Paddle Mag 4 2017 August / September

Issue 4 2017

We MEET the MAN...

Hank McGregor

CONTROVERSY at the BERG Mauritius & Zanzibar Build boat racks

WINWINWINWIN

ICF in the NEws

Calendars plan your life

REGULARS

8 COMPETITION TIME Win an Orka Paddle

58 gear & gadget

Tripper Sports gets you kitted out for the winter season

60 recipes

Quick, energy rich snacks to help your training

FEATURES

10 world marathon mania

12 ICF upcoming Marathons in PMB 14 ICF ocean racing

62 Calendars

Canoeing and Surfski events around the country, get training and planning

70view from the back of the boat

RACES IN REVIEW 26 durban downwind were you spotted?

20 rack ‘em up 24 berg river

38 world cup sprints 40 msundusi run 42 the pink lady® 46 mauritius ocean

32

54 zanzibar

rules debate

Robin Mousley sets out the debate Time for Change by Colin Simpkins Barry Lewin weighs in on the debate

classic

marathon

strat’ from hanks mouth

CONTRIBUTORS Colin Simpkins Barry Lewin Dave Macleod Esti Van Tonder Karen Cockerill

Craig Flanagan Robin Mousley Steve Botha Neil Kirkwood

PHOTOGRAPHY Jennie Dallas Graham Daniel Cape Photographic Studio Tracy-Lee Anderson

Send your letters to thepaddlemag@gmail.com

FIND us on the WEB thepaddlemag.co.za FB @thepaddlemag

IMAGE Tracy-Lee Anderson

on the cover ISSUE 4 / 2017

ATHLETE: Hank McGregor EVENT: Durban Downwind 2017

PUBLISHER Terrence Pomeroy-Ward

thepaddlemag@gmail.com AD SALES thepaddlemag@gmail.com DESIGNER Tracy Ward ADMIN thepaddlemag.adm@gmail.com

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NOTE FROM THE ED For this edition we got to interview Hank McGregor: the athlete, the strategist and the great visionary behind the McGregor Series. We chat to Hank about the upcoming World Marathon Champs in September and in the process get a glimpse in to his way of thinking! We truly felt inspired after the interview – we cannot wait for the champs to get underway.

What interesting times we live in, the controversy rages on about the ICF and surfski racing and the impact that it is having on The Dragon Run in Hong Kong, the Berg River Marathon this year will be remembered as the year of controversy after we think a strange decision by management. We take a look at both incidents in more depth later on in the mag. It is a time to reflect on the fact that we are part of a great community. Just like family we may not always agree but we remain a strong community that is worth developing and nurturing. We could go on forever about the wonderful writers that are putting their hands up to help build the community through this magazine or about the wonderful hosts when we sneak up to KZN. I suspect the K3 dice at Fezela Canoe Club was done for my benefit. We get invited to amazing events and we stand in awe of what people are doing.

But this magazine is not about us – it is about you the paddler. So I want to tell two stories that best reflect what we believe we should be striving for. Both events happened on the beach at La Mercy at the start of the FNB Durban Downwind.

The first was between Jasper and Thea. Picture this –

everyone is gathering on the beach and Barry Lewin is just about to start the race briefing. On the beach we have almost all of top racers in South Africa – vying for a place in the SA team to go to Hong Kong. Jasper is still on the grass above the beach so he picks up his ski and starts to walk to the stairs. On the stairs is Thea and she is rightly a little nervous about how to get through these monster waves so she asks Jasper for advice. He then puts his ski back down on the grass and begins to advise her on the best possible route through the waves.

He took his own advice and went on to win the S1 title making him K1 and S1 Champion for 2017. Thea on the other hand was not so lucky. Better luck next year Thea.

The next happened a little later. It was chaos at the start with I think 17 broken boats getting washed up on shore.

In the midst of all the poundings two great paddlers gave up their skis so that others could paddle them in the hope of making the team. Now we have to pause here; here are two paddlers that have paid race entry, organised seconds, incurred the cost of getting there, are dressed and ready for an awesome downwind and they still give up their boats so that others can paddle.

Respect! (When asked – they declined to be named) So here is the point of the story’s – we are part of a community, we like to rub shoulders with the elite paddlers and part of the allure of paddling is that we get to paddle in the most amazing places. When we find ourselves siding with anything else; either out of self-interest or complacency we are beginning to lose our way. Read the articles – pick a position and start a conversation. Start it with us, with Colin, any of the other authors or your mates.

COMPETITION TIME! How well do you know your World Marathon teams…

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1. Pick your top 3 countries from the list below in the World Marathon Championships 2017 to be held in Pietermaritzburg.

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Open to all – but if you live outside South Africa postage/ shipping will be to your expense.

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Marathon Ma Mounts...

IMAGES Jennie Dallas

The lead up to worlds in PMB

ania

4 – 10 September 2017 The World Marathon Championships (WMC) takes place in PMB at Natal Canoe Club. The course is set out on the Umzinduzi River in front of the NCC club and is 3.6 km in total distance. There is also a 100m portage that has to been completed on every lap. The senior men will race 8 Laps and portage 7 times (no portage on the 1st lap) during the race. This will give them a total distance of around 30km which will take in the region of two hours to complete.

on Wednesday 6th September. The senior and junior ladies race from 7th September to 10 September 2017. A full programme of events can be found on the official WMC website www.wmc2017.co.za. The International Canoe Federation (ICF) send out a team of 30 officials to manage all aspects of the competition.

All the other classes vary in distance according to age. The ladies classes complete one less lap than the men.

Racing will take during most of the day from 9am to 3pm. The championships are open to all the public at no cost. The Marathon Canoe Championships results in exciting racing with a portage that takes place meters in front of you on the grandstand. Full catering will be available in the commercial area.

All the masters’ race on the 4th and 5th September and then a rest day

More than 35 countries will be travelling to SA for the

championships. These include Australia, Hungary, Poland, France, Denmark, Germany, Canada, Spain, Portugal, Japan, and Sweden to name a few.

The reigning world senior champion is Hank Macgregor from Durban, and the rest of the world, will be training hard to ensure the title of World Champion leaves with them.

The Current senior champion Jose José RAMALHO from Portugal and Adrin BOROS from Hungary finished 1st and 2nd , respectively, in the European championships held in Portugal a month ago so will be the ones to watch during the seniors men single race.

STEVE BOTHA

2017 ICF CANOE MARATHON WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP 2017 ICF CANOE MARATHON WORLD CHA 2017 ICF CANOE MARATHON WORLD MASTERS CUP 2017 ICF CANOE MARATHON WORLD MA

INC. AFRICAN CONTINENTAL CHAMPIONSHIP INC. AFRICAN CONTINENTAL CHAMPIO BULLETIN NO. 2 14 APRIL 2017

BULLETIN NO. 2 14 APRIL 2017

PIETERMARITZBURG, SOUTH AFRICA PIETERMARITZBURG, SOUTH AFRICA 4 – 10 SEPTEMBER 20174 – 10 SEPTEMBER 2017 WWW.WMC2017.CO.ZA WWW.WMC2017.CO.ZA

WHAT THE?

The debate on the ICF Surfski Rules hots up

2017 ICF Ocean Racing World Championships – Hong Kong “In November this year the ICF will host their World Surf Ski Champs. This would be great if anyone knew what was going on…”

This was the start of a hardhitting July 7 Facebook post by Australian paddler, race organiser and entrepreneur Dean Gardiner, arguably one of the best known and respected surfski paddlers in the world. The post went on to query the rules, motivation and direction being taken by the ICF Ocean Racing organisation.

The post gained over 300 “likes”,

pages of comments and 65 direct shares on Facebook; an unprecedented response for a post about surfski paddling.

So what IS going on?

The ICF Ocean Racing World Championships women’s race will be run in Hong Kong on Saturday November 18th, 2017 and the men’s race on Sunday November 19th.

Can

Who Race?

The most contentious issue is that of restricted entry in the World Championships. “The great thing about our sport prior to this,” said Dean Gardiner, “is that anyone can line up with the best in the World.”

According to the ICF Ocean Racing rules, each country may select (only) two competitors in each of the following classes:

- - -

Junior (Under 18) Under 23 Open (Age 24-39)

World Cup Rankings Additionally, in each class, competitors can qualify directly by being ranked in the top 30 of the ICF World Cup Rankings. In 2017 there are four ICF World Cup races (in Mauritius, Portugal, Tahiti and France). Any paddler finishing within a cut-off time based on the distance of each race is given points which are totalled for their ranking. The first two races have been run and the rankings published on the ICF website.

Masters Masters (i.e. paddlers aged 40 and over) take part in the ICF Ocean Racing Masters World Championships. In Hong Kong, they race with and at the same time as the younger paddlers.

The Masters are categorised into five-year age groups: 40-44, 45-49…

and so on, as high as necessary.

There is no qualification necessary for these paddlers, although everyone is obliged to be registered with their country’s federation.

So who CAN’T race?

Anyone under 40 who hasn’t qualified – either by being selected by their country or by coming in the top 30 in the World Cup rankings for their particular age class.

Currently there are twelve U23 and nineteen junior men. There are thirty one women in the Open Women’s ranking.

So practically speaking, the only category that will be restricted to any great extent is the Open Men’s.

Why have restrictions at all?

In the first two events – in 2013 in Portugal and 2015 in Tahiti – the restrictions were ignored; everyone was welcome to paddle. This year, the ICF is enforcing the rules.

It appears that these rules were inherited from the other paddling disciplines, such as Sprint and

Marathon canoeing where the limited space of the race courses necessarily require a limited field.

But the ocean is limitless and it’s difficult to understand why the number of competitors should be limited.

The ICF Ocean Racing Committee actually voted 3-2 to ignore the restrictions at Hong Kong and to delete the rules altogether at the next ICF Congress – but they were overruled.

“The third ranked paddler in South Africa or Australia,” said Colin Simpkins, South Africa’s representative on the committee, “could easily win the World Championships on the day, depending on the conditions. But in order to qualify, they have to go to one or more of the World Cup races. Given their locations, this is extremely difficult and costly. It just doesn’t make sense.”

Unofficial Dragon Run

The Dragon Run event organisers are running an extra “unofficial” race on the same course after the Women’s ICF Ocean Racing World Championships on Saturday 28th November for Outrigger Canoe

paddlers as well as any surfski paddler who wants to join in.

More Information Updates from the organisers of the ICF Ocean Racing World Championships may be found here: https://www.facebook.com/2017ICF-Ocean-Racing-World-Champions hips-1742252076045383/ World Surfski Series …and how does the ICF Ocean Racing World Championships affect the World Surfski Series?

The Dragon Run had been listed as a title race in the World Surfski Series.

But...

