Sean Rice wins 2010 Cape Point Challenge **pics & full results**
Cape Point!
Credits: Owen Middleton, Sally Mellish
Two hours into the race, just 4km from Cape Point, the 8-man pack hit the hit the kelp beds and everything changed. Hank McGregor and Dawid Mocke lurched to a halt, their rudders caught on the thick rubbery stems; Tom Schilperoort, in clear water, accelerated away, rounding the Point a clear 100m ahead. A good gap for the downwind leg but would it be enough?
Cape Point, the event
Now in its 30th year, to us Capetonians, this 50km iconic race is one of the classics. Sure, I'm biased, it’s in my back yard, but it has all the ingredients to test a ski paddler's mettle: open ocean paddling on the Atlantic; the romance (and terror) of the “Cape of Storms”; the challenge of simply keeping going for 50km but most of all the sheer beauty of the coastline and, most spectacularly, those craggy 1,000ft sheer cliffs at Cape Point.
And like many of the extreme races, it has a camaraderie and spirit of its own.
The spectacular cliffs at Cape Point
Start – and slipstreaming
The start at Scarborough was gentle – the batches were sent off at intervals from 05h30 (slowest) to 06h20 (elite doubles) through a non-existent shore break and headed off into a 5kt easterly breeze. The sea was virtually flat so it was going to be a relatively easy passage down to the Point. There wasn’t going to be any help from wind or waves from there to the finish at Fish Hoek.
Glassy conditions met the paddlers as they set off for Cape Point
The batches immediately formed packs, each ski slipstreaming the one in front
The trick with this race – as with any long distance race – is to avoid pulling the bunch. In the old days, when the race was 6km longer and stopped at Buffels Bay for a 10min safety stop, the adage was, “the race starts at Buffels”. Now, it’s “the race starts at the Point”.
So the batches immediately sort themselves out into long trains of skis, with some poor sucker at the front “pulling” while everyone else focuses intently on staying in their spot behind the ski in front, conserving energy.
But what do you do, when you’re feeling strong and invincible? We headed out at the front of our batch, averaging around 12kph and we were feeling fine. I didn’t think I was working too hard; my heart rate was at an acceptable 140bpm or so.
Another double crewed by two characters from Johannesburg (“The Pilot” - giving navigational advice - and “Washy” – as in “Come on Washy, put some effort in”) was on our sideslip. After a while, they offered to take up the pull and moved ahead. They soon slowed down however to around 11.5kph and I could sense that my driver was getting impatient. “We’ve slowed down,” he said. “How are you feeling?” “I’m fine,” I replied, and we took off again to the front.
16km into the race, the big NSRI sea rescue launch passed some distance out to sea; a set of huge wake waves came rolling from behind us and the bunch exploded as we all jumped onto them. For the next km, we were chasing the runs, enjoying the brief relief from the tedium of grinding on the flat.
After the sea and excitement died down we found ourselves at the back of a bunch of three, where we stayed as we approached the “false cape”, Cape Maclear. Looking left we spotted the elite singles’ batch who had caught up.
Beautiful sight
They were truly awesome to behold: led at that point by Tom Schilperoort, they were cruising along at about 12.5kph, their paddles looping smoothly. The youngsters in the lead double of our mini-group eased over and caught the last single’s slip. For about five minutes we all upped our stroke rate to stay with the singles – but we couldn’t hold them and we dropped back, our speed now only 11.5kph.
The rest of our group put in an interval and caught us. Back to square one.
My Garmin track & HR data
Kelp – and choppy water
We’d avoided nearly all the kelp beds on our way down the coastline, but now we hit a bank of them, just before Cape MacLear. Again our group broke up, and the skis twisted and turned as they tried to find a clear passage through the kelp thickets.
And then we were into rough water.
The section between Cape MacLear and Cape Point – about 4km long – is some of the choppiest, messiest water to be found on the Cape Coast. Our speed deteriorated markedly and my driver seemed to find the boat excessively twitchy. My puzzled remark that “it’s not that bad!” was met with an indistinct grunt. Later it transpired that Dale’s stomach muscles had lost all their strength and he was battling to sit upright.
We ground on through the messy water; skis overtaking us on all sides.
25km to the finish
Cape Point marks the half way point almost exactly.
It also marks the spot that we’d planned to refuel ourselves with gels. Some days before, Dale had poured scorn on my mid-air refuelling arrangements – four sachets duct taped to the sides of my cockpit. I reckoned I could tear the tops off the sachets by ripping them with the edge of the tape – a quick squeeze and I’d have a mouthful of the revitalising fluid.
