In a perfect lead up to next weekend’s Dusi Canoe Marathon, Salt Rock’s Hank McGregor claimed yet another surfski gold medal.

The third event of the popular Friday night Chalupsky Properties surfski series proved to be a happy hunting ground for McGregor who beat out previous winners, Matthew Bouman and Gene Prato, for first position.

Although Durbanites were already bracing themselves for bad weather set to arrive in the coming week, there was only a mild south westerly and small surf to contend with for the paddlers.

This allowed the pedigreed and experienced to come to the fore and McGregor did just that, racing with a cool head against the younger competitors. McGregor, Bouman and Prato all turned together after the first lap and it was initially a fierce tussle between the 3.

“On the second lap I managed to get a one hundred meter lead over them and managed to hang onto that lead on the return leg into the wind,” said McGregor.

“It was great to be back on the start line after a bit of a break from surfski paddling with all the river races leading up to Dusi,” he said. Surfski racing is McGregor’s specialty and he has won 11 World Championship golds in the marathon discipline.

“It is going to be exciting to see how the series play out after three races with three different winners.”

The next marine series event will be held on Friday, February 11 before taking a one week hiatus for the Dusi. In the women’s event, Hayley Nixon held off sisters Saskia and Valmajean Hockly for the win, while Jason Ekstrand and Richard Lowe took the doubles victory.

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