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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Cool Kit – Episode 3

Sunday, 15 February 2009 10:14 | Written by 
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Here's the third in our series on cool paddling kit: a handy juice bag cleaning kit; a new compact set of pencil flares; a dry-bag for those paddlers planning on Molokai and a modification to the Epic leg leash.

 

Hydration Bladder Cleaning Kit

One thing you DON'T want to do is leave your juice bladders lying around damp in a hot climate.  I did exactly that in Hawaii last year - and half an hour before we were due to fly across to Molokai, I discovered that my juice bladders were coated on the inside with a layer of black slime...  Oh boy!

I scrubbed them out and rinsed them as best I could with a tooth brush and hot soapy water  - but if I'd had this month's first piece of cool kit, I'd not have been in such a bad situation.  The e3Gear 4 in One Hydration Bladder Cleaning Kit is a brilliant piece of kit.

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It comprises a large nylon brush for your hydration bag; a small brush for the mouth piece; a long flexible brush for the pipe and a dryer frame to hold the bag open so that it dries properly.

Where can you get it?  Here in Cape Town, the Mocke's Paddling Centre has them.  (The website, http://www.e3gear.com/ is under construction.)  Elsewhere?  Check with cycling and outdoor shops.

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But for those travelling to Hawaii in May for this year's Molokai - don't forget this vital piece of cool kit - sucking slime is not a recommended practice.


Compact Flare Kit

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Having been involved in two sea rescues, and having taken part in a sea rescue exercise with the South African National Sea Rescue Institute, I'm a firm believer in carrying flares when paddling offshore.  Pencil flares ARE effective - I can personally vouch for this!

But the flares available in South Africa have tended to come in one of two packs - a waterproof but fairly bulky 6-pack or a leaky flat pack.  The waterproof package is no longer available.

So when the agent sent me a set of Pains Wessex pencil flares I was delighted to discover that it's:

  • Much less bulky than the old set
  • Possible to operate them with one hand

Things to note about pencil flares

Open the package and practice using them before you get on the water.  They're simple to use, but you don't want to be reading the instructions when you're in the water with 4m waves crashing on your head!

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Always shoot them straight up in the air - don't shoot them upwind - you might "get your own back" and burning magnesium can spoil your whole day if you get in the face.

Always keep a flare for when you can SEE your rescuers - you'll see them long before they see you.  You need a means of attracting their attention even when they're close by.

Don't fly with flares - the airlines tend to get a little antsy about this.  There's a well known Cape Town paddler who earned a hefty fine when some customs officials found flares in his hand luggage!

Where can you get them?  Again, here in Cape Town there are several outlets including the Mocke's Paddling Centre in Fish Hoek and http://www.paddlers.co.za/ in Simonstown.

(Pains Wessex manufacturer several other types of flare too - including a compact smoke flare - take your pick... but take a flare with you if you're going offshore!)

For more info see: www.pwss.com


Dry Bag

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I was properly prepared at Molokai in one department though.  I'd been warned that you have to swim your overnight clothes and other gear out to your escort boat before the race.  "Get yourself a decent dry bag," I was warned.  "Don't do the black bin bag thing - they rip!"

I bought myself a 40litre SealLine Baja Bag at Go Bananas Watersports in Oahu a few days before the race.  This is one of the larger models and I was able to fit my camera bag; laptop and clothes into it with ease. 

The way it works is: you roll the top down the top edge and fasten it with a clip.  This forms an airtight seal and keeps your kit completely dry.  (I also duct-taped the clip so that it wouldn't come undone during the shenanigans in the short break when I was trying to catch a lift on the handy jetskis that were helping people out to the escort boats.)

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There are a number of different manufacturers - but I can strongly recommend the SealLine bags. They come in different sizes, they're tough and they work really well. www.seallinegear.com

(Huki make a really cool-looking bag too - in backpack form.  That could really work well at Molokai when you have paddle your bag out to the escort boat.  See www.huki.com).


Leg Leash Quick Release Modification

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I'm a STRONG believer in using leg leashes when offshore - especially in strong winds.  I'm an equally strong believer in undoing your leg leash before coming in through the surf!

On my leash, the clip that attaches the coiled part to the padded Velcro part that goes around your calf was a mini-karabiner.  This was sometimes a bitch to undo and I replaced it with a quick-release snap-shackle. (I broke the D-ring on the velcro bit too when I came off in waves recently.  I replaced it with a stainless steel ring.)

I bought the shackle at a yachting store - they're a standard piece of equipment on rigging...

With the aid of some whipping twine (available from any good rope shop) I whipped the end of the plastic coil onto the shackle.  It doesn't look incredibly smart, but it's strong. I also made a small rope handle on the release side of the shackle.

Now it's extremely easy to undo my leg leash - reach down, grab the red handle, one jerk and the leash is off.

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There are several manufacturers that sell leg leashes - mine is an Epic leash; Huki make a similar model.  Get them from:

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