“You should use my method,” said the boss. “I put diluted gel into a squeeze bottle. I just have to lift it to my mouth, squeeze, and away I go.”
Some things just never go to plan. I duly ripped my first packet off, the top of the sachet neatly removed by the tape. But the packet had been sealed (as had all four of them) too far down the neck – so it was still sealed after I’d ripped the top off. Swearing, I tore at it with my teeth, spitting and trying not to ingest the plastic.
Then it was Dale’s turn.
Instead of the usual smooth pick-up of his bottle, a frantic, wobbling scramble ensued as he fought to get the damn thing out of his PFD pocket. Out went his legs, the ski came to a dead stop and finally things seemed to be under control. Whereupon he exploded in a fit of coughing, more wobbles and we nearly fell out. “What happened?” “Squirted the bloody stuff down the back of my throat,” he spluttered.
That was the last humorous thing that happened.
“My stomach muscles have gone,” Dale said. “How are you feeling?” “Stuffed,” I replied.
Yep, we’d hit the wall with a soggy and resounding thud. Not so much a puncture as a spectacular blow-out.
Frustration and agony
What made the situation so frustrating was that until a few minutes ago we’d been feeling fine – we’d had a great race up to the 21km mark.
But we’d had the stuffing knocked out of us; the Pilot and Washy, whom we’d dropped forty minutes earlier, surged past as though we were standing still.
The Pilot and Washy overtaking us after the Point
The next two hours went by in a haze. I can remember watching the landmarks – Batsata Rock; Partridge Point; Millers Point; Ark Rock as they crawled past in slow motion. I refused to look at the Roman Rock lighthouse – the bloody thing never got closer. I was eventually reduced to counting strokes – about 240 to the km.
I took another gel. “These bloody gels don’t seem to make any difference,” I whinged to the captain. He gave a half grunt/half rueful chuckle. Finally we passed the lighthouse and I took my third and last gel. There was another convulsion up front and Dale’s legs appeared on deck as the ski slewed to a halt. “Cramp,” he gasped.
The wheels fall off
Father and son Butler came steaming past. “Come on guys, only 5 clicks to go!” came a cheery bellow. Galvanised into action, and perhaps assisted more than I realised by the gels, we managed 11.5kph again for a couple of km before our speed inevitably dropped off again.
The battle at the front
Shortly after they passed us, the leaders had hit the kelp beds just before the Point. Tom Schilperoort found a clear passage and made a break, with Sean Rice not far behind.
“We turned the Point and Tom was real strong,” said Rice, “but I passed him about 3kms later and now the race was on, I guess!
“From there it was just a mind game, you had to reward yourself with goos every now and again and try and keep the spirits up.
“I knew Hank was on the outside, and tried to cover him. And it worked out perfectly – home ground advantage, you know.”
The moment the lead paddlers broke away
Stuck in the kelp
“We got stuck in the kelp a little bit, myself and Dawid,” McGregor confirmed. “But we didn’t panic, we just stayed together. Tom and Sean got away a bit, they had about 100m on us.
“And then we turned – I think I was in fifth place. I passed Jasper, and then it was Dawid neck-and-neck for the next hour, to Miller’s Point, and then he took an inside line, and I just stayed out deep.
Hank McGregor and Dawid Mocke "neck and neck"
“I backed my line, but it didn’t seem to pay off and in the last 3kms, once Dawid blew, it was a race to try to catch Sean, but I didn’t manage to do that.
“He had a good race, and all credit to him.”
Sean Rice romped home in the end – finishing in 3:40:33 nearly two minutes ahead of Hank McGregor who crossed the line in 3:42:39. A huge win for the stocky 21 year old.
Sean Rice powers to the finish at Fish Hoek Beach
Women’s Race
Michele Eray and Nikki Mocke started together in the singles B-batch and worked together out to the Point.
“I thought the conditions were really good – we couldn’t have asked for anything better, really!” Eray said on the beach.
“It was pretty flat, so we got really close to the Point. Nikki and I stuck together all the way to the Point.
Michele Eray
“From there obviously the race begins. Nikki took quite an inside line. I went more right – a bit wider. Initially she got ahead, because the runs were going into Smitswinkel Bay.
“But I thought she’d run out of water and took a more conservative line, far wider. I didn’t catch as many runs as I would liked to have, but I thought I’d save myself for the second half. I had a bit of a wobbly at Miller’s Point, but overall I felt good!”
She went on, of course, to win – her tactics having paid off – in a time of 4:09:29, 12th over all. Mocke, second woman home, was 4 places back and finished in 4:16:49.
