A northerly wind on Friday night brought with it contrasting conditions to the FNB Surfski Series’ previous three races, however the rough surf did not hamper Salt Rock’s Hank McGregor from another smashing victory.

Hank took his third win of the series, asserting his dominance over the rest of the men’s field.

“I managed to get myself a good lead on the first lap and then I just made sure that I consolidated that lead into the second lap and right to the finish,” said Hank.

The men’s podium was finished off by SMG/Epic Kayaks’ Matt Bouman in second and the come-back-kid Grant van der Walt in third ahead of Wade Krieger.

In the women’s race Michelle Burn took advantage of the bigger conditions to open up her account at the Thule Surfski Challenge.

With the series having been dominated by benign conditions in the opening three weeks paddlers were made to start at the backline for safety purposes which meant an even starting point for all as Fenn Kayaks’ Burn licked her lips at the challenging conditions.

The women’s series is wide open with Bridgitte Hartley missing Friday’s hit-out meaning that Euro Steel/Carbonology Sports’ Hayley Nixon’s second place finish has closed the gap to Hartley at the top slightly.

Young Euro Steel star Kyeta Purchase finished in third again in the women’s race.

Friday saw another strong performance from the impressive couple of Bay Union/Fenn Kayaks’ Luke Nisbet and Euro Steel/Fenn Kayak’s Jenna Ward as they were not only the first mixed double across the line but also the first double to finish the long course.

The pair of Nisbet and Ward finished just ahead of Tyron Maher and Lee McGregor in second the form pair of Jason Ekstrand and Richard Lowe in third.

The short course once again proved to be a hit with paddlers who did not want to take on the 8km longer version and it was grand master Bruce Jackson who was the strongest paddler just ahead of Zoog and Ty Haynes in second and Sebastian Garreau in third.

The stand-up paddleboarding division saw a new winner on Friday as Shayne Chipps proved to be too strong for the rest of the field whilst Brandon Read and Jon Ivins finished second and third respectively.

The Euro Steel Surfski Challenge, Race Five of the 2017 FNB Surfski Series, takes place at 5.30pm on Friday, 3 February at Marine Surf Lifesaving Club, Addington Beach.

More information can be found at www.marineseries.co.za.

>>> Looking for a church? Check out our Churches on the North Coast feature. 

>>> Need some ideas for things to do? Check out Holiday Vibes.

Do you want to receive news alerts via WhatsApp? Send us a WhatsApp message (not an sms) with your name and surname to 061 718 4438.

Please read our WhatsApp broadcast list disclaimer.
Join us on BBM at 59015786
Join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.