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20 Sep 2008 San Francisco: "It was a tight tactical race, right from the beginning," said an exhausted Dawid Mocke. He'd just finished the 2008 edition of the US Surfski Championships... coming second to a rampant Hank McGregor.
 Hank McGregor on his way to win the 2008 US Champs (Pic: Judy Barker)
Live Commentary - Transcript
Surfski.info were there, in a virtual way, thanks to Skype, mobile phones and Judy Barker, our commentator who was in the lead chase boat.
The race was delayed by 30 minutes to allow some ships to pass by - the first leg of the course was straight across the bay to the Fenn hotspot. At that point the bay was almost windless - but the tide was coming in and the currents were already beginning to surge around the Golden Gate bridge supports...
 08h21 - A foggy bay greeted the early arrivals (Pic: Judy Barker)
Here's the transcript of the commentary, as it happened. All pics by Judy Barker unless otherwise noted.
 12h06 Race volunteers on standby
12:18 Judy's on the chase boat now - the guys are all on the water, warming up
12:20 Ten minutes to go
12:21 Kathleen Petereit - Huki Girl - is paddling with the Huki Gull Wing...
12:21 She had a problem in the really rough water last year - check out the Gull Wing in the Jude interview
 12h23: Thomas Yonley (US) warms up
12:23 It'll be interesting to see how Nikki Mocke does - she said she thinks she's about 50% underdone for this race. She's hoping for some help from the wind..
12:26 We're getting some images from Judy of the guys at the start
12:27 Nikki said that the Olympic training saw them tapering radically from about 5 weeks out
12:27 So she hasn't done distance paddling for a long while
12:28 So Nikki is really, really fit, but optimised for 500m! In a K4
12:30 The race is started...
 Steve Woods strayed from the line
12:31 Excitement at the start - Steve Woods had drifted off to the bridge and they had to get him back
12:31 The leaders are heading towards the bridge into the current
12:32 ie they're heading left as they head to the Fenn hotspot
12:32 Can't see who is in the lead yet
12:33 There's a lead pack of 5 paddlers
12:34 Checking the numbers of the lead guys
12:34 Rami Zur is not on my list
12:35 There's chaos on the chase boat - they'll be back in a few minutes
12:35 Yep - Rami is not racing as far as I can see.
12:37 Trying to make comms again
12:38 Half way across the bay to the Fenn hotspot
12:38 there's a lot of boat traffic out today
12:39 The escort is going to the hotspot to watch the guys go past
12:39 The tide is not strong yet, the wind is picking up
12:40 Normal washing machine chop under the bridge
12:40 Paddlers have about 1/4 mile to go
12:40 Front bunch went slightly further west, now heading to the hotspot
12:41 Lead group has about 7 skis; second group has about ten skis
12:41 Rami is definitely not paddling.
12:43 Two big ferry boats coming past, skis getting on their wakes
12:43 Big currents ripping under the bridge - who has read them currently - two or three minutes to go
12:44 Plenty of boat traffic - the top guys will try to use the wakes to drop each other.
 Hank takes the Fenn hotspot
12:47 Hank won the hotspot; Daw 3-4 boat lengths behind
12:48 Steve Woods, then Bevan, Zsolt
12:48 Hank has gone a reasonable lead, Steve is sitting on Daw's wake
12:48 4-5 lengths to the next guy
12:49 Hank's gone for it already
12:49 They're heading under the bridge into a mess of currents
12:49 Hank needs to be careful not to get too far ahead
12:49 and to keep his eye on the other guys
 Fenn Hotspot
12:53 Lost comms with Judy - trying the other phone
12:55 Under the bridge now, the tide is going strong. Front three are together - Hank, Daw and Steve Woods
12:55 Then Bevan, Zsolt took a closer line to shore, made some ground on Bevan
12:56 Coming up to Pt. Diablo - front group 10-15 boat lengths ahead - difficult to see who exactly is in the lead, but Daw & hank are neck & neck
12:58 Bevan is too far out - in the current
12:58 Zsolt is now half way between the lead 3 and Bevan
12:59 The front three are very close to the rocks - they're getting little bumps from the rebound
12:59 The sun is coming out, the wind is still less than ten knots
13:00 The front group are about 2-3 minutes from Pt. Diablo
13:01 Hmm.. There's a fisherman at Pt Diablo - let's hope there's no line around rudders
13:01 Steve is in teh lead, hank on Steve's wake, Daw on Hank's lead
13:02 The front group are looking very good, taking it easy, moving as a team
13:03 Right on Pt. Diablo now, now the question is how far in to take the bay on the way to Pt. Bonita.
13:07 Last year Barton made good ground by going far into the bay...
13:08 Daw slowed down to let Hank take the lead and Hank put the hammer down
13:09 Put 2 boat lengths onto Daw, but he pulled back and is now pullling again!