On 26 July, the Dragon Run authorities confirmed that, “Due to the fact that we are hosting the 2017 ICF Ocean Racing World Championships (ORWC) the Dragon Run will NOT officially be held this year.”

The Dragon Run has been replaced by the Palm to Pines race in Sydney, Australia as a WSS title event.

Next year, with no ICF World Championships scheduled, there will be no such clash and the Dragon Run will hopefully be back in the WSS.

ROBIN MOUSLEY

Although Surfski paddling has been around for a very long time, with the first organised races being held as long ago as 1957 (the Pirates/ Umhlanga/Pirates being the oldest race in the world, followed by the Scottburgh to Brighton which was first held in 1958), the discipline has only recently been incorporated into the ICF. The process of inclusion was spearheaded by South Africa, through Tim Cornish. Previous to the ICF affiliation, most surfski races were administered through surf lifesaving clubs.

The first official World Ocean Racing Championships were held in 2013 in Portugal. The second one was held in 2015 in Tahiti.

The process of affiliating to the ICF involved the drawing up of rules to govern the discipline.

The ICF marathon rules were used as a ‘template’. The ICF rules pertaining to other disciplines have number restriction clauses.

This is understandable, as it would be impossible to administer a competition like sprinting, slalom or marathon if there were hundreds of competitors from the same country. Ocean racing, however, has a very different “culture”, and a very different racing dynamic. The ocean is a big place. Downwind racing can accommodate hundreds

of competitors on the same start line with no interference or unfair advantage. The ICF Ocean Racing rules included the restriction of numbers of paddlers to two per country in the junior, U23 and senior age groups. In addition to this, any paddler ranked within the top thirty in the world could also be included (ranking points are earned by participation at ICF World Cup Races).

These rules have been in place for a number of years. The ICF Ocean Racing committee has, however, elected to “ignore” these rules for the past two World Championships, in order to promote participation.

So basically senior men have to compete in the World Cup races in order to accumulate points and qualify for the ICF World Ocean Racing World Championships unless they make the country team.

The “unannounced” decision to enforce the restriction rule at this year’s World Championships has raised the ire of many of the paddlers. There has been a backlash against the ICF involvement in its entirety. Many calling for a boycott of ICF events. Dean Gardner, one of Australia’s leading surfski paddlers and a major race organiser has been leading the anti ICF charge. He fired the first salvo by posting a tirade

on Facebook, which had numerous replies.

As most of you know, Colin Simpkins (Copper) is the Secretary General of Canoeing South Africa. He is also a member of the ICF Ocean Racing Committee. He wrote a number of replies to the FB posts in an effort to put things into perspective. We have taken the liberty of “cut and pasting” them for the benefit of those that missed the conversation. While we recognise that they may appear a little disjointed because they are only one side of the conversation we still think that they are worth printing in the interest of continuing the vital conversation around ICF ORWC. The do go a long way in to understanding the history and the process behind the ICF involvement which helps explain where we find ourselves today.

“There appears to be a perception that the ICF captured the sport from beneath the feet of stalwarts like Dean and Oscar. Nothing is farther from the truth. The process was started over 10 years ago when Tim Cornish (an ICF marathon official and president of the African Canoe Federation) was approached by members of the surfski fraternity to investigate the option of affiliating with the ICF. Tim started an intensive process

of consultation with a broadly representative number of key role-players, including Dean, Oscar, Billy Harker, and numerous other individuals from across the globe.

I have hundreds of mails reflecting the process that took place. It was legitimate and representative.

Eventually some rules were drawn up and a committee formed. The rules that were accepted are derived from a generic document used by the marathon discipline. They have been available on the ICF website for years. They are nothing new.

Rules can only be changed at an ICF congress. These take place every two years. There have been at least three congresses since the rules were accepted, at which amendments could have been made. Any paddler, through his/her federation could have submitted a request for a change. None of us have done so.

The Ocean Racing rules have been on the ICF website for years, as has all of the information regarding how the committee is selected. Unfortunately we cannot assume that everyone has the time or inclination to look in the back end of an obscure website to find these things out. We need to “get it out there”. There definitely needs to be a platform where all paddlers are continuously made aware, are kept up to date with “goings on”, and are able to make contributions... Our Rubicon will, however, come with the reaction of the ICF to our proposed changes to the current rules. Bear in mind, that these restrictive rules only pertain to the ICF World Championships, not to any of the ICF World Cup events, or any of the races on the current World Series. With the ICF ruling that the nominated 2018 World Championships (the Perth Doctor) ineligible (due to the organisers refusal to abide by the restrictive rule), the next World Championships will only be held in 2019, in France. There is an ICF Congress between now and then.

A congress is the only place where rules can be changed. The acid test, to see whether they are taking the obvious discontent of the majority

seriously, will be this reaction. I cannot see the South African or Australian paddlers supporting ICF events going forward if they feel that their voices are not been heard and that their sport has been hijacked.

They will simply vote with their feet.

No serious race organiser or sponsor will want to be associated with a world championship where none of the best paddlers in the world are present.

In the immediate future (until after Hong Kong anyway), we don’t really have a leg to stand on. We did not take the opportunity to change the rules. Decision time will come after the 2018 congress. We will have to see whether common sense prevails or whether we are faced with the intransigent status quo.

Having said that, confusion around these rules was compounded when a decision was taken to “ignore” them for the past two world championships, in order to promote participation. The current problem has arisen, not due to the rules themselves, but a lack of widespread notice that the rules were going to be enforced at this year’s championships. When resistance to the rule became apparent, a proposal was tabled at the ICF Ocean Racing Committee to have the rule changed at the earliest opportunity and to “ignore” it for this year.

There was a majority vote of three to two in favour of the proposal.

Mario Santos (Chair of ICF Ocean Racing Committee) was against the proposal. He took it to the ICF board who (unsurprisingly) voted with him to enforce the rule. Suggestions of showing the middle finger to the ICF are premature. We need to do a little introspection. As I said in an earlier post, we are all to blame. There is a structure in place. We have not been using it. Those who advocate starting a “new” organisation should read the hundreds of mails that were generated during the process to affiliate to the ICF. Why would you want to repeat the process?

What we need to do is to become more involved in the decision

making process. We need to form a structure that is representative and consultative. We also need to find a way to circumvent the ICF voting structure which is open to political opportunism. Most of all, we need to respect everyone else’s opinions and guard against personal attacks.

Bear in mind that ultimately there will need to be some sort of controlling body for the discipline.

By their very nature, all of these bodies are governed by some sort of rules. We need to guard against throwing the baby out with the bathwater. The problem with the ICF is not particularly the structure, but the people who are elected. In this, all of the paddlers are to blame because nobody else has involved themselves, and nobody else was nominated.

What is desperately needed is a forum where paddlers can express their opinions. On the ICF Ocean Racing committee we have been led to believe that only Australia and South Africa are against them. There are a myriad of issues such as safety, grading of paddlers, grading of races, tracking devices, increased coverage opportunities (drones and tracking devices), calendars, development funding, etc. that should have input from a far wider range of people than what is current. Until such time as we, the Ocean Racing committee can be seen to be adding value, there will always be a level of resentment.

My proposal would be to form an informal group who would help me in formulating a new set of rules for our sport, as well as a new voting structure for the committee that administers it. We can present these new rules to the ICF congress next year. If they are rejected, we can use the best voting platform that we have, which is our feet. We need to stop being slack.”

COLIN SIMPKINS

WE ASKED BARRY LEWIN FOR

HIS OPINION ON THE ICF...

TPM When did the ICF start getting involved in ocean paddling?

BL The ICF was approached to accredit some of the surfski races around the world as part of a World Cup system. From my homework the first accredited event was the Cape Town Surfski World Cup in 2004.

The ICF largely left surfski paddling

to do their thing until the lead up to the 2013 World Champs where they created a set of rules and started getting involved in events.

TPM Is there any benefit to belonging to the ICF? For example: Do they help finance races? Do the look for global sponsorship?

BL The only input they have put into the sport is hosting/accrediting the 2015 and 2017 ICF world champs.

There is no financial input into the sport other than their existing structures.

TPM There is often the “carrot� of if you belong to the ICF then your

sport could be represented at the Olympics – has ocean paddling been offered the same.

BL There are many people who would love to see surfski paddling on sports greatest stage. But what would this do to our sport? Surfski paddling is about downwind paddling and the Olympics would not provide a platform to showcase out sport in its finest form. It would morph surfski paddling into racing in circles, which detracts form, what we are all about. If we are to retain the ethos of out sport the Olympics is not the best road for the sport. The best route is more along the lines of surfing, where the best athletes surf in the best waves around the world, we would like to see paddlers racing in the best downwinds around the world. We don’t need the Olympics, as it will dull out sport and take away the very thing we love to do.

TPM Please would you give us your take on the current situation.

BL Only two people per category can race the world marathon champs.

Where this may be a working structure for the ICF, this doesn’t work for surfski paddling. Surfski needs to retain in inclusive nature where any paddlers can line up and be free to race in any race. The restrictions of limiting numbers don’t make sense for the ethos of the sport and doesn’t promote the growth of the sport in general. The powers in the ICF want to restrict the numbers and the surfski community has being saying no for 18 months, yet they will not listen and for the first time, the world champs in 2017 will be restricted. There is a massive backlash from paddlers around the world, shown in a post on Facebook by legend Dean Gardner from Australia, on which there was an outcry of hundreds of comments, calling for the ethos of the sport to be maintained. The reality is the paddlers will talk with their feet and with the restricted worlds, not many of the sports paddlers will 1, bother to qualify 2, regard the worlds as a legitimate event 3, support other ICF events.

TPM The Nelo Summer Challenge was part of the World Surfski Series and was part of the ICF World Cup series – how does that work?

BL The Nelo Summer Challenge as an independent event chose to apply to both the World Surfski Series and the ICF for inclusion. Nether of these series restrict numbers.

TPM Could the World Surfski Series and the ICF World Cup Series continue to work together?

BL Yes they could, and they should for the good of the sport. Nether of the series’ are in question, only the restrictions on world champs which does not fall into ether.

TPM The next World Cup event is in Tahiti which is unbelievably far and expensive to get to – how would it get selected as an event?

BL I am afraid that is politics. Tahiti has a member on the ICF committee and they have bid for numerous world cups with success. Why? Only the ICF chairman can answer that as he came up with the world cups with no consultation with the surfski community. It doesn’t make much sense but to the ICF, it doesn’t have to because it suits them.

TPM How does the ICF work in terms of how do we go about changing things? Do we need to elect someone on to the committee and if so how?

BL This is again a very political environment, which we believed we were able to navigate effectively.

