McGregor and Burn win series opener
Challenging surf conditions could not dampen the spirits of paddlers competing in the first surfksi race of the summer season.
KWAZULU-NATAL’S summer surfski season got underway on Friday (10 January) when close on three hundred enthusiastic paddlers tackled the tricky conditions of the Borland Surfski Challenge, race one of the popular Varsity College Marine Surfski Series. Regular series top performers Hank McGregor and Michelle Burn laid down the early marker for their fellow title hopefuls when they claimed the men’s and women’s races respectively.
A break in the recent large surf conditions had participants excited shortly before the start of the encounter, however, as the race’s start time drew nearer a testing break developed and saw many thrown from their skis both on their way out at the start or coming back in through the surf at the finish.
The challenging conditions however were far from enough to dampen the spirits of both those in the water and on the beach and there were smiles aplenty on the beach afterwards, the return of Durban’s surfski season visibly welcomed by all.
McGregor unchallenged at the front of the field due to a few of his nearest rivals absent from the first week’s line-up, surged into the lead from the get go and from then on it was all about hunting down the doubles who had started a few minutes earlier rather than worrying about his chasing rivals.
“It was pretty testing out there tonight,” explained the Canoe Marathon World Champion afterwards.
“Once I got ahead I was definitely out there trying to hunt down the leading doubles, especially with my dad being at the front of that race,” he chuckled.
Race Results
1.Hank McGregor 35.13
2.Mark Mulder 38.05
3.Barry Lewin 38.25
Women
1.Michelle Burn 41.56
2.Lauren Felgate 49.16
3.Julie Cornelius 49.22
U18 Boys
1.Jordan Clauson 41.43
2.Brett Wilken 45.03
3.Cameron Hudson
U16 Boys
1.Brett Wilken 44.55
2.Luke Criticos 46.52
3.Rory McNeill 48.37
Doubles
1.Lee McGregor/Allan Hold 37.08
2.Calvin McKie/Byron McKie 38.06
3.Jean Luc Mauvis/Jabin Lyons 38.45
Mixed Doubles
1.Ryan Atkins/Louisa van Staden 41.12
2.Paul Scruby/Angela Scruby 41.53
3.Derek Hauptfleisch/Lynne Hauptfleisch 44.21
SHORT COURSE
Singles
1.Paul van Achterbergh 22.10
Doubles
1.Mark Lewin/Jamie Owen 22.09
