 10, and Tyson, six, recounts her personal journey that led to outrigging as a sport.
'My mum was from a small village called Salelologa on Savaii in Western Samoa. She migrated to New Zealand when she was only 17 to do her nursing training. She left her family behind and lived with her auntie and uncle and their family of eight kids. She met my father in Auckland; they fell in love and decided to marry.
Mixed marriages were taboo in those days, but despite resistance from my father's parents, they got married.
'I guess I grew up a little confused myself, but as I've aged, I've become more aware of who I am, and the blood in my veins.
'Outrigging has sparked my interest in my own history, to understand and appreciate the amazing voyages undertaken by my ancestors.
'I feel proud to be Polynesian, and it's something I'll be able to share with my own children.