Some history - Last year Colin Simpkins was voted onto the ICF Surfski Committee along with Michele Eray (USA) and Robert Jenkinson (Australia). The topic of restricting worlds came up and was voted on. The vote was won to change this rule but the vote was squashed by the ICF saying, “rules can not be changed without the approval of the ICF congress”. This happens every two years and the next one is in November 2019. So until then we can do nothing about the restrictions. The dictatorial

attitude of the ICF has been an eye opener and pushed the question with the surfski community, “does the ICF have the sports best interests at heart”. The answer has been simply, NO! It is not as simple as electing the right people and voting in the right direction, as this has not worked.

TPM Do you think that is worthwhile trying to influence things from inside the ICF or should we just walk away and continue to develop our own federation?

BL This is not something I think I can answer in my personal capacity.

Its up to all the paddlers to get together to structure a way forward for our sport. I am afraid that the community around the world are all pushing to leave the ICF after what is happening now with worlds and the obvious negativity around the ICF’s involvement in the sport.

TPM How would you see an ocean racing federation running / functioning?

BL We don’t have to do anything.

There are excising races around the world which great people involved, why change what we have already, A cool group of people doing what they love. The sport already has coaches, race organisers and athletes.

TPM Do we need a federation to manage global ocean racing or should we just leave it up to the individual race organisers?

BL All the sport structures are already in place from a racing perspective. There races have safety standards relating to the conditions and environment in that area, there are no restrictions on craft and shouldn’t be so this should stay as is, there is no need for any more regulations or structure than we already have.

TPM The ICF is currently involved in a tussle to take over SUP’ing – what would your advise be to the SUP’s?

BL RUN!!!

RACK ‘em UP

Shopping List

40mm PVC pipe for the frame - four 6m lengths 50mm PVC pipe for the rollers - One 6m length 40mm joiners - 12 per frame (36 in total) 100’s of pop rivets

tools

Drill l Rivet gun l Hack saw l Tape measure l 5mm wood drill bit

BUDGET roughly R1100 TIME four hours skill level easy How to store the canoes and surfskis is always an issue. I remember one afternoon when my wife got home from work to find all my (and friends) boats laid neatly upside down on the grass while we decided which boats we wanted to use for the Duzi the next day. Her comment was something to the effect of “move the boats – it looks like a ## collection of coffins on our front lawn.” And so began the search for good ways to store boats.

There are lots of options depending on your budget and welding expertise but my project had two criteria.

1.

Move the boats to a narrow part of our house 2.

Make sure that our 4 year old son can be involved as he was on holiday at the time.

Armed with these requirements I set out to see what I could do. I had been shown the PVC pipe design by two friends with a view to building more racks at our local club. Call me a chicken, but I could not bring myself to build 16 racks at the club when I could not be absolutely sure that they would be strong enough to support the boats. Since I only needed to relocate three boats I thought that this would be an ideal time to try it out. This design was very easy to do and it got past my wife’s inspection in terms of aesthetics.

The only caution I have is that this is not a stand-alone design. I have secured mine to a wall on one side. It is far too flexible over the length to not be secured.

My surfski’s have high bows and often long rudders so to make sure that they big not bump each other I made my racks 50cm in height. My one canoe is a yetti so the width of my design is 60cm to cater for the width of the boat.

I would play with the height requirements depending on your particular boats – canoes do not need that much space, but I feel that 60cm is a good width in terms of giving the whole frame some stability.

I built three frames that were then spaced 1.5m apart – giving a total length of the ski rack to 3m. One could go down to 2m if you were only building racks for single canoes.

It is a great rack solution – I particularly like the ‘rollers’ which make sliding the boat in and out of the rack so much easier.

It is not very cheap, but my son could cut the pipes with a hand saw and loved using the drill so a great holiday job and it looks better than my previous racks.

1. Cut the first 40mm pipe in to four 1.5m long sections – those are going to used later to support the frames.

2. Depending on the width that you choose cut 60cm long sections from the 40mm PVC. Cut the same number of sections out of 50mm PVC BUT make them 5cm shorter than above.

3. In my case I cut three 40mm sections that were 60cm in length and from the 50mm piping I cut three sections that were 55cm in length. In the end the 50mm piping will slot over the 40mm piping and act as rollers for the boats.

4. For the height cut six 50cm lengths for the upright per frame. Depending on one requirements in terms of number of racks and height requirements one could cut 40cm lengths.

5. Cut six 30cm lengths for the bottom of the rack. These will be used to lift the frame slightly off the floor in the end.

6. Start assembling your frames. As you go make sure that the piping is pushed squarely in to place and pop rivet in to place. I chose to use a 5mm wood bit as it has a nice sharp point that does not slide on the PVC while my son is drilling but a steel bit would also work well.

7. Don’t forget to place the 50mm piping over the bottom supports of the frame to act as your rollers once completed.

8. Fit the 30cm feet in place and the 10cm top supports.

9. Fit the 1.5m lengths at the bottom and top.

10. Place rack in position and secure.

2017 BERG RIVER MARATHON – RACE APPEALS COMMITTEE REPORT OF INVESTIGATION REGARDING USE OF A REPLACEMENT BOAT COMMITTEE MEMBERS: Daantjie Malan Brian Longley Mynhardt Marais INTRODUCTION During Day 2 of the race, one of the invited international paddlers, Keith Moule, broke his boat at Drieheuwels weir. He used a replacement boat to complete the approximately 4 kms of that day’s stage. Mr Moule then commenced Day 3 in a third boat, which he used for both days 3 and 4 of the race.

The Race Organising Committee imposed a 30-minute time penalty on Mr Moule for changing his boat. The Committee considered the change to the third boat to be part and parcel of the same incident, and therefore not worthy of a second 30-minute penalty.

Although no objection has been lodged against the decision of the Race Organising Committee, the Committee has requested the Race Appeals Committee to review its decision and the process followed in dealing with this incident.

BACKGROUND We are informed that, some years ago, the then Berg Organising Committee decided to change the penalty for a competitor replacing his/ her boat from disqualification to a 30-minute time penalty. This has been the standing rule since that time. However, the race rules, as published for the 2017 event, did not contain this information. They state merely that CSA rules apply. CSA rules, in turn, state that ICF rules apply. It must be noted, however, that there is provision for local race organisers to make other rules at variance with the ICF rules where this is deemed by the race organisers to be appropriate.

At the time that the incident occurred, the manager of the international team, Wayne August, informed a member of the Race Organising Committee thereof. Mr August was informed that the race rules provided for a 30-minute penalty. The incident was reported to the race commentator who relayed the incident over the public-address system, as well as the 30-minute penalty provided for in the race rules.

The Race Organising Committee then met later that afternoon and, after both confirming the rule and verifying the position with an official of CSA, implemented the 30-minute penalty. In the interim, provisional results, which did not include the penalty, had been published. However, the start batches for day three were drawn up taking the penalty into account and Mr Moule started in row 2.

APPEAL COMMITTEE FINDINGS 1. It was within the powers of the Berg Organising Committee to make the rule, which varies the standard CSA/ICF rules.

2. The race rules were correctly applied.

3. The Race Organising Committee was justified in viewing the change to the third boat as being part and parcel of the same incident.

4. The Appeals Committee is of the opinion that the Race Organisers erred in not publishing the relevant rule. Although no other paddler was directly affected by the incident, it did have an effect of overall race positions, and it is important that all competitors be aware of all race rules.

Daantjie Malan/ Brian Longley/ Mynhardt Marais

we had a few questions about this!

As a seasoned paddler and club sweep I have had to fix lots of boats during river races. We have gone through reams of duct tape, used branches and if possible made hot mixes on the side of the river. We have also spent long nights fixing boats so that we can race the following day, but never once thought of swopping boats.

Although I have never done the Berg I have been DNF’ed for being unable to finish on numerous other races. So when we read the findings we were a little surprised that ICF Marathon rule 26.6 (No exchange or substitution of boats is permitted, even with other competitors from the same team) had been allowed. We went off to find out how and why.

We put our questions to Anthony Penderis the General Manager of the Berg. He then referred us to Dave Macleod as the Media Officer so we put these questions as they stand to him.

There are a number of issues that we think need to be highlighted in this incident: 1. The person who looks after their canoe finishes 11th and is denied a top 10 finish.

2. Paddlers have finished races in far worse off boats.

3. The Berg committee apparently changed a CSA / ICF rule five years ago. Why does it remain unpublished? Why was it changed in the first place?

4. Were other paddlers made aware of the changes when they damaged their canoes in the five years leading up to this incident?

5. Where did boat two and three come from?

6. A 30 minute penalty is in our opinion not a realistic approximation of how long it would take to fix a boat.

7. The incident took place 4 – 6 km from the finish. Why not walk to the end as others have done if the canoe is beyond repair.

We raise these issues because we are concerned about the precedent that this ruling sets.

1. We believe that one of the fundamental skills of river racing is to skilfully negotiate your canoe through the obstacles 2. Are race organisers allowed to change the rules?

3. Who decides if the boat is beyond repair; the paddler, race committee, the local repair shop?

4. Does this mean that we can all go to races with a flotilla of boats? What happens to the person with only one battered ten year old canoe?

This is what Dave Macleod had to say:

I will help where I can - some will need to come from Andre, or perhaps Enslin Van Riet as I wasn’t involved with the disciplinary issues.

Keith Moule swopped his boat below Drie Heuwels on Day Two and finished in a borrowed boat. There was never any attempt to conceal this on his part, and he openly

volunteered the information that was heard at the disciplinary.

You are correct that the rule and sanction that was applied is not published on the race website Rules page, and you are correct, at least primarily, in pointing out that the race should follow ICF Marathon Racing rules. That is however, unless a race specific rule supersedes this, for practical or safety reasons. And virtually every SA river race has a rule /rules that supersedes ICF rules simply because of the uniqueness of the race conditions here.

The Berg ethos is to try and allow paddlers to finish the race. They are lenient (as much as they can be) with daily cut-off times etc. to try and make it possible for an athlete who has trained, entered and made the practical and financial commitments to do the Berg, to enable them to complete it. The difference comes where the athlete concerned is competing for prizemoney or a podium in their class.

The precedent that was used in this case is recorded in the minutes of a Berg Committee meeting from some time back (Enslin will have the details here), where it was felt that an elite athlete who was forced to change boats for acceptable reasons, should be allowed to finish race, but sanctioned with a time penalty that would ensure that they were not competing unduly for prizes or positions, and thirty minutes was agreed as a reasonable sanction. This was applied down wholly in Keith’s case.

medal became a race to try and get back in to the top ten (he eventually came 7th).

I believe that the race committee will be quick to accept that the decision that was originally taken and minuted should have been included in the race rules, and I am sure it will be going forward. There was a delay in handing down the sanction on Day Three caused simply by the race jury being unable to contact the CSA Official to ratify their logic in this case.

So to answer your questions, races can and do apply rules that supersede the ICF Marathon Racing rules, but they cannot CHANGE rules in the middle of an event.

