May / 11

XO SUP hits Canadian waters!

A recent addition to the Think line-up, the XO 14′ hollow carbon SUP.

Think XO Hollow Carbon SUP from Dion Maxwell on Vimeo.

May 11, 2012 · by Daryl · in Main Featured Post, Uncategorized · Tags:

Mar / 12

Thrills & Spills with Sean Rice

2011 – The year of Thrills and Spills!

I started my 2011 season on an absolute high. I had finished off 2010 with a big personal victory at the Cape Point Challenge and enjoyed 6 solid weeks of rest over Christmas and New Year to rejuvenate body, mind and soul.

It was to be my 3^rd year of paddling on the international stage and I felt I had shed the name and comfort of being called an “under dog” or “newbie”. I had some serious work to do if I wanted to carry on improving my performances. It was going to be a very busy racing year (9 international races) but with the support of Daryl from Think Kayaks and my coach Peter Cole form ORKA I felt ready. I was about to find out that the sea is never flat and we can’t always enjoy smooth sailing!

I competed in many races during the year but here are just a few of my high lights from 2011.

Euro Challenge, Spain:

Flat, hot and extremely hard is what springs to mind when I think back to this one. A top field had turned up; Dawid Mocke, Jasper Mocke, Tom Shilperoort, Hank McGregor, Tim Jacobs, Manual Busto and a bunch of other talented competitors. My race plan worked out perfectly on the day and I managed to take 1^st just ahead of Dawid and Hank respectively. I also managed to bag both hotspots. It was the best way to start my year and a huge achievement for my career.

I have done this race 3 times and have gained a 3^rd, 2^nd and now finally a 1^st!

Durban World Cup, South Africa:

Not all smooth sailing. With just 2 weeks to race day, while on an early morning running session with the ORKA Training Squad, I managed to misjudge a step on the sidewalk. I went from full pace sprint to eating tar. I knew by the loud snapping noise that came from my left ankle that I was in trouble! I had torn and stretched the 3 main tendons in my left ankle. This injury meant that I was going nowhere slowly for a while.

The first thing that came to my mind (apart from all the swear words) was “o shit….coach Pete is going to kill me! ” ha ha….. But he didn’t and with the help of my physiotherapist and plenty of TLC from my girlfriend, Emily, I was off my crutches with 4 days to race day.

My ankle still heavily strapped up and on lots of anti-inflammatories I arrived in Durban to see the swell forecast of 8ft surf and very little wind…….GREAT! The race was 26km with all the big guns of SA Surfski there. My race actually went off much better than expected with a hard earned 4^th place in the end. Hank McGregor charged to the front to take the win ahead of Dawid Mocke and Matt Bouman.

The surf at the finish was brutal with a number of ski’s being broken. My finish was far from ideal ha ha… not being able to run from the shore break I got PUNISHED in front of the hundreds of finish line spectators. PS my boat came out without a scratch. THINK QUALITY!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sequence of my Beat down!

ASKR, Norway

Race organiser Karl- Lennard and his team had kindly invited me back after my win the year before, to take part in the second annual ASKR ICF Surfski World Cup. The race is held on the small island of Skipnes in the Vesteralren district of Norway. If you don’t have a map on hand, that’s WAY up north! In fact at 66 degrees latitude, well inside the Arctic Circle! This race has adventure written all over it!

Dawid Mocke, Joep van Bakel and I had made the journey, making sure this race story was far from written before we started. Joep is very quick on the flat and Dawid is very quick on the runs, I had to watch my back the whole way.

The race was a 22km out and back course. I was lucky enough to have some knowledge of the course from the previous year and used it to my advantage to pull away from Joep and then finally Dawid on the small runs we had going back home. Happy with my race and defending my title, I had a grin from ear to ear!

US Surfski Champs:

If there’s one race to tick off on the “dream” race calendar it would be this one. The race is superbly well run and the local paddlers are nonstop AMPED! The course is very technical with big currents, great wind every afternoon and a very busy shipping lane crossing right through the middle of the race course.

Dawid, Barry Lewin and Matt Bouman were the guys to beat. Right from the start gun it was a tight 6km tussle into the wind before turning for a 14km downwind section (into the current). I had made a race plan as to where I wanted to head and was pretty happy that it would work out with what the currents were doing etc. but what I didn’t expect was the 1.5hr delay in the start time of the race. I didn’t adjust my race plan and paid the price. I chose a deep and direct line while Dawid and Matt hugged the bank. Before I could react I was out the back and out the fight. The head current had increased in the 1.5hrs and my route I planned to take was straight into it.

I just couldn’t recover the ground I had lost and I finished up 3^rd with another big lesson learnt the hard way!

