But, who do you call?  The National Sea Rescue Institiute has a new emergency number valid for the entire country: 082911.  Memorise it.  And store it in your mobile phone's address book.

Dehydration is generally regarded as a Bad Thing when paddling. So, if a race is likely to be more than an hour long, paddlers take liquid with them - and where to stow it is a subject of considerable debate.

For many, the solution is to tape a bladder to the deck in front of the rudder pedals and to run a pipe back to the seat. Others prefer "Tripper" type PFDs that have a pocket on the back into which the bladder can be fitted. The pipe is run through a series of Velcro straps to the front of the PFD.

Both of these solutions, by adding weight above the centre of gravity of the ski, lessen stability.

This article describes a solution implemented by David Cade who lives in Hout Bay, Cape Town.

The .5 Micro

Answer: there aren't any. [It's been pointed out to me that Stealth Performance Products in Durban, South Africa sell a kid's ski called a "Stealth Junya". To see their product range, click here.]

The stock rudder for my Epic V10 surfski catches kelp and weeds so I decided to build my own "weedless" rudder as a replacement. Here's how I went about it...