Latest Surfski News

Tuesday, 17 October 2023 07:11
“What the bloody hell are you doing here?” I thought to myself a few moments after launching on the brand new V10 4G for the first time. It was getting dark; it was raining; the squalls were lifting sheets of spray off the water… directly offshore. What WAS I thinking? The answer is that I’m a sucker for new toys – and if I get my hands on one, I HAVE to play with it. Damn the weather, full speed ahead… Since then I’ve paddled the boat many more times, in much pleasanter weather. Here’s what I think of this,…
Thursday, 08 June 2023 12:42
East London, South Africa: Angus Warren watched helplessly as the shark’s teeth crunched through the hull of his surfski. “It seemed to go on and on,” he says, “pushing and chomping. I was thinking, why is it not working out that it isn’t food? “I can’t tell how long it took, but I had enough time to shout a couple of times to the others.” The next thing he knew, he was in the water…
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Thursday, 27 April 2023 18:42
CAPE TOWN - Hank McGregor and Josh Fenn convincingly claimed back their Prescient Freedom Paddle title on Thursday in a dramatic race marked by tough conditions and a rain-delayed start.  Conditions were extremely tough - a brisk northwester blowing spray from the big confused chop into the paddlers' faces as they headed out to the island.  Huge breaking surf on the far side of the island ensured a wide line but the wind dropped as the fleet started on the journey back to the finish, making it that much more difficult and energy sapping to catch the runs.  
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Tuesday, 25 April 2023 11:50
Last Friday, however, I paddled with Dawid on a windless autumn evening in Cape Town. Cruising from Fish Hoek to Muizenberg, we paddled together, stopping at all the coves to surf a few waves. In short, the operative word was "fun". This was a different Dawid - off duty - and, well, I've never paddled with anyone so noisy before. Whistling, singing, shouting to folks on shore - yahooing as he caught a wave. Heading home at dusk we crept up behind a group of seals lazing on the surface. Dawid began barking like a five-year-old paid by the bark...until…
Thursday, 09 February 2023 07:39
A look back - aaaaargh! A mountain. Let it go through... A smaller one, with a glimpse of something massive lurking further out to sea. Catch it, catch it! Sprint, sprint, you’re on it, here’s the break zone, keep going, keep going, the roar from behind and the sudden acceleration as a massive foamy caught up to me, keep it straight, keep it straight... Phew. Arrived. Panting. Stop the watch. ok. Made it. Empty the boat, pick it up to prevent it knocking you down. Done.
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Saturday, 26 November 2022 17:16
The South Africans cleaned up today at the most prestigious surfski race in Australia – arguably the most prestigious race in the world - taking five out of the top six places and the entire podium at the Shaw and Partners “The Doctor” in Perth. Defending women’s champion, Kiwi Danielle McKenzie won the women’s trophy.
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Saturday, 19 November 2022 13:01
Gold Coast paddler, Cory Hill, took first scalp in the five-event ocean ski racing series, the Shaw and Partners WA Race Week, winning the inaugural race today, the 24km Fenn West Coast Downwinder from Fremantle, just south of Perth, to Sorrento Beach. In fine conditions with a 16 knot SSW wind courtesy of the famed Fremantle Doctor, the start off Port Beach was intense with the top paddlers in a terse battle to make the first break.   But it was 33-year-old Hill – the 4-times DOCTOR champ who relishes the Perth conditions – who was able to shake the field…
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Tuesday, 16 March 2021 13:54
It’s not easy to catch a rolling, runaway single ski in 30kt of gusting wind – and as they attempted to grab it, Alex and his doubles partner lost their balance and fell into the water. By the time they’d remounted, the single ski was gone – blown away by the strengthening near-gale. They turned and paddled back upwind to find their buddy.
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Wednesday, 03 March 2021 12:08
Accident reports are easy to write when the story ends happily, but this one didn’t and it’s with a very heavy heart that I’m writing this, with a view to learning what we can from it.
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Wednesday, 15 July 2020 09:13
When the NSRI found Duncan MacDonald, he was approximately 6km off Smitswinkel Bay, drifting rapidly further offshore. Gale-force squalls whipped sheets of spray off the waves, reducing visibility almost to nothing. What Happened? Given the small size of the surfski community, there’s always intense interest whenever there’s a rescue. What happened? What did they do wrong? What can we learn from it? Clearly there are lessons to be learnt from any mishap – so here’s a description of what happened, shared with the permission and cooperation of the folks involved in the hope that we might all learn from this…
Friday, 24 April 2020 11:41
Durban – As the continued coronavirus lockdown grips the country, Canoeing South Africa will host a 24 hour Canoeing4COVID-19 event this weekend as a way to raise funds for members of the broader paddling community that have been badly affected by the lockdown.
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Wednesday, 11 March 2020 14:35
“Hey, Rob! Help!” The shouts penetrated the sound of the howling wind and crashing waves – and even through the noise it was obvious from the tone of his voice that something was seriously wrong. I turned and headed back upwind.
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Tuesday, 03 March 2020 14:43
Many paddlers use Personal Locator Beacons, or tracker apps like SafeTrx on their mobile phones. But handheld VHF radios are also a great choice to consider – especially when they’re DSC-capable like the Standard Horizon HX870E.
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Monday, 24 February 2020 12:01
I finally got my hands on a demo Fennix Swordfish S this weekend and did two Miller's Runs in succession to see if I could feel any difference in handling between the 2018 Swordfish S and the new Fennix model.  Conditions were challenging: False Bay was covered in whitecaps, whipped by a combination of a 25-30kt southeaster and small, confused seas.  The result?  I definitely want to spend more time in this boat.
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Thursday, 26 December 2019 10:30
The shark smashed like a freight train into Roger Swinney’s surfski in an explosion of noise and spray, knocking him off into the water.  “I managed to get back on the ski,” he said, “but I fell off again and as I remounted the second time, I saw the swirl and tips of the shark’s fins. “I didn’t see it clearly, but from the force of it and the movement in the water, it looked big!”
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An Exciting Recipe for Tuna... (Kassie paddles a Bluefin)

