Euro Challenge, Spain. Sean Rice 1st place

ASKR, Norway, Sean Rice 1st place

Byron Bay, Australia, Michael Booth 3rd place

US Surfski Champs, USA, Sean Rice 3rd place

Chicago Shoreline Marathon, USA, Sean Rice 2nd place

Nelo Summer Challenge, Portugal, Sean Rice 4th place

Race of Champions, Portugal, Sean Rice 2nd place

New Balance Surf Challenge, Sean Rice 1st place

Dragon Run, Hong Kong, Sean Rice 8th place, Michael Booth 10th place

Twenty Beaches, Australia, Michael Booth 12th place

Cape Point Challenge, South Africa, Sean Rice 4th place

By Michael Booth

After much drama trying to get an emergency passport on Wednesday, getting to Hong Kong was more a relief than anything. I had been looking forward to the race after suffering from a stress fracture and then cracking my tibia in the Nutri-Grain Ironman trial. It had been a long 3 months without being able to do a hell of alot.

Getting to Hong Kong on Thursday night didn’t give me much time to look around. We went to one of the paddler’s favorite cafés, called the Pacific Coffee Company, for food, coffee and internet. What more do you need? Had a shop down at the Stanley market that basically has all the clothes and knick-knacks you would want all for a “good price for you”.

With the Dubai race being cancelled the Dragon run looked to have one of the strongest international fields this year with many quality paddlers arriving from Australia and South Africa. With guys like Shannon Eckstein, Jeremy Cotter, Cory Hill, the Mocke brothers and Sean Rice I knew getting top ten would be no easy feat.

The report on wind guru going into the race wasn’t promising with a max of 6 knots coming from the northeast, which didn’t look quite like the Dragon run I had experienced a year earlier with large swell and runs. I paddled the Think Uno, which is my preferred Think ski at this time.

Bill and the guys from the Sea School always run an efficient and professional race. The race briefing is on the Friday night with race packs, sponsor logos and a feed of pizza, pasta and salad. On the morning of the race, boats are loaded onto trucks and competitors onto busses. We are then driven to the start line approximately 2 hours before race start. The bus trip is really good with competitors allowed to talk ham, contemplate bus crashes or think about the pain they are going to endure on the 23.5km course back to Stanly Sea School.

The race start was delayed almost an hour with race directors looking to milk as much of the light Northerly wind as they could. The race started from Clearwater Bay Beach at 11am with a couple of the top guys missing the start as the gun went basically straight after the 5min warning. I was fortunate enough to be already on the line and got a cracker start next to Sean Rice and got in a good V-wash in the pack out to Steep Island (which is 3km from the start). Once hitting there the pack began to split with Tom Schliperoot and Ben Allen making moves early.

While heading to Ninepins (7km out) the backwash off the Islands started to mix up the pack and the wash pack quickly diminished. After turning from 9 Pins Tom, Jasper and Jeremy took the outer line. They were chasing the small 1ft runners over the right shoulder pushing them out to sea. Tim, Hank and Dawid took a straighter line course to the “Kissing Whales” (which is 18km into the race and turning point into Stanley beach and the finish) with Ben, Sean and Shannon taking the inner line.

I turned 9 pins in about 10th with Cory Hill, David Rhodes and Grant van der Walt hot on my heels. Cory slowly passed and went away from me on the same line as Tim (but obviously a bit further back) but I was able to hold off the other two and catch up to Jeremy and pass Sean down the 11km downwind stretch.

Coming into the last 5km, I was sitting 9th and in this section all runners diminished and it was time to grind away. I looked forward and everyone was extremely close. I tried to work with Jeremy to keep Sean at bay and tried to catch Ben but their flat water prowess showed in the conditions. Sean passed and dropped me with about 1km to go from the finish. Jeremy, who I train with at home, took a little tactical line on the inside in fear that Jody Zerbst from back home would pay him out for me getting one up on him (it was a bit of a laugh after the race). I was able to pass Shannon Eckstein, who was clearly cramping and hurting toward the end of the race after having to work extra hard at the start after missing the gun.

I was extremely happy with tenth place, being so close to a lot of guys that I had never really thought I could be competitive with. The race lived up to my expectations with 4th to 10th within 1min of each other. Next time I get to race such a field hopefully I will be more within the mix rather than toward the back of the top paddlers.

