Cory Hill - Overall Men's Champion

He's not known as Cory "Chill" Hill for nothing!  This cool customer lead the race from start to finish, never looking anything but commanding.

Hayley Nixon - Overall Women's Champion

Great interview with a very happy Hayley Nixon, who took her first ICF Ocean Racing World Championship title.

Kenny Rice - U23 Men's Gold

Kenny Rice (RSA) overcame a poor start and enjoyed an astonishing downwind section to finish in fourth place overall, beating his brother Sean and taking the U23 title.  This makes three out of four victories in the sibling rivalry stakes this year!

Linnea Stensils - U23 Women's Gold

Gold for Sweden - third time out for Linnea and she took the U23 title...  Not bad going.  

Oscar Jones - U18 Gold

Looks as though the future of Australian surfski is in good hands with this youngster, who beat Frenchman Hector Henot by over two minutes to take the U18 title.

Sabina Lawrie

South African Sabina returns from Hong Kong to take her final exams at school...!  

Best of the best

“It was really tricky,” said Hill, “It always is here in Hong Kong.  You’ve got the best of the best paddlers lining up.”

Athletes came from over 30 countries – no question the best of the best: defending champion Cory Hill, inaugural champion Sean Rice, multiple world marathon champion Hank McGregor, South African Surfski Champion Jasper Mocke, the charging Kenny Rice, Matt Bouman and a host of up and coming European paddlers such as Nicolas Lambert, Gordan Harbercht, Esteban Medina, Benoit Leroux, Walter Bouzan and more.

Chaos at the Start

The waves breaking on the beach complicated the start; one ski, swept sideways as its paddler attempted to mount, hit Paul Rosenquist’s rudder and bent it sideways.  He repaired it on the spot, but found himself last off the beach.

He wasn’t the only one;  “I had a terrible start; the starts are pretty chaotic at these races!” said Kenny Rice.      

Meanwhile, the lead bunch had got away cleanly, Hank McGregor pulling the field out of the bay towards the raging open water.

Hank McGregor leads the pack out of Clearwater Bay

Out to Ninepins

A brisk headwind and steep, confused head-on chop greeted the paddlers as they exited the sheltered waters after the start.

“That headwind at the start is not something you love,” said Cory Hill, “but coming from Australia, we do a lot of training into the wind so it… does suit us.

I used that to my advantage.  It is a strength of mine paddling into the wind…”

Too true: a kilometre from the start and Hill had powered into the lead, making the most of the reflected chop bouncing of the base of Steep Island on the right.  4km more and they were at the Ninepins Group where they turned around the southernmost rock pinnacle to tackle the downwind section.

"From there, it’s put yourself in the best position," said Hill, "and… yeah, it’s awesome! "

Big Swell and Big Ships

The lead never changed; Hill powered away downwind, using his strength to get onto the big waves, continually working left to stay on course. 

McGregor was on a line some 300m to the NW, dicing with Kenny Rice, who’d recovered brilliantly from his bad start, while Jasper Mocke, Sean Rice and Mackenzie Hynard were on a line somewhere in between. 

Jasper Mocke meets a ship!  (Sean Rice goes the other side)

“Jasper and I were ding-donging it,” laughed Sean Rice afterwards, “and a tanker came right through the middle.  I went round the front of it, which is not the right end to go…  the bow was coming down and I was thinking, ‘my wife is gonna kill me – if I don’t die myself!’  It all worked out well so what can you say?! 

“But the boats are part of this race and you’ve got to stay on your toes!  The wind, the waves and the boats, so…” 

Kissing Whales

At the Cape D’Aguilar (aka the Kissing Whales), Hill took a wide line, while McGregor and Kenny Rice took a tighter line near the rocks. 

"I had a good downwind leg and bridged the gap on Cory," said McGregor.  But..

"I got to Kissing Whales and I was just ahead of Kenny Rice and got one swamping and I lost a hundred metres in, like, 20 seconds so I was suddenly lying third.   I had to catch up to second and, yeah, Cory had the edge in the end and hats off to him, he deserved it.”

The positions just before the finish - Hill 3232, McGregor 3207, Mocke 3204, Kenny Rice 3105, Sean Rice 3201

The Conditions

“It was a real surfski race,” said Matt Bouman.  “This is a great venue; it’s got a bit for everybody: there’s a flatwater bit, there’s a power bit, there’s a downwind bit and it’s hard, it’s a really honest race.”

Poor quality screen grab - but it does give an idea of the conditions between Ninepins and the Kissing Whales

(That's Jasper Mocke)

Sean Rice agreed: “That was a tough race; it’s always a tough race!  The Hong Kong Dragon Run doesn’t leave any prisoners…  I’m disappointed in my race; I would love to have won the thing but at the end of the day I left it all out there and I did what I could.  I can’t be too disappointed but I’m really happy to see the level of paddling: it’s just getting better and better and better!”

“Crazy conditions; that’s probably one of the biggest we’ve raced,” said Kenny Rice. “Big ground swell running, fantastic runs.  They couldn’t have asked for more: a pure display of surfski.” 

Hong Kong is Amazing

Hill was ecstatic with his result: “Hong Kong is amazing; you’ve got a great paddling community; I can’t thank everyone enough for putting this race on year after year and getting all the best paddlers here, it can’t be easy!  I’ll be back next year, this was my sixth time here; let’s come back for number seven next year!”

Results Summary and Links

(Click here for the full official ICF results, click here for all the results including the masters categories on WebScorer.

Click here to re-run the race on tractrac.com and to review the Masters’ sections’ results

Click here to review the video coverage on YouTube)

Open

1. Cory Hill (AUS): 1:31:55
2. Hank McGregor (RSA): 1:32:20
3. Jasper Mocke (RSA): 1:32:53

Under 23

1. Kenny Rice (RSA): 1:33:53 (4^th overall ahead of his brother Sean!)
2. Hynard Mackenzie (AUS): 1:35:39
3. Valentin Henot (FRA): 1:37:54

Under 18

1. Oscar Jones (AUS): 1:38:22
2. Hector Henot (FRA): 1:40:33
3. Noah Havard (AUS): 1:41:12

Growth

Surfski as a sport has seen massive growth in the last five years, as evidenced by the relatively large women’s field of 45 paddlers from some 16 nations: Australia, China, Denmark, France, Germany, Japan, Korea, New Zealand, Portugal, Samoa, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tahiti and the USA.

Southern Hemisphere

The favourites were from the southern hemisphere: defending champion Teneale Hatton (NZ), Rachel Clarke (NZ) and the South Africans Michele Burn, Hayley Nixon and Nikki Russell with Olympic sprinter Bridgitte Hartley.

Start to Ninepin Group

At the lifesaving-style start, Teneale Hatton (her surf lifesaving pedigree showing) surged straight into the lead; on the flat calm protected water of Clearwater Bay, the field immediately formed a line of slipstreaming boats, Hatton pulling at the front.

Teneale Hatton leads the pack

A $500 hotspot prize was on offer for the first competitor around the Ninepins turn point, presenting a dilemma: do you paddle hard for the hotspot, knowing that it’s only about a quarter of the way into the race?

