Hank McGregor and Michelle Burn take out KZN titles at the Engen Ballito Downwind!<\/b><\/p>\n
After an initial postponement owing to rough seas, South Africa\u2019s best finally got the chance to compete in the Engen Ballito Downwind on Sunday, 11 May. This was the final event of the first-ever Paddle Fest – organised by South Africa Surf Ski and sponsored by Engen Ballito and The Pumpsmith – which ran from 18 to 19 April. With perfect conditions marking this race day, it was Hank McGregor (Ballito) and Michelle Burn (Umhlanga) who raced home to first place, overtaking a field of top-class surf ski competitors.<\/p>\n
Header Image: Saskia Hockly takes second place in the Ladies Division and first in the U23 Division Image credit: Jon Ivins<\/b><\/em><\/p>\n \u201cThe Engen Ballito Downwind was treated to sublime open ocean conditions between Tiffany\u2019s Beach and Blythedale Beach, with paddlers covering 18.5km course,\u201d said Barry Lewin, Race Director. \u201cThe surf, while challenging, wasn\u2019t too difficult, and made for a relatively even start with Hank McGregor going into an early lead, followed by Matthew Bouman. In the ladies\u2019 race, Michelle Burn led from the start to finish.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n McGregor, who\u2019s an 11-time World Canoe Senior Marathon Champion and winner of multiple canoe and surfski champs across the globe, described the Engen Ballito Downwind as a \u2018fantastic day out\u2019, saying: \u201cI\u2019m really happy to take the KZN S1 title for 2025. There were some strong local boys, from Matt Bouman and Brent Chiazzari to Luke Nisbet who made up the top of the podium.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cIt was a great launch that was timed right with the weather. The organisers waited long enough for a great downwind but it wasn\u2019t too out of control. It was a fantastic wind building out there that was super-fast. At Blythedale it was quite shallow on the bank but safe and easy to manage. I\u2019m really happy with the event overall,\u201d he said, extending thanks to the sponsors, Mark Jason from Engen and Mark Smith from The Pumpsmith.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Speaking after the event, Michelle Burn, commented, \u201cI was very stoked that the race was able to go ahead as I\u2019ve been looking forward to racing on the North Coast and it didn\u2019t disappoint! There was a wonderful wave to navigate at the start and finish \u2013 it was a proper taste of surfski which we haven\u2019t had for a very long time so I\u2019m glad that this race is on the calendar.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThe wind picked up a bit later, but we had good wind. The last 3 or 4 kilometres from the point, the wind had picked up and the angle was great straight to the finish. It was amazing, I got some good, long runs from the point. The entire race was great, it was such a nice distance and the time was spot on. It\u2019s not too long, you don\u2019t get too tired, and everyone had a good time.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Engen Ballito Downwind Results<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Men\u2019s<\/strong><\/p>\n 1st: Hank McGregor (Ballito, KZN) – 1.03.57<\/p>\n 2nd: Matthew Bouman (Umhlanga, KZN)\u00a0– 1.05.23<\/p>\n 3rd: Brent Chiazarri – 1.07.08<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ladies<\/strong><\/p>\n 1st: Michelle Burn (Umhlanga, KZN)\u00a0– 1.12.22<\/p>\n 2nd: Saskia Hockley (eMdloti, KZN) – 1.14.34<\/p>\n 3rd: Mikaela Brown – 1.39.59<\/p>\n <\/p>\n U23 Men<\/strong><\/p>\n 1st: Kwanele Banda \u2013 1.16.17<\/p>\n 2nd: Ty Heyns – 1.16.33<\/p>\n 3rd: Senzo Ngcobo \u2013 1.18.13<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Junior<\/strong><\/p>\n 1st: Keegan Vogt – 1.10.17<\/p>\n 2nd: Luke O\u2019Connor \u2013 1.15.39<\/p>\n 3rd: Jayden Jansen van Rensburg – 1.16.43<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Paddle Fest 2025 kicked off on\u00a0Friday (18 April)<\/strong>\u00a0at Durban Underwater Club where interested newbies were given a free SASS coaching session to introduce them to the sport. This was followed by the spectator-friendly 800m Reef Shootout at Vetchies across 7 categories.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n With Durban awarded the 2025 ICF Canoe Ocean Racing World Champs from 17 to 19 October, the Paddle Fest organisers included a preview of the race course on\u00a0Saturday (19 April)<\/strong>\u00a0from DUC to Westbrook, culminating in the headline event \u2013 the Engen Ballito Downwind on Sunday (20 April).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"