Issue 4 2020 AUG / SEP
Berg ultra paddle
REscued
Let’s Get
Physical
LEADING A SESSION Start Paddling
Co n t e n t s FEATURES 12 racing level 3.1.2.c 30 virtual M2O 32 The BULLET Rob MacLean 38 It won’t happen to me Jean Tresfon Rescued
50 start paddling 58 push & pull going virtual ULTRA PADDLE: 10 The Run Down 14 Vojtech Mares 18 natasha kimberly 22 Flo els
REVIEW 23 pERFORMANCE SEAT TECHNICAL 26 LEADING A SESSION 48 sup Going Faster REGULARS 8 csa news 42 LET’S GET PHYSICAL 56 RECIPE Performance Chicken Chilli 60 radar & evinrude
CONTRIBUTORS KEVIN BRUNETTE
jean tresfon
Kevin is an established surfski paddler, having completed three Cape Point Challenges. He is motivated by technique and boat speed, and can often be seen on the water perfecting his stroke or at the gym working on his fitness. He has authored and published a number of books of surfski. They are available in epub, pdf or kindle formats. Google ‘surfski book’ for the links.
Jean is an avid surfskier. He is also a conservation photographer who highlights issues of both delight and concern in his photographs both underwater and from the air.
GRAHAM DANIEL Graham Daniel - Former athlete, staying involved in sport to fuel his life passion by sharing moments of excellence and achievement, supporting those who are doing and being part of it all. “simply searching to make a difference, to showcase the talents, efforts and abilities of others, to share with humanity the wonderful moments we create and enjoy each experience.”
Dave Macleod After getting into paddling at high school, Dave embarked on a career in journalism, working at Capital Radio, East Coast Radio and the SABC before starting Gameplan Media in 1997. An avid reader and writer, he works closely with many paddling events around the country
ERIKA Cruywagen Erika teaches at Planet Fitness and also assists with creating program content. She is also a figure skating coach. Her motto is “making fitness fun”.
CANOEING SA Brandon Macleod
NATASHA KIMBERLY www.itiwit.co.uk www.soscuisine.com Push and pull
PHOTOGRAPHY Athony Grote Celliers Kruger Photo’s by Carolyn J Cooper Rob Mousley Berg River Canoe Marathon Carolyn Fulton Rob MacLean Graham Daniel
Vecteezy.com WEST COAST CANOE CLUB aLLAN ROY MOCKE SURFSKI SCHOOL SOSCUISINE.COM push and pull Ray ChaPLIN
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Dawid and Jasper Mocke have, over decades of collective professional paddling, honed their skills at developing training programs and training techniques and in this course provide these training insights. They also provide downloadable training resources and training programs. A fully comprehensive Training for Surfski resource.
The Fundamentals of Training. The Phases of Training. Periodisation. Peaking for your Event. Types of Surfski Training. How to build your own Training Program. Training Sessions. Pre-Event and Race Day Preparation. Training Concepts explained. 10 Downloadable Training Programs. Golden Rules for Training.
FROM THE ED
They say it take a village to raise a child but how many people does take to get an editor to complete 240km in four days? The answer is an astonishing 12 other paddlers. I am not sure if they were worried that I would get lost going around the vlei based on my track record or that I would lose my mind in the boredom of paddling on my own. But they banded together, Kevin organised them in to shifts and away we went. 240km in four days done! Thank you to everyone that paddled with me and kept me sane.
I was not the only one who received tremendous support in our endeavours.You will read about the amazing people on the West Coast that banded together to help Flo Els get to her Gold certificate and how she in turn helped someone else later on in the mag. There are also people like Richard Allen who managed to get a number of his juniors on to the river in a bid to get them to the 50km mark in a fun and learning manner. I am sure that there are a multitude of stories like that. But the person who truly earned a DIAMOND Certificate in my books for the Ultra Paddle is Etienne
Laubscher. Who? I can hear you ask. That is exactly my point! He is the man that gave up his opportunity to get a Silver in order to get a number of his fellow club members (and non – members) over the finish line of their respective distances. He organised paddling trips so that people would not have to paddle upstream, he organised groups so that paddlers would not paddle alone and on at least one of the days he organised three different start points up the river so that paddlers could get their required mileage under their belts. He is also the editor behind the West Coast Canoe Club media during the event. Being at the water’s edge to capture club mates as they finish or come near to the finish of the Ultra Paddle is a thankless task as one can wait for hours for the paddlers to come in. So to have waited, photographed and posted for so many finishers is truly a mammoth task. On behalf of everyone we would like to say a HUGE thank you for all that you did for this event.You would certainly get our vote for sportsman / support / of the year! Ed.
a word from you I hope there will be many more Ultra Paddle Challenges. A very healthy charity drive. Congratulations to all for a very successful event.
Further proof of the distance I paddled :When I ask my body how it feels, the reply is “You don’t want to know” Regards Robroy”
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CSA & Quipmo sign commercial partnership As paddlers across the country return to the water to train and compete, Canoeing South Africa has signed a commercial deal with Australian surf, bike and snow peer to peer gear rental company Quipmo to make it easier for locals and travelling paddlers of all abilities to get access to great canoes and equipment. The idea behind the partnership is to grow the paddling community in South Africa by giving more people access to equipment at good rates. It gives both shops and individuals the opportunity to make money through the leasing out of equipment that they already own. Quipmo and the Canoeing South Africa have plans to get more people paddling and to substantially improve access to gear in South Africa. Whether it’s at the grassroots
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and getting kids to try a canoe on holidays or whether it’s giving access to the latest gear releases through demonstration models, this partnership intends to get more people onto the water and passionate about paddling. “We’re thrilled to be partnering with a top tier organisation who are at the forefront of paddling across all disciplines in South Africa,” Quipmo’s founder and CEO Chris Evans said. “No country offers adventure like South Africa and we’re stoked to be working with people who are just as passionate about the water as we are. “Whether it’s a ski, a canoe, a kayak or something else, this partnership with Canoeing South Africa further defines Quipmo as the platform where locals and travellers alike can get or rent out their gear safely, efficiently and with a process that is easy.”
President of Canoeing South Africa Kim Pople believes that this deal will open doors for many new paddlers but also could help in starting a new trend in South Africa for other sporting codes. “We are excited to be partnering with Quipmo at this time because nothing is normal,” Pople said. “We are also happy to be leading the way in South Africa in trying something new and hopefully taking our sport to a much wider audience.”
www.maxpaddle.com
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ULTRA PADDLE
Taking on the World The Ultra-Paddle exceeded every expectation we had for the event and went further than we could have ever imagined. To see images coming through of paddlers grinding away their Ultra-Paddle from Loch Ness in Scotland, to the humid seas in Dubai, and the canals surrounding London, really highlighted the impact it has had on the global paddling community. If I’m not mistaken, we have managed to bring the concept of UltraPaddling to 18 countries around the world, with entries coming in just short of 800 paddlers (and counting). To put that in context, the largest entry the Berg has attracted was 317 in 2011, the 50th year of the race. The Ultra-Paddle has come at a time when a global sense of community is desperately needed, and to have the paddling community from far and wide rallying together behind a great cause is something that is really special.
For us, to give proceeds of the UltraPaddle to Canoeing South Africa’s Covid-19 Hunger Relief Programme is hugely rewarding!
from next year will want to come and test themselves by taking part in The Challenge of Ultra-Paddling at the Berg River Canoe Marathon.
South Africa is in the midst of the longest lockdown in the world at the moment, and it is heart-warming to know that the paddling community is able to contribute to help those that have been hit hardest by the lockdown.
Next year is the 60th year of the Berg, and we hope to attract the biggest field in history, with a revamped and exciting new package available for every Berg participant, to ensure the best time on the Berg can be ensured for each paddler. Food, accommodation, entertainment, and an incredible 240km journey can be guaranteed for the 60th Berg next year, and it will be one you do not want to miss out on.
