1st PRIMI Naish Downwinder Of 2014

The 1st race of the 2014 PRIMI Naish Downwind Series recently made its debut on January 29, 2014 after sitting it out for almost three weeks due to lack of wind. Solid conditions set the tone with a 15-23 knot breeze and solid 2-3m swell while over 30 paddlers lined up to take their chances at making their mark for the 2014 season.

Dylan Frick and Naish’s Ethan Koopmans battled it out from the starting line, with Dylan taking the lead and Ethan shortly behind. As Dylan entered the final stretch, Ethan and his Naish Javelin did what they do best and closed the gap within seconds with both paddlers battling it out in another beach sprint. Ethan was just edged out and took second after Dylan with Peter Peterson and his Naish Javelin rounding out the podium in third in the Open Men. These two youngsters are now making the pursuit team look a bit jaded with the next paddler nearly 4 minutes behind!

In the Ladies event, Mishka Steyn and her Naish Javelin continued their fine form and smashed the other ladies’ times by 3 minutes with Brigette van Aswegen (Naish Javelin) in 2nd and first-timer Emma Reymerink in 3rd. In 4th was Monika Wolgemuth (Naish Glide), who was also the only Masters Lady.

Men’s Masters was won by Naish’s Peter Petersen (Naish Javelin) with Armien Wohlgemuth (Naish Javelin) in 2nd ahead of Gary van Rooyen.

The finish through Small Bay was a gamble for all competitors that favored some and punished others – plenty tales of mass carnage when groups of paddlers mistimed their entries and took a set on the head. Despite the solid swell, there were no reports of broken boards or bodies, which is always good news!

Next week is looking promising with plenty of wind predicted and another 18 second swell! Congrats everyone!

Full results: http://www.sup-culture.com/results.html

Open Men:
1st: Dylan Frick
2nd: Ethan Koopmans – Naish Javelin LE
3rd: Peter Petersen – Naish Javelin LE

Ladies:
1st: Mishka Steyn – Naish Javelin LE
2nd: Brigette van Aswegen – Naish Javelin LE
3rd: Emma Reymerink

Masters:
1st: Peter Petersen – Naish Javelin LE
2nd: Armien Wohlgemuth – Naish Javelin LE
3rd: Gary van Rooyen

Ladies Masters:
1st: Monika Wohlgemuth – Naish Glide

Juniors:
1st: Ethan Koopmans – Naish Javelin LE
2nd: Kimon dos Santos
3rd: Joshua Robertson

Photos © Jane Anne Bouwery