This decision was grounded in an existing committee decision. And as I mentioned, the error here was a failure to include this in the race rules.

And no, this doesn’t give paddlers a licence to bring spare boats, or to change boats to suit conditions as they see fit! The cornerstone of the decision is to allow paddlers to suffer serious/irreparable craft damage to be able to finish the event. In Keith’s case there was witness evidence, video evidence and his own verbal evidence that made it clear his boat was damaged beyond paddeable repair, which was never questioned.

I look forward to comment from Andre and Enslin, especially on areas of the disciplinary process that I was not privy to. *

It was credit to his attitude and perseverance that what started as a genuine race for a podium and a gold

* Enslin Van Riet, from the Berg River Committee, replied saying he had nother further to add as the findings (opposite page) were available on the Berg site.

FNB DOWNWIN

ND in DURBAN

IMAGE Michael MacLachlan, Cape Photographic Studio

Strat’ from Hanks Mouth TPM The first question every ones asks me is “is he on some sort of jungle juice that he is unstoppable?”

HM It has been a combination of passion and pride that has really been my secret. I think that I have always strived to prove to my dad and my family that I was good enough to become the best in the world and since I achieved that as a junior in 1996 when I won my first World Marathon Champs in Sweden. I realised that I was a little different and after winning at junior worlds. There is only one thing that you can do after that and that is try and become senior world champ and claim the title of being the best paddler in the world. That became my next goal. I achieved that in 2003.

After you achieve it once people ask was it a fluke or do you think that you can do it again. I guess now 8 world titles down the line it has becomes more about pride to see how long I can hold the title far more so than how to achieve it. I guess the jungle juice is to push yourself to that point where you can retain that title. It comes down to the will to win and that is really what it is all about. I believe that someone is going to win the race – why not make it yourself?

The only way to do that is to train your ass off and if you are not prepared to do that don’t enter.

TPM Have you ever been tempted to be based overseas?

HM Yes, for sure. There are countries that support their athletes far better than my country does but there is also the thing of defying the odds.

Can one do it without all the support that the other guys have and you can still do it with a full time job and a family? I guess that it is a little more motivation so yes it works both ways – you can have everything given to

you on a plate and you can arrive on the start line but if your heart is not really in it, it doesn’t matter what everyone else has given you or what support you have got. It comes down to who wants it more and if there is someone on the start line who has struggled a little more and wants it more, well you are going to have a really tough race to beat that person TPM How much support do you get?

HM We do not get any support from a government department. We pay for our own trips and sometimes if we are fortunate enough we can get a subsidy towards the tour; a contribution to cover the cost of getting your boat there. We have to buy our own kit, tracksuit and everything else (pants, tops etc...)

That is why I do not change my tracksuit; I think that I have had the same tracksuit for the last ten years. I do have financial support that has come on board for example Euro Steel and in the past Best 4 so that has been great and it is awesome that Euro Steel is here, I think that they are just passionate about paddling and it is great that they are supporting some of the top paddlers in the country. For the rest of it, it comes down to whether a personal sponsor can help you. From a federation it is down to a bare minimum.

TPM You have done amazing things in terms of getting people on the water with the McGregor Series – how did that come about?

HM Actually I cannot take credit for it. It was my wife Pippa’s doing. I can back from a tour last year and had a chat to Colin Simpkins (CSA Secretary General) and he pointed out that we need new paddlers. At that time Pippa also came on board as Natal Marathon Chairman and

she suggested that we do something to encourage that. The basic idea was to do a mini simulation of what marathons are about and get some sponsors on board for example my sponsors and let them use it as a platform to showcase their brand and that is how it started. Euro Steel then became the title sponsor of the series. The aim was to show that you do not have to be super elite to come and participate in marathon racing. People have loved it and now they want to make it country wide.

It is a great way for the youth to get out there and see what marathon racing is all about. Who knows, perhaps I can encourage a junior to become the next world champion – that would be the ultimate dream for me. It is great to be giving back to the sport that I have enjoyed for so many years.

TPM Let’s start with a brief recap of WMC 2016 – you looked like you were having a good time?

HM Last year I thoroughly enjoyed world champs and Pippa my wife still said you are the only person really smiling during the race and I answered her “well there are not that many times in your life when you get to experience racing for your country on a world stage, in a world championships am enjoying it. I do not know if I will ever be back again but while I have the opportunity I am going to get out there and enjoy myself” and that is what happened. I came away with 2 world titles which is the cheery on the top.

TPM What do you think of Camps Drift, the venue for WMC 2017?

HM I think that it is a great venue; I think that it is going to be one of the narrowest venues to ever race on. I have seen have 60 to 70 boats on the start line for marathons, so it is going

to be narrow and it is going to be tight. Steve Botha has taken over and I had a meeting with him this week and he is super enthusiastic and I am sure that they are going to put on a great show.

TPM Are you going to be the team captain again?

HM I don’t know, first of all, to become team captain you have to make the team first. So for me I have to actually make the national team and I think that right now South Africa’s men’s team is officially the is the hardest team to make. We are currently holding 4 of the 6 top medals available in senior men racing; with gold and silver in the K1 and gold and bronze in the K2. So right now we are officially number one senior men’s team in the world.

So to make our national team is tough and you have to pretty much have to guarantee that you are going to make the podium in the world championships in order to make the team.

TPM You are the role model for all the junior team members who I am sure flood you with questions the whole week. How do you cope with the extra workload?

HM Put like that I guess it is a workload but if you are passionate about it, it just comes naturally. You just want to share your experiences and obviously encourage the youth to better themselves and if that means that you have to spend a little time with them before the race then so be it. You only have to be world champion material when the start guns goes when you cross the finish line well you are just as normal as everyone else. So you do not have to be any different leading up to it.

TPM This year there are only three weeks from trials to WMC – will you have a camp for everyone beforehand?

HM We have spoken about it in the past but it is difficult as team members are peaking at different times for different events but the nice thing about this year in terms of when and where it is, is that a month before hand everyone is fully focused on World Champs so I don’t think

that we really need a camp after SA marathon champs. In this case SA champs is the camp and the trial. In three weeks you are not necessarily going to get that much faster. You are coming off a big training programme and now you are settling down. So I think that SA champs is going to be a great time. Previously we have had to travel so we have had to have our trials early June because of the boat and visa issues and then had to focus on other races in the lead up to marathons. It is hard because you are trying to peak three or four months before world champs and in the next three months things can change so you do not always arrive at world champs like you wanted too or how you were at SA champs. We do not have that this year so I think that it is going to be great.

TPM Is there a ‘home ground’ advantage to racing in Pietermaritzburg this year?

HM I think that there is always that factor of feeling like it is a home ground advantage but the courses have become so fair. I think that if it was a river course then definitely, for example when we raced in Gyor, Hungary. If you practiced on the course enough you would have an advantage but Camps Drift I think that it is pretty fair. It is narrower but I think that that is just going to make it tactical. But I would not say it is a home ground. I think that the one advantage that we have is that we do not have to jump on a plane and fly for eighteen or twenty hours to a European country. We are the only people who do not have to travel, we can sleep on our beds at home and hopefully race our hearts out.

TPM Have you managed to watch any of the marathon champs in Belgium?

HM I have seen a video clip. I have a number of friends that are racing internationally so I got tagged on the video that they were in so I watched a couple of the portages and the put in and obviously I saw the end sprint.

I saw a French guy won it and that is great news; I think that he raced K2 last year. I think that is always good to have new blood out there and

it obviously builds the sport and in his country he is encouraging more people by winning titles so it is a win – win for everyone.

TPM Do you have a good idea of who you will be racing against?

HM In some of the countries if you were medalled the year before you are automatically selected for example Portugal so I know that the Portuguese representative will be José Ramalho. He got a bronze last year in the K1 so he will be back and I am sure with the European championships coming up soon he will be racing there and he has won the European title a couple of times.

TPM Do you have a race plan before you get on the water or do you largely judge by what others are doing and go from there?

HM I think that everyone has a race strategy; before you go everyone sees themselves crossing the line first. If you don’t then clearly you don’t plan on winning. So I guess that is the strategy and you just work your way back from there. You hope that along the way you make all the right decisions. In the past I have made many, many mistakes I have had to counter it and it has cost me a lot of energy. So yes, the perfect race is something I am always chasing but I think that you just have to adapt on the day and the conditions and obviously the competitors that are out there. You know that if it is a big bunch then it is going to be super tactical, if it is a small breakaway bunch it is going to be even more tactical. So I guess you just have to adapt on the day and hope for the best TPM What is it like defending the title?

HM You know that you are only as good as your last race so trying to work out how many times you have won it or how many times you could win it, you are forgetting what it is all about. Every race is a new race.

When you are on the start line it doesn’t matter how many world titles you have in your back pocket, everyone is chasing that world title for that day. I heard that I am the only guy to win four in a row so yes.

But does it mean that I am going to try and make it 5 in a row, I do not know – first I have to make the national team then I have to work out if I can go to world champs. So for me it is small steps and take it one race at a time. At the moment it is hard to think about world champs because I have not made the national team yet.

TPM How do you focus in the moments before the start?

HM The honest truth, it is probably the most relaxed time for me. Sadly as I have got older I have lost the nerve bug, if you look around you can see that everyone’s mouths are pretty dry but if I had a heart rate monitor you would see that it is sitting at about sixty or seventy not that I am arrogant or anything just that I am so relieved to actually make it to the start line in one piece, sickness free and now it just comes down to you. Whatever the result is going to be it is going to be up to you. For me I think that the hard part and the most nerve wrecking part is getting yourself to the start line in one piece.

When I am there I just embrace the moment and I think that this is awesome. It is awesome to be racing against people that have so much potential and they are racing for their country at the same time so there is so much up for grabs. The sad part is that I do not get nervous meaning that I feel every stroke from the start line. In the old days it felt like I could run through a brick wall off the start because I had has so much adrenaline. But if that is not there you feel it from the first stroke, you feel everything but at the same time I guess I am fully focused as well because I am not caught up in the whole vibe or championship nerves so I am thinking clearly and trying to make rational decisions. I think that there are pros and cons to it.

The sad part is that I have more to lose than to gain as the defending world champion. If I win then it is

IMAGE Graham Daniels

IMAGE Mauritius Ocean Classic

another medal in the cabinet but if I lose then there will be more hype that someone else has beaten the eight time world champion. But I put that all behind me and try and focus on the race and the people around me and don’t get caught up in the whole stats scene or world title scene or the fact that I am better than anyone else or anything like that. It all comes down to we are all equal and it is every man for himself.

TPM In the K2 you have been paddling with Jasper Mocké since the win in 2014 – will you be paddling with him again?