Hatton, her teammate Rachel Clarke and South African Nikki Russell pulled away from a second group of four South Africans: Hayley Nixon, Michele Burn, Bridgitte Hartley and Jenna Ward.

Ninepins to Kissing Whales

As the field rounded Ninepins, the groups that had been nose-to-tail exploded as the paddlers tried to find the optimum line for the downwind section. 

Within a few minutes, Hayley Nixon had put the hammer down and had taken the lead on an inside line to the right of the rest of the paddlers.

The tactical challenge: how much energy do you conserve?  The 10.5km downwind leg is followed by a flat 5km grind into the finish at Stanley Beach.  “If you only have 10% left at Kissing Whales,” said ex-champion Michele Eray, “it’s a very long 5km!”

Hot, humid, flat conditions

At this point the paddlers were going at close the speed of the wind, in humid, 26C conditions – gruelling!

And in these conditions, to harness the energy in the little waves, you have to go all out to accelerate and catch them…  If you don’t, the paddlers around you will drop you; if you do, you’re facing heat and fatigue…

“For anyone who hasn’t done this sport… or who’s transferred to this sport from flat water racing,” said commentator (and Olympic Sprint Champion) Ivan Lawler, “you have no idea how difficult it is to read this water. What you and I would see as a random series of bumps, these guys see… a conveyer belt of waves helping them, and that’s why flat water paddlers really don’t feature in these races.”

As the Kissing Whales loomed into view, it was clear that Michelle Burn’s wider line seemed to have paid off.

Inevitably, as the field approached the turning point, the paddlers fell back into line: Nixon, Burn, Hatton each paddlng on their own and a closer group comprising Hartley, Russell and Clarke.  

Hayley Nixon and Michelle Burn on the Stanley side of the Kissing Whales.

Final 5km

The final grind to the finish saw Hayley Nixon and Michele Burn maintaining their positions while Teneale Hatton sprinted to third place.

The final shots of the live video transmission showed a mixture of exhaustion and exhilaration on the athlete’s faces as they cooled off in the water.  Congratulations to the 2017 ICF Ocean Racing World Champions…!

(Given the excellent weather forecast for the men's race tomorrow, a case could be made for having a two-day window period with the men's and women's races run on the same day, but perhaps 30min or an hour apart...   but many of the skis are being shared and used in both races.)

Interview with Champion Hayley Nixon

Summary Results:

(Click here for the full results) 

Open Women

1. Hayley Nixon (RSA): 1:55:23
2. Michelle Burn (RSA): 1:55:39
3. Teneale Hatton (NZ): 1:56:14

Under 23

1. Linnea Stensils (SWE): 2:00:49
2. Kyeta Purchase (RSA): 2:04:15
3. Laury Sainte Mairie (FRA): 2:09:02

Under 18

1. Sabina Lawrie (RSA): 2:05:23
2. Georgia Sinclair (AUS): 2:06:31
3. Zara Wood (RSA): 2:18:27

Times and Tracking

According to the information available the races are scheduled for 10h00 Hong Kong time, Saturday and Sunday.

Live Tracking

Click here for live tracking

Live video

...will be shown here with commentary by Ivan Lawler:

Click here for the women's race on Saturday

Click here for the men's race on Sunday

The Course

The course follows the same route as that pioneered for the Dragon Run, the hugely successful event that has run every year since 2007 when Dawid Mocke won the inaugural event.

The course consists of the three very different sections:

• Clearwater Bay to the Ninepin Group
• Ninepin Group to Cape D’Aguilar
• Cape D’Aguilar to Stanley Beach

Clearwater Bay to the Ninepin Group

From the start, the paddlers head in a southeast direction.  On Sunday the wind will be blowing at nearly 20kt ENE so they’ll have a strong diagonal headwind and quite sizable waves.  As they pass Steep Island, 2.5km in, they’ll pass through an area of reflected chop as the waves rebound off the sheer cliffs.

As they approach the turn at Ninepin, there’s a short section of protected, flat water where there’s opportunity to accelerate before heading downwind.

Ninepin to the “Kissing Whales”

(The landmark rocks at Cape D’Aguilar look just like a pair of whales head to head.)

At around 7km in, the paddlers turn downwind.  If the forecast lives up to expectations, the men’s race on Sunday will have a great downwind. 

It’s often a technical downwind: ships’ wakes and waves reflected off the islands to the right of the course create opportunities for alert paddlers to create sequences; superimposed on that lot should be a 3m/8sec swell heading in from the east…

The sea becomes a maelstrom of churning water at the Kissing Whales – the swell hits the rocks and rebounds almost without losing energy.  Paddlers need to choose between cutting the corner through the mess, or taking a wider turn to avoid the roughest section.

Kissing Whales to the finish

The best, cleanest waves are often to be found for 1-2km after the turn: the swell wraps around the Cape, but the sea is sheltered from the wind and the chop disappears…

…only to return again as the paddlers cross the bay.  Depending on the exact angle of the wind, the paddlers may have a tailwind – but it often blows almost side-on with a nasty side-chop to upset their rhythm.

Forecast

The men's race is going to have a cracker on Sunday; unfortunately the forecast is not ideal for the women's race on Saturday...

Paddlers

Click here for the full list of female paddlers

Click here for the full list of male paddlers

Bring it on!

Yesterday saw Cape Town experiencing “proper” Miller’s Run conditions – average 28kt increasing to 30kt over the course of the afteroon and gusting to 38kt.  The sea was fairly wild with occasional sets of what felt like enormous swells coming through.  The usual short crashing sounds of the breaking waves were interspersed with longer, intimidating rumblings that seemed to go on for ever…  and which provoked thoughts of “don’t look back” and “Hmm… I don’t want to be hit by one of those” and “Keep your speed up”.   In other words, fabulous conditions.  But...

Unfortunately we had two emergencies, both involving gear failure and swimming paddlers over the course of the afternoon.  Happily, both ended well, but the gear failures are a concern – hence this article.

Yesterday's wind recorded at Fish Hoek

Failure #1 – Leg leash

The first incident happened at around 3h30pm.  A group of paddlers had set off from Miller’s Point and were approaching Fish Hoek when one of them fell off his ski.  He remounted, but fell off again – and this time he lost his grip on the ski and it simply blew away from him.  Somehow, his leg leash had detached itself.  

Estimates vary of the distance of his resulting swim (his estimate is 2-3km; his buddy’s estimate is around 1km!) but he was very cold by the time he climbed out and over the rocks near Glen Cairn. 

(Incidentally, he wasn’t on his own.  But his buddy, after shepherding him all the way from Miller’s Point, had just caught a run and had gone perhaps 200m further ahead.  When he stopped to check on his friend, he could see nothing – not the swimmer, not the surfski.  By the time he got to shore and raised the alarm, the swimmer had reached shore.)

And that was when I received the call from the NSRI – just as I was setting out for my own Miller’s Run.  A few calls to establish that the paddler was home and dry and NSRI stood down.

But it could have been very different; if it had happened further out to sea, things could have been very much more serious. 

