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The race committee sat tonight at the Durban Underwater Club to discuss safety; the course and the date of the race...
 Forecast at 01h00, 27 June 2008
Another 2007 World Cup?
Consensus is that the race is unlikely to be quite as hectic as last year - but there's little doubt that there's going to be wind and waves and a fabulous downwind run... Ideal conditions.
Unless the weather forecast changes drastically in the next 24 hours, the World Cup race will start early on Sunday morning. The paddlers will most likely start from in front of the Durban Underwater Club and will head northeast across the bay towards Westbrook.
Safety
Given the forecast conditions - windy and overcast with a big swell - the safety of the competitors is paramount. PFDs, leashes and either flares or a mobile phone are compulsory and competitors can expect to be checked before they get on the water.
Leashes
The race committee is leaving it up to the individual whether to use a paddle leash or an ankle leash. However, it is strongly recommended not to be attached to your ski when going through surf. If the race finishes at westbrook as expected, the surf could be challenging. To avoid injury you must disconnect yourself from your leash before coming in through big surf.
Withdrawal from the Race
If you withdraw from the race, you must contact the safety officer, Mike Wood, on 082 8944 255 and report your status. If you do not and the NSRI/helicopter is called out to search for you, you will be made liable for costs (and at R8,000 per hour for the chopper, this is not something to be taken lightly.) This number can also be contacted if you find yourself in trouble during the race.
Store the number in your mobile - now!
Briefing
Race Briefing is at 6:30pm at the Durban Underwater Club. It is essential to be there for obvious reasons.
Live Coverage from Championchip and Surfski.info
We saw the new Championchip tracking units for the first time today - we'll have around 30 on the skis and several more on rescue boats and buoys. The spectator User Interface is superb and we'll be publishing the link shortly.
We're also doing live commentary from the Durban Underwater Club - I'll be chatting to the escort boats during the race to report on the conditions and progress of the paddlers... between that and the live GPS positions, we're going to have the richest spectator experience yet for a surfski race.
Big Screen at DUC
We've lined up a big screen at the Durban Underwater Club to show the live GPS positions - and there will be several "small screens" aka laptops showing the commentary.
Ski-Cam
We've been playing with a new camera mounting - and we stuck our camera on the back of Oscar Chalupsky's ski to film the Thursday evening dice at the Durban Underwater Club. It looks pretty cool - click here to see the result on blip tv.
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Cheers Dave