HM Jasper and I are planning on doing SA Champs together, you know that we are great friends and we tour the world together on the surfski side. We have raced against each other more times than we have raced with each other. Sometimes we end up racing with each other in a world event if it is a surfski or a marathon champs. He is a tenacious athlete and when he is in the race he is fully committed and I know he will give everything until the finish

line and that is the type of partner that you want. Plus we seem to click really well on the boat – a lot of the guys that we race are seasoned crews that have been training and racing with each other for years. I think that when we won our first world title we could count on one hand the amount of times that we had actually paddled together and in that boat itself I think it was once and that was the day before the race at world champs.

TPM What should the crowds look for when they are watching the races?

HM I think that each race will have its own speciality, if you are an outsider watching the junior races, it is an awesome thing to watch just because the juniors are not experienced so they are like bulls in a china shop. There is so much testosterone flying around that the pace is usually super intense.

Sometimes the junior races pace is faster that the senior men because tactics are thrown out the window and they are just going as fast as

they can and they only have to do 21km. It is really exciting to watch because for them it is a matter of staying in front for as long as possible. From the senior men’s point of view it is a completely different animal depending on the course. When we raced in Hungary it was a river course meaning that there is flow, it was super shallow and it was a breakaway course just because on the one leg it did not pay to be out in the middle of the stream – you would have the current against you. So everybody was hugging the bank as close as possible which means that the bunches or peloton was not able to form it was always breaking up so that became a very tactical race. One needed to either be at number one, two or three. Anything after that, you were using energy that you did not need to use. Some of the big courses like Brandenburg, Oklahoma and Denmark the bunches can spread as much as eighteen to twenty boats in the front bunch and the front bunch gets caught by the second bunch

quite often. Just like in cycling, just because it is easy to find the waves, it is easy to form the diamonds. You can be sheltered in that bunch quite substantially compared to when you are out on your own. In Hungary on a river course you would feel every stroke but last year being on a big wide course the guy that was pulling was feeling it maybe twenty to thirty percent more than the guy sitting behind him in the diamond.

But I think that for Maritzburg I think what is going to be super exciting is our portages. Our portage is only a one sided jetty compared to others that had two sides. So now because of the South African course we will be putting in on the same jetty that every person that has ever attempted to Duzi has put in on – which is limited to a maximum of about four boats. So if you have a big bunch approaching the take out it is going to be carnage when you arrive at that portage because there isn’t the space. Watch the take out because the take out is going to be unbelievable. One is limited to

one side only for the take out and the put in. If you have a bunch of fifteen coming in to a portage and a maximum of four guys that can take out there are going to be a lot of guys impatiently waiting and a lot of countrymen shouting with all enthusiasm trying to jump over or leap frog. I think that it is going to be absolute carnage and super super exciting to watch. For me I would get my umbrella and basically book my spot there and watch some unbelievable racing unfold.

TPM How fast do your boats go? I realise that it is not a 29km sprint but what sort of speeds do you achieve?

HM Some paddlers will get up to 22km/h max speed but in marathon racing you are surging the whole time. Sometimes you will go at pedestrian speeds; down to 8 / 9 km/h and in the next minute you could be going at 20 km/h on a flat out interval to hold a position or to try and gain a better position.

That is the fast / slow tactics of marathon racing so some of the

top speeds are really fast and then some of the average cruising speeds are really pedestrian. Even the beginner paddlers on the world circuit could pull the front bunch sometimes because of the tactics and that is what makes it so exciting.

The strange part is that there are probably two or three guys in the front bunch that know exactly where they are going to finish in world championships and even out of the eighteen to twenty guys in the front bunch there are two or three who know exactly who it is going to come down to for the title and they all know each other and you find them out pretty quickly and although they may not show their all their cards at any given time they get established in the bunch as the dominant paddlers and everyone falls behind them and you will see if you watch any of the races, it is two or three guys that really dominate marathon paddling and dominate the bunches and everyone else just sits behind them.

RESPECT!

IMAGES supplied by Esti Van Tonder

SA in Portugal and Hungary

World Cups 2017 proved to be a rollercoaster ride of emotions and results for Team SA, represented by Esti van Tonder and Chrisjan Coetzee.

World Cup 1 in Portugal, the smaller World Cup of the three, saw some good results from the two sprinters.

Esti progressed through to the 500m A-final after a nail biting semi-final where she just managed to grab the final qualifying spot. The final result for her was 8th in the 500m K1, leaving her satisfied with the weekend’s racing and the overall consistency of the weekend.

Chrisjan lined up for the 200m

and after a bit of a disappointing start in his semi, he just missed the A-final! He did however made a great comeback by winning his 200m B-final in true style!

The team was positive and motivated heading to Hungary for World Cup. Upon arrival the weather proved to be a challenge with crazy winds and massive waves pushing the athletes down the course.

The high of Portugal came to an abrupt stop when the bodymind connection seemed to have disappeared. Esti experienced a horrible semi-final which meant

the end of her 500m racing, but managed to pick herself up slightly in order to still advance to the 200m C-final. Chrisjan also battled with his 200m races and unfortunately did not advance to the finals.

August will be the important event with the first World Championships of the new Olympic cycle to be hosted in Czech Republic. The athletes are motivated to build on their World Cup performance and to fix what was broken!

ESTI VAN TONDER

Msunduzi Green Corridor River Fun Run 2017 On Sunday 25 June, The Paddle Mag was hosted by Canoe Developments very own Janet Simpkins and DUCT to a most fabulous morning of events. The idea was ingenious – get hundreds of kids and DUCT supporters together for a fun run around Camps Drift and at the same time raise their awareness of the water quality and surrounding pollution and in a stroke of brilliance get the development paddlers to put on a marathon display.

It was a stunning day at Camps Drift and the kids just kept on barrelling in in eager excitement of the race. Hundreds of kids and concerned coaches and teachers were soon milling around Natal Canoe Club discussing race strategy, the rival schools to beat and the best way to stay warm in the middle of winter. All the while the development paddlers were setting up and getting ready to put on the most amazing display of paddling right amongst the runners. Just before the start of the 6km race with everyone gathered on the front lawn the paddlers set off to render an impressive display of what a race start looks like, paddling in a bunch and finally the exhausting portage was demonstrated.

The kids on the bank were fascinated.

Soon after that the MC’s had the task of trying to call everyone to order in order to get the fun runs under way. First the 6km run was got underway and then 15 minutes later the packed 3km race started.

We forget how much fun a school fun run can be! The kids went screaming off down the banks of the drift off towards the bridge in the early morning mist only to

be seen a few minutes later tearing along the opposite bank. The fun must be in winning because these kids were taking this very seriously.

In the meantime the paddlers continued their training in earnest under the watchful eye of their respective coaches. This meant that the kids as they finished their runs could make their way back down to the water to watch. What a unique experience. The morning was rounded off with a brief talk on water safety, a song and dance display by some of the school children and finally a much needed lunch.

A big thank you to Janet for hosting us and a huge thumbs up to DUCT for organising a wonderful day. It was very encouraging to watch the level of commitment around the future of our water quality and we simply love watch our future river, marathon and sprint champs in the making. We could not have asked for a better Sunday – Thank you.

IMAGES Tracy-Lee Anderson

The Pink Lady® Two Days of Bare Minimum Racing The two-day Pink Lady canoe marathon has, traditionally, been a matter of heated racing on the tightest, most technical sections of the larger four day Berg River

Canoe Marathon. With this year’s current drought conditions putting a strangle-hold on the Cape’s water levels, it would be up to the paddler’s to make this an event to remember, and the stern faces that turned up for the 10am start on the 16th of June 2017 definitely took up the challenge.

10am may sound like a late starting time for most, but for the Cape river scene this is perfectly normal. If you live in the city, be prepared for a 6am wake-up, a scramble to get ready, rushed boat loading, a two

hour drive and an empty feeling in your stomach as you pull up on Gouda Bridge and realize that the distance between your tyres and the water below is significantly larger than what you remember. Paddlers arrived from all corners of the Cape and immediately congregated at the river bank, mulling over the low water levels and hoping to glean a nugget of sage wisdom from the various Berg legends scattered across the start area. Each paddler shuffles closer to these stalwarts, listening intently for phrases such as “ah, at this level you want to go left at that

big tree by the red rocks” or “shjoe, when it’s this low, you want to avoid that channel with the two palmiet bushes on the right”. They listen, they try to picture the section of river mentioned and then they get on the water feeling less sure than when they arrived.

Day 1 - The (in) famous Gouda to Bridgetown section, with its many tree blocks and tight channels, was selected for the first day of racing.

The A-batch start line featured a wealth of elite paddlers with the likes of world marathon champion

Jasper Mocke (Euro Steel/Mocke Paddling), Berg legend Graeme Solomon (Bamboo Warehouse/ Knysna Racing), international star Jakub Adam (Euro Steel) and young ace Mark Keeling (Orka Paddles/ Mocke Paddling/Kayak Center). The start saw Mocke take charge with a blistering first 1000m. From here, Adam and Solomon took stock of the situation and made a joint effort to reel the race leader in. These front three stayed together for the majority of the 30km stretch to Bridgetown, with Mocke making

aggressive, sporadic attempts to break up the front bunch - a tactic that has worked extremely well for him in the past. “I tried to get away a couple of times during the race,” reflected Mocke, “but I kept on making mistakes as I broke away - a wrong channel here and a missed sneak there meant that my hard work came to nothing a few times, actually.” After seeing that this tactic would not work on today’s unforgiving river level, Mocke sat back and allowed the experience of Solomon to lead the way in to

Bridegtown. “Towards the end, I realized that I wasn’t going to do anything this day and I decided to just follow Graeme, who knew where he was going and didn’t put a foot wrong. That was the best decision I made the whole day”, said Mocke. In the end, Mocke took the stage win with Solomon and Adam in quick succession.

In the ladies event, a stellar field of paddlers diced it out amongst the palmiet, with Berg champion Bianca Beavitt pitting herself against the Dusi Valley regulars Alex Adie (Euro Steel) and Christie Mackenzie (Euro Steel), with Melanie van Niekerk and Robyn Henderson also lining up. From the start it was a one horse show with Beavitt, the star of Milnerton Canoe Club, taking charge and showing her invaluable experience on this stretch of river.

She cruised across the line in fine fashion while Mackenzie and van Niekerk battled it out, finishing second and third respectively.

Day 2 - In stark contrast to the

twists and turns of the GoudaBridgetown section, the stretch of river between Paarl Canoe Club and the Skooltjie Bridge offered little drama for the field. With a water level even lower than the day before coupled with an upstream start,

the stage was set for an epic “bump and scrape” along the 25km of river ahead. The first, and perhaps the most significant obstacle of stage two is the large Paarl weir, which forms a compulsory portage for all paddlers. With an elapsed time start, it was Mocke who capitalised on his small but valuable lead from the previous day by completing a blisteringly fast portage across the grass. His put in was faultless and soon his quick stroke rate resulted in a gap opening up between him and the trailing pack. “I didn’t particularly plan on breaking away but, as it happened, I had a good portage and opened up a small gap and was happy to see how long it lasted”, said Mocke “I had to work quite hard to keep Jakub at bay and so the day was a lot harder than what it could have been but, with a South African title on the line, I didn’t want to leave things down to an end sprint”.