We can’t tell why the leash unclipped; it didn’t break, the catch simply came undone. The leash in question has a plastic quick release clip – did this slip?  Who knows?  What is certain though is that no single piece of safety equipment is infallible.  Components can age, can break, can slip, clips can be fastened incorrectly. 

When you use a leash:

• Make sure it’s properly clipped on.
• Replace it regularly - every 1-2 years.  After your PFD, it’s your primary safety device.
• Consider using a paddle leash as well.  If your primary leash detaches or breaks, the paddle leash might save you.
• Give some thought to what you’d do if you did lose your boat.  What distance can you swim?  Have you a means of calling for help like a mobile or VHF radio on your person (as opposed to on the boat)?  How would you tell anyone your position?

Failure #2 – PLB

The second incident of the afternoon occurred later when a second group did the Miller’s Run.  (My buddy and I set off about ten minutes after this lot, and we never saw any of them.  Shortly after the start, I was hit side-on by a wave and took a brief swim.  Aside from that, the run was glorious.)

The paddler in question had had his boat damaged when the wind knocked it against the trailer and had borrowed a ski to do the run.  It wasn’t set up quite the same as his boat and he was uncomfortable and eventually fell off and was unable to remount.

He had a PLB with him – which he activated.  He then swam for an hour and half towards Simon’s Town.

The alarm was raised by the Miller’s Run taxi who’d noticed that he was overdue, and the NSRI activated. 

No alert came from the PLB system.

By the time the NSRI launched, he’d already arrived within 100m or so of the Simon’s Town harbour wall.  They picked him up and took him to the base where he was treated for mild hypothermia and released unharmed… 

 

The paddler's track - swimming from just after km 4

What happened with the PLB?

The PLB company has been contacted and are conducting an investigation to find out why the alarm wasn’t raised.  It’s far too soon to speculate on the reasons, but we will feedback their findings.  But whether it was user error or system failure or communication failure, the point again is that no one system is a silver bullet.

In this case the paddler had his leash and his PFD and his fitness which enabled him to swim most of the way to safety.  Hats off to him.

Use SafeTRX!

A system worth considering is the SafeTRX app, which is integrated directly into NSRI’s communication systems.  The Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre in South Africa (MRCC) receives alerts from SafeTRX and inform NSRI.  NSRI has immediate access to the SafeTRX data, which includes the user’s GPS position. 

In this case, had the paddler used the app in “Sail Plan” mode, his overdue status would have automatically alerted the rescue services – and he could also have triggered the alert himself.  NSRI would have known exactly where he was and he’d have been out of the water a lot sooner.

NSRI (and I!) strongly recommend SafeTRX RSA for South African paddlers.  SafeTRX is available in many parts of the world including most of Europe and Australia.  

Wash-riding

Wash-riding (or "slipping" as it's sometimes know) is what you do when you position your boat either directly behind or to one side of a boat in front.  In a similar manner to riding a bicycle in a peleton, you benefit from riding the slipstream of the person in front.  Just how effective this is can be measured using your heart rate.

Paddle Group

I am fortunate to have a big group of paddlers to train with who are all able to sustain long paddles at a good pace (13 km/hr).

Once a week after doing intervals on the way out from the club over 8km, we form groups of 3-4 and each paddler then leads for 3 minutes while we sustain race pace.

If the group is only 3 the overall pace will start to drop as you don't get as much recovery.

These HR were taken from our last session in a group of 4 at a constant pace.

Heart Rate Measurements

(Refer to the diagram above)

In my case my HR was 166bpm over 3 minutes leading, 155bpm while on the side wash (a 7% drop) and only 140bpm on the diamond wash (a 16% drop in HR).

Depending on the size and weight of the boat and paddler you are washriding these savings can be much greater. (many races have team boats and singles racing together and the wash from large team boats can be a huge advantage)

Often in our sessions if someone is doing it tough and looks like dropping off, we'll tell them to stay in the diamond and that's enough for them to hang in until we get back to the club.

Practise!

The message here is practise washriding. It's a critical skill in any form of marathon racing as it enables you to perform far above what you can if paddling alone.

As for etiquette. Well that is really up to the circumstances.

Take your turn?

Much like professional cycling, paddlers expect everyone to pull their weight in the chase pack or the breakaway, but there are valid reasons not to.

If it's a large lead group, more than 4 paddlers, chances are everyone wants to be in the front 4. That's where the greatest gains are and also less risk on turns or squeezes to be dropped. For this reason there is really no expectations to take a lead, some people may be just hanging on while others will be trying to get around and reshuffle the pack to get into the front group.

If you are a group of 2-4 off the front, you may agree to work together to pull away from any chasers.

If you are a group of 2-4 in the chase pack you may agree to work together to catch the lead pack. Although at some point during the race if you are not closing the gap quickly enough you may start to think about just racing the people around you and that agreement is forgotten.

Here's where it gets tricky if you are in the lead pack or at least leading others you don't want to catch you. You may have someone in the group who decides they don't want to lead. They don't really care if other paddlers catch you because they are confident they will win any end sprint.

I've seen this happen where a group of 3 worked hard to stay away in a race while the 4th didn't lead, only to win the race.

I was in the pack chasing them. I later said to one of the young paddlers in the front pack, "Was there anyone in our group you couldn't beat in a sprint?" His answer, "No" , well I said, "Maybe next time don't feel like you have to pull the group, let the pace drop, then one of two things will happen, the paddlers not working will start working or the chase group will catch you and you have saved yourself for the end sprint".

That's what makes this sport so much fun, it doesn't just require technique, skill and fitness, but also tactics to make a winning difference.

Revo Foil - What is it?

The Revo Foil is a standard Revo R3 surfski equipped with a hydrofoil on a single mast attached to the boat by means of a Tuttle Box.  (The Tuttle Box is essentially a reinforced slot inserted into the bottom of the hull.)

It's intended to be a wave-riding (i.e. a downwind) boat.  It's not intended for flat-water paddling.

The Hydrofoil itself looks a little like an aircraft: a large foil in front and fuselage with a smaller stabiliser wing at the back.

In theory if you get the boat speed high enough, the foils lift the hull out of the water, radically reducing drag and increasing speed (and surprisingly to me at any rate, manoeuvrability).  There’s no reason why one shouldn’t be able to turn and cut back as though you were on a surfboard, according to Greg.

Prototype: SUP foil

Revo is on prototype #6 – and up to now have been using an F-One SUP foil.  But, says Greg, the SUP foil has the wrong dynamics and simply cannot work with a surfski.  Part of the reason is that the technique of initiating “flight” on a SUP can’t be replicated on a surfski.

The F-One SUP foil is extremely difficult to use with a Surfski.  Can't be done, said Greg

To fly a SUP, Greg says, you have to get the back of the board down to increase the angle of attack of the main foil; once the board is flying, you walk forward to get it back to neutral.  But you can’t do the same thing on a surfski. 

The angle of attack is critical, says Greg.  Consider that a foil set at an angle that produces 100kg of lift at 11kph will generate 300-400kg when it gets to 20kph.  If you can’t control it, you’ll go airborne!  This effect can be seen in a video from 2004 by foilKayak who were experimenting with foils on a K1...  Watch the "jumps" at about 1:16.