We have sat from our virtual seats and watched some incredible stories unfold over social media! From source to sea trips, tackling the Ultra-Paddle in one go, to a C1 obliterating the Gold Certificate challenge, to three ladies with a combined age of 222 years each completing their Bronze Certificate – it has been unbelievable to see. It has taken the world by storm, and the Ultra-Paddle, as a brand, is here to stay. Our hope moving forward is that the world will fall in love with the concept of Ultra-Paddling (which seems to have been successful) and
68940km paddled 18 countries
I would like to extend a thank you to each and every paddler that has got behind the Ultra-Paddle in support, and would like to invite paddlers far and wide to the Western Cape to take on the Challenge of UltraPaddling next year in 2021. Onwards and updates – watch the space closely. Brandon Macleod
GOLD
male 72
20160km
female 12
silver
male 154
44880km
female 33
bronze
male 50
3900km
female 28
*** numbers correct as og 3 August, and may change as more paddlers submit their final results to be tallied.
IMAGES Berg River Canoe Marathon FB
The Performer Canoe Seat A Seat for Life is designed to offer a universally adjustable seat for all crafts & aids relief to the dreaded ‘Dead Leg� jamii@global.co.za @performerseatforlife
IMAGE Graham Daniel
Racing Level 3.1.2.C For those of us luck enough to get on the water for the last month or so and a bit longer for those with fishing licences the burning question is – where have all the races gone? First came the Fish River Canoe Marathon and then the Pete Marlin announced that they were cancelling their event this year and we all turned to our mates and asked ‘What now?’ The problem lies with the requirements both on a provincial and local level. We are all well versed on the provincial regulations; no interprovincial leisure travel, curfew makes long distance trips a two day event, race venues could suddenly be declared a ‘hotspot’ etc… but if that is not enough the race organisers still have a local mountain to climb. The event organiser is deemed to be the ‘employer’ at an event and therefore takes full responsibility for putting the legislated measures in place. Below are some of the difficult measures that are required. Social distancing 12 THEPADDLEMAG.CO.ZA
measures – only 50 people (including admin, rescue and marshals) at the event at a time. So batch starts would need to be timed for the bigger events so that A batch is on the water at the same time as B batch arrives at the event. Okay maybe not that bad – but you get the picture. Provision of physical barriers and health symptom checks – people have to be herded from arrival through to small batches (social distancing at all times) and finally going on to the water for the start. Paddlers will also need to be funnelled from the finish back to their cars. The cost and organisation behind this is enough to put most people off. Temperature screening – a costly requirement at approx. R1 500 per temperature scanner. Sanitising and disinfecting protocols – again tricky and expensive to manage. Ideally one would hope that paddlers (no spectators allowed at
the events) would wipe down the toilets etc. before and after use but that is unlikely so race organisers would need to employ people to do that after every single use. Obviously all surfaces need to be wiped down before, during and after an event. Again this is a time consuming task that needs to be done by club volunteers. As if that was not hard enough, race organisers also have to elect a COVID compliance officer and complete a six page SAPS application document where they are required to guess the weather on the day and give all the volunteers shoe sizes. Race organisers also have to really up their social media game to ensure that all volunteers and paddlers receive all the race instructions on the numerous platforms and that all entries take place on line to ensure a touchless event can take place. But the real tough pill to swallow is that at the time of writing no prize giving is allowed and nor is the sale of alcohol or open food (borewors rolls, hambugers) at the end of
an event. As this is a fundamental part of the fund raising attempt behind running a club event one can understand why the appeal of running events is rapidly demishing. There are a number of other loops to jump through, mountains to climb and frogs to kiss before the race organiser can be considered compliant. But this was never meant to be the 15 page document it reviews. So if a race organiser does stick their hand up to run a race and then puts out a three page document with instructions please be patient with them. Read the instructions carefully for the benefit of everyone coming to the event, come with a smile on your face and a spring in your step because the organisers are doing their best to navigate the way forward in the ‘new normal’. What this means for us in the near future? I would go so far as to say there will be a rapid decline in sponsorship because very few companies would
want to appear to be ‘reckless’ or put differently would be willing to be associated with an event that appears to break the law to the passer-by.Yes, the organiser can get it perfect in terms of the law but the if bystander suspects that the law has been broken, they can expect an email or comment on their social media. The number of paddlers prepared to travel will also mostly likely drop. Because even if they are fine with being in a group of strangers, chances are that they would prefer to limit their contact out of respect for someone at home. All our spouses that have been dying to watch us all compete and spend another day on the beach getting totally windswept will have to stay at home. Sorry. On the flip side: Local races are going to be lekker. Clubs are going to have to think about what to do to keep the enthusiasm. Races where people can challenge their mates, paddle a particular section of water and
submit their times to the club leader board are going to be key. Our club is fortunate to have an out and back route to the lighthouse or downwind to Millers which is helpful but perhaps your club can do most improved lap. (Not fastest as then club members can safely predict the winner). Think about some form of incentive for taking part. A virtual case of beer may work for the first two weeks.Years ago Max Cluer used to present a chocolate cake to the winner and he used to draw hundreds of people to the Jeep Series. Races may have to limit entries to save on logistics; 35 singles and half an hour later 20 doubles. It is easy to work out the finishing times if you use an app likeWebscorer. Prizes for the top three and lucky draws may have to be in the form of emailed vouchers for your local paddling shop. Most important put up the times as soon as possible.
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IMAGES Vojta Mares FB 14 THEPADDLEMAG.CO.ZA
Vojtech Mares Goes for Gold! Czech Republic
TPM How did you hear about the ultra paddle? VM Ultimately it was Petr Mojžíšek’s doing. Petr had accomplished Berg I don’t know how many times in the past and he shared a link to Berg webpage with my other buddy Martin Kucián. Martin just resend me an e mail with that link and words: “You can be one of the first who finished Berg on C1…” Who could possibly resist? TPM What made you decide to go for Gold? VM I’ve got some experiences with long distances. In Czechia Peter is organizing a race called “Budějovice Praha” (www.budejovicepraha.cz). Compared to Berg it’s just about 168 km in three days but Vltava, the river on which we paddle, has no
flow because of a number of dams. This makes it really hard. Last year, 2019, I accomplished this race in its non-stop version (in total time 18:17:54 for those of you who are curious) so I know I can paddle long and far. The question for me was not if I could accomplish this but in how many days. From a certain point of view there was no other option for me. Where would be the challenge in it if I wouldn’t try in four consecutive days as it is during Berg? In my eyes it kept the idea of Berg being the most challenging canoe race. And who doesn’t want gold? TPM How did the paddle go? VM “Budějovice Praha” happened this year on the June 26th-28th. From then I paddled maybe two times. In total I had about 15 km
under my belt so I was worried I was out of shape. Luckily I felt fine. Blisters were healed. Knee was without pain (at least at start). The first day was just to try and see if I could manage. The second day I felt that I could do this, but there was always the realization that I had never paddled more than 168 km in three days and now I should do more than 180 and it wouldn’t be the end of it. TPM Any low points along the way? VM Those came on the mornings of the 3rd and 4th day. Each day I woke up, I went to buy breakfast, sat in an armchair, watched TV, ate and was thinking how nice it would be if I lay in bed. all day But my motivation was stronger. TPM What was your favourite part
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of doing the paddle? VM I can’t say there was a favourite part. For me paddling isn’t just about enjoying myself. Don’t get me wrong, I love paddling more than anything and I won’t stop till my body falls apart but to do this sport one must be a little crazy. I mean C1s especially.! The ideal state is when you do the exact same move for all the time. And you train most of the time on the same river or lake. I know every inch of my river. Every day is the same. We are not normal. I really don’t know what makes me do this. But I know I’ll never stop. So I’m guessing my favourite part is when it pushes me far beyond myself. TPM Favourite snack while paddling? VM For long distances I prefer normal food. Some white bread with butter, cheese and ham. From time to time I take protein bars. I don’t have good experiences with gels and magnesium tablets. I never felt that these worked for me. Maybe I’m doing something wrong? TPM Did you meet any other paddlers along the way? VM At the end of the first day I met my friend Radek Cinko, a member of the local wild water club, who finished with the last 11km with me. The second and third days were like I was the only man alive. I was all alone all the time. It was really weird. It was really about a state of mind. My mom appeared at the end of the third day and took some photos. On the fourth day her partner with his K1 joined me for 18 km. It was nice. TPM What are your usual distances when you are training? VM Usually about 10 km. When I’m in a good mood it can be more but usually not more than 15 km. Before these ultramarathon challenges (In my case I wouldn’t call it a race. For me it’s more about surviving than racing.) I’m always trying to paddle more. My goal is usually 20 km for a training session but I’m not always determined enough. TPM Do you prefer to paddle alone or in a group? VM Paddling in a group is always better. People can discuss various things and then it seems like time and especially kilometres are running faster. And riding on waves is cool too. TPM How did you deal with the blisters? VM It’s always the most annoying thing about paddling (together with knee pain for C1 and bottom pain for K1). When you stop for a brief moment and then you grab your paddle again it’s always as painful as hell. Fortunately for me I know Peter. A few years back he introduced me to a solution. Electrical tape.You just stick slightly the tape around a particular finger over your blister and that’s it. I was very sceptical when he showed this to me but the effect was amazing. It was like a miracle. It won’t heal the blisters, but during the initial grab on your paddle there is no pain. Well, it’s still there, but it can be handled! 16 THEPADDLEMAG.CO.ZA
Natasha Kimberley Ultra Paddle Moscow
IMAGES Natasha Kimberly FB 18 THEPADDLEMAG.CO.ZA
What a great start to Berg River Canoe Marathon’s 240 km Ultra Paddle. 61 km on a beautiful Dordogne river,Tatiana in k1 and Maxim and I in our c1s!
