Partner feature / SA Paddling

Advertise your company to 3,000+ South African paddlers

This slot is for companies that want to advertise: paddling brands, gear shops, coaching, travel and anyone selling to paddlers. The SA Paddling Report reaches surfski and canoe paddlers, race organisers, club administrators, and paddling families across the country every two weeks, delivered straight to their phones on WhatsApp and on the web.

A partner feature sits here in the flow, written and laid out like the stories around it: an image, a few honest sentences about what you do, and a link to your site. It reads as part of the report, not an interruption.

Paddling events, race results and club news are always featured free; send them to Robin on WhatsApp. A company feature costs R1000 an edition, with a lower rate for booking several. To take a slot, message Robin on WhatsApp or email info@sapaddling.co.za.

Sprint · International / Poznań, Poland

Lovemore silver in the K1 5000m

Hamish Lovemore won silver in the K1 5000m on 30 August, the last day of the Canoe Sprint World Championships in Poznań. It was South Africa’s only medal of the regatta and his second world championship silver over the distance in successive years.

Four men came into the finish together. Lovemore sprinted from the back of the group past Norway’s Amund Vold and Denmark’s Mads Pedersen, but could not reach Portugal’s Fernando Pimenta.

Earlier in the week Lovemore won the B final of the K1 1000m, which placed him 10th. Bridgitte Hartley finished 15th in the women’s 5000m. Esti Olivier was eighth in her 200m semi-final and seventh in the C final of the 500m.

Source: PaddleSport SA · Team SA

Surfski · Ocean / KwaZulu-Natal

Two days, 45km, doubles only

The FuelU2 Dolphin Coast Surfski Challenge is a double ski race this year, over 19 and 20 September on the KwaZulu-Natal North Coast.

Day one goes from Pirates Surf Lifesaving Club to Umdloti, 22km. Day two carries on from Umdloti to Salt Rock, 23km. Entry is R950 on the PaddleSport SA entry portal, and entries close on Wednesday 16 September.

Surfski · Ocean / Western Cape

An information evening at Fish Hoek on 18 September

The STBB Cape Point Challenge holds an information evening on Friday 18 September at the Fish Hoek Beach Sports Club, at 6:00 for 6:30pm. The race itself is set for 19 December, with 20 December as the alternative date, over 52km from Scarborough to Fish Hoek.

Four paddlers with Cape Point Challenges behind them are speaking:

• HistoryGarth WattersThe story of the Cape Point Challenge
• QualifyingIan BlackQualifying for race day
• TrainingKenny RiceTraining and preparation
• SafetyRob MousleySafety on the water, and for yourself

Questions from the floor follow the talks. Race details are on the Cape Point Challenge website.

Clubs · River · Sprint / KwaZulu-Natal, Western Cape

A 16km memorial race, junior sprints and Monday time trials

Crusaders Canoe Club runs the Jock Claasens Memorial Race on 27 September over 16km. A shuttle service takes paddlers back to the start: drop the boat at the start, drive to the finish, and the club drives you back. The first car leaves at 07:45 and the last at 08:45. There are lucky draws, beer and boerie rolls afterwards.

In Cape Town, Century City Canoe Club hosts the Century City Sprints on Saturday 26 September. Races run over 1000m, 500m and 200m for paddlers from U8 to U23, in guppies, K1s and surfskis. Registration opens at 08:30, racing starts at 10:00, and entry is R50. The contact number is on the poster.

Tygervalley Canoe Club runs a 2km time trial every Monday at sunset, on the water at 5:45pm. It is open to all levels and aimed at paddlers building up to the longer monthly time trials.

Surfski · Coaching / Western Cape

Six weekends from October to March, ten paddlers each

SA Paddling’s Richard Kohler and Robin Tindall are running weekend downwind clinics in Langebaan for paddlers who can already handle a surfski and want to learn to ride runs.

Each clinic runs Friday to Sunday and takes ten paddlers. The coaching covers wave reading, catching runs, stability and setting up your gear. The R5,490 fee includes two nights’ accommodation, breakfasts and dinners, on-water safety, transport in Langebaan and a mystery goodie bag.

The dates are 16–18 October, 6–8 November, 11–13 December, 22–24 January, 19–21 February and 19–21 March. The October clinic is almost sold out, and the November, December and January clinics are filling up fast. Applications are on the clinic application page.

Langebaan downwind conditions, 87 seconds. Tap to play.

Surfski · History / Eastern Cape

A book on 50 years of the 244km race

A hardcover book on the history of the PE2EL Surf Ski Challenge is on sale, in a standard and a limited edition. Orders from South Africa and overseas go through the order form.

The race runs over four days and 244km, from Bluewater Bay in Gqeberha to Nahoon Beach, with overnight stops at Woody Cape, Port Alfred and Hamburg. It dates to 1972, when paddler John Woods and runner John Ball raced each other along the coast. Nigel Harvey led the book project with Gavin Harvey, Francois Gous, Dave Collins and author Dean Allen, working from newspaper archives, race records, photographs and paddlers’ own accounts.

Source: Daily Maverick

Safety · Proficiency / National

Why the entry system turns away experienced paddlers

A paddler who has raced river and ski before can still be blocked from entering an event if their online profile does not show the right proficiency for it.

Proficiencies can only be added by a designated safety officer on the PSA safety portal. Past races count for nothing if the proficiency is missing from the profile, so the fix is to ask your club’s safety officer to update it before entries close.