Achieving lift-off 

A breakthrough has been to work out how to get the surfski out of the water…  And the secret is in the initial angle of attack of the main foil and stabiliser. 

And once in flight?

Getting the boat out of the water is one thing, but you then have to control the foil – and this is achieved by moving the centre of gravity over the mast.

Provisional Patent

And this is what Revo have taken a provisional patent on.  Their solution is to create a movable seat so that the paddler can shift their weight forwards and backwards.

The design allows for two types of movement – static and dynamic.  The static part is the initial positioning of the seat assembly, which works in a similar manner to conventional footplate positioning.  So when you first get your Revo Foil, you’ll need to go through a once-off initial positioning of the seat.  The dynamic part is that the seat can also be slid forwards and backwards so that you can adjust the centre of gravity as you’re flying…  The movement is controlled by means of springs so that it’s self-centring, with the seat tending to move back to the centre/neutral position.

To control the height of the boat out of the water, you’ll shift your weight backwards to climb further out of the water, forwards to descend.  Optimum “altitude” is about 400mm according to Greg.

“But what about paddling?” I cried… “Your paddle blades will be waving around above the water!”

Patiently, Greg explained that the whole point is that once you’re flying, you don’t need to paddle.  If you’re good enough, you’ll take-off at the beginning of a downwind run and then ride the waves like a foiling SUP paddler until the finish… 

Greg expects the boat to weigh in at about 17kg with the foil installed.

Who will be able to paddle this thing?

Greg says that anyone will be able to fly the boat. Once it’s foiling, the stability actually increases dramatically; instead of balancing a round hulled boat, you’re riding a wide wing.

When will it be in production?

“We’re almost there!” says Greg.  The current prototype has “flown” but it’s too difficult for the average paddler to use. 

A new foil design, optimised for surfski, was being carved out by a CNC machine as I was speaking to Greg, and he said that they hoped to try it in the next few.

The new Revo Foil, in the CNC machine...

And the new foil plug...  getting closer

Greg says they considered keeping the project secret.  “But rather put it out there and let people come along for the ride,” he says. 

Given the interest on social media, there’s plenty of people who share the dream…  Stay tuned...

 Here's the map: 

Thanks Jonas Hollander!

Maui Jim Molokai Challenge 2017

$18,000.00 PURSE

 TIMELINE:

January 01	Registration opens.
April 23	12:00 midnight, early registration ends, late registration fee imposed.
May 14	12:00 midnight, Registration closes. Escort boat waiver and registration form due.
May 25	4:00 – 7:00 p.m. Kona Brewing Company in Koko Marina Shopping Center, Hawaii Kai: Race check in and packet pick up.
May 27	5:30 p.m. Kaluakoi, Molokai.  Pre-race meeting and pre-race dinner.
May 28	RACE DAY! Pule: 7:00 a.m. Start #1: 7:45 a.m. SUP and Prone mandatory start, and self-proclaimed slow paddlers. Start #2: 8:30 a.m. Female OC-1 and Surfski, and self-proclaimed slower/intermediate Male OC-1 and Surfski. Start #3: 9:00 a.m. Elite Male OC-1 and Surfski. Course Closes:  3:30 p.m. Paddlers must be around Portlock Point and inside China Wall or they will have to pull their craft off the water. Post-Race: 6:00 – 10:00 p.m. Awards Banquet with ono food and Kona Brewing Company’s “Liquid Gold”
May 30	Take a breath and relax.
June 03 & 04	Maui Jim Ocean Festival in Ka’anapali, Maui. $50,000.00 purse. Click here for details.

Maui Jim Molokai Challenge DIVISIONS:

SOLO and RELAY:

Relay is one division only, but can have 2 or 3 person teams for single seated crafts and 3 – 6 person teams for double seated crafts. There is not a different division for varying number of team members.

Craft Divisions:

Surfski-1, Surfski-2, Prone Paddleboard, SUP, V-1, OC-1, OC-2.

Surfski-1, OC-1:

• Solo – Male and Female:
• Junior (18 and under), 19 – 29, 30 – 39, 40 – 49, 50 – 56, 57 – 63, 64+
• HAWAII RESIDENT: There will be a division and award for the top SS-1 Hawaii resident paddler
• Relay: 2 or 3 paddlers per team.
• Male and Female: Open = 1^st–3^rd, Juniors, 19-50, 50+.
• Mixed: Open

V-1:

• Solo – Male and Female: Open
• Relay – Open (Male, Female or Mixed)

  Surfski-2, OC-2:

• Solo
• Male and Female: Open
• Mixed: Open
• Relay: 3 – 6 paddlers per team.
• Male and Female: Junior, Open.
• Mixed: Open

SUP:

• Solo – Male and Female
• Unlimited – Any board size: Open
• Relay: 2 or 3 person teams: Male, Female and Mixed
• Unlimited: Open

Prone:

• Solo – Male and Female
• Unlimited: Open
• Relay: 2 or 3 person teams: Male, Female and Mixed
• Unlimited: Open

 
For more details visit www.kanakaikaika.com.   And don't forget, use discount code: KIRA10 to save 10% when booking tickets on Island Air!

Lettie Fund

The race was moved from its traditional Friday slot due to this week's FNB Dusi Canoe Marathon, however hundreds of avid surfski paddlers came out to show support for the Lettie Fund, which supports those currently in a fight against cancer and remembering those who have lost their battle to the disease.

Having only missed one of the opening seven races of the 10-leg series, McGregor knew what was on the line at the Lettie Paddle Surfski Challenge and the Euro Steel/Epic Kayaks' star took no prisoners over the 8km course.

"The race went a lot better than last week for me and it's great to cap off my sixth win of the series with an overall series title," McGregor said.

"I got myself a good lead early on and just managed to build on that but I didn't want to do too much with the Dusi starting just 48 hours after the race.

"I did just enough to get the win and really chuffed with the series win!"

The men's race podium was rounded out by the series' runner-up Matt Bouman, and junior Hamish Lovemore was in really good form to bag his second third place finish of the series.

Ladies Race

The ladies series quest took another exciting twist on Tuesday evening when Euro Steel/Carbonology Sport's Hayley Nixon claimed her third win to move into a tie with Bridgitte Hartley with three wins apiece.

The flat conditions were going to test the athletes to the full at the seventh race of the series and for Nixon she was satisfied that she managed the conditions well and got another vital win.

Hayley Nixon

"It was a bit unusual to come out on a Tuesday night for the race but it was another great race in some gruelling conditions.

"I missed having Bridgitte (Hartley) because she really ramps up the racing but it was great to be out there again and taking on the men so it was interesting to see the times," Nixon mentioned.

Euro Steel's Kyeta Purchase rounded out the ladies podium with another solid showing at the Lettie Paddle Surfski Challenge.

Visitors

Dawid Mocke and Ian Black

The leading double was the Capetonian pair of Dawid Mocké and Ian Black who pipped Jason Ekstrand and Sweden's Emil Torstensson in second and Joseph Williams and Phillip Smith rounding out the podium.