One of the performances of the day however was that of third place woman, 20 year old Bianca Beavitt who not only finished this race in 4:30:40, but did it on the back of completing the Southern Shamaal PE2EL challenge just 6 days previously. Respect!
Bianca Beavitt leaves Cape Point
Doubles Race
The hotly competed doubles race (49 boats, a record number) was won by Brendan Thompson and Bevan Manson (who had also competed in the Southern Shamaal, Thompson in doubles, Manson in singles) in a time of 3:47:28 – nearly seven minutes shy of Sean Rice’s time.
In second place was Pete Cole and Kwanda Mhlophe – a great result for the young Zulu on his first race (and only second paddle) on the sea.
Pete Cole and Kwanda Mhlope, looking strong
Finished – in more ways than one
As for us - we blundered in to a rapturous welcome from the huge crowd on the beach in a magnificent time (I don’t think) of 4:37:42...
The beer was good.
Galleries
by Owen Middleton (www.omimages.co.za)
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Thanks
A big shout out to the organisers – Pete Cole and the Fish Hoek Surf Lifesaving Club. The race is always immaculately run and the weather actually couldn’t have been better; no-one needed rescuing and everyone finished the race.
In the next few weeks, the painful memories will have receded and we’ll be ready to do it again.
One sobering thought: the guys who did the Southern Shamaal PE2EL race a week ago did more mileage in more challenging conditions... every day for four days! Respect!
Results - 2010 Fenn Cape Point Challenge
Single Skis
| Pos | Name | Time | Score | Age |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | SEAN RICE | 03:40:43:00 | 100% | Senior |
| 2 | HANK MCGREGOR | 03:42:39:00 | 99.12% | Senior |
| 3 | SIMON VAN GYSEN | 03:45:38:00 | 97.77% | Senior |
| 4 | DAWID MOCKE | 03:46:21:00 | 97.45% | Senior |
| 5 | JASPER MOCKE | 03:48:16:00 | 96.58% | Senior |
| 6 | TOM SCHILPEROORT | 03:49:01:00 | 96.24% | Senior |
| 7 | GRAEME SOLOMON | 03:55:12:00 | 93.44% | Senior |
| 8 | GRANT VAN DER WALT | 03:58:26:00 | 91.97% | Senior |
| 9 | ADAM BOTHMA | 04:05:01:00 | 88.99% | Senior |
| 10 | JAYDEN ALFORD-LOOTS | 04:07:23:00 | 87.92% | Senior |
| 11 | MARC HOLTZHAUSEN | 04:07:40:00 | 87.79% | Senior |
| 12 | MICHELLE ERAY | 04:09:29:00 | 86.97% | Woman |
| 13 | ALASDAIR GLASS | 04:12:11:00 | 85.74% | Senior |
| 14 | QUINTON MILLER | 04:12:33:00 | 85.58% | Vet |
| 15 | DANIEL KANTOR | 04:14:02:00 | 84.91% | Senior |
| 16 | NIKKI MOCKE | 04:16:49:00 | 83.64% | Woman |
| 17 | PETER JONES | 04:17:05:00 | 83.52% | Vet |
| 18 | ROB HART | 04:18:21:00 | 82.95% | Vet |
| 19 | ASHLEY CARSTENS | 04:18:53:00 | 82.71% | Senior |
| 20 | RICHARD VON WILDERMANN | 04:22:13:00 | 81.2% | Senior |
| 21 | JASON AUBIN | 04:22:44:00 | 80.96% | Junior |
| 22 | JOHN DE SMIDT | 04:23:20:00 | 80.69% | Master |
