durban

Durban – Durban’s reputation as a global surfski mecca will be strengthened on Saturday 21 and Sunday 22 June 2014 as the nation’s best ocean paddlers do battle for national titles in the newly launched FNB Mazars Durban Downwind surfski race.

The brand new event will not only become the permanent home of both the KZN and Gauteng Surfski Champs annually, but this year’s opening edition also doubles as the 2014 South African Surfski Championships.

Durban’s globally renowned winter surfski season got underway on Sunday 4 May with the Bay Union Season Starter, race one of the four leg Bay Union Surfski Series, which saw regular front runner Hank McGregor and top step of the podium novice Jenna Ward get their 2014 campaign underway in ideal fashion with victory in the men’s and women’s races respectively.

Durban – No surf and magnificently flat seas saw Friday evening’s Thule Surfski Challenge, race four of the 2014 Varsity College Marine Surfski Series, turn into a raw, unforgiving 8km sprint which played right into the hands of the remarkably fit Hank McGregor and Michelle Burn as the respective men’s and women’s series defending champions extended their lead at the top of the 2014 standings whilst hundreds of others enjoyed getting back on the water.

Scottburgh, South Africa – Paddlers couldn’t have asked for better conditions for the Island Tribe Scottburgh Surfski Classic, race seven of the Discovery Best 4 Surfski Series, and, despite some drama in the closing stages of one of the series’ unique feature races, it was once again Hank McGregor who lead the field home.

Durban – The Borland Financial Services Surfski Challenge got the 2012 Varsity College Marine Surfski Series underway on Friday evening with the vastly experienced Herman Chalupsky leading the record field of over 350 surfski paddlers across the line in testing conditions.

Durban: The 54th running of the Discovery Scottburgh to Brighton surfski race was completely dominated by the “Cape storm” of former world champ Dawid Mocke and younger brother Jasper, Sean Rice (Cape Town) and Richard von Wildemann (Port Elizabeth) who completely obliterated the local contingent in challenging downwind conditions to claim places one to four overall.

The Dunlop Surfski World Cup was held in Durban, South Africa on 26 June, 2011.  After a grueling paddle on flat water, the competitors were faced with surf breaking on the beach at the finish.  The huge crowd on the beach watched a series of spectacular landings…  here are some of them.

Durban – Hank McGregor snagged his third Dunlop Surfski World Cup title showing the rich vein of form he is in at the moment beating a very powerful field and an uncooperative flat ocean to comfortably win the 26km race and the hefty R40000 winner’s prize.

Not quite what we came for: no wind, and massive surf at the finish!  Hank McGregor was too strong for the rest of the field; Matt Bouman came second; Dawid Mocke third.  Michele Eray won the women’s race; Nikki Mocke came second.

So we’ve done the pre-race warm-up paddle; we’ve tripped the finish and now the gang is chilling – and trying not to think too hard about the surf at La Mercy Beach.  (Thinks: I hope the beach lives up to its name…!)