Search results Saturday, 02 July 2011 11:49 To the relief of the paddlers, a 10-15kt breeze kicked up some small whitehorses and 1-1.5m swell to provide some downwind conditions for the third Island Shamaal Mauritius Ocean Classic. Read more...
Friday, 01 July 2011 07:05 [Editor: The warm-up race for the Island Shamaal Mauritius Ocean Classic was held yesterday in almost calm conditions. There were a few swimmers in the channels through the reef but no great trauma…] Read more...
Thursday, 30 June 2011 07:49 [Editor: Having come a highly creditable sixth in the Dunlop Surfski World Cup in Durban, South Africa, Barry Lewin is in Mauritius for the 2011 Island Shamaal. He’s not finding it tough on the island…] Read more...
Thursday, 30 June 2011 06:49 When staying on an exotic Island in a first class resort it’s pretty hard to get your mind around racing a ski for 20 odd kilometres. Read more...
Friday, 25 February 2011 08:07 For surfski paddlers looking for fun in the sun... start making your bookings! Some of the best downwind paddling in the world (as well as diving, fishing, mountain biking, sailing, you name it)... Bookings are already pouring in from Australia, South Africa and Europe. Read more...
Sunday, 12 September 2010 12:54 Although the race didn't have the expected fabulous downwind conditions (a cyclone south of the island disrupted the usually reliable trade winds), there was plenty of drama as the paddlers negotiated the reefs during the 28km Island Shamaal Mauritius Ocean Classic! Read more...
Friday, 10 September 2010 21:23 “The right ‘and side of the pass is extremely dangerous,” said Dominic Henry as he briefed an anxious group of paddlers this morning. They were on their way out from Les Pavillons to scout the channel through the reef for tomorrow’s race. Read more...
Thursday, 09 September 2010 20:06 Hank McGregor, Jeremy Cotter and Tom Schilperoort diced most of the warm-up race before being split up by the waves in the channel through the reef just before the finish... Read more...
Wednesday, 08 September 2010 20:13 Another great day – more paddlers, more paddling. And while the paddlers were doing their thing, a large contingent of surfski WAGs went diving... (No photos - sorry!) Read more...
Tuesday, 07 September 2010 17:21 Today’s northerly wind resulted in our trying a new downwind route (new for me at any rate) – and a squad of about twenty of us were bussed to Tamarin to paddle 16km downwind to Le Morne. Read more...
Latest Race News  Durban – Team Best 4 Kayak Centre captain Hank McGregor reclaimed his customary place at the top of the pile when he cruised to victory in the Stellar Kayaks surfski race, race two of the Discovery Best 4 Surfski Series, on Sunday morning. Written on Tuesday, 15 May 2012 in Africa
Read more...  A week of great paddling awaits those going to the fourth edition of the Mauritius Ocean Classic. Starting on Sunday, 24 June 2012 with ski issue and then into training sessions with Dawid Mocke and Barry Lewin. Everyday there will be scheduled downwind paddles, allowing all to get familiar with the conditions and ready for the races. Written on Saturday, 12 May 2012 in Africa
Read more...  In another all-out heart-bursting sprint finish, Simon van Gysen managed to boost his ski's nose a few cm past Sean Rice to take the second EuroChallenge race along with the overall title. Written on Sunday, 06 May 2012 in Europe
Read more...  “Van Gysen is pulling ahead of McGregor… it’s his race to lose. No! He’s heading for the harbor instead of the buoy… He’s realized; he’s turned. McGregor’s right up with him! He’s around, they’re sprinting for the finish…” Written on Sunday, 06 May 2012 in Europe
Read more...  It’s only a few weeks until the 11th King of the Harbour Ocean ski race and excitement is building in the surf ski community. It’s a close-knit group and all agree that our race here in Auckland is unique in the world and one of the best. Written on Tuesday, 20 March 2012 in Aus/NZ
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| | Latest Product Reviews  Transcribe the accumulated wisdom of two of the best surfski paddlers in the world, add some truly stunning photographs, and in case that’s not enough, make things even more clear with beautifully executed diagrams. That’s SURFSKI with the Pros in a nutshell. Written on Sunday, 27 November 2011 in Product Reviews
Read more...  When Mario Graziani called to say that there was an Allwave CX surfski in Cape Town and would I like to try it, I leapt at the chance. At the same time I was a little apprehensive – what could Italians possibly know about making surfskis?! Written on Saturday, 20 August 2011 in Product Reviews
