====== Races in South Africa ======
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photo from [[http://www.facebook.com/seadogpaddleseries/|Seadog facebook page]]
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South Africans don't seem to shy away from races with crunching shore break or marathon distances (like the [[https://www.facebook.com/PE2EL/|PE2EL]]).
[[:south_africa|South Africa Surfski Page]]
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===== Race Calendars =====
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[[:races:race_calendars|Worldwide Race Calender Page]]
* [[https://www.bordercanoeclub.co.za/events/|Border Canoe Club Event Calendar]] (formatting on computer may be strange (designed for phone?) and you may need to use scroll bars quite a bit to see everything)
* [[http://www.canoesa.org.za/calendar/|Canoeing South Africa Event Calendar]]
* [[https://dabulamanzi.co.za/events/|Dabulamanzi Club Calendar]]
* [[http://www.kncu.co.za/Race_Info/jit_default_17.Race_Calender.html|KNCU (KwaZulu-Natal) Race Calendar]]
* …
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===== Countrywide Important Race Related =====
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* [[http://www.canoesa.org.za/portfolio/surfski/|Canoeing South Africa]] seems to be coordinating a fair amount of the surfski racing activity in conjunction with the Lifesaving clubs that originated many of the most venerable races in South Africa. Member [[https://paddler.canoesa.com/|website]]
* **SA Surfski Championships** probably best to look on [[https://www.canoesa.org.za/|Canoeing South Africa]] for requirements, location, dates, deadlines…
* (The [[https://www.canoesa.org.za/|Canoeing South Africa website]] doesn't seem to have much in the way of a search function, but if nothing else you can probably find something in the [[https://www.canoesa.org.za/calendar/|event calendar]] (2025 champs - April 25 – 26, in Fish Hoek)) The WCCU Western Cape Canoe Union website has been giving us a phishing warning, so maybe it's not the best website to be visiting. You can get signup docs from Canoeing South Africa.
* **Euro Steel Triple Crown**** ** [[https://www.eurosteel.co.za/category/event-news/|website]] (occasional news about these races) [[https://youtu.be/tuD_d_xnmeU|promo video]]
* [[http://freedompaddle.co.za/|Freedom Paddle]]
* **Durban Downwind/SA Ocean Racing Champs** - [[https://duc.co.za/events/|Durban Undersea Club Events]]
* [[http://petemarlin.co.za/|Pete Marlin]]
* [[https://www.canoesa.org.za/canoeing/canoe-marathon/|Marathon Canoe Racing]]
* [[:races:south_africa_self_timed|Self-Timed Races/Courses/Challenges]]
* …
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===== KwaZulu-Natal =====
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**[[https://surfskisa.co.za/|Durban 2025 ICF World Champs]] 3 day Race Window Oct. 17-19 with 4 days of practice runs beforehand Oct. 13-16**
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* **Durban**
* [[https://www.freespiritsports.co.za/dareal2021.php|Da'Real Downwind Series]][[https://youtu.be/N1Ovo72ajnA|2019 video]]
* **DUC (Durban Undersea Club) & PWSC (Point Water Sports Club)**
* **Annual - Durban Downwind/SA Ocean Racing Champs** -
* [[https://duc.co.za/events/|Durban Undersea Club Events]]
* [[https://pwsc.co.za/pwc-events/|Point Water Sports Club Events]]
* [[https://surfskisa.co.za/|2025 ICF World Champs Race]]
* [[https://surfskisa.co.za/race-info/|Race Details]]
* [[https://youtu.be/zKI8zRV7MwU|Video Discussion of Race Course if North East Wind]]
* (Facebook) [[https://www.facebook.com/groups/icfcanoeoceanracingworldchampionshipsdurban2025|Race Related Announcements]]
* **Hosted by DUC **** and Point Water Sports Club**
