The 244km Old Mutual Bank Port Elizabeth to East London Challenge starts on 13th December 2006. 

Anton Erasmus sent us this update:

Weather forecast is an east on day one! If this is the case and if it is strong the race route will change from Blue Water Bay To Woody Cape  to Blue Water Bay to a check point marked by a boat just passed Sundays River Mouth and then back to Blue Water Bay.

The singles event is likely to be dominated by Paul Marais (the reigning champion) from Cape Town but he will be kept honest by the likes Peter Cole (Cape Town) Wojtek Orzechowski (Knysna) and Brendon Thompson (winner 1991) and Collin Hall (both of Knysna). Murray Smith from Durban is always a threat and has come second in this event more times than anyone else.

The doubles event will be really close with three crews who have won it in the past racing. Peter Mote and Alan Schundgh ( the current champs), Rob Welsh and Gary Butlion, Andrew and Simon Blackburn are the crews to watch out for but they could well be threatened by the East London pair of Ian Daniel and Kyle Nell, the Durban crew of Ross Poacher and Michel De Rauville and the Cape Town pair of Theo van Dyk and Bruce Neill.

There is still a chance that Oscar Chalupski will enter (possibly in doubles with his 15 year old son). Whether it be in singles or doubles Chalupski will get a podium finish!

The race registration takes place at Kings Beach Surf Lifesaving Club from 15h00 followed by a race briefing at 17h30. All paddlers must attend this briefing.

NSRI are providing the key water safety whilst land crews will follow the race on the beach to pick up any paddlers who might beach. A helicopter will be on standby to assist. There is a concern about the unusually high shark activity in the bay and on route. There is an anchored whale carcass in the Bay which has attracted a large number of sharks and this lies close to the racing line that the paddlers would like to take. Whale activity is also evident - (I hit a whale in 1979 and had to withdraw with a dislocated
shoulder!)

The paddlers will finish the four day event (after stop overs at Woody Cape, Port Alfred and Hamburg) on East London's Orient Beach at around 10h30, with the prize giving and party taking place in the East London Yacht club from 13h00.

Anton Erasmus

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Race Coordinator

Entry Lists 

Singles Entries

Doubles Entries 

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Challenge Critters
written by flipster, December 07, 2006

.....ask Theo van Dijk about the whale of time he had on the 1st day of the 2002 challenge. Imagine a guy paddling next to you suddenly being 5ft higher than you cos Moby Dick decided to breathe. There is more critter activity in the Bay since a long way back.....but nothing the Fishoek okes aren't used to....../\......

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