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Custom Kayak Mark's Diary. Men's Health Winter Series Durban 2008 |
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Sunday, 27 April 2008 10:16 |
| WINTER SERIES,MOLOKAI RACE, NIPPER BOARD | | MENS HEALTH DISCOVERY WINTER SERIES 2008 – The count down has started in KZN, building up to the biggest surfski race series in the World. Three weeks to go and you can visibly see the vibe picking up all around. Visits to our shop to look for the necessary accessories. Lifejackets are now compulsory, so we have stocked up with a few brands. Phone calls to the shop and factory all day about the availability of new and second hand surfski’s. A big increase of paddlers on the water paddling in their respective groups. Orders for new surfski’s from the local market have jumped as they always do before the start of the series, despite the increase in prices from last season. This is unavoidable due to the weaker S.A. Rand exchange rate, which makes all our imported material more expensive and the repeated increases in crude oil prices. Oil being the base raw material for our resins and reinforcement material (clothe etc). Working extended shifts, we are making one APEX double ski per day at the moment and we are working around the clock to get the new single ski into production. Progress is going well but I will not fall into the trap of a deadline, which can make you cut corners somewhere. I am a big fan of nipper lifesaving for youngsters. I recently had the pleasure of making a nipper board for a young swimmer (Rolf van de Meden – 11yeaqrs old), (see picture), from the pirates Lifesaving club in Durban, who was competing in his first nipper lifesaving season. I have often said and maintain that the skill level, balance and anticipation learnt in the surf on a board at a young age will give any future surfski paddler an advantage in the surf in years to come. Despite never having paddled a board before and only getting his new board about 2 weeks prior to the S.A. Championships, I was impressed by his determination to master the board and I saw him down at the beach regularly in various surf conditions practicing. Despite being new to the discipline he picked up a silver medal in one of the board events. The elite paddlers that are travelling to the Molokai surfski race in Hawaii are doing their long hard training at the moment and all eyes will also be on the race in Hawaii in about 4 weeks time. See you on the water MARK |
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Last Updated ( Sunday, 27 April 2008 10:22 )
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