* **If we have any information about securing a surfski for the race it will be ** [[:races:races#icf_world_champs|listed here]]
* [[https://marineseries.co.za/|Marine Surfski Series]]
* [[https://www.facebook.com/SurfskiAfrica/|Facebook Page]]
* [[https://www.youtube.com/user/MarineSeries/videos|Marine Series Youtube Videos]]
* [[https://pirateslifesaving.co.za/|Pirates LC Wall and Back Fall Race Series]][[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1hVw63z5VwE|2019 video]]
* [[https://www.facebook.com/S2BMARATHON2020/|Scottburgh Brighton]]
* **Richards Bay**
* **Durban to Richards Bay ** [[https://www.msn.com/en-za/news/other/local-paddlers-make-waves-in-epic-surfski-challenge/ar-AA1vrutY|Harbour to Harbour]] 160 km (new in 2024 with just 6 paddlers) [[https://youtu.be/J2xXSxw-9co|Barry Lewin video]]
* **Richards Bay ****- Mtunzini ** [[https://zkc.co.za/|Mouth to Mouth]], [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWZMDChWOXU|2020 video]]
* **Ocean Festival Scottburgh **includes [[https://www.oceanfestival.co.za/|Leatherback Rum Race]][[https://youtu.be/VoOYcZfRKec|2023 video]]
* …
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{{youtube>VnYY4FRJbXQ}}
2021 Scottburgh - Brighton Race
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===== Eastern Cape =====
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* **East London**
* [[https://www.bordercanoeclub.co.za/events/|Border Canoe Club Events]]
* [[http://petemarlin.co.za/|Pete Marlin]]
* [[https://www.facebook.com/PE2EL/|PE2EL]] 250 km race Port Elizabeth (Gqeberha) to East London
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===== Western Cape =====
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* **Cape Town**
* [[https://www.facebook.com/CapeTownSurfski?ref=ts&fref=ts|Cape Town Surfski]] facebook group supporting surfski racing
* [[https://www.facebook.com/CliftonBulldogSurfskiSeries/|Clifton Bulldog Series]]
* [[https://www.facebook.com/DownWind-Dash-182024781879119/|Downwind Dash]] Race Series
* [[https://www.facebook.com/westcoastexpress/?ref=py_c|West Coast Express]] (past website shutdown in 2020 - will come back?)
* **Robben Island**
* [[https://freedompaddle.co.za/|Freedom Paddle]][[https://youtu.be/fO4JGo15XhM|2022 race video]]
* **Fish Hoek**
* Friday Nighters - [[https://www.facebook.com/seadogpaddleseries/|"Seadog" Races]] February - March
* [[https://capepointchallenge.com/|Cape Point Challenge]] (**Witsand to Fishhoek **52 km)
* [[https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLuykg4We5c_DMjr6aXTnP8UqStycEsfQ8|Surfski.tv Video Playlist]]
* …
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===== Race Videos =====
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* **Marine Series**
* [[https://www.youtube.com/user/MarineSeries/videos|Marine Series Youtube Videos]]
* **PE2EL**
* [[https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLxNscapotWWaGNT6-SIADi2ju2u-fZrgd|Digital Emotion Films Playlist]]
* **Pete Marlin**
* [[https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLuykg4We5c_BUD75uvfTrF2dqNQW_OaOE|Surfski.tv Youtube Playlist]]
* [[https://www.youtube.com/@worldsurfskileague7809/videos|"World Surfski League" Youtube Videos]] (actually only has videos about Pete Marlin Race)
* [[https://www.youtube.com/@southafricasurfski/videos|South Africa Surf Ski Youtube Channel Videos]]
* …
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{{:races:rsa:petemarlin.jpg?direct&700x372|petemarlin.jpg}}
**Pete Marlin Race**, photo from [[http://petemarlin.co.za/photo-gallery-previous-years/|race website photo gallery]]
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**Doubles Racing in South Africa**
{{:races:rsa:dbls_sa.jpg?direct&700x420|dbls_sa.jpg}}
Photo: [[https://www.facebook.com/scott.cummins.50/posts/10168624739605494|Scott Cummins Facebook]]