| 23 | ANTON HOLTZHAUSEN | 04:23:40:00 | 80.54% | Vet |
| 24 | HENRI VAN DER MERWE | 04:25:18:00 | 79.8% | Vet |
| 25 | NEAL STEPHENSON | 04:27:10:00 | 78.95% | Senior |
| 26 | STEPHAN DU TOIT | 04:28:05:00 | 78.54% | Vet |
| 27 | LYLE MAASDORP | 04:29:39:00 | 77.83% | Senior |
| 28 | DAAN DU TOIT | 04:30:21:00 | 77.51% | Senior |
| 29 | ROB MEINTJES | 04:30:34:00 | 77.41% | Vet |
| 30 | BIANCA BEAVITT | 04:30:40:00 | 77.37% | Woman |
| 31 | GAVIN MCNISH | 04:30:47:00 | 77.32% | Vet |
| 32 | CHRIS DE WAAL | 04:31:11:00 | 77.14% | Vet |
| 33 | RALPH TEULINGS | 04:31:24:00 | 77.04% | Master |
| 34 | GUY BALME | 04:31:35:00 | 76.95% | Senior |
| 35 | D EVANS | 04:33:01:00 | 76.3% | Vet |
| 36 | ANDREW ROSS | 04:33:53:00 | 75.91% | Senior |
| 37 | BARRY MEIRING | 04:33:56:00 | 75.89% | Vet |
| 38 | MARC ECONOMOU | 04:35:11:00 | 75.32% | Senior |
| 39 | DAANTJIE MALAN | 04:35:22:00 | 75.24% | Master |
| 40 | ANTONY LAKE | 04:42:39:00 | 71.94% | Junior |
| 41 | BRUCE BRAUTESETH | 04:42:39:00 | 71.94% | Senior |
| 42 | ANDREW TORR | 04:43:31:00 | 71.55% | Master |
| 43 | CRAIG SUTHERLAND | 04:45:11:00 | 70.79% | Vet |
| 44 | MICHAEL MARTIN | 04:45:54:00 | 70.47% | Senior |
| 45 | JEAN TRESFON | 04:45:56:00 | 70.45% | Senior |
| 46 | CHRIS GRINTON | 04:46:14:00 | 70.32% | Vet |
| 47 | GARY KROUKAMP | 04:47:46:00 | 69.62% | Vet |
| 48 | GREG BARNARD | 04:48:10:00 | 69.44% | Senior |
| 49 | MARC NORTJE | 04:48:50:00 | 69.14% | Senior |
| 50 | JASON BERRY | 04:49:55:00 | 68.65% | Senior |
| 51 | PAUL JENKINS | 04:49:59:00 | 68.62% | Senior |
| 52 | ANDRE JOOSTE | 04:51:58:00 | 67.72% | Vet |
| 53 | ADRIAAN HOEBEN | 04:55:48:00 | 65.98% | Senior |
| 54 | CRAIG SALAMONE | 04:55:51:00 | 65.96% | Senior |
| 55 | PIERRE BESTER | 04:58:10:00 | 64.91% | Vet |
| 56 | JACQUES WEGES | 05:00:30:00 | 63.85% | Senior |
| 57 | GARTH MULHOLLAND | 05:00:44:00 | 63.75% | Vet |
| 58 | GEORGE HALL | 05:02:28:00 | 62.96% | Vet |
| 59 | DARRYL WOOD | 05:05:56:00 | 61.39% | Vet |
| 60 | KIRSTIN WESSELS | 05:06:08:00 | 61.3% | Woman |
| 61 | JONATHAN THOMPSON | 05:06:38:00 | 61.07% | Vet |
| 62 | DANIEL SCHILPEROORT | 05:08:54:00 | 60.05% | Senior |
| 63 | NICO DE WET | 05:10:05:00 | 59.51% | Senior |
| 64 | RUSSELL SEYMOUR | 05:10:39:00 | 59.25% | Vet |
| 65 | ROBYN SMITH | 05:11:23:00 | 58.92% | Woman |
| 66 | CLYDE BARENDSE | 05:12:36:00 | 58.37% | Senior |
| 67 | MARK BECK | 05:13:55:00 | 57.77% | Vet |
| 68 | ANDREW AUBIN | 05:18:16:00 | 55.8% | Vet |
| 69 | KEVIN BRUNETTE | 05:18:56:00 | 55.5% | Master |
| 70 | ANDREW BROUCKAERT | 05:20:00:00 | 55.02% | Vet |
| 71 | ANDREW GILLESPIE | 05:23:48:00 | 53.3% | Vet |
| 72 | MURRAY WILLIAMS | 05:24:11:00 | 53.12% | Vet |
| 73 | ROBERT SOINE | 05:32:20:00 | 49.43% | Senior |
Double Skis
| Pos | Name 1 | Name 2 | Time | Age |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | BRENDAN THOMPSON | BEVAN MANSON | 03:47:28:00 | Senior |