Luke Nisbet and Jenna Ward were once again in imperious form as they wrapped up another mixed doubles win and an impressive third place overall finish.

Flat conditions made for tight dices...

Jody Taylor won the short course ahead of Chester Foster and Alan Beukes while the strongest double went to the family pair of Zoog and Ty Haynes.

Matthew Swemmer bagged a victory in the stand-up paddleboarding category ahead of Shayne Chipps and Brandon Read with Jackie de Billot winning the ladies SUP category.

The FNB Surfski Challenge, Race Eight of the 2017 FNB Surfski Series, takes place at 17h30 on Friday, 24 February at Marine Surf Lifesaving Club, Addington Beach. More information can be found at www.marineseries.co.za.

Race Video - Race 6

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SUMMARY OF RESULTS – Lettie Paddle Surfski Challenge
RACE SEVEN OF THE 2017 FNB SURFSKI SERIES

LONG COURSE

1. Hank McGregor 30:40
2. Matt Bouman 31:04
3. Hamish Lovemore 32:19
4. Grant van der Walt 32:21
5. Gene Prato 33:01
6. Bailey de Fondaumiere 33:07
7. Steve Woods 33:16
8. Lee McGregor 33:19
9. Simon van Gysen 33:23
10. Thomas Lovemore 33:32

Women

1. Hayley Nixon 35:40
2. Kyeta Purchase 37:06
3. Michelle Burn 37:15
4. Donna Winter 37:17
5. Pippa McGregor 38:54

Men Doubles

1. Dawid Mocké/Ian Black 30:42
2. Jason Ekstrand/Emil Torstensson 31:04
3. Joseph Williams/Phillip Smith 32:09
4. Shaun Burgin/Lee Muir 33:04
5. Byron Mckie/Irvin Dixon 33:31

Mixed Doubles

1. Luke Nesbit/Jenna Ward 30:58
2. Raquel Arcediano/Gareth Miles 34:57
3. Derek Hauptfleisch/Lynn Hauptfleisch 38:12

Women Doubles

1. Louisa van Staden/Wilma Deyzel 38:01

Juniors

1. Hamish Lovemore 32:19
2. Brendon Delport 36:12
3. Sabine Lawrie 39:09

SHORT COURSE

1. Jody Taylor 19:48
2. Chester Foster 21:20
3. Alan Beukes 21:36
4. Carmel Billson 21:54
5. Kevin Oliver 21:58

Women

1. Carmel Billson 21:54
2. Siobhan Sharp 22:36
3. Alice Ward 23:31

Doubles

1. Zoog Haynes/Ty Haynes 19:44
2. Dean Smith/Keaton Riddle 19:59
3. Billy Harker/Tracy Harker 20:09

SUP

1. Matthew Swemmer 24:18
2. Shayne Chipps 24:51
3. Brandon Read 25:43

Women

• Jackie de Billot 26:37
• Charlotte Atherton 27:27
• Danica Bartho 28:58

The FNB Surfski Series is known for its relaxed, everyone-welcome attitude and that philosophy has seen the event grow into the biggest of its kind in the world, however the racing at the sharp end of the field was anything but relaxed.

"Bit of a hiccup"

Euro Steel/Epic Kayaks' Hank McGregor notched up his fifth win from six races when he continued to show why he is arguably the best ocean paddler in the world at the moment.

"I had a bit of a hiccup near the start when I got into a clash with another boat going around the first buoy," McGregor mentioned after his win.

"There was a knock of paddles as we rounded the buoy and I got flipped out so I must have lost about 30 or 40 places!

"I really had to work hard after that and managed to catch back to the front guys after about three quarters of the first lap."

It was a slog for the defending series champion McGregor who had to wind his way through the field in order to catch the contenders and in a live display of McGregor's tenacity he was not happy to settle when he reached the front paddlers.

"I got to Matthew (Bouman) at the end of the first lap and sat with him for a little bit and then managed to get ahead of him over the last lap and get my fifth win of the series, which I am really happy about!

"It was great to have Matthew back this week to strengthen up the field so to get a win against such a strong group is always satisfying.

"It was phenomenal that we had some international paddlers out here, especially Emil from Sweden!" McGregor added.

With an overall series win in sight, McGregor needs one more win over the next four legs to wrap up yet another series title and his series clinching win could come as soon as Tuesday at the Lettie Paddle Surfski Challenge.

Series Lead - Women's Race

The ladies series took another dramatic turn on Friday evening, with Euro Steel's Bridgitte Hartley edging out team mate Hayley Nixon for her third win of the series and an overall series lead going into the final four races.

Bridgitte Hartley now leads the Women's Series

Hartley's win sees her move ahead of Nixon, who has two wins to her name, and Michelle Burn, who has one win, into the outright lead however, with four races left and unpredictable weather conditions Hartley will be under pressure to maintain her advantage.

Hartley took the race honours ahead of her nearest rivals Nixon in second and Burn in third.

Doubles

In what was probably the performance of the race the mixed duo of Luke Nisbet (Bay Union/Fenn Kayaks) and Euro Steel/Fenn Kayaks' Jenna Ward took the overall race honours ahead of McGregor.

The pair started the series slowly but have got into their stride and showed their class in a double ski by pipping Hank McGregor to the line.

First overall, beating Hank McGregor for line honours for the first time: Luke Nisbet and Jenna Ward

Family Friendly

The ever-popular novice-friendly 4km short course proved to be a family affair yet again with a number of family doubles rising to the top of the result sheet.

The pair of Zoog and Ty Haynes were the first across the line ahead of Dylan Bridges and Eugene Swanepoel with the Swart duo of Justin and Stefan finishing the race in third place.

SUPs

As usual, SUPs were well represented - Jon Ivins heads out...

Nick Park-Ross returned to take his third win in the stand-up paddleboarding category ahead of Brandan Read and Shayne Chipps while Jackie de Billot won the ladies SUP category.

With the FNB Dusi Canoe Marathon taking place from Thursday to Saturday next week the Lettie Paddle Surfski Challenge will take place on Tuesday, 14 February rather than Friday evening.

The Lettie Paddle Surfski Challenge, Race Seven of the 2017 FNB Surfski Series, takes place at 17h30 on Tuesday, 14 February at Marine Surf Lifesaving Club, Addington Beach. More information can be found at www.marineseries.co.za.

