Hi ,

After the excitement of the PW Harvey SA Marathon Champs turns into a memory, two of the country's classic races go back to back.

The Pumpsmith/Hypersure Scottburgh to Brighton was held on Sunday, under mostly calm conditions.

The ocean gave very little in the way of assistance, and the 46.6km paddle was an honest one for all.

For the second weekend in a row, Hamish Lovemore proved that he is just as comfortable in a ski, as he is in a K1, by scooping the gold medal.

He was, however, pushed all of the way by U23 Matt Fenn.

The two of them were still together at backline, coming in to Brighton, and it came down to the choice of line that determined the winner.

Hank and Pippa McGregor made short work of the double ski opposition, finishing well clear, after paddling a lonely race.

There were a few milestones celebrated at the prizegiving, with Tony Scott being awarded a certificate for completing his 50th S2B. Yours truly and Mark Lewin received certificates for completing 40.

The organisers almost had to take 2 of the certificates home with them after a duo of the above 3 managed to break their ski in half at the start.

Hank must have used the S2B as a gentle warm up, as he snuck in a last minute entry to the Berg River Marathon, which started in Paarl this morning.

About 80 intrepid souls started the race, which was also held in superb weather and river conditions. 

A front group of 4 which included McGregor, Tom Lovemore, Dave Evans and Jeremy Maher established a lead of almost 6 minutes over a strong chasing group, also of 4, consisting of Ant Lake, Jacques Theron, Daniel Jacobs and Kenny Rice. Jeremy managed to win the end sprint followed by Tom, Dave and Hank, all within a couple of seconds of each other.

Christy Shrimpton did not have to endure an end sprint, as she finished 10 minutes clear of Bianca Beavitt, with Ansune Basson completing the day a further 5 minutes behind.

There are still 3 long days of racing left, and plenty of opportunity to gain or lose time.

On the international front, our sprinters have sprung into action (funny guy) at the Junior and U23 World Championships in Italy.

The following will be competing in semifinals within the next hour or so:

Amy Duffett - Junior K1 200m

Daniel Smit/Theo Dreyer - Junior K2 1000m

Kwanda Mzolo/Sandile Mtolo - U23 K2 1000m

Livestreaming of the event can be found on the recast platform.

Looking forward to this weekend, the ever popular Siyaphambili Ocean Surfski Challenge series kicks off, with the first race being held on Saturday. Conditions are looking sublime. No better way to kick your weekend off.

The Rhodes University Canoe Club is turning 20. They have put out an appeal to their alumni to make a contribution to their celebrations HERE.  

That’s all for this week.

Your SG

Copper

1111

And a quick smile

Johnny watched, fascinated, as his mother smoothed cold cream on her face.

'Why do you do that, mum?' he asked.

'To make myself beautiful,' said his mother, who then began removing the cream with a tissue.

'What's the matter, asked Johnny 'are you giving up?'