Adam ended up paddling the whole way on his own, with Solomon not far behind and willing to capitalise on any mistakes made by the front two. In the end, it was Mocke who claimed a comfortable but wellearned SA K1 river title, with Adam and Solomon finishing in second and third respectively.

The ladies race saw a mass start,

with no elapsed time taking place, and thus the leading ladies were forced to dice it out amongst themselves over the tricky first portage. Again, it was Beavitt who showed her class on this tricky river and totally out-paddled the entire field to claim her SA K1 river title. A more clinical day from van Niekerk saw her wrap up second place making it a one-two for the Cape brigade. Christie Mackenzie comfortably collected bronze while Robyn Henderson and Alex Adie finished up the top five in that order.

The Cape river season, still in the grips of a harsh drought, now looks onwards to the epic two-day Breede River Canoe Marathon and the many pre-pre-Breede races that are dished up in the weeks coming. Additionally, the Orka Mini Marathon Series is available to ready the racing snakes for the coming ICF World Marathon Championships. Thereafter, the Fish River Canoe marathon marks the end of the river season.

The paddlers of the Pink Lady SA K1 would like to thank Paarl Canoe Club for, once again, putting on a great show and allowing us to still race despite the low water levels. We’ll be back next year!

CRAIG FLANAGAN

IMAGES Mauritius Ocean Classic

BEYOND THE BUTTPAD INVESTEC MAURITIUS OCEAN CLASSIC Latitude 320*17’S Longitude S7*33’E The tropical Indian Ocean island of Mauritius was home to the 9th edition of the Mauritius Ocean Classic.

Previously colonized by the Dutch, French and British and now a

Republic the island is 2000 kms off the southeast coast of Africa. This race has already established itself as one of the best downwind courses in the World Series and has the ICF World Cup label. The 330 kilometers of coastline feature sandy beaches and most of the island is surrounded by coral reefs which create calm lagoons. Mauritius was home to the now extinct Dodo which I can believe, as there were no Dodo’s at the Classic only racing snakes.

The event is hosted and organised

by Investec, Lux Tamassa, JPH boathouse and the organizing committee. Lux Tamassa is situated on the West Coast of Mauritius and turns into a surfski village for the week of the event. The paddling itinerary consists of down winds both inside and outside the reef each day. Safety of the paddlers are assured by JPH boathouse who provide security boats on both courses. The down winds leave from Tamassa and end at Le Morne where the boats are collected and both boats and paddlers shuttled back to

Tamassa for delicious burgers served from the remains of an old ford pickup truck.

Afternoons feature coaching sessions by some of the sports legends. For the ladies do not miss any coaching session by Nicky Mocke and for the men Oscar Chalupsky’s is a must.

As you know Oscar is the world’s greatest surfski paddler and if you don’t believe me ask him he will tell you. Or you can chill at the pool, watersport on the lagoon or take a power nap. Cold Phoenix beers on tap for the sunset and party time in the evening. Can’t be bad and chuck in some nice warm water paddling.

There is the FTL team race on the Thursday with teams consisting of the fast and faster paddlers. Bribery and corruption are recommended not to get Dean Gardiner the most successful Aussie paddler of all time as your team captain, I had him last year you will “Kak”.The week is not only about the elite paddlers it also accommodates paddlers new to the sport who can do the down winds

and the race inside the reef if they are not comfortable going outside.

I was staying with family 40 minutes North of Tamassa in Black River otherwise known as Swart Rivier (due to all the South African Expats).

Michael MacLachlan had booked self-catering accommodation in Black River for R500 a night so it is possible not to stay in Tamassa and if there are a number of you to share the cost of a hired car you can save some bucks, however for first timers I would still recommend taking the hotel package which is fully inclusive board, meals and drinks (ABF please).

As all of boats were already in Tamassa JPH Boathouse could only find a Stealth Strika (Noah’s old boat) in much need of TLC to loan Michael.

With a bit of innovation and a fair degree of luck the patched up Ski was launched and we paddled from La Preneuse to Tamarin Bay. Michael who was going to hire a boat to see the resident dolphins didn’t need to as we bumped into them on the way to Tamarin. On the way back we discovered that the Strika was leaking badly and this necessitated a rapid return to shore.

The next day we paddled out beyond the reef, tied the ski up to a buoy and went snorkeling in the aquarium.

There is a lot to see on the West Coast so taking a day or afternoon off from paddling can allow you to visit the dolphins (they are there every day). For surfers good waves can be found sometimes at Sancho 10 minutes from the hotel and the right to left break at Tamarin Bay is world famous.

Finally it was time for the first downwind on Monday, the swell had picked up and all along the South Coast was pounding the reefs. The pass through the reef was closed out and the organisers felt that they would not be in a position to guarantee the paddlers safety so it was postponed).So the only downwind on offer was to paddle inside of the reef to Le Morne. (Not very happy!).However the 16 km

paddle anchored by Dean Gardiner to Le Morne turned out to be very enjoyable as it allowed one to admire the beauty of the coastline which is not possible when running outside the reef.

Tuesday was the 21km downwind outside the reef. After the horror stories of last year some first timers faced the pass from the lagoon through the reef with some trepidation. Hundreds and thousands of litres of water flow in and out of the passes in the reefs and thus caution is advised. As it turned out the pass was quite benign and a great downwind to Le Morne ensued. The entry into Le Morne was through Ambulant Pass otherwise known as Ambulance Pass. There was a good swell on the side of the reef, too good for one Frenchman whose swimming capability was well tested. The rest of the week paddling and preparation for race day – HAPPY DAYS. Pre-race briefing threw up a surprise - the race would start from Sancho, go through Le Morne pass and finish at Emba Filao on the beach. Last year the race went through Ambulant as Le Morne Pass was closed out. Le Morne Pass has a reputation and some of us, myself included, slept fitfully that night. The ladies started first followed by the men from a buoy in Sancho Bay. The conditions were perfect, so perfect that my enthusiasm took me close to the reef, a sixth sense warned me to look back only to see a huge swell bearing down on me, pays to remember how quickly waves get up as they approach a reef - it is very different to the wave action on a beach. The reef curves as you get to Le Morne so you need to default to the left so as not to end up in the corner and have to paddle sideways to the swell and wind to get in position to enter Le Morne pass. It was an awesome downwind and last two kms grind on flat water to the finish.

Dawid Mocke was on the mike as I finished and was most complimentary of my paddling style whilst punting his coaching

excellence. The whole episode filmed by my son-in-law. This with my Men’s Health sticker are now my most prized possessions.

The beer was flowing at prize giving and Dawid Mocke as MC is always on top of his game until in the middle of his speech when the Saga dancers and drummers started their

performance without letting Dawid finish (Very amusing for everyone except Dawid).

To spend a week with some of the best paddlers past and present in the world is a privilege, great vibe, great people, great down winds if you have not got a bucket go get one and add this one to your list.

My thanks for an unforgettable week to Investec, Fenn, Tamassa, JPH boathouse and the organizing committee. Travis you rock. Michelle Burn thank you for the donation of a Buttpad to a worthy cause.

NEIL KIRKWOOD

Learn to paddle a SURFSKI on the sea.

All equipment provided and all levels accepted.

Meet new people and discover a great lifestyle activity.

079 027 4031

Kyle Friedenstein

IMAGES supplied by Karen Cockerill

ZANZIBAR “Unless you paddle for the wave, you’ll never know if you could catch it. But once you do… Ride it as long as you can. Love as long as you can.”

Abigail Spencer

Stanbic Zanzibar Adventure Paddle

Although the idea of paddling to Zanzibar had been thrown around for many years it was Andreas Schmidt and Robyn Knowles who teamed up to make it a reality.

In 2015, Andreas was preparing to return to Germany and wanted to tick this item off his bucket list, while Robyn had recently bought a secondhand Horizon and was immersing herself into the sport. Together they convinced Ian Attfield (a quadriplegic paddler), Christina Balarin, David Legge, Samantha & Nick Leader, Karen Cockerill, Mark Lubbe (from Mozambique) and Paul Hollesen to join this ‘crazy’ adventure.

Within a few weeks the team had begun to communicate with the sailing and power boat sections of the Dar es Salaam Yacht Club (DYC) and had enlisted the help of a safety team consisting of: Catamaran Maxan skippered by Erik Kok, Tsavo skippered by Jacque Lombard & Mark Harrison, Lunatic skippered

by Bob, and Bigfoot skippered by Marius Becker.

The team then considered a few route options until consensus was reached and it was agreed that we would leave on a full moon, at 4am, to avoid the harsh tropical sun and heat conditions. The group would remain as one, following Maxan until sunrise when the group could split into two individual pods of skinny racers and slower heavier adventure paddlers. Maxan would head straight

out to sea guided by Maxan’s technology on the best route past the lighthouse to the Pungume sandbank which is on the south-west coast of Zanzibar. The route is just over 38 km.

Next we needed a sponsor to assist with the costs. This is when Stanbic Bank got onboard. Stanbic was looking for an adventure they could grow with and this sounded like the start of something that could, so they signed up meaning that all that was left to do was get fit. With two months to go the paddlers go into their boats each week for a time trial and a longer more adventurous Sunday paddle.

The pioneer event in 2015 attracted 12 participants of which 10 finished.

The first batch of paddlers arrived after six and a half hours and the second 45 minutes later. Most of the paddlers returned to Dar es Salaam the same day with the safety boats, while a handful of paddlers – mostly those leaving Tanzania – stayed to enjoy Zanzibar.

Many of the original paddlers left Tanzania that year, leaving a core organizing team of five namely, Robyn Knowles, David Legge, Karen Cockerill, Erik Kok and Mark Harrison to run the second year’s event where the qualifier training plan started to gain more traction and attracted eight paddlers of which 7 finished.

In year three the core organizing

team was down to four and it was decided that to make the event more sustainable we would need to bring in an international flavor to attract old paddlers back and/or inspire other adventurers to consider a sporting family holiday abroad. What better place to take the family than Zanzibar?

We approached Stanbic once again only this time we were asking for a lot more. We wanted to bring in 10 Epic’s to make it easier for international adventure paddlers to fly in and participate in the crossing.

Stanbic agreed and the team set about working towards building capacity for a bigger event. Although the boats did not arrive in time to accommodate any international paddlers, the level of the event was lifted. It now includes qualifying events that better prepare the local paddlers for the event, meaning that the time taken to get to the island has decreased to five hours despite the rougher sea conditions this year.