SUMMARY OF RESULTS – BORLAND SURFSKI CHALLENGE, PRESENTED BY MARRIOT
RACE SIX OF THE 2017 FNB SURFSKI SERIES

LONG COURSE

1. Hank McGregor 35:37
2. Matt Bouman 35:51
3. Grant van der Walt 36:30
4. Wade Krieger 37:04
5. Hamish Lovemore (U18) 37:40
6. Bailey de Foundaumiere 38:11
7. Buckey Symons 38:14
8. Emil Torstensson (SWE) 38:50
9. Oliver Burn 39:22
10. Nic Burden 40:35

Women

• Bridgitte Hartley 40:08
• Hayley Nixon 41:00
• Michelle Burn 41:40
• Kyeta Purchase 42:26
• Kerry Segal 43:22

Doubles

Men

1. Tyron Maher/Lee McGregor 35:46
2. Jason Ekstrand/Richard Lowe 35:58
3. Byron Mckie/Irvin Dixon 37:21
4. Shaun Burgin/Lee Muir 37:28
5. Matt Carlisle/Geoff Thompson 38:59

Women Doubles

1. Louisa van Staden/Wilma Deyzel 43:34
2. Debbie Gillett/Debra Lewis 44:08
3. Jacqui Boyd/Vanessa Mayhew 46:14

Mixed Doubles

1. Luke Nisbett/Jenna Ward 35:32
2. Barry Lewin/Carly Davidson 39:06
3. Raquel Arcediano/Gareth Miles 40:100

Juniors

1. Hamish Lovemore 37:40
2. Brendon Delport 41:54
3. Sabina Lawrie 47:35

SHORT COURSE

1. Bruce Jackson 23:45
2. Jody Taylor 24:05
3. Dave Rees 24:53
4. Shane Gouldie 25:08
5. Alan Beukes 25:54

Women

1. Teegan Hardwick 25:26
2. Siobhan Sharp 26:00
3. Cara Waud 26:17

Doubles

1. Zoog Haynes/Ty Haynes 21:48
2. Dylan Bridges/Eugene Swanepoel 22:19
3. Justin Swart/Stefan Swart 22:21
4. Lance Howarth/Gabi Howart 22:23
5. Scott Sowman/Ryan Engel 22:59

SUP

1. Nick Park-Ross 30:05
2. Brandon Read 30:18
3. Shayne Chipps 31:21
4. Matthew Swemmer 31:25
5. Robbie de Billot 32:23

Women

1. Jackie de Billot 32:47
2. Charlotte Atherton 0:33:49
3. Lande Williamson 35:06

Really Nice Runs

In the men's race McGregor revelled in the light Easterly onshore conditions, powering away from his nearest challenger Grant van der Walt over the two laps, with Wade Krieger making up the rest of the men's singles podium.

"The conditions gave us some really nice runs on the downwind leg coming into the beach," said the EuroSteel/Epic Kayaks athlete.

"I managed to get a gap on the first lap and then managed to hold off a charging Grant van der Walt on the second lap to claim the win," he added.

Hank McGregor dominated from the start

After missing the start of the series, McGregor has taken a stranglehold on the men's title race with his unbeaten run since he re-joined the weekly showdowns. It will be interesting to see whether he maintains his presence in the next two races, squeezed into five days before the FNB Dusi Canoe Marathon.

Intrigue

Nixon was thrilled with her win in the women's race in the moderate downwind conditions, adding real intrigue to a women's series that has seen the top three places juggled regularly amongst the world class field of female surfski paddlers contesting the Durban Bay Friday night hit-outs.

"The ladies race started with quite a charge. Donna Winter and Michelle Burn shot out of the blocks," said Euro Steel/Carbonology Sports' Nixon.

"Bridgitte Hartley and I had some serious work to do to catch up to those two rocket ships, but we managed to be all together by the first turn can. Then Bridgitte and I got away, racing stroke for stroke, pushing each other to see who would fall off the pace," said Nixon.

Hartley opened up a hundred metre lead on the outbound leg, and looked to have a vital race win in her grasp. But Nixon retooled her race plan, as she did in her recent Perth Doctor win, and by the end of the first lap she had caught Hartley as they turned into the tricky leg that was being battered by the side swell.

"In those conditions, it can be quite hard because your boat is being thrown around quite a bit, I focused on taking those hits and keeping my rhythm and managed to get away from her," said Nixon.

She powered away on the second downwind leg, pacing herself against fellow male paddlers, always aware that Hartley's speed and fitness were a threat behind her.

Her win throws the women's series title race wide open, with Michelle Burn having won in big sea conditions last week, and the tenacious Bridgitte Hartley consistently racing to vital wins and podium places in the first half of the series.

Doubles

The form doubles crew of Jason Eckstrand and Richard Lowe once again laid down a scorching marker, posting the quickest time of the evening, with Lee McGregor and Tyrone Maher taking second and Travis Wilson and Bruce Wenke the third doubles prize.

Jason Eckstrand and Richard Lowe won again

Jenna Ward and Luke Nisbet, making a strong start - they won the mixed doubles category

Kyeta Purchase and Tamryn McKie romped home to take the women's doubles scalp.

Short course honours went to Matt Maroun, with the young doubles crew of Tayla Wakeling and Thomas Lovemore impressing with the fastest short course time of the evening.

Brandon Read was the first stand-up paddle boarder to cross the finish line on the beach outside Marine SLC.

The Borland Surfski Challenge presented by Marriott, Race Six of the 2017 FNB Surfski Series, takes place at 17h30 on Friday, 10 February at Marine Surf Lifesaving Club, Addington Beach. More information can be found at www.marineseries.co.za.

SUMMARY OF RESULTS – EURO STEEL SURFSKI CHALLENGE
RACE FIVE OF THE 2017 FNB SURFSKI SERIES

LONG COURSE

1. Hank McGregor 39:08
2. Grant Van Der Walt 39:51
3. Wade Krieger 40:26
4. Hamish Lovemore 40:50
5. Steve Woods 41:00
6. Gene Prato 41:32
7. Bailey De Fondaumiere 42:38
8. Jordon Clauson 43:37
9. Lee Furby 44:32
10. Gavin Searle 44:35

Women

1. Hayley Nixon 44:58
2. Bridgitte Hartley 45:13
3. Michelle Burn 46:53
4. Donna Winter 49:05
5. Pippa McGregor 49:15

Men Doubles

1. Jason Ekstrand/Richard Lowe 38:57
2. Tyron Maher/Lee McGregor 40:19
3. Travis Wilson/Justin Wenke 41:46
4. Shaun Burgin/Lee Muir 41:53
5. Linton Hope/Bruce Wenke 43:26

Women Doubles

1. Kyeta Purchase/Tamryn McKie 46:30
2. Louisa Van Staaden/Wilma Deyzel 50:06

Mixed Doubles

1. Jenna Ward/Luke Nisbet 39:36
2. Raquel Arcediano/Gareth Miles 46:53
3. Lynn3 Hauptfleisch/Derek Hauptfleisch 49:05

Junior Boys

1. Hamish Lovemore 40:50
2. Brendon Delport 42:58
3. Sabina Lawrie 5:55

SHORT COURSE

1. Matthew Maroun 26:03
2. Bruce Jackson 27:13
3. Jasper Gaylard 28:07
4. Dave Rees 28:10
5. William Dowsett 28:19
6. Andrew Atkinson 28:39
7. John Craig Springate 29:24
8. Conraad Purchase 30:13
9. Siobhan Sharp 30:15
10. Alan Beukes 30:52
11. Teegan Hardwick 31:06

Doubles

1. Tayla Wakeling/Thomas Lovemore 23:575
2. Keaton Riddle/Aston Lawson 24:38
3. Zoog Haynes/Ty Haynes 24:46
4. Ryan Roberts/Ross Roberts 25:50
5. Lance Howarth/Jade Howarth 27:10

SUP

1. Brandon Read 38:05
2. Matt Swemmer 40:06
3. Robbie de Billot 40:09

Backline Start

With the series having been dominated by benign conditions in the opening three weeks paddlers were made to start at the backline for safety purposes which meant an even starting point for all as Fenn Kayaks' Burn licked her lips at the challenging conditions.

