I personally do yeah don't get me wrong cleveland to port is epic and I have done it plenty and on some of the best days we have had and I rate it as the best around on those days but ive had a perfect northside run before and can't get it out of my head how good it was and my mate who is a gun paddler and kiter still rates that day the best ever too.
Not many will Agree with northside not many have done it though, none have had a 10 out of 10 day pinkenba to redcliffe run like we had, I have done this run plenty some days its a bit messy with current pushing into mouth of pine river but on an outgoing tide and 20 plus knots that opposite run of current agaisnt 25knots of oncoming wind just makes the whole thing stand up straight and it goes from deep water even in low tide to shallow sand banks were you get linked runs for 100's of metres often. Its probably not the quickest run with the opposite current to wind but thats just like hood river they down wind agaisnt the tide and all rave about that.
I would say the cleveland to port is a more consistant run as all you need is the tide to be high enough and a SSE to SE wind and you are going to have a direct run. When ive had some northside runs were its epic in sections but lousy in other parts that spoils the run on the day of a whole.
Northside heres why i rave about it.
1 - option of finish points with wind direction. Straight south will land you at the tip of scarborough almost 30km, SSE finish clontarf 17km (best run as it sucks you into the bay) SE cut right along the front of nudgee/sandgate finish at brighton 15km. Dont get me started on a straight northerly run its wild from redcliffe to sandgate area

and wish we got more consistant days to test this out more.
2 - tide got way more room to play with when you start as even on dead low you can start or finish on.
3 - line of site, a heap of landmarks to track where you are. Maybe its cause i am blind but i always struggle to pick the end point out early enough on the cleveland run.
4 - the finish. A wise man once said to me (jacko) haha
A race should always finish in good conditions because when you finish if you have just ridden bumps the last couple km to the finish line you are frothing and stoked and it makes
You remember the run or race in a more
Positive picture. if you are paddling side chop/flat water etc at the end thats what sticks in your mind when you first get out sort of dulls down the moment, unfortnately the cleveland to port run the last 1-2km seems to flatten out and its a bit of a side paddle of death to get into the cove of the boat ramp. The Northside the last few km is some of the best of the run and you finish riding a bump all the way to the beach everytime.
Ill never say no to a cleveland to port run though as you are honestly almost guaranteed to have an epic run if the timing of the wind and tide works out.