Chicago Shoreline Marathon, USA:

Tim and Kirsten Flentye really put on a fantastic event. The race is unique because it’s the only major Surfski race which is on a LAKE! Yes that’s right! When you do paddle on Lake Michigan it tends to feel more like the sea than a lake. It stretches 500km in length and can kick up some awesome runs. This year unfortunately our wind did not come through so we were faced with a 25km out and back course with a beach stop along the way. Barry Lewin, Dawid Mocke and I were out to try hold off local country men Greg Barton and Philippe Boccara.

The first 12km was more of a tactical race with everyone on the same bunch trying to do as little work as possible but the closer we got to the turn can and beach stop the more the pace picked up. At the beach stop Dawid got away from us and I was not quick enough to get back at him. The last 10km was super tough with Dawid and I within 50m of each other the whole way. At the end Dawid was the better paddler and I had to settle for 2^nd.

I learnt again no matter how long or short a race just one split second decision can make or break your chances of a win.

Nelo Summer Challenge, Portugal:

Porto, Portugal is the host to the Nelo Summer Challenge. This race is the “Rock Star” event of the Surfski calendar. It’s just 1 week after World Flat Water Sprint Champs and attracts a bunch of the top dogs of just about every paddling discipline in Europe and internationally. Walking around race headquarters during the days before the race, you can’t help yourself but feel somewhat ‘star struck’. Olympic ring tattoos almost become the norm ha ha….

Surfski is still growing in Europe and the idea of the race is about getting as many paddlers from other disciplines onto Surfskis as possible, so the race course was set to be a 12km downwind sprint! I normally have a very good start in a Surfski but man was I out classed by those sprint guys! I reached the hot spot well out of the top 20. A shell shock to the system but soon enough we were into the runs and I caught back up to the lead guys. Even though I ended up 4^th I felt I had a fantastic race beating a few much more seasoned paddlers than myself. When a race is so short you can’t miss 1 run, you have to be on your toes right from the start.

Hong Kong Dragon Run:

Hong Kong is not a place you expect to find a Surfski Race and never mind one of the biggest races that attracts over 150 international paddlers every year. The starting list was thick with big names from Australia, Europe and South Africa. Hong Kong has a 9hr time difference to us back in South Africa. That pretty much equals major jet lag and it really is an art to try and overcome it. I still need to perfect that art!

When race day loomed, I felt okay even with the lack of sleep but my nerves were through the roof! I normally manage to tuck them away but those butterflies in my stomach weren’t having it this time! The start horn couldn’t have come soon enough. I had a fantastic start getting out to the front; everyone was so close together for the first 6km of cross side runs that we could have spoken to each other most of the way.

This race was to be a battle of wits and determination. Tim Jacobs schooled us all on these things and cruised ahead of one of the most hotly contested Surfski fields ever seen! I finished a disappointing 8^th. There was just 2 minutes between the top 10 paddlers and that was after 25km of paddling. The racing level at the international races is forever increasing and a great indicator of a flourishing sport.

Cape Point Challenge, South Africa:

Not all smooth sailing- round 2. After a tough Dragon Run I came home with the biggest local race of the year just 3 weeks away. The Cape Point Challenge is an iconic 46km race around the South Western most tip of Africa. This piece of ocean was not called the “Cape Of Storms” by the first Dutch settlers for no reason; this race is as much of a challenge, physically and mentally, for the top guys as it is for every single one of its competitors! You have to be on the top of your game to win this one.

I was feeling confident after my previous years win and everything was on track, but exactly 9 days before the race the waves were cooking on a perfect summer’s day and the urge to surf was just too much to put off. Shortly after getting in the water one of my friends managed to peg the nose of her board into the back of my head. A complete freak accident but none the less I was soon enough on the phone AGAIN with coach Pete, my Girlfriend Emily and my physiotherapist explaining that I was in a neck brace with concussion, severe whiplash and 5 stitches. NOT IDEAL!!!!!!!!!!!!

The doctor said Cape Point was game over but I decided to just see how I felt closer to the time. After a week of recovery the swelling had gone down enough and I managed to get in a 30min cruise. I was determined to get back in the boat in time for the race. Sometimes you just have to roll with the punches I guess.

Race day came and I was just happy to be on the start line. I raced within myself as not to hurt my neck any more than it was and finished in 4^th. I was happy with my result considering the circumstances but that still couldn’t stop my thoughts of what could have been. Hank had a fantastic race winning with Jasper Mocke in 2^nd and Dawid Mocke in 3^rd. That accident was a real eye opener for me and gave me a huge fright.

Moving Forward:

All in all 2011 was another very successful year for me but as any sportsman will tell you, to do your best and beat the best you need to train with the right people and have the BEST equipment.

Thank you THINK Kayaks and ORKA Paddles for helping me live my dream!

BRING ON 2012!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks to Tim Flentye, Greg Labuscagne Photography and ASKR for the pics!

March 12, 2012 · by Chris · in Main Featured Post · Tags: competition, Sean Rice, surfski