-
FREE SHIPPING*
-
100 DAY RETURNS -
next business day dispatch
FREE SHIPPING*
100 DAY RETURNS next business day dispatch
By Austin Kieffer (USA) - Vaikobi Race Team
Photo Credit: Sam Murray
The Doctor is one of the few surfski races in the world that offers a true ocean crossing and there is something uniquely adventurous about an ocean crossing. Perhaps it stems from the knowledge that, at half way, you are further from shore than any sane person should be. Or perhaps it’s the wild quality of the ocean so far from shore.
Regardless, the Doctor is one of the few races of its kind and as a result draws a tremendous field of talent and depth. The 27km crossing starts at Rottnest Island, blasts out a kilometer to a hotspot, turns left towards the Australian coast for 20km, and finally hooks another left around a central channel marker for a furious 6km finish to Sorento Beach. Named after the winds that blow consistently in Perth, Australia at that time of year, the Doctor is a must do for anyone with their eye on global surfski.
As you go through the pre-race preparation for the Doctor, it becomes quite obvious why crossings are traditionally logistical nightmares. For this race, competitors must load their boats with hundreds of others on privately chartered barges the day before the race. These barges leave early Saturday morning, while racers themselves take the public ferry to the destination island.
Once there, the barges are unloaded and everyone finds their ski (in a sea of white surfskis [predominantly consisting of only two brands] it’s not as easy as it sounds). And finally, racers settle in and try to avoid the sun as race organizers wait for the afternoon wind to build.
This year, however, we were waiting for a Doctor that refused to work on weekends. With a high of 100 degrees, race day saw the lightest wind of the surrounding three weeks. The 2016 Doctor was a hot and brutal grind, pure and simple. Conditions were so brutal that many athletes received medical attention following the race (including the reigning world champ, who still managed a fantastic second place finish).
The Race Begins
The pace off the line was as hot as the weather. Hank and Olympian Kenny Wallace were off like rockets, pushing the pace to the hot spot (turning the marker first and second respectively). Further back, I rounded the hotspot to see the 20+ km of hot, lumpy ocean stretching out before me. I was already burning up. I knew I had to conserve in this first half if I had any hope of lasting the entire course. I backed off my pace and mournfully watched the leaders crawl away into the shimmering heat.
I put all my focus on paddling as efficiently and smoothly as possible. Mercifully, the Fenn S made it easy and I was able to milk every minute bump and ripple that came my way. Finally, after an hour of what felt like an eternity (and the loss of most of my body weight in liquid), I miraculously started feeling better. Maybe my body adjusted somehow, maybe it found some semblance of homeostasis in the brutal heat, but whatever it was, I could feel that I had a little more gas to give. It was time to see if my strategy of conserving would actually work.
Around that same time, a small breeze began to build (nothing substantial mind you, but the 5-10 knots were just enough to kick up small waves). Just ahead of me, Big Wave Macca seemed to be experiencing the same phenomena as he picked up the pace. Determined to try and catch him, we put our heads down and started gain ground. I never managed to pass him, but we seemed to keep the exact same separation as we hunted racers down. It wasn’t any less brutal or hot, but there is something magical about passing people in the later stages of a race and it seemed to be giving us both a little extra charge. In the end, we were able to claw our way back from the mid-teens to an amazing 6th and 7th finish, just 7 seconds apart! That being said, I did have to lie down in the shade for about 15 minutes after the race to gather myself.
My hat goes off to everyone who competed in the brutal conditions and the resilience of the top finishers who went out hard from the first stroke, inspires the heck out of me (well it does every time I am fortunate enough to race with them, but especially today).
Men's Field:
1) Hank McGregor
2) Cory Hill
3) Mark Anderson
4) Dawid Mocke
5) Jasper Mocke
6) Macca Hynard
7) Austin Kieffer
8) Kenny Rice
9) Kenny Wallace
10) Brendan Rice
Women’s Field:
1) Hayley Nixon
2) Teneal Hatton
3) Niccole Russell
4) Tegan Fraser
5) Wendy Reyntjes
6) Rachel Clarke
7) Jamie Roberts
Summer has arrived down under and so has Vaikobi's full line up of technical paddle gear to keep you powering through the hotter months.
Just landed at Vaikobi HQ is a fresh collection of our hugely popular Long Sleeve UV Paddle Tops in three new colour ways- Grey/Cyan Blue, Grey/Hi Vis Orange and White/Grey.
The V Ocean UV Paddle Top features our extremely lightweight and stretchy VLight fabrication to keep your body super cool with maximum sun protection.
Also new at Vaikobi HQ are the "must have" items in Vaikobi's summer range including the VOcean UV Paddle Short and VOcean Paddle Pants
Both these items include Vaikobi's innovative seamless seatpads, to increase paddle performance and comfort whilst racing and training on the water.