The event now also has a post event lunch and prize-giving on Pungume Island before the safety boats and weary paddlers head back to Dar es Salaam. This year a handful of new expats took the opportunity to enjoy the travel package we put together at Fumba Beach Lodge in Zanzibar.

KAREN COCKERILL

G

EAR &

G

ADGET

orca flex paddle Brand new shape. I’m using this one at the moment. Great in the sea and rivers.

Pulls with a big grip but first bite not that important so a little more forgiving than the B min. Size: 49 x 15,5

orca flex paddle And now for something completely different in paddle bags! We went shopping for what we thought was cool material and then waterproofed it, scotch guarded it and turned it into padded paddle bags.

orcapaddles.com

021 701 7913 Peter 083 675 0616

mocke life jacket

paddle leash Adjustable paddle strap that fits around the paddle shaft.

Made from 4mm shock-chord, very strong Lightweight Perfect length.

The Mocke Personal Flotation Device (PFD) was designed to give you an inherently buoyant PFD that fitted and felt like you weren’t wearing anything, and that didn’t make you overheat while paddling.

Our Racer PFD is ISO and SANS Type 5 Approved for all users. It is also approved by the International Canoeing Federation and features performance improvements to bring you a lighter, even cooler PFD!

paddling shorts Unique cut and seam design that prevents chafing Unisex design and cut Double layer construction: outer layer sticks to the ski preventing you from slipping around, inner layer allows movement as you rotate through each paddle stroke Drawstring waist to ensure a perfect fit. Available in three colour options: All black, blue, red.

sleeveless windbreaker Made from super light HydroX, the new MOCKE Sleeveless Windbreaker provides high performance core insulation from wind and water. Its athletic cut ensures maximum range of motion for optimum paddling performance. Features: Windproof & Waterproof Lightweight Highly visible colour Front zip ventilator NEW comfy collar design Elasticated armholes seal in body heat Fits in your pocket

mockepaddling.com

Karen: shop@mockepaddling.com Tel: +27 21 782 4311

HEALTHY STRAWBERRY KIWI ELECTROLYTE DRINK TIME: 5 MINS MAKES: 1 DRINK INGREDIENTS 2 cups pure coconut water 1/8 tsp himalayan salt (sea salt is fine if you can’t get himalayan rock salt) 1/2 TBSP real lime juice (about half a lime) 4 frozen organic strawberries 1/2 a small organic kiwi, peeled INSTRUCTIONS Blend all ingredients together in a blender until liquefied- enjoy!

Notes If you have kids in sports and you’re active yourself, you might want to double or triple the recipe.

Store in the refrigerator for up to two days.

Pour into popsicle molds and freeze overnight to make electrolyte popsicles.

Sediment is natural. There will likely be some seeds from the strawberry and kiwi at the bottom of the glass. Drink it or discard it. hettmanhomestead.com

Carrot smoothie with pineapple, banana, and mango

TIME 10mins MAKES: 2 SERVINGS

INGREDIENTS 2 cups baby-cut carrots 1 cup frozen mango chunks Adam and1Joanne Gallagher @ cup frozen pineapple chunks 1 cup frozen strawberries 1 ripe banana 3 tablespoons oats 1 cup water

inspiredtaste.net

DIRECTIONS Add all ingredients to the blender container.

Blend until smooth. If too thick, add more water until the consistency is to your liking.

Optionally, garnish with fresh mint leaves and top with additional oats. savorytooth.com

Get your

EAS T ERN C A P E DATE

RACE

RACE

DETAILS

on!

CONTACT

AUGUST FRI 4

Border Winter Series

secretary@bordercanoeclub. co.za

FRI 11

Border Winter Series

secretary@bordercanoeclub. co.za

FRI 18

Border Winter Series

secretary@bordercanoeclub. co.za

SAT 26

Kowie Intercity Challenge

secretary@bordercanoeclub. co.za

SEPTEMBER SAT 23

Pre-Fish

info@karoo-river-rafting.co.za

OCTOBER SUN 1

Gamtoos Challenge

FRI 6 - SAT 7 SUN 15

Hansa Fish Marathon SA K2 John Woods Challenge

FRI 20

Border Summer Series

secretary@bordercanoeclub. co.za

FRI 27

Border Summer Series

secretary@bordercanoeclub. co.za

NOVEMBER FRI 3

Border Summer Series

secretary@bordercanoeclub. co.za

SAT 4 - SUN 5 FRI 10

Pete Marlin Race Border Summer Series

charl.vanwyk@bcx.co.za

FRI 17

Border Summer Series

secretary@bordercanoeclub. co.za

FRI 24

Border Summer Series

secretary@bordercanoeclub. co.za

DECEMBER FRI 1

Border Summer Series

secretary@bordercanoeclub. co.za

SUN 24 THU 28

Carey Olsen Shark Point Surfski Sporty Anderson Surfski Race

Gamtoos, Jeffrey’s Bay, 10 & 20km Fish River, Craddock, 84km

info@stfrancispaddlingclub.co.za DeWetP2@dwa.gov.za secretary@bordercanoeclub. co.za

secretary@bordercanoeclub. co.za

St Francis Beach, 18km

info@stfrancispaddlingclub.co.za

St Francis Beach, 18km

info@stfrancispaddlingclub.co.za

G AU T EN G DATE AUGUST SAT 19

RACE SAMC Watuni Vaal

DETAILS 25km

CONTACT

Ponta do Ouro

Orange River Mouth

Tugela River Mouth

Port St Johns Dassen Island Cape Agulhas

SALDANHA PORT CONTROL Tel: 022 714 1726 Stn. 24 Lambert’s Bay – 060 960 3027 Stn. 04 Mykonos – 082 990 5966 Stn. 34 Yzerfontein – 082 990 5974

CAPE TOWN PORT CONTROL Tel: 021 449 3500 Stn. 18 Melkbosstrand – 082 990 5958 Stn. 03 Table Bay – 082 990 5963

Seal Point

Great Fish River Mouth

Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) Tel: 021 938 3300 NSRI HQ: 021 434 4011 MOSSEL BAY PORT CONTROL Tel: 044 604 6271 Stn. 33 Witsand – 082 990 5957 Stn. 31 Still Bay – 082 990 5978 Stn. 15 Mossel Bay – 082 990 5954 Stn. 23 Wilderness – 082 990 5955 Stn. 12 Knysna – 082 990 5956

EAST LONDON PORT CONTROL Tel: 043 700 2100 Stn. 07 East London – 082 990 5972 Stn. 28 Port St Johns – 082 550 5430

DURBAN PORT CONTROL Tel: 031 361 8567 Stn. 32 Port Edward – 082 990 5951 Stn. 20 Shelly Beach – 082 990 5950 Stn. 05 Durban – 082 990 5948

Stn. 14 Plettenberg Bay – 082 990 5975

RICHARDS BAY PORT CONTROL Tel: 035 753 1991

Stn. 10 Simon’s Town – 082 990 5965

P.E. PORT CONTROL Tel: 041 507 1911

INLAND DAMS AND LAKES

Stn. 16 Strandfontein – 082 990 6753

Stn. 36 Oyster Bay – 082 990 5968

Stn. 22 Vaal Dam – 083 626 5128

Stn. 09 Gordon’s Bay – 072 448 8482

Stn. 21 St Francis Bay – 082 990 5969

Stn. 27 Victoria Lake – 060 991 9301

Stn. 17 Hermanus – 082 990 5967

Stn. 37 Jeffreys Bay – 079 916 0390

Stn. 25 Hartbeespoort Dam – 082 990 5961

Stn. 29 Air Sea Rescue – 082 990 5980

Stn. 06 Port Elizabeth – 082 990 0828

Stn. 35 Witbank Dam – 060 962 2620

Stn. 30 Agulhas – 082 990 5952

Stn. 11 Port Alfred – 082 990 5971

Stn. 38 Theewaterskloof – 072 446 6344

Stn. 02 Bakoven – 082 990 5962 Stn. 08 Hout Bay – 082 990 5964 Stn. 26 Kommetjie – 082 990 5979

Stn. 19 Richards Bay – 082 990 5949

CRAIG LAMBINON: 082 380 3800 (Communications)

You can download a digital version of these emergency numbers from our website: http://www.nsri.org.za/emergency-numbers/

DATE SUN 27

RACE

DETAILS

CONTACT

FLCC Klip

Ixoxo Manzi to Caravan Park

Vaughn Steven 082 373 0159

Liebenbergsvlei to Tweeling

Jason Brown 076 112 0402

FRI 29

DABS Liebenbergsvlei Race, SA K3 ERK Nite Race

Homestead Dam, Benoni

Tracey Watkins 082 564 0163

OCTOBER SUN 1 SUN 14 SAT 21 - SUN 22 SAT 28

GCU School League GCU School League Lowveld Croc DABS 4 Hour Enduro

DABS DABS

Tracey Watkins 082 564 0163 Tracey Watkins 082 564 0163

Dabulamanzi Canoe Club

Jason Brown 076 112 0402

Liebenbergs Vlei Final race and prizegiving

Tracey Watkins 082 564 0163

SUN 19

VLC Maluti Schools League JCC Vaal Marathon GCU K2 Champs - K3 Champs 94.7

DECEMBER SAT 10

FLCC Dusi Klip

Heidelberg Bridge to Caravan Park

Vaughn Steven 082 373 0159

SEPTEMBER SAT 16 - SUN 17

NOVEMBER SAT 4 SUN 5 SAT 11 - SUN 12

K W A - Z ULU NA T AL DATE AUGUST SAT 5 - SUN 6 SAT 12 - SUN 13

FRI 18

RACE KZN Marathon Champs KZN Marathon Champs

DETAILS Camps Drift, includes Guppy Camps Drift

McGregor Series NCC, PieterRace 3: FNB DICE maritzberg, 5.15pm

SAT 19 - SUN 20 GARA Dolphin Coast Challenge SAT 19 Alex Caruth SUN 20 Table Mountain Descent THU 24 Lance Park Memorial SAT 26 - SUN 27 Da Real Downwind Series Race 1

