Downward Dash draws top paddlers to Tinley Manor

Utilising one of the best stretches of coastline in the country, the first two outings in the Jawitz Downward Dash have provided some fantastic paddling.

Pitting some of the province’s top ocean racers against each other, the event is a full-out sprint from Tinley Manor to Tiffany’s Beach in Salt Rock.

It has an unusual scoring system, where the overall time does not come into play, but rather the paddlers are judged on their quickest 1km section.

This is based on data collected from the GPS watches of the entrants.

Started by Salt Rock paddler Quinton Rutherford – who is the world record holder for the longest paddle in a double kayak in 24 hours – the event is sponsored by Jawitz North Coast.

So far, two of the planned six races have been held, with the next likely to fall between January 31 and February 3, depending on when the wind and ocean conditions are ideal.

Hank McGregor and Kari Furby won the first race with a 1km split of 3 minutes 13 seconds, with Hamish Lovemore taking the second in the best time so far of 3 minutes 11 seconds.

“With the calibre of competition it is not likely this time will remain the best until the end of the series. So far we have had current world champions, ex-world champions, Olympians and world record holders take part,” said Jawitz’s Vern Vogt.

The first two events were by invitation only, but Vogt said they would be open to including any ‘open-ocean-proficient surfski paddlers’ going forward.

There is no entry fee.

For more information, or if you would like to sign up for a future race, contact Vogt at 076 426 4928 or Rutherford at 083 300 2401.

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