The race as I said before always runs smoothly with a couple of kids from the sea school picking up our boats and carrying them back up to the racks. There is a post race feed and drinks that leads onto the presentation and into Central Hong Kong at Wagyu. Unfortunately couldn’t make it to that this year as it was my Girlfriends 21st the next day. But needless to say I experienced enough of Hong Kong the year before!

I’ve been to the Dragon Run twice now and will hopefully be able to make it back next year. I am thrilled to have met Bruce, Daryl and Stewart from Think with their professionalism and support allowing the trip to go smoothly.

Michael Booth

For more information see the specs for the Think Eze.

2010 Race Results

• Euro Challenge, Alicante, Spain, May 1: Sean Rice, 2nd place, Think Uno

• Mayor’s Cup, New York, US, Aug 14: Sean Rice, 1st place, Think Uno

• US Surfski Champs, San Francisco, US, Aug 21: Sean Rice, 4th place, Think Uno Max

• Nelo Summer Challenge, Vila Do Conde, Portugal, Aug 27: Ken Wallace, 2nd place, Think Uno

• Dragon Run, Hong Kong, China, Nov 27: Ben Allen, 4th place, Think Uno Max
• Dubai Shamaal, Dubai, UAE, Dec 3; Ben Allen, 1st place, Think Uno Max; Sean Rice, 3rd place, Think Uno

2009 Race Results

Mayor’s Cup, NYC, Oct 18, 2009

Sean Rice, 1st Place (Uno)

Spanish National Championships, Sept 19, 2009

Kiko Vega, 1st Place (Uno)

Chicago Shoreline Marathon, Chicago, August 29, 2009

2nd Place – Sean Rice

Championnat de France, Le Pradet, August 28, 2009

6th Place – Jean Rillard

US Surfski Championships, San Francisco, August 22, 2009

6th Place – Sean Rice
8th Place – Tony Schumacher

Round Bowen Challenge, June 7, 2009

1st Place – Eric Borgnes (Think Uno)

Ski to Sea May 24, 2009

4th Fastest Paddle Leg – Wes Hammer (Think Uno)

European Challenge 2009 — La Vila Joiosa

3rd Place – Sean Rice
5th Place – Tom Schilperoort

Below are some general guidelines for which Think Kayak may be best for you. Of course we recommend trying them all, and talking with an experienced dealer to help you make the best choice.

Think Fit

New to performance paddling, but not to the idea of high performance? The Fit is a great choice for you if you want a light, and fast craft, but paddling may not be your only sport. You still plan to bike, run, and generally be adventurous. The Fit is a very speedy training partner that doesn’t ask to see your paddling licence before you go for a joy ride.

Think Evo

A versatility monster; the Evo is great for racing, training, and big water days. It has enough speed to compete with the big guns, but she’s willing to forgive your little mistakes. The Evo is for you if you paddle with a passion, but may not have racked up years of experience just yet.

Think Legend

You live to paddle, and you love a good race. Paddling is your sport, unless the water freezes (and then you XC ski, cause it’s good cross-training). You want a platform with enough stability to maximize your engine, without giving up speed. The Legend is a great choice for you if competition is your focus, and you plan to be in the lead pack.

Think Uno

World Cup tested and proven, the Uno is FAST! The bottom line; there is always a compromise between stability and speed. The Uno gives up a little bit of the former (but not too much), and goes like stink. Best suited to experienced pilots.

Above all, we recommend a boat that is fun, inspires confidence, and allows you to paddle your best all the time. Don’t be lured into buying the “fastest” boat. What is fast for a pro, may not be fastest, or the best choice for you!

Hong Kong Dragon Run and Dubai Shamaal Tour
November- December 2010

Hong Kong:

Hong Kong is an amazing place in many ways. If it was not for the huge high-tech city with over seven million people living in it, it would resemble the landscape of a Jerrasic Park movie. The smog drifting across from the massive coal factories deep inside mainland China hide the 250 islands that surround the area. Some days it’s nearly impossible to see more than 5 km and very easy to get lost while paddling , but some how mother nature still has the upper hand with 60% of the land being too mountanous to build on. This greenery gives some relief to the over welming feeling of “Big city life”

Monday: I arrived in Hong Kong late on Monday night after 22 hours of traveling. With HK being 6 hours out of my time zone I planned to get there well before the race day so I could ajdust but more importantly also get used to the new boat I was going to race that weekend.