Day 2 of Berg River Canoe Marathon Ultra Paddle.. chose a very rocky river, which meant hell, rocks, rapids and about fifty portages in the first 15 km.. walking speed if that! Only got a bit of deep water after 25 km. Started getting some speed after 35 and finished with 60km just as planned at our club Marsac CanoĂŤ-Kayak! Very long and tough but rewarding. 119 km to go!
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Day 3 (and the longest) of Berg River Canoe Marathon Ultra Paddle.. Very changeable river - from narrow rocky rapids to huge over hundred meters across mass of plain water.. 79.2 km in one day on one knee - planned for 80 but slight map miscalculation, which means it is now 61+60+79=200! Only 40 km left to go tomorrow to complete...
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Day 4 (and the last!!!) of Berg River Canoe Marathon Ultra Paddle... Only 40 km but first half against the current plus 18 weirs to portage... tough but done and dusted now... 240 km in four days in the bag - the Gold Challenge in c1 accomplished THEPADDLEMAG.CO.ZA 21
Flo Els
West Coast Canoe Club’s Queen of the Berg’s 416km month! TPM How did it all come about? FE Initially lockdown kept us cooped up at home. So I was very unfit mid-June, when the Ultra Paddle 2020 challenge was announced. The initial plan was to try and get Silver and use the time to get fit enough to go for Gold before the end of July. My brother and I were really keen and started paddling for Silver right away. From 2 July, the distances paddled were recorded and we were getting closer to the 240km required by end of July to get a Silver certificate. Of course, at the back of my mind was that Gold certificate. The kms started piling up and I was getting fitter as we went along. Could I actually try for Gold in the last two weeks of July. Well.... Just did that. In the last two weeks I completed.. • 42km Tuesday 21 • 61.5km Thursday 23 • 86km Saturday 25 IMAGES supplied by athlete 22 THEPADDLEMAG.CO.ZA
• 54km Monday 27
In the old river mouth is a wreck or two.
Sunrise at the start of Day 3.
Lights on the shore for the finish of Day 3.
Robert Cawood, Flo’s brother, finishing his Silver attempt!
Ysters (Charl & Johan Lampbrechts) paddling with me on two of my laps to Kliphoek and back (15km round trip – ed.). Since I had that benefit, I figured I could get all the way to Dundee and get the extra mileage in. It’s a huge benefit when you can slipstream behind a strong paddler. It saves a lot of energy.
I got Gold, while my brother got Silver. (The good old fashioned sibling rivalry seems to have mellowed in recent years) TPM Talk us through the four days FE I had amazing support from my brother and fellow paddlers once I announced my intention to convert my Silver to a Gold certificate. For example on my day two, Charl Goosen had only planned to do 40km in order to get his Silver but agreed to paddle an extra 20km with me in order to get me to 61.5km for the day. Charl & I turned paddled just over 30km upstream before turning and heading for home.
I did lap one on my own but as I got close to the Club on the way back from lap one, I spotted Charl. He offered a slipstream so I turned & followed him back for lap two. As we got close to the Club we spotted Johan who offered me a slipstream so I turned and followed him for lap three. After three laps I eventually got back to the Riviera hotel, and then headed to the Club for a lunch break. (You can do that on a Challenge, not in a Race) One of the joys of paddling is seeing nature fairly close up, like this Spoonbill and near the Old River Mouth is a wreck or two. This one was covered in birds and had a seal sunning itself when I got there Train Bridge was the last turning point on the last day. I was on 50km and needed 52km to get my Gold
On day one Robroy (my brother) and I set out together till 17.5km upstream from the Club. There he took a break & returned, while I pushed on to where the Power lines cross the river, about 20km upstream.
TPM How many actual Bergs have you done? FE Just one in 2018. What a wonderful adventure. That year, Edgar Boehm was a marvellous instructor & inspiration for a freshly qualified A-grade paddler. Rene Boehm’s granddaughter looked after me very well as my ‘Second’. I was the oldest woman to ever complete the Berg. I would love to do it again.
Then on day three I had two strong
TPM How do you stay focused for
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such a long time? FE Because I sing in my mind a lot, I can keep the rhythm & stay focused. I also really enjoy all of creation around me. I enjoy saying hello and goodbye to the birds as they swim faster and then take off, leaving me behind. It’s very tranquil on the river; even when the wind is strong, it’s still peaceful. However, after paddling to Kliphoek five times on day three, I just could not face the prospect of paddling there more than once on day four. That is why I headed past Rooibaai to the River Mouth. A change is as good as a holiday... or so they say. Of course, that meant battling against a strong outgoing tide all the way back. Two trips to the Train bridge after that & I was done. TPM And then you went for Bronze? FE Yes, I have a fellow paddler, Sandy April, who really wanted to get her Bronze for the ultra paddle but is only really happy in the back of a K2 so we agreed to paddle together. We managed to do it in three sessions.The longest being on Saturday 18th when our club coach, Etienne, organised a trip for a whole bunch of us that needed to get some miles under our belts. Some paddled from Kliphoek, others from the Train Bridge and we paddled from Bloemendal. That was Sandy’s 1st 20km towards her Bronze. The rest we did Wednesday & Thursday (29th & 30th). We paddled a very heavy, very stable K2. We call it the TANK TPM Your final comment on the whole event? FE The camaraderie amongst paddlers is certainly heart-warming. I would really love to the Ultra Challenge again and again.
Performer Seat I had always planned to do the Ultra Paddle with the Performer seat – I have demo’ed it before and I knew that it worked. But it was out on another demo at the time I wanted to do Day 1 so all that I could do was jump in to my K1 with it original seat and get going. To quote a lovely old expression “I nearly died…” It wasn’t long before the discomfort set in and around the 25km mark I was in serious trouble. It was so uncomfortable that from then on I had to stop every 10km after that and walk around at bit, do stretches and generally try and get the blood flowing to my legs again. I am not a doctor, but the interesting thing is that it feels like my normal seat pinches a nerve just above my coccyx which is obviously painful but it has a second effect that is equally concerning over a long distance and that is that my hips started to freeze up. At first I
noticed that my leg drive was not what it should be and then as the wind picked up it became clear that my sense of balance was also rapidly diminishing. It was the weirdest feeling, side chop that should have been easily manageable was suddenly too much to handle. The end result is that my last 20km of the day was spent cowering in the Marina where there are numerous slipways for a rapid exit from my boat and the effect of the wind is not so marked. Thankfully I was able to borrow the performer seat a few days before my planned Day 4. This allowed me time to get the set up correct for me before I set out on the day. The seat itself sits on an aluminium plate that allows one to adjust the pitch of the seat and make minor horizontal changes. Then I could choose between a general purpose seat with cut-outs for the bones under your bum cheeks or the
sprint seat. For day four I went with the sprint seat because my coccyx area was still so sensitive from the previous paddles that any pressure on that area had me instantly wishing I could jump out the boat.
