The most fun event of the year for me has to be SA K4 champs at Shongweni Dam. The family vibe and the awesome location give it something special, not to mention how much fun racing K4 really is.

This year was a little disjointed with just getting back from Spain and a number of my club mates at Kingfisher just having got home from the Avon Decent (Ausi). We have quite a strong club and have 3 teams so picking the A, B and C boat would be hard with s...

Crashing through the two foot chop in the K4 with teams swimming in the backround!

The Hungerian K4 sinking!

Photos thanks to Oscar Chalupsky

300 m after the start exiting the harbour in about 6th

First lap, getting a gap

Lap 2, starting to open up, really helped having two really light paddlers up front so w...

Was a little disappointing sitting on the bank yesterday. I couldn’t find a partner for the K2 race at Busto’s club. Trekking over the mountain to take photos is not my style.

The trek today was with more purpose to race the Candas International K4. The K4 race is traditionally in Ribadesella but this year it was the 50th anniversary of the local club in Candas so they moved it there.

The trick with this all is there is no fresh water in Candas. There is a small craft harbour and the sea. Well we race sprint K4’s in the sea today. Haha. It m...

I was told that the start would be crazy. I believed them after watching you-tube clips of the race. The masses of competitor and spectators is something I have been to see and be a part of for some time.

Well every story can’t live up to being there in real life.

The morning started with a very quiet and nervous breakfast in the hotel. We could hear the people in the streets going mad. They hadn’t stopped since the night before w...

Anthony Grote (www.anthonygrote.com) kindly send me these photo's of Justin and I in what little water there was. Dont let these photos fool you, it was super low.

We bumped and bashed rocks down the Omko over the weekend. What a nightmare compared to the raging rapids everyone is used to. My fat wide boat even moved some rocks in that river. There were some high's though. The overnight camp was cool and shooting 5-6 rapids a...

I popped a seat pin 20m into the race and had to stop on the first bend to sort the problem out and only really got going some 15min later. So frustrating. I haven’t been able to race any of the Marine Series race being the organiser so this is the first time I have had a chance to race and see how the training is going. Not to be, that’s river racing for you. 

Water Water Water is the talk of the twitter and facebook this Friday morning.

This weekend is the SA K1 champs on the Drak Challenege. A race I haven's done in years but think I picked the year to do it again. The Drak is a moody river. The level can change within hours and be a very different animal at high and low levels.

At a low level it is a rock field. Very technical lines and a small mans paradise where the big boys get killed in scraping over rocks. When it's full it is a roller coaster ride of white water. Quite a contrast. If there is rain the river can come up wi...

I have done many races all over the world but one seems to stand out every year. The Fish River Canoe Marathon just cannot be missed. With a little shoulder admin I haven’t been able to train properly the last couple weeks so elected not to race. I took on the new K3 category socially with two mates from Cape Town in Justin Swart and Marcel Bosson.

In Novermber last year I spent a couple weeks training with the national sprint squad on training camp. Was a treat leaning from them and hanging out with some amazing people. Well the sprinters have been dominating the World Cup's this year. I just got this story from their latest success. Well done!

Press Release - Written by Marc Cloete (SA Pa...

Saw an amazing physical feet today. Ant Stott lived up to his nick name of Superman today in the second leg of the Duzi canoe marathon paddling his way from 4 min down to a massive 13min lead. Hectic! 

Housemate Ant Stott on Pinetree portage running like a machine!

Day 1 

On out tripping session yesterday we stopped and took some photo's of each other with my little waterproof camera shooting Carisbrooke Rapid. Great fun!

Some classic shots Ant took of me!

Ant dominating ...

Picture by Anthony Grote (http://www.anthonygrote.com/). Anthony has been a great supporter of my site sending me photo's and some great feedback. Thanks!

Pic from fish 2 years ago with Jeff Smith!

The weekend was packed with some cool racing. The last couple years I haven’t done much on the local calendar over this period of the yea so have missed out on some cool races. The y have been especially fun the K2 with certainly hasn’t come out the racks in some time. 

With the banks of the flooded Avon River packed to the brim with 900 boats of all shapes and sizes. I get a tap on my shoulder and a warm, ‘How ya mate’ from one of the local lads I had met the day before at the press briefing. ‘You Saffa’s here to mild again are ya?’ He bellows! After a week of hearing the Ausi’s speak I replied ‘ya bet ya mate!’ without even realising what I had said. Hehe 

Too much to blog in to little time on tour. Just finished the Avon Decent in Perth. Had a great time on a flooding river. Race report, photos and video on its way! 

 Day 3 was a bit of a mess up, we missed our change over points and I didn’t get a paddle in. Did 2 sections the day before so not a train smash and the team would certainly have me doing the longest section of the last day. Not complaining to much after some awesome red wine with out hosts the previous night.

Driving to the start this morning for our second day on the Berg the distance mountain caps were solidly covered in snow and thermometer in the car measured a massive 3 degrees. One would normally be scared of climbing on the water in conditions like this but (always has to be a decent but in every story) the mood was upbeat as the sun was starting to come out. It had rained non stop the last two days here in Paarl so some sun was a massive improvement. <...

I have heard war stories around the fire about Berg for many years and it was great standing at the start and truly grasp what people were saying. The races is steeped in tradition with only the most hard core paddlers taking on this amazing challenge. 

I am in Cape Town for the Isuzu Berg River Canoe Marathon in a relay team for Rudy Project. Flew into a freezing Cape Town this morning to a bumpy landing and rainy weather. Nice by chance meeting some mates on the plain for a Charlie chat on the way down.