Saturday, 31 August 2013 11:39 | Written by  Kassie James
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Kassie's pit crew do all the pre-race prep work. Kassie's pit crew do all the pre-race prep work.

A beginner paddler test pilots the Fenn Bluefin in the 2013 Mauritius Ocean Classic.

As a beginner paddler I confess I don’t give a lot of weight to reviews of entry-level skis by guys who usually paddle a greased toothpick.  For starters, I am certain that my definition of "stability" is wildly different to theirs.  So here's my (not really a) review of an entry level ski... by an entry level paddler.

Definition: Stability

Most reviews of the more-balanced-ski-for-less-balanced-paddler will contain words along the lines of “Excellent primary and secondary stability”. To many entry level paddlers these words are meaningless. As an insider tip from one beginner to another, “primary stability” relates to the likelihood of you falling off the ski in flat water (and looking like a complete twit) and “secondary stability” refers to the likelihood of you falling off it in water that isn’t completely flat (marginally more dignity attached to this).

And most reviews will usually conclude with something like “Considerably slower than [insert name of expert level ski in the relevant brand]… completely ignoring the fact that an upside down ski is pretty damn slow (unless it is carbon and tumbling across the ocean away from you… and you don’t have a leg rope on… but I digress…)

So it was with a degree of scepticism that I read the marketing blurb on the Bluefin “… allows a paddler to surfski immediately and learn balance later.

But I couldn’t afford to be sceptical – I was a newbie paddler doing the Mauritius Ocean Classic – I needed to believe the marketing claims  - more than that, I clung to those marketing claims … like a paddler to an upturned ski, after three attempts at a remount.

About the test pilot

Kassie James


Test pilot Kassie "I always smile when I'm nervous" James before the start of the 2013 Mauritius Ocean Classic

I first sat on a surfski on 17 February 2013 (briefly… before falling off it… to be fair, it was a Glide). Prior to that I had paddled a chubby, and forgiving, 3.5m sit-on-top plastic for three months. Other than that… no paddling experience at all. I make this point because I have met so many people who tell me that they too are a beginner surfski paddler … but, oh yeah, they have done white water paddling for 12 years, or 23 years of sea kayaking… It’s. Not. The. Same … just sayin’…

A couple of stints in a double ski far far off the coast of Western Australia with Oscar Chalupsky and Dean Gardiner in the driver’s seat, and I was hooked on the exhilaration that is ocean paddling. Now there was just the minor challenge of having my skill catch up with my desire…

On a night soon after my return from Western Australia a plan was hatched… I would do the Mauritius Ocean Classic in June 2013. (It is theoretically possible there may have been some alcohol involved.)

And so began my immersion in ocean paddling… and in the ocean.

In the three-month lead–up to Mauritius I paddled a Fenn XT. In the Fenn range the XT sits between the Bluefin and the Swordfish… but more toward the Bluefin end of the spectrum.

For those not in the know, the XT is also classed as a beginner ski… but not a beginner-y as the Blue Fin (being 4 cm narrower and blah blah something about hull shape). Fenn describes the ski in these words: “Still a challenge for total novices but even without much experience paddlers will be able to master the surfski within hours.” This is Top Secret Marketing Speak for: “Total novices will do quite a bit of swimming initially”.

Paddling in Mauritius

Mauritius is a lovely tropical-ish (i.e it has the requisite palm trees and drinks with small umbrellas) island lassoed by a reef. Mauritius is a magnet for big swell and where the wind makes mischief.

Tamassa Resort

Tamassa Resort - luxurious beach living!

Tamassa Resort

 

Palm trees, pools, ocean, waves, sun, cocktails, you get the idea.