Bring on Day 4! The first thing that is noticeable is that you sit slightly higher due to the mechanics between the seat and the base plate. This is marvellous, suddenly you realise why sprinters do the same. Just the lift of getting my bum slightly higher that my ankles makes the world of difference to my posture. Secondly a sprint seat that doesn’t have the high moulding at the back so there was nothing to press on that nerve. I won’t pretend that day 4 was suddenly easy but at least I did not have to stop so often and I could still go to work in the afternoon without wondering if painkillers would help. I would strongly recommend that you give it a try. THEPADDLEMAG.CO.ZA 25
IMAGE Anthony Grote
leading a session
Paddlers prefer well-organised sessions that they can clearly follow. This means communicating the nature of the session in advance and refreshing this before launching from the beach. With a published schedule, paddlers should know what to expect. It only needs one paddler facilitate a successful session. If intending to lead a paddling group, commercially or otherwise, first undergo a kayak-guiding course, because you need to understand the responsibilities that leading attracts. Even with a verbal arrangement or signed indemnity form, the principle of duty of care applies to any activity that you choose to lead. As soon as someone follows your instruction, they essentially fall under your care.
Managing group dynamics On the water, call out the instructions loud and clear so paddlers know what to do. This might involve a 30 second count down to an interval, calling the start, shouting out the minutes and finally the finish. Because of the varied speeds between paddlers, coordination and communication becomes difficult when paddlers spread out. The split needs to be encouraged, because it prepares individuals for the tactical complexities of ocean racing. Gather the group together at the end of an interval to promote a positive dynamic. It does not work if some paddlers break off in the front or split off at the back, all doing more or less their own thing. When paddlers string out, get those at the back to move to the front or get those in the lead to loop around and congregate behind. Alternately,
call for a combination to ensure that everyone can participate meaningfully in the session. When doing ins and outs through the surf, get the paddlers at the back to turn for home as the leaders turn. The outcome is that everyone returns to the beach at much the same time, ready for the next rotation.
Encouraging slip riding Encourage the formation of bunches when the conditions permit. Bow and wash wave riding skills are essential in close quarter racing. Successful bunch riding requires a blend of understanding and commitment. Demonstrate how paddlers should work together to increase the collective group speed. Coordinate the changes through timing until those involved adapt to the transitions. Initially call the rotations, ensuring that the stronger individuals pull for longer while the other paddlers rest. Having faster paddlers should be advantageous if they don’t continually accelerate away from the bunch.
Handicapping individuals Individuals of varying abilities always present difficulty in group dynamics, because of the different distances they can potentially cover. When the group stays together, one paddler might be at full effort, while another is at 75 percent. In an interval, a slower paddler never gets to recover and soon blows. A ten times three minute interval session for a quicker paddler translates into a one times 45 minute interval for a
slower individual. Maintain group cohesiveness by: • starting slower paddlers before the others • faster paddlers fitting resistance devices • organising teams Individuals continually getting dropped tend to give up and move off. They cannot contribute to the group dynamic and don’t derive much from the activity. A handicap provides a moving target for the quicker paddlers and an incentive to slower paddlers to keep ahead of the chasing pack. Teams always inject an element of motivation and excitement.
KEVIN BRUNETTE
SURFSKI KNOW-HOW Expand your know-how by reading books in the SURFSKI series, which contain practical and easy-tounderstand reference material on the sport. The content is especially applicable to individuals from disciplines such as lifesaving, river canoeing and adventure sports that seek the transition to surfski.
2 Virtual
IMAGES Carolyn Fulton
Molokai Oahu
A number of paddlers took part in the recent virtual Molokai2Oahu in Cape Town, South Africa, including Tarryn King, Gary Van Rooyen, Elmari Renecle, Evette Terblanche, Kit Bridget Beaton, Levi Mayes,Tammy Mayes, Justin Linley and Tatum Prins
IMAGES Rob MacLean FB 32 THEPADDLEMAG.CO.ZA
THE BULLET
Rob MacLean TPM Rob how did you get in to canoeing? RM Strike 1: One of my jobs was that I worked the sports officer at UCT and one of my clubs was the canoe club because I was handling all the water sport clubs. At the time I was swimming, windsurfing and I had played water polo. During that time, the chair of the canoeing club invited me to come down and paddle with them Milnerton. It was a howling south easterly day and so I climbed in and fell out, climbed back in and fell out again etc.. and I thought that this was a kak sport and left it at that. Strike 2: On Friday evening early in 1985 one night, I got a knock on my door and standing there was Ian Classens who was the chair of the canoe club and Eugene Van der Westhuisen. They went on to explain that the following morning UCT was hosting a paddle triathlon the following morning and asked me to marshal. In order to get out of it I said that I was sorry but I could not marshal as I had decided to enter the event. Fantastic they said and off they went. My wife then pointed out that I did not own a canoe at that stage. So that night I borrowed a canoe from a mate down the road. My first mistake was that I thought that I would just paddle it home. Turns out it was a jaguar that had been given to him by a hot shot paddler. Well I jumped in and fell out the other side, jumped back in and fell out again. So eventually I carried it
home. Later I phoned Chris Greeff and asked what should I do and he recommended that I take the seat out. So the following morning I took the seat out and actually managed to complete the 12km section of the race like that. Two weeks later I went out to Paarl for a similar event and that went pretty well. I think that by that time I had managed to borrow a lancer which is a lot more stable. Strike 3: Later in the year I was invited to join a group of paddlers that were going to trip between Lady Loch and Hermon Bridge which is about 25km. I had no idea what I was getting in to but they assured me that they would look after me. I ended up spending the whole day by myself, I fell out umpteen times but somehow I got to the end and when I got there the guys told me that since I had survived that that the following weekend they were going to do the Gouda to Bridge Town race and invited me to join them. After some thought I decided to join them, that is why every year I try and do it – because that is my anniversary. So I got through all the other seeding races and did okay and did not fall in that much and then came the 85’ Berg and I said ‘I am not ready’. This is quite fortunate as in ‘85 there was a massive flood. But what did was, I got myself a cracker doubles partner for the Breede season, Sven Johnson who was an A rated paddler and I learnt a huge
amount from him – it was amazing. One of my fond memories from starting out is that PCC used to have a coach Herman. To work on our stability, when the SE was humping they would make us paddle from the duck pond straight across to the island and back again which meant that you had the wind from your right going there and on your left side on the way back. We would do it again and again. On one occasion I remember he made us paddle down to the beach in our k1’s carried the canoes over the sand and then he made us paddle parallel along the shoreline. Of course we all fell out but that was the lesson. So now when there is a humping SE I still know what to do from those early days. But in 1886 I was ready and so that is when I did my first Berg. I did the Berg 86’, 87’, 88’ and finally finished 5 Bergs. I started it in 98 but at the end of day one I had terrible tendonitis and so I had to bail. Went home, got some rest and some physio and got a gold at the marathon champs. The last Berg I did was in 2012 (their 50th) and then for the last three years I have been involved in the Berg as the operations manager. Some people ask me why I have not done more and the answer is simple – the Berg is a tough race. TPM We hear that you have trekked up to the Dusi a couple of times? RM Yes, a couple of years ago THEPADDLEMAG.CO.ZA 33
Andre Hawarden invited me to come and do the Dusi with him. It was a disaster even though we were leading our age group by some way at the end of day 1. On day 2 he got heat stroke and was delirious by the time we finished the race and made a really bad decision going down the left channel of hippo rapid. Anyway when we got to the finish I think that they put 3 litres of fluid in to him and that night he started throwing up. The following morning he was carted off in an ambulance. I was lucky that another club
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member had also lost his partner during the race so we were able to do day 3 together and at least finish the race. But there was unfinished business there. So as luck would have it I connected with a friend of mine from school days, Guy Heins and since then we have done two Dusi’s and three Umko’s together. I have now done 10 Umkos and four Dusi’s. TPM Rumour has it that you started doing the Umko buy chance too?
