Tuesday, 20 September 2011 10:27
Tough conditions at SA Surfski Champs
Top paddler Hank McGregor dominated a star-studded field which included four of the five top ranked paddlers in the Ocean Paddler 2011 Surfski World rankings. The two day event encompassed the South African Single and Double ski championships and was held in Richards Bay, some 160km north of Durban, and hosted by the Zululand Kayak Club.
Double Ski Championships
As a result of huge four metre swells on the first day of the event the decision was made to start and finish the event in the Richards Bay Harbour, and make it a 23km out and back course. Starting at Pelican Island and rounding the North breakwater paddlers were confronted by a 15 knot headwind which freshened to 20 knots by the time the skis reached the turn mark. The big swells resulted in paddlers having to take a wide berth around the bank 3km north of the harbour breakwater, where the swells were breaking far out to sea as the sets rolled through.
The sea got steadily rougher as the race progressed, and the turn mark was a welcome sight. The runs back to the harbour were exhilarating and the leading skis took an hour to cover the 10km stretch into the wind and half that time to cover the downwind leg. Racing was close at the front of the field, and the first five skis finished within a three minute time period. The race was won by Hank McGregor and Grant van der Walt in a time of 1 hr 40 mins, with Matt Bouman and Bevan Manson in 2nd and Dawid Mocke and Barry Lewin in 3rd.
Single Ski Championships
By Sunday the swells had subsided to a more manageable two metres and with a forecast 10-15 knot north easterly the decision was made to do the 23km downwind stretch from the Nhlabane River mouth to Richards Bay. Even at two metres the shorebreak was intimidating and as a result a deep water start was scheduled, with paddlers being given 20 minutes to get out through the surf zone.
The race started in a 10 knot northerly wind which freshened to 15 knots by the finish, and with good runs all the way fast times were the order of the day, the leaders averaging 17km/hr over the whole course. Hank McGregor won comfortably in a time of 1 hr 22 mins, almost two minutes clear of Dawid Mocke, with Matt Bouman in 3rd place, just pipping Grant van der Walt who took a swim coming in through the surf.
The women's race was easily won by Michelle Eder in a time of 1 hr 44 mins after her main rival, Donna Winter, broke her ski in the shorebreak at Nhlabane.
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