"I much prefer bigger surf and being able to get good runs," Burn said.

"It was a really welcome change for me because I am using the FNB Surfski Series to just get my fitness up and the previous weeks have been tough as I am not as strong as the other girls!

"To get a win is really good as I am still working my way back into paddling and it is satisfying to see that I can keep progressing each week."

The women's series is wide open with Bridgitte Hartley missing Friday's hit-out meaning that Euro Steel/Carbonology Sports' Hayley Nixon's second place finish has closed the gap to Hartley at the top slightly.

Young Euro Steel star Kyeta Purchase finished in third again in the women's race.

Third Win

The men's race was another one horse show as Euro Steel/Epic Kayaks' Hank McGregor once again showed his class in the varied conditions, to take his third win of the series and assert his dominance over the rest of the men's field.

"The backline start is always unique but it was great having some different conditions this week as opposed to the previous three.

"I managed to get myself a good lead on the first lap and then I just made sure that I consolidated that lead into the second lap and right to the finish.

"I'm happy with a third win in the series and I always find the FNB Surfski Series is the perfect way to start the weekend," a satisfied McGregor mentioned.

Hank McGregor finished 34 seconds in front of team mate Matt Bouman

The men's podium was finished off by SMG/Epic Kayaks' Matt Bouman in second and the come-back-kid Grant van der Walt in third ahead of Wade Krieger.

Doubles

Friday saw another strong performance from the impressive couple of Bay Union/Fenn Kayaks' Luke Nisbet and Euro Steel/Fenn Kayak's Jenna Ward as they were not only the first mixed double across the line but also the first double to finish the long course.

The pair of Nisbet and Ward finished just ahead of Tyron Maher and Lee McGregor in second the form pair of Jason Ekstrand and Richard Lowe in third.

Luke Nisbett and Jenna Ward won the doubles race overall

The short course once again proved to be a hit with paddlers who did not want to take on the 8km longer version and it was grand master Bruce Jackson who was the strongest paddler just ahead of Zoog and Ty Haynes in second and Sebastian Garreau in third.

Yeeeeeeha!

SUP

The stand-up paddleboarding division saw a new winner on Friday as Shayne Chipps proved to be too strong for the rest of the field whilst Brandon Read and Jon Ivins finished second and third respectively.

Next Race

The Euro Steel Surfski Challenge, Race Five of the 2017 FNB Surfski Series, takes place at 17h30 on Friday, 3 February at Marine Surf Lifesaving Club, Addington Beach. More information can be found at www.marineseries.co.za.

SUMMARY OF RESULTS – THULE SURFSKI CHALLENGE
RACE THREE OF THE 2017 FNB SURFSKI SERIES

LONG COURSE

1. Hank McGregor 32:18
2. Matt Bouman 32:52
3. Grant van der Walt 33:32
4. Wade Krieger 34:13
5. Gene Prato 34:22
6. Steve Woods 34:32
7. Oliver Burn 36:27
8. Hamish Lovemore 36:52
9. Brett Hadiaris 37:24
10. Jordon Clauson 37:31

Women

1. Michelle Burn 39:14
2. Hayley Nixon 39:39
3. Kyeta Purchase 42:43
4. Donna Tutton 43:48
5. Pippa McGregor 50:15

Men Doubles

1. Tyron Maher/Lee McGregor 34:33
2. Jason Ekstrand/Richard Lowe 35:07
3. Bailey De Fondaumiere/Alex Masina 35:51

Women Doubles

1. Debbie Gillett/Lyn Bennett 45:54
2. Sharon Armstrong/Carly Davidson 47:51
3. Louisa van Staden/Wilma Deyzel 49:05

Mixed Doubles

1. Luke Nisbet/Jenna Ward 34:20
2. Stuart Lang/Lesley Wilson-Jones 37:13
3. Raquel Arcediano/Gareth Miles 40:24

Junior Boys

1. Hamish Lovemore 36:52
2. Emanuel Zaloumis 41:12
3. Brendon Delport 42:58

SHORT COURSE

1. Bruce Jackson 20:58
2. Sebastian Garreau 23:45
3. Dave Rees 24:23
4. Jeffrey Maingard 25:23
5. James Matthews 25:41

Doubles

1. Zoog Haynes/Ty Haynes 21:11
2. Scott Sowman/Ryan Engel 24:30
3. Byron Volek/Bridgitte Parker 25:45

SUP

1. Shayne Chipps 37:55
2. Brandon Read 38:13
3. Jon Ivins 42:39

Cool Paddle

Despite the field being slightly depleted with paddlers opting to travel to Underberg early for the N3TC Drak Challenge starting on Saturday, SMG/Epic Kayaks' Matt Bouman was surprised by the conditions that were served up to the competitors.

"It was another really cool paddle," the experienced Bouman said. "The wind was a bit surprising as we were expecting a south-easter which would have been a bit miserable but we got a pumping south-wester which gave us nice gentle bumps all the way to North Beach."

The dice at the front of the race was between Bouman and Wade Krieger, a battle that has played out often in the surf in and around Durban.

"The race was fun as always, Wade is paddling well and for a while I didn't think that I was going to drop him.

"It's an honest, hard race every Friday with nowhere to hide and I am grateful that I was able to come out on top," added Bouman.

Women's Race

Having finished second in the opening two races of the series to Bridgitte Hartley, Euro Steel/Carbonology Sports' Hayley Nixon is in for a bumper weekend of racing starting with an impressive win at the FNB Surfski Series.

Hayley Nixon

"I am glad that I was able to come down and do the race before leaving for the Drak Challenge tomorrow," she mentioned. "The south-wester meant that we had a few more bumps and runs to try and catch on the way to the can at North Beach.

"There was a bit of a head wind coming back which forced you to work hard."

Nixon was the first to admit that the field was not as strong as previous weeks but she knew that it was important to keep her wits about her with the likes of Michelle Burn chasing her the whole way.

"It was a bit of a depleted field with some of the girls making the trip up to Underberg early but with the likes of Michelle Burn on the start line you can never be complacent.

"I was happy that I had a great race and with this being my third week back in training things are starting to feel better and I feel a bit more connected to the boat," Nixon added.

Jason Ekstrand and Richard Lowe made it three wins from three in the doubles category on Friday while Sharon Armstrong and Jonty Dobrowsky taking the mixed doubles honours.

Jason Ekstrand and Richard Lowe continue to dominate in the Doubles category 

In the short course it was Matthew Mouron who took his third in a row with Keaton Riddle and Luke Criticos in third.

Nick Park-Ross took his third win in the SUP category with Danica Bartho taking the win in the ladies SUP race.

Next Race

The Thule Surfski Challenge, Race Four of the 2017 FNB Surfski Series, takes place at 17h30 on Friday, 20 January at Marine Surf Lifesaving Club, Addington Beach. More information can be found at www.marineseries.co.za.

