Hank McGregor. Photo: Anthony Grote/Gameplan Media
Durban – Renowned world class paddler Hank McGregor got his title defence off to the perfect start when he narrowly edged out fellow pre-series title favourites to claim Friday evening’s Borland Surfski Challenge, the first leg of the Marine Surfski Series.
Fresh off successfully defending his SA S1 Surfski Championships title in Cape Town, the Team Best 4 Kayak Centre star powered his way to the front with 200m to go to edge out team-mate Grant van der Walt, Umhlanga powerhouse Matt Bouman and Team Jeep’s Brandon van der Walt in the 8km shootout.
“With the sea being quite flat we always knew it was going to be a strategic race from the beginning. There wasn’t too much assistance on the downwind leg so it was always going to come down to bunch racing and a sprint,” explained McGregor.
“As we came around the final buoy I had Grant (van der Walt) on my inside, Brandon (van der Walt) on my outside and Matt (Bouman) sitting on the diamond. I just pushed hard and fortunately I managed to get ahead a little and it was great to take the win first up.
“Last year’s final race finished in a sprint in very similar conditions, which fortunately I managed to win and it also gave me the title, so it was nice to be able to start this year’s series on a similarly positive note.”