Read more...  “Ok, let’s sprint to the other side of the harbor,” I said. Issuing a challenge like that to my training partner Dale Lippstreu always results in a ball-bursting, neck and neck, 110% redline effort. This time though he just disappeared (behind me) and 200m later I looked back to see him paddling backwards. “I thought I had something on the rudder,” he said. Nah. We did it again and the same thing happened. I was on an Carbonology Sport Atom – and on flat water it made me look like a paddling super-hero. Written on Sunday, 12 June 2011 in Product Reviews
Read more...  Let’s start by clarifying that this is an independent product review. Secondly, I have won numerous national kayak titles in both sprint and marathon, and was selected to represent Australia at the World Cup and other International Events. I have also competed in surfski events at state and national levels in surf lifesaving. Summary – independent and qualified advice on craft. Written on Thursday, 02 June 2011 in Product Reviews
Read more...  A year ago, Kayakpro released an updated version of their Speedstroke kayak ergometer. In an effort to be on the leading edge of the indoor paddling world, I made the switch from their older model, the Speedstroke which was introduced in 2001, to their newer model, the GYM, one year ago. KayakPro is owned and operated by British ex-Olympian and World Champion Grayson Bourne. Written on Sunday, 30 January 2011 in Product Reviews
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Latest News  Richard Kohler, attempting to circumnavigate the SA coastline for charity, has been hammered for the third time by the unforgiving KwaZulu-Natal conditions. Written on Tuesday, 13 December 2011 in Latest Surfski News
Read more...  The email was brief: “Newsflash - Richard was attacked by a shark. He is safe, but his surfski is seriously damaged (entire rudder system trashed).” Later came an update: “Richard is safe, though he had to stop 3 times on his paddle today to empty his boat. “ Written on Thursday, 08 December 2011 in Latest Surfski News
Read more...  A solo Cape Town paddler is braving the entire South African coastline on a kayak, a first-ever attempt, to raise awareness and funds for children born with cleft lips and palates. Written on Thursday, 01 December 2011 in Latest Surfski News
Read more...  Here are the 2011 Surfski World Rankings, courtesy of Dean Gardiner and Ocean Paddler who have put it all together... Written on Tuesday, 23 August 2011 in Latest Surfski News
Read more...  Imagine taking ten days out of your life to paddle with (and be coached by) two of the best surfski exponents ever… In 2012, you have three opportunities to take a spectacular trip to some of the most remote and beautiful parts of the Western Australian coast with Dean Gardiner and Oscar Chalupsky. Written on Monday, 20 June 2011 in Latest Surfski News
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| | Latest Tips & Tricks  Here’s a debate that pops up quite often: what length is optimum for surfskis? Ralph Baker, a student at the Newcastle University School of Marine Science and Technology (phew what a mouthful!) recently completed an eight month long project looking at this precise question. Written on Saturday, 12 May 2012 in Tips: Other
Read more...  [Editor: When Jean Mars Tavignot tried out his new Red7 Surf 70 Pro in downwind conditions, he was not pleased; his 10 year old Fenn Millenium handled the short steep Mediterranean waves better! Nothing daunted, he took out his toolbox…] Written on Tuesday, 09 August 2011 in Tips: Other
Read more...  I have always wanted to fit an elliptical rudder to a Fenn, particularly a Mako 6 as it is my favourite ski. I can paddle an Elite but I prefer the 6 for all round stability and performance particularly in chop. Its main weakness is that the shark fin loses bite because of the ski's rocker and the fin's proximity to the tail causes the odd broach particularly in big swells. Written on Monday, 01 August 2011 in Tips: Other
Read more...  "Life's too short to learn from our own experience, instead, learn from others and save the expense..." I recently hurt my back and was forced to stop training in my kayak and ski for six weeks. In the process of repair I found some amazing things I’ve been doing wrong for at least eighteen months, and thought surfski.info readers might benefit from my mistakes. Written on Sunday, 17 July 2011 in Tips: Other
Read more...  Rudders are a critical part of any boat’s design – and in my opinion many of the rudders on surfskis are sub-optimal, to put it mildly. But at last a manufacturer has got off their butt to offer a wide range of rudders for different conditions. Written on Wednesday, 15 June 2011 in Tips: Other
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