Tuesday: Last night was rough! Forcing myself to eventually get to sleep by 2am was not easy. I made sure to set my alarm for the morning so that I could try get into their day night pattern but I slept right through it and only woke up at 1pm (7am SA time)! NOT IDEAL!

Wednesday & Thursday: New boat still hasn’t arrived! I manage to borrow a boat to train on while I wait. All the other top guys start to arrive and the race vibe builds quickly.

Saturday: RACE DAY! The weather is humid but the wind is up! The start is frantic as per usual but I get myself into the front pack. The first 7km is side chop with a head wind. It was enough to break everyone up. Rounding ‘9 pins rock’ for the 12 km downwind leg I was still in the mix, but soon after that, the wheels fell off. I actually think I might have paddled faster if I had turned around and headed back into the wind haha.. The downwind leg was very technical with the runs coming over your left shoulder while you had to angle hard left to get out the main current. I ended up 10th overall very frustrated as I knew I was paddling a hell of a lot better than that.

Sunday: Got up early for a 15km grind just to loosen the muscles before my flight to Dubai. Had a last minute shopping spree through the many markets of Hong Kong and Kowloon. Then it was off to the airport for my overnight flight to Dubai.

Dubai:

Dubai is the land of no limits. It’s also the home of the richest race on the calendar attracting paddlers from 27 different countries. Anyone who’s anyone in Surfski paddling was here to chase the $60 000 prize purse. This was going to be one hell of a race!

Tuesday: Get into Dubai at 5:30 am. Straight to the hotel to catch up on some of the sleep I missed out on during the flight. After a solid 3 hr sleep I head down stairs to hit the the buffet breakfast HARD! I eat way to much but walk away feeling satisfied with money well spent lol. That evening I went for an easy paddle with some of the local guys to get some inside tips for race day.

Wednesday: Feeling well rested I do a hard session this morning to remind the body what we are actually here to do. 2 days till race day and I’m already nervous. The weather predictions are for flat hot conditions. Much to the dissapointment of many guys who do better in the bumps. Deep inside I was grinning from ear to ear. This was right up my ally but to make top 10 was still going to be no walk in the park, that’s forsure.

Thursday: With all my final pre race checks on juice bottles, boat and paddling gear done the only thing left to do was put my game face on and try not to focus on all the pre-race hype at race registration. Sounds easy but it’s really not.

Friday: RACE DAY! It’s HOT!!!!! No actually it wasn’t hot it was boiling! Well over the 30 degree mark. Race start was set for 2:30pm to try wait for the afternoon winds, but this is also the hottest time of the day. NOT IDEAL! I spend most of my morning hiding in the shade doing very little very slowly.
The race was 24km long with the last 4km in a dead flat wind protected channel.
I manage to position myself in the lead pack of 8 guys. Everyone hustling for the best waves. On the turn for the “downwind leg” Dawid Mocke, Ben Allen and myself broke away heading on a deep sea line. I had worked out that by staying deep we would miss a head current being pushed out along the beach front. From there it was all a blur. Coming into the last 4 km I just couldn’t stay on Ben or Dawids wave. I was absolutly broken. I went from racing to survival. With no wind to cool you off the heat got to me straight away. I force another GU into my mouth. I manage to hold off the other guys and finish 3rd. I was beyond stoked! This race was a massive acheivment for me. Straight onto the phone to the family watching the live commentry at home and of course COACH Pete. I knew I was fit but you never know what’s going to happen till you are actually in the race. All those early morning 2000m sessions on the swamp suddenly seemed worth it. Ok well most of them ha ha…

A huge thank you goes to THINK KAYAKS and ORKA TRAINING for making all of this possible.

Next up : 2 weeks till Cape Point Challenge! Giddy up!

European Challenge 2009 — La Vila Joiosa

The Think Kayak team attended the 2009 European Challenge in La Vila Joiosa, Spain and posted some excellent results. Sean Rice of South Africa was on the podium with a 3rd place finish, while Tom Schilperoort also of South Africa rounded out the top 5 in fifth place.

For more information on the race and complete results check out the write-up at Surfski.info