SUMMARY OF RESULTS – DAIKIN SURFSKI CHALLENGE
RACE THREE OF THE 2017 FNB SURFSKI SERIES

LONG COURSE

1. Matt Bouman 32.35
2. Wade Krieger 33.25
3. Gene Prato 34.19
4. Ian Greig 35.26
5. Lee McGregor 35.27
6. Paul Rabinowitz 36.08
7. Oliver Burn 36.18
8. Brett Hadiaris 36.54
9. Irvin Dixon 36.54
10. Gavin Searle 37.01

Women

1. Hayley Nixon 35.44
2. Michelle Burn 36.55
3. Sabina Lawrie 40.39

Doubles

1. Jason Ekstrand/Richard Lowe 32:36
2. Shaun Dias/Matthew Elliott 34.19
3. Shaun Burgin/Lee Muir 34.24
4. Neil Evans/Gustav Kriese 35.12
5. Calvin Mckie/Byron Mckie 35.23

Mixed Doubles

1. Sharon Armstrong/Jonty Dobrowsky 40.01
2. Thando Thusi/Lauren Coleby 40.33
3. Amanda Seidler/Dean Maclean 44.08

Junior Boys

1. Brendon Delport 38.56

Junior Girls

1. Sabina Lawrie

SHORT COURSE

1. Matthew Mouron 19.21
2. Keaton Riddle 19.44
3. Luke Criticos 19.48

Doubles

1. Vandile/Mhlengi Gwala 18.24
2. Scott Sowman/Ryan Engel 18.37
3. Zoog Haynes/Ty Haynes 19.41

Might be a bit nose-heavy, but it works!

SUP

Men

1. Nick Park-Ross 25.12
2. Daryl Bartho 36.13
3. Brandon Read 26.21

Women

1. Danica Bartho 29.20
2. Shannon Clark 29.53
3. Lande Williamson 30.45

Mysterious Concept

One of the more mysterious concepts in paddling is resistance training. Most paddlers use resistance of some sort, but when asked why, often can't give a good answer – or just say it makes them stronger.

In this article I'll try to make things a bit clearer and less voodoo…

There are four types of popular resistances:

• Extra weight
• Bungee cord
• Ball/tube under the boat
• Tin can/parachute

Resistance Devices - take your pick!

Each one of these has a different purpose:

• Extra weight helps the paddler enhance boat glide
• The ball and tube can help the paddler improve their power of the stroke
• The tin can will help define the power phase of the stroke
• The bungee cord can improve strength and endurance

Technical

First and foremost, resistance training is a technical type of training and is not meant to improve paddler fitness. (That might be a bi-product but it’s not the prime goal.)

My goal when incorporating resistance into training (and all other technical training) is to help me improve my race stroke, meaning the ability to sustain my race DPS (distance per stroke) while maintaining my race SPM (strokes per minute).

When adding resistance to the boat, achieving my DPS becomes harder, so I must be extra careful not to lose DPS. To achieve this, I can either take my SPM lower or paddle at my race SPM, but for a shorter duration. That’s why it is extra important to monitor your DPS while doing resistance training.

How can I tell the resistance is too great or the session too hard? When I cannot achieve my race DPS, or my DPS starts to drop significantly during the session.

Warning!

Note that if you allow that to happen, your muscle memory will learn to paddle with less efficient technique - so beware! To be clear: if you overdo the resistance training and you’re not measuring your DPS (and SPM), you may actually do harm to your technique instead of improving it.

Recommendation:

Instead of going 10 minutes straight with the ball, split it.

Do:

• 10 x 40 seconds paddling/20 seconds rest or
• 1 minute paddling/1 minute rest

In other words, use resistance training for sprints/short efforts. Don’t paddle with 3 balls under the boat for an hour until you can’t keep your back straight!

(Exciting pic of a lead weight!)  It can be anything - just make it 5-10% of your body weight

Weight in the Boat

Using weight is an excellent way for improving boat glide. But I'm afraid most paddlers use it in the wrong way: in an attempt to improve their force output while paddling. (Although that may be a bi-product, if you want to focus on force output, an underwater resistance like a ball or tube is more effective.)

Unique Advantage

The unique advantage of training with extra weight is the ENHANCED INERTIA of the boat while paddling. When a boat is heavier and the paddler is reaching "planing speed" he/she will feel that the boat is moving by itself; this happens because the boat has more inertia pushing the boat forward.

This state is a great condition in which to practice an efficient and short catch (meaning not paddling past vertical) because the paddler feels the boat driving itself; the only thing he should do is just nudge with a short and efficient stroke that emphasises and improves the glide.

When done correctly it feels like running downhill, with less and less effort as the boat speed increases.

Guidelines

• Use about 5%-10% of your body weight, no need for more. Remember, it’s a technical exercise; it’s not the gym!
• For maximal results, you should split the training 2/3 with the extra weight and 1/3 without. Don't forget to take the weight out, at first it will feel strange and you will have to adapt to the new stroke but that’s how your muscle memory learns to incorporate the new feeling into the technique. After 10-15 minutes you'll adjust and will have better glide and DPS.
• Use Motionize and try to see if the Stroke Length to DPS ratio has changed from your regular session. DPS minus SL is the net boat glide, try to improve it!

Resistance training to improve maximal speed and sprint.

The average DPS in a race (from 200m sprint to marathon, the only thing that varies is the SPM) is about 220-260cm.

So if we want to improve our sprint speed (first 15 seconds) we first must teach the paddler to paddle with 250cm DPS with slow SPM (stroke per minute) and slowly through the season try to increase the cadence without losing quality.

How we do that? Let’s say we have five blocks to our season. In each block we'll do two kinds of training:

• 1.50m starts x 15
• 2.50m starts with resistance (ball under the boat).

Each of these sessions we'll do on a weekly basis.

In the first block, we'll try to do all the sprints with 20 strokes each at 100 SPM. That should give us a time of about 12 seconds in each sprint.

On the resistance training I'll try to keep the same number of strokes (20) but of course at a lower cadence: 80SPM. That will result in 15 seconds for each sprint.

In the next block we'll repeat the same method but will increase the cadence for 120 SPM for the regular sprints and 100 for the resistance sprints. This way you should progress from block to block until you'll reach your expected top speed SPM.

Goal SPM

How do I know what is my expected top speed SPM? Aim for the same start SPM you had in your last major competition. In general sprint specialists start between 160-180 SPM and 1000m / marathon/ Surfski paddlers will start between 130-150 SPM.

Resistance Size

You should choose the size of your resistance according to the 250cm DPS. If you can't reach it, take a smaller resistance.

This is the template, each paddler should choose their own individual starting point and end goal for the end of the season, don't overreach; start slowly with what you know you can do and slowly but surely progress your way throughout the season

Notes

• The DPS must always be around 250cm, don't let it slip under 200cm and compensate with over extra stroking.
• Of course you can vary the distances, but make sure to keep it measurable.
• Keep it A-lactic, meaning don't overextend the sprints to more than 15 seconds.

Please share your thoughts with me,
Roei