The cream of South African surfski paddling will be competing in Plett, South Africa in the inaugural Pennypinchers Easter Surfski Challenge.

"Steel" Neal Stephenson, chairman of the burgeoning Plett Paddling Club explained why they've launched the race at this time of year:

"The Plett Paddling Club (PPC) is an active and energetic club consisting of 23 members and hosting two formal time trials weekly," he said, "which are attended by both Plett and Knysna paddlers. In response to numerous and continued requests, the club has decided to host a surfski race on the 22nd of March, Easter Saturday. The date was chosen because it is high season in Plett; falls between the Cape Town Summer (Surf-ski) series and the Durban winter series; and does not conflict with any other major paddling events."

World Series Race

In securing sponsorship from Pennypinchers to the tune of R10,000 first prize (around US$1,100 even at our plummeting exchange rate), the race became eligible for 1-star status in the Surfski.info World Series.

The World Series rules are simple:

• Paddlers are awarded points down to 50th place on all races so 1st place gets 50 points, 50th place gets 1 point.
• The points are then multiplied by the star rating - so for a 4-star race you get 200 points for winning.
• Finally, only 6 races count; the other results are discarded.

This means that to get to the top of the rankings, paddlers have to attend the big 3- and 4-star races.  But smaller, 1- and 2-star races enable more paddlers to be included in the World Rankings (and also allow the top guys to pick up points if they've been prevented by illness, say, from attending the bigger races). 

The idea is to end up with a credible World Champion at the end of the season - but at the same time make the World Series as inclusive as possible.

Competitive Field

Dawid Mocke (currently 2nd on the World Rankings) will be in Plett to tackle Durban paddler Hank McGregor head on.  Hank, a multiple SA paddling champion both on rivers and on the sea, has announced his intention to focus on Surfski paddling in 2008 and Plett will be the first time the two paddlers have competed since the Dubai Shamaal in November 2007 where Dawid recovered from a disastrous start to beat Hank to the US$20,000 prize.

Barry Lewin will also be in Plett, while World Rankings leader Oscar Chalupsky will miss out through work commitments that take him back to the Epic factory in China a few days before the race.

Peter Cole is travelling up from Cape Town, while Daryl Bartho (4th on the World Rankings) and Clint Pretorius (currently 10^th) are expected to add to the Durban contingent.

PENNYPINCHER EASTER SURFSKI CHALLENGE - RACE DETAILS

PPC will hold two races simultaneously. The race is split to cater for a larger cross section of paddlers. Race 1 is designed to encourage novice and intermediate paddlers to participate. Race 2 is designed, distance and technicality, to encourage participation from top paddlers countrywide.

The protected nature of Plett central beach, offers easy entry to the water for all levels of paddlers, the course takes advantage of the Keurbooms river mouth, which currently provides exhilarating conditions for paddlers incorporating surf entry and exit, together with beautiful scenery, and high visibility for spectators from a variety of vantage points.

Race 1 Novice and social paddlers.

• Distance: approximately 10kms.
• Course: basic course, using the protection of the bay as shelter.
• Time: 1-2 hours
• Start: 09h10

Race 2 Intermediate and advanced paddlers

• Distance: Approximately 20kms
• Course: Intermediate, incorporating surf, open water, upwind and downwind sections.
• Time: 1.5 - 2.5 hours
• Start: 09h00

Pennypinchers Easter Surfski Challenge Course

Registration takes place on 21st and morning of the 22nd at the PSLC. Entry Fee R80 per paddler to cover NSRI donation,

VENUE

The venue is Plett Central Beach. With the loss of Lookout Beach, Central Beach is, arguably, the most densely populated beach on the Garden Route in high season. The venue provides the sponsors, sport and event with maximum exposure to the general public.

PPC will host the event at the PSLC Club. The facility offers, a club house for registration and administration, fully licensed bar, grass terrace and protected beach. The Surf Lifesaving club have offered to sell boerewors rolls at the event to raise funds for their club. The Plett NSRI station is on hand and they have agreed to run boats overseeing the safety of the race.

The course is spectator friendly. Spectators can watch participants from a variety of beaches and vantage points, many of which offer a view of the entire race. Parking is available.

Click here for the entry form

For more information, contact Neal Stephensen on 082 920 0725

Comments (3)

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Awesome Course
written by richard von wildemann, March 07, 2008

The wave in the mouth must be on for the race!

Great work Neal

See you there

Chopper

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...
written by michael baker, March 08, 2008

Hey guys, the question needs to be asked how can u decide on a world series race with less than a mths notice in a country where they already have two races dedicated too them and i doubt there will be an international field. I know its only 1 star but 50 points is a lot when the top 20 is so close (which is really good) i understand it when ur taking it to countrys where ur tryin to introduce the sport but how are we suppose to make an event like that with less than a mths notice. I'd like to hear what other people have to say about it.

Im a bigger supporter of the series and understand that you guys are tryin to grow the series, so im tryin not to bag it out

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Making this a WS race...
written by Rob Mousley, March 08, 2008

Hi Michael, good points and thanks for raising the issue.
We thought quite hard about it and discussed the short notice, and whether it was fair to have a 3rd WS race in South Africa.

Here's some of our thinking:
- To have a crack at the top spot in the Rankings, you basically have to race in the 3- & 4-star races & results from 1-star races will be discarded anyway.
- The race organisers told us that they'd be able to get more sponsorship for the race if we made it a WS event.
- Another event means more people on the Rankings - our goal is to be as inclusive as possible and eventually when we present the WS to a corporate sponsor, we'll have, say, 1,000 names of paddlers from all over the world.
- We're looking for a race (or races - how about one on West Coast, one on the East Coast) in Australia to add to the series.

So, yep, next year I think the rules will include a mandatory 3-month notice for a World Series race, but, given that this one shouldn't materially affect the top positions in the Rankings, and given the opportunity to support the organisers and help them get more cash, we went for it.

And I can announce that Fenn Kayaks are adding an additional R10,000 to the prize money - which will now extend down to 10th position. More details on this will be announced shortly.

all the best
Rob

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