The Full Vaikobi line up including the Vaikobi Ocean Racing PFD's are available through your local Vaikobi Stockist and at www.vaikobi.com
We look forward to seeing you out on the water this summer!
Vaikobi is excited to announce a fantastic new prize for all competitors racing at The Doctor in Perth next weekend!
All competitors who enter "The Doctor" in Perth next weekend, will go in the draw to win the following prizes:
1) Vaikobi Ocean Performance Gear to the value of AUD 500
2) Free Entry to the Palm 2 Pines Race on December 10th in Sydney
3) Surfski/ SUP/ OC1 supplied for international/ interstate competitors
4) Ski Concierge service in Sydney- Just turn up and race!
To win, you have to be at the race presentation at Sorrento Surf Club on Saturday Night November 26th to claim your prize.
Vaikobi will be on site and racing at The Doctor 2016 along with our fantastic Vaikobi Race Team. We look forward to seeing you all there!
For more information on Vaikobi, please visit : www.vaikobi.com
For more information on the Palm 2 Pines Ocean Race, please visit: www.oceanpaddler.com/events/palm-2-pines/
Vaikobi is once again on board to support the largest downwind paddle event in North America- The 2017 Gorge Downwind Champs!
For 2017, entries will be limited to 450 across Surfski, SUP and OC, so it is highly recommended that you enter now to avoid the disappointment of missing one of the best weeks of downwind paddling on the global calendar!
The Gorge Downwind Champs in a nutshell consists of:
- A week of some of the best downwind paddling conditions on the planet....and on fresh water!
- 5 Day's of non stop downwind bus shuttles allowing you to do multiple downwind runs a day from Viento, through swell city and onwards to Hood River.
- 3 Day Race window with the flexibility to call the race day only 24 hours in advance for increased probability of nailing the best race conditions.
-The Downwind Village which will have the latest and greatest from the world's best paddle sport brands and drinks and food in ready supply.
- Great social schedule filled with great food, drinks and bands...
- A race run by paddlers for paddlers to ensure maximum enjoyment!
Vaikobi will be once again partnering with our great friends at Ocean Paddle Sports USA bringing the full line up of Vaikobi Performance Paddling Gear to our Gorge HQ Pop up store at the Downwind Village.
So get your entry in and book your accommodation/ travel to lock in The 2017 Gorge Downwind Champs!
Enter at: http://www.gorgedownwindchamps.com/registration
The Vaikobi team looks forward to seeing you all there!
Vaikobi is proud to announce our continued sponsorship of the World's largest Ocean Paddling circuit, The Australian Ocean Racing Series (AORS) for the 2016/17 season.
Managed by the magnificent team from Ocean Paddler led by Dean Gardiner, the AORS includes eleven races for Ocean Ski's, SUP's, Prone Paddle Boards & OC's in the Ocean Paddling mecca's of Australia in NSW, QLD, SA & WA.
The two major events of the AORS are The Doctor in Perth, WA and the Palm 2 Pines in Sydney, NSW where more than 450 competitors are expected for each of these races.
Vaikobi's Pat Langley commented that "The AORS is truly the most important ocean paddling circuit in the world which attracts the world's best paddle athletes year after the year. We are stoked to partner with Dean and the Ocean Paddler team for the 3rd year running to support this fantastic series."
The next race on the calendar is the Natural Gas SA Ocean Series run by Steve Dalton and his team in Adelaide before the circuit hits Western Australia in the lead up to the big one- The 2016 Doctor in Perth.
The 2016 Doctor is set to be the largest yet with an extremely strong international field arriving in Perth, ready to battle each other over 27km of pure downwind heaven!
Back in Sydney before Christmas will be the re-ignition of the Palm 2 Pines race which will this year attract an all star field to Sydney's Northern Beaches on December 10th.
The final three races of the AORS to be held in 2017 are The Gold Coast Ocean Classic, QLD (Jan 7th), Moon Island Classic, Newcastle Jan 14th and Manly Wharf Bridge to Beach (Feb 26th)
Entries are open for all events on the AORS so make sure you secure your spot on the start line.
To view and enter any AORS races please visit:
http://oceanpaddler.com/events/australian-ocean-racing-series/
Vaikobi was the first in the performance paddling market to come up with a lightweight, sleek and highly visible race ocean racing PFD which has since taken the paddling world by storm!
Today we launch a new addition to our line up with the sleek Grey/ Fluro Yellow colour-way which combines style with performance and safety!
With all the same features that you love in the fully hi-vis colours, this PFD will keep you safe whilst looking fast!
Check it out at your local Vaikobi stockist or at vaikobi.com