| 2 | PETER COLE | KWANDA MHLOPHE | 03:47:53:00 | Senior |
| 3 | EUGENE VAN DER WESTHUIZEN | RICK DAMAN | 03:51:22:00 | Vet |
| 4 | WARREN VALENTINE | KEN COLLINS | 03:51:33:00 | Senior |
| 5 | STEVE COHEN | JAYSEN GOLDING | 03:55:18:00 | Senior |
| 6 | STEVE FARRELL | RICHARD CELE | 03:56:45:00 | Senior |
| 7 | CRAIG WALLAND | DONOVAN MANSFIELD | 03:59:58:00 | Senior |
| 8 | JEAN AUSTIN | KYLE NELL | 04:00:40:00 | Senior |
| 9 | CRAIG FLANAGAN | DOMINIC NOTTEN | 04:01:04:00 | Junior |
| 10 | GUY MC CORMACK | SIMON GROUT | 04:03:42:00 | Senior |
| 11 | IAN TRAUTMANN | NATASCHA BRACALE | 04:04:20:00 | Mixed |
| 12 | MIKE SCHWAN | LARRY SAUS | 04:07:08:00 | Senior |
| 13 | HAYDN SKINNER | KERRY LOUW | 04:07:21:00 | Mixed |
| 14 | ANDREW MC PHERSON | NEIL BARROW | 04:08:04:00 | Senior |
| 15 | JUSTIN MADDOCK | KENNETH RICE | 04:09:38:00 | Senior |
| 16 | ANTON CARTWRIGHT | GARTH WATTERS | 04:09:41:00 | Senior |
| 17 | JOHAN SWART | BURGER COETZEE | 04:10:37:00 | Senior |
| 18 | MORAY WILSON | JEAN WILSON | 04:11:40:00 | Mixed |
| 19 | KYLE HARRIS | ANDREW BEVERIDGE | 04:12:35:00 | Senior |
| 20 | JAMII HAMLIN | JUSTIN SWART | 04:14:05:00 | Senior |
| 21 | HERBERT CONRADIE | MARCEL BASSON | 04:14:19:00 | Senior |
| 22 | ALAN MILLS | DUNCAN SIEGFRIED | 04:15:14:00 | Vet |
| 23 | NEIL BAILEY | ANTJE MANFRONI | 04:15:32:00 | Mixed |
| 24 | DION JOUBERT | STUART JONES | 04:16:04:00 | Vet |
| 25 | CRAIG BUTLER | SHAUN BUTLER | 04:16:05:00 | Senior |
| 26 | MARAIS STEYN | RUSSELL IKIN | 04:17:07:00 | Vet |
| 27 | CARLO NATALI | GRAHAM NEATE | 04:20:36:00 | Vet |
| 28 | FRANS RADLOFF | FYNN CORRY | 04:21:36:00 | Senior |
| 29 | ANDY MC PHERSON | TREVOR DISTIN | 04:21:58:00 | Master |
| 30 | CHRISTO SMIT | ROBIN VAN ROOYEN | 04:27:24:00 | Master |
| 31 | MARK JOHNSON | RUSSELL SOLOMON | 04:29:12:00 | Vet |
| 32 | ASHLEY BARNES | DOMINIC STRANO | 04:29:20:00 | Senior |
| 33 | DAVID BLACK | RYAN MCCAUGHEY | 04:29:45:00 | Senior |
| 34 | COLIN ALEXANDER | BRETT STEYN | 04:30:24:00 | Senior |
| 35 | KIM BRUGMANN | KERRI ANDERSON | 04:31:06:00 | Women |
| 36 | GERHARD NEL | SCHEEPERS SCHOEMAN | 04:31:46:00 | Senior |
| 37 | KEVIN GOODSPEED | CRAIG MOCKFORD | 04:34:03:00 | Senior |
| 38 | ANDREW ROWLES | BRAAM VAN WYK | 04:34:34:00 | Senior |
| 39 | ROB MOUSLEY | DALE LIPPSTREU | 04:37:42:00 | Vet |
| 40 | LIS HART | ROBYN HENDERSON | 04:38:19:00 | Women |
| 41 | FOUCHE WHITEHEAD | JOHAN VAN ROOYEN | 04:41:24:00 | Vet |
| 42 | GARETH PINKNEY | FRANCOIS SISAM | 04:43:47:00 | Senior |
| 43 | BRAD ROTHENBURG | IAIN HUME | 04:43:48:00 | Vet |
| 44 | LOUIS CARSTENS | SHANDOR CYLVAN | 04:46:54:00 | Senior |
| 45 | IAIN HOOPER | CHRIS BROWN | 04:47:23:00 | Vet |
| 46 | GORDON TRIPP | PATRICK ELEY | 04:52:51:00 | Master |
| 47 | NICK HAVEMANN | ALISTER REID | 04:54:07:00 | Senior |
| 48 | TIM FIRTH | CHRISTIAN SMITH | 04:55:40:00 | Vet |
| 49 | DAVE PHELP | KYLE MAHOOD | 05:07:45:00 | Vet |