Hank Mcgregor

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.

Durban – Canoe Marathon World Champion Hank McGregor gave himself a perfect birthday present on Friday evening when he romped home to a resounding victory in the McCarthy Toyota Durban Kingsmead Surfski Challenge, race three of the 2014 Varsity College Marine Surfski Series.

 Michael Booth is a small man with big muscles, an infectious smile, and a mop of blond hair piled in a floppy top knot:  part Popeye, part Eveready Bunny, part stylish Samurai. Just one kilometer into the 23-kilometer Steelcase Dragon Run, the 22-year-old Ironman from Surfers Paradise  glanced right -- all clear.  To his left, nothing but brackish chop.

"Holy shit," he thought, pre-race nerves supplanted by an adrenaline rush. "I'm leading!"

The 2013 Stella Kayaks, Citadel Private Wealthcare Dolphin Coast Challenge was the 14th running of the iconic South African event.  Oscar Chalupsky and Matt Bouman paddled together in the new team format, and took the race in a nailbiting finish, outpaddling Hank McGregor and Grant van der Walt who came second.  The surf on both days provided plenty of excitement...

Three great races, two weeks of downwind paddling with some of the best surfski paddlers in the world, including the 2013 Ocean Racing World Champion, all in the spectacular mother city of Cape Town in mid-summer.  C’mon, you’d be crazy to miss it.

For the first time ever, in the history of surfski paddling, White Hot Media brings us all live video streaming of the inaugural ICF Ocean Racing World Championships in Porto, Portugal.  

Dawid Mocke showed once more why he’s the reigning Surfski World Series Champion, by winning the Mauritius Ocean Classic for the third time running in a time of 1:19:05.  Hank McGregor finished just over a minute later (1:20:14) having outsprinted Jasper Mocke (1:20:20) for second place.  Nikki Mocke took control of the women's race, winning in 1:31:59.

The 2013 MOC will run tomorrow, Saturday, 28 June.  The race is scheduled to start at 11am but may be pushed out to 12 if the wind is strenthening from the forecast 7-8kt.  (It’s ironic of course that the ESE trade winds have been blowing a steady 18-22kt for the last month, and it’s only now during the three day race window that it’s decided to take a break.  C’est la vie!)

…to help bring live streaming of the event to life.  It’s easy: all you have to do is subscribe to the White Hot Media Youtube channel.

The cream of South African surfski paddling will be using the MOC on 29 June, 2013 as a warm-up for the inaugural ICF Ocean Racing World Championships in Portugal two weeks later; they're going to be well fired up and raring to prove themselves...