RM A good mate of mine phoned me one day to say that he was coming down to do the Breede but there was a hassle travelling with a K2 – could I please organise him a boat. So I did and while he was down here we got chatting and he suggested I do the Umko and I jumped at the chance. So I booked to go and everything but unfortunately for my mate he got nailed by another K2 on the Dusi and broke some ribs so he was out. But he posted my name on the Umko ‘looking for partners’
list. Shortly after that the phone rang and it was Mat Carlisle. It was amazing paddling with him and that is what started my love for the Umko. We managed to paddle 3 together before work caught up with Matt. While I was at one of my first Umko’s, I bumped in to and old school friend Guy and he suggested that they paddle together in the following year. The rest is history. I look forward to the Umko so much every year, always
apprehensive because you never know and the river gods have their own plan but I look forward to it. It is such an exciting event, there is such a fantastic bunch of people that do it. The joke about the Umko is that every year the mean age of the paddlers gets one year older. TPM You have also represented SA at World Marathon Champs RM Yes, that is quite nerve wrecking in terms of expectations. The crowds and the whole atmosphere really add to the importance of the event. Plus you
just know that you are going to hurt at the end of the race. In the beginning we were not prepared for how frantic the paces was for first kilometre. But once we knew what to expect we learnt to work with our partner if possible or other teams if we had too in order to stay with the front bunch. There are two aspects that make this event so special for me. The first is that I have lived and paddled under isolation so to be able to line up with fellow paddlers from for example Russia, Czech Republic and Denmark is
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amazing. The second we that I was lucky enough to get gold with Andre Rabie in 2009 and I never forget that feeling. TPM Rob, you have been around for a while. Mind if we pick your brains about the paddler numbers? RM The first thing that we have to realise is that the numbers of people participating in events is down across the board; cycling, running, it doesn’t really matter. We have also been affected by the ongoing drought over the last couple of years. Then within canoeing, we have lost a number of canoeists to surfski and they have not come back or the surfski numbers that we all thought would grow which they have, would have a positive impact on canoeing which it has not. I think that we have seen some surfski guys come across but my gut feeling is very few. It is very easy for canoeist to become ski 36 THEPADDLEMAG.CO.ZA
paddlers but it is not as easy for ski paddlers to become canoeists. Paddling rivers is a whole different ball game, I am not saying that ski is easy – it isn’t but with river paddling comes logistics, dodging rocks and trees and we only really paddle in the middle of winter. But, if you go back to the Berg and ask when was it at its peak – where were we as a nation? The answer is that apart from the 50th the Berg, it was at its peak in the 80’ies when we were in isolation. The biggest event of the year was the Currie Cup. If there was a north / south playoff Newlands would be packed. Now there are lots of matches that compete for our attention. In the same way in those days if you were a canoeist you could do the Dusi, Berg, Fish and Umko and originally the Cape Point Challenge was every two years and every
other year was the PE to EL that was pretty much it. Then we got back in to international sport and there was sprints and marathons. TPMYou paddled the Berg and now you are helping out on the committee (Rob wakes up at 3:30 in the morning and sets out in the rain to go and put the route markers out) – what is it about the Berg that draws you back? RM Just over three years ago, I was approached by Ernest Van Riet and asked if I was available. I said yes as I was not about to do it myself. I don’t mine the 1 day Berg river races and I have done them for the last 30 years but the four day Berg is not for me. But it is a really nice bunch of people to work with and by and large there is a super attitude. TPM Having seen it in practice would you vote for Team or an
individual Berg? RM Whatever is going to be the most beneficial to grow the numbers on the Berg that is the route that we should take. How do we find that out? Well we sent every paddler that has done the Berg in the last three years a questionnaire. Why those years? Because they have recently experienced 20017 – Singles only and 2018/ 2019 doubles with some singles. We cannot say at this stage that the doubles thing worked; it might have got some guys to do it that wouldn’t normally but a number of paddlers have complained that they cannot imagine paddling next to someone for 4 days, so we may have lost some guys. The difficult thing is that we are not going to please everyone. Abraham Lincoln once said ‘You can please some of the people some of the time, you can please all of the people some
of the time but you are never going to please all of the people all of the time.’ So do we go for a K1 / K2 years alternative years but that can get tricky so basically it is solo or it is team. They are still in k1’s, it is still essentially a solo event it is just the in a team I am committed to looking after you and hopefully you are committed to looking after me. Personally I like the idea of paddling with a partner because it is a hard race. TPM Do you personally prefer Singles / Doubles? RM Single season is fantastic, doubles season is fantastic – that is why we have two seasons. I cannot answer that question. There are days when it has got to be a k1 for me and this is not to say that I am not also steeped in tradition. But let’s take the best section of the Berg river; Gouda to Bridgetown – I have paddled it in a K1 and for a
number of years it was a K2 section as well. Loved it in the K1 because I found it challenging and I loved it in a K2 because I found it challenging. So it depends on the circumstances; I am very intimidated about doing the Umko in a single and I would always want to do the Breede in a double because I have always done it in a double. I cannot answer that – it depends on the season and the river. I have done 21 Fishes now and probably equal number of K1’s and K2’s. For me it is about the challenge at the time.
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It won’t happen to me! But last year, after 13 or more years of surfski paddling my paddling buddy, Adriaan, and I had to be rescued by the NSRI. Thankfully It turned out to be a bit of a nonevent, largely due to the fact that we had all the right gear and made some good decisions along the way. There were also some lessons learned and I share the story here in the hope that others might benefit. After watching a fairly tense Rugby World Cup semi-final we headed over the mountains to Fish Hoek where we had booked a slot with the Miller’s Taxi for a Reverse Miller’s Run at 2pm. The Reverse Miller’s is an awesome 12km downwind, possibly my favourite, and works on a northwest wind, usually as a storm front pushes through. The gust speed is usually significantly higher than the average wind speed and if there is more of a westerly component then the direction is predominantly offshore. Apart from being slightly side on, this also means you run the risk of being blown out to sea in the 38 THEPADDLEMAG.CO.ZA
event of a problem. Our regular downwind paddling group with its gallows humour often jokes about being careful out there as the next stop is Gough Island! Windguru was predicting a northwesterly of 27kts gusting to 34kts, but going directly westerly later on. The live weather station at the Fish Hoek Beach Sports Club was showing the wind at 19kts west-northwest, so already starting to swing towards the west. Conditions were strong, but not crazy and nothing I haven’t done many times before on a single ski. Also I have a bomb-proof remount and am very confident of my ability to remount, from either side, in almost any conditions. Both Adriaan and I are relatively experienced paddlers, having been paddling for around 13 years and each having completed many races including the Cape Point Challenge and the Freedom Challenge. We have both been diving for over 30 years, are both qualified SCUBA instructors and are very comfortable both in and on the water. Since the start of last year we
had both been training and racing on a Fenn XTS double which is was a first for me, as I had not done any doubles paddling before that. Initially it took around 15 paddles for us to gel and work properly together as a doubles team and in March we completed the 28km Freedom Challenge around Robben Island in a big swell with no drama. We’d also done a few of the shorter races and, prior to this incident had never even fallen out of the double. This was to play a role later on. As we set off from the beach at Fish Hoek we were both wearing PFD’s, we were both leashed to the boat, we both had cellphones in waterproof bags, we were both running the SafeTRX app on our phones, we were both wearing neoprene paddling long pants, full sleeve rash vests and windbreakers and Vinnie, owner of the Miller’s Taxi, knew both our route and our ETA of 3pm at Miller’s Point. In short, we were properly geared and prepared for the downwind. As we paddled out of the bay the wind was in a northwest direction,
but it can be misleading as the wind is funneled through the Fish Hoek valley by the mountains and only about 2km out does it revert to its true direction. I am always wary of the westerly wind and if there is any westerly I tend to take a very inshore line, travelling way inside of Roman Rock lighthouse in order to be closer to shore if something goes wrong or the wind gets very strong. This paddle was no different and as we exited the bay at Fish Hoek I swung the nose towards the Bullnose at Simonstown. Conditions were fun, although a bit side on, and we started catching runs and surfing our way towards Millers. Once past Ark Rock we straightened out and headed parallel to the shore, with the wind more behind us. The wind strengthened, squalling and blasting us with spray as we went along, with the waves getting bigger and steeper and we had a few wild rides before stalling and broaching on the back of a bigger wave. This was over halfway, 38 minutes into the paddle and 7.4km from Fish Hoek. With both
