Tom Norton

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 at around the 8km mark, with arch nemesis Tom Norton in close pursuit.    Hill though was masterful, able to pull a gap on Norton in the final stages to cross the line in 1h23.06 with Norton 39 seconds behind.  

In a thrilling display showing just how competitive the men’s surfski field has become, the first five places were separated by just 30 seconds…  And in the women’s race, a tight finish saw the newly arrived defending champion, Georgia Laird, take the win.

The race organizers have just issued the provisional program and race course for the next few days in Quiberon, France where the 2019 ICF Ocean Racing World Championships are about to take place.  Here's what you need to know.

Where is it?

The event is being held near Quiberon, which is located on the southern part of the Quiberon peninsula in Brittany, France.

(The area is packed with maritime history, including the Battle of Quiberon Bay, 20 Nov 1795, between the French and British navies and an abortive invasion by French Royalists, assisted by the British Navy during the French Revolution.)

Winters are notoriously long and cold and Atlantic gales regularly smash the coastline… This isn’t an area noted for winter paddling!  But in summer it’s warmer and the exposure to the open ocean means that there’s almost always movement in the water, making for challenging, technical conditions. Given the location of the islands and the Quiberon peninsula, race organizers have a number of course options to choose from in order to create as much downwind conditions as possible.

2019 ICF Ocean Racing Championships Course

The organizers announced this morning (Monday) that the World Championship race will most likely take place on Wednesday, with the start some time after 2pm, when the maximum wind is forecast. The wind drops off on Thursday and Friday, the alternate days in the event waiting period.

The Masters race will take place on Thursday.

Both races will use the same course from the Gâvres Beach to Pentièvre Beach, just to the north of Quiberon itself.

NB: If the forecast changes over the next day or two, the course and program could change too!

Who’s Racing?

The Who’s Who of the surfski world will be lining up on Wednesday and an international crowd of masters paddlers on Thursday.

The 27 countries represented include: Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Spain, France, Great Britain, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Lebanon, Mauritius, The Netherlands, Norway, New Zealand, Portugal, South Africa, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Sweden, The Netherlands Antilles, Tahiti and the United States.

You can download the full list of entries here:

• Ocean Racing World Championships
• Ocean Racing Masters Championships

Cory Hill (Aus), the defending World Champion, Gordan Harbrecht (Ger) and Hank McGregor (RSA) at the Mauritius Ocean Classic in July this year

Who’s going to dominate?

I think the conditions are going to be technically challenging, with small runs coming in over the paddlers’ right shoulders.

With moderate wind, and small waves, the paddlers are going to have to work the runs, accelerating left and then working right in order to stay on course. There probably won’t be much paddles-down surfing.

The paddlers with the most open ocean experience will have an advantage in the conditions and that inevitably means the Australians, South Africans and New Zealanders (especially in the women’s race).

Both the previous men’s and women’s champions are present to defend their titles: Cory Hill (Aus) and Hayley Nixon (RSA), but they have plenty of competition…

• Hank McGregor (RSA) came second in the 2017 World Champs in Hong Kong and beat Cory Hill in Mauritius a couple of months ago. The World Championships is just about the only title that McGregor hasn’t one, and he’d love to take this one.
• Mackenzie Hynard (Aus) came second behind Cory Hill at the Perth Doctor.
• Kenny Rice (RSA) won the under-23 title in Hong Kong and won both the Canadian Downwind Champs and the Gorge Downwind Champs in the USA earlier this year.
• Tom Norton (Aus) took the Nelo Summer Challenge title in July, winning both the men’s race and the overall bonus prize.
• Gordan Harbrecht (Ger) put on an outstanding performance in Mauritius in July, coming second to Hank McGregor (and beating Cory Hill) in a sprint finish.
• Sean Rice (RSA) won the first ICF World Champs in 2013. 
• Plenty of other talent from France, Portugal, Spain, Australia, South Africa and many other countries…

Defending Champion Hayley Nixon (centre) in Quiberon

The women’s race should be a huge tussle up front:

• Defending champion Hayley Nixon (RSA) won the Mauritius Ocean Classic convincingly in July this year.
• Teneale Hatton (NZ) won both the Canadian Downwind Champs and the Gorge Downwind champs his year.
• Georgia Laird (Aus) came second in the Molokai Challenge this year, beating Hayley Nixon into 3^rd position.
• Angie Le Roux (Fra) knows this section of the French coast well – having won the Breizh Ocean Race in 2014, 2016, 2017 and 2018!
• Bridgette Hartley (RSA), Nicole Birkett (RSA), Bianca Beavitt (RSA), Sara Rafael (POR), Rachel Clarke (NZ), Judit Verges (ESP), Amaia Osaba (ESP) will also be keeping the front runners honest… what a race it’s going to be!

When the race isn't the World Champs, it's know as the Breizh Ocean Race - and Angie Le Roux has won it 4 out of the last 5 years - and won the inaugural event back in 2010 in massive conditions.  She knows this area like the back of her hand...

Running down the water’s edge, Hayley Nixon leapt onto her surfski. As she took her first stroke, the paddler next to her, floundering, clipped her ski and she half fell out. Frantically she recovered her balance, only to be hit and almost knocked out again. “Just. Move. Please!” she yelled…