This week the wind gods played along and we managed to run Race #3 of the new PRIMI Naish Downwind Dash series.
Last week the forecast looked epic, however on the day it all went pear and the Downwind and the Red Bull King of the Air kite event had to be called off. Though as a great consolation, Robby Naish was in town and came down to the beach for a “paddlers meet and greet” to make up for the lack of wind! → READ MORE
After last week’s blistering start to the 2015 PRIMI Naish Downwind Series, this week’s edition served up a more modest 15-20 knots but also some solid swells at the finish.
Just over 50 paddlers (31 SUPs and 21 surf skis) took to the course. Among the group was Dylan Frick and Mishka Steyn, two stalwarts of the Downwind Dash series who made a welcome return this week. Waves were manageable at the start and once again it was Ethan Koopmans who dominated… → READ MORE
Last Wednesday night, January 21st, marked Week #3 in the new edition of the ten week PRIMI Naish Downwind Dash Series. And *finally* we had some well-timed wind here in Cape Town.
Dodgy Wind Guru forecasting and borderline calls by organisers had seen the past two Wednesday nights pass by without a race, despite there being some (arguably iffy) winds. We’ve actually been downwinding 4-6 times a week for the past couple of months, however the wind had been frustratingly absent on Wednesday race nights. → READ MORE
After last week’s feisty downwinder saw wind, waves and a broken board, this week’s fifth and final race in the Oct-Dec edition of the long-standing PRIMI Naish Downwind Dash series here in Cape Town, South Africa was another cracker.
Excellent 20-34 knots greeted the 38 paddlers at the start-line on Wednesday night, with a 15 second, 2 metre swell threatening to cause havoc once again. → READ MORE
Race #4 in the October to December 2014 edition of Cape Town’s long-running PRIMI Naish Downwind Dash series was one for the books.
It had been blowing 30 knots all day with a solid 2.5m swell, which provided quite a spectacle for this week’s downwinder. The start of these races is all about timing the sets and the first group of starters did just that – if you are a fan of carnage that is… → READ MORE
It was looking good the whole week. The wind had been firing every day since Sunday, especially on Tuesday when it was seriously cranking and several guys set personal bests. So expectations were high for tonight’s 3rd race in the latest PRIMI Naish Downwind Dash Series here in Cape Town, South Africa.
The wind had been gusting over 30 knots since Tuesday, at times hitting 38-40 knots. That’s an 8 out of 12 on the Beaufort scale. That’s strong, even by our standards… → READ MORE
Race #5 of the 2014/2015 PRIMI Naish Downwind Dash Series went down last night, after races #2, #3 and #4 had to be cancelled due to lack of wind. There has been plenty of wind in Cape Town, the guys have been on it 3-5 times a week – it just hasn’t wanted to blow on Wednesday race nights…
Yesterday’s conditions were good with 15-25 knots of wind and some 3-4ft nuggets greeting paddlers at the start and exit. With Dylan Frick back in town, Ethan Koopmans was frothing to see if he could match him on a decent downwinder after Dylan got one over him on the weekend in the flats.
Unfortunately Dylan didn’t make the start so we’ll have to wait a little longer to see our two downwind stars battling it out head to head… → READ MORE
Brandvlei Dam, one hour out of Cape Town, hosted the final race in a series of six counting towards the coveted SUPSA South African Race Championship title.
Dylan Frick and Ethan Koopmans were tied on points, so the winner of this event would be crowned champ whilst Mishka Steyn’s Ladies title was in the bag if she completed the race. The SA Champs winners would also become eligible for selection for the SA Team to the ISA Worlds. Click through to see how it all went down… → READ MORE
October marks the beginning of summer in Cape Town and with it, the return of the PRIMI Naish Downwind Dash race series. Now in it’s 15th year (with SUP being included for the past five years), the classic Milnerton to Big Bay Downwinder is run every Wednesday night for 10 weeks, from October through mid-December and another 10 weeks from mid-January to March.
Last night’s season opener had soft winds with 12-23 knots and a 3-4ft swell running. Some of the guys had been training as much as mother nature had allowed in previous weeks, but winds are still a bit fickle this time of year so for many, this was the first downwind run since last summer. → READ MORE
Naish SUP South Africa sponsored and organised the 2nd stop on the South African SUPSA Race Tour last weekend. The racing was held in Durban at New Pier and counted towards selection for the 2015 ISA Worlds. With Dylan Frick doing his duty in Europe, it was up to pre-event favorite Ethan Koopmans to fight off the local Durban paddlers.
Ethan has lifted his game and was untouchable in both the long distance, however Shelley Bradfield’s tech race performance was the highlight of the day, for the wrong reasons… → READ MORE