13:10 Daw's taking a drink, stopped paddling, let hank take the lead, Steve is about a boat length behind but is further into the bay; Zsolt is 20 lengths behind
13:11 The two leaders are going back and forth, each keep slowing down to let the other take the lead
13:12 Hank is really backing off - riding Daw's tail - this is really tactical.
13:12 The leaders look like they're just relaxed, going for a stroll
13:12 Steve has dropped back slightly
13:13 Pt. Bonita is interesting - there's a rock offshore with a 15m gap
13:13 Every so often there's a wave that closes out
13:13 The front three look as though they're not going to take the gap...
13:15 It's a lot rougher than last year - should be fun on the way back. the wind is from the south, there's a swell from the north.
13:16 Daw has a boat length on Hank, Steve a boat length back. The water is much more rough now.
13:16 Daw is holding on to the lead now, Hank a length back. Steve now putting in an interval to get back up
13:17 Front 3 have a commanding lead - no-one else past Pt Bonita yet
13:18 Hank and Daw are heading straight west to the Pt. Bonita Buoy
13:18 Then they turn north into the current to the top buoy
13:19 Boat on the Pt. Bonita buoy - looks like Steve has dropped back about 3 boat lenghts
13:19 Hank is pulling again
13:20 Hank and Daw took a perfect line for the current, arrived perfectly at the buoy
13:20 They're catching little runs now - Hank got a length on Daw - they're heading north
13:20 Steve is now round the buoy; Hank has about 2 lengths on DAw
13:21 Zsolt about 600 to 700m back
13:21 Daw just pulled backup - they're both catching runs now, Hank's checking to see where Daw is
13:22 Man, I wish we had the GPS units on the boats. They're able to put paddles down every now and then, the runs are going north.
13:23 Boat's moving to the top buoy, Judy is going to take some pics for us.
13:25 We're giving them a few minutes to take pics & move to the top buoy
13:26 Just got a pic - you can see the three top skis, v close together, Al is posting it..
 Near Pt. Diablo, Hank McGregor, Dawid Mocke and Steve Woods
13:30 The top two are still neck & neck...
13:33 The guys are going into a 2-3 mph current, and are taking a while to get to the top buoy. Steve is somewhere behind them now with the rest of the fleet out of sight.
13:33 Daw is in front for the moment - but they're trading the lead on the runs.
13:34 They are going to fly on the way back - 2-3mph is 5-6 kph
13:35 Last year Oscar said the amazing thing about this race is that there are runs in all directions...
13:35 The wind is more southerly than usual - it was forecast to be NW, but is actually SW
13:36 I'll get an update on the wind & waves
13:37 3ft swell coming from the NW, a little wave swell coming from the S.
13:38 They're riding the small wind swell going north, should get runs on the way back
13:38 Steve has taken an inside line, and has made up some ground
13:38 Weather looks like it'll clear up in the next half hour.
13:39 The current is 2kts right now
13:39 Steve has caught up with the leaders but is way inside - will have to come a long way out to round the buoy
 13h40 - Hank and Dawid round the top buoy
13:40 Nikki will be loving the swells, I'll ask the escorts to look out for her
13:41 We only have access to one escort boat fortunately so news on the rest of the field is a bit sparse.
13:41 They were going to organise another contact, not sure what happened to it.
13:44 OK, they're round the top buoy - they are going to FLY on the way back
13:45 So it's Hank, Daw, Steve, Zsolt, Bevan
13:45 Nikki was sitting about 12-15 at the Fenn Hotspot
13:46 Pat Hemmens next
13:47 Erik Borgnes is in the top ten
13:48 Escort is heading south now, just passed Craig Tanner
13:48 Kenny Howell
13:48 No sign of Nikki yet...
13:49 A really obnoxious green hat
13:50 The current is pumping, the guys going north have got work to do yet.
13:50 Must have missed Nikki
13:50 and DeAnne
13:51 The big swell is coming side on right now - the guys will definitly have good runs going back into the bay... and they'll be with the current.
13:52 Some of the guys have gone way too wide, the best course is to go as close to the shore as possible...
13:53 Just passing Alexandra McCain - looking good, she's only 18, passing a 40 yr old guy!
13:53 Leaders have just got past the pt. Bonita Buoy - they're flying!
13:54 From the buoy, they head past Pt. Bonita and head for the centre span of the bridge.
13:55 The boat is going off to get some more pics now... be back in 5 mins
13:56 Hank & Daw are still marking each other...
13:59 About 6km to go
14:00 Right now, Hank and Dawid have broken apart, who's in the lead?
14:01 There's a big ship coming in, huge 12ft bow wave, but he's a distance away
14:01 Hank & Daw are in the middle of the channel taking full advantage of the runs & current
14:02 Hank is leading by 50-75m
14:02 They are in mid-bay opposite Pt. Diablo
14:03 Hank has a strong lead at this point - it's pretty flat, the runs are not big, current very strong.