cockpits completely flooded we struggled a bit to find our rhythm and get going again. Each time we managed to get going we would get hit by the next wave and be swamped again. After about six waves we capsized and found ourselves in the water. Immediately the wind pulled the boat around but we both stayed calm and took our time to align the boat downwind. I remounted and then steadied the boat with my paddle as Adriaan took his turn to climb aboard but as he remounted I could not hold it and we went over again. We tried another remount and this time we both managed to get on but then went over again before we could get going. At this point I made a decision to get help. We all tend to think of ourselves as tough guys who can sort ourselves out but with an offshore wind and cold water exposure (water temperature was 14 deg celsius) very often survival becomes a time critical matter. None of us want to be teased by our mates about having to be rescued but there is a definite time to park the ego and make
the call. If you manage to get going afterwards you can always notify the rescue services to stand down again. In reality using my phone in the water was way more difficult than I had imagined. I needed both hands but still needed to hang onto the boat (the most important rule is to always stay with the boat) so I hooked my feet into the footstraps, gave my paddle to Adriaan and floated on my back trying to hold the phone up out of the water. The first problem is that with both the water and the glare on the plastic cover of the dry bag I struggled to see the screen. Every other wave washed completely over me and half the time both the phone and I were underwater. With wet hands the touchscreen was also not working properly. I pressed the “Send Help” button on SafeTRX App but there was no notification that help was on the way or that the message had been received. I then tried to minimise the App but the phone’s lock screen appeared and it took me several minutes and a few tries to able able to punch in the PIN THEPADDLEMAG.CO.ZA 39
IMAGE Allan Roy
code, and turn up the brightness and be able to use the phone to make a call, all in a howling wind and big waves. My most recent call had been to my wife so I hit redial and when she answered I asked her to call the NSRI, giving her location details. The signal was ok but she struggled to hear me through the wind and the dry bag. (Later that evening back on dry land she said only heard that it was two paddlers in trouble, she wasn’t sure it was us or someone else or even where we were). Still not sure that help would be forthcoming I called Darren Zimmerman, station commander at NSRI Simonstown and spoke to him directly. He also struggled to hear me and I ended up sticking my head into the cockpit of the boat while it was upside down to try and break the wind. I eventually managed to communicate that we were two paddlers with a double surfski unable to remount and estimated our position as 1km offshore from A-Frame rock. He confirmed that they were mobilising and ended the call. Checking my GPS track the next day I could see that at the point where we fell in we were actually 500m from shore and by the time we had finished trying to remount and calling for help we had
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been blown further out and ended up 670m offshore. Adriaan suggested that we try and swim back to shore in the meantime and we both started a frog kick, hanging onto the boat and slowly making our way both downwind and closer to shore. The cold started to set in and every wave washing over our heads sent a shiver down my spine. Eventually I could not feel my hands properly despite the fact that I had a death grip on the footstrap. We stayed completely calm even joking about how much ribbing we were going to take back in the clubhouse. After a while I spotted another paddler on a single surfski nearby, but he did not see us. The shore seemed to be getting visibly closer and we felt confident we could make it back to shore if the NSRI failed to spot us. The only real worry was the cold but neither of us wanted to admit it to the other and just kept kicking for shore. Eventually, I spotted Rescue 10 heading out to sea further offshore as per our position report and we lifted our paddles out of the water and started waving like crazy. I was very happy to see them turn towards us and our swim was over.
At this point we had drifted 1.7km to the south since first capsizing but ended up only 340m from shore as we managed to swim the same distance with the ski. The actual recovery was super professional with a rescue swimmer jumping in the water and helping us to the boat. We were hauled onboard, draped in blankets and pushed into the cabin. Only at this stage did I realise how cold I was as I started to shiver uncontrollably. The crew recovered our double ski onboard with zero damage, no easy task given the sea state and how fragile a surfski is. We headed back to shore where the heavens opened in a deluge as a massive rain squall passed overhead. Paramedics from Cape Medical Response were waiting onshore with an ambulance to take us to hospital, but we assured them we were fine, just very cold. We jumped into hot showers at the False Bay Yacht Club premises and eventually started to warm up enough to get a lift back to Fish Hoek, our car and dry clothes. My wife called and said, “I hope you’re ok because I’m going to kill you when you get home!”. The NSRI were amazing. From the time of my call to Darren it was just
13 minutes before the boat left the dock. That’s 13 minutes to mobilise a volunteer crew, get them to the base, get changed, get the boat into the water and go.Very impressive! It took them about 18 minutes to get to us, so a total of just over 30 minutes from the call for help to climbing onboard the rescue boat. We were in the water for 43 minutes in total. Some final thoughts... Phones are very difficult to use effectively in big sea conditions, especially in a dry bag and using wet hands. Chatting to both the MRCC and the NSRI afterwards they did not receive any emergency notifications from the SafeTRX App, even after I pushed the “Send Help” button. SafeTRX is not a magic bullet. My estimate of our location combined with sightings from shore based spotters enabled the rescue boat to find us fairly easily.
I’m not suggesting the App is a waste of time, only that it has its limitations and should not be solely relied upon. Cold is a killer. It reduces dexterity and after a while the ability to make good decisions. Making an early call for help is vital, especially in our cold water conditions. Lastly our decision to swim for shore helped a lot. We made it halfway back swimming partially against the wind before being rescued. As the shoreline got visibly closer it gave us renewed energy and I’m fairly confident we could have made it to shore if help had not arrived. The swimming kept us occupied and positive.
So all in all a good outcome. But some lessons learned:
Once again a massive thank you to Darren Zimmerman and his crew at NSRI Simonstown.You guys are amazing!
What we did wrong
Safe paddling! jean tresfon
What we did right •
We were appropriately dressed for the conditions and had proper safety gear.
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Someone knew our route and ETA.
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We made an early call for help.
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We stayed with the boat.
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We swam for the shore.
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We stayed calm at all times.
We had not practised remounting the double. Not in flat water and not in rough water.This proved to be our undoing.
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LET’S GET PHYSICAL
Sit up with Alternate leg raises
Starting from an upright position, legs hip width apart contract the abs as you breathe out and lower to a mid situp position and raise one leg. Breathe in as you return to beginning position and repeat on the other side. Watch out for the supporting leg “flopping” to the side. 3 x 25 reps.
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Russian twists with a twist
Start from the same upright position. Raise legs of the floor into a table top position. Twist your body to the right opening arms to an angle and twist your legs to the opposite side. Repeat on the other side.
g n i k Ma s s e n t i F Fun 064 614 4430 @moveitwitherikasa
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Plank into “mountain spider”
Start in a full plank position. Drive the L leg toward the R elbow as you would do a “mountain climber” return to starting plank without the L toes touching the floor. Drive the L leg (turned out) toward the L elbow into a “spider plank” with a slight drop in the pelvis and a slight push-up and return to starting plank with weight on both legs. 44 THEPADDLEMAG.CO.ZA
Plank up and downs
Starting from a full plank drop down to elbow plank one arm at a time. Watch out for moving your butt too much try and keep it stable.
Downward dog into mountain alternating climber
Starting from downward dog position drive the R leg to L wrist. Make sure you drop your butt as you exhale. 3 x 25 reps on each side.
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Plank into rotation kick
From full plank position swing your R leg through in a one movement toward the L diagonal front trying not to drop the butt to the floor and lifting the left arm off the floor reaching for your R toes. Reverse the movement back to plank.You can do this exercise alternating or one side at a time. 3 x 15 reps on each side
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All exercises to be done with caution and to your limits only.
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Pull your belly button to your spine and “up” for all exercises.
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Make sure you exhale (contract Tummy muscles) on all difficult movements and inhale on all returning movements.
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Most importantly. When you flex a muscle it bulges naturally. Naturally the stomach wants to do it also. We are training the Tummy to not buldge as we flex but go flat. That’s why the saying: bellybutton to spine is so important. erika Cruywagen THEPADDLEMAG.CO.ZA 47
techinque
SUP how to
paddle faster
Have you already mastered the basics of paddling in stand-up paddle boarding and now have only one desire: “to go faster, farther and without tiring yourself out”? Don’t look for SUP accessories: improvements in speed will come from your movements. Itiwit gives you three drills to paddle faster. Ready?
Drill 1 Save your SUP movements to increase in efficiency As in swimming, you can improve the efficiency of your SUP movements by reducing the number. It is not about multiplying small movements, which are not very effective. Instead, think about: - Hit the paddle stroke far in front of you. - Bring the paddle back to your feet by putting all your weight into the movement. - Wait until your board has advanced enough through the water to make the next stroke.