The Mauritius Ocean Classic is based at the Tamassa Beach Resort at Bel Ombre. Everyone stays at the same hotel and, thus, there is much camaraderie (particularly given that alcohol is included in the package). It’s not just a race – there are several days of paddling and clinics before race day. The hotel is luxurious, the week seamlessly well run and the pace relaxed. The week runs on island time which means that a 10 am paddle will occur at some time between 11am and 1pm …ish. Your ski of choice is provided for you for the week by Fenn or Epic, for a very modest fee (which goes to form the prize pool).

Mauritius

Mauritius truly is a stunning venue for paddling (Le Morne mountain the background)

On Day One skis are allocated – I had requested a Bluefin or an Epic V8 but, despite this, had been having nightmares about being allocated an Elite SL. It was an immense relief to spot - amongst the sea of almost 100 skis stretching across the manicured lawns - the wide hips of a Bluefin.

The plan for the Day One paddle was to paddle outside the reef to Le Morne Pass (the finish of the Race) – a distance of about 15 km. The wind was blowing 20 knots plus and the swell was around three metres with a 17 second period. Through some complex formula this meant there were waves of about 15 to 18 foot breaking on the reef. (Don’t ask me why swell is measured in metres and breaking waves (and runners) in feet – it’s a paddler thing I presume.)

Hank McGregor

Hank McGregor tackles the wave at Le Morne

The only way to get outside the reef (aka Out.The. Back.) is through a handful of passes, which (for the non greased toothpick paddlers amongst us) are breaks in the reef. The passes run on the diagonal so are hard to spot. Basically a pass is really-churned-up-water-bookended-by-massive-waves. From Out. The. Back there are Very. Few. Ways. Back… essentially you can go through a pass (voluntary) or over the reef (involuntary). As a tip, one of these routes has a chance of ending better than the other.

The view from Out. The. Back. is of a wall of waves rearing up, roaring and monstering the land. Those less prone to demounts paddle closer to The Wall. Folk like I give it a minimum three-attempts-at-remount clearance window.

Once Out. The. Back there were runners of five to six feet to catch… and to the left a three metre side swell…. and to the right a 15 to 18 foot drop… oh, and the occasional random breaking wave, just to keep it interesting.

These conditions were bigger than those I had paddled in prior to the Race (aka EVER). The knowledge that to your right was a big drop was somewhat destabalising. Stability is not just about boat and body – there is also a head thing as well. And, if your head is wobbly, then so is your body. But if you trust your boat, well the head is less wobbly, and then so is the body … and, anyway, it’s circular… and probably far less complex than I am making out.

So… less about me, and more about the ski…

The Tuna was incredibly stable – I made it out through the pass without incident. Once Out. The. Back. (and once I had stopped shaking) I was able to catch (and even occasionally link – the lack of link being user error, not ski) runners. At times the ski caught runners I did not think I could catch.  I don’t recall having to brace at any time.

Involuntary Dismount

I had one involuntary dismount Out the Back but to be fair to me (oh, and the ski) that was when a wave broke on us. I remounted in one attempt (once I had carried out appropriate negotiations with the leg rope). (As an aside, the ease of remount for a particular ski should not be overlooked as a key ski selection criteria for beginner paddlers. After three attempts at remounting, a paddler is significantly fatigued – not to mention rattled- and the likelihood of coming off again is greatly increased.) The stability of the Bluefin and the shallow bucket made it easy to remount, even in lumpy conditions.

Others did not fare so well. On Day One there were several paddlers who had 20 or 30 demounts, having attempted to paddle the ski they paddled at home. So well run was the event however, that there were sufficient skis available for them to move to more stable skis for the rest of the week.

Broken ski

Some folks fared even less well than others - an ex-ski (although repairable)

I dismounted a second time when I broached the ski on a wave at Le Morne Pass (again, user error). It had been a party wave… until I wrecked the party… and I got to wear the ski as a hat in the drop zone for several waves. Again, a slick remount when the waves abated.

Day One provided the most testing conditions of the week for me. Day Two conditions were bigger but due to concerns about the passes closing out the organisers confined two-thirds of us to the lagoon.

Race Day

Race day conditions were a tame 8 to 10 knots of wind. In these flatter conditions I confess I missed the XT. I am fairly slight (at 170 cm and 58 kg) and the Bluefin is a lot of boat to move. To be fair, it was not a true apples-to-apples comparison as the Bluefin was the glass model and my XT is carbon.

XT and Bluefin

XT and Bluefin

I am often asked whether a beginner paddler should choose a Bluefin or an XT. My response: try both if at all possible, - but if you are smaller and find the XT reasonably stable (there will still be some swimming) then go with the XT. If you are bigger and stronger and/or stability is an issue then go with the Bluefin. Having said that – had I been on the XT on Day One in Mauritius I have no doubt that things would have become quite untidy (this is Top Secret Code for “I would probably have died.”) I still occasionally come off the XT in less challenging conditions than those I experienced in Mauritius (oh, and also when I attempt to remove my booties whilst on the ski…as you do...)

MOC 2013

But hey, getting near the podium on the first try ain't bad!

The essence of the Bluefin

In summary then, the Bluefin has excellent primary and secondary stability… and it’s faster than an upside down Elite.