After a month away from home racing in the USA and Portugal, I got home some 2 weeks ago to refocus on the next block. SA Champs the first of a number of local races to finish off a busy year. Driving up to Richards Bay on Friday evening I was confident I had go through some really good sessions in the time I had been home to be ready to race.

Richards Bay is wild in every front. The town is in the bush basically with sharks, hippo’s and crocodiles all in the same section of water around the Zululand kayak club where the race is based. Believe me, I have seen it. Along with the wild life and conditions are normally quite wild to with tropical warm winds and large cyclone type swell from the Indian Ocean off Madagascar. The people are the wildest off all with hearts the size the hippo’s they paddle with but not much sense of direction.

The surf for the first days racing was large so the race changed the singles and doubles round to race doubles first on the Saturday on an out and back course.
Doubles with Dawid Mocke

Some hour after the start we were still heading into a head wind, not ideal for mind or body. Hank McGregor and Grant Van De Walt got away to a convincing victory. Dawid and I had a good go twice to try catch them but with no help from the others on the bunch the downwind leg ended up being a dance of 4 boats trading blows run for run. We turned the harbour in a batch of 4 with a km to go. We snuck in 3rd to get on the podium.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/115812633

Singles

I really felt the doubles in the boat waking up the next day to race the singles race. Luckily the surf had dropped so the race could be run as a downwind. The wind dropped somewhat from the previous day with only a light NE to help is down the course.

I got out through the testing shore break ok at Shlabaan where the start was. The start was a bit messy as most water starts are but got going ok and found some rhythm quick. The first 30min went really quick and when I looked up to see where I was lying Daryl was to my left and we were fighting for 5th. In the latter stages really though I was in some current so I went in a little to try get some cleaner runs but seamed should have done the opposite. Daryl got away and got passed my Herman as well on a wide line as well. To add to my hard day at the office Tom passed me in the surf on the way in to put me in 8th. Just shows you can’t be slightly off your game and the course will hurt you.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/115812624

All in all it was great to have an SA Champs the way it should be with good conditions and some downwind. On the other hand this out and back crap and racing doubles on day 1 is well off the mark.

Next stop is the Fish River Canoe Marathon which I honestly believe is the best canoe race in the world and can’t wait to hit the town of Cradock.

Must say adventure with your mates are classic, thanks for the entertainment Chopper, you had me and Dawid going the whole weekend.

Big thanks for Jeep for the use of the Red Machine Cherokee for the weekend, going to be sad giving it back. Thanks also to Kirsty for driving and brightening up my weekend!