Today was awesome..

 No other way to put it really, it simply was a crazy paddle with a good friend, whom just happened to arrive back from a successful overseas lifesaving tour less than 24 hours ago!

Author to friend: "My bru 3.30 my place don't be late!" Jasper: "I'm there china!"

(Bru/China = mate, homie, bra, bro 0r friend!)

3.25pm Phone Rings  Jasper: "I'm gonna be 10 minutes late." Turns out

Howsit folks

So here we are? Three days out from the start of the most famous surf ski race on the planet the Molokai!

I was very privileged to be able to compete in the 2007 edition and what an experience it was, apparently one of the toughest ever due to the extended finish section! Which added an extra 10 or so kilometres? (By the way, I admit, I sat in the seat of my ski for 7 hours and 4

I have a mailing list of around 100 regular paddlers in and around Cape Town that I use to organise group paddles - something essential in these parts, as I consider it dangerous to paddle alone.

I recently posted the following, and was subsequently requested by Alain Jaques to post it on this blog for a wider audience. I do so humbly and hope I can get some form of reaction to it.

In South Africa

Magic paddle last night from Fish Hoek...

I'd rushed down to the beach, expecting to have a hard slog on the "circuit" from Fish Hoek via Simonstown harbour to Ark Rock to Roman Rock and back to Fish Hoek.

This is a good training paddle, but not my idea of "fun" - more like hard work!

The guys were already getting on the water when I arrived and by the time I'd changed, ripped the boat off the car &

St Francis to JBay, as told by Jasper Mocke...........

I hooked up with PE hell man Richard von Wildemann on Sunday to do my second St Francis to JBay downwind. This famous piece of coastline is home to some of the world's leading surf spots like Super Tubes, Seals and Bruce's to name a few and then some not so famous one's not to be named...sorry! Being a conservative Cape Tonian I was in for

  What the best do after a long ‘grind’.

The Plett Easter Weekend Surfski Challenge was a nice surprise the organisers only started planning 5 weeks before the start gun went off! Well done to the local paddling club and Penny Pinchers for the awesome day it truly was something special.

So by now you’ve all seen the classic photo’s Rob put up from Mr Murray of the day, now that wave is

The Challenge

Port Elizabeth to East London, Hell for four days, 244km of scenic paddling, headwind, downwind, sharks, whales, pods of dolphins, sea birds, giant waves, warm days, ‘bloody' hot days, legends and myths, but most of all camaraderie between men and woman who attempt it who complete it.

It started out as a silly bar room bet between two friends maybe after too many beers were

Surf- Ski-ing in South Africa. Author Unknown.

(First published in Souvenier Programme of SA Surf Life Saving Championships hosted by Pirates SLC at Country Club Beach, Durban. 21 April 1957.)

The Empire Games, Sydney Australia in 1938 can be said to mark the beginning of ski-ing in the surf of South Africa. A rough sketch brought back by the well-known swimming coach, Mr. Alec Bulley, was

It's funny how the best downwind runs are often not the ones where you're battling gigantic waves in gale force winds...

(Although my two "gale-force" paddles this season were both near the top in terms of fun...)

Endorfin-starvation

 I've had family from overseas staying with us for the last three weeks and some more have just arrived.  (My cousin has an artificial knee which seems to have