Your training: Count the number of paddle strokes you need to get to a given point of reference (e.g., a buoy). Time yourself, try again and try to improve your time by reducing the number of paddle strokes each new time.
Drill 2: Gain power on your paddle stroke Focus now on the middle of your paddle stroke, the key moment when you must give all the power to your rowing movement. At this moment, managing the weight of your body is crucial. To lean in far at the beginning of the movement, stand on the tip of your toes—even if losing balance a bit—before putting all your power into your stroke by pushing hard on the paddle in the middle of the movement. Your training: Try moving forward as far as possible with just one powerful paddle stroke!
paddle boarding
You may have noticed it already: changing the paddle side when you want to go straight in SUP means a break of cadence... Fortunately, there are special techniques! Change the axis of the paddle in SUP races : Though a little more difficult, this technique is indispensable high-level SUP, especially in races: make a paddle stroke to go straight, paddling on one side only. Your training: The moment you plant your paddle in the water, place the blade parallel to the axis of your board. Next, draw a first movement from the outside to the inside. Then restore the orientation of the blade to its conventional position, and finish your pulling towards your feet as you normally would. If you practice these drills at each of your sessions, you’ll see that you will no longer need to change your paddle side every three movements!
Drill 3 Paddle straight to go faster in stand-up www.itiwit.co.uk
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IMAGE ITIWIT.CO.UK THEPADDLEMAG.CO.ZA 49
start paddling
IMAGE Ray Chaplin 50 THEPADDLEMAG.CO.ZA
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Our very first canoe was a Foxbat and our very first paddles were a set of albatross paddles that were bought second hand from two women that were getting out of sprinting and were looking to buy a more stable canoe for river racing. They probably had a combined weight of around 120kg and my partner at the time was quite comfortably 115kg on his own. We knew nothing about paddling and thought that we were getting a good deal. Needless to say our first year of paddling involved a lot of swimming down rapids as we could not keep our balance in anything more than flat water. But it was the paddles that finally broke us. They were huge. They were bigger than the Maxpaddle 357. The women that we bought them from were using them over 500m and did 100 pullups before breakfast. Us mortal men were trying to race over 18km and could not do a pull-up any time of the day and we were broken at the end of each Sunday race. Since then we have learnt a few things. Equipment. EQUIPMENT The first thing to do is find the right boat (read canoe / surf ski) for you. One of the worst things to do is to simply try a friend’s canoe. Chances are they have spent years getting used to it and now all of a sudden you are expected to jump in to it and have the same skills set. My son has gone from a push bike to training wheels to no training wheels to single speed and peddle back brakes. I didn’t give him a 20inch bike and expect him to be able to ride in a day. But we expect that from paddlers or should I say want to be paddlers. People who do it that way always finish in the same way – I fell out so many times I lost count. How can that be a good 52 THEPADDLEMAG.CO.ZA
introduction to our sport? Rather head down to your local paddling club because chances are they will more stable boats that you can use while you see if you like the sport. Better still head across to a paddling school or somewhere that you can get coaching as they are bound to have stable boats and coaches that understand what it is like to start to be starting out. Next is paddle choice. There is always a temptation to think ‘bigger is better’ but that need not be the case. A big blade will exhaust you quicker which is not helpful when you are halfway through a race or three kilometres out to sea. Rather err on the side of practicality and get a smaller paddle with a split shaft so that you can adjust the feather and length as you need to. Later on if you want to go faster simply increase your cadence not your blade size. Your lifejacket or PFD (Personal Flotation Device) is one of your most important considerations. Nowadays the manufacturers produce PFD’s in different sizes (s, m, l, xl) so that you can get one that fits you snugly.You will also need to decide if you need pockets and if so how big. I like my current PFD as the back pocket is big enough for a 2L drinking system and the front can take my cellphone and snacks comfortably. Lastly PFD’s are just like any other piece of clothing – some rub in the most unfortunate places while other fit like a glove. Try and borrow one for at least hour to see if it really is that comfortable before you purchase one. On that note make sure that the one you purchase complies with the SAMSA / CSA regulations or you won’t be allowed
to enter any CSA sanctioned event. If you have any doubts contact your club safety officer before making the purchase.
GUIDANCE
Guidance
Try get help for the first couple of paddles. These can come in the form of lessons or from an experienced paddler who will demonstrate how to set up your boat and paddle. Get them to show you how to get through the surf or paddle down a river if need be. Guidance can be done formally i.e. from a coach or informally from fellow club members or paddlers that are part of your paddling group. Either way, find out from them what their favourite races are, places to paddle and areas to avoid.
FUN
Fun
The reason most of us get in to the sport is for the fun of it. If you are not having fun perhaps it is time for a change. If you are always falling out – it may be time to paddle a more stable boat until you are ready for the transition. If your arms ache – you may need a smaller blade or to adjust the feather (blade angles relative to each other) In the process do try the different disciplines. There are sprints, marathons, polo, river paddling, SUP, surf ski and wave ski. The discipline that you first try may not be your final choice so try and get out there and try all of them at least once. Challenge CHALLENGE We all need a challenge but the definition of challenge is so vast. For some it means shooting down a massive rapid or wave and for others it is staying in the boat for 100m. Pick a suitable challenge for you that you can focus on that for
the week or the month. Increase your challenge in small increments. Your first ones should be to paddle 5km or to do your club time trial at 8 or 9km/h. Progression PROGRESSION You will progress over time. There will come a point when you stop falling out so often, you boat will go faster and you will be able to paddle further but all these things take time. Try and measure your progression over a month or three month period rather than day by
day.
sessions.
Goal. GOAL
Whatever you goal is be sure to tell your paddling group so that they can get behind you (unless it is to beat them in the next time trial – in which case keep up the sneak training). There is an incredible sense of camaraderie in the paddling community and chances are there is someone in your club that has had the same goal and may be able to help you with steps you need to take to get there.
We all need a goal. Again it can be different for everyone. Some people want to explore more of our coastline while others have a particular race in mind. While living in KZN a number of people joined our club with the express intention of doing the Dusi Canoe Marathon. For now the main goal for most of my fellow paddlers is to beat their mates at the weekly training
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Where Can You Go IF you are starting out: Surfski School 021 782 4311
Paddle Experience 071 174 3099
PLETTENBERG BAY SURFSKI SCHOOL 083 590 3405
SURFSKI SCHOOL PE 041 484 2539
You can also contact your local canoe club to see if they offer coaching.
Wanting to improve your paddling: Surfski School 021 782 4311 Paddle Experience 071 174 3099 Wild Dog Squad 079 670 7962
STAY SAFE ON THE WATER: NSRI 112 Get the SafeTrx app on your phone if you intend paddling on the sea.
IMAGE Mocke Surfski School 54 THEPADDLEMAG.CO.ZA
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performance chicken chilli
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Ideal to charge your batteries before a sport competition or to recharge afterwards! Preparation : 20 min Cooking : 1 h 40 min 600 calories/serving Ingredients 460 g 3 cups 1 2/3 cup 2 tbsp 1 2 cloves 1 2 tbsp 1/2 cup 2 tbsp 1 tsp 1/2 1 1 tbsp 2 tbsp 1 pinch ground 1 cup
ground chicken, or ground turkey red beans (canned) canned tomatoes (diced) tomato paste onions, finely chopped garlic, minced green peppers, cut into small dices brown sugar chicken broth canola oil ground cumin dried chili peppers, minced limes [optional] fresh cilantro, chopped [optional] water, if necessary salt [optional] pepper to taste [optional] basmati rice
Method Prepare the vegetables. Chop the onion, mince the garlic and chili pepper, and finely dice the bell pepper. Heat half the oil in a skillet or a pan over medium heat. Cook the onion and garlic about 3 min until the onion is soft and translucent, with occasional stirring, paying attention not to let them burn. Remove from pan and set aside. Pour the remaining oil into the same pan, heat over medium heat, and add the ground chicken. Cook about 5 min, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, until the meat loses its pink colour. Put the cooked onion and garlic back into the pan. Add the diced tomatoes, tomato paste, diced bell pepper, minced chili pepper, cumin, and brown sugar. Warm up the broth then pour it into the pan. Cover and cook over very low heat 1 ½ h, checking occasionally that the mixture stays moist. Add water if necessary. A few minutes before the end of cooking, start to cook the rice. Drain the beans, rinse them and drain again. Add them to the pan with the chili, mix well, and cook an additional 8-10 min. Add salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle with freshly chopped cilantro leaves, garnish with lime wedges, then serve over the steamed rice. RECIPE and image: www.soscuisine.com THEPADDLEMAG.CO.ZA 57
In times such as the ones we are living in, one can either succumb to the situation, or adapt and overcome. The nature and character of an outdoor enthusiast is to choose the latter. We at the Push and Pull believe strongly that there is a huge opportunity to rise up and show off the love we have for our sports, across the board. We believe there is a need to take a stand towards health and showing how an active lifestyle lends itself towards being a healthy lifestyle. So, outdoor enthusiasts, we introduce the new concept of the Virtual Push and Pull for 2020, and 58 THEPADDLEMAG.CO.ZA
are frothing to bring it to life and bring it to you.