14:04 When the current is coming in very strong like this, the runs tend not to build up. hank is looking behind to see where Daw is
14:04 Daw may have dropped back a little more
14:05 They'll be back under the bridge in another 5-10mins
14:05 The escort boat only saw the last two women - Nikki & DeAnne must have been in packs.
14:06 Looks like Hank is extending his lead, they're not getting any help from waves, they're paddling steadily.
14:07 Steve is almost out of sight.
14:07 Hank is extending his lead...
14:08 There's another big freighter on the way in - won't affect the leaders but some of the back markers may have a fun wave to catch...
14:09 The leaders are about 500m from the bridge...
14:09 Daw is now about 100m back from Hank
14:10 Hoping for a photo of the guys going under the bridge - the escort is moving closer.
14:12 Contacting Dave Jensen on the beach at the finish - he can't see the leaders yet, but will talk us through the actual finish.
14:16 Pics coming up.
14:16 Prize money: 1-$3000
14:16 2-$1500
14:16 3-$1000
14:16 4- $500
14:16 5- $250
14:16 Women: 1- $1000
14:16 2- $500
14:16 3- $250
14:17 Hank is inside the bridge
14:18 About 1km to go
14:18 Hank is well in front...
14:19 Hank took a really good line through the currents, and caught waves through the bridge, now back out in the current
14:19 Must have done his homework
14:20 South side of the bridge is smoother, less current & bumps
14:20 He had fallen back
14:23 Hank is about 300m from the finish
14:23 Nice breeze has come up now.
14:23 more whitecaps now
14:23 Escort is at the finish
14:24 Hank passed close to a concrete column in the water - close to the finish now
14:25 He's seconds away
14:25 Hanks stopped paddling... and he's finished...
14:25 Hank is 2008 US Champion
 14h27 Hank wins (Pic: Robin Graham)
14:26 Can't hear Judy now, wind noise, switching to Dave
14:28 Daw is now coming in
14:28 DAw is across the line
14:30 Hank: "Stuck with Daw, didn't want to do anything rash"
14:30 "We dropped Steve at the to buoy, worked well together."
14:31 "Felt really comfortable on the way back, opened up a lead, and kept opening up"
14:31 Steve now across the line - in 3rd.
14:31 Hank "Shadowed Daw all the way back, just did what he did. and opened up the lead until the finish."
 14h33 Dawid talks to Surfski.info (Pic: Robin Graham)
14:32 Dawid: "Hard tactical race from the start"
14:32 "Well done to Hank."
14:32 Dawid: "The stronger man won, I don't think I had him under any pressure today."
 14h33: Steve Woods crosses the line (Pic: Robin Graham)
14:33 DeAnne hurt her shoulder badly, and pulled out of the race.
14:34 Next paddler coming under the bridge.
14:35 Zsolt in 4th, looks like Pat Hemmens coming in 5th
14:35 Bevan is in 6th
14:36 Nikki is in sight
14:36 Looks like she might make top 10
14:36 Nikki is sitting 9th
14:37 Thought so - I predicted top 10, yeeha!
14:38 Back on the beach - Zsolt is about 500m from the finish
14:40 Zsolt has finished - 4th place! The guys are not running very fast to the finish...!
14:40 Another ski is way out to sea - most of them have come in close to shore.
14:41 Three more skis coming in... Bevan should be in front.
14:42 The three skis are on totally different line...
14:42 Patrick Hemmens is closest, on the inside line
14:42 Patrick is finishing... 5th place, looking fresh as anyone...
14:43 Next boat is 500m out, with another only 30sec behind
14:43 Looks like a bald head coming in... Erik Borgnes... where's Bevan?
14:44 Yep, it's Erik
14:44 Erik is in - 6th place.
14:44 Next boat by its self, then two skis dicing. Also a big ship coming under the bridge...
14:45 It's bevan next - not walking very fast...!
14:45 Nikki is coming in... she's pushed past the next guy 8th
 14h48 Nikki Mocke - 8th overall - way to go! (Pic: Robin Graham)
14:46 Noah Hawk is 9th
14:46 John Hoogsteden next in 10th
14:46 Billy Harker coming in...
14:47 Billy in 11th or 12th
14:48 Danny Ching in about 14th
14:49 Chris Stout - first local guy
14:51 The waves have really picked up now - white horses everywhere. Mike McNulty
14:51 Craig Tanner
14:55 Thanks to Craig Fisher of BookEasy in Australia who is hosting the server that this stuff runs on!
14:56 Casey Owens and Tim Lawson, Kenny Howell all falling down & trying to untangle leashes, etc.
14:56 Got a great pic of Hank going under the bridge
14:58 Tyler Morgan just finished...
15:00 Corey Fitzgibbon just came into the beach...
15:01 Thomas Yonley just finished
15:03 John Abrahams just got in...
15:08 Looks like 18 year Alexandra was in 2nd place, and HukiGirl in 3rd. 2008-09-21 00:03:09
15:08 Ok - we're going to sign off now... thanks for coming!
 15h08 Vineet Buch - last man down! Great effort.
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