CONTACT

Pirates, KZN Surfski Champs DATE TO CHANGE Table Mountain to Nagle Dam 20km NCC Camps Drift, 16km

mcgregorpaddleseries. co.za

Barry Lewin 083 710 1351

Andrew Booth Mary Millward 033 342 1528

FRI 28

McGregor Series Blue Lagoon, Race 4: Bidvest 5.15pm McCarthy Toyota

mcgregorpaddleseries. co.za

SAT 26

Capitol Caterer’s / Popes Canoe School Polo 1 RBM Shaka Challenge

Varsity/Shongweni

Rob Marriott

ZKC Clubhouse Meerensee, Richards Bay

Henry Wood 083 254 1836

SAT 26

DATE TUE 29

RACE

DETAILS

CONTACT

Duncan Scotney

PYC, 16km

Neels Meyer 083 231 0919

McGregor Series Race 5: Euro Steel

NCC, Pietermaritzberg, 5.15pm

mcgregorpaddleseries. co.za

Varsity/Shongweni

Rob Marriott

Pirates - Umdloti, 22km Camps Drift

Angus Ferguson 083 309 9249

KCC, Blue Lagoon, 16km Shongweni Dam

Terry Drummond 083 3262333 Rob Marriott

Camps Drift to Moto-X Weir Pirates - Umdloti, 22km

Anton Venter 0833 347 1766 Angus Ferguson 083 309 9249

Upper Umgeni 9am, Camps Drift, Pietermaritzberg Richards Bay to Mtunzini, 35km

Helmut Bruss 082 780 0134

Camps Drift

Rob Marriott

Pirates - Umdloti, 22km

Angus Ferguson 083 309 9249

Pirates - Umdloti, 22km

Angus Ferguson 083 309 9249

SEPTEMBER

FRI 28 SAT 2

Capitol Caterer’s / Popes Canoe School Polo 2 SAT 2 - SUN 3 Da Real Downwind Series Race 2 SUN 3 Supa Quick Jock Claasens TUE 5 - SUN 10 ICF Marathon World Champs and Masters World Cup THU 7 Eric’s Canoe Shop Race SAT 16 Capitol Caterer’s / Popes Canoe Schools Flat Water Slalom SUN 17 Fezela Classic SAT 23 - SUN 24 Da Real Downwind Series Race 3 SUN 24 Nobby Nel Memorial SAT 30 NCC Boat Auction SAT 30 - SUN 1

Mouth to Mouth Downwind Ski Race

OCTOBER SAT 14

Capitol Caterer’s / Popes Canoe Schools 10 Lap Enduro SAT 14 - SUN 15 Da Real Downwind Series Race 4 SAT 21 - SUN 22 Da Real Downwind Series Race 5 SAT 21 - SUN 22 Dam to Dam 2 Man Relay

SAT 21 - SUN 22 Da Real Downwind Series Race 6 SUN 29 Umpetha Challenge NOVEMBER SAT 11 SUN 12

SAT 18 DECEMBER FRI 1 - MON 4

Popes Walk Alan Gardiner Memorial, including Guppy / Beginner race Ithala Challenge

Commemorative Dusi Canvas Journey

Day 1, K2, Albert Falls to Cumberland Day 2, K1, Cumberland to Nagle Dam Richards Bay - Pirates, 162km

Henry Wood 083 254 1836

Angus Warren

angus@batechubb.co.za

Artwell Mhlophe 073 234 0343 Angus Ferguson 083 309 9249

Camps Drift to Bishopstowe Hall

Mary Millward 033 342 1528

Ibis to Dip

Neels Meyer 083 231 0919

Bivane Dam to Ithala Game Reserve

Marius van Eeden 082 893 2357

Alex Park PMB to Blue Lagoon, Anton Venter 033 347 1766 120km

DATE

RACE

SUN 3

Hi-Q Challenge - Guppy Race

THU 7 SUN 10 SAT 16 SUN 17

NCC Nite Race No 8 to Josephines Bridge Winkle - Toti - Winkle Lords and Legends Ski Race KZN MD Champs

SAT 30

Fast Drak

DETAILS Bon Accord Park, Albert Falls Dam Caamps Drift, 15km Umkomaas, 15km Winklespruit LSC, 15km Scottsons Bridge to 2nd Coleford Bridge, 25km Underberg, 65km

CONTACT 072 344 0244 Mary Millward 033 342 1528 Ernie Alder 072 437 7397 Mark Pontes 083 281 2007 richard@underbergforge.co.za Malcolm Pitt 074 185 1579

W ES T ERN C A P E DATE

RACE

DETAILS

CONTACT

AUGUST SAT 5

Nekkies Eilande K2

WED 9

Wyzersdrift K2

SUN 13

Gordon’s Bay

SAT 19

Gordon’s Bay Downwind Junkies Winter Series, Race 7 Drew to Swellendam K2

SUN 20

Bontebok K2

Breede River

SAT 26

Alfies to Robertson K2

Breede River

SUN 27

Gordon’s Bay Downwind Junkies Winter Series, Race 8

Gordon’s Bay

Laura van Heerden wpcanoe@gmail.com Laura van Heerden wpcanoe@gmail.com Laura van Heerden wpcanoe@gmail.com Gustav@47gyspies.co.za

Gordon’s Bay

Gustav@47gyspies.co.za

Breede River

Laura van Heerden wpcanoe@gmail.com Gustav@47gyspies.co.za

SEPTEMBER SAT 2 SUN 10 SAT 16 - SUN 17 SUN 17

Robertson - Bonnivale K2 Gordon’s Bay Downwind Junkies Winter Series, Race 9 Breede Marathon

Breede River

SAT 23

Gordon’s Bay Downwind Gordon’s Bay Junkies Winter Series, Race 10 Franschoek to Paarl Berg River

SUN 24

Eerste Rivier Heritage Day K1

Laura van Heerden wpcanoe@gmail.com Laura van Heerden wpcanoe@gmail.com Gustav@47gyspies.co.za

Laura van Heerden wpcanoe@gmail.com Laura van Heerden wpcanoe@gmail.com

OCTOBER SUN 15 SUN 15

FHBSC 3 Beaches Ski Race Fish Hoek, 6km or 16km Gordon’s Bay Downwind Gordon’s Bay Junkies Winter Series, Race 11

Terrence 079 137 6963 Gustav@47gyspies.co.za

SUN 22

Cape Point Challenge Qualifier 1

Peter Cole 083 675 0616

DATE SUN 29 SUN 29

RACE

DETAILS

Gordon’s Bay Downwind Gordon’s Bay Junkies Winter Series, Race 12 Oceana Surf Ski Challenge

CONTACT Gustav@47gyspies.co.za Robin Tindall robin@ revokayaks.com

NOVEMBER

SUN 5

Cape Point Challenge Qualifiyer 2

SUN 12

Milnerton to Melkbos Ski Race Mark’s Beach Bar Ski Race Daniel Conradie Memorial Ski Race

SUN 19 ST 25

Peter Cole 083 675 0616

DECEMBER

SUN 3

Cape Point Challenge Qualifiyer 3

SUN 10

Peter Creese LHC

SAT 16

Fenn Cape Point Challenge

Peter Cole 083 675 0616

Scarborough / Witsand to Fishhoek Beach, 52km, 5.30am

Peter Cole 083 675 0616

IN T ERNA T IONAL DATE

RACE

DETAILS

AUGUST 23 - 27 ICF Sprint Senior World Championships and Para World Cup SEPTEMBER 5 - 10 ICF Marathon World Championships and Masters World Cup Pietermaritzberg

www.canoeicf.com www.canoeicf.com

SEPTEMBER 9

Maraamu Surfski Race

Tahiti maraamusurfskirace.com

SEPTEMBER 23

Liffey Descent

Dublin, Ireland canoe.ie/liffey-descent

SEPTEMBER 27 OCTOBER 1 SEPTEMBER 30 OCTOBER 1 OCTOBER 27 - 29 NOVEMBER 4 - 5

ICF Slalom World Championships

www.canoeicf.com

Dutch Coast Race

info@surfski-holland.nl

Breizh Ocean Race Pete Marlin East London

kayak-brest.com

NOVEMBER 18 - 19

Hong Kong Dragon Run

thedragonrun.com.hk/the-race. html

bordercanoeclub.co.za/pete-marlin

DATE NOVEMBER 25 - 26 DECEMBER 9

RACE

DETAILS

Perth Doctor

oceanpaddler.com/events/ the-doctor

Palm to Pines

Sydney Coast oceanpaddler.com/events/palm-2pines/event-information

View from the back of the boat With all this excitement over World Marathon Champs coming to South Africa in a months’ time we thought that we would tackle some of the most common questions we have been asked by members of the international teams.

Q Are there hippopotamuses in the river? (UK) A Yes there are. But not to worry

every morning the game rangers will herd them out the river and in to the boma for the day.

Q We hear that maidens come

down to the river to wash every morning? (USA)

A Yes, that is true. Come early to get the best seats.

Q Afterwards I want to walk from

Durban to Cape Town - can I follow the railroad tracks? (Sweden)

A Sure, it’s only two thousand

kilometres, take lots of water...

Q Is it safe to run around in the bushes in South Africa? (Sweden) A So it’s true what they say about Swedes.

Q Is there electricity in South Africa

(UK)

A We are all in the dark about that

every Tuesday night in Town Hill, straight after the Koala Bear races.

Come naked.

Q I follow a low carbohydrate, organic, vegan diet will I be able to do the same while in South Africa (Hun) A Not sure what that is, in South

one.

Africa we braai around the fire every night.

Q Can you give me some

Q Can I bring cutlery into South

information about Koala Bear racing in South Africa? (USA)

Africa? (UK)

A Aus-tra-lia is that big island in

do.

the middle of the pacific. A-fri-ca is the big triangle shaped continent south of Europe which does not... oh forget it. Sure, the Koala Bear racing is every Tuesday night in Town Hill.

Come naked.

Q Can you send me the Vienna Boys’ Choir schedule? (USA) A Aus-tri-a is that quaint little

country bordering Ger-man-y, which is...oh forget it. Sure, the Vienna Boys Choir plays

A Why? Just use your fingers like we Q Where is best to find the

nightlife? (France)

A Not to worry, run around after

dark and the nightlife will come and find you!

Q I hear that mosquitos bite?

(France) A Yes, but not nearly as badly

as some of the other nightlife – remember stay close to the fire after

dark.

Q How will I know if it is safe

to go out at night?

A As you go out of your hut

– glance around, green eyes safe, orange eyes not so safe

Q Are there killer bees in South Africa? (Germany) A No here we just refer to them as bees.

Q Are there supermarkets in Pietermaritzburg and is milk available all year round?

(Germany) A No, huntergatherers, as long as you can cook it – it is welcome at tonight’s braai.

Q Please send a list of all

doctors in South Africa who can dispense rattlesnake serum. USA)

A Rattlesnakes

in A-merica, which is where YOU come from. All South African snakes are perfectly harmless, can be safely handled and make good pets.

live

Q I was in South Africa

in 1969, and I want to contact the girl I dated while I was staying in Hillbrow. Can you help?

(USA)

A Yes, and you will still have to pay her by the hour.

A fantastic series of informative books all aimed at improving your paddling experience!

Available from www.lulu.com (just type in “surfski”), or contact author Kevin Brunette: brunette@iafrica.com