3 options 3 Challenges
INDIVIDUAL TRIO One Person, three sports, three days, Effectively, a 3-Day triathlon.
One Person, one sport, three days.
You choose which distances of the various sports you find most preferable, do one day of each sport, and combine the times to create an overall set of results.
You, as an individual, choose paddling, running OR cycling as your sport, and take on the individual challenge for ONE of the three sports.
One may choose to run on Day 1, cycle Day 2, and paddle Day 3 (or any combination in whichever order), and combine those times against their competitors.
Therefore, you may complete and record your times for one sport for the three days and be listed in the results of the Individual Paddle, Run or Cycle
The only rule is that you must to one day of each sport. One may not complete two days of cycling and one day of paddling, because that
INDIVIDUAL RACE
would sway towards the Individual Race.
TEAM CHALLENGE Three People, three sports, three days Select your team and get in contact with people that are in the other sporting codes to be a part of your team. One person competes in one select sport, so each team will have a runner, paddler and cyclist. Compete in your sport for the three days in the various times and distances of that sport, and combine with the other two team members competing in their various sports to create an overall time. Need a partner/s? Enter the Team Challenge and look for partners in the various sporting codes on the Push and Pull website.
PLEASE FEEL FREE TO ENTER MORE THAN ONE CHALLENGE IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO!!!
your team enough time to clock the most distance for the three times given.
How the Race Will Work
The entry fee will be R50, and will give you the chance to take part in the Push and Pull challenge with you and your teammates and appear in the official set of results!
The Virtual Push and Pull is asking you to see how far you can go in a set time for each of the days! The times for each sport are the exact same – the rules are that the days must be done in order and that you must record your time and distances you managed to complete and submit it online. Day 1 – 35min Day 2 – 1hr 35min Day 3 – 50min The time frame for the Push and Pull will start on the 8th of August (the start of the Women’s Day Weekend) and run for the whole month of August, to allow you and
You will also stand the chance to win prizes in the form of Entries, Vouchers and Products from sponsors, as well as a promo code for the 2021 edition of the Push and Pull!! There will be MASSIVE giveaways for those of you who can show us pictures and videos on social media of themselves having the BEST TIME BEING OUTDOORS AND ENJOYING THEIR SPORT!! We are really excited for this new alternative offered for the Push and Pull and will be giving tons of updates about what will be happening very shortly!
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IMAGE Vecteezy.com
Radar & Evinrude Change is something for Evinrude about as unlikely and uncomfortable as honesty and accountability in a politician. For what? Lockdown has been hard for my back-seat bandido. After the debacle of the home-made ergo going up in flames, we did manage to sneak out on our surfskis, albeit with the absurd token of strapping fishing rods to the back deck to make us look like commercial fishermen. There was Evinrude with his son’s minute Lego winch rod, a Christmas 60 THEPADDLEMAG.CO.ZA
present from twenty years ago, that has absolutely no practical use, and in fact didn’t even work.
We sprinted across the “banned” beach to get to the water, and kept looking over our shoulders in case some securocrat Nazi should come whizzing up in a rubber duck to throw is into chookie for some lockdown misdemeanour. With the easing from lockdown 3.2.4.5 (ii) to another level that was equally mysterious, we did
manage to get to paddle at our club, suitably sanitised, forms filled in every time we went to the water to paddle, and complying with Benjy our security guard, who has been elevated to the lofty position of COVID Compliance Officer making sure we didn’t step out of line. Benjy, who is a champ, was also armed with an infra-red thermometer pistol, with which he was empowered to take our temperatures. It took some time to get this working smoothly. On
our first visit, he pronounced “Boss Evinrude, I think you have died” as he re-aimed the thermometer gun at the cap on Evinrude’s head. With all the events getting cancelled left, right and centre, along came the Ultra Paddle, the inspired alternative to the scrapped Berg. Evinrude thought this was a classic idea. Over a foul smelling jar of his home-brewed pineapple beer (note to self, this is a very, very bad idea) he announced that he was going to enter. “Going for Gold, china” was his first commitment. Then he reads the rules on the website. On crap, 240km in four days. He has always refused to do a Berg because of the extreme distances, and ask me to take him out and shoot him if he looked like he was going to do 75km in one day. But the Ultra Paddle Silver option gave him 25 days to do 240km. Even Evinrude can do the maths on this one and it looked very do-able. So, he conned me to join him. We entered online, and soon got our race number PDFs, and we were keen. He printed his onto an ironon transfer and then ironed it onto an old Fish T Shirt to paddle in. He was set. Day One was going to be a 15km ski paddle. With his yellowing vintage Fish t-shirt race number and a flat winter’s ocean beckoning, we recalibrated “Going for Gold” to “Going for Silver”. But here is where it gets messy.
So I sat him down, made him hand over his Nokia phone, and downloaded a couple of apps that allow you to track your sessions, and set up accounts for him. He phoned me at 11pm the night before our first paddle and told me to check out his first track, made while he was walking around his driveway. “Tomorrow I am going to try and draw a chicken,” he informed me. The app he decided to use had a neat function that allows someone else logging in to set themselves up as a friend and then to track your movements while you paddle. So we set it up on Mrs Rude’s phone so that she could see how he was doing on each session. She said it was to make sure he wasn’t slacking but I think she was going to be the creative director behind the imminent plans to draw the chicken with the GPS tracker. Into a dry bag went Evinrude’s phone with some snacks, after he had started the GPS app, and off we went. It was a beaut of a day for a paddle and he regularly unclipped the dry bag from his PFD to see how far we had gone, and still had to go to complete the planned 15km.
As so often happens, we paddled into a pod of dolphins, gambolling beyond the shark nets (or where the shark nets used to be). Evinrude wanted to bag a photo, so we stopped, feet out as he stabilised, out came the phone and the Evinrude is a technophobe. Hasn’t dolphins disappeared while Evinrude got a clue about modern technology. sat, Nokia poised, waiting for the He still has a fax machine that shot. works off thermal paper at home. “So I have to record each session, Eventually his GPS tracker app do I?” “Yes.” “How to @#$%do I do asked in a sultry American accent that?” “Are you OK? You haven’t moved
for ten minutes.” Evinrude told her exactly, in gruesomely explicitly anatomical detail, where she could hide her concerns, and put the phone back in the dry bag. Just at that moment the Dolphins surfaced again. Evinrude unclipped the dry bag while twisting around and it flew in an arc through the air into the sea. Thanks to the fact that Evinrude had a banana in the dry bag as well, it sank just enough to make finding it impossible, despite half an hour of grid searching the ocean. We returned to the club without his phone, and the air blue with expletives that would make a Bergie blush. After three jars of his pineapple beer that night, Evinrude’s day changed. Mrs Rude has opened the GPS app and after selecting his account she could see where the phone was. It had drifted with the current well past the harbour breakwater and was heading South West at a steady lick. It had done 14km on its own. What they don’t know is that the organisers were sent a link to Evinrude’s account as soon as the drybag had drifted the 50km so that he can claim his Bronze certificate. He had hoped it would drift 240km and he could claim the Silver, but he knew full well how kak the battery life is on his Nokia. So “Going for Silver” became “Going for Bronze”. Please don’t tell anyone. He has printed the certificate, framed it, and claims it with gusto anytime anyone comes to visit.
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