Monday, 24 May 2010 09:05
World U23 marathon canoeing champ Grant van der Walt took full advantage of the idyllic Durban weather to post his first win the the Discovery Sunglass Hut Surfski Series by racing away alone to win the McCarthy Toyota King of the Bay on Sunday.
Exploiting the calm flat conditions, and the absence of series pacesetter Matthew Bouman, the 21 year old student was all smiles as he coasted home to a two minute victory over Hank McGregor at the end of the unique 22 kilometer race across Durban harbour and traversing Durban Bay.
"Those were my kind of conditions today," grinned Van der Walt, who last weekend squandered three places, and a significant portion of the prizemoney when he was dumped in the backline coming into the finish of the Dunlop Surfski World Cup.
Van der Walt and McGregor were part of a four boat lead bunch with Cape racer Tom Schilperoort and Durban local Mark Mulder as the race emerged from the mouth of Durban harbour after the rare ten kilometer dice from the start at the Bayhead Silt canal. The four were still together when they turned at the can off the Hypermarket in Durban North.
"Hank (McGregor) and I made a move then, and we dropped the other two at the turn," said Van der Walt. "With about three kilometers to go I managed to get ahead, and worked hard to keep on opening up that gap."
Schilperoort grabbed the last spot on the podium in a needle sprint up the beach to the finishes line with Mark Mulder, reminiscent of the thrilling beach sprint that decided last weekends ISPA title at Winklespruit.
Marc Holtzhausen took fifth place, just ahead of visiting French international Sene Gaetan, who is enjoying the vibrant surfski culture in Durban after taking part in last weekend's Dunlop Surfski World Cup.
The women's race proved to be the closest of the series so far, as Toti ace Michelle Eder was hounded all the way to the line by Durban stalwart Donna Winter.
"Sheesh that was exhausting!" said Eder. "I spent all day on Saturday at a lifesaving training camp where we were worked very hard. So when we started this morning I was really hurting."
"Donna (Winter) was strong and the more I tried to shake her off she just stuck there," Eder added.
Overall line honours went to the double ski crew of Dusi ace Ant Stott paddling with Barry Lewin, still sporting the beard grown during the gruelling Coast 2 Coast For Cancer jetski odyssey around South Africa.
The short course race was won by veteran river paddler Mark Perrow, making a rare appearance in a surfski, while the crew of Judson Smythe and Clinton Bullard won the double ski section of the 10km short course race.
This unique race is the only time in the year that the port authorities allow surfski paddlers to paddle across and out of the mouth of Durban harbour, and a good field of over 300 paddlers took advantage of the opportunity in ideal calm weather conditions.
The Discovery Sunglass Hut Surfski Series takes a break next weekend to avoid clashes with the Comrades marathon, and then continues with the popular Hi-Q Marine race on Sunday 6 June.
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