Pietermaritzburg – Olympic sprint sensation Shaun Rubenstein is quietly determined to secure another podium finish in The Unlimited Dusi canoe marathon in a carefully constructed campaign with renowned running talent Steve Farrell.

Far away from the Dusi limelight training in the Western Cape the duo has been putting in the hard yards paddling and running with the boat making them dark horse competitors ahead of the start of the three day classic which starts in Pietermaritzburg on 16 February.

“The Dusi is a funny race, you’ve really got to earn the right to win it and it always brings surprise crews so who knows what could happen,” said Rubenstein.

The WCCU will be running the 1st of the seasons Junior Kayak Sprints at Kraalbaai (Langebaan) this coming Saturday, 4 February 2012. Note that it is at Kraalbaai, which is on the opposite side of the Langebaan lagoon, inside the West Coast Nature Reserve near Churchhaven. This is by far the most idyllic spot at which the sprints are held every year and are not to be missed.

• Registration for all the events will start at 09h00 until 09h45.

• Racing will start at 10h00.

• The age groups for the junior sprint events are u/8, u/10, u/12, u/14, u/16 and u/18 (boys and girls separately).

• The sprint events will be held over a 1000m, 500m, 200m and 2000m (guppies) / 3000m (u/14, u/16 and u/18)

The Organizer is Henk Roux, the WCCU Junior Canoe Sprints Co-ordinator - 082 415 5188

The Western Cape Canoe Union crowned a very successful 2011 season when its annual prize giving was held this evening (Friday 27th January, 2012) at a hotel in Cape Town and these where the following WCCU paddlers were honoured:

                 Lisa Scott (MIL)                                            Lance King (MIL)

After having completed the ultimate one day endurance race in 2010, THE IRONMAN, which comprises of  a 3,8km swim followed by a 180km cycle and 42,2km running, to make a total of 286km, Liezel has decided to set this challenge for herself, and will be doing the 6 qualifying races needed to compete in this tough race in February. She has teamed up with The High Performance Manager for Canoeing South Africa, Gregory van Heerden, for this exciting event.  Gregory has a wealth of paddling and coaching experience and is looking forward to returning once again to the race that started him paddling 23 years ago.

Liezel and Gregory have already completed 3 of the qualifying events needed to enter the Unlimited Dusi, by racing and winning the K2(doubles) section of the Western Cape Canoe Unions “Breede Summer Series” earlier in January.  This weekend they will be jetting up to KZN to compete in the Dash n Crash and Campbells to Dusi Bridge races, Liezel’s first glimpse of the legendary Dusi.   Not daunted in any way, and with only 12 weeks from complete novice to the race, Liezel has been putting in long hours of tough training with Gregory in order to properly prepare for the event.  Daily paddles at Milnerton Canoe Club, beach runs, and gym sessions (including hiking up Table Mountain with the boat) are all part of the training programme Gregory has devised to ensure that he and Liezel not only give the other celebrity entrants a serious run for their money, but are also well prepared to take on the big race.  The Unlimited Dusi canoe marathon from Camps Drift, Pietermaritzburg to Blue Lagoon, Durban takes place on 16-18 February 2012.

McGregor and Jenkins raced the majority of the 70km of the race side by side, until world marathon champ McGregor powered his way to the front on the final corner to claim his third victory in as many years at the event.

The duo finished the first stage together, with the tussle resumed on day two and it wasn’t long before things turned to into a colossal battle with neither willing to give an inch on the water nor the slightest of psychological advantage.

With strong rains having arrived on Saturday afternoon and continued throughout the night the mighty Umzimkulu rose to the occasion and provided the perfect setting for the spectacle which developed between some of the country’s top river paddlers.

Summer series Results:

Download Alfies - Elandia
Download Nekkies Elandia
Download Osdrif - Elandia

The first event of the new Breede River summer series kicked off with 40 paddlers, including 2 international competitors, Joep van Bakel and Rick Daman taking time out on their last day in South Africa to take on the Cape rivers. The temperature in the Breede winelands hovered around the high 30’s, the water level was perfect, and the mood was set for a great weekend of paddling.

Fish Hoek – World marathon champ Hank McGregor added the cherry on the top of his most successful season ever by winning the Fenn Cape Point Challenge, presented by Hansa and Di Data, in a gruelling showdown with the Mockè brothers and defending champion Sean Rice.

Download December 2011 Newsletter

This will consist of 3 events on the weekend of 7/8^th January.

Saturday 7^th January 2012:

Race # 1:   Osdrif – Eilandia

                B-grade race, 19km, K1/K2

                Registration from 8.00am – 9.00am

                Race starts @ 9.30am

Lunch  @   12.00pm – 1.30pm (Will advise venue asap – this will be very close to Alfies bridge and paddlers are asked to bring their own lunch/picnic as catering will be limite  

Race # 2:  Alfies – Eilandia

                B-grade race, 11km, K1/K2

                Race starts @ 2.00pm

Sunday 8^th January 2012:

Nekkies – Eilandia

27km

K1/K2

Race starts @ 10.30am

Prizegiving @ 2.00pm @ Eilandia for the series (we will organize prizes for paddlers who have competed in all 3 events only)

World marathon champ has confirmed his entry for the 2011 Fenn Cape Point Challenge brought to you by Hansa and Di Data in Cape Town this weekend, eagerly looking forward to competing against what he describes as the strongest field assembled for a surfski race this year.

Fish Hoek Beach – Jasper Mockè snatched the final race of the Discovery Sunglass Hut Surfski series with a thrilling win in the Hansa Peter Creese Lighthouse race, leaving the final outcome of the series hanging in the balance as the series bosses study results to separate brothers Jasper and Dawid Mockè, both of whom won three races in the nine race series.

Strand - Dawid Mockè threw the race for the Discovery Sunglass Surfski series wide open when he won his second series title in the weather-affected Island Tribe Daniel Conradie Memorial race at the Strand.

With two races left in the series Dawid Mockè and his brother Jasper have both won two races, with Graeme Solomon, Tom Schilperoort and Sean Rice right on their tails with solitary victories each and a string of second and third places between them.

Granger Bay – Graeme Solomon took full advantage of the mild ocean conditions to race to victory in the Brian's Kayaks Mellerware Oceana Race, winning his first title of this summer's Discovery Sunglass Hut Surfski Series and becoming the fourth winner in six races.

East London - Durban surfski ace Matt Bouman outsmarted a quality field to win the Automall Pete Marlin Memorial surfski race in East London in superb big downwind racing conditions, using a direct inside line to set up a handsome two and a half minute victory margin.

The Marine SLC stalwart set off the with strong field of 140 surfski racers, minus the Mockè brothers, Tom Schilperoort and Grant van der Walt who are all en route to Hong Kong for next weekend's Hong Kong Dragon Run, from Orient beach in East London bound north for Yellow Sands beach in classic 15 knot South Westerly conditions.

Mat Bouman (Picture by Bruce Viaene)

Attached is a 2 week general programme (nov 7 - nov 20) for juniors and seniors. Everyone can use as much from it as matches his/her stamina.

Download Junior Nov 7 -20

Download Senior Nov 7 - 20

Download Junior Nov 21 -Dec 4

Download Senior Nov 21 -Dec 4

Download Junior Dec 5 -18

Download Senior Dec 5 -18